Hi all, I've been having a few issues with my 2007 is250 AWD lately. I just changed over to my summer wheels/tires and drove for a couple days only. I noticed immediately after putting them on, after turning the wheel full lock to the left I'm getting some binding in the AWD system. I took the wheel off and saw that the inner CV boot had split apart and sprayed grease all over the inner wheel liner. Now I'm fairly certain I caught this within a day or two. I'm thinking of pulling the CV (130k on the original part), checking for damage, and installing either a new OEM boot/grease which is about $70. Or I could go with a cheap CV ~$100 however I'm not sure if this would lead to further issues down the road. A new OEM CV joint is $700 from the dealer which I'm hesitating to spend on. My thinking is that since one boot failed the others might be soon getting brittle too.

Any advice for me?

 

binding in the AWD system? Are you lowered? I didn't know that you could just get new boots. I've always replaced with aftermarket ones. They last a little while but it seems to be slinging grease again. There's a slammed AWD guy on the forums that has said that OEM ones last longer before breaking.

 

I don't know if auto parts store in Canada offer this, but Auto Zone in the states offer a lifetime warranty. So though not OEM, hard to beat the fact that if it ever fails on you down the road, you'll get a free replacement. So I personally would go with reman replacement half shaft.

 

I'm on stock height. I can get a NAPA axle for $200 which they told me is a rebranded cardone. I'd prefer not to have to keep replacing axles if I get a vibration issue with a cheap chinese axle though. To be honest I don't see why the OEM shouldn't last the life of the car, my prius has 281k on it and the boots and axles are still original. That car has been pounded on hard.

Does anyone know if I can replace the inner boot without pulling the axle? I saw a trick where someone recommended cutting a funnel to fit over the end of the axle and greasing it up, then stretching the boot over. That would save the work of having to pry the end out of the transmission.