Stretch / slipover CV boots any good

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i have seen some ads for stretchable cv boots that slip over the big end of the axle. this would be much easier than taking it apart,

My only concern is if the rubber is good for long life after that. CV are not loose or making noise on hard turns si they should still be good. the boot is just starting to sling grease.
 
I bought one for my Camry and have yet to put it on, as anyone I mention it to says they are a waste of time and I should just replace the axle since I am that far into it anyway. I bought the stretch cone and everything. The axle isn't making any noise, and the hole I saw grease coming from is small enough that I haven't been too concerned.
 
^ Now you have a different story, because now someone you mentioned it to, is telling you there is no reason to replace the whole CV axle at a premium price instead of just the boot, unless there was so much grease loss, or enough grime got in, to tear it up. If it is not excessively worn, what is the rationale to pay hundreds of dollars more? That might be what a shop tells you, because it's not their money and they would rather not refurbish anything, even a paperclip with a stray bend in it (lol!).

This is within the context that aftermarket CV axles are usually junk, there there typically isn't any sub-$250 OEM replacement option. Varies by vehicle.

Stretch boot though? I have never used one, would use a normal boot with straps. Do they spec what kind of rubber it is?

Whether you can take that shortcut (besides if it is a durable product) depends on how much grease was lost or how much grime intrusion. The more conservative answer is you want to take it apart, clean it out and pack with fresh grease. Some people have a mental block about cleaning things, but a 5 gallon bucket and a half gallon gasoline (plus rinse, and rubber gloves) should do fine.
 
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As mentioned, waste of time. Get a real boot and disassemble the joint and do it the right way.
 
Sounds like a stop gap solution.
That said, I have repacked a couple of CV joints before once I noticed the boots were cracked a little bit. I don't recall for certain, but I don't believe the cracks/splits were large enough to let in much debris/water.

I didn't use a slip on boot but instead used some adhesive that is supposed to work for this application. (don't recall the name but it was gray and came in a permatex like tube)

That patch job got me by for 2-3 years until the joints needed to be replaced.
 
Simple answer is NO! I’ve had stone damage/ holes that leaked grease after a single drive.

They have no impact damage resistance.
 
Seems to me that you've already done the hard part by the time you get the axle out, no experience with stretch boots, though.

I've repacked a few axles with torn boots and they have been fine.
 
it the passenger front side of a 14 sienna. Wanting to not replace the entire axle and also not risk losing a bearing or something while disassembling the ball end. I saw the video on youtube by car care nut and there was a part where he had to airhammer the bearing holder off the spline and be careful not to lose any part. Im like, Murphy would be all over that job for sure, there will be bearings flying everywhere with cuss words chasing them.
 
it the passenger front side of a 14 sienna. Wanting to not replace the entire axle and also not risk losing a bearing or something while disassembling the ball end. I saw the video on youtube by car care nut and there was a part where he had to airhammer the bearing holder off the spline and be careful not to lose any part. Im like, Murphy would be all over that job for sure, there will be bearings flying everywhere with cuss words chasing them.
Use one of these, nothing is flying out. This is an example, there are more brands but all are basically the same.


This is how it is used..

 
If the original cv didn't give issues and isn't contaminated beyond a good cleaning- throw a set of new oem boots at it, put a good used oem cv in it. I kick myself for throwing out my rebuildable Toyota shafts for easy replacement chinesium shafts.
 
I tried quickie glue-on boots when the original boots cracked on my Mazda at about 308k miles. They didn't last long. Next I replaced the shafts with NAPA rebuilts, one of which was needlessly difficult to install because the spline was mangled. Once installed, they lasted ok.
 
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