CV Boot....MOT failure?

[Boothy]

As above really. Will a bust CV boot cause it to fail the MOT?

[Andy]

am afraid so..

[Boothy]

am afraid so..

Gutted....

[Andy]

is the boot split or just leaking slightly out of the ends

[Boothy]

I'm not sure. When I had my aircon replaced the 'visual check list' they gave me said it was leaking grease but not much more. KNowing my look it'll be totally shafted.

[bodger00]

I wouldn't worry about the boot as much as your CV joint being toasted if the grease leaks out!

Your bill of a £5 CV could rapidly rise if not sorted.

[Boothy]

Hmmm. Gonna get it booked in next week.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Any updates?

[Boothy]

Got the local garage to sort it a couple of weeks back. He did both outer CV boots and the oil, oil filter and fuel filter for £125.00 which I thought was pretty good.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Got the local garage to sort it a couple of weeks back. He did both outer CV boots and the oil, oil filter and fuel filter for £125.00 which I thought was pretty good.

Yikes . . . what oil did he use?  Because that sounds very cheap

5 litres of quality LL3 oil £50
genuine oil filter £6 trade
CV joint gaiter kit £21 each

So total price of parts is £98 - so his labour charge was only £27.  Some serious corners cut in that job methinks. 

[Boothy]

I lied slightly  .......just checked the receipt and it was 145.00. He's always used long life oil ( think he said it was motul or something) and I'm not really bothered what filters he used. It is cheap but the blokes sorted. Half the the small jobs he's done he's done cheap and occasionally he has just checked the car in-between jobs to identify problems and hasn't charged me, even when I haven't had the work done.
 He's recently just set up and I think he's trying to secure a regular customer base. To be honest though I got a price for the same work from a local-ish Vw specialist and it wasn't that much more for the same work.
 The cv boot kit was only about what you quoted for a pair too   

[Teutonic_Tamer]

I lied slightly  .......just checked the receipt and it was 145.00.

Can't get the staff these days!

He's always used long life oil ( think he said it was motul or something)

OK, Motul oils are effing very good.  However, a generic 'longlife' oil may still not be suitable - a BMW longlife oil, or a Mercedes longlife oil, or a General Motors longlife oil will be no good in a VW.  You really need to ascertain that the oil he used was approved by Volkswagen to VW 504.00

and I'm not really bothered what filters he used.

Eeeek - you should be really.  OK, whilst the best option is always a genuine OEM filter, I certainly don't have a problem with OEM-spec filters from either Mann or Hengst from somwhere like GSF.  But at the other end of the scale, the shyte own brand Halfrauds filters are truely aweful, and the Champion branded ones are just one grade above dog sh!t.  Whilst not relevent to the GTI, many oil filters include a pressure release valve - and non-genuine are usually way out.  I'm currently working on a few Renaults, and the difference beween genuine and non is very apparent that I refused to use what the customer had bought.

The other issue is that the filter medium - the paper - can actually disintegrate and fall out - not quite how a filter is meant to operate.

It is cheap but the blokes sorted. Half the the small jobs he's done he's done cheap and occasionally he has just checked the car in-between jobs to identify problems and hasn't charged me, even when I haven't had the work done.
 He's recently just set up and I think he's trying to secure a regular customer base. To be honest though I got a price for the same work from a local-ish Vw specialist and it wasn't that much more for the same work.

Fairy-nuff.  I often do jobs FOC or at cost.  Good customer service and all that. 

The cv boot kit was only about what you quoted for a pair too   

Then they wern't genuine.  Again, non-genuine tend to use plastic CV joint boots which will pop-off the joint in the winter under full lock - rather than the OEM rubber boots.  Also, non-genuine kits invariably come with the wrong grease - either the wrong type of grease, or the wrong volume of grease.

ETTO and all that - but I've had way too much grief from non-genuine CV joint boots - that I categorically refuse to fit them.  OEM boots, or take the job elsewhere.

[Boothy]

He's always used long life oil ( think he said it was motul or something)

OK, Motul oils are effing very good.  However, a generic 'longlife' oil may still not be suitable - a BMW longlife oil, or a Mercedes longlife oil, or a General Motors longlife oil will be no good in a VW.  You really need to ascertain that the oil he used was approved by Volkswagen to VW 504.00

Oh dear.....

and I'm not really bothered what filters he used.

Eeeek - you should be really.  OK, whilst the best option is always a genuine OEM filter, I certainly don't have a problem with OEM-spec filters from either Mann or Hengst from somwhere like GSF.  But at the other end of the scale, the shyte own brand Halfrauds filters are truely aweful, and the Champion branded ones are just one grade above dog sh!t.  Whilst not relevent to the GTI, many oil filters include a pressure release valve - and non-genuine are usually way out.  I'm currently working on a few Renaults, and the difference beween genuine and non is very apparent that I refused to use what the customer had bought.

The other issue is that the filter medium - the paper - can actually disintegrate and fall out - not quite how a filter is meant to operat

...oh dear.......

The cv boot kit was only about what you quoted for a pair too  

Then they wern't genuine.  Again, non-genuine tend to use plastic CV joint boots which will pop-off the joint in the winter under full lock - rather than the OEM rubber boots.  Also, non-genuine kits invariably come with the wrong grease - either the wrong type of grease, or the wrong volume of grease.

ETTO and all that - but I've had way too much grief from non-genuine CV joint boots - that I categorically refuse to fit them.  OEM boots, or take the job elsewhere.
[/quote]

.....oh dear 

He did all the filters last year and from what I know, everything has been ok. As for the CV boots I don't know what to say really. Hopefully they'll stay on and do there job. If they don't then I'll know better for next time. I might try jack the car up when my hand gets better and have a look at them.

You should come live near Leeds then you can do all my mechanical work........CORRECTLY 

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Don't wish to put a downer on things.  I've probably only seen about 20-30 oil filters disintegrate in over 30 years of spannering.  But I have seen many, many issues of oil pressure abnormalities soley due to non-genuine or non-OEM spec oil filters

And with Motul - they actually make 13 different longlife oils - only 2 are suitable for longlife use in VWs - 'Motul Specific 504.00 507.00', and 'Motul Specific 506.01'.  The point I'm trying to make here - is simply that it is no longer the case of 'one size fits all' oil.  Up until about 2000, independent workshops would usually have three barrels (or bulk storage tanks) of oil - a 15w40 mineral, a 10w40 semi-synthetic, and a 5w40 fully synthetic - and one of those three would be suitable for probably 99% of all cars from all makes (BMW 'M' cars were notable exceptions, initially requiring a really expensive 10w60 ester fully synthetic).  Today, for the 'independent' garage, working on cars built after 2000ish, it is 100% impossible to keep workshop stock of all the correct oils for all makes.  Even for some so-called VAG specialists (not to mention the VW main stealers) - they are STILL using wrong oils.

But for all this 'minefield' of different oils, IF he filled yours with say a Vauxhall longlife oil - don't loose sleep - your engine wont blow up.  But what might happen is you may get an occasional engine warning light - this is due to the different requirements of 'SAPS' (sulfated ash, phosphorous and sulfur) in modern oils - if you use a mid-SAPS oil, when the car was dessigned for low-SAPS - then it will contaminate the catalytic converter.  Here is a link from Lubrizol - which briefs the latest ACEA sequences - which all European manufacturer OEM oil specs are based on - http://www.lubrizol.com/EuropeanEngineOils/default.html.  And here is a link on low-SAPS - http://www.lubricants.total.com/lub/lubroot.nsf/VS_OPM/1DDBB7B10BEBB4D4C12570DE003D3186?OpenDocument


Finally, the CV boots - just ask him.  I'm sure if he's a genuine chap (which he sounds like he is), he'll be happy to tell you weather they were genuine, or if he got them from a motor factor.


HTH  

[Boothy]

Cheers dude