Having blatantly crashed the C.V. Boot work gathering I thought I'd set up this thread for some knowledgeable instruction on how much wear is too much wear on the Joint. From my layman's perspective this looks pitted and more than just 'polished'. I can feel the grooves baby and not in a good way. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
...by using a black rag to polish them up I seem to have revealed how embarrassingly flaky and pitted my balls are. @busmonkey seemed keen on inspecting this area so here you all are. Note: black makes things seem smaller than they are in reality. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
I think I'm answering my own question as I go here but its useful for anyone else. If anyone has a photo of a joint which is polished within limits I'd appreciate one. Cheers. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
As above. Time for fresh ones... They aren't just polished, but you've got metal flaking in the races and it won't get any better.
Ha! Yeah I'm actually replacing all of them on 2 buses! That was just an example of what's going on everywhere. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
That's the one. Same as is used on the T2 They do a cheaper alternative from JP but I have no experience with those. I try and use OE where possible but there's a case to be made for the cheaper stuff..2 for the price of one etc. Generally you get what you pay for
As good as in any of the GKN kits. And better than most! I assume you mean the OE ones. Alt ones will probably dissolve in 2 years
Well the VW boxed branded boots i fitted in 2018 seem still to be good in 2022..but they are unobtanium these days..Which outlasts one set I got from GSF by a factor of at least 10x ..
That's the thing Mike that the branded stuff has all but been used up and surfaces rarely. They'll be old now as well, even if unused. Hence the recommendation to at least use OEM, which GKN/Lobro were. Quality isn't the same as we all know materials have changed. But as was born out by your GSF experience, some of the pretenders are absolutely shocking! I bought a primary handbrake cable and a slave clutch cylinder 4 years ago that were fitted to the T3. The cable and cylinder themselves are still functioning but the rubber boots literally dissolved in 18 months. They were JP brand. Some of their stuff is really good and we have to take the attitude they are at least supporting the marque. Oh, and be prepared that if we buy cheap stuff, it's likely to require replacing sooner. A new reality is all...
@snotty , As we're talking about wear and longevity, I am using the following on the T3, by way of an experiment. It's a pain changing the boots, especially in situ, so I really don't want to be doing it regularly. https://www.brickwerks.co.uk/cv-boot-kit-t3-rear-thermoplastic.html Who knows, with OE boot kits on their own now over 30 quid it seems a punt worth taking. There are 6 on a syncro so rotting boots can be an expensive and time consuming 'service' task. So far so good but we haven't put many angry miles on them yet. I've had 2 on the rear inners for about 8 months now and the outers have only been swapped over about 3 months ago. They are harder, more brittle than the Lobro ones so I'm not holding my breath however I believe this is the material the OEMs have switched to for current production vehicles. Hence these aren't designed for T2 or T3 and have to be fitted with a PVC sleeve. We'll see... Edit, if anyone swaps to these, be aware that the Oettiker clips supplied in the kit are too small for the 'modified' od of the small end of the boot. You'll have to either use cable ties, not ideal as the plastic doesn't compress as easily as the rubber ones, or buy larger clips.
When we talk of GSF quality being poor I'm assuming this is their own aftermarket stuff not the GKN Lobro joints they list? Only they're listing Lobro for £40 which is the cheapest I've found so far. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
