CV Boot replacement

I had the same problem and it was taken care of by the dealer (under warranty) as it is known problem on Outback/Legacy (I guess Forester as well) models.

From this web site:

_Too-thin CV-joint grease. This is *NOT* a recall, but enough complaints have occured that I thought I'd mention it. Symptoms are smoke and a burning smell from under the hood on some 1998 Outbacks and Foresters. The cause is improper DOJ (CV joint...) grease, which is too thin and melts at lower-than-desired temperatures, leaking onto the exhaust and vaporizing. Subaru will fix this under warranty, and it is not a safety issue, though driving your CV joints dry will destroy them._

Good luck, Voja

ploutos wrote:

Happened on my '98 Forester. It was fixed under drivetrain warranty. I recall asking how much it would have cost otherwise and I believe they said only about $50. Frank

That's a cheap price if in fact they'll do it for that. Had a failure several months ago and as usual did the job myself. The inner boot was $20 from one of the large chain auto parts stores. Took close to an hr to repair. Even with experience I would be surprised if the shop could make the repair in less than 30 mins.

This is a job a home mechanic ca do without and special tools needed. Requires a large socket, a 1.25" or metric eq and a pair of retainer ring pliers. The strut has to be removed from the spindle and take note that the upper bolt used to attach the strut to the spindle is an eccentric one that is used to adj the camber. Cleaning the old grease off the parts is the dirty part of the job.

Mickey

Final Result:

Quotes: Subaru Dealer (apparently sniffing glue): $250

2 other shops: $165-$185 My usual mechanic who is totally great and reasonable but I am out of town: $150

The shop I got to do it: $100

That sound more like reality. Was the $100 shop replacing the boot or installing a rebuilt shaft? When getting up to the $200 range I would expect nothing less than a rebuilt shaft and possibly a new one. Purchased a rebuilt half shaft for my Nissan a couple yrs ago for