New problem with the Mazda...

I've always had to have someone stand out in a parking lot while I drive circles around them if I can't tell myself... Usually pretty easy to pinpoint from outside the car.

Lift the front of the car and secure it safely Hachi, then turn each side by hand and visually and tactilely inspect each side. Turn the wheels full lock in each direction and rotate them. You should be able to detect a bad half shaft easily. When you turn the wheels full lock you can also spot cuts/tears in the boots that expose themselves when the "accordion folds" of the boot are stretched. If you are just repacking them make sure the grease is for CV joints. Valvoline makes a pretty good synthetic type sold in one pound cans.

This can also be a wheel bearing, though it does sound like a CV joint.

If the CV joint is gone, replacing the boot is like putting on a new shoe of someone with a broken foot: It won't make a bit of difference. And, unlike a broken foot, the CV joint won't get better by itself. So, fixing the boot and replacing the grease won't do a bit of good.

I'd be afraid that once you got the boot off, the joint will just fall apart.

The best thing to do might be to let it go for a week or two, work overtime, and fix it the right way once.

Jeff