Cost to replace Left Outer CV Boot?

[tomsakaguchi]

I have a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera with about 50K on it and I recently took it in as it was cutting out on me (my post a few back).

Upon inspection the dealer/shop is saying I need to replace the left outer CV boot.

They want to charge me $585.00 for this which seems pretty high.

Is this a rip off?

Also, I need to replace the air reciever drying on the AC and have it recharged and they want $660.00 for this.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm new to the board and hate to post such trival stuff, but my car is in California and I'm in New York 90% of the time so I've never had a chance to find a trust worlty mechanic.

Any good mechanics in Southern California (Orange County or Inland Empire preferred, let me know.

Thanks,
Tom

[cbeers]

Hey Tom,

My outer driver's side boot was also blown on my '87. Wrench quoted about $150 to repair. I found out that a COMPLETE end to end unit from the original supplier was about $250 to my door. So, for me, it was a no brainer since my car has high miles. You may feel differently. I have been told it's not that bad to replace the boot yourself, but it seemed to be a waste of driving time when I could swap in a new one in short order. I should also mention that I am a newbie to these cars with limited mechanical ablilities and I was able to tackle this repair with relative ease.........

Let me know if I can help in any way.

-Chris

[Rodney Nelson]

Yes, I think the CV boot change is high. The problem with most shops is that they charge you full retail for the parts, so you end up getting the screwgee.

First thing you need to ask yourself is, are you hearing a constant clunking noise while driving your car. If you are you need to replace the CV joint not just the boot.

If you are not hearing any noises then all you need is the boot itself. Which is about 25 bucks and some grease. This is a very easy procedure and you should do it yourself. Go pick up Wayne's book 101 projects for your Porsche. Even the extremely novice person can do this.

Unfortunately, the A/C thing is another issue. The reciever dryer is about 90 bucks. But they will have to purge out your whole system and re-charge it. I would expect atleast 2 hours worth of labor. The expensive question is are you running R-12 or R-134. 134 is way cheaper vs R-12. In my opinior it is still a little high at $600.

The problem is that you are going to have to have a professional work on your A/C unless you are willing to buy all of the necessary tools and convert your system over to 134A.

Good luck.

[Jim Smolka]

Tom,

Update your location on your profile. There may be a Pelican who could help you ( I think you are in CA).

The cost all depends on the quality of the job and the parts used. Of course, using PP and doing the job your self can save $$.

[Randy Webb]

It's amazingly high for just the boot - they must mean the whole CV joint needs replacing -- DIY and save $400 or more. It requires a tolerance for grease and sweat.