2018 Prado front CV boot replacement and cost

[vxowner18 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vxowner18]

Hello everyone,

Any advice will be appreciated here.

Just got my 24 month service done at dealership. Service technician found both of my inner CV boots were broken, and he claimed the damages were caused by hitting something while driving, so they wouldn’t be covered by warranty. I was quoted for $600-700 to do the job, $200 for parts, and 3hrs labour. I can’t recall anything that could have damaged those boots in the past 6 months, so for my curiosity, I took the car to a independent workshop to get these boots checked again, the result had confirmed those boots were broken, and the price they gave to me was $950, including front wheel alignment?! They said front wheels would be re aligned after boots change.

That’s the whole story so far, can anyone please help me what the right story is, how and how much two boots replacement cost?

thanks in advance!

[carco Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close carco]

Not sure why the independent wants to do an alignment, you're not removing anything that affects alignment, just lower ball joints.
So his price is no good.
The dealership's labour is fair enough, price of parts is high but that's what you get.
My question is how did both inners get damaged? They're fairly well buried under the bash plate.
If you did a bogged reverse, that's about the only way rubbish could get forced up there. But there'd be evidence of that, rear gearbox "guard" would be tattered.

[vxowner18 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vxowner18]

My question is how did both inners get damaged? They're fairly well buried under the bash plate.
If you did a bogged reverse, that's about the only way rubbish could get forced up there. But there'd be evidence of that, rear gearbox "guard" would be tattered.

Thanks for your quick reply.

To be honest, I don't know neither, the car didn't go off road at all since new, most of highways and country roads driving only. And I can't remember any thing special in the past 6 month as all boots were fine after 18 month service.

The only thing in my mind could be something happened, however, my wife didn't know what had happened while she was holding the wheel.

Do you reckon I could just go to a second Toyota dealership, and try to claim warranty cover there, if those parts are normally well protected by bash plate?

Cheers,

[carco Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close carco]

Mate put your head under and have a look. The inners are completely covered by the bash plate, obviously the outers are not.
Look further back and you'll see where the steel bash plate ends and a flimsy plastic thing bolts on. That's the one that gets destroyed in a big, especially going backwards in sand.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I reckon the best you could do to reduce the price is buy after market whole cv shafts for $115 each. They will last a long time. Supply them to Toyota to have replaced and try your best to negotiate the labour rate down to 2 hrs instead of 3.... Even though they’d have both shafts replaced in under 1hr. Or try a different mechanic altogether. There would be mobile mechanics who’d charge $70-$80 an hour. They’d do the job in that time if they didn’t dawdle.
Thats about $310 (you provide shafts).
As mentioned by someone else above, no wheel alignment is needed. That mechanic wouldn’t even get it done, they’d just charge you for it. Stay away from those snakes because they were trying to rip you off.

[Black 120 GX Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Black 120 GX]

Do you have a suspension lift. A lift causes the drive shafts to run at a greater angle, which can cause the boots to rub on themselves and wear/ split. Non genuine boots can have less shape and don't flex as well as the Toyota boots, and can wear quicker. There is companies around that just do drive shafts, you would get a better price by going to one of these companies.
You will find most mechanics just remove and replace and send the drive shafts out to be repaired. Your local Toyota workshop may even send the drive shafts out for rebuild.
I would ask whoever you are looking to do the work, a) do you rebuild or send out, b) are genuine parts used.

[vxowner18 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vxowner18]

I would ask whoever you are looking to do the work, a) do you rebuild or send out, b) are genuine parts used.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your advise, appreciated.

No I haven't done a lift yet, I plan to do so when the car is over 5-year age, I will get a lift, spring, shocks, tyres all done by then.

I don't have much experience to justify how these boots got damaged, however, I did see some spill grease around both boots.

As you mentioned, I would go for genuine parts the first place too, and I will drive around this weekend to find another repair quotation, and see what they gonna say about it.

Cheers,

[vxowner18 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vxowner18]

I reckon the best you could do to reduce the price is buy after market whole cv shafts for $115 each. They will last a long time. Supply them to Toyota to have replaced and try your best to negotiate the labour rate down to 2 hrs instead of 3.... Even though they’d have both shafts replaced in under 1hr. Or try a different mechanic altogether. There would be mobile mechanics who’d charge $70-$80 an hour. They’d do the job in that time if they didn’t dawdle.
Thats about $310 (you provide shafts).
As mentioned by someone else above, no wheel alignment is needed. That mechanic wouldn’t even get it done, they’d just charge you for it. Stay away from those snakes because they were trying to rip you off.

Hi Brett,

Thanks for your reply.

I've done front boots change to my previous car, wasn't a 4WD though, but no alignment was needed. At lease, now I have confirmed, no alignment of wheel for Prado as well.

Cheers,