Ball joint rubber boots.

[angus]

Anyone know anywhere other than Cool Air that sells these boots for the main ball joints up front. I have 1 or 2 split ones that I need to replace urgently before MOT.

 

[speedwell68]

I got mine from mega bug, they seemed to be very good quality.

 

[dp]

I recently got one from VW Heritage and one from Mega Bug (didn't realise I needed 2 until I'd already bought 1). I'd say the one from VW Heritage was slightly thicker but less flexible - could of course just have been different batches from the same supplier.

 

[angus]

Thanks guys - hadn't realised that there were a few people who did them!

 

[Guest]

yeah megabug, 4 for a tenner about a year ago.

 

[creationblue]

Hi

Are they easy to fit? Noticed mine are shot too

CB

 

[Guest]

they can be a complete bast@rd, especially after you have filled with the grease. The circular clips/springs on the boots are the fiddlest job i've had to do yet on my bus :x .

When removing the old ones, be careful not to damage the them at the top and bottom of the boot, as you will need these to hold on the new boots. It will save you the hassle of sourcing new ones. I think they would be hard to find off the shelf.

 

[dp]

Getting the eccentric bush / camber adjusting nut off the ball joint can be a real PITA. If it comes off easily then it's not too bad (but the clips are a bit fiddly).

 

[Guest]

i had a hard time finding a ball joint breaker with a wide enough gap to fit the bus joints! in the end i had to just hit it very hard with a 2lbs hammer. I made the mistake of using the nut as a leverage with the breaker, and because it wasnt completely off, the threads were rusty the nut wouldnt move any further and the ball joint just spun around. I would advise taking the balljoint nut completely off, before breaking the ball joint out of the spindle knuckle. I used the bilstein jack to lever the arm up high enough to release the joint out of the spindle as i was on my own but if you have a mate and a decent size crow/pry bar you can pressure it up.

 

[angus]

When I was at Cool Air on Saturday, they said that in a few weeks they were going to be stocking the boots with new clips.

I had a slightly frustrating trip there - checked they were open on Saturday and not at any shows, drove over an hour to get there, only to find that 80% of what I wanted (including the boots!) were in a van up at a bus show somewhere!! Oh well - nice place to look around and got some good advice chatting to the blokes there - always prefer to deal like that rather than on the phone/web, even if I only came away with a fuel pipe and earth strap!!

 

[creationblue]

Are shot boots MOT failures then?

CB

 

[angus]

I've always thought so - please tell me I'm wrong - just wrestled putting the greasy half shafts back in lying under the bus - got 24 hrs (minus a day or 'real' work) to do everything else, including the ball joint boots, before an MOT on Saturday....

 

[creationblue]

It just that mine passed its last MOT, and there is no way they have deteriorated that much in 8 months :lol:

CB

 

[Tofufi]

My MOT man put them as advisories on my bug... 2 years running.

I'll get round to it this year...

 

[angus]

well, here is hoping as Heritage have taken a week to post a £15 order, ordered on Sunday :evil:

 

[Guest]

Are shot boots MOT failures then?

CB

no, shot boots arent a failure, ive got through several times and the boots are clearly worn/cracked, as long as the ball joint is ok then it should only be an advisory.

 

[angus]

Spot on, as confirmed by the MOT chap today, who PASSED my van