help with cv boot & headlights

[simon26r]

my car has not passed the mot

I have been told that both nearside and offside constant verlocity joint gaiters are split (2.5.c.1a)
is this just a cv boot???

as my mitsubishi garage want £280 to repair them..ha ha ha
I have had a good look at all 4 of them and i cant see any splits, the only thing i can find is one off them has popped off..

Headlights
what the best way to get the wright aim.

thank you
simon

 

[^neo^]

Yep, that'll be the CV boots.
You can get hold of ones that you can put on with the driveshafts in position. They have a split right through the centre of them and you glue them together when youve got them on the shaft. Never used them myself but a guy i know swears by them.

 

[iain90210]

I have used one of those universal cv boots that you cut to size and then glue around the joint. My experience was that it was very difficult to get the 'big end' of the boot to stay in place with the ratchet tie wrap - mine 'popped off'.

As neo says people do use them successfully. Personally I wouldn't do this again. Much bigger job to put a standard boot on though!

 

[johnwr]

They are F---ing crap and complete waste of time and money and used by bodgers. It's much easier in the long run to buy a good quality CV boot kit and do the job just once, it's cheaper in the long run to fit the correct cv boot than to fit some cr-p overgrown condom that will only last a few days anyway and end up having to replace the cv joint if you don't notice that the cheap boot as either split or fallen off.
end of rant.
johnwr

 

[Belle427]

id agree with all that,do it properly or it will fail again next year when the boots come apart,as for the headlights try parking near a wall/garage door and looking at the beam alignment

 

[PhoenixC]

As said above the split boots are generally best left alone.
I have used them in the past but it depends on the size difference between the joint and the boot as to how much success you have in making them stay on.

What type of mitsubishi are we talking here a front wheel drive or a four wheel drive.

If its something like a charisma then its not too bad a job and you can have both sides done in a couple of hours.
If its a shogun then it ends up being quite a big job.

Are the headlights a long way out or just a little.
My MOT station I use will normally adjust the headlights themselves if need be, if thats the only thing the vehicle fails on