"djay" wrote in
>
> Replace just the boot? If so reco on the manufacture? Googled and
> found that people are happy with NAPA model. I know for certain the
> tear is less than two weeks old.
>
> Replace the shaft too? If so reco on a store for the reman?
>
> Is this something I can do myself? In my young (and poor) days I was
> an okay shadetree mechanic. But in my older age I've softened some!
The cheapest place I've found for Subaru boot kits is here;
http://www.sjmauto.com/
They're a German import oriented page but their parts catalog has good
prices on Subaru parts.
The inner boot kit for your car is less than $15 including boot, bands,
and grease. The split boots are a sort of roadside emergency thing like
muffer bandage. Everyone who likes them is quick to brag about how
*many* of them they've used. Not exactly the best recommendation from my
POV.
The break point is the labor. Doing the job right means pulling the
axel, tearing down the joint, and doing a clean and repack. Recon axles
are cheap enough and shop rates are high enough that paying a mechanic to
replace the boot won't save you much.
The DL/GL/Loyale series fries this boot on a regular basis because it's
located right above the catalytic converter. I've learned the shortcuts
that make an axle swap on mine a half hour job, and started keeping a
spare with fresh boot installed laying around the garage. So far I've
owned five of these cars over the years and replaced that boot at least
once on every one of them.
Later,
Joe
>> Stay informed about: Inner CV Boot Ripped