average cost of cv boot replacement? and other kia repairs

[preCRT]

Just took my 2003 kia spectra in for service.

I bought the car 6 months ago with 31,000 miles, it's now up to 37,000. Had hoped the selling dealer did the 30,000 mile service but I guess not as today I was told the transmission fluid is brown & therefore needs flushing. Also told the left outer cv boot needs replacing & all 4 tires supposedly have dry rot in bead area and need replacing as well.

What is an average cost [incl labor] to replace the cv boot? Is $190 ridiculously high? They also recommended tranny service of $150 and $470 for 4 tires [not incl alignment]. I can easily shop around for better prices on 4 tires, I hope. But I'm at a loss about the transmission service & cv boot repair. Are they trying to screw me over?

Should I replace the CV boot ASAP to prevent more costly future repairs?


Thanks for all advice.

 

[jlee]

You can get a whole CV half-shaft for $50.79 + s/h at RockAuto. Tires Plus (I think it was) in Gainesville FL used to advertise $99 installed for a CV.

$190 for a boot alone seems high, but that's going to include labor to replace the boot..maybe it would be cheaper to replace the whole thing.

 

[CrackRabbit]

$190 doesn't sound to bad for the CV boot repair if they are repairing it properly and not just putting a quick boot on there.
Transmission service seems about $50 to high, you should also check the fluid (color and smell) yourself to make sure they aren't trying to have you do service you don't need. Although your car is right about the mileage where a drain and fill of the transmission fluid should be considered.

 

[Gibson486]

$190 doesn't sound to bad for the CV boot repair if they are repairing it properly and not just putting a quick boot on there.
Transmission service seems about $50 to high, you should also check the fluid (color and smell) yourself to make sure they aren't trying to have you do service you don't need. Although your car is right about the mileage where a drain and fill of the transmission fluid should be considered.

yeah, i paid around $210 a few ago when i had my nissan.

 

[Fenixgoon]

You can get a whole CV half-shaft for $50.79 + s/h at RockAuto. Tires Plus (I think it was) in Gainesville FL used to advertise $99 installed for a CV.

$190 for a boot alone seems high, but that's going to include labor to replace the boot..maybe it would be cheaper to replace the whole thing.

yeah, the labor is what will probably get you. it was a bitch installing my own joints. takes much less time when you have a lift though - go figure.

i got both CV joints, parts only of course, on my car (VW Passat) for $150. If you replace the whole axle, some places may charge a "core charge" that you will get back when you return your old CV joint.

 

[StageLeft]

$190 is fine. I did a replacement once and last night since the replacement was an alimighty mess just put a new axle in instead. But 190 seems fine.

To answer your question, no you won't do damage to leave that repair, not until the axles seizes up and you get proper-fvcked but that is really down the line a while and you'll likely hear clicking or other sounds while turning before that happens. It doesn't impact other parts, though.

 

[allanon1965]

I would make sure whoever does it that genuine KIA fluid is used for the transmission, its too expensive to replace just because a person is too tight to spend extra bucks for the genuine stuff...this goes for any asian import as well as euro imports as well....I have been working on cars and trucks for over 28 years, 22 of those as an ASE Master Auto Tech...

I replace alot of things nowdays because of wrong fluids used and such....back yard bob who thinks any trans fluid is ok for his honda, or dexronIII is what his gm truck transfer case takes now just cause his 30 year old truck did...

even honda has come out with a blue coolant specifically for its newer autos and trucks...use the "universal" coolant and watch the cooling system fail in a few short months...btdt...

stick to OE parts and you will be fine, in some cases aftermarket is decent enough, but there have been issues with aftermarket cv axles for KIAs....but that being said, it was usually the brand new axles that had the issues, the remanufactured ones didnt as they were OE at one point in time

 

[njmodi]

If you wait to replace the boot and dry out the joint - you may damage it and then you'll have no choice but to replace the entire axle - i.e. at that point you can't just replace the boot.

 

[StageLeft]

If you wait to replace the boot and dry out the joint - you may damage it and then you'll have no choice but to replace the entire axle - i.e. at that point you can't just replace the boot.

Yeah that's true, once the boot has split the joint is already starting to get dirty so if you do want to do only the boot you really want to do it right away. Labor is less on replacing the entire axle than the boot, though, so the cost honestly should not be too much more. Shops go by book value, though, so I'm not sure if they'll actually charge you any less in labor.

 

[Arkaign]

I always just replace entire CV axles when the time comes, I never felt comfortable getting old ones re-booted. Price was always so close in the end it didn't make sense to me.

Perhaps on some cars the price difference is larger.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Just wait till the axle starts clicking when you turn and replace the whole thing. I wouldn't bother just replacing the boot. Probably already have grit in there and it will die anyway.

 

[brblx]

first- did you observe these problems? were you shown the torn axle boot and dry-rotted tires? you're not a dick for asking, a good shop should understand and have no problem walking you out there to take a look.

if the axle boot has torn recently, a reboot is okay. if it's obviously been a while (joint is relatively dry, grease slung all over undercarriage is slightly hardened and full of crud), do the axle. even a new unit from a kia dealer is probably not that much, and you should save about an hour of labor over a proper reboot (maybe 1-1.5 for R&R, 1.5-2.5 to add in disassembly). if you have the work done at a smaller shop with a parts store reman, it'll be even cheaper.

37k and 7-8 years means it's definitely time for the tranny fluid. $150 for a proper flush is fairly competitive, even better if it includes a filter change (assuming there's a serviceable filter).

your price for tires sounds way too expensive. what are they, 195/60/15 or some such econo size? i bet you could get under $300 out the door at a tire chain, and you might even get better tires (kia dealer probably sells hankooks).

edit- also, if the tires are just barely starting to show cracks near the wheel, they're probably not that bad. they usually do that first, followed by it spreading up the sidewall and towards the tread. then chunks of rubber start to fall off. replace them before that happens.