When I went for the MoT last year the rubber boots on both ends of the track rod were perished and falling to bits. Rather than mess around I just got the complete Lemforder track rod kit so track rod with a ball joint on one end, track rod end and adjuster and fitted that. Took the car in for this years MoT yesterday expecting all to be fine and it failed on track rod ball joint boot split. Now my local factors stocks random sized boots for a quid each so I shot straight down there and picked one up. Split the taper and took the split boot off and found the ball joint itself was perfect and still had the original grease in it but the boot was falling to pieces. It doesn't look to be made of rubber either, more like a sort of rubbery plastic (vinyl?). Whatever it was made off, it doesn't last like old fashioned rubber does. It may not perish but it splits instead but I would have expected it to last longer than 12 months (admittedly that's 23,000 miles). So if you've fitted Lemforder expecting to fit and forget, think again.
Typical- just after I order a bunch of Lemforder joints!
I still think they're the dogs dangly bits as far as quality and performance, but will give some feedback on the boots in a year or so
I still wouldn't fit anything else either. Went back for the retest this morning and mentioned it to the tester and he reckons it's the same with everything. Hardly any rubber content, if any at all, and track rod and CV gaiter boots with splits is become a very common failure.
I'll examine the hub ball joint boots carefully while I'm under there doing the suspension/ steering joints. Got an MOT on it in November so "while I'm down there..."
I did my pre-MoT grovel under it to see if I could see anything that the tester would get offended about but as the top and bottom ball joints were replaced about 20 months ago and the track rod ends a year ago I didn't even look at them. Found I've got a very slight oil weep from the pinion oil seal on the rear diff but other than that I, or the tester, couldn't find anything amiss underneath.
I've noticed the lack of rubber, more sort of vinyl when I've fitted some ball joints.
Luckily when I replaced all mine they were nice black rubber. And seem ok a year on, MOT next week but not worried,, if there's any problem I'll be surprised, I've changed nearly every bloody thing on that car,,
I fitted Britpart ones and the boots seemed to be made of the same nice chunky rubber of days of yore. Just goes to show, eh?
gordonjcp wrote:
I fitted Britpart ones and the boots seemed to be made of the same nice chunky rubber of days of yore. Just goes to show, eh?
There's a risk that the boots will outlast the joints though :)
Orangebean wrote:
There's a risk that the boots will outlast the joints though :)
Then I'll pick them off and fit them to Lemforders.