CV boot failed after 15k miles!

[andy_casey]

Bought a complete driveshaft from Renault 2 years ago, at a cost of £150, to replace the N/S driveshaft after discovering that the outer CV boot has split and sprayed the wheel with grease... It's covered about 15k of normal driving since then and I had thought all was fine, what with me spending my money on a quality Renault part that should surely last another 8 years... but no.

MOT time today, which I'm pleased to say the old girl passed but with an advisory for the N/S outer CV boot! "You what?" I asked... "You sure it's that one?"... "It's f'ing nearly new!"... but sure enough, after looking at the car on the ramp, the outer CV boot on my 2 year old genuine Renault driveshaft is looking a right old state, with cracking to all flexing joints of the bellows. Great.

Naturally, with the part being 2 years old, the dealer wasn't interested and tried to pass me around the company, like I was on work experience and after trying Renault UK and being in a queue for a while, I decided to waste my time doing something else but I'll call them back, although i don't expect them to give a flying toss.

This can't be right. I have a 20 year old Audi that is on the original driveshafts and CV boots and they're still fine, so to be near failure after 2 years has to be a manufacturing problem on Renault's part or the part was too old when it was sold to me and thus was not fit for purpose.

Anyway, rant over.

In light of this, I'll need to get a new outer CV boot and I'm f'd if I'm getting it from Renault, for it to fail in 2 years... anyone care to recommend me a decent quality replacement for the N/S outer boot please?

Cheers

 

[boom]

You bought a full drive shaft because you needed a cv boot?

 

[DrR]

2 years isn't "nearly new" imo.

 

[SBV116]

Would of been a reconditioned shaft also!

 

[andy_casey]

You bought a full drive shaft because you needed a cv boot?

I had no idea how long it had been split and letting dirt in, so I decided to take the plunge and do the job once, rather than have it fail due to dirt ingress a short time later.

2 years isn't "nearly new" imo.

But it is new enough that it should still be in good working order; which it's not.

Would of been a reconditioned shaft also!

Invoice doesn't state that it's a refurbished item, if that makes any difference?

 

[MarcB]

I thought most warranties last 12months (1 year) and not 2 years so i would also not class it as nearly new.

 

[Alastair.]

Get a motrio boot from Renault, £8. They go on forever.

If you had to exchange your old shaft then you have a re-con shaft. Also that boot is not oem.

 

[SBV116]

For £150 it would of been a reconditioned / service exchange item. There never as good IMO once changed, the boots aren't as good quality on them.

i have seen them fail earlier than that, had to pay to replace one ourselves as it was just out of warranty!

 

[andy_casey]

Get a motrio boot from Renault, £8. They go on forever.

If you had to exchange your old shaft then you have a re-con shaft. Also that boot is not oem.

Ta, I'll get one on order...

Bit annoying if Renault have supplied a shaft with a non-OEM boot on it and would explain why it's knackered.

For £150 it would of been a reconditioned / service exchange item. There never as good IMO once changed, the boots aren't as good quality on them.

i have seen them fail earlier than that, had to pay to replace one ourselves as it was just out of warranty!

Yes, I exchanged my old driveshaft, so it must have been a reconditioned item.

Failing after just over a year is a joke; you must have been properly annoyed!

 

[andy_casey]

As an update to this, I phoned Renault UK and they have offered to foot half the bill for a replacement CV boot, as a gesture of goodwill. So, if you have something similar, it may be worth giving them a bell...

 

[Amos91]

Exactly, wouldn't this fall under the SOGA? Surely it is reasonable to expect an item like this to last longer.

 

[Chrisgti6]

It hasn't actually failed yet though. It could stay like that for another 6 years. Without keeping it on the car you'll never know how long it would actually last for.

 

[andy_casey]

I had this replaced today by lemonnobby1, who works for Renault in Bristol and did the belts at the same time

I hope he doesn't mind me saying that he inspected the driveshaft and boot and was of the opinion that the driveshaft was not an OE Renault item, as it had the wrong design at the hub end and neither was the CV boot, as it was made of the wrong material. Having paid good money for the part as a genuine Renault item, albeit refurbished, I'm very unimpressed that I've basically paid Renault over £100 for the priveledge of them supplying a pattern driveshaft... if I wanted a pattern part, I'd have paid £60 for it and not £150 and then further expenditure on replacing the defective parts.

I will be passing this on the Renault UK and in light of this, it's well worth checking anything labelled as refurbished, just in case...