CVS18 Universal Split Constant Velocity Joint Gaiter Boot Replacement Kit, Black

Having accidentally torched my CV boot when removing the wheel bearing for replacement, I had now entered the realm of CV boot replacements. Thanks to amazon, just about anything and everything can be found and within a good 10 minutes of browsing, this one was the winner for my needs. I did not want to deal with the hassle of removing the knuckle from the control arm or strut from the knuckle just to get the CV axle out. My job application simply required a new outer boot and had not been driven to ruin the axle or lack of grease as some may have experienced. On installation of the boot, I had to trim the last layer off as well as the top layer to get an old boot size fit. I wish I had been more careful with the glue as it is VERY fast drying and sticky. It was also burn your eyes from the vapors it produces similar to peeling onions. Gloves are provided that smell like balloons but they will do the job. I accidentally got some glue on my fingers though and nearly ruined the job due to being distracted by a nasty finger/glue dried up scenario. WEAR THE GLOVES and TAKE YOUR TIME. Glue each layer at a time, pinching it shut and don't worry if there is overspill as you will actually want an extra layer oozing across the split lines to ensure long term support. With all my mistakes, I barely had enough glue but I had messed up so without the mess up, I imagine having half the amount of glue remaining. Gen 2 Prius fix is complete and was able to use one of the 2 boot clamps. The smaller would not play nice on the smallest part of the boot so I used a zip tie. Make sure the bigger clamp is used for the main seal of the boot near the joint. That is most important after all. Glue everything, dry, and put the provided grease at the joint. Then pull the boot over the joint/axle. Lock the strap over it and done. Someone gave a 1 star because it did not fit after gluing but his picture showed he did NOT cut off the smallest part of the top of the boot. I had to do this to get a flush fit otherwise it was not flexing properly. Will follow up if I need to redo the job since my glue failure but my mistake after all. Took the tire off to have more space to work on the car but used two jack stands.

After having watched a British gentleman use this product to repair a car from the same manufacturer as mine, I decided to take a shot.Bad decision. I was meticulous and took my time. However, this boot did not properly fit either end. The enclosed clamps look great in theory. In practice, not so much. There was no way to lock the clamp in place, snap the protrusions into place and not have it slip without needing more than 2 hands. Also, with there being no channel lip at the larger end, the clamp consistently slipped off the boot. I tried using standard screw clamps, but again the lack of a channel to secure was desperately needed. Eventually a zip tie was secured, but I am not confident it will hold for long. This car is not a daily driver and will almost never see wet conditions, but I am expecting a larger repair bill for the entire replacement of both drive shafts.One bright spot is the strength of the glue bond. It sets up quickly and has tremendous strength. Too bad the rest of the process and product don’t live up to that standard.

2008 Toyota Highlander FWD both inner CV axle boots replaced. I would gladly buy this again. It wasn't easy, but it did the job.Also buy:Box of latex gloves, small black crimping tool, rubbing alcohol, extra cv band clamps (I messed one up when crimping and was glad I had extra), shop rags for cleaning, a razor knife.Pros:1: It worked.2: Thick high quality rubber.3: The glue joint seems strong.4: The kit comes with plenty of glue.5: The metal clamp bands are high quality.6: The instructions are thorough, read them carefully because there are a lot of tips that will help you get it right.7: There was the right amount of grease in the packet.Cons:1: The small end is where you start glueing, but it's also the most difficult, once you get an inch into it, it gets a lot easier.2: The smaller metal clamp band is a pain to get on the smaller end as it has such a tight curve.3: I started on the drivers side short cv axle thinking it was the easy side. That was a mistake as it required me to keep the boot compressed as I glued it, because the axle was shorter than the boot length. That made it a lot harder to glue and keep the boot out of the grease at the same time. Best to start on the longer axle passenger side to learn how the glueing goes.Things I learned:1: Don't just cut off the old cv boot. Per the instructions, you have to leave the trilobal back ring of the old boot to use as a adapter for the new boot. This is for cv joints only. Clean all dirt off the old boot trilobal adapter, as it will be under the new boot exposed to the bearings.2: Use a hair dryer to warm the rubber up to make it easier to work with.3: Cover the unglued seam with painters tape to keep grease off it while you work, which would keep the glue from sticking and probably ruin the project. Pull the tape back as you glue, don't leave any tape inside the boot.4: If your having trouble measuring the diameter of the cv joint because of a tight space, wrap a string out it and then measure the length of sting, go online and convert the circumference to diameter.5: Pre-stretch the small end of the new boot.6: Buy a box of latex gloves and change gloves constantly as you work, don't get any grease or dirt on the glue joint. I went through about 50 gloves for two boots.7: This kit doesn't include the crimping tool. Buy the small black clamp crimping tool, the larger cheaper crimper wrench won't fit in the tight space.8: Buy rubbing alcohol to clean any grease you accidentally get on the joint. Maybe use ear swabs with alcohol to clean the groove if you have to.9: Pre-clean the whole area as much as possible before starting, to keep dirt out of the bearings once you cut the old boot off.10: Once the old boot is cut off, clean the old grease off the axle to keep it from getting into the small end of the new boot when glueing, because you have to stretch the small end around the axle.11: Per the instructions, only glue 1cm of length at a time. You have to hold the joint together for a while before moving onto the next centimeter length. Be patient, work slow and methodical.12: First glue the boot together away from the cv joint, then apply the new grease to the bearings, then slide the boot up. This will help keep grease away when glueing.13: Have a lot of old rags for cleaning.I hope this helps. Again, I'm glad I bought these as it saved me a cv axle replacement. The rubber should last a long time, the only question is if the glued joint will, but it seems strong.

Worked great. Tedious but easier than replacing the axle. Read the instructions and the comments for some helpful tricks.