Give it the Boot (Ball Joint Boot Replacement)
July 11, 2021
Please wait while the video is loading...
Your vehicle may be wearing boots right now and you might not even know it. They're called ball joint boots. They're actually protective, flexible things that protect parts of your suspension (called ball joints) from all the hazards the road can fling at them. If one of those ball joint boots fails and you don't get it replaced, the ball joints themselves could wind up failing, a repair that can be even more expensive.
Ball joint boots not only keep things like rocks, salt, water and dirt out of your ball joints, they also help the ball joints keep their lubrication inside and working properly. To do that, the boots have to be made of a flexible material, sometimes rubber, sometimes a synthetic. They do take a beating, exposed to temperature extremes and debris, and eventually they can tear or crack just because of their age. Unless someone is keeping an eye on your ball joint boots, you may never know there's a problem. That's why when you regularly take your vehicle in to a repair facility for other things like oil changes and routine maintenance, a technician will inspect the ball joint boots to make sure they're still in top shape.
If they're not, your service advisor will let you know. Take care of that soon and you may avoid having to replace the ball joints themselves or other suspension parts which may be much more expensive. Often it's best to replace boots on both sides of the vehicle since they frequently wear at about the same rate.
If you want to make a fashion statement, some ball joint boots come in various colors other than run-of-the-mill black. And some aftermarket boots are made of a more durable material than the original equipment that came on your vehicle. Some drivers get a real "kick" out of flashy ball joint boots!
TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires
1735 N Main St
Royal Oak, Michigan 48067
248-541-8300
http://www.tlcautocareroyaloak.com
Need Service?
More articles from TLC Auto Care
A Bright Spark (Ignition Coil Replacement)
May 11, 2025
Ever wonder how your vehicles engine is able to take the 12-volts from its battery and ramp that up to as high as the tens of thousands of volts it takes to fire its spark plugs? The secret is something called an ignition coil. Most newer vehicles have an ignition coil at each cylinder, but olde... More
The Engine Gets a Boost (Turbocharged Engine Maintenance)
May 4, 2025
If someone told you that your vehicle could have the same power but with a smaller engine, wouldn't that sound like great idea? Just think, a smaller engine would save you money at the gas station and you'd still get the same horsepower. The technology to do just that has been around for a long t... More
The Byte Stuff (Your Vehicle's Computers)
April 27, 2025
Nobody has to tell you that computers are a part of so many things in our lives. Smartphones, kitchen appliances, vacuum cleaners, televisions. You name itit has a computer in it. And your vehicle is no exception. The earliest cars relied on the technology of their time, and there was no such ... More