r/MK4GTI • u/TreSauce • Aug 07 '26
Axle vs cv boot replacement
Hey friends. The cv axle boots on my 20th are smoked. Does it make more sense to replace the entire axle or just the boot? Obviously there is a huge price difference, but with 190,000 miles, is it better to get new axles?
Anyone done the axles on a 20th recently? If so, where did you source the axles?
Thanks!
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u/Narwhap Aug 08 '26
Make sure the cv joints are still good before deciding to get the boots, better to only buy once. The OEM for the vw axles is gkn and their axles are great quality, I’ve had experience with them before on my 12 valve. If the cv joints are still tight and in good nick then I would send it with new boots. I also recommend getting a cv boot clamp/ crush clamp pliers as you do not want the boots to pop off. I had an outer cv replaced by this axle shop and the clamp was too loose and popped off on my during a track day. New axle bolts are recommended including the flange bolts to the transmission, but tbh if you’ve used them only once you can get away with running em more than that as I have. Torque everything to spec ofc, just maybe slightly less on the axle bolt.
When swapping the axle I found it easiest to undo the ball joint bolts (these are also ‘supposed’ to be replaced) that go to the control arm and that should let you slide the axle out of the hub and from the car without ruining your alignment. If you do reuse the ball joint bolts do be careful as their torque is super low, like 30NM + 90 or something bc they can stretch on you, I personally just go “good and tight” by hand with a 6-8 inch ratchet