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My car,Renault Megan RT Alize, 1999, failed its MOT due to Drive shaft-gaiter split-offside front outer.?
Is this serious and in a ballpark figure how much to fix, thanks.
The gaiter keeps the grease in the CV joint and swarf out of it. Although the gaiter itself isn't expensive fitting can be a bit dear in some cases. The gaiter may run a tenner or so but fitting may run £30 - £80 depending upon the vehicle.
The more important issue is how much damage has been done to the CV joint? Even a few miles of operation with a torn or ruptured gaiter will fling all of the grease free of the CV joint and allow water and grit to enter the joint destroying the joint. Unless you're dealing with a tiny pinhole with little evidence of lost grease or crud in the joint itself, a competent garage will insist on replacing the CV joint or the entire half-shaft. A new CV joint can run £40 - £80. Fitting would be similar to a new gaiter. A replacement half-shaft would run £75 - £200 though fitting may be slightly less than swapping the gaiter or CV joint as less work is actually involved.
As to seriousness, yes it can be serious. Once the gaiter tears or ruptures, the CV joint will fail fairly quickly. If it fails at speed it can do significant damage to the front suspension as well as the gearbox and even the engine and brake hosepipes as the half-shaft thrashes about. It can also cause a loss of control and result in an accident.
Of course, there's also the issue of operating a vehicle on the roads without a current test certificate, so get it sorted quickly.
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