I would have to say my neighborhood (the West Side of Long Beach) since 1977 has moved from being barely ghetto to selected areas being Hespanic Gang zones (mostly areas were there is a lot of large apartment buildings) and from there moved on to being mostly just what I guess is a normal lower middle class area.
(They built a Poliece station across the street from one of the Gang areas; it helped a lot.)
What is curious is that the Male Teens in my area seem to have taken to wearing Black with Black T ****s with something like a Skull or other death related pic printed in white.
This is a sort of generic change as the previous dress had been on ethic lines.
Perhaps diversity has arrived.

Back on subject; for the last 12 or so years the Hoes/Escorts are seldom seen on the main drag (Pacific Coast Hwy) any more. But, within a 1 square mile area there is at least 10 Bars (there was more at one time; bad economey) for them to keep off the street in.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I tried using panty-hose. They ripped.

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1984 300D 398K-daily driver
1998 Honda Accord 102K -wife's daily driver
1991 Volvo 740 289K
2000 Toyota Corolla 143K

I appreciate the effort and the Feed Back.

Looks like it is back to the Drawing Board for me.

As a side note I bought one of the below Cone type tools as it was around $21 plus shipping. Astro Pneumatic 7831 CV Boot Installer (from Toolrage).

It has metal tongs that you are supposed to slip the boot over and as you shove the Tongs onto the Cone it expands the Boot while keeping most of the Boot from touching the cone. (I believe Dorman also makes one like it.)

Unfortuately as near as I can tell from measurments (I have not tried it myself as my Axles are OK) the Outside Diameter is not enough for Mercedes Axles. There might be some way to modify it but I would have needed an Axle that is off of the Car to do that. So I boxed it back up and put it in my Garage and moved on to other projects.
Pic below
Added a pic of the Instructions

Attached Thumbnails

   

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Thought so... I would bet at piece of at least a 400 thread count bed sheet would work. Go raid that linen closet!

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1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System

Hopefully someone will be willing to try it and see.
Just like they Guy that came up with the idea of using the ATF Funnel that has to be a way to make the job easier and more successful.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I thought just one had failed. Wrong! They have both failed the same way...

The outer joints are coming apart, and grease is coming out. The 2 metal parts covering the outer joint are getting loose.

They have lasted less than 10 months. And I do about 90% highway miles.

On the positive side, the inner joints seem to be doing fine. No loose bolts as others have experienced.

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1984 300D 398K-daily driver
1998 Honda Accord 102K -wife's daily driver
1991 Volvo 740 289K
2000 Toyota Corolla 143K

Available under all kinds of names at as low as 49.00. Auto parts sellers have a hefty markup in their parts sales. So it leaves little to the imagination of how cheap they buy them in China.

If I remember my history the company that produces these started out with good intentions. They lacked quality control right from the start though. They of course make many for other brands of vehicles.

I found the same issues with the Chinese front axle bearing assemblies. Some lasted as little as a month.

Better chance of satisfaction with used. Or re lubricating what you have now. Always try to install a used axle on the opposite side it was removed from. If the boots are still intact just adding some heavy oil to the outer boots should keep the ones you have in service for another twenty years. Easily done with them still on the car.

When not lubricated they get hot. The metal expands and they stick a little. So if you do not pre empt the problem but lubricate as soon as you hear them. You might save them from excessive wear. The first time you will hear them typically will be on a highway run. Reports have been somewhat after twenty miles.

Personally I would slow down and get some oil in them as quick as possible. I would not just continue a trip of some length. You need a large syringe or turkey baster. A piece of tubing and two clamps. Remove inner factory clamp. Inject a few ounces of heavy oil. Put the new clamp back on and you are done.

Heavy oil is a better long term type of lubrication than grease. If you examine the typical failed front cv joint. You should notice the old oil has totally bled out of the soap that makes us call it grease and has been displaced. So the bearings where running dry. That is why they wore and failed. The soap ridge usually remains visible.

It to me is just a small maintenance item for these older cars. I would like to see all cv joints running in an actual oil bath. I have no ideal of just how a little oil escapes over the years with no visible evidence. Yet the adding of some oil makes a difference. It will even usually stop early clicking. Or give you piece of mind.

Personally I would not put a Chinese axle on with the other options available. There is almost no cheap road breakdown today.

You guys are troopers for rebuilding these axles. I never had an interest in investing that expandable boot gun.

Which is ironic, because the cost of rebuilt axles and shipping probably would have purchased the gun and a small air compressor.

And my 380sl's axles tore open and needed replacing.

Sometimes I never learn!

Not just mercedes, on every brand of car. The factory axles are a million times better than the store axle. I prefer regreased and rebooted axles because I dont want to do this job twice. Use the proper grease in the correct amount, clamp it down and roll on.

I had to fight an issue with a FWD V8 impala, it has some beefy axles from the factory but the replacements are all the little V6 ones which fit but suffer. I had to locate a yard with one car, get the pair and then rebooted both, Fixed for good.

Also learnt that if you use thermoplastic boots you are supposed to use some rubber to metal glue to clamp them, otherwise they leak.

For boots - some seller on ebay was selling a pair of rockford CV boots for W124, and they were thicker than the factory boots. Really heavy stuff, I did that for a freind of mine. Cant find them anymore though (I think)

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

See Zulfiqar the problem was on my 300D and 380sl both boots had long broke open and spilled their juices.

One was making noise. I was under the impression once they blow that the bearings are compromised of they make noise.

Regardless, the homokinetic axles I got from that German auto house in Arizona now are holding steady.

I installed the advanced auto axles back in 2015. I should have kept my originals but so far no issues.

Now working for MB I don't think i would buy those again but the price was attractive and as I said they've been good to me.

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1978 300D

thats a problem then, there are some axle rebuilders which do a sterling job, I have got a cv axle from CVO (cv axle of Ocala) and they were nothing short of good. Car restored to factory smoothness, It was an older mazda cx9

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)