warm the dorman boot in hot water and it stretches much better. I custom cut a large atf cone from HF
Don't get any grease where you hold the boot or it will slip out of your hands. Get a good grip on the boot and put your weight into it.

Dorman Uni-Fit boots don't stretch!
 

Well, I tried one of the boots with my Astoria boot gun, and it tore on the small end before the fingers got big enough to fit over the can. I thought I would try another one, but it tore just the same. I am returning them.....Rich

Aww man, you too? They’re messing something up. Dorman tech support sent me out a prepaid fedex airbill to get the boots back. They said they’d send me replacements. I have some Dorman silicone 614-002 variants on order. I hope I have better luck. I will get Astoria if those fail.

This is really sad. This product used to be great. A big time saver. Now my car is up on jackstands awaiting new boots. They probably went to another manufacturer and got shoddy goods. The funny detail is I had the old ones on my shelf bought it 2015. They worked great for the passenger side install a few days ago. A little dusty looking but they didn’t rip. The new shiny black ones just ripped one after the other.

Paths forward are my new silicone boots, Astoria boots, or swear off all this and get those $60 half shafts at Pelican.

Just wanted to follow up. My 614-002 silicone boots came in today. Interestingly the app guide says they don’t fit a 300d. I think it is because the small side is 0.87” in diameter. But it stretches like crazy though.

So I got one on no problem. The inner which is the hard one because it has to go on inverted. However while putting on the outer I tore it. This time it was a little different. I was able to open it and hold it open without it spontaneously tearing. The silicone is much stretchier. Much higher quality molding with less pock marks than the 614-001. But...I got a little ham fisted while manipulating the tool and scrubbed the stretched lip against the pinched seam of the cv can. And pop. :(

My fault. I have some more on the way. I’m in enough on this thing that I really would have been better off buying the $60 half axels from Pelican. Along with some diff seals. It’s the sunk cost fallacy. I bought that tool and used it so many years I’ve invested too much...and hence I’m psychologically married to the Dorman quick boots.

I’ll get this done and move on to other jobs. It is just a hobby after all.

Just checked those. I see they are homokinetic. OK if they last, but otherwise cheap annulars that are easier to replace may be a better bet?
Anyone used those OPP axles?

I know of one owner who bought OE boot kits and installed the cans without any special equipment. Febi sell similar. Anyone tried installing those?


Wonder if MB dealers still have capability of installing the OE boot kits?

If he had annular axles you can easily remove the differential end of the Axle and remove the joint and slide both boots onto the shaft.

In the Mercedes Service Manual it has you need a Hydraulic Press to seperate the Axle from the Spider and that allows you to remove the Can from one end so you can slide the stock boots onto the Axle.

Homokinetic AXLE Boot Link cutting the CANS using Stock Boots boostnbenz
http://www.superturbodiesel.com/benz/boostnbenz.1baddsm.com/DIY/CVboots/
http://superturbodiesel.com/benz/boostnbenz.1baddsm.com/DIY/CVboots/
http://boostnbenz.1baddsm.com/DIY/ he has other things
http://superturbodiesel.com/benz/boostnbenz.1baddsm.com/DIY/


Rebuild of Annular Axles talked about.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/277503-w123-annular-style-axle-rebuild.html
Annular Axle Taken apart
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/277503-w123-annular-style-axle-rebuild-2.html
Pic of Annular Axle that came apart.
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w123-e-ce-d-cd-td/1643161-beware-empi-axles.html
Notice that EMPI is one of the aftermarket annular axles. If you buy an aftermarket QW123 annular axle be sure to remove the Bolts one at a time and degrease both th einner and outer threads and use Loctite on them when you thighten them. Because people say they will come apart if you use them as they are.


Another Annular Axle take apart
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/277503-w123-annular-style-axle-rebuild-2.html#post3051246

I don't know if it is still the case but at one time people had issues aftermarket axles where the Spacers not seat flat against the face of the Axle as they are supposed to. People had to rework the Spacers.

Note that the local auto part stores carry Cardone Rebuilt axles. However, on mine the stock type boots started to crack after 5 years use causing me to re-boot with Dorman Boots. 5 years after that the outer Dorman Boots also show cracking.

I could have exchanged them under the life time warranty but I did not know where the Paperwork was and I got them from Chief's auto which was bought out by Oreilly's auto parts. Also I was simply curious to do the rebooting myself.

No one has mentioned the rebuilt axles from that famous place in Colorodo.

That was my point. Why replace with the cheap homokinetic if like most cheap axles of either type, they will need replacement sooner than later.

By the way, those links on homokinetic axles don't work

Where is Colorodo?

It is down the road apiece from Colorado.

Sorry about the links. It is very unfotunate because it was a good how to do it with pics.

Attached is one of boostbenz's pictures. #1 has to be pressed off of the shaft so that #2 can be slid off and the new Boots can be slid onto the shaft. That is the part you need a Press for. Also there is a plastic buffer/bumper on the end of the Shaft that gets ruined when you press on it or I guess otherwise try to remove it.
He used new cans and accomplished the roll crimp with a large pair of channel locks and a vice grips.

Unless you can find someway to un-crimp the old can; the can has to be cut to get at the CV Joint.

Yeah I have the kind of shafts that don’t come apart easily...they look like the ones on Pelican parts. I was under the impression I needed a press to assemble them.

I went through this whole thing years ago on my 240d. I gravitated towards the Dorman boots which were significantly different at the time. They were more elastic. They felt like one of those silicone cupcake trays. They have changed significantly. I eventually lost those cv joints because they got contaminated during their open time and I replaced with Kragen Cardone. I sold the car eight years later and the boots had surface cracks. O’Reilly doesn’t seem to have those anymore. They seemed to last ok.

Autozone replaced a 614-002 silicone boot for me today. They said these split all the time. They were very understanding and swapped the part. I’ve lost all confidence and decided to not try to install tonight. I’ll wait for daylight.

Dorman RMAed my neoprene 614-001 boots. I hope I see my replacements soon. It would be nice to have some backups. It seems I can keep exchanging ripped boots but at some point I need to give up and take another path.

Astoria 2000 boots worked well for me.

I’m just about there. I decided to try once more with the replacement boots. The Astoria prices are pretty good on their site.

By "pretty good" I assume for them, not the customer. Yes they probably are the best boot available, but they are $25 each. That is $100 just for the boots for one of our cars! I am sure they too are made in China, and I can't imagine them costing more than $1 each to produce. That is why I would like to find a less expensive route for re-booting. I may have to "bite the bullet" and spend the big bucks though, it is looking like the cheaper alternatives are not working.......Rich