Q: Hi, my name is John. I just took in 2008 Lexus ES350 for oil change, and the mechanic at Firestone is telling me that there are ga

asked by on August 26, 2017

Hi, my name is John. I just took in 2008 Lexus ES350 for oil change, and the mechanic at Firestone is telling me that there are gasket and CV leaks. Can it be that oil leaked from gasket and gotten over to right front CV axle, or the other way around? If one were to fix one and then wait for the other, which one should be fixed first? Or, do they both need to be fixed right away?

My car has 101900 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Hi John. Thanks for writing in today. The CV boot protects the CV axle from dirt, debris and maintains lubricity as it contains a copious amount of grease. It will wear out overtime - due to exposure to elements, road grime and can wear prematurely in areas where sodium or mag chloride (road salt for de-icing) is used. The boot will eventually crack - and frequent use (or the simple act of turning the steering wheel) will tear the boot. When this occurs, the grease inside will "spill" and splatter under the wheel well and on other components. If the torn boot is found quick enough, then the boot itself can usually be replaced as long as there is no damage to the CV joint. Best practices suggests to replace both CV boots or CV joints (if they are damaged) as they will wear out about the same time. Hopefully this answers your questions, but if there is anything else we can help you with, please let us know.

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