I was told by the dealer that my 1997 Honda Accord needs a new left dust boot and that it would be approximately $1000.00. He then told me that it was not anything that makes the car unsafe to drive. Should I get this done now, or wait and see?
I conclude this boot is related to one of your front struts. If yes this price would include 2 new struts,strut mounts,and a alignment,with top of the line struts.
way out of line on cost.
Get another opinion from an independent mechanic. The price seems very high, but there’s not enough information in your post to be sure.
There are lots of “dust boots” on this car, and depending on which one you’re talking about the price can vary quite a bit.
Do you know which dust boot needs to be replaced?
Exactly.
The dust boot in question could be the one covering the CV joint.
However, no matter which dust boot it is, the price quote is obscenely high.
Get at least 2 more quotes. If you don’t know an independent garage, talk to people you know to find out where they take their cars.
A second look at the paperwork shows me that it also says “power steering rack.” The part that I’ve been thinking about is when he told me that it doesn’t make the car unsafe. In that case, why should I have it done?
Yeah those car makers are always putting on unnecessary items. Is your power steering rack leaking, no,maybe having a dust boot keep the dirt off the rack is responsible for your good luck.
A power steering rack won’t last long once a dust boot has split open. Not only will rack seals start leaking quickly, the inner tie rods (part of the rack) will also wear out quickly.
If this is a boot replacement only, way too high.
If this is a rack replacement then the price could be about right because the dealer will be using a new Honda OEM steering rack and any new OEM part is going to be much pricier than reman units from the local parts houses.
You can drive the car with bad rack boots (bellows they’re called), but once the fluid runs out from disentegrated rack seals it’s going to take some muscle power to steer the car in those very low speed situations.
If you need a rack then consider having a reman unit installed at an independent shop. It’s likely to be much cheaper.