Accident or sabotage?

[bw77]

Accident or sabotage? - SOLVED

It's a vent hole, see my last post in this thread.

2 days ago I took my car to the auto repair dept of a very large department store chain for an alignment. They did the job and I drove home. Next day I started work on replacing a front wheel bearing and noticed a pin-size hole in the rubber boot on the inner cv joint. Based on the small amount of grease on the control arm below, this hole just happened.

I removed the half-axle and patched the hole with a rubber bicycle tube patch and got it all back together and did a short drive and it is holding. I also ordered a boot repair kit.

Not sure what to do further about it, since I have no way to prove anything.
Was this an accident and they didn't want to tell me? Or sabotage because someone doesn't like people who drive old Volvos? Or something else?

The boot is in very good condition. No way this hole just happened.

Don't know what to think.

 

[Virgil Cain]

Never attribute to conspiracy that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

 

[Lotek]

Never attribute to conspiracy that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

I'd go back, talk to the mgr with the pics, at least get them to buy the boot, don't know if I'd trust them to repace it...

 

[dmeadow]

Never attribute to conspiracy that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Well said. To believe it was done on purpose, you'd have to think someone in that shop assumes:

1) That it will take a fairly short time for that CV joint to fail because of the hole,
2) That you'll bring it back to that chain store to be repaired, and
3) That whoever did the damage will still be working at that chain store.


I doubt the guy at the chain shop is going to believe all those things to be true enough to sabotage a CV joint.

 

[c_mccann]

Never attribute to conspiracy that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

That's the secon time I've heard that this week..! So appropriate.

 

[MattT]

Probably accidental. "Large department stores" ain't exactly famous for hiring good techs. Plus nobody in their right mind would deliberately create extra work on a volvo

Also why did you get an alignment the day before replacing a wheel bearing

 

[bw77]

Probably accidental. "Large department stores" ain't exactly famous for hiring good techs. Plus nobody in their right mind would deliberately create extra work on a volvo

Also why did you get an alignment the day before replacing a wheel bearing

I have had a problem with short wheel bearing life, so I wanted a mechanic to check the suspension. They told me the suspension was good, but it needed an alignment according to the printout. So I had them do the alignment. Then I replaced the wheel bearing the next day. It doesn't affect the alignment. I realize it seems like the wrong order to do things.

 

[red]

Guess accidental but definitely talk to the manager about it. Just to keep it from happening again to someone else. Or so they notice a pattern.

Personally learn the hard way never get your car inspected at a garage that isn't busy (ie. bays full and cars in the lot waiting to be serviced). Cause when they do the inspection they're looking for work. They have overhead to paid for and you're the lucky one helping out!

 

[nehog]

One must also consider the possibility that it is unrelated! It well could have been a bit of road debris picked up and that holed the boot. It happens.

 

[rockchucker]

Then I replaced the wheel bearing the next day. It doesn't affect the alignment. I realize it seems like the wrong order to do things.

If the Wheel Bearing had ANY play at all then it will affect your Alignment. Even just replacing the Wheel Bearing with a new unit will affect the Alignment settings.


***** to hear that you may have been sabotaged. I definitely would not take my car to those guys anymore. CV Boots don't usually just sprout a pinhole with perfect roundness. Usually the Rubber degrades and cracks allowing contaminants into the mix. Pliable Rubber doesn't just have pinholes magically appear.

 

[Thruxton]

Next day I started work on replacing a front wheel bearing and noticed a pin-size hole in the rubber boot on the inner cv joint. Based on the small amount of grease on the control arm below, this hole just happened.

Not exactly enough evidence to make a case, IMHO. If you were able to say,"the day before I had been replacing the front wheel bearing and did not notice a hole," that would be one thing. This is just minor paranoia. Again, IMHO. Fix your car, get on with life.

 

[gsport]

i really doubt it was sabotage.....

 

[jhelrey]

Maybe it is a hole the manufacture had to fill it with grease. There could have been a plastic or rubber plug in it. Look at your other one...

 

[Benji]

Hard to try and blame the shop for it if they did it or not because you never seen it the day before and you never know something off the road may have hit it strange things happen...... If it was a perfectly round hole though I would wonder.

 

[jw1968]

I wonder if it is a "relief hole" to keep some fellow from pumping it so full of grease that it bursts. Some folks don't know it's full until it's running out somewhere. Check the other side.

 

[treasureseeker]

Why does the boot look swelled up along the ridge area like it is overfilled with grease or came in contact with something that swelled the rubber.

 

[SMKS]

To the OP-

How long has it been since you were under the car and looked at the boot?

It could have been that way for a while.

 

[ForceFed70]

If it was sabatoge I would have expected the shop to say "Oh! And by the way, we noticed that this boot has a hole in it. Would you like us to repair it as well?"

 

[bw77]

Maybe it is a hole the manufacture had to fill it with grease. There could have been a plastic or rubber plug in it. Look at your other one...

I will look at the other side. If it does turn out to be a vent hole, I will most definitely feel like a vent hole.

 

[William Payne]

The real question is how long has the hole been there? did it just appear or was it only recently noticed.

 

[bw77]

I checked the pass side, and sure enough, there is a vent hole there. Not leaking, but looks like it seeped a little at one time.

I must have opened it up when I was moving around the driver side axle.

Thanks to jhelrey and jw1968 for pointing this out.

My sincere appologies to unnamed large department and auto repair chain.

Live and learn.

 

[dittle fart around]

Never attribute to conspiracy that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

I take pills to offset the conspiracy voices in my head. I can get you in touch with Dr Dog, my analyst.