6 Bay Store - NO WAITING!
ASE Certified Technicians
Your Neighborhood Full Service Repair Facility
Tuffy Sells Tires
Family Owned & Operated
October 25, 2020
Your vehicle may be wearing boots right now and you might not even know it. They're called ball joint boots. They're actually protective, flexible things that protect parts of your suspension (called ball joints) from all the hazards the road can fling at them. If one of those ball joint boots fails and you don't get it replaced, the ball joints themselves could wind up failing, a repair that can be even more expensive.
Ball joint boots not only keep things like rocks, salt, water and dirt out of your ball joints, they also help the ball joints keep their lubrication inside and working properly. To do that, the boots have to be made of a flexible material, sometimes rubber, sometimes a synthetic. They do take a beating, exposed to temperature extremes and debris, and eventually they can tear or crack just because of their age. Unless someone is keeping an eye on your ball joint boots, you may never know there's a problem. That's why when you regularly take your vehicle in to a repair facility for other things like oil changes and routine maintenance, a technician will inspect the ball joint boots to make sure they're still in top shape.
If they're not, your service advisor will let you know. Take care of that soon and you may avoid having to replace the ball joints themselves or other suspension parts which may be much more expensive. Often it's best to replace boots on both sides of the vehicle since they frequently wear at about the same rate.
If you want to make a fashion statement, some ball joint boots come in various colors other than run-of-the-mill black. And some aftermarket boots are made of a more durable material than the original equipment that came on your vehicle. Some drivers get a real "kick" out of flashy ball joint boots!
Tuffy Joliet (South Plainfield)
2031 SR 59
Joliet, Illinois 60586
815-436-1829
November 17, 2024
With hotter weather and brutal heat waves becoming more common, the pressure in your vehicle's tires goes up. After all, heat causes air to expand, and the air in your tires follows the laws of physics. Overinflated tires can reduce your vehicle's traction, cause a hard, punishing ride and make ... More
November 10, 2024
Theres an important part in your vehicle that shields your timing belt, timing chain or cam belt from the debris and gunk that can be kicked up from the road. Its called the timing cover. Its important because the timing belt or chain is what coordinates parts of your engine called the camshaft... More
November 3, 2024
Winter and freezing temperatures present challenges for different parts of your vehicles. For example, winter tires give you better traction on snow. But some parts of your vehicle that may need special attention for winter are your windshield wipers. You may have found yourself in the middle o... More
