b5c5driver

Hi my names Mike and I'm new to the forum - I signed up like 5 minutes ago

I'm a home diy kind of mechanic who's currently preparing a 98' Avant 2.4 A6 for it's MOT test.

I spotted a rip in the driver side rack boot (RHD) and ripped it off ready for replacement. I noted the part number down for future reference (4D0419831E)

Bought a replacement of E bay. Same part number as above but had S1 after the E. The advert reassured me that this was the correct part and S1 was a genuine replacement for the original. Went ahead and bought it...

Got it today and have had a nightmare of a day fitting it! I'm not sure what's really happening. They said it was a genuine replacement but it seems to be too small. The lip of the boot and the lip of the rack meet flush. I can't hook the boot over the rack.
Thinking it was too small I emailed the company explaining the problem and they sent me a different boot (8D0419831KS1) This boot has a much bigger diameter then the old boot so easily goes over the rack. The problem now is that it's too big and a pain to clamp down. They give me these annoying stupid clips that I still can't use properly. These clips are the type that you need that special tool for. I couldn't get them to work properly so I opted for some standard zip ties but they weren't strong enough to clamp.
There for I'm off out tomorrow to get some Jubilee clips. These are the type that you screw down and they usually work so all should be sorted tomorrow.

What puzzles me though is why didn't the first boots fit. The part no. 4D0419831ES1 is equivalent to the OEM part no. 4D0419831E ....
I compared both boots and they where the same. Same size and the same material. Although the lip on the old boot was slightly softer but that's probably due to the age.

I really haven't got a clue. All I can think off is that the boots are made slightly different these days. Bit annoyed as I followed correct part numbers and subsequently lost money.

Thanks

Gsrob

If you don't have the rack out of the car, you can give yourself a little more room to work by taking out the plastic cover that surrounds the inner control arm and sits behind the spring assembly on the suspension. It consists of removing a couple clips and the abs lines that clip to it but only takes a couple extra minutes. If you already did this, then it's most likely going to just take some patience. I ran into the same problem as you when I replaced my inner tie rods. Before you spend too much time on it, I would trace out each diameter to make sure they match. I certainly wouldn't put the larger boot on. As soon as you start getting moisture in there your looking at all kinds of problems. I also uses the screw type clamps as the one time use clamps arm almost impossible to reach, especially on the passenger side with the longer boot. Good luck. Maybe lightly oil the inner side of the new boot to get it moving while turning it and applying pressure. That's what ultimately worked for me.

b5c5driver

Thanks mate. Much appreciated