'98 V70 AWD: driver's side CV boot needs replacement. One non-stealer shop says to replace the boot. Other non-stealer shop says it's more cost-effective to just replace the axle on that side, due to labor costs for either approach. Thoughts? Oh, and does anyone know of a manual that covers the AWD V70s of this ('98) vintage? None of the usual suspects seem to. Thanks!

 

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Thanks for your reply. The axle shop ends up being cheaper (to me) by not taking so long to do the job. With a higher labor rate, the boot-only shop ends up being costlier. I'm new to this area for Volvo stuff, so I'm auditioning shops, too. Joy. Thanks again.

 

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Yowza. I certainly appreciate those bits of info. I'll check with the tech when I take it in this morning. These are things that should be readily apparent as the axle is going on, or is this something I'll only be aware of when I'm 347 miles down the road? Thanks once again.

 

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That makes sense. The result was good: About $200 got me parts and labor for new axle, oil and filter. It seems to handle with a bit more precision, the speedo matches my GPS, there is zero vibration or anything, and now it's on to the next item on the lengthy list.

Thank you for your wisdom, heads-ups, and knowhow.