loose ball joints and more

so my car wouldn't start and i had it towed to the closest shop (it was cranking and everything but wasn't starting) and they said it was the ignition coil, replaced it, that's all done with. the thing is that while they were there i guess they checked for other things to sell me and told me that my upper and lower ball joints are very loose and that my cv boot (i think that's what they said) is torn. this was going to cost me $1200 extra to replace so my mom decided to wait on that one (i'm not paying). question is, how safe/unsafe is it to drive with bad ball joints? i haven't noticed loose steering or anything different from when i bought the car (which when i bought it was safetied and e-tested and came out clean on both from a trusted mechanic). so should i replace them now or wait a little while to save up some funds for it?

Any measurable joint looseness is a cause for concern. Joints generally have a tolerance for looseness, where, within this tolerance, it is still safe.

For example, the lower ball joints in many older GM cars allow for up to 1/16 inch vertical movement before replacement is required.

However, even within its tolerance, loose ball joints may affect handling.

Furthermore, loose joints can sometimes be difficult to measure properly, and poor measurement may mask the severity of the problem.

To offset this, sometimes unscrupulous mechanics scare people into unnecessary repairs with tales of loose joints, because they know most people cannot verify the problem themselves.

Since excessively loose joints may seperate, causing loss of control of the car, I would suggest getting a second opinion and/or learn how to check the joints yourself to verify the problem before spending your money.

We're going to take the car to our mechanic who specializes in Hondas and who is more trustworthy than Canadian Tire (they're just a large chain and not always the best choice).

also what about that CV boot? any idea how urgent that would be, they said it was torn and that it should be replaced. the thing about that one is that labour is cheaper if you do it with the ball joints.

I'd have the CV boot done ASAP. If you wait too long, the grease inside might leak out and let your CV joint wear out, which will add somewhere between 200-500 to your repair bills.

I thought the CV boot was mainly to keep dirt off the CV joint, not to keep oil from leaking out. But hey, I'm not a mechanic.

From my experience, everything you just stated shouldn't cost you more than $600... BTW, I have a buddy who's had issues with canadian tire replacing parts on his car that were replaced, literally, days before he took it to canadian tire. Funny thing is, he showed them receipts and told them that they were crooks and that he was gonna report them. So canadian tire ended up fixing up his car for free :P. Obviously this is an isolated incident, but keep a watchful eye & it's a good thing you didn't pay.

Let me tell you something about ball joints. They cost about $50, and they should be cheap on a civic. I've driven with broken tie rod bushings, bad tie rods, and worn ball joints. My car's front end was dancing around at slow speeds (scary) and it was a bit harder to control on the highway. Now that's bad, and I don't recommend letting it get that bad. But I'm still here, no accident, and no break down. If it was REALLY BAD, then you'd feel it if you were paying attention while driving. If it's minor, then you'd barely be able to tell. I suggest getting a bunch of quotes, and the car is still good for another 500 km as long as you don't take turns like a racer.

CV boot is to keep dirt out and to keep the grease in. that said, the grease doesn't usually "leak" or anything. it stays around the joint most of the time.