The job of fitting a gaiter onto the axle drive shaft, is quite often described as being relatively easy. Indeed, there are a couple of possible difficulties:
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| 1. | For the central bolt on the wheel (still on the ground), the correct nut or a suitably curved ring-spanner must be available. |
| 2. | When assembling, there is a certain amount of torque to be observed. |
| 3. | The suspension strut must be separated from from the wishbone at the bottom, at best at the ball-joint, in this manner, in most cases, the drive shaft cannot be removed. |
| 4. | It is not enough to loosen the screws on the ball-joint, because there is still a conical-joint to be overcome. |
| 5. | This can best be done by using a suitable puller. |
| 6. | Alternatively, one can use a hammer to knock on the side of the conical-joint ring, be careful not to hit the gaiter, otherwise this must also be replaced. |
| 7. | To remove some propeller shafts, a splined Allen-wrench (Torx) is necessary. |
| 8. | Once removed, some joints can be separated from the shaft by knocking on specific points with a hammer. |
| 9. | There may also be a retainer-ring, which can only be reached when the joint is opened. |
| 10. | If the joint can not be separated, the installation of the gaiter is difficult. |
| 11. | The method shown above or in the video below, mostly only works with special, particularly soft gaiters. |
| 12. | Ring-clamps can be used to secure the gaiters, they do however, require a special plier. |
| 13. | The joint must be cleaned and it's very difficult for the layman to examine for further use. |
| 14. | A certain amount of grease must be pressed into the joint and be distributed around the inside of the gaiter. |
| 15. | Before finally tightening up the ring-clamps, the gaiter must be checked for correct seating and be bled. |
| 16. | If the gaiter-folds have too much contact, the new gaiter will soon be faulty again. |
