The rear u joint on my 2012 rav4 has some play in it...such that it seems like it it time to replace it.
The car makes no noise and has no vibration and the car is almost always in FWD anyways. Is this something I could put off to repair for the time being? The repair requires complete driveshaft assembly replacement, so its not cheap.
It's not an emergency repair, but you must realize that if you let this go long enough, the needles inside the U joint caps can wear down and turn to dust, then the spider can wear completely through the cap until it starts rubbing on the inside of the holes in the U joint's ears. That would turn the round holes into egg-shaped holes, and the only choice at that point would be to replace the driveshaft or the yoke that it connects to. I've seen it happen.
The dealer will tell you that the U joint can't be replaced because that's what the book says, but it's not true. The U joint caps on a Rav4 are staked in place at the factory, probably saving about a dollar versus the cost of installing C clips.
But staked-in caps can be removed. It takes extra effort and you may have to clean up the bore with a die grinder or Dremel once they're out. If you do your own work, allow extra time. It really helps if you have a press, but the big hammer and socket method works too.
The goal is to shear off the three pips in the cap that have been staked into the groove. All it takes is brute force. For a replacement U joint, select a compatible model that has inside C clips.
If you don't do your own work, any competent, independent mechanic can do this for you. Let them know that the caps are staked in so they can give you an accurate estimate.
