Hi,

I am owning a car for the first time, so am a bit illiterate about car related stuff!

I have a 98 Mazda 626. For the past few days I have realized that there is a burning smell coming from the car when it is running. It lasts for a few seconds and then stops. What are the things I should check if I get this problem?

When I had a mechanic check the car a few weeks ago, he said the fron CV boots were dry rotted! What does that mean? and should I replace them immediately? The mechanic quoted a pretty high price - more than $300 for that...is that the usual price?

Thanks!

the funny thing is the boots are only cheap, maybe $15-20. The labor is what you pay for. There is a lot of Sh#t down there that has to be moved. knuckles, tie rods, etc. Then removal of the drive shaft, cleaning and checking the cv joints, install of new boots, packing the joints. And he is going to have to do both drive shafts. $300 sounds good.