This is one of the jobs I did on the Golf I'm selling now. It really is a dead easy bit. Buy a proper kit suitable for that boot and here's how to do it......
Crack off wheel nuts (17mm).
Crack off hub nut (30mm).
Jack car and place on axle stand - place it under the sub-frame, as far out as possible
Remove road wheel
Remove hub nut
Remove the three M8 bolts underneath the bottom of the hub. Recover the triangular piece with the captive nuts from the top of the wishbone.
Swing strut out away and off the driveshaft - mind the flexible hose on the brake caliper
Note where the old boot comes to on the joint and the driveshaft, then take a Stanley knife and cut off the old boot
Grab hold of the splines at the end of the drivehaft and support the shaft
Take a soft-faced hammer and belt the inside outer edge of the joint - it will come off with a couple of good clouts. If you don't have a soft-faced hammer, protect the joint with a piece of wood when you clout it.
Pull off the plastic spacer and tensile washer. Note which way round they are. There should be a new set in the kit.
Clean up the joint and inspect the faces where the ball bearings roll - it's OK for some wear to be there, but you don't want the faces pitted - that's when it starts clicking
In the kit you will have a wire circlip. This goes on the end of the driveshaft - the old one will pull off with a screwdriver
You have a sachet of grease in the kit - it's the right amount for the job. Work 50% of the grease into the joint
Put the smaller clip over the driveshaft. Personally, I find it difficult to get these done up - I need to get the right tool. If the clip won't do up then use a heavy duty zip tie - it'll be quite effective enough.
Push the new boot over the end of the driveshaft
Refit the spacer and tension washer
Place the large metal band over the end of the boot
Take the joint and put it over the end of the driveshaft. Make sure the splines engage properly and it's started OK and, holding the driveshaft and joint straight wallop the end of the driveshaft with the soft-faced hammer, or with a normal hammer, but with some wood to protect the threads on the end of the driveshaft
Squeeze the rest of the grease into the boot.
Pull the boot over the joint
Tighten the clamp around either end of the boot, by whatever means you can suss out (any tips on this appreciated)
Swing the strut back over the driveshaft, align the splines and then push right on. Slip the thick washer and then the new 30mm nut from the kit over that. You won't be able to tighten this until the car's back on the ground.
Replace the three M8 bolts
If you've pulled the retaining rubber for the brake flexible hose off the strut, pull it back over
Replace the road wheel
Put the car back on the wheel
Tighten wheel bolts
Tighten 30mm nut
Done.
Let me know if I've forgotten anything
