Driveshaft gaiters on front-wheel drive cars - and on some rear-wheel drives and four-wheel drives - can be a real pain when they split or perish. They're an MoT fail point, and with good reason, because if moisture gets into the joint they protect, it will corrode and fail very quickly.

You should in fact check your gaiters on a regular basis and if you spot any failure, replace them. The trouble is, slipping on a new gaiter may appear simple enough, but to get to that stage you often have to dismantle the entire suspension on that corner of the car and very probably need a special puller, or even a machine press, to get the driveshaft out.

It's not unknown for driveshafts to be so tight in the hub that they get damaged when you're trying to get them out, and you end up having to replace the whole driveshaft. If you take it to a garage, the gaiter itself will cost a few pounds but the job is almost certain to be well into three figures.

Until now! Our good friends at Carparts Direct www.carparts-direct.co.uk   0871 918 1800) have come up with a simple, universal solution - the 'Stickyboot' kit. This is a specially-made split boot with tongue and groove join (just like floorboards), a tube of glue to stick it together and cut-off sections for different driveshaft sizes.

The boot is supplied with a selection of clamp strips, a craft knife to cut off the old boot, a sachet of CV joint grease, a pair of Latex gloves and full instructions. You simply cut the old boot off, slip the new one over the shaft, stick it together, slide it down over the joint and clamp it in place - no dismantling required.

We've not had the chance to try it out yet, but as soon as a gaiter fails on the Editorial fleet, we will. In the meantime, it's an excellent idea to keep one in the boot as an emergency spare (and an absolute must for anyone rallying a car with CV joints).

Looking at it, I'd say the principle is good but sticking the two sides together will be a very delicate job, as the tongue and groove are very small and reluctant to line up precisely - and it will be critical to keep them free of dirt and grease until they're firmly stuck together.

Time will tell, also, how long the glued joint will last  but if nothing else, it's a good solution to keep the car on the road until you have time to fit a proper new boot, or to get through the MoT if you're not planning to keep the car long. After all, the complete kit only costs 17.57!

Malcolm McKay, Motorbase News Editor