Should I replace a ripped brake caliper dust boot?
While the torn rubber piece is just a dust boot rather than the main hydraulic seal, it still needs to be repaired or replaced as soon as possible. Driving with a ripped boot leaves the piston vulnerable, though inexpensive rebuild kits are readily available to fix the issue.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Pushing the piston in anyway and planning for a caliper replacement when it eventually seizes.
- 2Driving for a while if necessary since it is just the dust boot and not the hydraulic seal
- 3Buying a cheap caliper rebuild kit solely to replace the damaged dust boot
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“That's the dust boot, not the hydraulic seal. If you need to get somewhere, it'll be ok for a while. It should be repaired or replaced as soon as possible.”source ↗
“I recently ordered caliper rebuild kits on rockauto for about six bucks, solely to replace that dust boot.”source ↗
“Found a rip in a rear caliper piston boot prior to compressing the piston for installing new rear brakes. Should I be concerned and have the rubber replaced?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7Why do brakes still fail after replacing calipers and bleeding?
- 2Is it safe to drive with a loose or detached brake caliper?
- 7Why is my brake caliper piston so hard to compress?
- 13How do you fix a leaking metal brake line?
- 2Is severe brake rotor and caliper rust safe to drive on?
- 3Cracked engine head while torquing oil pressure sensor