As most of us have experienced, my front upper control arm boots have perished last year. I can see there is still a fair amount of grease around the joint as well as some road grit getting inside.There is no play or noise whatsoever. I was wondering, since it is so accessible, isn't there a simpler way to wrap some kind of thin rubber sheet around the upper joint while securing it with 2 thin plastic ties as a very temporary means to keep more debris from getting inside? I've read about the boots that are available for replacement, and I know this is not the way to go for a permanent fix, but as I do so little driving, (presently 16,000 miles ) and these joints are fairly robust....Is this feasible for the short term when I don't drive in the rain, and I do less that 1,000 miles per year? Any thoughts? Thanks all. PS How about one of those Split Boots?

 

I used the split boot "fix" on the C/V joints on my old VW. Didn't have to remove the driveshaft as the split boot design fits over the joint in situ. Good for a temporary / longer term solution. Did eventually remove and clean the C/V assembly from road debris.

 

I've used split boots for decades. They last 100,000 miles and ten years as long as they are installed properly.

 

Thanks Cee Jay. Should the existing joint be cleaned up and regreased before installing the split boot or could it just be installed over the existing joint as is?
Where do I find the appropriate size split boot for our upper control arm ball joint?

 

I've not bought any lately (ten years? More???), but yeah, I sprayed the points with carb cleaner lightly to get the outside dirty gook off without spraying away all the existing clean grease. I'd wipe them a bit the fit the big end and inject grease through a tube into the small end before clamping.
They sell them by end size and length. They cover a range, so it's not super critical.