CV Boot. Do both sides?

So my 2000 C4 drivers front CV boot is torn. Car has 70K miles and is original to the best of my knowledge Looks like the fix is messy but not bad. Is there any advantage to prophylactically doing the passenger side or should I just wait till it fails? I've noticed that when I do two sides of anything the second one takes half the time.

I think it makes sense. If you're going to get messy you might as well do them both. It isn't a question of 'if' but 'when' the next one will fail. To your point - the other side will take half the time if you do them back to back. If you wait a year or two you'll spend more time doing it overall.

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My experience with the 4S was: Left outer boot failed and a little over a year the right side outer boot failed. If you can, do both sides at the same time IMHO.

I disagree, fix it when it fails. There is no time savings.

Thanks. For me the time savings are 1) only have to remove the floor pan once 2) the second time I don't have to check the manual or youtube video and I don't have to spend any extra time remembering the one trick I spent 20min figuring out since I just did it Also, I was considering changing out the entire axle. Way more expensive but a more efficient install and way way less messy.

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Changing out the entire axle makes sense because it resets the clock on the axle and CV joints.

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Unless the axle shaft is rotting, or the cv joints have been exposed to sand this is kinda pointless. Unless the cost of replacement is cheaper than the boot repair, which I doubt.

drivers side outer boot failed on mine. I did inner and outer boots on both sides. imo waiting for it to fail makes no sense in this case because when it does you will rapidly loose grease from the joint and the bearing will be operating without grease in it. So if you decide to wait for them to fail I would also go with the option of replacing the entire axle after the failure. If you are proactive you can just do the boots. It's also easiest to remove the inner boots to replace the outer boots and very cheap to do both sides.

Obviously you're always going to get two camps on these things based on personal priorities: 1) Money is the most important thing: - Why replace it early if it still works? - Why replace the axle when it's still good? The axle costs more than the CV parts! Don't be lazy, and just rebuild the CV joint! - Don't throw parts at the problem! 2) Time is the most important thing: - Only do it once and get it done "while you're in there". Why do you want to do the exact same again? - It already has XX miles on it, and I don't want it to fail on me while driving. Might as well replace it as a maintenance item. - If one failed, the other will soon as well! The other doesn't have a significantly longer life than the one which failed. - I figured it out once, and don't want to waste the time to figure out how to do it a second time. The answer depends on your priorities. My opinion? I'm in camp 2. Do it while your in there.

Like a headlight that burns out. Both have been used the same amount of time. Change them both. CV's same...just more expensive than headlight bulbs! I understand the infant mortality on parts and I am not talking about that situation.

Whatever you do don't buy the "German" brand CV joint boots that are sold on most places. I put 4 of these "German" brand on my front driveshafts, all 4 were split after 1 year/3k miles. If you cannot get GKN branded CV boots this is one of the places that I'd go dealer parts, just because they are so messy to replace.

I agree, whoever you do, buy the best part. These can last 20 years or 2 years depending.

I've reached the age where I'm in camp 2. I'm mostly doing the work for personal satisfaction. In terms of parts is there any significant difference from the Porsche branded and the GKN? I'm leaning towards replacing the whole axle

My vote is to do the boots on both. Save the CV joint/axle replacement until next time. CV joints last a really long time if kept properly lubricated. 200k mi.?

I would not bother changing the whole axle, aren't they like $1000 each? GKN is the OEM supplier to Porsche of the boots, axles, and CV's. They are the OEM supplier to every Euro car company as far as I know.

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When I did my cv boots (inner and outer on both sides - only the outer on the passenger side was cracked/leaking) the cv joints themselves were in practically perfect condition. It would have been a huge waste to replace the entire axles�

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My advice is to take the path of least resistance. If you're not comfortable with rebuilding the CV joint and have the money, replacement of the entire axle is the way to go. Another idea is to make a solid attempt rebuilding the joint and if it doesn't go right, then purchase the entire axle. The OEM rebuild kits are cheap, less than $30. On the other hand, a complete OEM axle from FCP Euro is less than $500.00. Genuine Porsche (same manufacturer) is double. (see picture)

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I just ordered both axles. I live on the beach and sand gets into everything which seems to be the main worry with doing just the boots. Interestingly the local shop refused to do just the boots. Assuming life doesn't get in the way I should have these in next week

Update. So I changed out both front drive axles. It's a pretty straightforward repair. I am very glad I decided to do both sides as the other CV Boot had a small tear in it but was not spilling any grease yet All told took about 5 hours including reading, setup, cleanup showing my youngest how it all works and the 25 minutes I spent looking for the 18mm socket. The second side took less than an hour. I bought a cheap 1000ft/lb impact wrench from harbor freight which I highly recommend. Unfortunately it only tightened the axle nut to 200ft/lb. The recommended torque of 340 is crazy. I have a torque wrench that goes to 275. I stopped tightening when I thought my breaker bar was going to shatter and even then I'm not sure I'm there. I'm going to buy a 6ft pipe and finish the job. I don't know if it's the axles, the newly tightened suspension or my imagination but the car seems to handle better. Which is a pleasant surprise

a 1/2" drive will flex. you need a 3/4" drive to torque the axle nuts. these are exactly what I used and they worked great. Amazon Amazon Amazon Amazon Amazon Amazon

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thanks. That digital torque adapter looks sweet. Never seen that before.

Have someone stand in the brakes or u can build this from an old rotor. U may be able to rent a 3/4 torque wrench from the parts store or buy/rent a torque multuplier.