indygunner4

I'm 0 for 2 on drivers side front (front left) axles on my car. Same looking boot tear. Quality part made in America which my Indy shop has used for years and never had an issue.

Wondering if anyone knows what it could be besides bad luck.

05 b6 a4 3.0 Quattro tiptronic.

043 control arm kit

New steering rack and ball joints

You name it... Probably new

Lowered with the eibach pro cup kit (e street springs and Bilstein shocks/struts)

Probably 50-100 miles max before I find them torn.



first replacement.

second replacement

lyleswk

Assuming you did not have any issues with the original unit and your suspension / tire setup?

indygunner4

Zero issues for years on oem.

Yoop

That's not from typical wear, something cut that hole.

indygunner4

What could it be?

When I picked the car up both times it had a weird vibration. Within a few days it was torn open. Twice.

Bad parts? Bad luck? Or something else.

lyleswk

So the issues started when you went away from OEM? If so, I would say it has to do with the setup, meaning you have changed the geometry and it is putting different stresses on the axles. I am running stock and never looked into changing it, so have no suggestions. Maybe some others have ideas.

W261w261

How much of a drop? Looks like about 2"?
Is there any chance of interference when the suspension is fully compressed. If it's happening in 50 miles, that's really fast. It's hard to see the picture, but it's almost like the grease is attacking the rubber. Strange.

I'd clean up the boot as best I could, then wrap it with white tape or something, go for a short ride across some pot holes, and check for any sign of abrasion. Thereafter, check frequently to see what might be happening.

I've never heard of a non-extreme drop wiping out a boot - and it's only on one side. Time for some lab work! Keep us posted. I'd like to know the answer.

W261w261

And could you be more specific about the "weird vibration?"

turbo510

I'll bet it's just crappy boot material. I've also got an '05 B6 A4 Quattro Tiptronic, and oddly have seen the same thing happen on my driver's side outer CV boot. Some years ago, my OE driveshaft backed out of the joint while driving, probably due to some previous person not replacing the retaining wire clip after a boot change, which stripped some of the splines on the shaft. I misdiagnosed, and thought the transmission had a mechanical failure. The trans shop where the car was flatbedded found the driveshaft problem, and installed a new (aftermarket) one. Eventually that needed a boot-kit job, but the joint could not be banged off, no matter what. So in desperation, I went to AutoZone and got one. Within weeks, the boot had split like yours. I returned it for another, and that one has been fine, so-far.

W261w261

If the rubber was old and falling apart, I guess, but in 50-100 miles? It's not like a tire, stressing with a rolling deformation. The boot just sits there. Maybe some old stock, but his mechanic said they've been using the same supplier for years. I try to only use OEM stuff, but the half shafts from Audi are not only out of this world but out of the next one too.