CV boot questions

[Kendo]

Checking the underside of my 04 Boxster S, I found grease coming from the inner passenger side CV boot. Thinking it was a split boot (common for a car with 55K miles) I ordered the parts to replace all 4.

Part of the order arrives from Pelican on Thursday and I couldn't see a significant physical difference between the outer boot (928-332-293-02-M60) and the inner boot (968-332-293-00-M100). Of course there is a big price difference of $4.75 versus $39.25.

I decide to take a closer look at the existing boots on the car and find that both the inner and the outer boots on the car are both the same (968-332-293-00). The GKN part number between the old and the new inner boots are identical (2 153 15 75 00 065) so I assume the parts must be identical.

So this brings up the questions:

Anybody know what is the physical difference between between the inner boot 968-332-293-00-M100 and outer boot 928-332-293-02-M60?

If there is a physical difference does it justify an almost 8 fold price increase?

What would be the consequences of using the cheaper outer CV boots at the inner boot location? I should point out that this is exactly what 2000 to 2002 Boxster S models use for both locations so I don't think I am thumbing my nose at Porsche Engineers with a radical change.

Why was my car built with "inner" CV boots for both locations?

And finally when I was inspecting the boots on the car I found that the boot had not split but rather it was leaking on the inside lip (closest to the transmission) of the CV Boot. It appears that the axle boot clamp is not tight enough. The clamp is not the type I can use pinch pliers on so how can I tighten it?

Thanks for reading this long winded message.

Ken

[bklyn]

Ken, dont know if this helps but I recently ordered mine through our host and I ordered the whole kit for $42.00 which included all four boots (same size on all) clamps and circlips. My vehicle is a 2002 and the old and new boots, inner and outter are all of the same size.

[Miguel Antonett]

All the same.

[Wayne 962]

Hi Kendo. The inner boots and outer boots are the same on the non-S cars. The -M60 brand is GKN Loebro, which is an OEM brand and the OEM supplier to Porsche. The -M100 brand is a Genuine Porsche product, and as such comes in a Genuine Porsche box. The part number you reference above, beginning with 968- is not a valid number, and I don't have that number in my database of parts. (edit: I see now that you meant to write 986, not 968).

I've got a neat FAQ I wrote on the differences between all the brands, and OEM and Genuine in particular. You can find it at this link: Pelican Parts - Comparison of Available Shipping Options .

Hope this helps,

Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Okay, my apologies, I see that you have a Boxster 'S', which is different. I didn't read your post clearly enough.

Part number 928-332-293-02 fits the following:
- Boxster S thru '02 Rear Inner/Outer (4 Per Car)
- Boxster S '03 thru '04 Tiptronic Rear Inner (2 Per Car)
- Boxster S '03 thru '04 Rear Outer (2 Per Car)

Part number 986-332-293-00 fits the following:
- '03 thru '04 with Manual Trans. Rear Inner (2 Per Car)

It would appear that the rear inner is only available at this time from Porsche (not the aftermarket), hence the difference in price. The Porsche diagrams are very confusing on this, as the 'S' diagrams are on a separate page than the non-'S' ones for these axles, and the year delimiters are not very clear either.

Hope this helps to answer your question.

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

One final thought here too - looks like someone may have replaced your inner boot with the wrong one at one time, perhaps causing the leakage that you're finding right now.

-Wayne