I have tried the boots from everyone, and they all do this. Two years is
about the most I have been able to get out of a set of boots before cracks
appear. I have not tried the VW dealer, who wants $50 per boot, but I would
like to hear from someone who has.

I understand that you can get long lasting aftermarket boots to fit other
more popular VW models that happen to fit the Vanagon. I think the mark II
Jetta (don't remember if it's inner or outer, they're different) is one
example my VW shop has had good performance with.

Jim

On Fri, Mar 22, 2013 at 8:30 AM, Craig Cowan <phishman068@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've only driven my Syncro for a year. It took over a year toget it ready
> and I'm not sure at which point I rebuilt my rear half shafts. At best,
> they're only two years and about 10,000 miles old but I'm finding that
> several of the boots are already cracking significantly. These where Rhein
> boot kits purchased from ken willford.
> What could cause this aggressive decay and how can I prevent it?
>
> -craig