I have noticed both my front Shock Dust bellows have dry rotted
 

I have noticed both my front Shock Dust bellows have dry rotted. It is a 2002 Boxster S with 45,000 miles on it. Can I get mechanic to replace just this? How much will I most likey spend to replace the bellows approx?

Thanks

Just my 2 cents


I understand your desire to correct every flaw you find on your baby, however, if you don't drive it in the winter and the car handles and rides as new, I'd "run it". If I were going to go to the trouble of removing suspension parts, it wouldn't be for bellows, at that point I'd upgrade while there.

It does ride as new and never driven in rain or snow. Only noticed it when I looked with a flashlight. I have this stuff called black Goo which is a liquid rubber for rubber repair. You think I should try to coat the boot to protect whatever is left? Thanks! Maybe I have too much time on my hands :)

Without seeing the level of boot destruction it's tough to make a call on whether any intervention would be worth it. As for "back goo" I have no experience so I can't weigh in. If the boot had say a small tear, a very good cleaning and some GE silicone would be my choice.

I know other purists on this blog will disagree but IMO, given the weather conditions you drive in, this could be a non issue for a very long time. As I said before, if it really bothered me, I'd save my cash for a suspension upgrade; that way you don't wrench your butt off to change bellows, you wrench your butt off for an improvement in performance.

Interesting...I also have an '02 S (18k miles) and my bellows look as new. I wonder why yours dry rotted? You have to pull the struts to replace the bellows, which isn't a great big deal, but not really worth it unless you require other work.

Closer look...
 

As I look closer it appears the Dust boot has slipped off the "Bump Stop" on the shock.
So the boot is still in tack. I cannot get the boot to slip back over the bump stop because it look like the material for the bump stop has increased in diameter...
Any further worries here?

Given the natural action of the shock, I wouldn't be surprised if you wrestled it back into position to find it back where it now resides after the first spirited ride.