Front CV Boot question
 

I talked to my ex-BMW master tech, who has his shop, and he told me that he has never changed the CV boots on the e70's. He said the material is different (different plastic as opposed to rubber on e53), and that it last a very long time. I asked him if these boots could be interchangeable, and he didn't give a definitive answer. He said they look the same , but have different p/n - in agreement with realoem. He also said they have a higher end lip that is more square on the outside.

Could the difference in p/n be only the material, and the slight outside end different? If the ID's are the same and the length is also the same, they might fit, and that be the last time one would do outer CV boots.

If anyone has friends at the local BMW dealership, could you please go and visually double check and compare these 2 sets? Also take some measurements for lengths & OD/ID to confirm/infirm?

I would do that myself, but no love with the parts counter. People who live close to Pelican, FCP Euro, ECS Tuning, etc might be able to get some help there as well.

I know it's a long shot, but it might be worth it.

Thanks

I'm going to my parts supplier today, if they are in stock I'll take a look at the e70 boot and e53 boot and let you know.

EDIT:
Went to my parts supplier and they dont have E70 boots in stock, and counter guy mentioned he doesnt recall selling a set yet, while selling plenty of E53 boots.

So this confirms my indy's statement - the e70 CV boots almost indestructible.
All we need is now to see if the ID & length of the e70 CV boot is the same or close to the e53 CV boot, which again, my indy suspects is similarly close. Didn't expect to NOT even carry these in stock. This speaks volumes.

Perhaps the replacement boots are made from the better material, but most people replace the entire axle and not reboot a torn CV.

I have a suspicion it's due to a faulty design, and to rebuild a matrix is probably too expensive.
Below are the pics for these CV Boots. the first is for the e53, 2nd for e70. Both pics are borrowed from ECS Tuning web site.

Mounted on the vehicle, both "seem" the same. Off the vehicle, the e70 CV boot and judging by the pic, is LONGER, so what this does (in my mind), it allows for more flex in turns. This combined with a different material is probably a winning combo. Also, the pics allow to see the difference in material. What you cannot assess is the ID of both CV boots if identical or not. This is what we need to establish.

E53 CV Boot:

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/14341_x600.jpg

E70 CV Boot:

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/228325_x600.jpg

Ah yes, they do look very different, design-wise.

The E70 boots look narrower though, are the E53 joints bigger around? These might not fit. Or it might just be the angle of the photos.

The material looks to be different too, the E70 is shinier and looks almost plastic. The Febi E53 boot I recently installed was like this and I feel it's a better material.

It's only been a few k miles since install though so I am keeping an eye on it to see how long it will last compared to the previous ones, which IIRC were GKN boots that look like the pic above (soft matter rubber)

Ah yes, I see. The boots are "lifetime." :D

Seriously, that makes sense.

Red Wing Boot material :p: