Are W123 rear axle boots the only ones that fail?

[Jeremy5848]

My 1987 300D Turbo (W124, OM603) rear axle boots are in good shape and I hope they stay that way for a long time. What is the failure rate on these compared to the W123?

I ask this because the axles on my '87 look like they would be a lot more work to R&R than the ones on my '85, which I have done myself. MercedesShop is full of threads on 123 axle boots -- I have contributed to them myself -- but there is barely a mention of boots on other models (and then mostly 126) in either the gasser or the diesel sections. Is this because the 124 cars are more reliable, are newer, are fewer, or something else? What about S-class and C-class and newer E-class cars?

Jeremy

[79Mercy]

the boots on my 79 aren't lookin to bad for 29 years old, no cracking just alittle dry.

[Chad300tdt]

Originally Posted by 79Mercy

the boots on my 79 aren't lookin to bad for 29 years old, no cracking just alittle dry.

Spray some 303 Aerospace Protectant on them and try to keep them good as long as you can.