Dear j. pelchat,

Hope you're well. The rubber bellows - that protect the steering (tie) rods - are engineered for durability, because they protect the rack-steering rod connection from water, salt, grit, etc. Absent protection, a steering rack - usually good for a vehicle's service life - might need replacement. A rack is a high-value, mission-critical item: the cost of durable bellows is small, relative to the cost of rack replacement.

By contrast, front suspension struts must be replaced periodically. The interval most hingest on how rough is the paving, that the vehicle transits. Thus, the bellows can be made of a less-durable rubber.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

"I don't see any mention about rubber bump so that part must have disintegrated long ago."

You got it. Found about an inch of them left on each side.

Thank you for all the good info. Shame bellows will fail before the struts typically do, but I've been reading a lot of differing opinions about whether they are even necessary. I say it can't hurt, and it would be nice if they lasted even longer.