Greetings I'm new here, I've got a 2002 A4 Sport - and like the title says, the inside of the wheel well and back of the tire are covered in some old I-don't-know-what. The only thing I can tell is that the R&P boot just cracked/broke.

Could there just have been years of steering fluid built up and puddled inside the boot and it finally broke or...? I just bought the car and the PO said there was a slow leak in the power steering, which I just refilled (with the proper fluid) because it was super low and starting to whine. Is it a coincidence?

There are no sounds or other problems going on with the steering, could I just get new boots and call it a day?

Thanks!