Valdemar wrote:Good point. I always thought that the transmission side almost never breaks however.
Depends on the specific car. For example, on a Subaru Outback the inner (trans side) joint fails at > 2x the rate of the outer joint since it is close to the exhaust and the additional heat ages the rubber quickly. But in general, the outer joint sees more stress since it experiences higher articulation angles during normal use.
On most of the cars I've had, outer joint failures will show up as clicking on tight turns. Inner joint failures usually show up as vibration under acceleration. Of course, the easy test is to check the boots. Most modern CV joints will last as long as the car if the boots are intact.