Or is it cheap?

I just purchased one on amazon, and received the item. The plastic seems "suple" and of quality, but the rim plastic is bent out of shape. Would that affect anything?

 

it cant be worse than the 15ish year old brittle crap thats on there now

 

Dorman products are usually good.

 

The one that is one there is hard as a rock, shoudl I replace it if it doesn't seem to have any cracks? I put soapy water on it, ran the engine, and didn't see any holes. Should I put the fresh one on anyway?

 

Its only a matter of time before the old one does crack, then you'll be troubleshooting why the car doesn't run correctly and stalls out at random times. For $20 it's probably worth it

 

If you already bought it, then ya replace that old *** hose. IMO dorman products are ok and fine for things that arent critical. Obviously OEM is best but something like the hose as long as it all seals up fine I'de say you're good to go.

 

The soapy water test is good for finding pressure leaks but not as good for vacuum leaks.

The way to check it would be to spray it with brake parts cleaner while the engine is idling. When the brake cleaner hits a leak the idle will surge.

The boots tend to crack in the valleys so the cracks can be hard to see.

I've repaired these boots with a coat of Plastidip. The brush on kind, not the spray. Remove the boot and clean it with degreaser. Brush a coat over the entire boot. Stretch and compress it a few times to bring the coating into the small cracks in the valleys. Don't worry about getting it too smooth. It tightens up and smooths out as it dries. Let it sit for a few hours and it's good to go.