Slight clicking noise from right side when turning

Wife says her '05 Passat (66K miles) makes a clicking noise in the right side when she makes turns. Of course, I can't hear it and no abnormal noises at highway speeds. I did a cursory inspection of the CV boot when I changed the oil yesterday. The boot looked intact, but was "wet" on the outboard end. Looks like something has been slowly leaking in that area because there is a buildup of crud. The left side is "clean" for comparison.

So, what are the possible problems here?
1. Just a torn CV boot?
2. A damaged CV joint + a torn boot?
3. Some other problem?
4. Can the CV joint be replaced without replacing the half-shaft also?

Thanks!!

CV joints

g'morning,

I just did my boots because I discovered they were splitting when I checked them during my last oil change. If your boot is leaking it probably is split somewhere, and if dirt got in there and damaged anything you will need to change out the outer joint as well. You have to take the joint off the shaft anyway to clean/inspect/ regrease.
I noticed mine completely torn open at 80K, took them apart, found them in good shape, I guess I was lucky, caught them quick.
be careful, the boot is different than most other VW's and there is even 2 different boots for this model Passat they have to check by your VIN

CV joints

A regular clicking noise during low speed turns is normally a sign of a worn CV joint. It could be quite a long time before any other symtom shows up.

That clicking usually means the CV is worn. If it is light you may have quite a few more miles left in them. If you are not planning any long trips soon, you might just hold off for a while. At some point in the not too distant future it will click a lot and stop all together. Not fun on the freeway. At that time you will need to replace it. Half shaft is likely the way to go.

It is too late to just fix the boot.

Yep, the CV joint and boot were bad. Had a local mechanic replace the right side half-shaft. $148. Is there any reason to get the other side replaced also? It is not torn and is not leaking or making noise.