How long have you gone with a badly torn rubber boot in a rack and pinion steering arm?

How long have you gone with a badly torn rubber boot in a rack and pinion
steering arm?

Please don't tell me it's dangerous, nor that it has to be replaced, nor
that you can do it yourself, nor that it will last only a day, etc.

My problem set is that I told someone they need to replace that badly torn
boot I found by looking, and they don't have the money or skills, so
they're gonna live with it (residential roads, California weather, which is
to say rain for three months and nothing but clean sunshine for the rest of
the year).

If you have never driven with a torn steering boot in a typical Japanese
sedan, then you won't be able to answer the question, as I can't answer it
either.

They asked me how long it would take before it fails, and I told them they
don't want to have it fail, but I'm stuck with what is so that's why I ask.

Again, if you've never driven with a torn boot, you can't possibly know the
answer to the question (unless you know of someone who did).

In that case, how long did the person drive before the link eventually
failed?