I have a 2000 Golf with 73k miles. A mechanic today told me the inside clamp on the CV boots were missing. He had no idea HOW they could be missing; they might have rusted to pieces and just fallen off, but the outside clamps are in perfect condition, so that seems unlikely. He said there is nothing to do about it; it might cause the axle to wear out prematurely, and then you just replace everything. Or, it might last another 73K miles just fine.
So, what might have happened to the clamps? Is it possible they never existed to start with? Is his assessment valid.