KlausC. Thanks for the comments. I only use the air gun on a job like this, at the lowest torque setting or by throttling the air supply, to draw the fastener down after which I use a torque wrench. In a previous life I saw how easy it was to over torque and elongate a fastener well beyond its holding elasticity if not fully parting the fastener.
The boot question is now moot. I couldn't let it go so I reworked the job and removed that shock, straightened out the boot and reinstalled it. All is well now.
Yes, I questioned the end of life diagnosis of the shocks. I couldn't tell anything in the ride. I did agree that the strut replacement was necessary. I believe the dealer just figured 100K, struts went shocks might not be that far behind. When I took off the old shocks I saw no signs of degradation, leakage, nor could I budge the piston. I have been thinking of making a jig and seeing if I can measure the force to compress the shocks. Regardless, the shocks are replaced at this point. Might of been a waste of money but I limited the expense to the cost of the shocks.
Take care and thanks.