There is a slight shudder as the steering passes a certain point when it's in motion. Are there any clever techniques for greasing the rack in the car?

No grease required. Did you clean things when you replaced the boots?

The u-joints on the steering coupler between the rack and the column above the drivers side axle often get stiff. You can spray them with penetrating oil *NOT WD40* and see if the problem goes away. If it does, you need a new coupler which is $70 at the dealer. Make sure to keep the steering wheel in the same place as you replace the coupler, letting it spin will break the clockspring connector for the airbag, horn, and cruise control.

 

If the shudder is felt in the whole car, do a search for "torque bind".

I did an external clean of things to make sure no dirt was trapped by the boot, but I didn't fully disassemble everything. Both boots had only torn since the last oil change, about 2000 miles ago.

 

The shudder is only at a couple specific points on the throw of the rack and didn't show up when I had it in the air going from lock to lock with the steering several times to see if the boot bands held.

 

Oh, well I'll keep an eye on it and if I have to take the boots off and go in there I guess I'll have to. The Airbus has the same sort of shudder and it's atributed to needing a re-greasing of the steering rack. Of course the rack on an Airbus is $200,000.