Strut mount merry-go-round

[Chris Newbold <cnewbold@eznet.net>]

While trying to diagnose some front-end shimmy a couple of
weeks ago, I wound up at an independent Audi/VW specialist...

With the car up on the lift, the mechanic showed me that there
was free play in the front suspension. The front wheels could
be shifted between 1/8" - 1/4" fore and aft by grabbing and
tugging. The shop proclaimed worn strut mounts.

Since I'm still under warantee, I took the car to my local
dealer and asked them to check it out and replace the mounts
if there was any sign of wear. The dealer pronounced the
strut mounts in good condition and not worn. They said that
this free play was normal for Audi/VW front ends when on 
a lift (i.e. not loaded).

So, who's fooling who here?

The car is a 1993 90CS; it has strut *mounts* (rubber
doohickies, I think) not strut *bearings*, like 1980s
5000/100/200s.

-Chris