I plan on doing this tomorrow but BEFORE I rip apart the suspension can anyone shed some light on why THIS looks like it does? This is the wife's hatch and if she did something (pothole, curb) she isn't telling me. She on Ground Controls and lowered about 2 inches. The passenger side is normal.

 

The washer is on upside down and cut into the bushing, I can tell you that.

 

That wouldn't account for the slant it's sitting at. The other shock is absolutely perfect installed this way.

 

Well the bushings are fine. Somehow the spring became un-compressed enough that the gold top perch (whatever it's called) unseated itself and the "top hat" bit into it and deformed it. Causing the tilt. HTF she managed that I won't ever be able to fathom.
Pics later.

 

Yeah but it is incorrect.

 

My point is that it has nothing to do with the condition of the strut in the "top hat". You can say it all day long and I really wouldn't care.

 

bump plate underneath is either missing or busted.

take it apart and quit sitting there guessing.

 

Who's guessing? I took it apart this morning like I said I was going to and already found out what the problem was. Read my post.
I'm not one of the knuckleheaded idiots that sits there looking at his car and scratches his head all day asking "Hey guys, what could it be?".
Parts are replaced and it is already back on the road with no issues.