One for you mechanical engineers and/or suspension experts

This is going to be contentious. Springs do lose rate eventually but not likely the cause, the guy who said new car ride is correct. Lantis is FWD so no castor adjustments to be made. It is a good little car, no reason to junk it. hard to diagnose what your issue is as you never really described what it is that is your concern?

Is it handling? Merely hard ride? Pulling to one side? Clunking? etc.. Why was inserts changed and not just an entire shock/strut replaced instead? In fact on second thought how was insert changed on a sealed OEM strut? They must have replaced the entire strut but with what second hand OEM garbage? There had to be some better after market replacement available then using an OEM second hand strut. A host of questions surround this.

Warpee ... thanks for a quick reply ... maybe I wasn't quite clear ....

The full strut has just been replaced with new OEM but using the old springs, new rubber at the top of the strut etc. The ride is just too firm, much firmer than when I first knew the car some twelve years ago. It handles well! When you hit a bump, no clunks or clonks just a thud! On a smooth road it's a really lovely ride.

As I said I can't dip the front but I can the rear.

I'll have to jack it up and see what is written on the shock absorber. The guy did know that we wanted something decent fitting...He did a good job on the top end overhaul, engine sounds nice ... actually I'll get my wife to get the info off him if she can. Thanks

Possibly the replacements were oil filled strut cartridges and the originals were gas-filled.