When is a bumpstop, not a bumpstop?

When is a bumpstop, not a bumpstop?

A bumpstop isn't just to stop the damper running out of travel, it's actually an integrated part of the suspension design. On the front of a MacPherson strut it tends to be 50-75mm tall and has a progressive rising rate.  Often they can be reused with a typical damper needing replacement at approx 40-50k miles.

As you can see this bumpstop is considerably less tall. It's all that is left after 23 years and 130000 miles on stock suspension.

Just another reason why the  MOT test needs a suspension rig test - perhaps bi-annually? Take your car to a regional "shaker" ramp and see how it performs. The results tell you when you need to replace dampers, springs and even bumpstops.