why dont you extend your bumper stops instead?

Not sure about vitaras. But my Pajero had bump stops limiting downtravel of the control arm.

On a tangent slightly,
but does a strut mount flip affect proper function,
ie can it pull through, or push through the mount?

Wonder if the alteration of that control arm has helped in the failure?

I didn't notice that. Well spotted.

Too much down travel could increase the movement inwards,
of the lower strut,
straining top mount?

I strain to remember my High School geometry

Pajero have an upper A-arm aswell. Vits only have a lower, and use the strut to hold the Knuckle captive. So no down stroke bump stop.

And AFAIK, 'topping out' a shock is what happens on compression stroke, and 'bottoming out' happens on extension stroke.

Ah okay.. Bugger.

The problem was the strut pulled out of the oda strut spacer that screws on top of the strut

Paj setup is shit anyway........

Fucken torsion bar rubbish

The problem was the strut pulled out of the " ODA strut spacer " that screws on top of the strut
Im.going to make new ones that drop the original strut mount down now and add the strap to stop the strut from pulling on the mount
The spacers would have a part to do with it but no more then any othere spacer
It would have been because the spring is bigger then the space it sit in so it is always putting pressure on the top mount trying to extend more thats y the thread has riped out
A limiting strap will stop this from happening again
The strut should only have to deal with the sideways pressure
It realy isnt designed to try and be over extened all the time like any othere shock

speak to ODA about a warranty claim.