Hello,
I have a 1999 Jetta Wolfsburg, the Jetta 3 bodystyle. It just recently failed inspection here in NJ. The inspector said, "the left strut tower top is defective and needs to be replaced." He said it shouldn't move when the car is jacked up. For him, the right side tower top mount did not move. Our mechanic said this movement is normal and both do it. At home, I lifted the car with a floor jack under the front crossmember. When the wheels left the ground, both left and right top mounts dropped equally onto the cylindrical pieces on the fender wells that the top of the struts protrude through, roughly 3/8" to 1/2" of movement. I think maybe when the inspector jacked the front end up, he caught the right swing arm which kept that strut from topping out. Are my mechanic and myself right about this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Ted Vaughn, NJ

 

Everything's fine.

 

I'm inclined to believe that there should be very little play, assuming the front end is fully off the ground.