a10thunder: Mine was the first one my mechanic had seen with this problem, so yes definitely not all dealers are aware of it. Has the noise returned at all for you? We're still not sure whether this problem is due to a defective original part, or it develops over time.
blueroadster: I am a real paranoid guy too, so I was watching them like a hawk the whole time I had my car there
mohouse: take a10thunder's advice and tell your mechanic that it's the strut assembly. That's what I did and I got a replacement right away (after the part got there). The thing is that the shop gets paid less for warranty work, so it would actually be beneficial to them to simply order the part and do a 1 hr install, vs. doing a 2 hr diagnostic and another 1 hr install afterwards (unless they got no work). Just mention that multiple ppl have had their strut assembly replaced to correct this.