[Roadsters] suspension teardown notes, and a few questions (kinda long)

[Graeme]

The original or old technology ball joint rubbers had an integral washer to
provide some support to the required shape of the boot.
Newer/after market boots are either polyurethane or some sort of rubber and
don't use any internal reinforcing.
They either clip into the groove on the ball joint and are held tight by a
helical spring or in the case of poly boots, they just slip over the BJ and
seal quite effectively.
Bottom line: - washer is redundant!  

"I too have the same dilemma - on all the fittings - upper,lower balls,
idler arms joints, a flat 'washer' with holes. No way of knowing if they
were inside the rubber or outside - cos the rubber was trashed. They
certainly had a purpose - but what and where do they go - inside or outside.
Logically it would seem that when you have compressed rubber 'rotating'
boots, there would be something to reduce the friction to minimise trashing
the boot - but why the holes - and they are relatively slender/thin. On the
lowers that I got from Linda's endeavour, they fit nicely in a 'depression'
in the rubber boot."