Can you tell if a new strut has been fitted?

[ARSEY4]

Could someone in the know tell me what fitting a new front strut means? Does it mean the whole suspension part that you see behind the wheel (Excluding spring) or could it just be the shock absorber or does it come as one whole unit?
Audi told me they had fitted a new front strut but looking behind the wheel it looks no different to the others but want to make sure I understand what is what before I question it. I would expect to see a nice shiny new part without any road grime.
Thanks

[boff]

Have you had to pay for it fella? If it's warranty then I'd dig no further as long as the problem has gone away.

If you paid for it then ask away, but again has the problem gone away?

IMHO a strut is the spring and damper combo, BUT a mechanic with loose lips could easily confuse the terms.

[geoffdunk]

The strut is the sub structure the spring and damper combo fixes to, on the B8 its cast aluminium I believe and a new one wont look much different from a clean old one.