300M strut issue

Getting a click from driver side front suspension on big bumps. Looks like
a pad at the bottom of the strut spring is ripped and out of place. Will
take it to the dealer but I was wondering what replacing the pad would
require. To do it right I would think that the strut has to be taken apart.
Car has about 41k miles on it. If strut needs to come apart, is it
worthwhile replacing front struts with those miles on a 1999? If I remember
correctly, the later years had an extra inch of travel in the suspension to
improve the ride (might have been performance model only, which mine isn't).
If so, would the struts give it the extra travel and would they fit the
1999? Thanks.

 

Dealer is replacing both struts and some bushings under extended warranty.
This will be the first claim on it.