Old thread I know, but I had enough tension on the strut rod to pull the lower control arm out of alignment to make the bar hard to remove, impossible to install. Loosened strut-slide right in & out, no tool needed.
Better late than never, Roger!
I can absolutely imagine that this tension could be a factor.
I've since pulled and reinstalled mine and they went in easier the second time when I had just installed new strut rods so that variable was different.
