John, I'm not defending the dealer (don't know who they are anyway) but the Devol bushes behave strangely in that they swell with moisture & grab the kingpin, so assuming it's been in dry storage for a while now the bush will have dried & exhibits more clearance
Another thing is that dust & grit embedded into the plastic bush actually grinds the kingpin down especially on the thrust side of the limited wear stroke, if the clearance is then checked when on a ramp with wheels at full droop (like an MOT or service) the suspension often feels quite tight & within expected tolerance of wear
