GM,
While I enjoyed you take on the risks related to eating fast food, I think you failed to notice some of the facts in my original post.

The bolts that came with the new ball joint have a head that is too tall to allow the proper clearance with the strut plate. The original bolts have a wide flat style head which allows proper clearance. I was inquiring to find out if others have had a similar experience with the replacement ball joint bolts.

The other point was that if new bolts are truly required for the strut mounting plate, as per Bentley, then I would think they would come with the new ball joint. They did not, in my case. Again have others had a similar experience and if so, did they reuse the existing bolts or get replacements separately?

I'm well aware of the risks associated with reusing parts, and with eating questionable food.