Suspension Terminology/Design Q's

[camron at worldaccessnet.com (Camron D. Crouse)]

Hello, all.  Wondering if someone could give me some pointers regarding 
Scirocco suspension terminology, as it is one of my weaker knowlege 
points on my car.  For instance, when looking at the seller's ad before 
I purchased the car, it read, "Eibach springs, BOGE shocks, polyurethane 
bushings."  Am trying to find out exactly what I have, as this does not 
seem too specific.

Okay, first of all, let's see if I've got the concepts down:

The front "shocks" are actually "struts" on our cars, is this correct 
terminology?  What is the difference, exactly? Does this mean that it's 
a shock that _holds_ the spring between its bottom and the strut bearing 
inside the fender well?
The front "springs" (I think I can figure that one out ;) sit on 
"perches",  the cone- or funnel-shaped part of the strut. Below this 
cone is an embossed VW/Audi emblem.
 From what I have read, it seems that BOGE is OEM for our Sciroccos, 
hence the logos?
What is a shock "insert" exactly, and is there an insert on the BOGE 
front end?  Is this the "piston" component (shiny silver metal shaft and 
its receptacle) of the absorber unit inside of the spring?  Is this 
separate from the outer housing of the strut (cone-shaped part that the 
spring is perched on) or is it all just one component under the spring?
My springs are definitely Eibach, and also have this small printing on 
them : 36/97  8509201.  If it's a refernce to part numbers, then it is 
not the same as the one currently on the Eibach web page (8526.140 for 
16V), but they are a few years old. They are factory painted black - I 
guess this makes them "Pro-Kit"1" lowering, as "Sport Line" springs are 
red (and not for Scirocco)?
Eibach also makes "dampeners" (universal term for shock/struts?) but 
also doesn't seem to make them for our application...
Coilovers - these are dampeners/springs integrated into a single 
component? Tend to be more high-end (and adjustable) and way more $$$?

In review, it seems I have performance springs but stock dampeners, does 
this sound correct?  One of the reasons I want to know is that my 
springs and struts are peeling paint and have some pretty gnarly surface 
rust, and I want to know what my options are to rectify the situation - 
Buy new components (Upgrade As Original Parts Wear Out) or remove and 
recondition existing ones.  In addition, my suspension is squeaky/creaky 
going over bumps.  Should my poly bushings be lubed?

And yup, uneven tire wear too... all fours are wearing out pretty bad on 
the inside, while the outside tread looks great.  How do I get this 
rectified?  A simple alignment, plus the "shims" mentioned in the other 
shims/camber thread?

MTIA!

- Camron from Vancouver, WA USA
   '86.5 Black 16V 2.0L