If its ever been in a shunt, maybe a silly little one, the column can compact but they do seem to bend on the concertina (collapsable) part over the years. As said its not a difficult job but fiddly to fit new bushes. There should also be a washer thing on the triangular section of the column to hold the bush in place. If that's gone or left too far back (like I did - doh!!) it will pop out again in a jiffy.