Hi Peter et al

It WAS the front sway bar bushings after all! The rubbers did look old compared to the rest but were still tight on the bar but I guess looks are very deceiving. Anyway some silicone lube to slide them on and all is tight again! Very cheap and easy fix.

I also did the pads and rotors at the same time but I now have a low frequency howl (wooooo....) when turning. I'm suspecting that this will go away when the the pads and rotors bed in (??)

Thanks for the great advice once again!
Oreo