Natey2

What kills the struts more?
The number of times it is used over the years?
Or just the age and climate conditions it is subjected to?

I hardly open the hood on my car, but the trunk is open far more frequently.
I can't say either is in a terribly bad state in my 2005 with less than 120K miles.

Johnhav430

Personally, I think it's time. When closed, hood and trunk struts are compressed. It's always fascinated me how expensive OE parts are for any struts, even my 1998 Maxima. With German cars it's very simple to get the exact OEM who made the OE (for maybe $20), not so with Japanese. Seems to be expensive OE, or aftermarket, no OEM.

groomerz

I've changed struts on hood and trunk, Both stay open strong now. My issue is it is a heavy trunk and for some reason my wife, kids , everyone, slams my trunk instead of gently lowering it and letting self closer shut it the final inch. No one else has this issue i've heard of. What is the secret ? I have tried don't slam it and it doesn't work

BCT

I find out that without the struts installed, the trunk lid seems lighter to open and lift up. Not sure if that means my struts are bad or what... I may get a different brands just for comparison, or I may go to Lexus dealer and see if they have an LS430 that I can compare mine with.

Bocatrip

jayclapp

The test for whether the struts have failed is as follows: Open the trunk fully open. Pull the trunk lid down slowly until you determine when the trunk will fall on it's own. If at that point the vertical distance between the bottom of the trunk lid and full closure is approximately 12-14 inches, the struts are still fine. If the lid falls on it's own at a distance higher that 12-14 inch, the struts are not providing enough lift and should be replaced.

Johnhav430

I think we're overthinking this one....when I got the LS430 my wife always slammed the trunk. I asked her not to, and then she didn't. Point is, a normal person would likely slam the trunk because it's on the heavy side and they may not know where to put their hands (on that plastic handle). Personally I believe this design saves space and increases trunk volume, but it takes away a power pull down which is more popular these days. I prefer it. Think about something the size of a Civic, like a BMW 3 series. The E9x (2006-2011) used struts--the trunk is already small, so that's a benefit to remove arms and a mechanism, which due to cost cutting, the Fx had 2012+.

Dubbayoo

Well shoot. I just received my new struts. I didn't realize til reading this thread the lid was not supposed to open fully upon release. That annoys me a lot. Now I wonder if I should even bother putting them on.

On the Kia Optima forum guys were using bungie cords to make the trunk pop open all the way. That's what I want.

Duck05

May as well leave the new ones installed.... They are made to keep the lid open not swing it open.....

As for "trunk slamming", when it was the wife's daily she routinely slammed the trunk and one of the tail light leads worked loose and would engage the warning system that a tail light was out; a few fist bumps on the open lid and the warning light goes away. Now that it is my daily I make sure to lower the lid gently and allow the closing motor to finish the close process; no more warning messages.....

Wintercat

I prefer it that way. Lets me run up with groceries when it's snowing, sleeting or raining hard without all that getting in the trunk.

Peacebay

I think it’s a major problem personally. I have brand new trunk struts and the lid still slams shut HARD if you just let it fall.

And if someone else ever opens my trunk I always have to tell them to close it gently and they look at me like I’m crazy.

Johnhav430

This is like a mpg thread, lease v. buy, top tier or not, etc. lol

Isn't it like golf? Maybe the first time you swing a club, you think you have to kill it, for the ball to go far. Then, you start to realize that's not how to drive the ball far, it has to do with contact, and mechanics.

This thread sometimes makes it sound like it's not possible for a human to gently close the trunk and let the pull down do its job

Me? I like the hinges as it frees up space. My BMW also has struts, and it also would be considered heavy. But there are no arms and no mechanism, it's the expensive way to do things. Most current cars went back to the old way which is to have arms and a cheap spring. Even a brand new premium Subaru, not just BMW and Lexus or Mercedes. Cost cutting is rampant, look at rear brakes on cars nowadays, even costing $130k.

Peacebay

I mean, yeah I know not to slam the trunk by now but when someone else opens the trunk it always slams shut and I cringe. It's just not a good design, no other way around it.

Johnhav430

The design was to eliminate arms, and increase space. How is that poor design? BMW did it too before cost cutting. Compare the size of the LS430 trunk, to the next gen LS, and the current gen LS. Also, compare it to the current gen S550, and A8L. Me? I love the extra 4.x cu. ft. of trunk space. Sometimes I get carried away and find so many things cannot fit in the LS trunk, it's not "that" big. But it's bigger than almost all sedans. I think arms attached to the deck look uber cheap. But it saves the car mfg. at least $30. Retail? $170.

You wanna see cheap look at the next gen Subaru Outback and how they do the trunk.

Dubbayoo

Then it is "that' big. I'm coming from a mid-size car and it looks like a small bedroom to me.