I just purchased new trunk struts for my 03 SC430 and from what I have read, they should be pretty easy to replace. I have followed the instructions that came with the struts and it seems to be a bit more difficult to remove the old struts. Anyone have any suggestions/tips with pictures if available to show how to remove the old struts from the truck lid? Thanks

 

the one person to ask would te Bob.

 

It is fairly simple.

First prop your trunk lid open with something. I used a golf driver, but a brook stick or PVC pipe will work.

Next look at the rounded ends of the struts there is a small flat spot where you can shove a small flat head screwdriver under the spring clip. Look at the new struts and you will see what I mean.

Hold the screwdriver in place while prying the end of the strut off with a long flat object. Be careful not to scratch your paint. The end of the strut should pop off pretty easily. Do this for the other end too.

Installation is in the opposite order. Releaving the tension on the spring clip makes it pop right on with little pressure.

 

What brand did you get and where?

 

Many people go with the ones on eBay. Cheap and reliable. I've had them in for almost a year and no problems at all.

 

Today I got a pair of trunk lift supports off EBay from Liftsupportsdepot.com

New, claimed to be American Made

$37.00 Buy it now with free shipping.

Part Brand: Lift Supports Depot
Manufacturer Part Number: PM1010-1
Warranty: Yes
Interchange Part Number: 496619,4966190,6453024052

They fit on fine and work.

They offer a limited lifetime warranty but given that they seem to last 10 or more years I hope I won't be needing it.

Bob

 

very easy, i just replaced my trunk lift support, on ebay for $37,

just pop out the old one , might use force to pop it out, very simple to do it

 

HI,

It's my first time on this forum, I am trying to buy the trunk lift lid support from Liftsupportsdepot.com for my lexus sc430 2002 but I found few choices, like with or without spoiler, So I didn't know which one to select.
is there any recommendation? http://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/sho...ertible-2door/

also I found at amazon


Regards

 

Yes, I just purchased these and installed them yesterday and they are Made in the USA.
They are from the company you listed but the price is less on eBay.
I recommend them!
The trunk will slowly lift itself about halfway up...you lift to the halfway point and they will lift the rest of the way.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Qty-2-Strong...BUlJ~c&vxp=mtr

 

Thx for you help, I just did the order.

 

After much reading I tried replacement struts (with spoiler) from Sundely which were no improvement over my existing factory struts (required manual lifting and closing). I then tried the PM1010 struts (with spoiler, $46/pair) manufactured by liftsupportsdepot.com (not by StrongArm the other option). According to the lsd rep each strut has 63 lbs. of force and "At unlatching these will raise the lid 2-3 inches. With manual lifting the supports will typically take over at the half way point. The same should apply with closing. Thank You, Toni Fishman". I was skeptical but tried them and was pleasantly surprised. The unlatching action at appx. 1" was no improvement but the lifts took over at 50% manual lift and closing. The action was smooth and controlled in both directions. Best of all on closing it latches independently which is welcome. The trunk action is now much more convenient and functional. I don't know how long they will last but I'm a happy camper now. Thanks to the previous CL strut posters for the info. and confidence to move forward with this DIY.

 

The $37 lift cylinders are now $29.88 on ebay, but they are made in Turkey.

I followed the directions above and was through in less than 30 minutes. I spent the most time cutting a 1x2" board 48 inches long to hold up the trunk lid. The new cylinders just click in on the ball ends.

 

eBay has the Made in USA version for $35.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Qty-2-StrongArm-6423-Rear-Trunk-Lift-Supports-Struts-Shocks-Springs-Props-/371141241568?hash=item5669bdeae0%3Ag%3A3P4AAOSw0vBUlJ%7Ec&vxp=mtr&rmvSB=true&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F711-53200-19255-0%252F1%253Ftype%253D3%2526campId%253D5336108637%2526toolId%253D10001%2526customId%253Dixykzqnmme000azq00004%2526mpre%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com%25252Fitm%25252FQty-2-StrongArm-6423-Rear-Trunk-Lift-Supports-Struts-Shocks-Springs-Props-%25252F371141241568%25253Fhash%25253Ditem5669bdeae0%25253Ag%25253A3P4AAOSw0vBUlJ%25257Ec%252526vxp%25253Dmtr%2526srcrot%253D711-53200-19255-0%2526rvr_id%253D1153771279682&ul_noapp=true

 

Are these really as good as the Originals ? I changed mine out a couple years ago and I don't think they're nearly as good as what was on the car originally . The truck seems to close too hard . It also takes quite a bit of pressure to lift it to get to the halfway point when opening. I'm curious what the original specs were for pressure .

 

I really didn't notice a difference. The first time I replaced them with factory lift struts. The second time I bought the strongarm lifts. For half the cost, and the factory ones don't seem to last any longer.