Car boot broken – how easy to replace gas struts?

The boot door on my skoda superb estate seems to have lost power – it opens and closes fine, but the two metal struts either side don’t seem to be providing any lift, so you have to take the weight of it opening and closing.

Bit of rapid googling suggests these two gas struts are known to fail. If it is these things, and not something else, does anyone know how easy they are to replace, typically – is it a DIY job?

Typically replacing gas struts is super easy, sometimes it’s a tool-free 5 min job. But I don’t know how the Superb ones are.

Try these guys:

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/car-boot-tailgate

I use them when I need to spec struts for cupboard doors/hatches etc.  But as you can see they do what you want.  Didn’t check if they do yr model though!

Kia replaced mine for free

Usually a pop off a metal clip, pull off strut. Then clip new strut on.

Thanks all, sounds straightforward, will get a couple ordered.

if the strut system is standard external types, i.e. you can see/access them as they are right in front of you it is easy as the poster poster above says, you just use a sharp screwdriver to pop off the clips either end then pull the strut off.

On some cars e.g. Merc estates the struts are enclosed in the ‘roof’ and quite a bit of stripping is invoked.

Older Skoda estates were the former , can’t see newer ones being any different .

Buy the struts off eBay for cheapness

Remember to prop the boot with something solid before you pop off the old strut – although it seems knackered, it will still be holding up a lot of weight!

Job is usually easy…… finding the right one on the other hand! If there’s a p/no on the existing one, that’ll save a chunk of working out.

And make sure you fit the new ones the correct way around.

Not had to do one for a bit, but I went to the local Motor Factor, pointed at the car and asked for a gas strut to fit it.

Tap Tap on his computer and a minute later it was on.

Try these guys: https://www.sgs-engineering.com/car-boot-tailgate

Good call – thanks. I was about to buy some genuine struts for my old Merc at £60 each. Only £15 each at SGS.

For added reassurance, I’ve used SGS twice. Easy replacement (I’m no mechanical wizard) as others have said. On the first occasion, I ordered struts for the correct model but wrong model year. They were exchanged promptly and without fuss.

As a matter of interest, I used to occasionally squirt a bit of teflon spray onto the struts when checking fluids but was told that this isn’t necessary and could lead to premature failure due to damage to the seals on the gas strut. I’m not suggesting anyone’s as dumb as I am, but may be worth bearing in mind if you do the same (I’ve no idea if it’s true but sounds plausible)

Did my T4 so it can’t be that hard!

Disclaimer: it probably is on your mke/modelof car 😀

5 series estate ones go into the roof and are a complete %%@#!! to do, especially when it’s getting dark……other models should be fairly simple

Guy at work paid something like £600 for Volvo to replace the ones on his XC90!

A girl at work needed hers doing and (as I had never changed one before) I went into work with a toolbox full of everything I could ever need (just in case).

2 minutes later (a minute of which was thinking time) and I had successfully changed them using nothing but a standard electrician’s screwdriver.

I then decided to change mine and only went and ordered the wrong size (see above about trying to find the correct ones for your car).

Guy at work paid something like £600 for Volvo to replace the ones on his XC90!

TBF, they are hidden in the roof like my V70, probably linked to power lift, and do require some faffage of removing all sorts of interior trim. That said, there are youtube videos and parts direct from supplier to make it cheaper…

If they have Stabilis stamped on the side you could contact that company direct and ask for a re-gas. They are down Banbury way when you hit Google.

The ones on my Octavia have gone, but it is a 51! I’m propping up the lid with a walking stick at the mo’, but I’ll get some new struts some time soon. I think they’re around £11 on fleabay.

Footflaps – Gonna have to call bull**** on the Volvo XC90 claim above (your colleague’s account, not yours). An XC90 was one of the cars I did several yrs ago (Mk1 model). I did bonnet and rear hatch at same time. Local Volvo dealer quoted nowhere near £600 to do it, but I still did it myself all the same for buttons. Presumably the colleague’s talking about the new XC90? (but if so, surely still under warranty?)

(Only downside to fitting new rear gas struts on XC90 is that new ones are so powerful, you have to watch you don’t give yourself an uppercut every time you open the boot and it flies open 😉)