Car tailgate gas struts

I seem to recall seeing a thread about this but the search hasn’t provided any results.

The gas struts on my tailgate are starting to fail so looking to replace.  Google provides results but does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

I got mine a few years back from SGS Engineering – https://www.sgs-engineering.com/

Another vote for SGS engineering.

+3 SGS 🙂

SGS are really good to deal with and will personally offer free advice if you are doing any sort of one-off project needing bespoke gas struts. Recommended.

It’s a super satisfying job, too. 5 minutes and the boot works perfectly again!

Sounds like a Half Man Half Biscuit track.

Pretty sure SGS were who I went to many years ago for an old Mercedes gas strut.

Stabilus are OEM for gas struts – Ive fitted them to my Porsche and Volvo projects.

I bought them (and all my car tinkering parts) from Autodoc in Germany – cheapest place by far.

My kia dealer wanted 200 quid for a pair supply only so I asked at local indie car parts place, 30 quid a pair.  Still going strong after 2 years.  Top tip, support boot securely when fitting its really heavy.

Another vote for SGS here. Bought loads of gas struts from them for cars, caravans and even an ottoman bed and all but 1 pair were a perfect fit.

The pair that didn’t fit (entirely my own fault, ordered the wrong size) they refunded following return, within a few days. The correct struts then fitted perfectly (again).

New gas struts are one of those jobs that make your car feel brand new and fill you with smugness and joy

eBay and 10mins found decent branded ones for me in the past.

Really easy to fit.

Thanks all.  SGS don’t seem to have the ones for my car.  But found new original struts on eBay for £30, doubt I’ll find a better price than that!

And when you fit them, do one side at a time (sounds obvious, but boot lids are heavy and hurt when they bounce off your head).

And I agree with the above – a super-easy job to do (every time I have done it, I’ve just needed a small screwdriver to ease off the circlips).

Noted, I don’t want the boot lid to bounce off my head lol 🙂

Noted, I don’t want the boot lid to bounce off my head lol

No, you really don’t. Ask how I know…

However, not a problem I’m likely to have with my current Ford – the rear door opens horizontally.

Also tailgate strut-related so rather than start a new thread I hope it’s OK to ask here…

Thoughts on what additional load rating I get to compensate for the weight of a tailgate-mounted bike rack?

Not looking/expecting it to hold tailgate open with bikes on – I just want to overcome the weight of the rack that’s causing a saggy tailgate in cold weather (and sore head from walking into a partially raised tailgate…). Standard struts are 745N for an unglazed tailgate or 810N or 870N for a glazed tailgate. I’m guessing a glazed window (like in a minibus version) would be similar extra weight to the bike rack on mine, or am I being ambitious?

Looking at Stabilus 870N ones but if I wanted stronger I’d have to go custom made.

VW and Merc literally have this as an option if you ordered a bike rack from factory, so that would be a good place to get an idea from.

TBH – even replacing tired regular ones with new will probably have the effect you want, so I wouldnt go massively over speccing.

I nearly took my head off when I last replaced some on the boot of a Vectra VXR – like for like replacements, pulled the latch and nearly sent my self into Orbit jaw first.

@a11y Might be worth putting your vehicle details into Autodoc and seeing if there’s a Stabilus option that mentions ‘extra loading / bike rack / factory option etc etc

lol @ @snotrag, that’s one of my concerns about overcooking the strength.

@RNP, that’s where I’ve been looking. Unfortunately the Transit isn’t #vanlife enough to have specific strut listings for extra listings or racks etc.

I’ll go with the 870s. It’s only been an issue in the cold weather so I guess my current 745N are marginal rather than totally inadequate.

Well my new gas struts arrived and I fitted them and they’re no better than the ones I removed lol!

I’m still having to lift the boot by hand so assume either they are faulty or not new as described by the seller.

What a nuisance!

I’m still having to lift the boot by hand so assume either they are faulty or not new as described by the seller.

Possibly a daft question but does your car have a separate opening glass window in the tailgate? Only asking as my Project Cayenne has this and there are 4 gas struts to replace – 2 for the glass, and two that do the entire tailgate, only doing 2 results in droopyness and nobody wants droop.

No, definitely just two. They hold the boot fine (my old ones did) but after opening about 90 degrees it should fully open by itself. Or so I thought. I’m having to push the boot up still to fully open.

it’s not a volvo is it?

ours went in for a service recently and it was recommended we replace the gas struts, as “Inspection Notes: Tailgate struts are weak, advise to replace”

They wanted £984 for the privilege.

We pointed out it was still under warranty. So they did them. There was apparently a redesign in 2022 to stop it being an issue!

@a11y I don’t know what the standard ones on my stepwgn were rated to but I went for 1000N (they’re 750mm length). Used a fishing scale to crudely test force to close it and it was 5kg standard with no rack, 10kg with one uprated, 15kg with both, and 7kg once I’d fitted the rack (Thule Backpac 973 for 4 bikes) so I could have probably gone a bit lower but it works OK.

SGS do adjustable force ones in various lengths, they just weren’t quite right for my car. By “adjustable” they start at 1200N or so and there’s a tiny valve to slowly release gas and reduce the force until it’s where you want it to be. Although go too far and you’ll have to get them re-gassed at SGS.

Thanks @simon_g, I ordered 870N Stabilus ones last night – they’re specced for glazed tailgate models. Hopefully the increase from 745N will be enough to offset the ~11kg bike rack weight on my non-glazed.

They wanted £984 for the privilege.

Those are the powered struts, aren’t they? I was unlucky enough to have mine last 5 years, so well out of warranty, and I had to pay up. The new ones are better sealed, so they don’t fill up with water and rust from the inside.

They wanted £984 for the privilege.

Going through this with a work colleague as I seem to be the resident Volvo expert. Stabilius (OEM) are ~£250 each depending on Planetx style discount structure from Autodoc.

Thanks for the SGS tip.. mine have gone on the boot, have been for quite some time but I assumed they would be quite expensive… so I resigned to just putting up with it, but they are about £23 for my car…I guess that’s just for one, not a pair?

it’s not a volvo is it?

No, Seat Leon – and just the standard struts.  Shame I can’t get them from SGS.

Looks like Stabilus 017468 fit the Leon Hatch, albeit fitted in reverse. They will be the Octavia version I think.

https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/threads/upgrading-boot-struts.462713/

Looks like Stabilus 017468 fit the Leon Hatch, albeit fitted in reverse. They will be the Octavia version I think.

I had a look on Autodoc and looks like I need Stabilus 630738 so think I’ll get those ordered.