The gas struts on my Almera have lost the will to lift the hatch, so it's probably only a matter of time until they fail to support the weight.
How easy is it to replace gas struts (i'm thinking quite tricky by their nature to er, expand) and can anyone recommend a source for cheap Nissan parts other than a scrappy?
TIA
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How easy is it to replace gas struts (i'm thinking quite tricky by their nature to er, expand)
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I would be surprised if it is difficult to unbolt and replace them. They are replaced while in the expanded state.
The tricky bit when I replaced struts on a UNO was to ensure the surprisingly heavy hatch is properly supported while you do the swop.
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The tricky bit when I replaced struts on a UNO was to ensure the surprisingly heavy hatch is properly supported while you do the swop.
A mopstick or brush handle will be in order then...
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You may not even need a spanner,many have a clip which can be eased or removed,then the strut will pull off.The replacement can simply be pushed on.
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Yes, I think its a clip on these - very quick to change.
There is a place that sells replacement struts quite cheaply, but I can't remember the details, if I do remember then I'll post the info.
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The cheapest place I could find for struts was Car Parts Direct on the web. They undercut everyone else I tried and their postal service was second to none. Before you ask, I'm not related to them in any way - just a satisfied customer.
Fitting is easy - (even on my Previa which has a very heavy tailgate)- as mentioned above a suitable support is required, (I used a clothes pole) to hold the door at its full travel. Remove the originals; next offer up the new ones and loosely fit the bolts. Then GENTLY lower the door SLIGHTLY to compress the struts a little, ensuring the bolt threads aren't damaged, (you'll never do it by hand), then you'll be able to ensure the end fittings are correctly located and tighten the bolts - job done!
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The cheapest place I could find for struts was Car Parts Direct on the web.
Thanks, i was thinking of replacing one at a time, rather than both together (although i would do both on the same day). Any pros / cons of doing the two together or one after the other. I'm keen to avoid getting squashed!
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Just make sure it is well propped.I did mine a couple of weeks back,once one is off the other might as well not be there for the amount of support it offers.
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Whether you do both at once or just the one is simply a matter of "are they both failing or not?" As noted above, one good one just doesn't have the grunt to be sufficient but it may be that you only really need to replace one. Unless your tailgate is clearly favouring one side or the other it's often not easy to tell until the fixings are undone which one it is that needs replaced. Other than risking a clonk on the head ;-) these aren't safety items like a suspension strut or shocker so unless you're really fastidious or just flush with cash I'd go for just replacing the dodgy one.
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Sierraman, normd and myself know the risks of "clonk on the head".
I recall I got the replacement strut from a doner that was up on a pile at the old style scrappy.
Now that is "fun" on your own.
A broom stick prop at that altitude?
Take care. We do like members to report back.
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aye but where do you find an "old style scrappy" these days? The ones local to me now seem all tied up with EU tape. You state what you're after at the counter and someone goes off to get it from the hanger sized warehouse where all the bits are already stripped off the cars. What happened to the "good old days" where half the fun was seeing what goodies you could (allegedly) sneak out in your oversized tool box?
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Total lack of any health and safety precautions. I remember when you had to bring your own jack, and try and lift a whole stack of wobbling cars to get at the bit you wanted from the bottom. Cars left propped up on old wheels or doors wedged under bumpers. Rolling a car upside down to get at some bit from underneath, oil etc gurgling out onto the ground. A bloke tending a permanent bonfire of old tyres, plastic trim, carpets etc, feeding old batteries into a melting pot to extract the lead.
Ah, those were the days.
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Take care. We do like members to report back.
Thanks for the concern!
Anyway, i emailed car parts direct, and was quoted £54.50 per strut plus VAT, so £128.
Instinctively, it sounds a lot of money and my expectation, based purely on what i thought would a reasonable cost, was about £50 all in. I'm not saying they ought to be £50, I'm saying that i set myself a target that if it costs £50, I'll do it. If you see what I mean.
I'll do some more searching, but at £128 and DIY, i'm inclined to leave it alone and get a mopstick when they do fail.
Thanks all for replies
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Gulp!I'll do some more searching, but at £128 and DIY, i'm inclined to leave it alone and get a mopstick when they do fail.
The forum has made me aware of high Japanese spares prices but...the price for two similar items...struts for Corsa / Mondeo bonnet were about £20.
A recent thread listed many breakers web sites.
Good luck. I hope the broom stick idea is a flyer.
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try David Russell at sales@thhs.co.uk - the only reason I didn't buy from them was that I couldn't tell them the required pressure. Struts usually have a label on them stating this but my old ones didn't.
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I recently did these on my primera, and the almera might be the same. I got a garage owner mate to source mine, came to about £80.
The job itself is an absolute doddle. You just need to lever off the old clips (a screwriver will do this) and pop the new struts on. The new clip can then be pushed into place.
Be very careful about using a prop. I was astonished by how heavy the tailgate is. Get someone strong and reliable to hold it up for you!
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as a 66year old lady i purchased two of these and replaced them myself. nisson wanted
£140 plus per strut plus vat i got them on line from sgs for less than £40 brilliant service.
simple to fit no problems.
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Check out the SGS engineering website they specialize in gas struts.competitive prices as well.
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