Gas struts are part of the front and rear hood of almost every car. Are you unsure how to replace an old gas strut for a new one? Think of what struts to purchase already before buying them. It may happen that they will be out of service after six months in case of the wrong choice..

Safety hidden in the hood of the car

We use cars often, every week, every day, it is our necessity. It’s not only important to take care of the maintenance of a car’s tires, oil or engine safety; the small things that protect us when removing luggage from the car trunk or during repair are also important. Yes, we are talking about the unobtrusive security accessories – gas struts.

We decided to write down some surprises for you, which you may encounter when installing and replacing a gas strut.

Surprise No. 1: Careful about the correct pressure already before the purchase

Sometimes it happens that due to lack of knowledge, you buy gas struts for the car that go out of service after several months. The reason may be that the gas struts don’t have the correct pressure for your car type. It happens often when you succumb to the price frenzy of low-quality foreign products.

In the case of gas struts, there’s a rule that the pressure in Newtons, which pushes the piston off the cylinder, should not be higher or lower than given for the stress type. You can read more about how to calculate the correct pressure for your gas struts and other important technical data, such as length and lift, on our website.

Surprise No. 2: Gas strut has too much strength

Another important piece of information is to avoid buying a gas strut filled with the maximum possible pressure according to the tables. If you have struts with high pressure, you’ll recognize it because the hood of the car will literally shoot up. Well, that’s a problem, because you can’t reduce the strut pressure, only increase it. This is because gas struts have a one-way valve.

Surprise No. 3: Protect the gas strut piston

The installation of gas struts can be done by experts or you can install them alone. The strut anchoring points are clearly given in the assembly, so you always maintain the same angle of placement as with the old strut. Make sure not to damage or scratch the piston, and prevent chemicals and corrosive agents from interfering with it.

Surprise No. 4: Anyone can handle the replacement, but watch out for this

If you have already taken down one strut, beware not to get hurt by the car hood. Before embarking on the replacement, bolster your car up with wood or other support. In the heat of work, you could easily forget about it. It may sound obvious, but many domestic “handymen” have already paid their price.

Quick instructions for replacing a gas strut

If you have a gas strut at home in a shed, you can replace it quite easily. Depending on what type of car you have, you can choose the right length, life and other parameters. Some of the struts may be shorter, some longer, and thus it’s not worth borrowing struts from neighbors and another car.