Whether it's the freezing cold of the winter or just simply age, the gas struts in your car boot will eventually stop working. When this happens, you might need to replace them, and if that's the case, it's going to be far less expensive if you're not afraid to get your hands a little bit dirty and do the work yourself. If you're not a master mechanic, you might be sat there wondering where to begin with a task like this, but in truth, as long as you've done a little bit of research, it won't be a difficult job and you can save yourself the time, hassle and financial cost of going to a garage and paying for something you could quite easily do at home. So, without further ado, here's our guide to replacing your car boot's gas struts.
1 – What's the Issue?
First things first. Have a look at your car boot and really work out whether it is the gas strut that's gone. It might be that the winter weather has adversely affected your boot's hinges, and that your gas struts are actually fine. Give your boot's hinges the WD40 treatment to rule that one out, and then you can be confident that when you do make the replacement, you're boot's going to be working correctly.
2 – Taking The Number
Probably the most crucial thing about replacing a gas strut is that you need to make sure you've got the right replacement part for the job. There are probably hundreds of different types of gas strut on the market, so you need to make sure that the one you select is going to be right for the job. Specialist sites like SGS Engineering offer a wide range of gas struts for car boots, so once you've taken down the part number (located on the gas strut itself), match it up with the perfect one on the site.
3 – The Fitting
Now that you've got the part, you'll simply need to remove the existing part and replace it with a new one. If you're not feeling particularly confident, don't worry – there are plenty of video tutorials online around the web to show you how to do it. Just follow their advice and you'll soon be on your way. So there you have it – our guide to refitting your car boot gas strut.