Replacing Rear Hatch Lift Struts

[blk_on_blk]

My rear hatch struts have been slowly dying on me over the past year or so... they lift the hatch, but very slowly, and they don't quite extend all the way... they need a little help to get there. I've been looking all over for the lift struts for an RX300, but it seems these are pretty much a dealer-only part. Well, until I found this listing on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=330269437958

I ordered them and they arrived yesterday. I took a few minutes to install them and I have to say they work quite well... very strong, open the hatch just a touch higher than my factories (which is great for me at 6'2"), they come with the correct mounts and pads, plus they have an interesting positive retention system in the ball sockets.... and at $78/pair delivered, they were a deal! I absolutely can not believe what Lexus is trying to charge; $210 per strut from the dealer?? $146 per strut from Park Place?? Seriously, these are gas lift struts... the very same design as they use in industry and that you can get through McMaster-Carr for ~$22/each. The only difference is the end fittings. Ya can't tell me the end fittings are worth over $100+ on the price. I LOATHE when companies try to gouge consumers for something that is grossly over-inflated on price, which is why I was so happy to see this seller on eBay selling a SET of lifts for $78. Again, I bought these, they work great, and if you need to replace your lifts, this is definitely the guy to get them from.

[Blayd]

Yea good deal. And yea good to see someone giving an honest price on something that is usually rediculously high.

[pauljcl]

My rear hatch struts have been slowly dying on me over the past year or so... they lift the hatch, but very slowly, and they don't quite extend all the way... they need a little help to get there. I've been looking all over for the lift struts for an RX300, but it seems these are pretty much a dealer-only part. Well, until I found this listing on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=330269437958

I ordered them and they arrived yesterday. I took a few minutes to install them and I have to say they work quite well... very strong, open the hatch just a touch higher than my factories (which is great for me at 6'2"), they come with the correct mounts and pads, plus they have an interesting positive retention system in the ball sockets.... and at $78/pair delivered, they were a deal! I absolutely can not believe what Lexus is trying to charge; $210 per strut from the dealer?? $146 per strut from Park Place?? Seriously, these are gas lift struts... the very same design as they use in industry and that you can get through McMaster-Carr for ~$22/each. The only difference is the end fittings. Ya can't tell me the end fittings are worth over $100+ on the price. I LOATHE when companies try to gouge consumers for something that is grossly over-inflated on price, which is why I was so happy to see this seller on eBay selling a SET of lifts for $78. Again, I bought these, they work great, and if you need to replace your lifts, this is definitely the guy to get them from.

Thank you, blk_on_blk! Fortuitous timing for me: my '99RX's struts have been a touch sluggish in Miami. We took the car to Michigan, left it there - will return there at Thanksgiving. Since I assume the struts will be even more sluggish as the weather gets colder. I ordered a pair, and will install them on arrival.

[blk_on_blk]

Glad to hear it was of some help! I was just really pleased to find some quality lifts for a decent price, and I was hoping others could benefit from the find, too.

Just as a note on the lifts, most have a ball-socket end that just snaps onto the ball when you install them. These do too, but they also have a retainer clip (a small bent piece of wire) that you need to snap off first before you pop them over the ball (they also have the internal spring retainer like all the others)... then you reinstall the clip for security that they don't ever come off... kind of a clever design.

[jgr7]

Here is a link for struts if anyone cannot find ther item on ebay.

http://www.autopartsbylou.com/

Jeff

[pauljcl]

Glad to hear it was of some help! I was just really pleased to find some quality lifts for a decent price, and I was hoping others could benefit from the find, too.

Just as a note on the lifts, most have a ball-socket end that just snaps onto the ball when you install them. These do too, but they also have a retainer clip (a small bent piece of wire) that you need to snap off first before you pop them over the ball (they also have the internal spring retainer like all the others)... then you reinstall the clip for security that they don't ever come off... kind of a clever design.

Tks. for letting me know. The car isn't here, so I have a little difficulty remembering what the struts/links look like, but I'll print out your posting, and will surely recognize the parts when I go to install. Great!!!

[thunderbirl]

I'll toss in my vote for the same business - same great experience. And I don't hit my head on the sagging gate any more!! :P

[Mike Bearden]

I haven't had to replace the door struts on our Lexus...in the past on other vehicles Autozone has been a good and cheap source for these struts. I checked the Lexus and they do not look any different. They can't be model specific to the the Lexus...the mounts maybe. I did learn my lesson on a Jeep Cherokee that you need to replace both struts...not just the bad one.

[blk_on_blk]

It's the mounts and the stroke that makes them vehicle specific. The mounts are fixed on one end, but the other end is just a ball and socket. I have not seen any other alternatives for this application.

[jgr7]

There is also a little more then the length and fittings, there is also the weight rating of the strut so it can hold up the heavy tailgate and also not be so strong as to make it hard to pull down.

Jeff

[blk_on_blk]

Ah yes, good catch jgr7... load rating is also specific to application. I'm confident one could find an equivalent 'vanilla' industrial lift strut that would match the load rating and stroke with generic fittings (for there are a ton of them out there for industry), but one would have to be a bit skilled to come up with a mount that would work in the space alotted.

[jgr7]

I have bought lift struts for industrial applications where I found a mfg part number on the unit and did a google search, found a web site and ordered the exact same strut for my fix. I saved my company about $8k by replacing the struts on a pad mounted piece of High Voltage switch gear and not changing the whole piece of equipment. The struts I found were less than $30 each plus shipping. Less than $100 and a half hour labor with no customer outage;-)

Jeff

[MCDavis]

Can anyone confirm if this is the site and these are the correct struts for our 99 RX 300?

http://www.autopartsbylou.com/lift-support...p;x=12&y=14

I'm just concerned with the price as the dealer (Johnson Lexus) wants $190 each and these are $65 a pair. I'm thrilled with the price, but don't want to install a bad product on the car.

Thanks!

[lenore]

Yes, that is the one, However he used to advertize on ebay....same guy though....

[Tike]

These lift supports are now available at liftsupportsdepot.com, a division of the same vendor. I purchased a pair for a 2000 RX330 for $65 + shipping, ordered them Friday night and had them Monday morning. Installation took 10 minutes. Seems to be an excellent product, at a small fraction of the dealer price.

I had been fighting the rear hatch for a couple of years until I stumbled across this forum and was led to this solution. Most excellent!! I'll be back...

[jybondshark]

My rear hatch struts have been slowly dying on me over the past year or so... they lift the hatch, but very slowly, and they don't quite extend all the way... they need a little help to get there. I've been looking all over for the lift struts for an RX300, but it seems these are pretty much a dealer-only part. Well, until I found this listing on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=330269437958

I ordered them and they arrived yesterday. I took a few minutes to install them and I have to say they work quite well... very strong, open the hatch just a touch higher than my factories (which is great for me at 6'2"), they come with the correct mounts and pads, plus they have an interesting positive retention system in the ball sockets.... and at $78/pair delivered, they were a deal! I absolutely can not believe what Lexus is trying to charge; $210 per strut from the dealer?? $146 per strut from Park Place?? Seriously, these are gas lift struts... the very same design as they use in industry and that you can get through McMaster-Carr for ~$22/each. The only difference is the end fittings. Ya can't tell me the end fittings are worth over $100+ on the price. I LOATHE when companies try to gouge consumers for something that is grossly over-inflated on price, which is why I was so happy to see this seller on eBay selling a SET of lifts for $78. Again, I bought these, they work great, and if you need to replace your lifts, this is definitely the guy to get them from.

This video shows you where to purchase brand new stays for $21 a piece and how to install them. Here's a link.

[Triz]

I found that a Strongarm 6102 is an easy and inexpensive bolt-in direct replacement for the hatch struts on my 2000 RX300 (the same strut is listed for all RX300s).. In the USA rockauto.com is a good source. In Canada, try amazon.ca for a good price. For installation tips, google and view some of the youtube how-to videos.