dcains

iTrader: (15)

The hatch struts in my '08 are rapidly failing, so I went looking for an alternative to the OEM($$$) parts. Found these on amazon.com:


Anyone else tried them? I just bought the only pair they had in stock, and they'll be here Friday.

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Mcmastercarr.com has ones that are perfect... Cheaper, too at $15 a piece. Part number is 4138T58

EDIT: I should add that they require you to cut the ball joints off of the old ones so you can transfer the mounts. Few minutes with a hack saw is all. And I chose the 120lb ones.

350Zdj

iTrader: (3)

I got the ones that Z1motorsports sell. THey're the bomb !

dcains

iTrader: (15)

I found a few others like those, but didn't want to damage my original parts. I've got a Nissan extended warranty, but there's a $100 deductible (per visit to the dealer), and there's nothing else on the car that needs repairs right now. So, I'll keep the OEM ones I take off, and next time I've got some repairs worth paying the deductible, I'll have the dealer swap them for new parts. I paid $57 shipped from amazon for StrongArm lifts, and had some credit card rewards to use.

JCITY

iTrader: (2)

??a little late to ask for advice AFTER you already ordered the parts!
Since you did,I had these.The one on the passengers side had a defective
ball joint that snapped off.Called,they gave me the run around.I returned them.
Got a pair from Z1 Motorsports.Cheaper&work great!

BluRed

iTrader: (4)

I picked up a set from Z1motorsports as well. Cost of shipping to Canada was almost as much as the struts alone but they're still awesome lol

dcains

iTrader: (15)

Thanks for the info. I'm an amazon "Prime" member, so there's never an issue returning anything - they'll take them back without questions, and I never pay for shipping.

bjr

For what it's worth to anyone else. I put off doing mine for at least 2 years because I tried some aftermarket from Advance and thought they were junk. I ended up getting my OEM re-charged for $35 each from www.strutwise.com
Very nice guy and they are like brand new again. Exact same strength.

That was the other reason I passed up other struts I saw is becuase I didn't want them any stronger than original. And all of them use some kind of cheap clip or some stupid way of retaining the ball compared to the OEM setup which is very solid. Since I was being so picky it looked like only new OEM struts and all of the brackets for me which would push into the $320 range. I'm very happy with the recharge option for anyone else with the same feelings towards it.

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

I assure you it's not a big deal... No real risk of damaging anything but the defective gas shocks.

dcains

iTrader: (15)

Didn't you find shipping to/from Canada seriously expensive, and slow?

dcains

iTrader: (15)

I'm sure it's not a difficult task, but if I'm going to ask Nissan for warranty repairs on the OEM pieces, it can't look like I've touched anything.

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Ahh, I understand. If all else fails, it's a good alternative to Z1 motorsports struts at half the price. Keep it in mind and feel free to PM me if you have any questions about it.

dcains

iTrader: (15)

Just got the new struts installed, and they seem just about perfect to me. They came with both top and bottom pivots, so install time for the set was just ~15 minutes, with the aid of my lovely wife. When I pop the latch, the lid pops open about 6 inches, and then opens fully with just a lift of a finger.