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Hatch gas struts OUT after 56k???

chunkisagoonie

VW Lifer
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Car(s)
'97 Golf Jazz
2007 GTI 2-door DSG.

The weirdest thing just happened. I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things about 30 minutes ago. I open the hatch to put in the groceries, only to find it out it won't stay up by itself. My thinking is that the gas struts have suddenly failed, which is really weird because there have been no prior signs to indicate that they were indeed going out.

The car has been hit by a bit of light rain today, but somehow I doubt that had anything to do with it. Needless to say, it's frustrating, considering this car is just barely out of warranty. Oh, and my airbag malfunction light went on for FOURTH time (it's been in three prior times for repair for this same stinking light; but two of them were recalls) two weeks ago. :mad:

Hopefully this doesn't mark the beginning of odd component failures that have plagued my last couple of VWs. Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment. :mad0259:
 

apollosfury

designeddwk
Location
VT
mine finally shit out at about 85k.....which reminds me i need to find some replacements...
 

chunkisagoonie

VW Lifer
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Car(s)
'97 Golf Jazz
You probably only have one of them blown.

Yeah, but if that's the case, I'm not quite sure which one actually is. I guess I'll have to take it apart to find out. If just one is out, it probably won't be too long until the other fails because I'm assuming the weight distribution between the two would be identical.

So, that puts me into a quandary. Replace both with OEM at around $90 for the pair (I just checked prices online) OR get the hatch pop kit from ECS Tuning for $10 more. Seems like a no-brainer at first glance, but it's on backorder till late November and I would need to find someone with VAG-COM to code the thing.
 

chunkisagoonie

VW Lifer
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Car(s)
'97 Golf Jazz
Consider the Hatch Pop Kit at ECS as an alternative when replacing

I think I might go that route when get the funds. It's on backorder till late Nov, so it'll be a bit of a wait anyway. I'd also need to find someone in the Phoenix area that'll let me use his VAG-COM in exchange for beer or something.
 

chunkisagoonie

VW Lifer
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Car(s)
'97 Golf Jazz
mine finally shit out at about 85k.....which reminds me i need to find some replacements...

What's interesting is that my old '97 Golf's hatch struts never failed the whole time I had it and I dumped that car at 11 years old/200k.

Bad luck, I suppose.
 

drtechy

How you doin?
Location
MO
Car(s)
2008 TR GTI
Yea stock ones suck, I've gone through 3 sets under warranty. If you go to shows/gtg's a lot and leave your hatch open for them it will happen. Since my warranty is out now I'll be ordering the ecs kit next time.
 

langer

i fix teefs
Location
Baltimore
Yeah, but if that's the case, I'm not quite sure which one actually is. I guess I'll have to take it apart to find out. If just one is out, it probably won't be too long until the other fails because I'm assuming the weight distribution between the two would be identical.

So, that puts me into a quandary. Replace both with OEM at around $90 for the pair (I just checked prices online) OR get the hatch pop kit from ECS Tuning for $10 more. Seems like a no-brainer at first glance, but it's on backorder till late November and I would need to find someone with VAG-COM to code the thing.
Count your blessings it's only 90. Dealer wanted (for my '05 wrx)....wait for it.....150.....for ONE! I laughed and walked out. Forgot what I found it for, but it sure wasn't 90 for two.
 

PooLeArMor

Go Kart Champion
Location
Fresh Meadows, NY
Car(s)
08 CW GTi
the ECS hate pop up kit is not so great for ppl who is in cold area

it wont pop up itslef when the temp is cold...

right now in NYC the temp is around 60 and my hatch wont pop everytime.... but in the summer the hatch pop up everytime...

so cold = dont work
hot = work...
 

IIIHobbs

The Old Man Down the Road
Location
Basking Ridge, NJ
Car(s)
2007 GTI
the ECS hatch pop up kit is not so great for ppl who is in cold area

it wont always pop up itslef when the temp is cold...

so cold = dont work everytime
hot = work...

I experienced this as well. Received the kit for Xmas, installed it the next day. I too noticed when the car was cold (under 35-40 degrees) the hatch wouldn't raise when popped open without a gentle assist. If the car was warm (interior heated) it worked most of the time.
 

IIIHobbs

The Old Man Down the Road
Location
Basking Ridge, NJ
Car(s)
2007 GTI
Will the ECS struts work well even without installling the spring-loaded bumpers or recoding the hatch?

Yes but, you will still need to lift the rear hatch release to open. The heavy duty struts are a bit tougher to close than stock also.

You can code the hatch to pop without the kit, but you will still need to lift it. The best result is the full kit and coding
 
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