Lift Struts

[StrutWise]

Does your NSX glass&trunkGas Spring Struts not holding up?If your answer is yes,i have your solution.I reservice them to work like new(customers tell me they workbetter than knew)NSX struts are of very good qualityshowa brand,i have been servicing Gas Spring Struts for many yrs&have found that due to the struts not being used freqently the seals dry out&weaken the performance(on NSX they are driven mainly in the summer months we have found)A good idea is to open hatches etc to (stretch there legs so to speak),make sure you disconect electrical fittings.I can be contacted at www.strutwise.com or [email protected] i will be glad to help.I also service all makes of Gas Spring Struts for Japenese,European,American as well.So do'nt throw that strut away.We gaurantee what we do.Happy Motoring.

 

[NSX2398]

FYI to anyone who might be considering this .. I just recently sent all 4 of mine (2 from engine hatch; 2 from trunk) to Frank and he turned them around very quickly and the price was very reasonable compared to buying new. ($25 Cdn each which I think would translate to about $17 US) He also warrantees them for at least a year if I recall correctly.

Besides the price, one of the nice things is that you don't have to mess around with the silly little ball things .. I just shipped him the struts with the balls still attached and I got the same struts back .. but now they work.

This is a very easy DIY project .. I think it only took me about 15-20 mins to remove all 4 and the same to replace. For the trunk ones, you just need an open ended wrench for the ball end and pliers to remove a C-clip on the trunk end; for the glass hatch, it's the same wrench for the ball end and you'll also need a socket for the bolts on the other end.

I do not know Frank and have no business ties to him... just a satisfied customer. He replied in a timely manner to all my emails, and as I said, he turned things around very quickly. He implied that he had done NSX struts for at least one other local owner prior to mine. He was even able to straighten one of the shafts which was bent and buffed out what appeared to be vice grip marks (which he suggested is commonly done by some service people as a quick fix to hold the glass or trunk up if the struts aren't working properly)

We are still in discussion about whether the trunk struts are pressurized enough and he has the ability to add more. Can anyone tell me how the trunk behaves with new factory struts or new replacements? How far do you have to open it before the struts take over and lift it on their own? a couple of inches? a foot? 2 feet? It strikes me as odd that the trunk struts are smaller than the glass hatch ones and yet the trunk seems to be heavier.

Tks ...Ian

 

[Animate]

Thanks for posting this Ian. Mine are still ok but it's good to know they can be fixed by a local vendor when the time comes.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

Ian,

I have realtively new struts in my car. They do not lift the trunk at all. They just hold it up. I do know that when you lift the glass the struts will self-raise the glass the last few inches, once you get passed the horizontial poistion of the glass.

Wish I knew about Strutwise before I purchased them new!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
LarryB

 

[NSX2398]

Ian,

I have relatively new struts in my car. They do not lift the trunk at all. They just hold it up.

Tks Larry .. that's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

 

[gene '96 #178]

I spoke to Ian quite sometime ago when I first heard about his service. From our conversation (IMO) I found him to be a knowledgeable guy and I would have no problem trusting him to repair my struts.
I hate to say, I am now looking forward to my struts going out!!!

 

[Hrant]

Tks Larry .. that's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

Yes perfect description from Larry.

Additionally, cold weather conditions also affect the effectiveness of the struts. Mine are not worn out and I do use the trunk often, but in colder weather, it seems to want to collapse on the weight of the lid ...... though with a few pushes it stays up.

So if he can pressurize those a tad more, perhaps they will function better than oem ....?

HTH

 

[I Grok NSX]

I replaced the trunk struts about a month ago with factory units and they do not lift the trunk, just hold the trunk open.

 

[NSX2398]

I spoke to Ian quite sometime ago ..

Actually, his name is Frank .. Frank Irvine .. but you are right about him being knowledgable and customer service oriented.

Tks to the others who have commented on their experiences. I am no stranger to the effects of cold weather on struts and normally I'd recommend that you never 'help' them to extend faster than they'd normally do on their own but in this case, we actually have to lift the trunk most of the way so just do it slowly (if it's cold) if you want to get longer life.
...Ian

 

[gene '96 #178]

My mistake........ It was a long time ago when I spoke to him (sorry Frank) but I do remember he seemed to be a stand up guy and he was very helpful in answering my questions.
Again, I wouldn't have any worries in sending him my struts. (JMO)

 

[ISONSX]

I have a 92 NSX and unfortunately just replaced my trunk struts and balls, but my glass hatch structs will not hold up the glass. I'm interested in having you rebuild tem. Can you let me know what the cost is to rebuild these and if this price includes / excludes shipping. Thanks

 

[NSX2398]

Can you let me know what the cost is to rebuild these and if this price includes / excludes shipping. Thanks

I don't know if Frank frequents the forums much (I don't think he has an NSX) so you should contact him by email to the id in his original post. He charged me the same for the glass struts as for the trunk struts. It was $25 Canadian (about $18 US) for each strut which didn't include shipping.

My personal experience with shipping stuff from the US to Canada is not to use UPS or Fedex as they charge a broker fee in addition to the shipping fee. I've had the best luck with US Postal Service but it takes a little longer.

You might want to check with Frank to see if he has experience receiving/shipping to the US. For customs purposes, I'd definitely write on the declaration that they are used struts which are being reconditioned and returned.

 

[ISONSX]

I don't know if Frank frequents the forums much (I don't think he has an NSX) so you should contact him by email to the id in his original post. He charged me the same for the glass struts as for the trunk struts. It was $25 Canadian (about $18 US) for each strut which didn't include shipping.


Thanks NSX2398! I'll give Frank a call directly and get the scoop. Great money saving advice and help. Much appreciated.

 

[Spencer]

Just got received my struts back from Frank and put 'em on. I can recommend him highly. Fast turn around time and good communication. We used regular mail both there and back, and it was as fast as sending it somewhere within the states. No problems with customs -- just indicate on the form that it's used auto parts to be rebuilt. All in all a great experience. No need to fool around with cutting stuff or painting the ball connectors etc...just take the damn things off and send 'em to Frank...and a week and a half later, you've got perfectly stock stuts that'll work like new. Also no need to worry about Canadian funds...Frank will accept a check drawn on an American bank for the appropriate (lower) amount per the exchange rate. Way to go Frank!

 

[Edwardo]

Could someone please provide a price for shipping on the struts?

I do not think they weigh very much so I would think it is not too expensive.

Thanks!

 

[KGP]

Could someone please provide a price for shipping on the struts?

A. Cost is destination dependent in some cases.
B. You could call your local UPS facility if it is really that important.
C. You are saving a gazillion dollars on the struts already. So, what's the big deal whether the shipping is $3.00 or $13.00.

I know, your question was a joke, right?

 

[Edwardo]

A. Cost is destination dependent in some cases.
B. You could call your local UPS facility if it is really that important.
C. You are saving a gazillion dollars on the struts already. So, what's the big deal whether the shipping is $3.00 or $13.00.

I know, your question was a joke, right?

A. I understand cost is destination dependant.
B. I could call my UPS facility if it was that important. Or, I could ask the question here with the idea that someone in my region of the US may have sent their struts to Frank and would know the answer off the top of their head. This is something YOU were not able to do...so why did you respond?
C. Saving a gazillion dollars? Dali sells NEW hatch struts for $95 and $4.50 s/h.

My question was not a joke. I have no clue what it costs to ship items to another country. For all I know it costs $15 to ship, $17 each strut repair($34), and another $15 to ship back. That would cost me $64. While this is certainly cheaper than buying new struts from Dali, I would not say it was worth it for me to invest the time and effort of sending my struts to B.C. Also, how do I know these struts are going to last? If I am going to take a risk, I better be getting a good deal!

I was merely asking a question man. If I cannot answer peoples questions on this forum, I do not respond.

 

[Edwardo]

KGP,

After reading my last post, it looks like my text is a bit abbrasive. I did not mean it to be at all.

Just trying to get a ballpark figure on how much dough it will run me to get my worn out shocks fixed!

 

[ISONSX]

Edwardo,
I'm in Tulsa OK so I the freight costs should be about the same since you're only a few hundred miles away from me. I just shipped my set along with another friend's set from his 94 NSX off to Frank and the cost to ship both sets in a box slightly bigger than it needed to be was $9.65 through the US Postal Service. Frank mentioned that US Postal Service was the best alternative. Before I sent these two sets, I called Frank and asked him how to pay for these. He said send them, he would fix them, ship them back, and send the bill. He will also e-mail me when they arrive. Now that's a great vendor, especially for a small $$$ repair! I did the same math you did and compared to Dali and OEM prices, but the hatch struts with balls that I am having rebuilt cost $108.00 plus $5.65 as of 5/21/03 on Dali's web site. (I just bought new trunk struts and balls before I saw this post) I am just using the synergy of sharing the freight costs with a fellow NSXr. Therefore, if the cost to rebuild is $34 (about $17 US each if it is $25 Canadian) plus about $10 for my 50% for the freight, then I've saved almost enough to pay for those Zanardi mats that I just ordered today Hope this helps on the freight cost issue. Good luck.

 

[Edwardo]

ISO,

Thanks! That was the exact information I was looking for!

It looks like I will be shipping my struts out as soon as I can wrench them off my car. It is getting annoying having to prop my hatch up.

Thank you very much for your post.

 

[ISONSX]

No prob,
Glad to help. I'm going to try to make it down to the Dallas get-together next month. Get my garage queen out for a spin. Hope to meet you there. Just a hint on the hatch struts - I just un-bolted them off as opposed to disconnecting them from the mounting brackets since this was much easier for me.

 

[NSX2398]

Just a hint on the hatch struts - I just un-bolted them off as opposed to disconnecting them from the mounting brackets since this was much easier for me.

I did the same .. it's the easiest and it doesn't significantly increase the shipping size. I just taped some packing around them and put them in one of those bubble packs that the post office uses. For something this small, you're paying more for the speed of delivery than you are for the weight.

Someone asked about warranty. I have an email from Frank indicating that he gives a 1 year warranty period but they usually last much longer. In Canada we're used to replacing them sooner than normal due to the effects of the cold on the seals.
If you want to look at his website, it's at:
http://www.strutwise.com/

 

[ISONSX]

Just recieved two sets of glass hatch struts back from Frank at Strutwise. They are great - like new. They lift the glass from the mid-point and hold tight as a drum. Great service and communication from Frank.

To do two sets total round trip cost (shipping and repair) was about $102 US. The repair cost was $50 a set Canadian or about $35 US each. I'm in the midwest (Tulsa, OK). The shipping to Frank was about $10 through US Post Office and back about $20 due to to postage and taxes. $50 US all-in a set is much better than $110 at severly discounted prices.

I would highly recommend this service as a cost effective alternative to new struts. Just my $0.02

 

[TigerNSX]

I am sooo happy with the service. My struts are super strong, and the quality of the service was top notch. Thank you so much for this, Frank!!!!

I would highly recommend Frank to anyone who has struts problems. It is so cheap, too!!!

I cannot stop smiling!!!

:

 

[amorules]

Frank just did my struts and I wanted to thank all the nsx'rs who recommended his services and add my thanks to Frank for a job well done. He lived up to all the cudos posted here.

I got the parts quote last week @ 147.50 each for the engine glass struts which is over 300$ with taxes for 2 in canadian funds , with shipping priority post of 13-14$ each way I figure I saved 225$ canadian ( note 300 cdn is approx 200 US) If I ever get to BC I may just buy him a beer !