What are hood and hatch lift supports and where are they located?

Your vehicle’s lift supports are gas charged supports used to open and safely support the weight of certain parts of your vehicle, including the hood and rear hatch. These lift supports consist of a piston within a nitrogen gas pressurized cylinder. The support achieves lift by releasing the stored energy created by the compressed gas within the cylinder, causing the rod to extend. Once extended, it will firmly support the weight of the hood, hatchback, etc., so that they remain stable.

Lift supports are extremely helpful to have on a vehicle because it prevents you from having to hold up your car’s hood or rear hatch with your hands when attempting to do things such as work on your engine or remove groceries from your rear hatch.

Many different names are used when referring to gas charged lift supports. The most common are:

• Simply lifts or supports, in combination with the specific application, i.e. hood supports or hatch lifts
• Gas supports, gas lifts, or gas lift supports
• Gas springs, gas lift springs, or spring lifts
• Gas struts, lift struts, lift support struts, support struts, or simply struts in combination with the specific
  application, i.e. hood struts, rear hatchback struts, hood lift struts, hatch lift support struts, etc.
• Gas shocks, lift shocks, lift support shocks, or simply shocks in combination with the specific
  application, i.e. hood shocks, hatch shocks, hood lift shocks, etc.
• Gas dampers or simply dampers in combination with the specific application, i.e. hood dampers
• Gas props or simply props in combination with the specific application, i.e. hood props
• Gas cylinders, gas lift cylinders, or lift cylinders

Various combinations of the above can also be used when referring to a lift support system.

How do I know my hood and hatch lift supports need to be replaced?

Over time, lift supports naturally lose their gas pressure, causing them to weaken and fail. Climate, and more specifically outside air temperature, can greatly affect the performance of gas charged lift supports. Lift supports will become weaker in very cold temperatures, and harder in very warm temperatures. For applications that require two gas lift struts, which are most common, it is highly recommended to replace both struts at the same time. This is due to the fact that the lift supports are designed to work in tandem, and each support should have equal gas pressures.   

Can I replace hood and hatch lift supports?

Replacing the hood and hatch lift supports is a fairly easy job. We recommend enlisting the help of an assistant or using an object—like a block of wood—to support the hood. After one end is supported, you can simply lift the hatch support up and off to disconnect it from both ends. The replacement should snap back in place. As stated above, we recommend you complete this repair in pairs.