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 helpful on a vehicle because it prevents you from having to hold up your car’s hood or rear hatch when working on your engine or removing groceries from your rear hatch.

Gas charged lift supports are commonly referred to as:

• 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 are 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 lose their gas pressure causing them to weaken and fail. Climate, more specifically outside air temperature, affects the performance of gas charged lift supports. Lift supports become weaker in cold temperatures, and harder in hot temperatures. For applications that require two gas lift struts, which are most common, it is 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, lift the hatch support up and off to disconnect it from both ends. The replacement will snap back in place. As stated above, we recommend you complete this repair in pairs.