I raised the hood on the ride to dry under there after washing her as normal and as I was doing so, I got popped in the back of the head. Thought I didn't get the hood fully up and, laughing at myself, again raised it. But I watched as it slowly started to fall back down again. Would have thought the pistons would have lasted more than 5 years, but I guess it is a pretty heavy hood. Anyone else had to change theirs out and, if so, aftermarket replacement and costs? Thanks guys, searched but couldn't find anything in the archives.
Mine lasted just over 5 years. I replaced them last year. My trunk supports seem to be getting a little weak so I might have to replace them this year.
:driving:
That was before "planned obsolescence" which is todays philosophy.
I noticed that my trunk struts are getting weak too. Over 6 years of ownership and have only had to replace the tie rods (under warranty) and the tension struts besides brakes and oil. Can't really complain about that.
My '06 did not come with any, just the metal support. But there was a simple mod which I did and the struts have failed so I am back to using the metal support. Just replace them. BTW: The hood is aluminum and very light.
The only thing I did to preserve the paint around the hole where the prop rod enters is a small piece of clear hosing attached to the end of the rod so as not to damage any paint on the hoods entry point..
I've replaced the hood struts and the trunk struts due to them getting a bit weak. The hood almost hit a tech on the head while he was changing the oil.
The best explanation I've heard about why these struts are failing is that they're designed for normal use. We (forum-folk) tend to open and close our hoods a lot more than the 2-3 times per year that a normal car's hood gets opened.