Boot (tailgate) Closing Stiffness

[lexom]

First of all, apologies if this has been asked before - I did a quick search but didn't find an answer.

I have noticed recently that the boot is closing a little slower on auto-close and also when manually closing it, it requires a little more effort to pull the boot door down to close it. I am no mechanic, but is this a sign that the gas struts need replacing?

If so, is this a job that could be sorted with a little spanner work by a muppet (i.e. me)?

Thanks for any help or guidance.

Cheers,

Lexom

[ColinBarber]

It could be the struts, but worth giving the hinges a little lube first. I guess you could disconnect the struts to see how freely the tailgate moves when they are not in place (by hand not the power lift). Normally gas struts lose pressure and struggle to open against the weight of the tailgate, closing doesn't normally get stiff.

[Parrot of Doom]

Whatever you do, don't lubricate the strut pistons. Do that and they'll never work properly again.

[lexom]

Thanks for the replies.

I certainly won't lube the pistons - learnt that lesson a long time ago - the hard way!

I'll monitor it for a while and get it checked if it gets any worse.