Me Bonnet Won't Stay Up!

[J4xxs]

AAAAARGH!!!

Ok. The cold weather has started, and I went to check my levels on my '96 Mk3 LS400, like a good little boy.

I got a nasty surprise as the bonnet decided to shut itself. On my head! :tsktsk:

The bonnet struts have been a tad tempremental since I got the car in May, but now they won't stay put at all.

I rang my local Lexus dealer (RMB Yarm) and got quoted £188 + VAT for the pair

Does anyone know, where I can get a similar pair of struts for a decent price, and not silly money??

Cheers in advance.

Jim. :D

[eXOBeX]

eBay link

They're in the States, contact them for postage costs.

[steve2006]

Agreed got to be sourced from the US with the great exchange rate too!!

[moriwaki]

I just put a block of wood between base of windscreen and bonnet to prop it open !... sorted !

[steve2006]

I just put a block of wood between base of windscreen and bonnet to prop it open !... sorted !

Have you got the Lexus part number for the block of wood? :D

I don't know if it works or not but heard that if you open and close the bonnet a few times it may reprime the struts and get them to stay up ( no liability accepted if this fails and the bonnet strikes your head again!)

[J4xxs]

I just put a block of wood between base of windscreen and bonnet to prop it open !... sorted !

LOL!

I think the nearest I've got to that is a 3 foot power bar for the wheel nuts!

Me thinks eBay.com will be getting a browse over. I actually clean forgot abouot .com, I only browsed .co.uk!! :duh:

I'll certainly try the re-prime of the struts though!

Cheers guys!

[Bazza]

be wary of importing them from USA as they are pressurised

they should be obtainable over here, try a search for uk retailers, a strut is a strut, it doesnt need to be lexus and as long as the length and pressure are correct they should work

[GoldfingerLS]

be wary of importing them from USA as they are pressurised

they should be obtainable over here, try a search for uk retailers, a strut is a strut, it doesnt need to be lexus and as long as the length and pressure are correct they should work

Hi Bazza - When you say be wary of importing from USA, do you mean that pressurised struts shouldnt be put in cargo in a pressurised aircraft cabin ?? I'm confused.

Mine also tend to give way when it gets cold. At the moment I use a wooden stick to support the bonnet when I check the oil etc....its so embaressing, sometimes people that are walking by first look at the car and then the wooden stick.

I was also going to order some from the states especially with the fx rate hitting 1.96 :)

Thanks

[aido]

I got my Fig hood struts from the USA, they were ok, guess as Barrie says it's all down to the luck of the draw, think the Prolex ones were sourced from the USA as well and they've been ok as far as I know, not sure what they cost over here though, if you speak to Chris (TheDon) he sourced some he used for the boot in the IS, don't think they're that expensive, by the time you take import duty, VAT & handling into consideration they may not be that much of a bargain from the USA!