A Bit of Bling for the Boot

[steamship]

I think ever since I saw the first D3, I wanted to fit chrome boot struts to my D2, except I could never find them for sale anywhere. I chased a few companies, but no one seems to manufacture the chrome ones anymore.

Fast forward to a post I saw on Facebook about a fortnight ago, announcing the demise of the A8parts company W12 D3, along with some photos, one of which included the gas struts. A very quick call to Maria and I had them paid for.



This is what arrived. Nice and shiny, but a quick going over with a little Autosol and now even cleaner. So far as size is concerned compared to the original ones, the D3 chrome ones are about 1/4 inch longer overall... thankfully. This is a rough side-by-side view of them:



So far as fitting them is concerned, there is a small flat piece of metal wrapped over each connection point. I used a small flat bladed screwdriver to gently prise is off slightly, as shown.



I started with the strut end attached to the boot itself as it was easier to get at. Once you prise the metal away from the strut, you can just pull back gently and rotate the strut of the ball joint. If the boot is open fully, there is no excess movement from the strut. I then moved the strut back over the lower joint to get at the second indent for the clip.

Fitting the new ones are pretty the same in reverse. First, insert the screwdriver blade into the first indent (lower end of strut) and set strut on ball joint. Slide the screwdriver blade out and the strut locks in place. The same process works for the upper attachment (to the boot lid), but test the strength of the strut beforehand to see how far you will have to compress it (since they are slightly longer).

Repeat for the second strut, and then give them another wipe down, and they should end up looking like this:



I've since noticed a couple more pair of chrome struts on eBay today. Typical, just like buses. Wait ages for one, and then three turn up at once.

[Davey Blueeyes]

That looks great! Love it!

[David's8]

Excellent mod Sean

[moltuae]

Nice

So the D3 gas struts are a straight swap/fit for the D2 struts then?

And are the chrome ones not available brand new, or are they silly money?

[RICKY D]

Great mod - thanks for sharing.

I’ll add these to my list of must gets.

[steamship]

Originally Posted by moltuae

So the D3 gas struts are a straight swap/fit for the D2 struts then?

And are the chrome ones not available brand new, or are they silly money?

If you're being pedantic, then no, they're not a 'straight' swap, because they are slightly longer and the boot now requires a little more effort to close. I suspect they have a different pressure rating to the ones in the D2. Previously, I could close the boot lid using one finger to get it moving from its highest position to a closed state. Now, I would probably say it requires all four fingers to close it. In terms of looks over functionality, I'll settle for looks in this instance.

As for new chrome ones, I don't think anyone makes them anymore. I started my enquiries with SGS Engineering and went from there to places in the UK and further afield, but no success. I don't know if it was some reason for not making the chrome ones or maybe not worth their while only making a pair.

[moltuae]

The greater closing force wouldn't bother me ( ... though I wonder if there's a way you could safely let a little gas out, or have them 're-gassed' at a lower pressure?). My present (SGS) gas struts take a similar amount of force to close the boot but they're a little creaky so I was thinking of going back to OEM.

If the chrome struts were supplied new with some vehicles, you'd think there'd be a separate VAG part number for them. There's no part number on them I assume?

[pete-p]

Just a thought... would it not be easier/cheaper to use some chrome vinyl wrap on the existing struts?

[steamship]

Originally Posted by moltuae

The greater closing force wouldn't bother me ( ... though I wonder if there's a way you could safely let a little gas out, or have them 're-gassed' at a lower pressure?). My present (SGS) gas struts take a similar amount of force to close the boot but they're a little creaky so I was thinking of going back to OEM.

If the chrome struts were supplied new with some vehicles, you'd think there'd be a separate VAG part number for them. There's no part number on them I assume?

Just checked and no identifying details at all on them. As for the closing force, I did not that one was stronger than the other. That could just be down to use. Maybe my originals were past their best. Hard to say without some sort of meter to test them.

I just mentioned the force part just in case someone decided to replace theirs and then didn't like how they operated.

Originally Posted by pete-p

Just a thought... would it not be easier/cheaper to use some chrome vinyl wrap on the existing struts?

A chrome wrap might be another way to go, but with the rust on the existing ones, I would have thought that this would have to have been rubbed down to get a smoother surface, and also a surface that is unlikely to give way. The pistons also have rounded ends which needs sorting as well. If you've used vinyl wrap before, it might be an option.

[MikkiJayne]

4E0827551A

A8parts have another set listed, and Febi apparently do a replacement in the polished finish, part number 31678.