Hatch pop kit

Jeffbucc said:

So does flipping the struts work with the sportswagen as it does with the golf?

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No. At least not on my '09 Sportwagen. First is is not not flipping the struts, it is flipping the strut mounting plate. My JSW does not have a mounting plate. The strut mounts are directly mounted to the car body with no mounting plate.

See posts 12, 18 and 21 above.

Have Fun!

Don

MayorDJQ said:

One of the threads on Vortex said you loose ~5" of opening height. I don't really spend that much time under the hatch, so I don't think it'll matter too much.


Edit: I just went out and flipped the strut brackets. The hatch now pops open and the loss of clearance is maybe 2". Save yourself $110 on this one!

http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/mayordjq/?action=view&current=VIDEO0003.mp4

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I didn't measure mine, but it's much closer to 5" than 2", basically I could -just- stand upright at the edge of the hatch before, now its about nose height.

Still, considering free vs a hundred some bucks for the ECS kit, I'll take it.

Just keep in mind, it may pop now, but as the temperatures drop the gas condenses some inside the strut. In the winter (obviously a regional caveat), even the more powerful struts struggle to open the hatch that initial couple of inches. If its cold enough it wont even budge. Not a big deal, but just something to keep in mind bc the better struts will pop at a lower temp.

So is there a solution for the JSW?

wfg97079 said:

So is there a solution for the JSW?

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Not currently. It would take some experimentation to find a stronger strut that would fit. There probably are such struts available, but I do not know which ones will work.

Have Fun!

Don

wfg97079 said:

So is there a solution for the JSW?

Click to expand...

The solution is to use your arm and open the tailgate.

work on a mk4 (iv)

Does anyone know if these fit mk4 golf...
if not does anyone know where i can get a set....

thanx

I flipped the brackets yesterday and now the door pops and raises very slowly initially and then normal speed. It does not open by itself in the eve or morning time when it's cooler. I guess this is where the other model # struts come into play, they could either be longer or a little higher pressure. Either way I wouldn't want to leave it like this. I'm going to source the proper struts somehow. If they are europe only models that's not a problem either. And can someone post the numbers of their properly working struts here please.

Using this mod on an MK6, would I have to hold the button on the key FOB, double click, or press once for it to automatically open? I ask because I'm afraid that accidentally clicking it once would open against my closed garage.

excvwtech said:

Using this mod on an MK6, would I have to hold the button on the key FOB, double click, or press once for it to automatically open? I ask because I'm afraid that accidentally clicking it once would open against my closed garage.

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You have to press and hold the hatch release button on the key fob. At least, I do.

wfg97079 said:

So is there a solution for the JSW?

Click to expand...

Crap, this would be real handy at times...also could be bad for several reasons if accidentally opened in the garage or into someones face (assuming you like that person)

Anyone still on this? Interested since we have a JSW now so I am following this thread.

I was interested in this- until. I went in my garage to pack for a trip. Garage door down and I popped the hatch (OEM method) and noticed the clearance issue. If I had the kit or flip installed as I pushed the fob hatch I would have had $$$ damages in paint.

Bringing from the dead i guess, just saw this on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6cd2vXBxHI

It has to do with the struts more than anything

And i saw this as well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvcZJvJ4sCU

Which is very interesting

What's interesting that new B7 Variant has Auto trunk as well, but its all in the hinges rather than struts

When you consider that my '11 had a hatch latch issue at 37k, that would turn the jsw cargo space into an ejection seat for my two dogs

Just did the hinge flip. This is simply one of the best mods you can do to a mkVI Golf. Takes almost no time at all and is as cheap as mods come!

Just did this on my car last night. Worked great last night. This morning it did not do so good since it was a little cool, 45 degrees. Super easy and free.

.....

JSW '09 dealer quote $82 each. Mighty Lift, sold at parts stores, are listed by extended and compressed lengths, and by pounds of force. After poor Ebay fitment, using Meistersatz, I am going this route. Unbelievable how expensive/hard to do so simple a job as swapping the right struts for this hatch. Even ECS gets it wrong, and does not list "hatch" and shipped me the shorter sedan trunk struts. The parts stores (auto-zone, Pep, Advance auto parts) listed "trunk" and "trunk lid" (too short). Since the Meistersatz struts were the right dimension, just incredibly hard to close (prt#M02922041 070027 500n), I put them to a scale and saw that ~115lbs of force compressed one strut. Since one of the two still holds the hatch open, I'm backing down to Mighty Lift D95698, which s/b 20" extended, 70-80lbs each. That way maybe my wife won't have to do pull-ups to close the hatch.

Just lovin' the VW experience. $164 for hatch struts??? I paid less for a pair of Bilsteins.

$67 each, list price. $48.24 at 1stvwparts.

http://www.1stvwparts.com/partscat.html

I don't think size has much to do with it. You can easily spend as much for a good bicycle tire as you can for a car tire. You can spend as much for a MINI as you can a pickup.

just updating that Mighty Lift D95698 worked, but only along with the other,stiffer strut. i am living with the miss match. Others may consider two D95765, as it is also $25ea, but -15lbs stronger at each side. (2) D95698 do not hold the hatch up. D95698=70-80lb, D95765=85-90, D95699=100-110lb, per ML's site. One of the latter s/b perfect as a pair.

Frugality, you may be right, though I suspect these struts are meant to provide a given spring rate, more than do the finer job of damping a car's suspension. Between gas and oil, the ML struts are gas, just like the Miestersatz.

There are 3 different methods listed in this thread ?!?

-flip the struts
-flip the strut mounts
-flip the hinges

So I am looking at the JSW struts and they say 420N, which is 94lbs. So how does a 95 lb/shock on both sides lift the hatch that much easier?


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I found some struts called StrongArm 4279 which are 423N, 95lbs. So is 2 lbs force that much more? Who knows...

Edit: these don't work. Going to try one Mighty lift 110lb strut. Just going to order one for now and try to use it in pair with the oem strut.

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What hatch struts worked for the JSW?

Hi,

I too would like to have the hatch fully open when opened.

What did you find out regarding the higher pressure struts?

I need some type of compression spring to help the strut open that first couple of inches. Then the strut can take over. The strut isn't strong enough in the first couple inches of its stroke.


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I have a 2012 JSW. I have been researching into the auto pop hatch for a few days. I know us JSW owners can't just flip the upper strut bracket like the golf owners can. I also found adding a coil spring to the strut to add additional push force when collapsed won't work well because the struts only have just over 1/2 inch of rod between the body and clip when fully closed. I have researched the struts and found stock ones are roughly 20" 90lbs with 10mm-3/8 heads. We can't run a longer strut due to the limited space. So I ordered a set of 20" 120lbs 10mm lift struts. The next issue is adding outward force to slightly open the hatch till the struts can take over. We can either unbolt thr upper mount and move it as far back as possible, or add an external mechanism. I found a set of adjustable length and power "door poppers" that I will find a convenient place the mount. This should create adequate outward force. Once I get the parts in I'll do a write up and video.

There also may be a compromise of moving the pivot ball on the oem mount more toward the middle, as opposed to reversing it. I do not like my mk6 hatch pop kit. The hatch does not open enough, causing me to nearly cut my head open on the latch, and it requires too much effort to close. It's kind of neat to pop it in front of people, but annoying in actual use. I think modifying the pivot ball mount could possibly be a decent compromise, although this would require probably 20 minutes of fab work.

The only issue I see with that, at least with my 2012, is the ball mount is in reinforced steel. It would be easy to unbolt it and put a plastic cap in the original spot. But finding a suitable location to mount the ball with thick enough steel might be difficult. The issue with the golf kits is it moves the top bracket to change the angle of the strut to push it more forward. By doing this it reduces the forward length of the strut making the hatch open less. That is why I'm looking to devise a way to use stock strut length and retain opening height while still getting it to open with the key fob hatch release button.

Update. I got the new shocks. After a bit of research, I found most hatch pop kits use slightly shorter lift struts so the ram exerts more pressure due to the shafts being further out. The stock JSW struts are 21.7 center to center. I bought 20" struts at 120lbs with 10mm ball. They lower the hatch about two inches. I already had to duck being 6'5", but isn't a huge loss. The gate wants to open on it's own, but doesn't have enough outward force. I tried a few different assist springs, but the only push down, not out. The door poppers should be in Saturday. Once I figure the best mount location and how it works I'll post a video and write up.