The two high pressure gas struts on the rear hatch of my car failed. Lexus wants 250...yes, two hundred and fifty dollars EACH not including labor. Even my guys at Firestone I usually go with couldn't get them cheaper.

That's at least a 600 dollar repair.

So after reading some forums I bought aftermarket struts that look almost exactly the same off Amazon for 65 bucks delivered.

Installation time...2 minutes.

Works perfectly.

-spence

Nicely done
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You paid extra for a Toyota and bought aftermarket parts? :devil2:

You paid extra for a Toyota and bought aftermarket parts? :devil2:

He's only like a flat brim away from being a high school student in barnstable

Nice one btw, wish I knew more about cars

You paid extra for a Toyota and bought aftermarket parts? :devil2:

But... it has a prettier Logo :smash: and matches Jeff's shoes

They went on my burban after 10 years, $80 fix.

Window regulators same type of issue. Normally it's a single part that can be replaced for short money with a higher quality component. Or you can pay the deal 350 for a full regulator and 2 hours labor to replace.

gotta make sure the hood latches are well greased
or they'll seize open and you won't even notice it
until it's too late....

and the trunk flies up while on the freeway
that will scare the crap right out of ya....

Just like a #^&#^&#^&#^&ing liberal !
Buy a 50+ K car and complain about a $250 part !
Maybe you can do like most liberals do and get someone else to pay for them :rotf2:

Just like a #^&#^&#^&#^&ing liberal !
Buy a 50+ K car and complain about a $250 part !
Maybe you can do like most liberals do and get someone else to pay for them :rotf2:

Har har ha har ahar...snort.

-spence

Just like a #^&#^&#^&#^&ing liberal !
Buy a 50+ K car and complain about a $250 part !
Maybe you can do like most liberals do and get someone else to pay for them :rotf2:

That just brightened my day thank you :rotf2:

i spray my piston rods with wd40
to make them operate more efficiently

i do those and all the door locks and door hinges

That just brightened my day thank you :rotf2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1agaZinJHg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1agaZinJHg



Oh by the way, some little kid working in the factory in China says thanks for keeping him employed.
Those struts you bought for $65, good luck, I give them 6 months - 1 year.

Oh by the way, some little kid working in the factory in China says thanks for keeping him employed.
Those struts you bought for $65, good luck, I give them 6 months - 1 year.
I factored that into my calculation. At that price I can replace them several times during the life of the vehicle and still come out way ahead.

-spence

I think his point is
If Americans want more jobs in America, we need to buy American made products so that there will be enough of a demand for them to keep America working, another works, stay out of Christmas tree shops, Ocean state job lot, walmart etc. and think about the money you save by buying imported junk is hurting your fellow Americans and yourself in the long run.

I think his point is
If Americans want more jobs in America, we need to buy American made products so that there will be enough of a demand for them to keep America working, another works, stay out of Christmas tree shops, Ocean state job lot, walmart etc. and think about the money you save by buying imported junk is hurting your fellow Americans and yourself in the long run.

The OEM struts (I'm assuming OEM as the vehicle was less than 3 years old when I bought it) are by Stabilus, a German company with global production including China. They're not marked so I can't tell country of origin, but considering it's a commodity component cost is everything.

The replacement struts are by Strong-Arm and Made in the USA.

:lama:

Both brands retail at the same price online. Now certainly Lexus could have their OEM Stabilus struts made to a higher spec than what they sell retail...but to justify a 10X higher retail price? That doesn't compute...

-spence

I think his point is
If Americans want more jobs in America, we need to buy American made products so that there will be enough of a demand for them to keep America working, another works, stay out of Christmas tree shops, Ocean state job lot, walmart etc. and think about the money you save by buying imported junk is hurting your fellow Americans and yourself in the long run.

got a question for ya.... Slipknot... a little embarrassed to admit it
but me and the wife got hoodwinked and bought some flounder at walmart yesterday
thinkin it was a good deal and forgot the cardinal rule
about checking where it came from.
~
On the package it says.... WILDcaught in the USA
processed in China, and then Product of China
1.2.3. all three... So you mean to tell me
they are harvested here,sent all the way over there,
filleted and then shipped all the way BACK to the USA ?
that's friggan nuts... if it's true :huh:

I believe they do ship US proteins to China for processing quite frequently.

I don't buy any seafood that's not either local or sourced properly like Gulf shrimp. I'll gladly pay the premium.

-spence

that's GREAT they are made in USA


10 times the price = price gouging, sounds like a little excessive dealer markup, but don't forget the labor to install ;)


Raven, ya that is nuts

I believe they do ship US proteins to China for processing quite frequently.

I don't buy any seafood that's not either local or sourced properly like Gulf shrimp. I'll gladly pay the premium.

-spence

Envision this.... (and after i read this i'll never buy foreign shrimp)

Over there they had a chicken coop suspended over the shrimp
farm allowing the chickens to shet chicken poop right into the
shrimp area. :hs:

that's GREAT they are made in USA


10 times the price = price gouging, sounds like a little excessive dealer markup, but don't forget the labor to install ;)

Literally pop, pop with a screwdriver and snap, snap on the new struts.

I'd wager the OEM struts are better, but not that much. I work closely with a few Tier 2 auto suppliers and the way they're squeezed on price is incredible. Finance wants margin calculations to the fraction of a penny. People would be amazed if they knew how much effort went into squeezing the entire vehicle supply chain.

The funny thing is the Stabilus logo was so small I couldn't read it, until I remembered there was a lab-grade microscope on my son's desk in the other room :smash:

I do try and buy US when I can and have a bias toward supporting local brick and mortar merchants. It costs more but is worth it. I've seen so many small businesses back home in the midwest get eaten up by the big box stores. Now main street is a ghost town with a giant Wal-Mart just on the edge of town…


-spence

Literally pop, pop with a screwdriver and snap, snap on the new struts.

I'd wager the OEM struts are better, but not that much. I work closely with a few Tier 2 auto suppliers and the way they're squeezed on price is incredible. Finance wants margin calculations to the fraction of a penny. People would be amazed if they knew how much effort went into squeezing the entire vehicle supply chain.

The funny thing is the Stabilus logo was so small I couldn't read it, until I remembered there was a lab-grade microscope on my son's desk in the other room :smash:

I do try and buy US when I can and have a bias toward supporting local brick and mortar merchants. It costs more but is worth it. I've seen so many small businesses back home in the midwest get eaten up by the big box stores. Now main street is a ghost town with a giant Wal-Mart just on the edge of town…


-spence




And who is shopping at that Walmart, Fat ass Obama supporters & paying with their EBT cards.

And who is shopping at that Walmart, Fat ass Obama supporters & paying with their EBT cards.

And go to a WalMart in the south sometime.. Rurals of western VA on a Sunday is an experience......

A lot of fat-ass Obama haters who have a confederate flag bumper sticker, likely vote R and pay with EBT...

Good thread Spence, my wife's struts chit the bed,I took your info and put it to use.bought two for my wife's SUV for $39.00 total with free two day shipping.
All is well.

Thanks!
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