Bonnet Gas Struts - pics, installation, impressions

[nickows]

Installed these on my car a few months back. They are made by Redline Tuning in the US. They are available for the MPS6 and MPS3, as well as Mazda6 and Mazda3. There are two different models - the QuickLIFT Plus and the QuickLIFT Elite. I purchased the Elite. You can find them here:

Redline Tuning hood QuickLIFT systems - lifts and holds your hood without the stock prop rod. Hood strut, damper, support - Automotive niche products.

Installation took about an hour and is straight forward. Instructions were provided and are clear and easy to follow. Make sure you position the brackets precisely. Otherwise the bonnet will not close flush, the struts may hit underneath the bonnet, and when you pop the bonnet the gas struts may not open/expand in sync (I've seen some sub-par installations on the net).

You can download the instruction manual from their website to see what tools are required for the install.

The lift system works really well. The components are high quality and makes the bonnet a breeze to lift. I lifted up the bonnet of my old man's MPS the other day; after having the gas struts installed on mine I forgot how heavy they were!

It's a small but worthwhile mod IMHO. Why didn't Mazda use gas struts in the first place, instead of using a cheap prop rod? Stingy buggers!

Some pics of them installed on my car (see Redline's website for more):

[pockets]

lynchy has some that bolt straight on, bit different to these

[shakespeare]

Nick, that looks great, good work! You're right Mazda should have put in gas struts! One question, after you drilled the hole in the guard did you protect the bare metal with anything, concerned about corrosion over time? Would a coat of paint do the trick?
Cheers
Chris

[pockets]

electronic rust control is the way to go

[nickows]

Nick, that looks great, good work! You're right Mazda should have put in gas struts! One question, after you drilled the hole in the guard did you protect the bare metal with anything, concerned about corrosion over time? Would a coat of paint do the trick?
Cheers
Chris

Hi Chris. I didn't paint or protect the guard with anything after drilling the hole - I should have though! Id say a coat of paint would be the way to go.

Pockets - electronic rust control???

[pockets]

its a device that stops your car rusting by sending an electronic current from the battery to the cars body, they use it on the metal work in the tunnel under the sydney harbour, mazda offer it as a protection option when you buy

[nickows]

its a device that stops your car rusting by sending an electronic current from the battery to the cars body, they use it on the metal work in the tunnel under the sydney harbour, mazda offer it as a protection option when you buy

Thanks for explaining. Learn something new every day

[Penguin740]

I saw this electronic protection at a few motor dealers when I was looking and they all swear by it. Apparently it started in the boating industry to help protect the hull. It attachs to the body and creates a positive or negative ion field around the car....or something like that.

I haven't heard any independant tests but the beleif in it appeared genuine.

[pockets]

no worries lol, you should get something to prevent rusting though

---------- Post added at 11:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 PM ----------

I saw this electronic protection at a few motor dealers when I was looking and they all swear by it. Apparently it started in the boating industry to help protect the hull. It attachs to the body and creates a positive or negative ion field around the car....or something like that.

I haven't heard any independant tests but the beleif in it appeared genuine.

Honestly I dont care if it works or not as they give the shell a lifetime warranty, if my car ever rusts they replace it for free lol, best $1000 or whatever it cost ive ever spent

[Yeldarb]

Hey Nickows, have you compared the mounts on the hood for previous and current gen MPS too see if they're compatible?

The site doesn't show the new car, probably too early, but I really like the struts.

I emailed the company to check. I'll post their reply.

Thanks for the pics.

Y