here's the story...

i removed the hatch struts (and the stock hatch) to install a CF hatch. during removal, it wasn't damaged or anything. i removed the c-clips and the struts came off the hatch without any problems. the struts were removed while both were extended/decompressed all the way (aka the hatch was open all the way when i removed the struts).

after installing the CF hatch, i reinstalled the stock hatch struts. i tried to close the hatch, but couldn't because the hatch struts wouldn't budge from the extended/open position in the paragraph i stated earlier.

i took the struts off and tried to compress them by hand. i even tried to compress them against a concrete floor with my weight pushing down on top (~180 pounds).

has anybody had these problems? does anybody have any suggestions? or know if the struts are broken?

having to hold open the hatch whenever i need to put stuff in/out of the trunk area is getting tiresome...

 

this is a common problem with the cf hatch. you need different struts and nobody makes them

 

how do other ppl get the cf hatch done.
only thing i can really say that might help is that u need a less of a heavy duty strut because the stock strut is meant to lift the weight of the stock metal hatch and with the cf hatch the strut is looking for the weight thats not there so it will shoot the cf hatch up(so it will kinda be spring loaded.
i think redline makes hatch struts. but i might be thinking of hood struts

 

yeah, when u go to open that sucker is will shoot up, you learn the hard way!!

 

i knew people were having problems with the struts...i just didn't think that much was force / weight was necessary in closing/compressing the struts. this whole time i was assuming 180 pounds of myself would be more than enough to compress at least one of the struts, but i couldn't even get it to budge.