[JimJ]

Can these struts be re-gased?

 

[Skitals]

So I replaced the 4 struts on my 06 V10 (the springs on both large struts were completely broken). I went into the car wash today and had a huge amount of water come in and gushed down both D pillars. The car is new to me, so I don't know if it had leaks prior. The seals on both hatch covers were crumbling and destroyed in the process of my "repair", and I had read it could cause a leak, but I wasn't expecting THAT much water inside the roof there. I picked up some loctite marine sealant on the way home. Cleaned up the panels and reinstalled with a big bead of sealant. That's should be well and good, but my question is, if I have that much water entering that area of the roof should I be investigating where it came from? I cleaned out both drainage points by the hatch hinges. There was debris but they weren't fully clogged. I didn't find any excess water up there when I brought it home and removed the panels, it seems like the drains were doing their jobs (and a lot of water took a quicker escape through the plastic panel covers). My next guess is the roof rails. Should I pull them off and reseal? or is it normal to have that much water in there doing a car wash?

For those that come after me, heed my advice. Make sure you seal those panels back well when you do this diy.

 

[tstelter2]

Thought I would add a note so folks dont have to search through the post again. I ordered 2 7L6 827 550 N struts for my 2007 3.6 prior to taking the old ones out to be ahead of the game and found that the N suffix parts were not the right ones. The originals were 1.5 inches longer, and had different size female sockets to fit the two different sized studs, so you need to get the left and right parts. So the moral of the story is dont trust the fitment charts on various third party web sites. Hope this helps.

 

[dapinitial]

Cool, this is awesome. Is my hatch supposed to open with the key also? How about the rear glass? Does that open with the key? My glass gas shocks appear to function fine but the rear hatch only 30% of the time... time to do this and figure out why the key isn't electronically opening the rear hatch... Fun times!!! For $5K off the lot taxes title and tags I can't complain. Four buttons are scratched and the rear hatch sometimes falls... Nothing else to note. The old lady who garaged it and only drove it an oil change a year kept the interior FLAWLESS and never used the air suspension or the rear locking diff... Everything works as expected. I love this thing

 

[Blaznjoe]

For those that come after me, heed my advice. Make sure you seal those panels back well when you do this diy.

I read the early posts of this thread but failed to read your post/advice ☹ My rear hatch strut access cap seals were a f***ing greasy mess. I cleaned/removed the old seals and doubt I used the right glue to reseal them. I’ll test for leaks this week when I wash it. I may try the foam weather window seal from Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[Laggyband]

The sticky, greasy black mess is the bodywork sealant and is quite important to stop moisture from running down the inside of the D pillar onto all the electronics down there. Its non setting so it can be opened and closed. It is horrible to deal with but is very effective. DUM DUM

 

[Blaznjoe]

The sticky, greasy black mess is the bodywork sealant and is quite important to stop moisture from running down the inside of the D pillar onto all the electronics down there. Its non setting so it can be opened and closed. It is horrible to deal with but is very effective. DUM DUM

Yeah! I was looking for a DUM DUM type sealant to use but ended up sealing it with water proof weather strip/tape. (It compresses then expands.) So far no leaks after two car washes but I’ll keep an eye it.

 

[AlanS]

Sorry to revive an old thread but does anyone know what the cutoff was between requiring two 7L6 827 550 N or one plus one 7L6 827 550 L? I’ve read through most of this thread and it isn’t clear to me when VW changed over. I’ve seen some vendors specify by chassis number (from 050001 on) and others by build date (after 11/07/05). I have what I believe to be a late build 2005 V8 (delivered October 2006) but the VIN ends in 022xxx. Thanks.

 

[Blaznjoe]

Sorry to revive an old thread but does anyone know what the cutoff was between requiring two 7L6 827 550 N or one plus one 7L6 827 550 L? I’ve read through most of this thread and it isn’t clear to me when VW changed over. I’ve seen some vendors specify by chassis number (from 050001 on) and others by build date (after 11/07/05). I have what I believe to be a late build 2005 V8 (delivered October 2006) but the VIN ends in 022xxx. Thanks.

You can confirm your build date on the label located on your driver door sill.
I think it’s also important know if your hatch is powered (open/closed) or manual.
It is confusing and I think I just said F-it and ordered the 3 hatch struts with the possibility of having to return them. (Mine is powered.)
You can also try removing the hatch strut cap to see if the part numbers are visible before doing the job.
Hope you’re able to find the right parts!

 

[seafarer28]

Sorry to revive an old thread but does anyone know what the cutoff was between requiring two 7L6 827 550 N or one plus one 7L6 827 550 L? I’ve read through most of this thread and it isn’t clear to me when VW changed over. I’ve seen some vendors specify by chassis number (from 050001 on) and others by build date (after 11/07/05). I have what I believe to be a late build 2005 V8 (delivered October 2006) but the VIN ends in 022xxx. Thanks.

I think you are a little confused with what you need/read , the two stuts are not the same, the one for LHS is different to RHS and have a different part number, the third strut being mentioned would be the one for the opening glass section.
Do not buy two struts with the same part number!
Do a search here and you will find all the detail you need, including mine as I purchased two of the same

TonyB

 

[JimJ]

You can confirm your build date on the label located on your driver door sill.

The compliance and build plates in my Treg are in the boot just forward of the air accumulator tank.

My Treg's built month was June 07. Th last 6 digits of the VIN is 007235. It is a "face lift" version.
When I replaced the large struts I purchased the two identical parts only to find that the left hand (port) strut had the larger ball joint on the front.
One thing I did find was that with the new RH strut and two new struts for the glass, the rear door will stat open.

 

[dapinitial]

I had a hard time locating the correct sized ones myself. I had to order+return them 2-3 times before it was acceptable and they didn't go in as perfectly as I expected them to... In fact they weren't ever exactly the same IIRC. It's okay though, I just have to be careful opening because my hatch will damn near whip you in the face now if you aren't careful! BUTTT stays up all on its own!!!

 

[Touri1]

I am having problems getting the ball joint to stay on but only the left rear ball joint.
I bought a cheap Chinese “A/line premium “ from Amazon. The struts came as a left and right side spare. But fitting them was a nightmare! The ends kept popping off. I was very careful to make sure the clip was back in the tight place.
Si ordered some Stabilus ones, but could only get the right side. The other side had to be a “Wings” brand. The Wings had the same problem of popping off the rear ball joint. However the Stabilus right side one was easy to fit and has locked onto the ball joint perfectly. So now I’ve got a left side Stabilus strut on its way, 3 week delivery from Germany. Fingers crossed it fits!

Some people have mentioned using a magnet to prevent the screws on the C pillar dropping down into the bodywork. I dont think it is that necessary as the plastic c/pillar cover has a trough beneath the screw so it can not go anywhere. Well if you were really rough I guess you could lose the screw somewhere if you really wanted to.

The popping off ball joint has meant I’ve had to do the job 3 times so far, including doing the headlining twice. So unless you are masochist, make sure to buy Original or oem parts. And I’ve still got to finish the job when the Stabilus part arrives!

 

[dapinitial]

IIRC I had this problem too and returned and tried to fit numerous parts. After a lot of bloody knuckles I was able to pry them onto the joint with a screwdriver. Totally sucked… but now the thing is so responsive it’ll damn near take your head off when you open the rear hatch!

 

[Buffallodan]

IIRC I had this problem too and returned and tried to fit numerous parts. After a lot of bloody knuckles I was able to pry them onto the joint with a screwdriver. Totally sucked… but now the thing is so responsive it’ll damn near take your head off when you open the rear hatch!

IIRC I had this problem too and returned and tried to fit numerous parts. After a lot of bloody knuckles I was able to pry them onto the joint with a screwdriver. Totally sucked… but now the thing is so responsive it’ll damn near take your head off when you open the rear hatch!

The struts for the glass are smaller than the hatch struts. If you have the wheel carrier then both struts are similar. I would speculate you may have installed the wrong struts for the glass?

-Dan

 

[Touri1]

I fitted the Stabilus part number 2815ZN this morning, and what a huge difference. It slotted in to position like a breeze. No faffing around wiggling the hatch up and down.

But most importantly the rearward smaller ball joints are staying on! Just make sure you slide the clips right out of the way otherwise you might knock them back into the locked position before they are in the correct spot. Then you’ll have to probably take off
the ball joint you have already fitted and remove the strut just do you can reposition the clip once more.

The original part number had been 7L6 827 550 E.