BMW Hood Won’t Stay Open: Replace Hood Supports
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If the BMW hood won’t stay up, the problem usually is the hood supports (hood struts). This guide provides instructions on replacing the BMW hood lift supports yourself.
Symptoms
- The hood won’t stay up.
- My BMW hood drops soon after I open the hood.
- Hood won’t support itself.
What you will need
- BMW Hood Lift Support
- Flathead Screwdriver
- Work Gloves
- Work Glasses
Procedure
Follow these instructions to replace the hood support on your BMW.
- Pull the hood release under the dashboard twice and open it.
- Have a helper keep your BMW hood up as you work to replace the its’supports.
- Locate two hydraulic hood supports on your BMW. Most BMWs use two hood lift supports.
- Use the screwdriver to push away the metal C clip. You don’t need to remove it altogether. Just push it away from the joint.
- Pull the hood support away from the ball joint.
- Repeat the procedure on the other end of the hood support.
- Grab the new hood support and move the C clip away from its resting place. This will allow you to push the new hood lift into the ball joint easily.
- Install the hood support on one side. Make sure to slide the C clip down to lock it in place.
- Install the other end of the hood support.
- Repeat the same procedure for the other side of the hood.
BMW hood lift support may also be called hood shock, hood lift, hood spring, gas hood lift, or hood damper. Installing new BMW hood lift supports takes less than twenty minutes.
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Featured in The Wall Street Journal
Replace the hood lift supports to fix a BMW hood that won’t stay up. The hood supports on BMW are gas-filled and may leak, failing to keep the hood in the up/open position. This is a common problem on many BMWs, including 1, 3, 5, 6 X1 X3 X5 X6 series. If the hood falls while working on the hood support, it can cause serious injuries. The best thing to do is have someone else help keep the hood up.
Check these troubleshooting and repair guides for more help on your BMW.
