Boot opening

[Maura]

I have recently purchased an LC 500 hybrid, a lady owner!!!!  The button to open the boot is really annoying, as you know the boot does not fly open it just opens  an inch. Does anyone have any ideas of how to improve on this, so that I don’t have to put my shopping on the ground and then fiddle with the boot opening.

[lloydweb]

Hi Maura, no, I find this annoying as well, maybe a powered boot lid would be over the top, but I really think Lexus could have put a more powerful boot release in the LC. My previous RC300h was the same.The petrol flap "recall" did a good job on improving the mechanism there, be nice if they did it for the boot as well. Not sure if any members have other ideas?

[AJ500]

I have never considered this annoying as all of the specialist/performance cars I have owned (Porsche,BMW etc) have been similar.

A J.

[Brian R]

No big deal for me either, but I could well image the inconvenience it might cause. To be honest, there seems to be very little pressure in these struts and perhaps alternative units could be considered? Curiously I had a similar problem on a previous car, and incredibly it only required a very simple mod that compressed the struts by a further 6 mm or so and thereafter the boot would fly open whereas previously it was just like the LC.

[Brian R]

Just been looking through various would be suppliers of gas struts and came across this site: Gas struts

I see they offer 2 flavours of strut for the LC with differing opening forces. I'm not yet sure what force the OEM product provides, but is it possible one of these two is more powerful than the original? Furthermore, I presume the actual force is printed somewhere on the existing strut?

[AJ500]

One might assume the more powerful of the two will out perform the factory strut but its a buy it and see scenario.Personally,I have no issue with the current set up and wont fit non Lexus items unless absolutely necessary.

One other point.Even if the more powerful strut actually lifts the bootlid open wider it will also need a stronger shove to shut it .

A J.

 

[Brian R]

6 hours ago, AJ500 said:

One might assume the more powerful of the two will out perform the factory strut but its a buy it and see scenario.Personally,I have no issue with the current set up and wont fit non Lexus items unless absolutely necessary.

One other point.Even if the more powerful strut actually lifts the bootlid open wider it will also need a stronger shove to shut it .

A J.

 

Curiously AJ, the manufacturer i.e. Stabilus is the same make fitted as OEM. I also took a photo of the "numbers" on the strut and as per the attached photo you can probably make out 0235N and this looks suspiciously related to the 235N number shown as the rating for the item shown on the web site. So I would imagine the alternative 375N is indeed a more powerful strut and I should think a viable alternative. I take your point about the closing forces that may be required, but I've never had any problems closing against gas struts, whereas opening is a different matter.

Might be worth a try for the original poster, Maura.

 

[AJ500]

Excellent detective work Brian.

Yes,may well solve the original posters issue.

A J.