[glennmax]

Auto Open Hatch Golf Mk6 in warm weather

I now have an auto open hatch on a Mk6.
All I did was flip the body-to-strut mounts 180 degrees on the the stock struts using a T30 bit.
No Vagcom, No new struts. No new spring loaded bumpers.
No $$.

The only downside is the hatch is slightly harder to close.
The hatch pops open with press and hold on the key fob.

I did NOT buy any parts.

Free tip for a free mod.

Test it out.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Can someone try it out and confirm? If so, this is a FAQ worthy tip.

 

[glennmax]

Strike that. Reverse it.

I tested it this morning. (cooler temperature)

It did not pop open on the first try.

It was close, but did not pop open.
I opened the hatch manually and closed it.
I tried it again, and voila, it popped open.
So ...when the struts are cool or have sat unused it does not work or may not work on the first try.
This mod will be useless if you have you hands full of shopping bags or whatever and its cool or cold outside or you haven't popped the hatch in hours
I think I am going to go back to the stock mount position.
Why?
Now that the "shine" of this mod has worn off, I prefer how the hatch closes when stock.
When stock, you do not need to touch the outside of the hatch to close it.
You just grab the inner handle of the hatch (marked "pull") and toss the hatch closed.
I am glad I did not spend any money to find out I prefer the stock closing.

 

[pearlgolf]

Maybe the Skoda struts would feel better. Or are they supposed to be stiffer?

 

[glennmax]

I do not own the Skoda struts.
But, for them to do the initial lifting work required to pop the hatch when it is cold outside, with the stock mounts flipped, they need to be stiffer.

While doing my research of this mod, and before flipping the stock mounts, I measured the force of my stock struts with a scale.
If you compress them against the scale you will see a weight reading of approximately 130 lbs each.
I have not found the specification for the Skoda struts.
If they push harder than 130 lbs AND you flip the mounts,
I am personally not interested in that kind of difference from how the hatch closes when stock.

To be more clear, using the stock struts with flipped mounts does not noticeably change the initial force needed to start closing the hatch. The noticeable difference is near the almost closed position. From the almost closed position, you have to push the hatch closed.
In contrast, with a stock struts and the mounts in the stock position the hatch practically drops closed from the almost closed position.
This is why (with a little practice) you can toss or gently throw the hatch closed using only the inner handle.
So, flipping the mounts and using the stiffer struts will put an end to never needing to touch the outside of your, probably dirty, hatch to close it.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

follow up to this mod: it may cause rubbing

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/forum/f19/warning-about-auto-pop-hatch-struts-14797/

 

[Keithuk]

These option has been out for a while.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3rINjv5aKw