How To Replace Trunk Struts on a Bentley Arnage

Gas Strut Boot Hinge Part Number: PR55888PB Time Required: 20 minutes Tools Required: Flathead screwdriver (small), Vice grips (optional) [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhAXYoFadjM&t=38s[/embed]

Written by IntroCar customer and Bentley enthusiast: Josh Kryzak

How to Replace Trunk Boot Struts (Bentley Arnage) In this video, we're going to be replacing those trunk struts on a 2004 Bentley Arnage. Be sure to visit JoshsWorld.Com for additional information, photos, part numbers and any corrections. This repair applies to all Bentley Arnage and Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph cars across all model years, with a few minor exceptions. Be sure to double-check the part numbers at the heritage Bentley website just to make sure. So, let's dive right into this repair. As you can see, my trunk, or the boot as you call it in the UK, or as Bentley calls it, the luggage compartment, the lid does not stay up all the way. These struts are not designed to last forever, so they do need to be replaced. The car contains four of these struts, they're located in the rear of the car just underneath the parcel shelf; two on the left, and two on the right. The first step to access these is to open the trunk and remove your carpet. I'm using this pull to prop the trunk open in order to get this side panel off. You're going to have to remove the manual fuel door release; to do that, simply slide this little ring off, it's just like a keychain, and then remove the side panel. It's going to take some muscle, this was probably the hardest part of this project just getting this panel out, but it is a very sturdy part. Once you've muscled this piece out, you can then work on the back panel. Start by pulling at the top near the DVD navigation unit. There's an electrical connection on the left-hand side here, simply disconnect the harness so you can free this panel and remove it from the car. Now, let's look up inside here on the left-hand side, you can see the first two gas struts that need to be replaced, and if we come out and look on the right side - there are the other two struts that need to be replaced as well. I'm going to put some vice grips on this strut right here, this is just an extra safety precaution. So, if I accidentally kick that pole, we don't have a human mouse trap situation going on. Now here are the replacement struts..  now you want to replace all four struts at the same time when you do this repair. These parts were provided by IntroCar - they're my go-to source when it comes to getting parts online for the Bentley. I've used them several times, so a huge shout out to IntroCar for providing these for me and allowing me to do this review. When you replace these struts, there's a sequence you need to follow. You can just start with the outer left strut and then the outer right strut, then the inner left and then the inner right. For the purpose of this video, I'm only going to show you how to do the inner right strut, because it's the easiest to access and I can get the best view for the video. But the procedure is the same for all four. With the small flat-head screwdriver, slide it into this metal tab to release the strut from the pivot ball, and it will come right off. It's the same procedure at the other end as well. Once you've removed the strut, take the replacement strut, put the new strut in, snap the end of the strut onto the furthest most pivot ball first and then connect the front pivot ball. It can be difficult to make this connection because the strut is fully extended and you need about two millimeters to connect it. There is a strut compression tool that you can use, but a simpler trick for doing this is simply push up on the trunk lid so you can get that little bit of clearance. As you can see, when I push upwards on the trunk, it compresses the little rubber stopper and gives me just enough room to snap the strut into place, and that's it. That's how you install the strut. After I've done that for all four, I take out the pull and I can see that the trunk is being held up automatically, and if I push it down, it also pushes itself open automatically. If I hit the release button, the trunk opens automatically as it should. Now, we just simply need to put the car back together. Start by reinstalling this back panel. Slide the little metal plate into the bracket so you can pivot the wall upward. Reconnect the small electrical harness. Now, just fold this panel upward and snap these two tabs into the holes that are located on either side of the DVD unit. In order to make installation of this side panel easier, I'm using a piece of string to slide through the manual fuel door release, this just allows me the freedom to move this panel around and not worry about that tiny little cable popping out. Now, I need to muscle this piece back in place and making sure it fits nicely and doesn't have any gaps in the carpet. Once I've got this piece securely in place, I simply install that ring back on the fuel door release and pull my string out. I give it a test to make sure the fuel door opens - Success! - and then I just have to put the carpet back in and that's it, the job is done. As you can see guys, it's a super simple project that probably takes you 15 minutes to do this at home, and definitely something that you don't need to spend a lot of money for labour to do. The parts are around 30 bucks per strut, and you do want to replace all four of those at the same time. Part numbers are listed below, be sure to check out some of my other how-to videos on the Bentley Arnage and other cars as well. Hope you guys found this useful, give it a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel if you haven't, and I will see you guys in the next video. Parts: Gas Strut Boot Hinge PR55888PB Check the Technical Video Library for more.]]>