John Harrison Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Hi. I have a 2008 Vellfire AH20. I've mentioned before, and it has been mentioned by other people about the height of the rear door, when open, being too low. My struts went up the the fully open position if lifted, but wouldn't lift themselves all the way up. Time for a replacement! Had a look on the internet and one company sent the wrong ones; too short and no brackets, even though recommended for Alphard/Vellfire's. I hot a refund in 4 days and had ordered a new set that looked right (showed brackets, etc). These arrived yesterday. I fitted them and they fitted perfectly! The cylinders ar shorter, but the close ok and, FOR THOSE WHO COMPLAINED THAT THEY BANGED THEIR HEADS, they open the door about 2" to 3" higher!!! They lift the door as soon as you unlock, but you can still pull down and shut easily. I'm really made up with them! The make is 'XIANGSHANG'. THESE WORK WELL and are highly recommended!!! (See attached pics) You don't have to bang you head again!!! John Harrison. Wallasey 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojie Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 2 hours ago, John Harrison said: Hi. I have a 2008 Vellfire AH20. I've mentioned before, and it has been mentioned by other people about the height of the rear door, when open, being too low. My struts went up the the fully open position if lifted, but wouldn't lift themselves all the way up. Time for a replacement! Had a look on the internet and one company sent the wrong ones; too short and no brackets, even though recommended for Alphard/Vellfire's. I hot a refund in 4 days and had ordered a new set that looked right (showed brackets, etc). These arrived yesterday. I fitted them and they fitted perfectly! The cylinders ar shorter, but the close ok and, FOR THOSE WHO COMPLAINED THAT THEY BANGED THEIR HEADS, they open the door about 2" to 3" higher!!! They lift the door as soon as you unlock, but you can still pull down and shut easily. I'm really made up with them! The make is 'XIANGSHANG'. THESE WORK WELL and are highly recommended!!! (See attached pics) You don't have to bang you head again!!! John Harrison. Wallasey I have been considering replacing the struts on my MZG. There are different versions depending on power door or not. At the time, my local Toyota dealer could get them for 200ukp each ! Can you disclose the price you have paid for yours, please. I'll check and see if they supply those for the power door version. My door almost opens fully, I do need to be careful when stepping under the tail-gate from a kerb. However, functional that it is, it judders while closing which annoys e intensely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 Hi. Yes, sorry. I paid about £41, including postage, from Ali Express Ltd. John Harrison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojie Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 56 minutes ago, John Harrison said: Hi. Yes, sorry. I paid about £41, including postage, from Ali Express Ltd. John Harrison. Thank you John, At that price I'll probably give it a try. Were they 'easy' to fit ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 Hi again. Yes very easy to fit, as long as you have someone or someone, to hold the door up while you remove the old ones....One heavy door!!! John H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 They do do electric ones, as well as electric kits with switches etc for between £200-£300. I think that will be p+p on top though! John H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojie Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 On 5/25/2024 at 10:38 AM, John Harrison said: They do do electric ones, as well as electric kits with switches etc for between £200-£300. I think that will be p+p on top though! John H Hello John, Thanks for this; but my struts are not electric. The tail-gate motor is, but not the struts. I don't want the complication of additional wiring; but I will check them out. Could I ask you please, when convenient, to measure the strut diameter. I have previously imported 'suitable' struts which, unfortunately, were not suitable ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 They have all different types! John H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeyLukey Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Hi John Thanks for posting this- I just finished fitting the same struts from Ali Express. So nice to have it open fully and not keep banging my head. Pretty easy to swap them out. I used an acrow prop to hold the boot open, but had the wife holding it, as well as some cargo straps from boot to the roof bars in case of failure. I have memories of swapping out struts in the past where the prop fell over and the boot smashed down and blew out the back window. Regards Luke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterm69uk Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Do you guys have the exact link for these struts on Ali? I've looked and there seems to be several listed. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeyLukey Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Hi Pete Here is the link: Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! ￡45.79 | With Power Tailgate Struts for Toyota Alphard Vellfire AH20 2008-2015 Minivan Rear Trunk Lift Supports Shock Absorber Dampers https://a.aliexpress.com/_EuGFovd They come with new mounts that are slightly different to the old ones, but fit okay. You'll need a 12mm spanner/socket set. I have a powered boot, so you might want to buy a different set if yours is manual only (although they might work for both options). I found it easier to fit the boot end of the strut first, then the main body of the car. usl Just make sure the boot Is really well supported during swap over ,- they are much heavier than you think and will slam down fast and dangerous without both struts in place. Ali Express will tell you it'll take 80+ days to deliver, but mine came within 10 days. (Not sure why the text has turned red here). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterm69uk Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 4 hours ago, LukeyLukey said: Hi Pete Here is the link: Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! ￡45.79 | With Power Tailgate Struts for Toyota Alphard Vellfire AH20 2008-2015 Minivan Rear Trunk Lift Supports Shock Absorber Dampers https://a.aliexpress.com/_EuGFovd They come with new mounts that are slightly different to the old ones, but fit okay. You'll need a 12mm spanner/socket set. I have a powered boot, so you might want to buy a different set if yours is manual only (although they might work for both options). I found it easier to fit the boot end of the strut first, then the main body of the car. usl Just make sure the boot Is really well supported during swap over ,- they are much heavier than you think and will slam down fast and dangerous without both struts in place. Ali Express will tell you it'll take 80+ days to deliver, but mine came within 10 days. (Not sure why the text has turned red here). Thanks Luke, just placed an order. Pete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojie Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I found some on Ali Ex, supposedly, suitable for my power tailgate. £35 shipping; almost as much as John paid for the delivered item. More searching needed ! If they fit and work, a real bargain as Toyota wanted £200 each ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeyLukey Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I paid £37.67 for the parts and delivery. They said it would be 80+ days for delivery, but it was about 1 week. It was my first time using Ali Express (I've tried wish and joom with mixed results). They seem to be as good quality as the original struts. I think they need replacing every 10 years or so. Good luck, Luke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterm69uk Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 1 hour ago, LukeyLukey said: I paid £37.67 for the parts and delivery. They said it would be 80+ days for delivery, but it was about 1 week. It was my first time using Ali Express (I've tried wish and joom with mixed results). They seem to be as good quality as the original struts. I think they need replacing every 10 years or so. Good luck, Luke I paid £37.10 inc delivery, a good price. My rear door doesn’t drop but I have to help it open all the way, not a problem but it’ll be nice for it to open itself with an initial push. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 On 5/25/2024 at 11:49 AM, Rojie said: Hello John, Thanks for this; but my struts are not electric. The tail-gate motor is, but not the struts. I don't want the complication of additional wiring; but I will check them out. Could I ask you please, when convenient, to measure the strut diameter. I have previously imported 'suitable' struts which, unfortunately, were not suitable ! Hi. Sorry about the delay in replying. The diameter of strut cylinder is 23.5mm. Cylinder length 306mm. Overall length between strut centres is 575mm. They are for non motorised door and come with the fitting brackets already on each end. I don't know any numbers I'm afraid, just that they were under 2008 2.4 Alphard/Vellfire type AH20. Hope this is a help? John Harrison. Wallasey, Wirral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 14 minutes ago, John Harrison said: Hi. Sorry about the delay in replying. The diameter of strut cylinder is 23.5mm. Cylinder length 306mm. Overall length between strut centres is 575mm. They are for non motorised door and come with the fitting brackets already on each end. I don't know any numbers I'm afraid, just that they were under 2008 2.4 Alphard/Vellfire type AH20. Hope this is a help? John Harrison. Wallasey, Wirral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojie Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 Hello John, Thank you for this. I appreciate it. They look just like mine; and my machine is a Gen 1 facelift. I bought some struts previously, but they did not fit. I have been on Ali Ex and the ones for the facelift do not seem to come with brackets, which is OK. I'll check my the measurements against those you have supplied, thanks again. I am also working with Lee to establish whether Gen 1 and Gen are the same. I do know from the epc that there are different variants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterm69uk Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 On 6/16/2024 at 5:34 AM, LukeyLukey said: Hi Pete Here is the link: Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! ￡45.79 | With Power Tailgate Struts for Toyota Alphard Vellfire AH20 2008-2015 Minivan Rear Trunk Lift Supports Shock Absorber Dampers https://a.aliexpress.com/_EuGFovd They come with new mounts that are slightly different to the old ones, but fit okay. You'll need a 12mm spanner/socket set. I have a powered boot, so you might want to buy a different set if yours is manual only (although they might work for both options). I found it easier to fit the boot end of the strut first, then the main body of the car. usl Just make sure the boot Is really well supported during swap over ,- they are much heavier than you think and will slam down fast and dangerous without both struts in place. Ali Express will tell you it'll take 80+ days to deliver, but mine came within 10 days. (Not sure why the text has turned red here). Mine arrived yesterday, so just over a week for delivery, fitted today, took no more than 10 mins to fit with the help of my son holding up the door 🤣 Door now lifts itself all the way to the top after an initial pull, so much easier although it wasn't a problem, just nice that the struts now do the work. 👍🏻 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeyLukey Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 4 hours ago, Peterm69uk said: Mine arrived yesterday, so just over a week for delivery, fitted today, took no more than 10 mins to fit with the help of my son holding up the door 🤣 Door now lifts itself all the way to the top after an initial pull, so much easier although it wasn't a problem, just nice that the struts now do the work. 👍🏻 Nicely done. I spent about 40 mins due to my crazy 3 lines of contingency to ensure I didn't repeat my previous glass-smashing foolishness. Glad this fix worked for you, and thanks again to John for sharing the OP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterm69uk Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 7 minutes ago, LukeyLukey said: Nicely done. I spent about 40 mins due to my crazy 3 lines of contingency to ensure I didn't repeat my previous glass-smashing foolishness. Glad this fix worked for you, and thanks again to John for sharing the OP. Yep Cheers John 👍🏼 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 On 5/25/2024 at 11:49 AM, Rojie said: Hello John, Thanks for this; but my struts are not electric. The tail-gate motor is, but not the struts. I don't want the complication of additional wiring; but I will check them out. Could I ask you please, when convenient, to measure the strut diameter. I have previously imported 'suitable' struts which, unfortunately, were not suitable ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 Hi. For some reason, I must have missed your question; sorry it'd been so long replying. The cylinder length is 12" long (304.8mm) and cylinder diameter is 23.5mm (59/64"). These work well on my Vellfire and were bought from Ali Express. The first ones I ordered were wrong but they were refunded very quickly and I ordered these that are correct. Good luck! John Harrison Wallasey, Wirral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojie Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 2 minutes ago, John Harrison said: Hi. For some reason, I must have missed your question; sorry it'd been so long replying. The cylinder length is 12" long (304.8mm) and cylinder diameter is 23.5mm (59/64"). These work well on my Vellfire and were bought from Ali Express. The first ones I ordered were wrong but they were refunded very quickly and I ordered these that are correct. Good luck! John Harrison Wallasey, Wirral. Thanks for this update. I appreciate it. I am currently awaiting a quote confirmation from Amayama. I provided my vehicle details and, surprisingly, they asked me to confirm them; which I did. I had previously ordered a set, but they were the wrong ones; so I am being more thorough this time. What I was initially quoted, before they requested confirmation of the frame number, was about £70 each but that was for Toyota OEM items. Status ? Ongoing ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Harrison Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 I paid £41 inc carrier, bur I have seen them since for £28!!! John Harrison. Wallasey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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