Door Struts

[DMC-Ron]

I see a lot of discussion on door struts here. It seems the “satisfaction” with the various offerings depend somewhat on the build batch currently in stock. Also operation after installation seems affected by hot / cold conditions and whether the torsion bar has been adjusted. The DMC units get mixed comments. Some say they are weak and won’t lift the door fully while others say the door shoots up and bounces. Grady units have generally good reviews indicating they are both strong and have some sort of dampen feature to “soft land” the door in the up position.

My driver side door strut just gave out, hissing and spewing fluid. As far as I know the torsion bar has not been field adjusted. Sorry for rehashing a recurring subject but does anyone have current insights on door strut replacements.

Thanks,
Ron

[DMC-81]

I see a lot of discussion on door struts here. It seems the “satisfaction” with the various offerings depend somewhat on the build batch currently in stock. Also operation after installation seems affected by hot / cold conditions and whether the torsion bar has been adjusted. The DMC units get mixed comments. Some say they are weak and won’t lift the door fully while others say the door shoots up and bounces. Grady units have generally good reviews indicating they are both strong and have some sort of dampen feature to “soft land” the door in the up position.

My driver side door strut just gave out, hissing and spewing fluid. As far as I know the torsion bar has not been field adjusted. Sorry for rehashing a recurring subject but does anyone have current insights on door strut replacements.

Thanks,
Ron

I have Grady struts, and they are awesome. They are strong, and I especially like the soft finish. Make sure you check/adjust ( if necessary) your torsion bars at the same time.

[Jonathan]

Another thought on the door strut conversation is that many owners consider them as maintenance items. Meaning, they aren't viewed as something that'll last forever, but instead have a limited lifespan. Kind of like batteries. Some guys feel a battery is good for five years. More than that and you are on borrowed time, less than that and there might be something else contributing to it failing early. I have heard door struts come in around three years as an expected lifespan. Not sure if that is widely accepted or acknowledged, but expecting to need to replace them every few years feels like the norm.

I noted Hervey at SpecialtyAuto (or whatever the website is called now) had a pair that was priced well and boasted good features and longevity. I have not heard any real feedback from an owner though (on the parts themselves, not on the customer service aspect of course).

[Lwanmtr]

I got my struts from DMCNW and have no complaints with them at all...been two years now and they've held up the doors that whole time.

[DMC-81]

Another thought on the door strut conversation is that many owners consider them as maintenance items. Meaning, they aren't viewed as something that'll last forever, but instead have a limited lifespan. Kind of like batteries. Some guys feel a battery is good for five years. More than that and you are on borrowed time, less than that and there might be something else contributing to it failing early. I have heard door struts come in around three years as an expected lifespan. Not sure if that is widely accepted or acknowledged, but expecting to need to replace them every few years feels like the norm.

I noted Hervey at SpecialtyAuto (or whatever the website is called now) had a pair that was priced well and boasted good features and longevity. I have not heard any real feedback from an owner though (on the parts themselves, not on the customer service aspect of course).

I agree that the struts are a maintenance item. I haven't bought Hervey's but if you're looking for Stabilus, DMC has that original brand for the Delorean for what looks like a slightly better price, and based on my experience, MUCH better customer service. In my option, that is a win win.

https://store.delorean.com/p-9411-door-strut.aspx

[Chris 16409]

I agree that the struts are a maintenance item. I haven't bought Hervey's but if you're looking for Stabilus, DMC has that original brand for the Delorean for what looks like a slightly better price, and based on my experience, MUCH better customer service. In my option, that is a win win.

https://store.delorean.com/p-9411-door-strut.aspx

Interesting I didn't know DMC was selling Stabilus door struts. This must be a new development.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Another thought on the door strut conversation is that many owners consider them as maintenance items. Meaning, they aren't viewed as something that'll last forever, but instead have a limited lifespan. Kind of like batteries. Some guys feel a battery is good for five years. More than that and you are on borrowed time, less than that and there might be something else contributing to it failing early. I have heard door struts come in around three years as an expected lifespan. Not sure if that is widely accepted or acknowledged, but expecting to need to replace them every few years feels like the norm.

I noted Hervey at SpecialtyAuto (or whatever the website is called now) had a pair that was priced well and boasted good features and longevity. I have not heard any real feedback from an owner though (on the parts themselves, not on the customer service aspect of course).

I've had the Hervey struts since he started selling his "soft lift" type. They finally started not opening the door all the way by themselves. Someone gave me another set of Hervey struts and now I back again with the doors working good. One of them seems a little much with almost a bounce at the top. But anyway, they lasted five years or more.

[Elvis]

I bought Herveys Stabilus set and was amazed, price, service - and especially the function !

I can't understand the negative comments at all.

After I was so positive many more sets were sold to Germany and nobody here
said anything negative at all.

They say Stabilus (but not built in Germany), lenght fits, force is perfect,
dampening is awesome, price was the reason to even think about replacing
my adjustable struts.


Of course I don't know if he or others sell the same sets parts or if they changed.

[DMC-81]

I bought Herveys Stabilus set and was amazed, price, service - and especially the function !

I can't understand the negative comments at all.

After I was so positive many more sets were sold to Germany and nobody here
said anything negative at all.

They say Stabilus (but not built in Germany), lenght fits, force is perfect,
dampening is awesome, price was the reason to even think about replacing
my adjustable struts.


Of course I don't know if he or others sell the same sets parts or if they changed.

To elaborate a bit, my comment is not about John Hervey's strut product, but the way he runs his business. If his door struts are merely him directly reselling a quality part, then sure.., one may be fine... you only need to take a chance on the quality of his customer service and shipping.

One also needs to be concerned about his products meeting your quality expectations. Like when you think you are buying one part, but then he updates or improves it without communicating that to you or listing/ picturing that change in the product description on his website. Here are 2 of my examples where I got burned:

"Updated" part:
I bought an RPM relay from Special T Auto / Delorean Auto Parts shortly after I first got my car.

Here is what I expected to get per his website:
52879

I received this:

52878

When I opened the package, I thought to myself "W...T...H...!!" I called John and found out that his "update" to the known relay overheating issue was to drill 3 holes in the case to let the heat escape. Plus, I learned later that it was a non-Delorean (Volvo) unit. Sure, it worked alright, but I decided that it didn't belong in my car. It's only value to me is as an emergency spare.

Here's a part that is "better than ever":

This is what I expected to get per his website:
52880

Details and my review of what I got is here: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?15130-DAP-clutch-bleeder-(new-and-improved)

I thought it was just me at first, but then I found some other threads dedicated to this vendor:

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?6054-John-Hervey-Problem

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?7995-John-SpecialT-and-his-quot-business-practices-quot

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?14716-John-Hervey-Strikes-again

So, my point is that if you know that another vendor (DMC) is selling the same brand of struts for slightly less, with known professional customer service and quality shipping it doesn't make sense in my opinion to roll the dice with this vendor.

[NckT]

https://www.deloreango.com/uk/door-gas-strut.html