W166 rear hatch strut replacement
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 427
Likes: 57
13 GL350, 14 SL550
Was trying to take my left side strut off to see if it was bad, proactively (see how much pressure it had), released from top ball and mostly slid off fine (btw, the wire doesnt need 2 come completely out just lifted to release the 2 side retaining wires off ball joint) but the top doesnt clear edge of liftgate to come off. Does all of the plastic tailgate trim around that area have to be removed to get the top of strut off? How didd you guys get the top off past the edge of the tailgate?
Try opening the hatch a bit more once you have the strut off. Maybe then there is clearance?
I got mine off no problem... you may have to swing the strut in a specific direction to get it out. Or take off the bottom first rather than the top. I think I took the bottom off mine first, so when I took the top off it just came off easily in a downward direction.
