davespicer

Is that a joke JR? Given the state of them, I don't doubt that I would've had a tailgate on my head within another few months.

A quick update on this: SGS did come through with replacements in the end. I won't know if the rust plague was a one-off until next Spring.

Oh and thanks to MikeTheThinker for the detailed breakdown of the Small Claims process.

Just nipped out to check: date code is Feb 2019. They were a year old when I bought them.

I can't understand how they can be so corroded either. They're barely a year old. I didn't notice until they got quite bad because, frankly, who inspects their gas struts when they open boot? Even so, the rust must have gone from barely noticeable to bloody awful quite quickly. The most corrosive thing they've been in contact with is Cornwall's rain! They've not even seen much of that, as the car has been parked under cover a lot of the time. I would speculate that SGS's supplier switched materials at some point to save costs and there are probably whole batches of these failing. If that's the case, they must be aware of the problem.

Pics. Feast your eyes on these beauties.

It's the body that's corroded. Both sides are the same. My original struts had no sign of corrosion after 7 years. I only replaced them because they were getting slightly weak.

Some people with good experiences here, so I'm struggling to see why SGS themselves are being so awkward. If the corrosion was unusual, you'd think they'd just write these off as part of a bad batch and replace them with no fuss. Muddyjim, I absolutely agree with you about SGS dodging their responsibilities under the Sale of Goods Act. The cynic in me says they know full well they can ignore people because it'll cost £20 to go to Small Claims and it isn't worth it for £40 gas struts. They ignored a message I sent explaining in what ways I thought they were in violation of SoGA and asking for a refund or replacement. I'll give them 2 weeks to respond, then file a complaint with Trading Standards. Going through Small Claims is still tempting just out of principal. Has anyone done it? How much hassle was it?

Hi, Just a quick word of warning for anyone needing to replace the gas struts on their Yeti. Don't touch the supposedly "direct replacement" parts from SGS Engineering. I bought a pair and while they seemed good initially, they were badly corroded within a year. SGS don't want to know and say the struts must be kept "away from moisture". Given that they sit outside the door seal, the only way you're going to manage that is by not fitting them to the car. The warranty terms do now state this, not sure if they did when I bought, so what they're basically saying is that the "direct replacement" parts can't be used for the intended purpose. Has anyone had any experience with Stabilus struts? Do they last without self-destructing? Dave