Here'* one that will probably earn me a demotion back to "ricer" status on the forum. My 86 Buick Regal hood support struts have been limp for many years and I've been carrying a shovel handle to prop up the hood. I just bought some new struts off the Internet, installed them (easy easy install) but they remain rigid. It'* been so long since my struts worked I can't remember how they worked. Am I supposed to lift the hood upward before it will comes back down or should I just push/force the hood back down (which I don't think I can do because these struts are pretty rigid). I am wondering if I got some Asian crap struts.

You might have gotten some bad ones. You don't need to lift up first. If you're going to try to push down hard, don't go too crazy. You could fold your hood. I think your hood is aluminum, right?

Thanks for coming to my aid (again!) CathedralCub. I think I got some bad ones too. I didn't think I remembered doing anything more than just lowering the hood to close it but the years have been many since my original struts worked so I thought maybe that I had forgotten the details. I'm going to order some new ones from a legitimate auto parts store but, in the meantime, I will try to get my money back from eBay which is becoming increasingly difficult. They now hide behind a bucket-load of insulation before one can take advantage of their so-called "guarantees." I think this is about the end of my doing any business on eBay. It seems like every transaction now ends up being a dirt sandwich.

Should only require a small pull down to close.

Thanks for weighing-in, Carfixer007. That little piece of information cinches it. I installed them again today and they're not moving, let alone retracting by applying a small amount of pull-down force so I am sure you and CathedralCub guided me to an accurate assessment: I've been ripped. The seller is playing ornery...this isn't the eBay I used to enjoy so much in the 1990s for sure. As the saying goes, "too soon old, too late smart" however I ordered two more through the local car parts store which is what I should have done in the first place.

I now consider Ebay purchases for auto-related things to be a one-way trip. I'm likely not going to get money back on bad stuff, therefore I have to live with what arrives. Taking that logic to the next step, I look at reviews. If the picture seems okay I make a call, and if not then I don't do it. In the last five years, the only automotive stuff I've purchased there has been .PDF service manuals.