****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Update - 1/26//2018 - Star rating unchanged.About 2 years of use, the BOXI are still holding up very well. I don't feel any softness or slack in the supports. Still need a good arm to close them.*~*~*~*Update - 2/22/2017 - Star rating unchanged.Just a quick follow-up - after a year of use, the BOXI are holding up very well. I have opened the lift-gate about 400 times and the supports are just as robust as they were on the first day. At the approx. $25 price-point, I did not expect them to last more than a year, but I don't see any reason why they won't last a few more years.*~*~*~*The BOXI gas charged lift supports are an excellent replacement for my 2004 BMW X3. Though I have not replaced too many of these, the construction and quality are as good as previous manufacturers I have used - Sachs, Monroe, etc.My BMW tailgate lift supports lasted me nearly 12 years. Last week I pushed up my tailgate, got under it to get groceries out and got a good knock on my head.Did a little research and found out that I could pay $135 for a pair from my dealer or pay between $25 – $70 for an aftermarket pair.I finalized on the BMW X3 E83 2004-2010 Tailgate Trunk Lift Support Damper REAR Shock Strut Prop x2 Pair SET and the BOXI. Magnetti Marelli’s is an Italy based international conglomerate specializing in hi-tech systems with over 90 years of history, while BOXI [...] is a 10 year old Chinese company specializing in gas spring & hydraulic lift support systems. The Magnetti Marelli's were about 60% more expensive - $41 vs the $26 for the BOXI, but at this price-point the actual dollar value did not matter. I thought that I would give BOXI a chance since, 1. This is their primary product, and, 2. Magnetti Marelli’s might most probably be outsourcing their manufacturing to a Chinese company.The product arrived very well packaged. Each individual support was packaged in its own heavy duty plastic sleeve with detailed, legible instructions and warnings on it. The sleeves were packed in a cardboard box.DO NOT ATTEMPT THE FOLLOWING WITHOUT A PERSON PROVIDING POSITIVE SUPPORT FOR THE LIFT GATE FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION OR THE REPLACEMENT. DO NOT USE A STATIONARY SUPPORT (Lumber, etc.) TO HOLD UP THE LIFT GATE.I had read up on replacing lift supports as well as seen a couple of YouTube videos, so swapping them out did not take much time.After wearing eye protection and gloves, take a #1 flat head, insert it under the clip and jiggle it loose. Once you have enough height on the clip, use a needle nose plier to gently pull it out. Be gentle because the clip is heavy duty and still has some potential to do damage. Clean the ball fittings on the truck; insert and push the cap on the thicker tube of the support into the ball fitting and click in place. You might need to turn the lower rod cap about ½ to ¾ turn to match the ball fitting on the truck (This is why you do the thicker tube first). Insert the cap into the ball fitting and click into place. All done! I completed both of them in less than 10 mins.I did have to over-extend the gate about a half inch for the support to fit – I attribute it to the fact that the old supports might not been able to support the gate effectively. DO NOT attempt to compress the support to fit it - you can bend or damage it!The lift gate is well-supported and has a nice smooth opening action – no jerks while opening. Also, closing it requires a little pressure – which is good – because I suspect over time the support will become softer.I will update if things change but for right now this BOXI product is an excellent product at a fantastic ($26 per pair) price-point.Recommended!Replacement for BMW part: 51 24 3 400 379 (X3 without Aero Package)Overall length: 25 1/8"
