I had the same thing they were just like yours.johnnydog wrote:Cleaning the RS last weekend, I noticed corrosion on the tailgate struts under the cap / cover where the piston rod enters the strut body. It had split the plastic covers on both sides. Appears that rain water in the tailgate aperture had naturally dripped onto the strut and then got trapped inside the cover causing the corrosion. When the tailgate is shut the cover is at it lowest point.
I slid the cover off and rubbed down the affected area and repainted it, but then cut off the cover.
Aftermarket replacements don't seem to have this cover which seems pretty superfluous - maybe its more of a dust cover but certainly not to prevent water ingress.
Seems a pretty bad design really as it is just water trap. The struts work ok, so I will leave them on for the moment.
Anyone else noticied this issue?
That's a great idea I'll do that. Not sure why I didn't think of doing that when I first fitted the New ones ! Thanksjohnnydog wrote:If your replacements have the same cover, it might be worth a thin smear of black sealant at the base around the strut body to stop rain water seeping in again and doing the same with your replacement struts. It only needs to be thinnest wipe of sealant and wouldn't be noticeable. If I need to replace mine at any time, I will probably buy none Audi struts without this cover, such as Febi, with the correct force for a power tailgate
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