Hatchback Strut (aka gas spring) Replacement

My 2010 Prius hatchback gas springs (struts) had weakened and resulted in a couple of head bangs....particularly in cold weather. On inspection the left (port) strut shaft was noticeably more dirty than the right and both were carefully cleaned but not lubricated. This helped but I wanted to replace them all the same. The dealer quoted me $140 each for the parts and I balked. On line there seems to be two primary vendors StrongArm and Stabilus. On the vehicle are installed Stabilus Lift-o-mat 5L as seen in the photo but this was not obvious to me at the time of order. OK, I should have been more rigorous. The StrongArm web site is in Australia and the rep there forwarded me to the U.S. site. Using the automated screen it will suggest the 6244 strut for my vehicle. (March 2010...a change apparently took place in Nov of 2010 but it all seems a little grey.) At Amazon it will warn you that this StrongArm 6244 is not a perfect match for the 2010 Prius III but other comments suggested success. Well I ordered just one as an experiment ($19) and as you can see in the photos it is slightly shorter than the Stabilus. I did replace the left strut and the hatch does close and lift nicely. The StrongArm seems a little more powerful but then I can't say how strong the Stabilus was when new. Unlike other posts I don't get a bang at the top of hatch travel but it may be because I only replaced the one strut. There is no problem with closing either. So, its all good for now and we will see how it lasts. ) Replacement is very easy. FIRST, GET A GOOD FRIEND TO HELP. Pry off the metal clips with a small screwdriver and pop off the strut ends. The new one will pop on and the clips are already in place.)
Key words: gas spring, springs, strut, shock, hatch, trunk, hatchback, lift