My '96 850's tailgate won't stay up until it is fully opened. It's hard to open with one hand as it wants to slam shut until it's 1/2 to 2/3 of the way open. Can I drop the trim panel inside and tighten the hinge some how? Sure wish I had a shock assist like on my old 145!

 

It has hatch shocks which I will bet are bad. They are up in the panels by the headliner.

 

yep..the bad part of replacing is that they're not usually sold in pairs and they are not cheap.about $40 oem each.Also not as simple to replace as on a sedan. you will need someone or something to hold the tailgate open while you pull panels and speaker grills.but at least u get to bond with your car.

 

I bought some aftermarket ones form either fpcgroton or IPD when I did mine on my 98 V70. Much cheaper and they work fine.

 

Here is the link from FCP.....they are $19.99 each and replacing them is not that hard.

http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exe...category_id/42

 

I just did this on my girlfriends 850 last week, using the struts that Bestharry recommended. Easy repair, but you will need someone or something to hold up the tail gate. If using a person make sure they understand when you pop off the strut the tailgate is going to be heavy. The girlfriend dropped it on my legs both times!!! Here are some good instructions on how to do it: http://volvospeed.com/Repair/TailgateStruts.php Shouldn;t take 30 minutes, and the tailgate will literally fly open when you're done.