never said it was a good idea...but sometimes you have to improvise to get something done...i haven't heard any other solutions to this members issue

as was said previously, try to contact the company to see if they have any tips for installation...i would try the drill approach as well...if not i would improvise away since no one here has any other helpful tips...or you can return them and buy the chinese version like i bought and have no issues with installation and save a little money...probably inferior design...but easy install and you could buy 2 sets for the price of the redlines as it's not an expensive part...the set i bought was just shy of $40...it's also not a vital part seeing as you still have the hood prop arm as a backup

 

This all strangely reminds me of a friend who bought a pair of LL Bean boots in the discount bin room for half price.
He always wanted a pair but wouldn't pay the full price.
They were size 11 and he wears a 9.

 

Dude the helpful tip is follow the installation instructions. The OP's car is applicated for them and have been installed on numerous same year and model Mazda's!

As for your comment about the Chinese version the data posted about them fail rate is 70% greater than other brands, Thats why if your go looks at your struts from China I would be surprised if that had any ID let alone a part number. And they are not designed specifically for the different hood on different platforms. They are Univeral specification that can and do often damage hoods.

However if you strut do in fact have number to ID them post a picture and I will tell your ALL the engineering specification available that most can't obtain. and likely if anything is only the extend and compressed or collapsed lengths. But hey as a PE you should also know where and how to find that information as well?

 

Lbostah .... that's funny!!!! lol

 

you must have missed it...he tried to follow the directions and is still having issues which is why he's asking...i previously posted the link to the instructions as well...if he can't get a tip from calling the manufacturer or get someone else to install them...then i say improvise away...or just don't install them and use the hood prop...i installed these https://a.co/d/6e6aGXq ...seem to work fine...seem to be designed for this car...if they fail i'll get another set...and don't worry about the specs, i'm satisfied with my purchase and their function

 

repeat

And add this to the reading list !

Car Repair Advice Forum= at your own risk - Mazda Forum - Mazda Enthusiast Forums


Automotive Forums

Another source of information many people use on the internet are automotive forums. There are hundreds of forums dedicated to specific vehicle makes and models as well as more general automotive forums. Forums contain a wealth of information, but also a lot of misinformation and conflicting information.

The typical forum user will post a question in hopes that other forum users will respond and offer an answer or advice on how to solve the problem. But with all forums, there is no guarantee that anyone will respond or that any responses they do receive will be accurate or helpful. It all depends on the other forum members and who posts a response. Many forum users are quite knowledgeable and can provide exactly the kind of answer you are looking for. Other forum users want to be helpful and may venture a guess or offer an opinion that may or may not be accurate or may be totally wrong. In other words, it may be hard to distinguish good advice from bad advice.

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We've seen many forum responses degenerate into endless bickering between conflicting points of view. We've also seen a lot of posts that totally contradict one another. There's nothing wrong with a good debate provided the people involved know what they are talking about. But unless there is some resolution to the debate, or some serious fact checking involved, the person who posted the original question may be left confused and no closer to finding an answer than when they started.

 

Not in my case. It seemed silly to have the OEM prop still there as the struts replace their function. I removed mine and it looks much cleaner.

 

Sometimes coming here all I can think of is this.

 

I think I just lost 20 IQ points.

 

Breakthrough!

I finally realized the metallic “cone” must be COMPLETELY inserted into the fender hole.

Narrow part of cone pointed down, threaded ball stud pointed up.

The cone/stud must be threaded so the cone is just a turn or two onto the threads.

But not so lose that you risk losing the cone into “no mans land.”

Now you GENTLY lift up on the ball stud, so that the cone “grabs” the underside of the fender hole while you gently tighten, first by hand. Then once set, torquing with 13mm deep well.

I feel the printed instructions could have been better detailed, but got ‘er done! 🤗

This Mustang post describes it well at the 3:05 mark (obviously the rest of the video not Mazda applicable).