BAD DESIGN PROJECT: HOOD STRUTSBy: Morgan ClareSection 024

FUNCTION• The function of the hood strut, or hood support rod, is to hold the car

hood up while maintenance in being done.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/05-13-Toyota-Tacoma-Hood-Lift-PLUS-Gas-Strut-Shock-/310581319047http://supercar-engineering.com/rubberducky/3S/RnR/All/Hood/

FAILURES?• One must be sure to maintain a firm hold on the heavy car hood while he

simultaneously pulls the hood strut up and attaches it to the hood in order to avoid the hood falling and hurting one’s self.

• If it is not properly inserted into the hole the hood provides for the hood strut, the hood could again fall on top of one working inside of the hood.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Exterior-/33637/i.html?_fln=1&_catref=1&_vxp=mtr&_nkw=Mercedes+ML320+ML350+ML430+ML500+ML55+hood+strut+shock&_sop=3

RELEVANT ISSUES?• To save money, the car market might have seen it as an unnecessary

expense to build a more complicated hood strut.• When cars were first constructed and hood struts were first used, the

creators probably didn’t have enough knowledge about electricity yet to create battery operated hood struts.

http://oldcars.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/73/

REMEDY

• A battery-powered hood strut which latches into hooks autonomously• This improvement on the hood strut would be a hands-free, safer way to

lift the hood of any car.• There would be a need of more battery power, yet this could be taken

from the car battery• The machine mechanism would eventually become old and be in need of

prepare• A possible “check hood strut” light could appear when this becomes the case

http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-mustang-hood-struts-555-0651/

SIMILAR DESIGNS• There are different styles of electric and battery-powered hood struts in

the market.• There are some that have niches in them that if you put them up to

certain heights , it automatically attaches to the hood.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2005-2012-FORD-MUSTANG-GT-V6-GT500-HOOD-STRUTS-CDC-/300905193472

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-BMW-E36-Hood-Struts-4-Door-318ti-325i-328i-M3-8522-/230497236608

AROUND THE WORLD• Other cultures seem to use the same design as the manually adjusted

hood struts, and sometimes the newer electric-powered ones.• The U.S. buys and sells cars produced from many other countries, and

those hood struts are almost identical to the next in each design.

DO I UNDERSTAND?• This did help me understand • Shows all the different designs that seem like potential good ideas from

the start, but end up not working out do to: • Differences in culture• Differences in individuals• The speedy change in technology