A YouTube Short making the rounds right now proves once again that the internet never sleeps and neither do automotive hot takes. The clip is (tongue in cheek) titled “how to cramp Lexus RX shock absorber,” and before anyone reaches for a dictionary, yes, it almost certainly means clamp or compress. Autocorrect remains undefeated.
Set in what looks like a dusty, open-air workshop in Nigeria, the video shows a mechanic (he’s definitely a mechanic) confidently tackling a job that most US techs would only attempt with a wall-mounted spring compressor and a healthy dose of caution. The task is simple in theory but dangerous in practice. Compress the coil spring on a Lexus RX strut assembly so the top mount can be removed. The method, however, is where the internet collectively gasps.
Who Needs a Compressor?
Instead of a proper spring compressor, the mechanic reaches for a cargo ratchet strap. The same kind you might use to tie down a motorcycle in a pickup bed or secure furniture during a move. He wraps it around the coil spring, threads it through itself, and begins ratcheting the strap tighter until the spring compresses enough to loosen the top nut.
If that description made you sit up straighter in your chair, you are not alone.
The entire scene is filmed on sandy ground, with tools and parts scattered casually around. The strut itself looks like it has lived a hard life, coated in dust and grime that no shop towel could ever dare to meet. Commenters were quick to notice, joking that sand must be the secret lubricant and questioning whether cleaning parts is optional where physics is apparently flexible.
Got the Job Done, Anyway
As the mechanic loosens the top nut, the ratchet strap holds the spring in place. So far, so good. Then comes the moment that has driven engagement through the roof. He begins releasing the ratchet strap to let the spring decompress. Slowly, but not slowly enough for many viewers’ comfort.
The potential energy stored in a coil spring is no joke, and more than a few commenters warned that one slip could send metal flying toward someone’s face at alarming speed.
The reactions under the video read like a live safety seminar mixed with a comedy club open mic night. Some viewers applaud the creativity, handing out imaginary points for ingenuity and calling it a clever workaround. Others are far less charitable, predicting broken teeth, lost eyesight, or worse if the strap fails or slips.
One popular comment bluntly states that this is how people end up in the hospital over a job that costs a few bucks at a proper shop.
Dare We Have an Opinion Here?
The clip feels almost surreal. In American shops, spring compressors are standard equipment, and OSHA posters loom large on the walls. Liability alone would shut this operation down in seconds. But that contrast is exactly why the video has gone viral, with over 10k likes and — wait for it — no dislike. Not even one.
It is a raw look at how mechanics in low-resource environments solve problems with whatever tools are available. No polish, no disclaimers, no five-minute intro begging you to like and subscribe.
It is also an unapologetic reminder that not every viral “hack” is a good idea to try at home. Definitely do not try this at home. Or at work. A Lexus RX coil spring does not care about your confidence or your follower count. It only cares about physics.
The short ends abruptly, as YouTube Shorts tend to do, leaving viewers somewhere between impressed and horrified. It is not a tutorial. It is not advice. It is a snapshot of necessity-driven ingenuity colliding with internet safety culture.
If nothing else, the video succeeds at making you grateful for proper tools, clean shop floors, and the boring professionalism that keeps coil springs from launching themselves into orbit. And it proves that whether you are in Lagos, Los Angeles, or anywhere in between, questionable mechanical decisions will always find an audience online.