[sb53]

Hello everyone. First off I'd like to thank this forum for all the posts about changing out the front air strut on my 2007 4.4 HSE Full Size that I bought a couple of months ago. A few weeks ago I ran into a rough road and developed a prominent rattle in my front end drivers side wheel well. So, after a thorough search, I isolated it to the strut on the drivers side and bought a cheap Ebay strut/airspring combo for $171.00 that turns out was made in China. This morning I changed it out and the defective strut that apparently broke and was rattling was an Arnott Remanufactured strut that had a date of 2014 on it. I thought those were the good ones? It couldn't even hold up to a few miles of rough road without breaking down. Sorry, so not impressed!!! The changeout went well (thanks to this forum and RSW Solutions videos) and this strut combo seems awesome! It looks very well made and was packaged very professionally. I guess time will tell, and I'll keep you informed if this one doesn't last either. If not, I won't replace it with an Arnott one though. I'll search and find a different brand. Thanks again for all the helpful posts. Here's a picture of the literature that came with the new strut/airspring combo.

 

[Gadzooks2]

How did you narrow the rattle down the the air bag? I had a clunk a while back and replaced the sway bar ends then a lower bushing and still had it. Then an air bag failed and when the strut was replaced the clunk was gone. Now a few months later I have a clunk again and don't know where to start to look for it and don't know how to prove if it's a strut or bag..

 

[sb53]

I had a friend drive me around on a bumpy road while I got in the back seat and rolled the window down one side at a time to see which side it was coming from. It was loud enough to tell it was coming from the front drivers wheel well. When I got home I tapped on the tire with a rubber mallet and could hear the rattle slightly coming from somewhere around the wheel. I then got under the car with a stethoscope (about 10 dollars at O'Reilly's) and had my friend tap on the tire with the rubber mallet while I put the end of the stethoscope on the surrounding parts. It was obviously coming from the strut itself while listening, so I ordered a new strut/air bag combo on ebay and replaced it. It is now rattle free and rides like a dream! I wouldn't go through the hassle of just replacing the strut or the airbag. Save yourself a lot of time and trouble and just replace the whole unit.

 

[diff]

I had one strut apart to replace the airspring only with an arnott bag but did not notice anything that would get loose in there and I had compressed the shock several times to see how it functioned and all seemed well. I have to do the sway bar bushings first and will see if the noise remains. I will try to test for the noise as described above

 

[Arnott Inc.]

This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

Sorry about your strut but I'm glad you got it sorted out. I don't think your issue is due to Arnott as much as the 'remanufactured' strut and its history. While Arnott thoroughly tests every used strut we buy or get as a core return there is no way to tell exactly how many miles were put on the unit or what conditions it was driven under. After dyno testing, we clean and paint the strut and replace all wearable parts including seals and even tops if necessary. Then we rebuild it with the same heavy duty rubber air bladder that we use in our replacement air springs. But again, these aging struts (which could be 11 years old now) have an unknown use factor. For that reason we offer a limited lifetime warranty on our remanufactured (as well as all new) struts for as long as the original purchaser owns the vehicle. We also sell coil conversion kits to remove air suspension, replacement air springs so customers can choose to re-use their own strut and we are also excited about our Arnott deigned new struts.

Arnott recently released new front struts for the 06-12 RR. Arnott's design features a new custom-made and tuned shock absorber valved to provide an excellent ride and is assembled in the USA with a multi-ply air spring bladder manufactured by Vibracoustic. The strut assembly also features extra-heavy duty crimping rings, new seals, air fitting and check valve along with a stamped steel top. This Arnott-designed new strut assembly is backed by a Limited Lifetime Warranty and 30-Day Return Policy. Arnott designed new struts are an excellent alternative for aging air suspension systems because they provide the luxury, comfort and auto leveling of air springs but replace the older original shock with a brand new shock custom valved to provide a great ride at a more affordable price. Customers like the ride and comment it is an improvement over the tired old O.E. strut.

06-12 Range Rover Excluding Supercharged:https://www.arnottindustries.com/part_LAND_ROVER_yid4_pid159.html
06-12 Range Rover Supercharged:https://www.arnottindustries.com/part_LAND_ROVER_yid4_pid173.html

 

[Keralis]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

for as long as the original purchaser owns the vehicle.

Annnd there it is. The catch. And the issue I had with my own almost new driver front strut.

 

[Les_Paul]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

Annnd there it is. The catch. And the issue I had with my own almost new driver front strut.

That's not really a catch. Seems like a good warranty to me. I sympathize with your current situation but you can't expect a company to warranty products forever for every owner of a vehicle, especially wear items.

Do you have any idea how the previous owner used or abused the RR? It's possible that he drove the truck aggressively while off-roading or on bad roads for years.

Again I sympathize with you that you had to replace a strut so soon after purchasing the truck, but the Arnott warranty is good.


2012 Range Rover HSE Lux 5.0L V8 Santorini Black 65k miles

<a href="http://www.fuelly.com/car/land_rover/range_rover/2012/runninsmooth/622978" target="_blank"><img src="http://badges.fuelly.com/images/sig-us/622978.png" width="500" height="63" alt="Fuelly" title="Share and compare MPG at Fuelly" border="0"/></a>

 

[sb53]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

No, that IS the catch. WOW, so when you receive a core you have no idea the miles or age of the strut and you just test it and paint it? That is pitiful. Then it's not rebuilt, it's repainted. No wonder it failed. If they are so proud of their struts and assemblies, why don't they offer a 6-10 year warranty that goes with the car regardless of the owner. Why would changing owners have anything to do with it? Car manufacturer original (and most extended) warranties go with the car. Arnott only has to be concerned for a few years at most, because most driver's don't drive their vehicles 10 years. I'm still SO NOT impressed!! And I'm angry that they don't back the struts that are on my car that were installed in 2014 and are failing so I had to learn all about changing out a strut and do that work before I even really got to enjoy my new (to me) car!! Come on Arnott, back your products if you're so sure about your quality. And no Les Paul, my car was pampered by an older gentleman that never took it offroad. I know the history and the vehicle has obviously been pampered. It's not hard to tell on a Range Rover.

 

[Keralis]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

My strut was used for 10k< on all highway. After I bought the truck I spoke to the previous owner and asked him about the truck. He supplied a few receipts for the truck, even things I hadn't known that have been replaced.

Went to the salvage yard with an 03' with 80k, pulled the strut, and rebuilt all of them with Arnott bags. Hopefully those last.

 

[RRToadHall]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

That is also the first time Doug has admitted they do nothing with the strut except paint it so it looks new. What they call a "remanufactured" strut is just old rubbish with a new EAS bladder. The warranty is certainly nothing to get excited over. You are buying a used part and they replace it with a used part. Sadly their warranty does not cover the labour to install replacements. Yea you get a free used strut, but then you have to fork out labour AGAIN to install yet another used part. It is hardly cost effective.

 

[kg74]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

My experience is also some what sour. I had used Arnott on my old Disco 2 and was satisfied. A major selling point on my 2004 LR322 was that it had Arnott's installed within 15k miles so I figured front shock issues were not going to be a problem.

I was wrong - one corner constantly leaked and I had no warranty as the second owner. I called Arnott and they could do nothing but sell me another.

I opted to replace it with one off eBay that others had good luck with. 2500k miles on it with no issues and I believe total cost was about $200-250.

I fully understand Arnott cannot be on the hook forever, but maybe they can give a transferable 30k warranty or something, provided the original owner logs the mileage with Arnott when they are installed. Otherwise the warranty means nothing from a second purchaser prospective. Even a two or three year from sell date warranty would provide some value. Just my experience and thoughts.

 

[sb53]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

I agree kg74. Why not have a time limited warranty (5 years or so at a minimum) that goes with the part. Just knowing I might be buying a strut/air bag combo that the strut might have 150,000 miles and 10 years on it convinces me never to buy a "remanufactured" Arnott strut. Legally, they shouldn't even be able to call it "remanufactured" because it's not. Who wants to take the chance of it failing and having to go through all that labor (or pay someone to do it) even though Arnott will give you another strut (which itself might be very old and fail within a month again!!). And they are not cheap at Arnott. Struts and air bags aren't rocket science. I'll take my chances with a cheap ebay one. I'll let you know how long the one I just installed lasts. It's working great and rides like a dream right now, and overnight didn't leak even a tiny bit. Seems solid as a rock.

 

[Gadzooks2]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

Let's be honest about this. The strut (shock absorber) portion is a wear item and like any damper will have a limited life. The air bag however is there because someone thought it was better than a conventional coil spring. Now a spring is normally NOT a wear item and usually lasts the life of the car or if heavily off roaded most of the life of the car. For some reason we are supposed to be OK with springs that fail, or one of the many support items for the springs failing all so we can lower the car to get in and out. My wife really likes the feature and we are just paying the price for that but let's not kid ourselves into thinking failed springs regardless of the exact cause is normal. If you manufacture an air bag, it should last nearly forever, It's a big thick piece of rubber, NOT sophisticated.

 

[sb53]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

Only rubber does dry up and crack. I think anytime you buy an "ACTUAL remanufactured" or new strut and airbag they should last a minimum of 10 years. I kept my P38's EAS in top shape and the ride was fantastic. It's also now fantastic on my L322 now that I replaced the bad strut. I hope I have no more trouble with the 3 Arnott's remaining on my vehicle, but time will tell. They are three years old (except for the front right "repainted" strut), so maybe I will get lucky and have no more failures. The one I replaced should not have failed after 3 years though just because I drove on a rough road for a few miles. Very disappointed in Arnott. If you read this entire thread, you know why. And I second your statement. It's NOT sophisticated or rocket science. In my humble opinion, you pay too much for a repainted strut and an air bladder at that company. WAY TOO MUCH! Too much competition.

 

[diff]

Re: This is what's so great about Arnott ; - )

Just a note on springs. I was looking at some older F150 pick-up trucks 2003-05 and I noticed on more than a couple that the front springs were often replaced or uncertified ones often had broken coils. Obviously not the cream of the crop but good old north american stuff just failing, not to mention undersized ball joints and tie rod ends. So these failures really are not a surprise but they sure are disappointing and now it seems like someone is stepping in to fill the gap with better pricing. Of interest is that someone else seems to be making the bladder for Arnott-I had thought they did all their own work from earlier advertising literature i read before I replaced my P38 rears years ago. It would be of interest to know more about that manufacturer-let alone the industry-as so many big rigs also seem to use air springs. Curious if anyone has cut a strut shock apart to see what actually fails within. It is a pity that the kit is so expensive and anyone who could plan in advance would order one in. In Canada i have not found any economical options that are readily available.

 

[btmfuturesho]

This threads turning into kind of a joke!! C'mon guys. Buy shocks from the dealer, or a good OEM unit, or quit complaining. Arnott bags are awesome, their redesigned top plate is amazing, used struts in unknown condition that have been painted are obviously not a good option, so stop using them!!

Oh and anyone with a crippled L322 riding on springs who thinks it's better than bags has no idea what they're missing.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[sb53]

I'll let you know how this Chinese made strut/airbag unit wears and lasts. It was $171 on ebay. It looks good, rides good, doesn't leak at all, looks well made and fit perfectly. It shows 86 of them sold on ebay, with 15 five star ratings, and 0 negative ratings. Pay $1000 for a dealer one, or $700 OEM? No thanks, I'll take my chances. Like I said on this thread before, air bags and struts aren't rocket science, It shouldn't cost $500-1000. You're getting ripped off. Heck, a new top of the line Michelin Latitude tire for this truck costs $270. Why should a small airbag with no belts, tread, engineering, safety requirements, etc., cost more than that? Because the market had no competition before now. It's not much different than the screw that costs $2.70 at Land Rover costs 7 cents at the hardware store. I know because I just bought both of the exact screw at those prices. They are not called the STEALER for nothing. They are ripping you off!!

 

[Keralis]

When my 04 starts leaking, forget Arnott, I'll use the eBay ones. Never liked eBay parts, but if they perform they perform.

Keep us updated.

 

[sb53]

I will definitely do that. If the ebay strut/airbag combo fails, I will report it and try another brand. It won't be Arnott though. The good news is I can change a strut now with my eyes closed. A simple job after you've done it once. The key is to soak all the bolts and nuts with WD-40 or your preferred brand for a while before starting the job. I gave it a week and had no problems whatsoever with any bolt or nut turning or coming out. Of course the Arnott strut I replaced was only in there 3 years!!

 

[Gadzooks2]

I had a bag just blow out backing up at 2 mph. Not a good thing to have happen in the middle of the desert. I had to take it to the nearest place to have it replaced and they put an Arnott unit in. Two weeks later the new one blew going down the street. They replaced it again under warranty of course but I noticed the other strut in front was also an Arnott. Now the car only had 75K miles on it and unless Arnott struts come from the factory, this thing had failed before I even owned it. If Arnott are not the factory struts then the OEM crap had already failed way too soon. Since we were in the middle of nowhere this one strut cost $850 to replace. I'm holding my breath that this is the end of it but if not, i'll consider "crippling' (hahaha) it and putting coil springs on it. Of course a set of side steps will be necessary at that point for the wife but that would be a small price to pay to solve a problem permanently.