Range Rovers Forum banner

Your Experience with Arnott - good or bad?

15K views 29 replies 16 participants last post by  03rangiemark  
#1 ·
Hey there, I'm in the process of reconditioning a 2011 Range Rover L322 Supercharged. Solid vehicle for the most part, but it does tend to leak down in the front after a couple of days of sitting. I have read a few threads about Arnott's rebuilt struts failing and a scattering of positive things to say. How many of you have Arnott spring replacements (from the last 3-4 years), new struts or rebuilt struts in your L322s? Are they as bad as I've read here on this forum? Any positive things to say about their products? The front replacement air springs I ordered look top-notch in terms of quality, but I have not installed them on my struts yet...
 
#3 ·
I've got 3 front air struts from Arnott on my 2 RR's and have had no problems. The oldest about 4 years old & the newest about 2 years.
None of mine are rebuilds though - two full air struts & one air bag that I replaced with one on my existing strut, all new.
If you're interested in what opinions forum members have had. try doing a search, and you'll find where it's been asked and answered before - maybe even searching in other LR model forums that have air struts.
 
#5 ·
best bet,
buy new Delphi struts from Island4x4 UK.

( NOTE at one point Arnott was getting used struts,
painting them and then fitting new bags and sending them out.)

shipping was not too expensive and the parts cost was very reasonable.
I suggest to use Molycoat on the O ring connections to keep the seals soft.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Actually I've had a few of the OEM struts over the last 15 years, and as with the originals I've replaced; the OEMs have failed too.
So when you're asking about what members think of Arnott's, keep in mind that the originals AND OEM & aftermarket all fail.

I've bought one from Island 4x4, which was a good price including shipping. I think it might be the one that wasn't replaced (yet) with an Arnott since that was only maybe 5 years ago. I do know that the company that the name on the "genuine" strut links to a Chinese international car parts corporation that LR gets them from.

I've bought struts with airbags made from Goodrich, from Contitech & others.
The new Arnott's are made by Arnott, with a lifetime warrantee for the original owner.
I haven't needed to claim a warranty replacement and honestly probably won't when mine fail unless it's less than 5 years from when I got them.
One point that helped me choose them although it doesn't matter to most of us here (and there's nothing wrong with their personal choice) is that Arnott's are made here in the USA, and specifically Florida (somewhere near Melbourne I think).
 
#10 ·
I started wondering that too. I have BWI struts up front with a 2016 date code, so they’ve been replaced before.
I started exercising the valve blocks yesterday. I got a lingering hiss for a while up front, but after a few ups and downs, it cleared up. Made the car do push-ups. And it seems to be holding air pretty well now.
 
#9 ·
Fronts replaced with Arnott three years ago and still no issues. But like everything else, they suffer wear and tear common to the function they perform.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#12 ·
I'm 6 months in on my front Arnott front strut assemblies to replace the old leaking ones (not sure if they were OEM or not). I purchased from FCP Euro on purpose as they have a lifetime warranty on all products they sell. It would have been a tiny bit less expensive purchasing from Arnott directly at my shop, but as I plan to keep this vehicle for a while, I ponied up the additional $40/side for a warranty. I'm very happy so far.
 
#13 ·
BWI bought the Delphi suspension business that is the OEM supplier for Land Rover and a bunch of other high end cars using the magnetic fluid shock technology. Who knows where they are made? Maybe still at the plant in Indianna. For that matter the shock cartridge is not likely made in the same factory as the air bag. I seriously doubt Arnnott makes the shock or the bag in Florida, probably just assembly. But auto parts are pretty much globally sourced these days. And why that's an issue on a British made auto, I'm not sure. I'm glad the recent experiences with Arnott suggest they are getting better but I'm not giving them another chance when they are nearly as much as the OEM part.
 
#14 ·
2011 RR SC here. Been riding on Arnott front bellows since Nov 2019 without issues. Was in same boat as you after front corner leaked down after a cold night. Wanted OE but was open to other solutions. I do all my own work so that opens up other options.

I too heard at that time that Arnott utilized used front strut assemblies as cores for their strut replacements. With adaptive suspension, I did not want to adopt someone else’s potential wear, misuse, or collision damage so I decide to just go with Arnott bellows.

From rock auto at the time, I think they were a mere $171 each. Certainly a no brainer and I maintained reasonable assurance that my front struts were good at 90k miles of cream puff use from prior owner. Approaching 120k miles now. Huge value there and I’ve been happy. Knocking on wood now that I’m saying something.

During install, I could see where some guys would have trouble when replacing bellows only. Do not remember exactly but it seemed getting the main seal to seat at the base of the strut was the main area focus on. Making sure that seal was fully seated and square/not twisted from pushing the assy down is key. Seem to recall that instead of pushing the entire assembly down to seat the seal, I isolated the seat and only pushed it down to get a great seal, then finished the assembly from there
 
#21 ·
Bought New Arnott (Not reconditioned) fronts 4 years - 40k miles ago. No problems so
far. Bought new Arnott air compressor same time. It failed last year. Arnott Replaced with new - no charge. I can say they honor lifetime warranty.
How long has Arnott offered a lifetime warranty?

Also, is Arnott the same as AMK?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#22 ·
I can't help posting this-
But there is some truth to part warranty being worthless. When a certain brand of part fails prematurely and you have to re-do a repair, do you really want the part replaced with the same or go with something that lasted longer?
 
#24 ·
I can't help posting this-
But there is some truth to part warranty being worthless. When a certain brand of part fails prematurely and you have to re-do a repair, do you really want the part replaced with the same or go with something that lasted longer?
There is no accountability with the original manufacturer if you never take them up on their warranty.

You bought the paid-for part in the first place, knowing about the warranty, but without intention of using it?

Hell, get them to replace the failed part, sell the replacement, then buy what you want.

But get SOMETHING from them, or you’ll continue to feed their sucker-a-minute minting machine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#23 · (Edited)
I've got 3 of the 4 front air struts on my 2003 and 2012, all with lifetime warranties, but have never had to use them because they're all working fine.
Keep in mind that the original LR air struts apparently fail (un)reasonably often, as do any of the replacements other than Arnott - or else this wouldn't be an issue and wouldn't be a major topic of discussion for the L322.
As far as Arnott's lifetime warranty - it is a limited warranty in that it is not transferable from the original owner.
That's the only caveat to it that I've heard of, with complaints from subsequent owners trashing Arnott because they couldn't get replacements because they're not the original buyer and couldn't provide proof of purchase.
But come to think of it, if they didn't do this, there would be more risk of getting non-Arnott parts back from people trying to work/take advantage of that system.
Considering that, it sounds like a reasonable constraint to me!

I agree with "But there is some truth to part warranty being worthless. When a certain brand of part fails prematurely and you have to re-do a repair, do you really want the part replaced with the same or go with something that lasted longer? " in a certain context.
It certainly applied to many store brand parts, moreso long ago than the last 10 or 20 years, since production control & quality of cheaper parts has improved dramatically.
In the mid '80's I used to go through Discount Auto Parts own label of starters on my '75 Monte Carlo annually. Lifetime warranty, but they counted on the customer to get tired of replacing the same one that kept failing.
But then again I think the main culprit was the sensitivity of properly shimming the starter when installing.
Unfortunately I wasn't familiar with that finer detail on starter installation until after I sold my '75 Monte Carlo.
 
#25 ·
On my L322, my original fronts failed at 7 years and the rears are still original. To me that's decent life but my perspective might be different having owned 2 P38's that have far more EAS issues. I tried Arnott bags on my first P38 and after about 20k they were leaking where the bags were attached with a crimp. I wasn't the only one having that was having issues at the time and heard from others about slow response from Arnott. So rather than wait for a replacement that wasn't going to last as long as OEM, I went back to Dunlop which lasted the rest of its life. Nobody is going to send you a check, warranty is at best, a replacement part. And they are only going to do it one time, and all the labor is on you along with shipping. So I don't think it makes me a sucker to toss something that isn't working. I also expect that after about 1.5 years and 20k-ish miles they would probably argue normal wear and tear and refuse the claim. I haven't read their warranty but I bet somewhere it says "solely at their discretion". I wasn't going to battle them so I could resell their bad design to someone else.
 
#26 ·
Thanks all, I decided to go with the new Arnott struts (not the rebuilds) for L322s with VDC. Quality, fit and finish seemed to be top notch. Install was a breeze, mostly. Had to bust out the torch to get a few bolts loose, but wasn't too bad. I am now about 3,000 miles into them and very much like the way their air springs soak up all minor road imperfections, seems a bit smoother and quieter than the factory stuff.
 
#27 ·
AVOID Arnott!! - - - DO NOT BUY ARNOTT PRODUCTS!
I contacted Arnott technical support to confirm which struts I needed to order for my vehicle and was given a part number. I ordered the Arnott recommended parts from a supplier and paid to have the struts installed by my mechanic. After installation, the “service suspension light” remained on my dash. I called Arnott customer service and was told “they are having issues with the sensors, and I would need to swap them out”. Arnott mailed me replacement sensor which I paid additional money to have installed by my mechanic. After the new sensors were replaced, the “service suspension light” remained on. Again, I had to call Arnott and was told that I would have to replace the struts with a totally different part number. Arnott shipped replacement struts and I had them installed by my mechanic (3rd time I had to pay the mechanic!!!). Arnott refused to pay the cost of installation of the replacement struts even after they said they would pay all installation costs. I reached out to Arnott customer service and they refused to assist.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME and MONEY with Arnott.
 
#28 ·
Some good info in this thread. Just FYI - as of 2023, Arnott now only includes a 2-year warranty to the buyer. A lot of information floating around about their lifetime warranty, which they did have prior to 2023, but their updated terms specifically state 2 years from the date of purchase now..
 
#29 · (Edited)
All 3 of the Arnott air struts I have on the fronts of my 2 RRs are still working great - no surprises.
The most recent one has just passed 4 years & 30k miles, the other on that RR is almost at 6 years & 45k miles.
The one on my 2003 RR (Arnott air bag only, installed on my existing strut) is nearing 10 years, no leak or lowering (even in cold months) so far.
 
#30 ·
Well the Arnott Air Spring (A2933) developed a slow leak. It was at the phantom stage where it looked more like some strange suspension control problem, but as the more experienced know, the good old soapy water found the spot & confirmed the leak.
I installed it in April 2019 and it failed (at least when it became noticeable) in May 2025 - 6 years.
Image


Image