Semi-Local Craigs list guy has two front air shocks and one rear for sale from swapping out the suspension on a 55k mile 08 XJ8 VDP. Wants $500 for the front pair or $600 for all three.

I know it is a risk to buy used; even if there's "only" 55K miles on them, they are still 8 to 9 years old. What do you guys think? Replace my year old Arnotts in the front to see if the clunk goes away? Then keep the Arnotts and one rear for future replacement/insurance? Offer $400 for the fronts only? Or just live with the clunk until I can check the front shock bottom bushings? Would I notice any big difference with the front ECATS working again?

EDIT: Forget the last questions - I downloaded the photos from craigs list so I could zoom in on them and these appear to have Arnott stickers on them.

 

Look for the eCats plug. If the Arnotts have 55,000 miles, or the car has 55,000 miles. A set of the older style Arnott with low mileage might be worth 500 to get eCat functional.

 

I didn't know that any Arnottts maintained the ECATS system. I thought that they just had a resister or whatever is needed to fool the system into not throwing codes. The ends are covered in the pics, so I'd have to ask.

 

Hi Phil,

If those are OE Bilstein air springs/shocks that Arnott rebuilt, they should retain the ECATS capability. I don't believe Arnott did anything to affect the solenoid valves in the tops of the shocks.

If they are the proprietary Arnott units, they do not have ECATS capability.

Cheers,

Don

 

If you are having a low suspension fault and need to get the car roadworthy again I have a couple of used air struts (front, rear) for sale in the Classifieds section. From my own purchasing experience I think the fronts are overpriced by $150 or so, especially if off of a 2004 car,

 

The ad said from a 2008 with 55K miles. My car is OK for the time being - it just has a clunk on both sides that might be bushings or (from others experience reported here) might be the Arnotts that were put on the front when I bought it a year ago.

I see new Arnotts are $550 plus shipping (the craigs list ad says new are $700) so he is asking about half of new. Guess I'll call and ask if they are rebuilt or if they are Arnott manufactured units without ECATS. He didn't say, but I suspect one rear went bad and he replaced all with coil over units, probably also from Arnott - hence the new boxes in his photos.

 

Is your O6SV8 a Soverign (supercharged) V8? If so it may be equipped with the XJR type, stiffer shocks


The struts you have in the pictures above sure look like Arnott's to me, and I've had 04, 06, 08 and 09 factory air struts in front of me at one point or another over the last year.

 

Yes, they looked like Arnotts to me too, although the rubber covers have fewer and larger corrugations than the new ones on the Arnott web site.

Yes, my SV8 is supercharged, but I think the LWB sedans got the comfort suspension and I think the new Arnotts are valved for the comfort setting which may be why they recommend replacement in pairs.

 

Those are Arnott Designed Struts AS-2519 which were sold in pairs. They were superseded by part number AS-2710 in 2014 with the only difference being they were sold separately. They have been recently superseded again by AS-2888 which was valved for vehicles with Comfort Suspensions ($552.34 Retail) and soon to be released AS-2890 which will be for Sport Suspensions. They bypass the ECATS functionality but provide an excellent ride.

 

Thanks for the info.

My front struts are AS-2710s and the serial numbers are one number apart, so they were ordered as a pair. The ride is not as smooth as my Series III cars, but then they have 15 inch wheels and a lot more tire sidewall than the 19 inch wheels and tires on the SV8.

Is there any way to know from the serial numbers if my current units might have the clunk problem that some folks here have reported and had their struts replaced by Arnott? These would be about one year old now as they were installed by the car dealer in Houston where I bought it in August of 2015.

 

Most clunking complaints are due to other suspension related issues. With that said, you can always call our Technical Support department if you have a question about any of our struts or parts. Please note that one of the limits of Arnott's Limited Lifetime Warranty is that it only applies to the original owner.

 

Guys Im the new lucky owner of an 04 XJR with under 3,000 original miles. Was always stored in a climate controlled building. I'm thinking that it may be a great idea to create some silicon socks for my current perfect shocks, to help keep them that way.
Is it the exposure to elements that causes these to fail? Kind of wondering why they didn't come with some protection on em in latter years..

 

Hi XJR-Guy,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums and congratulations on your virtually new XJR!

Regarding the air spring/shock absorbers, as far as I know none have failed due to exposure to the elements. Rather, they seem to fail from the inside out. The primary failure points seem to be the air bladder, which is well protected by a metal cover, and the top seal, only a small rim of which is exposed. The lower shock bushing fails but is replaceable. You'll find mountains of information on the air suspension on this forum, but hopefully you won't have to worry about it for many years.

Since we're a friendly group, please visit the New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum and post an introduction so we can learn something about you and your Jaguar and give you a proper welcome.

Cheers,

Don