2006 SV8 bought in 2015 from a used car dealer with 126K miles on it and newly installed Arnott AS-2710 struts dated 18.09.14 on the front. A few years ago I was getting the low vehicle warning and rebuilt the air compressor with a bagpipenandy kit and it was OK for a while. in 2020 I was getting one rear shock showing lower than the other on the icarspft i930 scanner data stream (FR-29mm, FL-29mm, RR-12mm, RL-50mm) and when I spritzed the front shock towers I saw bubbles from the top of the Right Front unit but it would still mostly rise to the occasion given time.

Since that time much has transpired and I was in the process of replacing the radiator when a contractor insisted that I remove the SV8 from my property while he was doing a major house addition and he had it sent to his brother's shop on a flatbed because it was too low to get onto my car hauling trailer. The brother installed my new radiator and had the low vehicle situation when it was started and said he traced it to a broken connector on the air compressor so I bought a new compressor for $340 which he installed. Now he says everything else works but not the right front strut so the front does not raise but he thinks the rear is OK. (BTW, it was not my choice to send it to his shop but I acquiesced at the time to keep the house project going - big mistake but that's a whole other story.)

So....I have to make a choice. New Arnott units are $550 each, after market struts are $200 each, and the least expensive new coil overs for the front are around $300 a pair. Has anyone put coil overs on the front and left the OEM air struts on the rear? If I try an aftermarket air strut on the right front would I need to replace the left front at the same time? (I think I already know the answer to that). And I don't yet have a bill from the brother so what is a reasonable labor charge for installing a radiator and an air compressor at an independent shop?

So... advice and suggestions? I already have $10 grand invested and book value is $6 grand for a 2006 with 140K miles on it..

 

New Arnotts have a lifetime warranty if purchased by you.
Forget about the resale, the original owner is who lost out there
Fix & enjoy your inexpensive luxury car.

 

I'm in the process of re-engineering parts of my 2005 XJ8-L's air suspension system. 'Coz I actually LIKE it.. when it is working.

Meanwhile, also rebuilding the 5.0 V8 in the Range Rover Sport? I need to DRIVE the X350.. else rent wheels.. or buy a 'spare' beater to get to the grocers and such.

Done with care, coil-overs can be installed, driven, removed when the air suspension bits have all been sorted out and are ready to go back in-place. First go, there is age & corrosion to deal with. Next go, it gets faster and easier.

A set of four coil overs from MaxPeedingRods - KNOWN to not be "the best", but wot the hey - will at least keep the Jaguar from riding the bump-stops whilst slithering on its belly like a serpent - was right around $300, delivered quickly from their US warehouse.

Planning to use only the two at front. For now.

But that $300 bucks got me all four, so...

Could get you out of a jam until the budget recovers -and buy you time to research making a wiser long-term choice?

 

Thanks for the info, I’ll look into it. But….would one get codes and error messages with air struts in the rear and coil overs in the front? Would I just block off the front air line and leave the rears and compressor intact? I’ve read that the system was changed in 07, but my 06 should be the same as your 05.

 

According to anecdotal evidence, the level of integration is low-enough on the 2006 and earlier that even the 'Air suspension' Fault" warning is disabled by simply unplugging the control module from power. That's w/r all four wheels converted.

Doing the front two, only, trying to retain load-leveling at the rear, I'm deferring for another day or several as tubing, fittings, valves,etc parts are now in-hand to attempt repair of the originals, first.

But... it isn't just about the air alone.

The dynamic shock absorbers are mounted coaxially, physically, but are an entirely separate, all-electric, system, logically.

Those can - allegedly - be "cheated" or lied-to with - "IIRC" a 5.8 Ohm 60 W rated resistor across the plug leads. Each front side..

As I plan to eventually restore those with OEM Bilgesteins, I consider it less risk to the health of the control logic to NOT shunt them at all.

Just leave them open-circuited and ignore the warnings.

WHEN open-circuit is detected, all the OEM's do is default to their stiffest setting. The (temporary - for now) coil-overs - 'static' tuned with wrenches - are not 'dynamic' nor adaptable whilst in motion, won't know or care how the brain-box votes should 'JFW'

Archie Scott-Brown made magic in Jaguars without air suspension, after all. Mind, his never-ending succession of powered all-wheel drifts were a mite hard on tire budget....but still..

 

I had a bit of trouble navigating the MaxPeedingRods web site so I went to a listing for AliExpress and saw one set around $300 listed for 2007 to 2015 XF and another set for $475 listed as a lowering kit "FOR JAGUAR XJ8 / XJR (X358) 2007 -2009, FOR JAGUAR XJ8 / XJR (X350) 2003 -2007" to give "Lowered height adjustment from 1" - 3" which allow lower center of gravity and also add a more aggressive stance." and another that is listed as "4PCS Air Suspension to Coil Spring Conversion Kit X350 X358 For Jaguar XJ8 2004-2009 C2C28409 C2C25696 C2C24412" for $375 but with a shipping charge of $485. I assume this is a Chinese company.

When I bought my SV8 the used car dealer installed the Arnott AS-2710 front struts so I am the first "user" but not the original purchaser. Anyone know if these Arnott struts can be rebuilt? They have just 14K miles on them but the right one has an apparent leak in the top seal. Is there any way to seal these externally? Or to DIY replace the seal?

 

It is a Chinese company, but they have US warehouses, too. My shocks were ordered directly on the MaxPeedingrods website, not eBay, @ $285 the set of four, and shipped to me by FedEx at no extra shipping cost in mere days.

They LOOK nice, but as said, I'm considering them a temporary 'crutch' as I hope to 100% restore to the original Bilsteins so that the electronic shock modulation works as original, not just the air lift.

As to *lowering* an X350? Not unless you wish to add a 100 gallon K-Y Jelly tank and travel like unto a Giant African Land Snail! I would be delighted to *raise* mine about an inch, rather.

Quote:

When I bought my SV8 the used car dealer installed the Arnott AS-2710 front struts so I am the first "user" but not the original purchaser. Anyone know if these Arnott struts can be rebuilt? They have just 14K miles on them but the right one has an apparent leak in the top seal. Is there any way to seal these externally? Or to DIY replace the seal?

Nothing against Arnott, here, but... Their prices are no longer "enough" lower than Bilsteins to make me want to switch, given how long the OEM Bilsteins have lasted.

As to DIY rebuild?

The shock has high-presssure gas as well as the challenge of sourcing, bonding, and sealing a new air strut bladder (Goodyear, someone said?). It is an operation fraught with several dangers, best left to Arnott & such who have developed safe methods and built tooling and the experience to manage it well.

I'm not motivated - for two different styles, front and rear, on just the one vehicle - to bear the expense and risk of replicating the learning curve - and no doubt a few costly mistakes, even injuries - that they must have had to endure ... before it all finally came good for them. Those economics - and risks - are *all* upside-down for a small-volume business, let alone a "onesie".

Bilstein's unit volumes, by contrast, and at more than one unit per vehicle, are past the hundreds of thosands for this variety alone, (JLR not the only adopter) and into the tens of millions for shocks and struts, in aggregate total. I don 't have time to learn what they already know.

 

I contacted Arnott to ask about possible rebuild of my unit that is leaking and here is their response:
Hello Philip,
I’m sorry we no longer build the AS-2710. We have replaced it with a better air strut in the AS-2888 for the front and the AS-2889 on the rear. We no longer remanufacture anything for the Jaguars. Arnott parts had a limited lifetime warranty for manufacture defects. I reviewed your email, and the age of the air springs. Being that they’re 10 years old would mean the leak was from dry rot in the rubber air spring. That would mean they’re leaking due to time and weather. That’s normal wear and tear which is not considered a manufacturer defect. I am sorry, at this time we will not be able to honor the warranty for you because that is not deemed a manufacturer defect. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns and we would be more than happy to assist you.

So apparently the "lifetime warranty" was in dog years and if a unit leaks after 7 or 8 years it is "normal wear and tear" for which Arnott is not responsible. The Arnott web site now says the warranty is for two years only.

So....... has anyone successfully replaced the front units with coilovers while retaining the air suspension in the rear?

 

Wellll. "divorce" is seldom a "manufacture defect" and stats say the average marriage ends in divorce at just under 8 years, even though both parties are "self healing" as to their bladders - good for over 70 years, on average.
Mind... some leak sooner, even discounting fear..... other excitement.... or getting pissed-off over air-struts?



Wonder what the average age of the original Bilsteins is at bladder-fail?

Given my ones are at the mercy of compressor, valve block, and fittings - but not (yet) leaky bladders - on a car as left the factory February of 2005? Nineteen years, and over 105 thousand miles, is that?

How much longer might they last once all that OTHER s**t is properly dealt with?

And would I even try to keep the bladders longer if the modulated shock absorber is worn out @ 100 thousand-plus miles?

- Arnott is now at two years? Shocks usually last a lot longer. Must be their bladders & seals?

- Coilovers? As few as 30 days? Even if the steel coils last a longish time, how about THEIR shock absorber's life expectancy? Could be a lot worse, depending?

"On me" to foot the coin to buy 'same-again' Bilsteins.... if I want at least a CHANCE at similar longevity, ain't it?
Lesser spend is usually lesser value, any product, is it not?

Tires surely ain't free, and I don't get anywhere near nineteen years from those.

Yes. Many. it "seems to be.." actually more common than doing all four corners with coilovers. Or maybe not, but there have been a significant percentage as did not do the rears.

I only bought all four because it was less expensive than buying front-only.. and have not YET given-up on retaining OEM all around. I just want an improvment so it is not permitted to sink to the bump-stops - even if I have to fit more compressor-power to get home with an active leak. The WABCO cannot stand continuous running. Other compressors can do. Or two WABCO taking turn-about.

Open another browser tab from this forum. Google it. Find lots of threads, some gong back to when Arnott was first entering the market and those early pioneers getitng arrows in their ***** were adapting coilovers not yet specifically made for the X350.