Just replaced the Arnott shocks which were on my 08 XJ for less than 3 years. The Arnott's were still operational; but, I had been experiencing on the driver's side over the last year a loud whack or clunk every time I crossed even a minor road bump. So..., this time I spent the extra cash like I should have done the first time for the OEM Bilstein shocks and replaced both frontal Arnott's. Other than tire noise, I now hear no suspension noises when I cross bumps; Arnott problem fixed.

FYI: I saw the Arnott & the Bilstein laying side by side. The Bilstein is considerably wider in circumference than the Arnott thus probably heavier as well and likely has a larger air bladder within too. Also I did not have to replace the original Bilstein's on the O4 XJ that I recently sold until its 13th year.

 

Is there a reason you didn't just have arnott replace the shocks? I had an issue with my fronts and they were more than reasonable in replacing them.
Maybe you weren't the original buyer?

I also noticed that they'd improved the shocks they sent, they seem to keep improving their designs- we noticed this in the audi world. The new shocks had a thicker body, reminding me of a Bilstein.

 

Yes, I was the original buyer of the Arnotts. The main reason I did not replace the Arnott with Arnott is because I lost faith in them since they failed on me so soon thus I decided to go back to OEM since they worked well and lasted in the past. I did not even check to see if the Arnott warranty would apply because I really did want another pair & figured it would be a hassle to prove it was a shock issue.

 

I've got the same low speed clunk every time I cross the smallest of bumps. I have replaced the Arnotts with other Arnotts first, then the sway bar bushings, then the front lower control arm bushings, then both upper A arms, then the tie rod end links, and one other item that escapes me now. I still have the clunk.

Now I wonder if the new Arnotts were the culprit all along. Probably not much I can do about it now as I replaced them over a year ago.

It is an annoying noise and I am at a loss as to the cause.

 

I also am experiencing this noise with my Arnotts. Mine are <2 years old. Complete garbage. When I asked for support (I dont have a receipt for the struts) they said they couldnt do anything for me. I wasnt asking for free struts either.

Forget Arnott. Avoid them at all costs.

 

I believe the noise occurs when the Arnott shock pops back up after the bump impact. I once viewed a video of a person that had the issue and after removing the Arnott, he had a device which he utilized to push them down and then release whereby the noise then occurred. The video is what led me to believe it was the shocks thus I replaced them as well. If your noise is only on one side, maybe only purchase one Bilstein so as to see if it resolves your issue. If yes, then may as well replace both. The Bilstein shocks are a little less than they used to be. I bought them for $777 each with shipping included from Autoplicity online. My general mechanic installed them for $150. Good luck!

 

Interesting - I have this same issue. however, the noise you describe was happening to me BEFORE I installed the Arnotts. My original right-side strut had a pretty substantial leak so on cold days the car would be sitting on its tires.

So not sure whether to suspect the Arnotts, since it was occurring prior to changing them (I did both).

One thing I did notice - as you say, it occurs over the most minor of bumps or ripples, in fact it seems like the more minor the bump the worse it is - over a true dip or bump the struts seem to do their job - but if I apply the SLIGHTEST pressure to the brakes, just enough to drag the discs, not enough to slow the car at all, the problem goes away.

Again, only slight pressure - not the sort of pressure you'd get a compression of the strut from - just the sort you might use if you wanted to see if your brake lights are working.

So I'm not convinced its the Arnotts, but this does give me more food for thought.

Anyone have any thoughts on why lightly dragging the brakes would make the symptom disappear?

 

Oh, and i did in the last few months replace the discs and pads.

My current suspects are ball joints and/or tie-rod ends.

looking forward to more discussion! (might get more if the subject were changed to reflect the symptom?)

 

Barry,

Thank you for reporting your experience with the Arnott air springs-shock absorbers and a loud whack or clunk that went away when you replaced them with OEM Bilsteins.

We've had a few reports of noisy Arnott units and as far as I recall, Arnott has replaced these units under warranty. I'm surprised that you didn't contact Arnott to see if they would be willing to help with your issue. I haven't used their air units, but I've installed several of their coil spring conversion kits, and the couple of times I've called their customer service the reps have been very friendly and helpful.

We've had many reports on the forum of front suspension noises that did not go away after the air springs-shocks were replaced, and were later traced to such things as perished suspension bushes (lower shock bushings for example, which are pressed into the lower control arm rather than the shock itself), loose suspension fasteners (upper air spring nuts, subframe bolts, etc.), ball joints, missing brake pad clips on the supercharged models, etc.

Before you replaced the Arnotts, did you do any inspection or diagnostics to locate the source of the noise, such as checking the torque on the upper air spring nuts or lower shock bolt?

I have no affiliation whatsoever with Arnott Industries, but I'm keenly interested in the potential sources of suspension noises on our X350s and always try to learn as much as I can from the experiences of others.

Thanks in advance for any additional details you can provide.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don, I don't doubt Arnott may have stepped up to the plate if I had brought it to their attention. As mentioned, I lost faith in their shocks after the failure of what was relatively still new shocks thus absorbed the cost and went back to Bilstein. Yes, my mechanic inspected the car very thoroughly before I chose to replace the Arnott shocks. Plus, when I had the Arnott's put on 23K miles ago, I also added new sway bar & control arm bushings, tie & toe adjusting rods, outer tie rod ends, and sway bar link ends; so, figured the issue was not that. The noise was very loud and felt like something whacking the car on the bottom just below my feet. Definitely was the Arnott shocks. No noise what-so-ever after replacement. By the way, my 08 XJ only has 45K miles total on it. I just chose to replace most rubber on it when I bought it in 2014 with 18K miles on it because it came from the Miami area.

 

The thread seems mis-titled. Buyer beware implies Arnott provided no support. You lost faith in them and won't go back because at least one unit failed, yet the OEM Bilstein's failed once too, no? Some of them failed within a couple years of manufacture.

I am 100% for OEM air shocks. I wouldn't touch a Jag with modified shocks. I think CATS is one of their best features. Yes they fail. I wouldn't disown Jaguar because of it, or Bilstein.

Seems rather harsh to slam a company or it's product in a forum thread when you don't give them an opportunity to rectify the situation. I have no affiliation with Arnott, but everything I've read implies they're a good company.

At least you got CATS back along with your piece of mind.

 

I believe the title applies well. I never once said a bad word about the company. My point is one usually gets what they pay for thus the failing of my Arnotts and my return to Bilstein. As for Bilstein failing, my wife's 04 XJ had them on the car for 13 years before I replaced due to one leaking air. The original Bilstein on my 08 Jaguar lasted 6 years before it began leaking during my 2nd year of ownership in 2014. I really believe the Bilstein's seal and other car parts I replaced early were due to the salt, humidity, or both since the car came to me from Miami, FL. Anyway, the post is primarily to make folks aware of the issue the Arnott caused in case they experience the noise. Which brand of shock one chooses is their business; but, I believe everyone appreciates hearing another's product experience sort of like an Amazon review.

 

I had the exact same issue with Arnotts. Took me forever and wasted time with diagnosis to figure out the shocks were the problem. I wouldn't but Arnotts again. Instead I went with RMT rebuilt shocks which maintain CATS and are considerably cheaper. They've been silent.

 

I'm leaning toward Bilsteins replacements. However I need more assurance that cold weather leakage will not return. My car (2004 with 70K miles) maintains height when parked for long periods of time as long as the temperature is above 15F. Once below this the front sags when parked for a long period and when below zero is sags quite quickly and the compressor can not keep up. If I was in the south I would not have a problem, but the places I drive I -20F (or less) most winters for at least a week.

 

How are you guys differentiating between sport and comfort struts?

I have an XJR so I need the sport struts.

Autoplicity and RMT only appear to offer one option. I'm assuming that's comfort?

Would the dealer be the only way to get a CATS compatible SPORT strut?

 

I put the RMT shocks on my XJR (pair in front) and really can't notice the difference. Rides great.

 

My experience with Arnott comes purely from a Range Rover HSE so they may have a different policy. But they have a life time warranty, and even paid for some
of the labor to replace them.

When it has come to cars though Bilstein is the way to go.

The upside is that you diagnosed and fixed the issue, so that you are now happy and can enjoy the drive

 

I have contact AM Autoparts about starting the replacement process on the Arnott shocks I purchased from them on Feb. 18, 2016. Arnott has a lifetime warranty on their products. I will update this forum on how this proceeds.

 

Arnott offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty for original owners in North America and Europe which would cover any Arnott strut that has failed or developed out of the ordinary noises. Some garages and online resellers offer their own warranty which may or may not be the same length. I checked and I do not believe we have heard similar noise comments regarding Arnott’s newest struts for the Jaguar XJ; AS-2888 (Front Comfort) and AS-2890 (Front Sport). Arnott released these third generation new struts in late 2016 to meet customer demand for both Comfort and Sport options. They replaced the single AS-2710 (and AS-2519 before that) which offered only a Comfort like ride. The new struts AS-2838 and AS-2890 are now built with a mono-tube damper which replaced the twin-tube damper found in the 2nd generation AS-2710 Arnott strut. Engineers believe that the twin tube design may have been the cause of any internal damper noise. The 2nd generation AS-2710 Arnott strut was released to rave reviews for its ride quality and value. All three generations of Arnott strut are typically purchased to replace original equipment struts which, along with leaks in the air spring, often exhibit some of the same noise symptoms. As you may know – Arnott no longer remanufactures Jaguar struts because of a variety of issues found in these aging O.E. struts. Instead, Arnott has developed brand new struts that were built with brand new internal dampers that have zero miles on them and cost a fraction of the O.E.

The new damper in the Arnott designed new struts are custom valved for the Jag and provide an excellent ride for your 8-14+ year old vehicle. The new strut does not include the active damping characteristics which often wear out in vehicles that are 10+ years old but the Arnott strut still maintains your vehicle’s automatic load leveling capabilities and provides the luxury that is only found with air ride. While Arnott designed new struts do bypass the vehicle’s aging CATS (Computer Active Technology Suspension) system they provide a great ride which adapts to the drivers style and were engineered to eliminate many of the high wear weaknesses in the O.E. such as leaky upper seals, noisy upper mounts, and weak lower rubber seals. The top is machined in our Florida factory’s CNC machine shop from aircraft quality aluminum which is stronger than the pressed steel OE top. We add a multi-ply ContiTech air bladder, rugged crimping rings, new urethane bump stops, longer lasting seals and connectors and a new steel bottom mount.

All of Arnott’s struts are backed by a Limited Lifetime Warranty in North America and Europe, free customer and technical support, installation resources and come with a 30-Day satisfaction guarantee. If you are experiencing issues with your Arnott strut – please call Arnott Customer Care at 321-868-3016 or email info@arnottinc.com so we can resolve the problem.

More on Arnott's replacement air suspension parts for Jaguar: https://www.arnottindustries.com/products/jaguar

 

After putting new Arnott sports struts on my 06 XJR this year, my Jag no longer dives to the ground like a soccer player trying to milk a penalty.

I previously had an original and a reman Arnott original, as soon as the temps dropped below freezing the front would be on the ground. The original top seal was leaking and the Arnott reman had a leak in the lower part of the air bladder.

Now my XJR performs flawlessly in freezing weather.