As I've been on the hunt for a replacement set of elusive Bilstein's to keep CATS functionality, I now see Monroe offers replacement air shocks?! They state "Adjustable unit restores original factory adaptive damping system (where applicable) while delivering a comfortable ride."

Has anyone ever used these? I have not seen them available historically and I have contacted them for confirmation on CATS functionality. They only list comfort suspension currently.

Front: https://www.drivparts.com/part-detai...-%20OESpectrum
Rear https://www.drivparts.com/part-detai...-%20OESpectrum

 

I actually contacted them last week, not about retaining CATS functionality, but more about the dashboard warning. Below is their response which bluntly states original capability retained AND no warning. I was under the impression aftermarkets wouldn't retain CATS, only suppress the warning. I am not concerned about CATS, more so the warning so this was a nice response from them.

I contacted both Monroe and Dorman (both look identical). Dorman blew me off with a 3 word answer- "will not work". Not sure how to interpret that other than I will not buy. Still hopeful for the Monroe's, they are a good deal if you can find them.
_______________________________________

Hi,
I am interested in the Monroe Air Suspension Strut 40489 for my 2004 Jaguar XJ8.
Would you know if a warning/error for the Jaguar CATS system will appear after install? Or is there a built in resistor to address this?
Thank you for your help.



On Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 10:31:32 AM EDT, Techline Team <gurus@driv.com> wrote:
Thanks for your question,
The Monroe 40489 is a direct replacement for the air strut on this application (with comfort suspension). It will fit and function the same as the original part and should not trigger any warning lights/messages.

Regards,
Peter
Gurus On Call

 

Arnott has a similar strut that does not trigger a notification message. However, it is not the same adaptive suspension like CATS.

 

According to the sell sheet on the Monroe website:

MONROE OESPECTRUM
ACTIVE SYSTEM Adjustable unit restores original factory adaptive damping system (where applicable) while delivering a comfortable ride
BUY WITH CONFIDENCE Comes with Monroe’s Limited Lifetime Warranty

CATS is just Jaguar's term for active damping. Here is the link to the sell sheet:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/vsdam-driv/...7d2b37d3ee.pdf

 

The (where applicable) got me so I emailed them simply asking are these shocks actually adjustable utilizing the Jaguar Cats system or is there simply a resistor to not throw any error codes. No response yet.

 

Typical response these days completely avoiding the question asked of Monroe.


"Good morning,

Thank you for your inquiry.

The information provided to us is that they are direct OE replacement struts."


No further response when I pushed again asking if the shocks are electronically adjustable with CATS or simply use a resistor to not throw errors.

 

yep. they avoided the direct answer on mine, but sounds like you got less info than I did.

"The Monroe 40489 is a direct replacement for the air strut on this application (with comfort suspension). It will fit and function the same as the original part and should not trigger any warning lights/messages."

However when I sent the same to Dorman, there's was much worse of a response, simply- won't work. Customer service is lost on today's companies.