Arnott springs are well built. I use them on just about every car line I work on that uses air suspensions. I have installed many of their products on Land Rover and knock on wood, zero issues. If you do find the air spring is leaking, you will save tons of money using an Arnott spring.

If the air line is leaking, you can get a repair kit for the line. Very easy to install.

 

Recognize that the thousand a corner is "up north" pricing so I expect the States is less, but still more than five hundred per corner, labour and parts together.

For me, I would probably purchase either genuine Land Rover or the Delphi units. The odds are I would buy the cheaper cost Delphi units in the hope that the only difference between Delphi marketed assemblies and LR marketed is just additional markup.

I suppose Delphi could find some way to cheapen their units but it seems counterproductive. I cannot see any potential saving being worth the redesign effort - but then a life does not seem to be worth even 5 cents.

One definitely wants the aluminum can around the rubber bladders as up here the feeling is the tin can protects the rubber from the sand and salt spread on the streets during the winter.

The Audi All Road air springs up here seem to suffer from the effects of the grit coating the rubber and then with flexing, working into the rubber.

As to Arnott, they make good stuff but I just doubt that they have any inside knowledge as to the spring rate of the rubber and the shock valving.
Delphi should at least have the information available; as to if they utilize it, who knows.

To my knowledge, Arnott does not yet manufacture the rear air springs, hence if you were doing all four, then the rear two would have to be either LR or Delphi. Myself, I do not like mixing parts manufacturers unless I really know what I am doing. I am very hesitant to put brand A brake pads on the front and brand B on the rear - that sort of thinking.

 

I priced each corner at ~$800 a few years ago, installed. To me the OE units last about 90k miles; so I don't see a reason to go with an aftermarket brand.

Also: while it may be solid advice to replace them in pairs, I did one corner a couple years ago with no issues.

 

Thanks for all this. The mechanic gave it a quick one over before closing tonight, said he couldn't find the leak initially - I suppose this means it's not coming from the air shocks themselves because I can't imagine he wouldn't look there first.


He did say that he's getting "tons of codes" involved in the suspension system. He was very against doing a hard reset but said if I want to go that route first he could.


The fact this happened in extended mode and extended mode was initiated I'm almost hoping/thinking its something to do with a sensor- I was pretty deep in the white stuff...possible some ice or snow cut stuck up in there (I've seen the sensor arms and they look pretty exposed)


BBYER- 500-1000 per corner is what I had imagined, thank you.


Thanks to all the rest of you, good info and feedback- I'll know more tomorrow evening and update.

 

Tell your mechanic that he need not worry about erasing codes - they return almost instantly - for the most part, at least the ones that count.

He is used to the intermittent engine problem codes that come and go and never seem to return when you want them to.

With the air suspension, any number will reappear almost immediately and the problem is that they will not tell you what the problem is but probably send you off in the wrong direction.

A code will suggest something like no communication - well lucky you - it is telling you what you already suspect - that the computers are not talking to the air compressor - is it the wiring, the sensors, just something wet and frozen, the compressor, a relay, a fuse, and the list goes on.

It is just no fun.

It is like everything else, the code readers merely provide data, true, false, misleading, or otherwise; the data still has to be interpreted by real people using all their experience plus their hunches.

The hard reset for the most part only seems effective with infotainment system problems but I suggest it as it costs nothing to do and does no harm.

Re a leak, air can only squirt out of somewhere there is pressure - a zero pressure line or bladder stays silent. The game is to get air into the system and see if any comes out. The air tank and compressor can have air but as the block valves fail closed and if they are not leaking, air cannot get from the air tank to the air bladders for one to hear anything.

The air lines for the system for the most part are nominal 6 mm, not 1/4 inch so it is difficult to fab up some sort of adapter to push shop air into the air bags.

 

He called me this morning, said he couldn't find any leaks and that the system was holding 130 psi that he was shooting into it. He said once the compressor was turned on while holding the 130 psi the psi started to drop.

He thinks its the compressor, I do not. This all happened after extended mode- its only shooting out 20 psi on its own, could this be because the computer isn't allowing it to go to normal height?

Should I just pay his diagnostic cost of 300 and get it out of there? I'm starting to get a bit worried of where this is going.

Thanks,
Aaron

 

I guess the question is what is your alternative to departing the current shop? I gather they call themselves Land Rover people, hence the shop should have a pretty good knowledge of the air system, or not!

The codes clearing comment did bother me.

I guess it comes down to your options.

I assume that even though your 3 is inside and thawed out, it remains down on the stops? Being on the stops does not necessarily mean there is a leak in the system by the way and the noise you heard could have just been the air exiting thru the compressor located exhaust valve as the 3 was commanded by the computers to drop to the stops for perceived "safety" reasons.

For example, your wheel alignment/steering wheel rotation sensor could be so badly out of wack, the computers tell your 3 to go into safe mode and hence drop to the stops. A disconnected wheel height sensor can do the same thing. One time the wheel height sensor cable to the left front wheel got loose and was worn thru by the tyre rubber - down on the stops I was - the fix was patch the conductors and tie the cable back to the frame so the tyre rubber could not get at it.

In other words, the air system was tight, the problem was simply wiring.

A shop with experience will have some knowledge of these realities and hence be looking at more than air leak locations.

As such, I do not know what to say re your current shop.

These days being an expert on the leaf spring Series vehicles is not quite the same as being Canbus knowledgeable.

$300 is pretty reasonable for the efforts to date; up here, that is the dealer parking entry lot fee that entitles you a "free" car wash if you give him even more for trying.

 

Oh I should have said that, I took it to a more local foreign auto guy. I sort of feel bad for him he did try but he ran right to the compressor and didn't find the leak until I mentioned it could be in a compartment that's blocked off from the compressor.

My biggest worry is that it's in a "safe mode" and the exhaust on the compressor is open and that's why it's not producing any psi. Or that it's a sensor or a wiring problem as you said. This guy still doesn't have an idea of the issue instead he wants to throw parts at it until fixed.

All in all it's on me to not have sent it to a Land Rover specialty shop. It's being towed from there this morning and I'll have an update most likely by tomorrow.

If it comes down to the compressor which I don't think it is- recommendation?

 

Where are you located? You might have a fellow forum member with a diagnostic tool nearby who could take a look at the codes/pressure readings/outputs from each height sensor...


Just out of curiosity (and maybe I missed it), but have you stuck your head into each wheel well to look at the height sensors yet? Make sure your height sensor rods are still attached (not broken) and make sure the sensor are plugged in and that no wiring has been pulled out?

 

I like the comment above re looking at each corner with regards to the physical condition of each wheel height sensor and the wiring cable to each. Usually the fix is simple but finding the problem, near impossible.

Regarding compressor selection, there is no choice. Your current compressor is probably a Hitachi compressor but new, it is no longer available. Rebuilt, it never was, and used, well that is parts from a junk yard. For most parts, I like junkyard, but for a compressor ....

The replacement compressor is by AMK and with that you get a new black plastic sound box as the AMK does not fit the Hitachi box; also a compressor software update is required as well.

Regarding costs, I think I would prefer a nice sensor disconnected problem as opposed to paying for a new compressor - probably a thousand dollars installed I would think.