Hello all,

I'm a first time poster here looking for some information regarding the reliability of an early Bentley Arnage, from 1999 to 2001.

I have tried gathering some information over the internet but I haven't really got much. I have read that the 6.75 engine is the car to choose and not the 4.4 BMW engine. Can anyone confirm if this is true?

How reliable are the Bentley Arnage with the 6.75 engine? The particular car I'm looking at is a 1999 Bentley Arnage Red label with 44,000 miles on the clock.
Is there anything in particular I should look out for on a car with this mileage?

Another question. I've seen some cars advertised as 'red label' , 'green label' and 'black label' - What does this indicate and which would be the best one to choose? I assumed it was the trim level but I'm not sure.

For what its worth, this is the car I'm interested in:
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/c...el-1999/960466

All answers are greatly appreciated

Regards,

F1 Jim

 

This is not the fact-filled answer you want Jim - you can find that anywhere on the net - but it's my take on buying any car. It's simple: if you want it, buy it.

In my early days I spent many a sleepless night after a purchase wondering what was going to go wrong and when it was going to break down and how much it would cost to repair. And nothing like that ever happened. I'm talking about dozens of cars.

So I stopped worrying and started buying the stuff I REALLY fell in love with. Result - I've had a much happier and fulfilling life than my peers who have always lived sensibly with their Hondas and Toymotors traded every decade.

You're not really buying sheet metal, bolts, rubber and a powerplant... you're buying an emotional feeling that comprises road presence, quality, status (yes).

Forget the fixing detail. I did, and I'm the most pedantic i's dotted and t's crossed guy there is. Yet I've had more fun and enjoyment than the 99% who bought with their checklist.

Go for it - it's a lovely car as most Bentleys are.

 

I recently bought an 2003 Arnage. The best info I got was from an indepedent shop I went to that specializes in Bentleys and RR's. He did a ppi on a 2000 that I was looking for and provided great info on them. Basically he said stay away from the 99-01s due to head gasket issues. If it hasnt had one done recently it will soon.
An updated twin turbo power plant was put in the 2002's that is more reliable and econimical (10mpg, lol). They eat batteries so put in dry cells and they suffer from suspension issues so make sure to get that checked out. Also have the turbos checked out for leaks in the waste gates. More so on the single turbo versions.

To answer your question the green label had the old bmw motor. The red label has the 6.75 bentley motor. The bmw is less powerful.

 

Hey-

Unfortunately, your link doesn't seem to work. There is no such car as a 1999 Arnage Red Label. There is a 1998 (UK), 1999, or 2000 (ie the "4.4 birkin blower") Green label. In the US you're only going to see the 99 Green Label with the 4.4 BMW twin turbo engine. The Red Label began in 2000 and had the heavier and more powerful old 6.75 single turbo from the Turbo R. WV didn't want to keep selling a car with a BMW engine after taking ownership.

To lump the 99-01s together and say they all have potential head gasket issues is inaccurate. 2000-2001 certainly did, but the 99 Green label did not.

The engine from the Green label is based on the 4.4 liter used in the bmw e38 v8 (7 series) and bmw 5 series of the same period with two turbos added. If you need engine parts, work done, etc not only are parts readily available but they are relatively "cheap." Certain parts off the 6.75 liter red label engine can be much harder to find and are often far more expensive as they are only available through the dealership. Similarly, the transmission on the Green label is a more modern 5 speed that was also used on the e38 etc, but it could not handle the torque of the old 6.75 so the 2000-2006 Arnarges went back to a 4 speed.

In terms of reliability, you want a good pre-purchase inspection done. In terms of specific things I have noticed in my experience to look out for:

-leaky turbos (as mentioned above)
-issues with the airbag light on the early cars (for '99 there was a replacement wiring loom with lower resistance that addressed this normally)
-is the rear suspension hard? (two gas "spheres" back there, similar to the BMW rear suspension spheres -- easy to replace DIY)
-on the Green label, make sure the idle is smooth-- the PCV valve is a potential point of weakness as on the bmw 4.4 however because of the turbo system, much harder to get to on the green label
-compression test for 2000-2001
-cam shaft failure on 2002-2006 models
-do the remote key fobs work correctly
-have the interior a/c recirculation filters been changed regularly? if these aren't changed the hvac blower motor resistor can fail (too much draw because of dirty filters) and the interior of the front half of the car has to come out to replace-- not that different than getting a head gasket replaced!

On the interior, check out the operation of the front cup holder, rear cup holder (both can be broken if you're clumsy), radio flip cover and pop up navigation motor and the power window operation (occasional regulator issues).

If you do end up getting one (which you should, they are great reliable cars with far more presence than the GT series) I would recommend replacing the batteries with AGM batteries such as the Sears Platinum Die Hard batteries. If you end up with a Green Label, I would also get the transmission fluid changed-- no fluid is a lifetime fluid (just read up on the bmw forums for more info on this). I'd also change the oil a more frequently than recommended. The manuals give a 10k service interval, but I would do some more frequent drains and refills at least the first few times after buying the car.

These are great, reliable cars that are fun to drive and command a presence that makes the GTs feel more like a toyota in comparison. They are also pretty straightforward to work on. For example, the Green Labels shared their brakes with the e38 750il and the Red Label/Black Label brakes are also relatively easy to work on -- no complex computer or process required to change the rear pads like on the GT cars. The green label is a little down on power compared to the red label, but is also a far more rev happy engine that is reliable and a LOT lighter.

If I were to rate the cars/list the pros/cons here's how it would go:

1999-- Green Label, easiest to maintain, lowest cost of ownership, reliable (spend a few $$ update stereo/nav and have a modern car, can also upgrade the front and rear indicator lights easily to improve appearance)

2000-2001-- skip (had teething issues regarding head gasket failures)

2002-2004 Red Label/Black label-- Same car (year wise), turbos improved, side airbags were added in here somewhere, terrible failures of the cam shafts -- well known problem, can be difficult to get replacements

2005-2006 Red Label/Black label -- received the updated front end to match the GTs, still suffer from terrible failures of the cam shafts -- well known problem, can be difficult to get replacements

2007 forward -- 6 speed transmission with shift-ability, curtain airbags added, may have also been on 05-06, change to roller cams on engines


If you end up with one, pick up a copy of Bentley Assist (the workshop CD--flying spares has copies) and let us know how it works out!

 

I have an Arnage T 2003 and do all my own work . You should check the front ball joints on any year model as they are hard on them especially the uppers . I have crossover part numbers if you need them . They are easy to change and if bought from Bentley are $400 plus . Exact parts made by the same supplier are $40 but the only way to get the crossover #'s is comparison.

 

I have just bought a 1999 arnage and joined this forum today !

In readyness for my full inspection of suspension and the certainty that at some point in the future, the top suspension joints will need to be changed, I would appreciate any cross over refs for "any and all" spare parts that interchange with BMW and others that are installed on the arnage that anyone has available

Thanks

 

For my 2003 Arnage T I have found the following parts either identical or superior to OEM :
Front lower ball joints = Lemforder # 1074102 (009) as used on Mercedes
Front upper ball joints= Moog #K9025 as used on Volkswagen
Tie Rod ends = Napa part# 269-2658 (not exact but much stronger)
The Fuel Injector seals are standard Bosch as used on 2003 Audi S8 4.2L V8
The Fuel Pressure Regulator is Bosch # BOS 1287010001 as used on 2003 Audi S8 4.2 L V8
The RH5000 hydraulic fluid is available at O'Reily Auto Parts .

All these parts should cost a fraction of what Bentley charges . In the case of the upper ball joints 1/10.

I replaced my power steering cooler with an after market hot rod unit (had to fabricate brackets, very easy ) . OEM unit is $1500 Hot Rod unit $100 and of better quality.

I will provide the Gas Spring # soon as I yank mine and match them up ( these fail every 5-7 years) . They appear to be the same as in the big Mercedes but I need to verify the pressures are the same. You know yours have failed if your ride becomes bouncy and seems hard.

 

Hello DrSwami,

I am thinking about getting an 08 or 09 Arnage T and plan on doing my own maintenance as I am a mechanically inclined individual.

I love how you have found these crossover parts. Are there any others than the ones below?

And how did you discover these cross over parts?

Thanks,
Christian

 

The Bentley Arnage is a great car. We've had one for years. The only thing that went wrong was that the rear suspension randomly shot through the trunk. It didn't make any sense, i highly doubt it would happen regularly. It did cost several thousand dollars to fix though.

 

I have had my 2003 Arnage-T for 3 years and so and enjoying it immensely. I since also acquired a 2005 Continental GT. It is surprising how different the models are.


The BMW powered Arnage's are cheaper to maintain, but pretty gutless. Hence I purchased an Arnage-T. I really enjoy the power it has.


The most common issues are suspension related ones, like the gas spheres and shocks. Each shock costing $1-1.2K each and made by Sachs, so I cannot find a less expensive cross reference. The Spheres runs out of nitrogen gas and parts costs $400 to replace (easy to do). I hope and pray I am never going to have cam issues with my car. I have however seen many Arnage's over 100k miles with no engine issues. I am a firm believer, a driven car is more reliable than a garage queen.


When I purchased my car, my alarm/door/lights/remote key...etc ecu was bad and Bentley wanted something like $2400 to replace it. I instead rewired the car and installed an Easycar Alarm ECU . It now has 2 way remotes with 1 mile range, secure key, remote start, proximity door openers, knock sensor, folding mirrors and much more. This is much better than the legacy electronics the Arnage comes with and was only $400. What I am trying to say the car is not too bad to work on. I actually pretty much already took most of my car apart and reassembled and painted it (and it still runs).










From this to:

 

Wow, incredible blue color!

 

Thanks,


I painted the base blue, clear, blue (like candy paint), then a glamor style clear which gives extra depth.


Cheers,


Zaos

 

Not only the color is great , also the wheels go very well with the car.
Congrats !

 

how may i get your cross ref list?

thank you,

jim
jamesfelker
at g......

 

Still have the Arnage and also a Continental GT.
Don't have a lot, except knowledge. I could maybe from experience help matching parts. The Arnage is a great vehicle, if driven properly and certainly beautiful.