My right side air strut is leaking and I am going to replace it. I would like some opinions on buying an Arnott replacement strut or having my original strut rebuilt by RMT. Has anyone used these products?

Steve

 

While I have NOT had to replace my front struts, I know of three local Bentley owners who have used Arnott replacements with great results. The warranty is good and they stand by their products.

 

Hard to beat there warranty. I am leaning that way.

 

Arnott only has fronts. I just replaced drivers side rear. Ouch$$

 

I am running Arnott on the front right (2yrs) and RMT on the left front (2 months), no issues with either, warranty is the same on both but RMT was a few hundred $ cheaper.

 

Have you had any issues having 2 different brands of struts up front? I am only going to replace the right side and keep the left original strut as long as it works.

 

Remember,
Always have your own actual Air spring/Strut rebuilt, if you buy the Arnott replacement unit remember that they only rebuild/replace the "Air Spring" section of the air spring/strut assembly, so say you have a leaking 25,000 mile air spring on your strut assembly, you could end up getting someone else's 100,000 mile strut back to you.


Also be aware that Arnott on some of the VAG struts, they have removed the continuously variable damping of the struts to a fixed rate of dampening.... THIS is on their so called "NEW OEM" units.. I am NOT stating that this is the case with their Bentley Air Spring/ Strut Assemblies, but I would want to know for sure 100%....


ALSO check out Louis' thread over at AW on his leaking strut, and how it can be the o-rings at the top and bottom of the strut and NOT the air spring itself, it is 18 pages at the moment, but I think I linked it to were to info starts on page 5, ALSO see pages 7,10, and 17 for the o-ring information, but best to read the complete thread to get the full understanding.


https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-...2913592/page5/



https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-...2919428/page4/



See my posts on AW starting at post number 23 in the link below, as to the new Arnott design.
NOW again, I am NOT stating that Arnott is doing this with the Bentley Struts, BUT I think everyone would want to know for sure, so ask them because that is their design for the A8L W12...


https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-...truts-2904137/



Quote:
Originally Posted by richard-tx
I do NOT recommend Arnott new struts. They have a fixed rebound rate as opposed to the OEM ones that are electrically adjustable. In essence they remove the ability to change the ride quality.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MP4.2+6.0
+1.

The OEM ones have continuously variable damping rates. The system is based on the skyhook damping theory. So the different suspension modes are actually different damping maps, not just different ride heights and different, but fixed damper rates.

 

Oops. Thanks for the info johnny. I have the arnott strict. Do you know how to check if they messed with the ride quality setting?

 

Arnott has both remanufactured fronts and rears for the Bentley as well as Arnott designed new struts for the front. Arnott's new struts include a brand new shock which does not support the active damping but does support the vehicle's auto leveling.


https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...27_pid177.html

 

Hello Doug, if this is you in-fact,


Please make it clear to all that when you state "remanufactured", what you mean by that statement, as my understanding is that your company rebuilds the air spring strut assembly by only replacing the failed part, and with your company that would ONLY have to do with the air spring, NOT the strut itself, and in the past you even stated that "we don't know the actual number of miles or the quality of those miles" on the strut of the air spring/strut assemblies you sell, so I believe the statement of "remanufactured" in incorrect, rebuilding is what your company does, as re-building is only replacing what caused the unit to fail , and in your case again you only do the air spring not the strut itself and not remanufacturing of the assembly to bring it to new specs as that is what remanufacturing is.


I bring this up because I myself have had conversations with many whom think that "rebuilt" means the unit as a whole has been gone through and had all wearable parts replaced and that the item is new as it is back to what new specs would be, and that is not the definition of rebuilt that I know, that would be "remanufactured" back to new specs on any and all wearable parts of any item.


Quote from Arnott site,


"Arnott now offers a completely remanufactured OE front right air strut, AS-2580, for the 2003-2012 Bentley Continental GT and the 2006-2012 Bentley Flying Spur. Arnott thoroughly tests, cleans and repaints the OE strut and then rebuilds it in the USA with a new heavy-duty air spring bladder manufactured by Continental ContiTech along with a new air valve and mount, terminal, connector valve and dust cover"


Thank you for your input.


Rebuilt Components
To rebuild is to recondition a part by cleaning, inspecting, and replacing only worn or broken parts.




"Remanufacturing is the rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts.[1] It requires the repair or replacement of worn out or obsolete components and modules. Parts subject to degradation affecting the performance or the expected life of the whole are replaced. Remanufacturing is a form of a product recovery process that differs from other recovery processes in its completeness: a remanufactured machine should match the same customer expectation as new machines."

 

Hi,This is Doug (doug.taylor@arnottinc.com).

Within the automotive industry itself there is considerable debate about the differences between the terms "rebuilt" and "remanufactured." Some feel that while there may be no difference, "remanufactured" is a more appropriate term because it portrays the sophistication to which the industry has grown. Others prefer the term "rebuilt" because it more accurately describes the process of restoration of a used part. The bottom line is, the terms can be used interchangeably and mean the same thing.

Our engineers study the many used parts we buy in order to identify the most common failure points. Then we seek to improve upon those weaknesses. Arnott's remanufactured struts include only the original (core) strut/shock, wire protector boot and dust cover. The Core strut/shock is tested on a computerized testing machine. If it doesn't pass - it doesn't get used. We then deep clean it, sand off any rust and repaint it with corrosion resistant paint.

Many of our shocks are recharged and all are rebuilt with brand new longer lasting seals, O-rings, multi-ply ContiTech Air bladder and Voss Air Fitting (which are all improvements over the OE). We also use a new top mount, hose clip, terminal and housing, dust boot, bump stop and installation hardware. We don't know the true miles on the before we got it so all of Arnott’s remanufactured parts come with a limited lifetime warranty and 30-Day return policy if not completely satisfied.

I hope this helps with any confusion. Feel free to contact me or customer support anytime with questions or feedback. 321-868-3016

 

Hey Arnott

Do you buy used Bentley air shocks?

 

Yes, Arnott buys used Bentley core struts from both the front and rear.


https://www.arnottindustries.com/blo...cle-cores.html


Currently we pay $100 each and in the lower 48 we'll also supply shipping labels.


Email cores@arnottinc.com or call 321-868-3016 for more information.

 

I replaced my right air strut with the new Arnott strut. I works very well. Took about an hour. I have been driving around with a stock Bentley strut on the left side and the Arnott strut on the right with no problems. So far so good.


Steve

 

Thank you for your feedback. We have gotten many great reviews on our new struts.