About to buy a 2007 E350 w/21k miles, but Im scared... :-/ - Page 2

kensiko · 2012-04-30 16:48:37

Its only a matter of time until the struts fail??? I thought it was well known that Airmatic struts have a finite lifetime, cost about $1,000 a corner, and generally start failing after about 60K miles. Right about when the factory warranty would expire...

06-02-2012, 01:53 AM

#28

thegamemodo9

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E500, 3000GT and 3000GT VR-4, 335i

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegamemodo9

Arnott sent me a faulty strut out of the box. I had to ship it back and they refused to expedite shipping for another one to replace it. I needed it expedited, my car was obviously not in driveable condition. I told them to shove it and bought a new Mercedes strut. It can be had for around $800 I believe. Total job cost me about $1,100.

The warranty doesn't honor the labor costs that would have been associated with the installation of a faulty strut. I was lucky that my SA and I have a good relationship as she didn't charge me for that.

I had to fight to get my shipping costs back after the fact too. F*ck Arnott.

As an addendum to this, after I posted this message, a manager from Arnott contacted me asking how he could remedy the situation. I had ended up not using any product from Arnott and had basically given my strut to them as part of the "core exchange" without being provided restitution. After explaining in detail what had transpired, which happened about 1 year ago now, Arnott sent me a check for $100 for the core that I had given them. I was fully reimbursed, including shipping, when their strut was originally returned, so this was quite an extraordinary gesture on behalf of the company.

In addition, they have notated my account to offer me a 50% discount if I ever decide to order from them again. Time will tell if I choose to do that, but I must praise their willingness and effort to correct this situation WELL after they would have felt obligated to do so. That is a great example of good customer service.

Last edited by thegamemodo9; 06-02-2012 at 02:04 AM.

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