E63 Front Air suspension - Arnott or Bilstein
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Rallyboy383 (03-24-2020)
#53
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Due to this corona crisis, I’m trying to get this done while my shop is still operating. I’m going with Arnott, as I don’t currently have the funds for a complete Bilstein upgrade. As I’ve got other things going on at the moment with my X5M upgrades. 😁
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almostordinary (03-22-2020)
#54
#55
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Bilstein has a lifetime warranty too (in the US at least), so don't use that as criteria to choose. Also, since Bilstein has that warranty through any distributor, no need to buy from FCP to get their unlimited warranty.
#56
How long ago were you "assured" of this 2-year thing? Maybe this lifetime deal is recent?
#57
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Well, my shop ordered the Arnott Remanufactured Air Strut from a local distributor, and we replaced them in pairs. And I just got a phone call, that my car is ready for pickup. So I'm extremely fortunate, that my shop is still operating and they took care of me quickly.
And yes, AMG stands for "All Money Gone" again....
But it takes money to keep these cars in great shape.
And yes, AMG stands for "All Money Gone" again....
![mercy](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/mecry.gif)
#58
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Well, my shop ordered the Arnott Remanufactured Air Strut from a local distributor, and we replaced them in pairs. And I just got a phone call, that my car is ready for pickup. So I'm extremely fortunate, that my shop is still operating and they took care of me quickly.
And yes, AMG stands for "All Money Gone" again....
But it takes money to keep these cars in great shape.
And yes, AMG stands for "All Money Gone" again....
![mercy](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/mecry.gif)
#59
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Actually, it IS true: Go to the product page and under the description, it says "limited lifetime warranty". At the bottom, there's a link to the full text of the warranty and there's nothing excluding the air bladder.
How long ago were you "assured" of this 2-year thing? Maybe this lifetime deal is recent?
How long ago were you "assured" of this 2-year thing? Maybe this lifetime deal is recent?
https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/blog/...edures-policy/
Last edited by cfmistry; 03-23-2020 at 04:36 PM.
#60
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This place is a joke.
Actually, it IS true: Go to the product page and under the description, it says "limited lifetime warranty". At the bottom, there's a link to the full text of the warranty and there's nothing excluding the air bladder.
How long ago were you "assured" of this 2-year thing? Maybe this lifetime deal is recent?
How long ago were you "assured" of this 2-year thing? Maybe this lifetime deal is recent?
2 year warranty on the Bilsteins, right from their webpage:
OE applications outside the conventional gas-pressure shock absorber include the B4 OE Replacement (Air) and Steering Racks. These unique products fall under a Limited 2-year Warranty with the same terms as our Limited Lifetime Warranty.
Last edited by E55Greasemonkey; 03-23-2020 at 06:02 PM.
#61
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This place is a joke.
On another note, I've bonded with my NEW Arnott fake-ADS front struts. I'm enjoying driving around in sport2 with a smoother ride from the front, even with the car 10mm lower than comfort mode. I was able to get my alignment in spec at that ride height and now I leave it there forever, without worry about dropping lower at highway speeds. Before, I would sometimes get tired of the harsher ride in sport 2. The car also seems to turn better with the softer fronts.
#62
NOT true.
2 year warranty on the Bilsteins, right from their webpage:
OE applications outside the conventional gas-pressure shock absorber include the B4 OE Replacement (Air) and Steering Racks. These unique products fall under a Limited 2-year Warranty with the same terms as our Limited Lifetime Warranty.
2 year warranty on the Bilsteins, right from their webpage:
OE applications outside the conventional gas-pressure shock absorber include the B4 OE Replacement (Air) and Steering Racks. These unique products fall under a Limited 2-year Warranty with the same terms as our Limited Lifetime Warranty.
#63
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This place is a joke.
Sorry, I'm still not convinced. You searched and found this webpage which you'll note is dated 12 Oct 2017. Have a look at the warranty text from the air strut webpage (and also that page itself) and you won't find that text. Then you can go to the main warranty page and also the pdf link at the bottom of that page and still not see anything like that. Prove me wrong by calling/writing Bilstein USA. If they try to dispute their (4) different pages which do not have that limitation written, then we have a good case to present to the FTC.
https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/produ...08054801141563
RockAuto when you click "details" also states limited lifetime warranty.
But I'm not removing my ***** Wonka video.
#64
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Well the next inevitable thing to go, would be the rear air springs. And my shop quoted me $300 for the pair for installation, and the Arnott units run about $700 a set. So all in, I’m looking at $1K. So I was thinking about that, when my tech told me to just wait until they fail, as you might get another 10-20,000miles before they fail. And I would have replaced prematurely. But the new front air struts retained the ADS function 😁. Now I need to replace the passenger side keyless go door handle. I may complain from time to time how much money I spend to maintain this car. But this is a well maintained car, if I do say so myself. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Something my tech said to me today, he said yes you complain about spending more money on this car, but you should see some of the AMG’s that come thru here neglected. Your car is13 years old and is in better shape than some 2-3 years old AMG’s. 🤔
Last edited by Yuille36; 03-23-2020 at 08:31 PM.
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almostordinary (03-23-2020)
#65
You might as well replace the distribution block for the air suspension as well as that is another common area for leaks even after replacing the front struts and rear bags.
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Honestly, I can't complain to much, as these were the original OEM Air Struts, that lasted 13 years.
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#68
I'm not trying to replace the entire Airmatic system.
Besides how often does the distribution block fail as compared to the air struts and air springs, I can't recall anyone having this fail on them.
Honestly, I can't complain to much, as these were the original OEM Air Struts, that lasted 13 years.![Big Grin](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
![smash](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/smashfreak.gif)
Honestly, I can't complain to much, as these were the original OEM Air Struts, that lasted 13 years.
![Big Grin](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
#69
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Just my tech said to me, when I contemplated replacing the rear air springs, why when they might last you another 10-20,000 more miles.
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#72
This thread reminds me of the: Boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness.
The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.
-Terry Pratchett
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.
-Terry Pratchett
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almostordinary (03-24-2020)
#75
2 OEM Bilstein front struts (The reason here is that I wanted to retain the OEM ADS functionality that Arnotts does not keep)
2 OEM Bilstein rear shocks
2 Arnott rear air springs (The reason here is that the design is supposedly better than OEM, doesn't impact the ADS functionality, and labor costs are lower to install)
Came out to a little over $2500 shipped