LR4 Shock Longevity

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TrinidadLR4

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Hey all and Happy Friday! I am starting to poke around my LR4's suspension and had a question. I know these things have traditional shocks with air springs on top, instead of a traditional coil spring. Most often, the air springs begin leaking and then you usually replace the entire assembly(shock + spring). I know Arnott is a viable(and better) alternative OEM replacement. I was also thinking the shock can wear out first, without the spring. If so, how long do the OEM shocks last? When the shocks do begin to wear, what symptoms to look for? Does the air spring compensate for shock wear, up to a point? I've seen Bilstein replacement assemblies for these cars and I'm not sure who makes the OEM shocks. Are there any other wearables to check, like shock mounts, etc? I am trying to keep the suspension as fresh as possible, as DC potholes have definitely put some wear and tear on it in the 3 months I've owned it. Thanks! PS An LCA refresh is next on my list, with orange polybushes.
 

Quijote

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Others may provide better answers, but anecdotally, I can tell you I don't recall hearing about those needing to be replaced and we now have several 100K+ mile LR4's in the forum, so they seem pretty durable.
 

Azoo

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Arnotts has the complete shock and spring assembly for the LR so it is best you change the complete assembly for both left and right. A buddy of mine has a GL450 mercedes and we were able to change the 2 front air springs only and used the original shocks which were still good. Not sure if the LR shock and air springs can be separated but for the GL mercedes they were sold either separately or as a whole shock & spring unit. As per shock mount, i'm not sure if the LR has one as i have not tackled that area yet but if present i would inspect it for wear and change it if necessary. I have a 2012 with about 200K (kilometers not miles) and my front air springs have started to sag slightly if i leave it parked for two or more days but before i change the shocks/air springs i would replace my valve block first just to be sure the leak is not from there.
 

ryanjl

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You can change the shock and spring separately, but it's not cheaper enough to me to go through the PITA versus the ease of just replacing the whole unit.
 

BrandonM7

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You can change the shock and spring separately, but it's not cheaper enough to me to go through the PITA versus the ease of just replacing the whole unit.

I'm with ryanjl. Adding that much effort and time negates any savings for me, especially if I end up having to pull it apart more often to change what I didn't replace last time. Arnott uses a Continental bag and Bilstein shock according to the person I spoke with (bag is clearly marked Continental, shock I just have to trust them on - don't really care if it's true) for roughly $250 a corner - swap the whole assembly and roll.
 

Quijote

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No doubt. On a car like this, $250 per corner is short money for an item that lasts that long. It's basically a once in a lifetime change.
 

timc930

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If Arnott actually uses a NEW Bilstein Strut with their airspring, that's a good combination. I was told differently when I called them several years ago when replacing the front struts on my L322, and I was not at all comfortable with their response, as I was told they rebuilt the strut, and could not tell me exactly what parts were replaced, nor could they tell me the process used to validate the internals, so I went back with the OEM Delphi. Their Airsprings are great ( i've used them on our Mercedes, in fact they are better design then factory). The L322 as also the LR4 are heavy trucks, and I was not going to risk the compromise in handling with the Arnott strut, so I used OEM (Delhi). When it comes time to replace the airsprings on the LR4, it will definitely be Bilstein, just not sure where I will source them.
 

TrinidadLR4

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Thanks, all good info. Sounds like complete Arnott units are the way to go. And yeah, 250 a corner is pretty good.
 

BrandonM7

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If Arnott actually uses a NEW Bilstein Strut with their airspring, that's a good combination. I was told differently when I called them several years ago when replacing the front struts on my L322, and I was not at all comfortable with their response, as I was told they rebuilt the strut, and could not tell me exactly what parts were replaced, nor could they tell me the process used to validate the internals, so I went back with the OEM Delphi. Their Airsprings are great ( i've used them on our Mercedes, in fact they are better design then factory). The L322 as also the LR4 are heavy trucks, and I was not going to risk the compromise in handling with the Arnott strut, so I used OEM (Delhi). When it comes time to replace the airsprings on the LR4, it will definitely be Bilstein, just not sure where I will source them.


That's interesting. I can't say if they changed their methods, or bent the truth, or somewhere in between. I called because I had seen some resellers claiming they used Bilstein and others making no mention of it, so I didn't know if that was optional or bs or what. They told me the bag was Continental and the other components were sourced from Bilstein - marketing speak being what it is, for all I know they rebuild stock units by replacing one seal, and order that seal from Bilstein. Or maybe it really is a whole new one. There was no marking in/on the body to speak of aside from Arnott's own part number sticker. The airbag was clearly marked with Continental every few inches.

As far as performance it's hard to say - they rode way better than factory, but that was possibly worn-out factory. At the very least a leaky air spring, not sure what condition the shock was in. Roughly 70k miles at the time.
 

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