ebay suspension struts d3/d4

[Balga]

Hi there,
my front struts were leaking so due to the current rarity of spare parts especially from england my mechanic said to just buy something used or off ebay.
I went ebay and ended up with a kit of four struts, because I thought that replacing the old one in advance could increase my reliability.
Problem is that there is something preventing the rear struts to deflate, so basically if I select access it will stay normal height and be terribly hard on bumps.
If I select high then it's ok but obviously only until 25kph
my mechanic suggested to use lifting rods to have them up all the time, but obviously it comes at a cost.
he also highlighted that the rear ones had oval eyelids and the air pipe didnt fit properly, wasn't leaking at the end but he wasn't happy with it as it looked poor quality.
Did anyone had similar bad experience with those aftermarket struts?
Why could it be that they are not deflating?

[DiscoDB]

Hate to say it - but sounds like the rear struts are dodgy. They are clearly jamming up internally so either made to the wrong size, or the wrong struts.

Is the ride height correct?

Do you have a link to which struts you bought?

[justinc]

Pay peanuts for products from dodgy sources and suffer the consequences I'm afraid.
It seems in these difficult times more pondlife sellers are coming to the surface, rather like the pond slime that they are...

[PerthDisco]

Pay once, cry once

[justinc]

Pay once, cry once

Cry TWICE, you always have the second cry when the eBay seller doesn't refund you, and you have to go and buy another better quality more expensive one, and pay someone AGAIN to fit it.

Just amazing what people will try to do to "save money"

[DiscoJeffster]

Cry TWICE, you always have the second cry when the eBay seller doesn't refund you, and you have to go and buy another better quality more expensive one, and pay someone AGAIN to fit it.

Just amazing what people will try to do to "save money"

Well tbh EBAY is great with refunds so that’s a bonus.

[DiscoDB]

Well tbh EBAY is great with refunds so that’s a bonus.

Exactly - we just need to help the OP establish that the original parts are either not the correct parts or clearly defective. The eBay return process is getting much better and tends to side with the buyer if the parts are not right.

The other tip with eBay is to make sure the seller lists the item as being supplied out of Australia even if it is clearly being sourced from overseas via a repack and send on logistics hub.

[Parso]

Could this be an issue with the rear valve block rather than the struts?

[josh.huber]

Sounds like he might have not got the hoses into the rear bags properly, if you crimp them or half block them. The air from the tank will force it's way in. Slowly. But there isn't enough pressure in the bag to over come that when you lower the car.

Don't modify the car. Have a mechanic fix the problem. I would put a jack under the chassis.. Then put in access mode. Then remove the hose from the bag. Then remove the Jack. If it goes down the strut is fine.

Is the mechanic used to these cars and air suspension or just having a crack? Some jobs and advice are best left for the guys who do it all the time.

[josh.huber]

The fact he says the pipes didn't fit properly sounds like he made them fit. He could have used the adapter's out of the original bags of he didn't like the new air fittings

[DiscoDB]

I would also want to confirm that the ride height calibration has not been altered during the install and it is sitting lower than normal. Shouldn’t have been but given the quality of the advice the mechanic has been giving to the OP I would not rule it out.

[INter674]

Well tbh EBAY is great with refunds so that’s a bonus.

Mmm..may be but can take months and check the fine print. My Son failed to get a refund on mechanical parts that had been fitted...but that was years ago so the refund policy might have changed. In that case the seller claimed to be in Aus and the parts were claimed to be OEM..neither of which was true.

[DiscoDB]

Mmm..may be but can take months and check the fine print. My Son failed to get a refund on mechanical parts that had been fitted...but that was years ago so the refund policy might have changed. In that case the seller claimed to be in Aus and the parts were claimed to be OEM..neither of which was true.

If the wrong parts have been supplied or they are not as depicted in the ad - then if they were listed with an eBay Money Back Guarantee the buyer has a good chance of getting a full refund and the seller probably won’t want the items back either.

But yes have to establish that the parts are wrong and have not been installed incorrectly or damaged in the process.

[Balga]

it's very easy to dismiss me buying from ebay as a case of not wanting to spend the right amount of money or mechanic giving wrong advice, when in fact what happened was that the parts were not available in my area and getting them from the right channels would have taken months. I suppose you would have had the car sitting in the pits until november?

Anyway, the mechanic is very experienced in LR, so I trust that he did what he could given the poor quality material.

[DiscoDB]

Anyway, the mechanic is very experienced in LR, so I trust that he did what he could given the poor quality material.

Good to hear you have not been put off by some of the less than helpful feedback. Over 15 years I have bought plenty of LR parts through eBay.

Can you confirm that the car is sitting at the correct height when the normal height setting is selected? The rears should be at 485+/-10mm from the centre of the wheel hub to the bottom of the wheel arch. Fronts should be 466+/-10mm.

[justinc]

The fact remains you are left without an operational vehicle, out of pocket, and out of time. This scenario is played out regularly and again shows up the immoral behaviour and faceless blatant ripping off enacted by some overseas eBay sellers.
In addition, I have a strict policy to not fit customer supplied parts, ESPECIALLY no name brand aftermarket and eBay purchases. This isn't for any other reasons than protecting our industry and the customers hip pocket by not causing them to pay twice.
I suspect that your tech is just as angry and frustrated as you, and the very real possibility is that yes they are faulty. To check this fact you will need to remove them and see if you can compress them by hand, obviously with the air line disconnected.
This Covid caused supply problem is also brought out the worst in our industry too, there are many workshops buying up complete stock lines for their shelves, to the detriment of others with a moral compass.

Hopefully you get a replacement ASAP, or if that isn't the problem then it gets solved quickly at low cost to you.

[josh.huber]

it's very easy to dismiss me buying from ebay as a case of not wanting to spend the right amount of money or mechanic giving wrong advice, when in fact what happened was that the parts were not available in my area and getting them from the right channels would have taken months. I suppose you would have had the car sitting in the pits until november?

Anyway, the mechanic is very experienced in LR, so I trust that he did what he could given the poor quality material.

Hey mate, I wasn't bagging the mechanic (great pun) just asking whether he was used to these things. Just trying to help.
If the car doesn't deflate, Can be a damaged strut (unlikely), would need to be bent or have a major malfunction in the hydraulic shock to hold the car up. Again Unlikely.

air held in strut , likely.
Can be the air line Crushed in the fitting into the bag. The mention of the olive made me presume this to be the problem. Seen crushed olives cause circuit issues in trucks. An air line error elsewhere. Valve block or something telling the valve block not to open and lower .
Since you only have to remove one air line you can test this quickly at home.

The fact that the mechanic suggested putting lift rods in to fix it and hasn't fixed it led to my question about whether or not he was suitable.

[DiscoDB]

Hi Josh - I was the one questioning the quality of the advice Balga was getting from the mechanic.

Surprised with the suggestion to buy something off eBay when the original need was to replace the front air bags and there is OEM stock available in Australia.

And then with the suggestion to use lift rods rather than removing the faulty new rear struts to determine the problem. From the original explanation it sounds like the strut is bottoming out, as opposed to not venting, and this can do a lot of damage.

A better option if the fault can’t be found would be to put the old rears back in, which were only being replaced as a proactive measure, and instead pursue a refund.

But it is what it is - let’s hope that Balga and the mechanic find a solution. I know plenty of people are here to help.

David

[twr7cx]

when in fact what happened was that the parts were not available in my area and getting them from the right channels would have taken months.

For future reference, genuine Land Rover spare parts are available from the UK through suppliers such as Brit-Car and Island4x4 within around a week delivery (often faster than interstate purchases within Australia reach me) - even during COVID-19 period! I just received my most recent delivery a fortnight ago.

[loanrangie]

it's very easy to dismiss me buying from ebay as a case of not wanting to spend the right amount of money or mechanic giving wrong advice, when in fact what happened was that the parts were not available in my area and getting them from the right channels would have taken months. I suppose you would have had the car sitting in the pits until november?

Anyway, the mechanic is very experienced in LR, so I trust that he did what he could given the poor quality material.

Nothing wrong with buying off ebay, they dont make anything so its the seller and or manufacturer of said items thats the issue.

[Parso]

For future reference, genuine Land Rover spare parts are available from the UK through suppliers such as Brit-Car and Island4x4 within around a week delivery (often faster than interstate purchases within Australia reach me) - even during COVID-19 period! I just received my most recent delivery a fortnight ago.I also got parts within a fortnight from Bearmach during Rona

[INter674]

Aus postal system is a joke..2 weeks from Melb to Hobart is quite common for us..that's if it is actually coming from there.

Most Aus contact supplies eg. now are shipped out of Asia to order...none or not many are held here at all. So we wait...and wait.

Why do we put up with this nonsense?

It really puts me off buying anything on line anymore😐

[Graeme]

I would also want to confirm that the ride height calibration has not been altered during the install and it is sitting lower than normal. Shouldn’t have been but given the quality of the advice the mechanic has been giving to the OP I would not rule it out.
Has one or both rear height sensor arms been inverted during re-fitment?

[DiscoDB]

Aus postal system is a joke..2 weeks from Melb to Hobart is quite common for us..that's if it is actually coming from there.

Most Aus contact supplies eg. now are shipped out of Asia to order...none or not many are held here at all. So we wait...and wait.

Why do we put up with this nonsense?

It really puts me off buying anything on line anymore[emoji52]

How about 2 weeks from Melb to Melb right now. I have watched items getting shuffled back and forth across the suburbs in Melb before eventually getting loaded for delivery - only to be delivered to the wrong address. [emoji13]

Reports are they are even sending new posted items from Melbourne to Sydney for processing and sorting before returning back to Melbourne for delivery.

Definitely a disruption in supply chains right now - but when I used to live in Perth it was always quicker to get items delivered from the UK than the eastern states - so perhaps not a new problem.