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Thread: Air strut questions

  1. #1
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    Air strut questions

    Hi all,

    today I discovered the front left air strut is leaking real bad - you can hear air hissing out of it. TBH I'm not surprised - the car front of the car has lowered over a period of days for the past however long. It had never been bad enough for me to do anything about it - If you drove it daily you would never notice the slow leak.

    Anyway, I have acouple of questions regarding new struts:

    1. Are the D4 front struts better than the D3? I remember reading ages ago they had more damping and felt stiffer and more controlled, though in the threads I recently read I couldn't find the specific reason. I happy to spend the extra $100 on the front if they're worth it, but I probably value ride over handling in the D3 - when the family is in it it is never pushed through corners as they all roll around!
    2. What are people's experiences with the "OEM" labelled struts? I have had success through LRDirect with OEM instead of "Land Rover", and as I can get full set of OEM struts for less than the price of the front "Land Rover" struts it's worth looking into it. Has anyone bought the OEM struts from LR? Or do you have a link to a supplier with good struts at a good price?


    Thanks everyone.

    Dan
    FINN - '72 88" S3 - 2.286 petrol - yet to go on it's first adventure
    SOLD - '08 D3 4.0 V6 - 265/65/R17 on X5 rims
    GONE '96 D1 300Tdi - 2" lift, 32" tyres, HD rear axles, lockers :(

  2. #2
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    Have you check AF ? Definitely the strut and not an air line or the valve block.
    MY08 TDV6 SE D3- permagrin ooh yeah
    2004 Jayco Freedom tin tent
    1998 Triumph Daytona T595
    1974 VW Kombi bus
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  3. #3
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    My 2 cents...

    The original shocks on my MY10 D4 were much firmer than those of a MY09 that we test drove, to the extent that at 30K kms I replaced the originals with genuine D3 shocks and the ride was much more to my liking, albeit a little soft. When the D3 shocks wore out I fitted a set of non-genuine shocks which initially were better than the worn-out D3 shocks but they wore out in 40K kms compared with 80K for the genuine D3. I replaced them with the MY12 updated genuine shocks which I found a good compromise between the original D4 and the genuine D3.

    I subsequently replaced the D4 with a late L322 to get CVDs (ecu-controlled dampers) and have re-calibrated them to my liking.
    MY12 RRV 4.4 TDV8 AB, +LLAMS, +e-diff, +ACC stop/go. Produce LLAMS for LR/RR, Jeep GC/Dodge Ram
    VK2HFG and APRS W1 digi

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Graeme View Post
    My 2 cents...

    The original shocks on my MY10 D4 were much firmer than those of a MY09 that we test drove, to the extent that at 30K kms I replaced the originals with genuine D3 shocks and the ride was much more to my liking, albeit a little soft. When the D3 shocks wore out I fitted a set of non-genuine shocks which initially were better than the worn-out D3 shocks but they wore out in 40K kms compared with 80K for the genuine D3. I replaced them with the MY12 updated genuine shocks which I found a good compromise between the original D4 and the genuine D3.

    I subsequently replaced the D4 with a late L322 to get CVDs (ecu-controlled dampers) and have re-calibrated them to my liking.
    How do you know which ones which? I can only find part mumbers for D3 or D4 fronts. The rears are the same.
    FINN - '72 88" S3 - 2.286 petrol - yet to go on it's first adventure
    SOLD - '08 D3 4.0 V6 - 265/65/R17 on X5 rims
    GONE '96 D1 300Tdi - 2" lift, 32" tyres, HD rear axles, lockers :(

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by loanrangie View Post
    Have you check AF ? Definitely the strut and not an air line or the valve block.
    Yeah. The hissing stops once the car has lowered partway, and the height stabilises. I figured it was the bag folding on itself. I jacked the car up off the chassis and as the wheel drooped the hissing started up again. Sticking my hand at the base of the bag i could feel the air coming out.

    The car still drives short distances without throwing an error but after about 6mins the compressor starts to get hot and it throws a code.

    I've also gotta get a license for my IID tool now too...
    FINN - '72 88" S3 - 2.286 petrol - yet to go on it's first adventure
    SOLD - '08 D3 4.0 V6 - 265/65/R17 on X5 rims
    GONE '96 D1 300Tdi - 2" lift, 32" tyres, HD rear axles, lockers :(

  6. #6
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    I got Delphi struts from Duckworths. I was looking at genuine but got this reply from Dan at Duckworths

    “Do you want Genuine LR or OEM I only ever tend to sell the Delphi OEM units to be honest as half the cost of Gen LR and the same product”.

    As Delphi developed the air suspension for LR (
    Delphi Air Suspension Helps On And Off-Road Performance For Land Rover Discovery 3)
    you would think they would be the same product. The struts were unbranded so you have to trust that you are getting Delphi.

    No complaints after 35,000kms.
    MY08 TDV6 D3 Zermatt Silver, B.A.S ECU Remap, ARB Bar, 12K Kingone Winch, 2x100Ah LiFePo4 Auxiliary Power, Safari Snorkel, Baja Rack Roof Rack, Brown Davis Aux. Tank, RWC, Front Runner Rear Ladder, Drifta Drawers, Doran TPMS, LLAMS, GAP IID BT.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Disco-tastic View Post
    How do you know which ones which? I can only find part mumbers for D3 or D4 fronts. The rears are the same.
    Looking back at the part numbers that I purchased, the original D4 front shock part numbers haven't changed from LR013930 even though the part number for the complete assembly changed for MY12. I do recall that quite a few original D4 front shocks were replaced early under warranty for failing so perhaps mine weren't right whereas the replacements were. I skipped that I subsequently temporarily refitted the originals but that both the originals totally failed in less than 5K kms but not due to leaking.

    The rear shock part number superseded to LR038095 for MY12 and the complete assembly part numbers were also superseded for MY12.

    Whilst Duckworths might think that the Delphi should be the same shock, the Delphi that I fitted were nothing like the genuine D4 set that I purchased from Duckworths, neither in damping nor longevity.
    MY12 RRV 4.4 TDV8 AB, +LLAMS, +e-diff, +ACC stop/go. Produce LLAMS for LR/RR, Jeep GC/Dodge Ram
    VK2HFG and APRS W1 digi

  8. #8
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    Due to time constraints i ended up getting a set of front OEM brand (not genuine) for $905 delivered from TR Spares. As the same shocks were $750 delivered from LRDirect im ok with that price. Not sure about the brand however as i need them before the weekend i will have to see!

    Thanks for the help everyone.

    Dan
    FINN - '72 88" S3 - 2.286 petrol - yet to go on it's first adventure
    SOLD - '08 D3 4.0 V6 - 265/65/R17 on X5 rims
    GONE '96 D1 300Tdi - 2" lift, 32" tyres, HD rear axles, lockers :(

  9. #9
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    If the originals were still fitted then I expect that you will find a significant improvement and the rears will feel sloppy.
    MY12 RRV 4.4 TDV8 AB, +LLAMS, +e-diff, +ACC stop/go. Produce LLAMS for LR/RR, Jeep GC/Dodge Ram
    VK2HFG and APRS W1 digi

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Graeme View Post
    If the originals were still fitted then I expect that you will find a significant improvement and the rears will feel sloppy.
    Im expecting that but atm i only have the time to install the fronts.

    Once thats done i will look around a bit more for some new rears, when I'm not so pressed for time.
    FINN - '72 88" S3 - 2.286 petrol - yet to go on it's first adventure
    SOLD - '08 D3 4.0 V6 - 265/65/R17 on X5 rims
    GONE '96 D1 300Tdi - 2" lift, 32" tyres, HD rear axles, lockers :(

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