barny0055

I posted this in my thread on the problems I am having with the suspension in my allroad but wanted to post it for all to see under it's own thread. If mod's want to delete it them I'm okay with that too.

Well this is a new twist.

I contacted Arnott today about the possibility that there is a defect in the shocks that I bought and had installed. Their response was:

"for warranty claims you need to contact your reseller, we can only help customers who buy directly from us"

Now I did buy my shocks through an Ebay seller primarily due to price but thinking that a company like Arnott would honor any warranty claims on a brand new product sold through one of their own resellers. This is not the case!

My reseller will warranty the product for only 60 days with exchange or refund. I am making use of the refund option here and will consider what to do while this is being sorted out.

I am rather disappointed that Arnott would set up a retail suppliers who sell Arnott product through the internet and then not support the product that is sold. On Ebay alone there are four resellers, and we all know there is only one supplier. One of the biggest reasons for buying this product is the peace of mind that if it fails the company will stand up to their warranty and replace the product. Actually it is quite the opposite. The wording by Arnott in their warranty is quite shifty:

Online and Auction Purchases: Products purchased through online part stores and auctions (this does not apply to
purchases made directly from Arnott) are eligible for that vendor’s warranty coverage only and you must deal with that
vendor for any and all warranty or return issues. Arnott requires an original or copy of the Arnott sales receipt. Online
auction confirmations are not accepted for warranty verification. In most cases your vendor will work with Arnott to get an RMA number and arrange for shipping of your part to Arnott. Arnott will not replace missing components from any
package purchased through an online auction other than directly from Arnott.

Now let me figure this out. My shocks were manufactured by Arnott, shipped from a warehouse in Merritt Island Florida, installed albeit poorly by a shop, and probably defective. However because they were purchased directly from a reseller that Arnott supplies and not from them directly. The Limited Lifetime Warranty does not apply unless the reseller will honor it. So watch out for this company! In a time when service seems set many good companies apart it appears Arnott is using loopholes to not stand behind their product.

Rant over- Unbelievable but maybe it it will help somebody on this forum.

change2E85

You should buy a new one from Arnott directly and then send the bad one back. They will then send you a new one. You are going to need it - keep it as a back up. Arnott's quality has been dropping so your new one is guaranteed to fail. My indy said that they have replaced more Arnotts in the last year than they had in the previous four years. Arnotts are lasting 13-18 months on my car which is driven about 8000 miles a year. You'd think they would want to make them high quality so they don't have to guarantee them all the time. I think Arnotts suck and regret not installing OEM. When the indy's labor warranty runs out, I may dump the Arnotts and go OEM since they lasted 7 years on my allroad.

all(over)road

That's it. If you had bought directly from Arnott, albeit more expensive, you would have gotten the lifetime warranty. You can do what he suggested above tho....I would.

Arnott sells their products cheaper with less of a warranty to wholesalers...it's just business/fine print.

Are they gen I or II Arnotts? I gotta say that I've had gen Is on my allroad for over 5 years on the fronts; no issues. But I did hear quality had gone down when they moved to their new facility a few years ago. I'm still on the OE bags out back with 205,000 miles ! And will buy direct from Arnott next time if needed.

silverd2

I ordered from Arnott directly...you don't save enough to make it worth a warranty hassle later, ordering from after-sellers.

Plus, everyone here gets 10% off Arnott's listed prices by entering the code in this link when ordering >>>

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ht=Arnott+code

rlawall

I have to say, after reading all of the unhappy stories with Arnotts (even though most get replaced, who needs the hassle?), I am so happy to have my OEMs on the rear (2004 with 115,000) and replacement OEMs on the fronts (after around 95,000) and a painless experience with my local dealer (just lucky, I guess).

I would steer clear of Arnott, after hearing of all of the problems with their stuff...

YMMV

Rick

snagitseven

Arnott is not alone. Research shows that many manufacturers of all kinds of products have the same policies re purchases made on eBay type websites where control by the manufacturer can be severely limited to none at all, especially if the seller is not a franchised dealer. I've found it's always best to check manf. warranty policies prior to making a significant purchase from eBay.

silverd2

Cost is the issue with most AR owners...mid-line used cars with low resale values...cheaper than a new bottom of the KIA.

What did this "painless" experience cost you for 2 OEM bags and obnoxious Audi dealer hourly labor charge? ...about one quarter to one third of the car's total value, I would guess.

I changed both bags in my driveway for a total of $600 and a couple of hours of free exercise (no gym membership required).

I find shelling out huge money to under-qualified ***** to be quite painful indeed...NOT lucky, by any stretch.

Cheers

GTA_Driver

If you don't wrench, going with OEM is a good bet if your goals are long term. Especially after I found out a local shop that works on Audis that can get original Audi bag $550 installed.

rlawall

Well, I vetted my local dealer (I also have a very good indy nearby), and they aren't "under-qualified *****". In addition, because I don't nickle and dime them, they don't nickle and dime me, so I generally get a pretty good deal on parts and labor (they often come in less than my indy).
I would rather spend a bit more to do it once and be done, than save money, only to have to replace a part numerous times...
When I factor in the value of my own time, I end up saving WAY more (money and sanity)!

Rick

silverd2

I understand your point, but if you look up "under-qualified *****" in the dictionary, you'll find a photo of my local VW/Audi/Porsche dealer...followed by smaller pics of all the local "indy's". You may be lucky in that respect...if you call dolling out fat wads of cash "lucky". I noticed you didn't put a $$ amount on your repair, when I did...that's OK, actually admitting numbers that high that I spent (for a repair only needed on money/gas-sucking AR's require) makes me a bit nauseous, too

If I didn't do all my own wrenching (couldn't imagine another way or anything much more satisfying and peace-of-mind inducing) I wouldn't own most of the cars I own now or in the past. I don't waste my "valuable" time on repairs...rather, I have the privilege of using my time for them...and AR's are non-stop "fun", like no other car I've ever owned (it's ALWAYS something).
I tried to talk my wife out of buying one, but she was dead set on it...I urged her to get ANY other NON-turbo Audi or VW avant w/AWD instead. Admittedly it's fun to drive in a very different way than other Audi's, like a sport truck kinda thing...she drives it around in the horse pasture like her own monster truck. But I even steer non-DIYer friends who are not made of $$ away from most Audi's and most especially the AR.

About Arnott's (and I'll probably eat these words eventually): As with anything, you only hear about the failures...not the successes. I would venture a guess that the vast majority of their springs do not fail early...it's just a car tire mounted on a cylindrical rim...it ain't brain surgery. Of course OEM would likely outlast them...at double the price. I have no fear...it's an easy, straight forward DIY compared to most.

But, I pray to Saint Bentley of Cambridge that she unloads the needy thing before something truly expensive fails on it

Peace & Cheers