Replacing air struts for your Land Rover is never a fun experience. Strut replacement can be expensive and stressful; with several options to choose from, it’s hard to know if you’re making the right decision. We’re here to help. As everyone already knows, the cheapest option is very rarely the “best” option, and that holds true for replacement struts as well. Take a look.
Some of the lowest prices you will find for air strut replacements come from remanufactured struts. A remanufactured air strut consist of new and used components that are used together to form a replacement strut. A common practice here is to fit a new air spring bladder to a used strut. This may save a buyer a few dollars up front, but is bound to cause headache and frustration down the road. Why?
Under normal conditions, a strut’s life expectancy on a 5500-6000lb SUV is approximately 80-120k; a rather finite period of time. Knowing this life expectancy, it seems risky for a buyer to put a used strut on their Rover. There is no way for the buyer to know how many miles have been previously logged on their remanufactured strut (although, they may get a good idea based on the poor ride quality and noisiness that is characteristic of a used strut). Of course, these issues may all be of secondary importance to price – but for us at Atlantic British, the shortcomings are too significant to overlook:
Comparatively, a new Land Rover strut is going to cost more money than a remanufactured strut, but that’s because all of its components are brand new. You get what you pay for; in the case of a new air strut this means a smoother ride, less noise and fewer repairs down the road. Of course, not all new air struts are created equal.
There are lots of cheaply made replacement air struts, so it’s important to look for the OE (Original Equipment) indicator in the product description. This will ensure that the parts were made to Land Rover’s exact specifications, meeting the same quality control specs that all other production-grade parts are required to meet.
At the end of the day, the decision is up to the buyer. But for a replacement part that is so critical to the day-to-day driving quality and longevity of your Rover, this is not the place to go with the cheaper option.
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