lsc2g

went to replace one of my failed gen2 bags today (my original gen2 have the red anodized aluminum body)

so the replacement i got is a new one that is back to black and the top is a black plastic body

anyways get it all together and i can hear a leak.. so i stopped it removed EVERYTHING again and checked it out and the top hat that bolts to the airbag one of the nut inserts on the airbag lifted out of the plastic body! so its leaking there

i followed all the torque specs so must be a quality issue.. so calling them first thing monday morning now

GTA_Driver

Yes, I would say, based on reading about arnott an from personal experience, a large percentage of their bags come dead on arrival. The other large percentage fail within a short period of time.

And yes, they switched to plastic about 1.5 years ago on their gen II bags.

Their warranty customer service is excellent though. I called them at noon, and got my replacement air bag overnight

lsc2g

yea sadly i have to wait till monday for the replacement but i should get it by tuesday-wednesday.. wife is getting annoyed having to drive my s4 haha

AudiQC

Well ! Well ! as i say in a comment on this forum about 8 months ago, Arnott's bag worth the value only because of the warranty. But according to my calculations if you do very little mileage and keep the alroad over many years you are better with the OEM air bags if you have to pay for the installation.Of course if you DIY each time it is an other ball game. But if you are a selfemployed person and you are able to bill client at a rate of 70$/h you have to calculate you time on the same basis. While you do your own mechanics you don't bill your clients.............so!!!!
. The OEM last longer and the have a better handling than the Arnotts. Up to you to do your own calculation based on your value.

GTA_Driver

Not every arnott bag will fail. Some last for a long time. It is a bit of a gamble.

Also, not all OEM replacement bags last. There have been at least 2 cases that I read of where a new Audi replacement lasted a little more than a year. At which point it is out of warranty.

One more thing. I could not tell any difference in ride quality between Audi original bags and arnott gen 1, at least at the front.

AudiQC

It may be true.....
But here i am refering to my own very "narrow statistics". My front OEM bags last at least 4 years one of them at least 5 years and the rear ones have lasted almost 9 years but let say 8. On the other hand, yet at this point only one of my Arnotts (front left) is still the original that i have installed in the summer of 2011 (not 3 years yet). The other front didn't even last 2 years as the rears that i have just changed this last Friday and they have been "slow leaking" for more than a month.
Drawing my conclusions from those "narrow statistics" is easy.....OEM bags last for at least 2 times Arnotts if not 3 times. So, as mentionned Arnotts worth the money they cost only because of the lifetime warranty not taking into account the "troubles"(and lost of time) and the $$$ to pay for installation if you don't DIY. Over that, OEM have a better driving.....TMO!!!

GTA_Driver

Replacement OEM bags are not quite the same as those that came with your Audi originally.

Still, it may not be a bad idea going with OEM replacement.

Not defending Arnott, just laying some data on the table. OEM failure is unlikely in the short term, but if it does happen, it is not cheap to replace. Arnott provides lifetime warranty but many of their bags don't last very long, and a few are dead on arrival.