Arnott MR3840?

[funnyguyMI]

Hey all. The magnaride on my 2018 Yukon XL is leaking. Dealer wanted $4300 to replace all four. Did some research and was looking at Arnott's passive replacement strut with spring and shock, to make install easier. Then I came across these magnetic replacement spring/shock from them. I ordered them since there were only two in stock, and it says it replaces my part (84977478).

Has anyone tried these? They were $570/apiece, so not that much more than the passive model that they sell. I found them for sale on a few websites, and one said not for sale in US? Just surprised I haven't seen more info or reviews about them, since they seem like an easy bolt-on replacement and claim to match stock magnaride ride quality..

I ordered new GM rears too, total was $2100. Decided I might as well do the brakes too, and am going to order some Duralast Gold pads and rotors. Should be good for a while after that!

 

[funnyguyMI]

So, I installed these MR3840 struts. They went in ok. But, now I’m getting a ”Service suspension” message when I start the truck. I had removed the battery ground cable before swapping the struts out.

And, after seeing the service suspension message, I checked the connections to both struts, and disconnected and re-connected them. They seem to be connecting well.

Does anyone have recommendations for a good scanner tool so I can see what codes are being triggered. Ideally, a bidrectional scanner that I can calibrate the magnetic shocks with as well would be nice.

One of the struts, the insulation on the cable coming out of the top of the strut was rubbed/nicked. It didn’t look too bad, so I tried putting some liquid electric paste on to cover it. So, that might be the problem. I will reach out to Arnott on Monday, but I’m thinking they will want me to check connectors and codes before sending me a replacement.. And, pretty disappointed that I will have to tear into the truck again :-/.

I’ll try to post some pics of a comparison of these struts and the stock ones. I think these are new model struts being offered by Arnott, which is why there isn’t much info about them to be found.

 

[funnyguyMI]

 

[funnyguyMI]

So, an update on these.

When I tried to submit for a refund on the defective shock, Rock Auto’s website said I could not return them because they are not supposed to fit on my vehicle (2018 Yukon XL). So, I tried to submit a return for the 2nd shock, this time saying that I installed it on a non-XL 2018 Yukon, and then the website allowed me to return it. So, I was sketchy on if they would actually refund my money when they got it back. I included a printed email from Arnott saying that they were a factory replacement for my vehicle. And, they did end up refunding my money.

When I submitted for a refund on the one faulty shock, they would not send a replacement, only issue a refund as an option. So, I ordered a 3rd MR3840. Having already done the two before, the third swapped in pretty quickly. And, after installing this new shock, my “service suspension” dash alert went away.

The truck rode a lot better when having the faulty shock in, when compared to the old, blown-out shocks. And, getting this replacement shock in and getting the suspension system activated improved the ride by quite a lot. Very noticeable, especially in corners, as others have said.

Then I got the rears replaced, and man does this thing ride like a dream again. I watched a couple youtube videos about replacing the rears and neither of them took off the wheel well covers. I would recommend taking them off. It is a handful of easy screws and makes the top bolt of the rear shocks much easier to access. And, I could work on it from a stool, rather than having to lay down on the ground and reach up the whole time. Easier on the shoulders, imo..

Anyway, I would recommend these Arnott MR3840s. A little pricier, but a good option for DIYers that want the OEM, magnetic ride quality without having to pay the dealership and arm and a leg.

 

[tmwestport]

Hi I agree with what you did

After extensive research I called Arnott and they confirmed MR-3840 (s) can be installed on long wheel base version but its not officially recommended due to weight considerations the rep claimed the front of a short wheel base version is lighter than a long wheel base version which I find hard to believe given the difference in length is in the rear (but what do I know and also I'm not sure if its entirely due to the larger engine option all the long wheel base versions of XL, Suburban, ESV (s) have access to). So if you have the 5.3 I think it should be fine but don't quote me on that take the time to call an Arnott rep. The only OTHER option for MRC (s) is to go with the strut only and have a mechanic swap the strut into the coil assembly unless you have access to a coil compressor to release the strut.

I looked at most other options and they are all sub-quality.

Kudos to doing all the hard work and having to diagnose the faulty Arnott.

That said I can no longer find the MR-3840 (s) on Rock Auto (update I found one only, I was originally filtering for a Suburban changed to a Tahoe found it, but ideally need 2--maybe I can start with 1 ...)

Let us know if possible where a reliable source of these fully loaded assemblies can be found!

Best

 

[Tahoe14]

Have you tried a Google search.

 

[funnyguyMI]

Tmwestport - they might not stock a whole lot of them, or they may be having trouble keeping them in stock.

I found them on rock auto by searching by part number, rather than by vehicle. They only had 2 in stock, so I jumped on them. After placing the order, I did more research and was wondering if I bought the wrong thing for my truck. I messaged Arnott and they said it was a replacement for the stock part (84977478), so I didn’t cancel the order.

When I was ordering the 3rd one/replacement, I don’t think they showed many in stock then either, and the 3rd one shipped directly from Arnott, in FL, I believe.

I would say order them when you can and just wait until you have them both delivered to make the repair.

If you search for the MR3840, you will find other online retailers that sell them, but at a bit of a markup compared to rock auto. Just keep rock auto’s return policy in mind. It ended up working out for me. But, not having ANY cusomer service line available seemed a little strange to me. If you look up the about us or contact info on their website, they have some schpeel about how not having cusomer service reps keep their prices lower. But, if their automated/web return procedure doesn’t work for you (like if the part is not listed as fitting on your vehicle), I’m not sure what other recourse that leaves you with, besides maybe fighting the charges on Paypal, if you paid that way.

 

[funnyguyMI]

Yeah, I can’t see why these would be listed as fitting the shorter wheel base and not the longer one. Maybe the larger Denali/6.2 engine makes a difference. I’m not sure on the weight difference vs the 5.3, but I can’t imagine it is that much. And, if you load up the cargo in the longer wheel base, it seems like that weight will be mostly on the rear axle. Anyway, they are working great for me in my XL. My truck rides like new!

I did notice when looking at the “info” about the strut on rock auto, there is some postscript at the bottom of the page that struts ordered before July 2023 have a lifetime warranty, but those ordered after July 2023 only have 2 years.

 

[tmwestport]

Have you tried a Google search.

Hi

I definitely have. Like I said I saw 1 on rock auto when I 1st posted, most reputable online stores have 1 but then when you add them to the cart they say out of stock. As far as I can tell it looks like they are possible being bought by ebay seller(s) and resold at 100%, if not more, markup to what Rock Auto was selling it for. Rock Auto no longer has the (1) loaded strut. When I did talk to the Arnott Rep he said they made them in small batches and are in demand but didn't realize how in demand. I may end up going the stealership route if they're that hard to come by and just have them do the struts.

 

[HBdirtbag]

Just curious. Which shock did you do in the rear?