I have a 2011 RRSSC that had both an adaptive dampening fault and suspension fault. The front DS air bag finally let go. Neither OEM bags nor the complete strut were available from AB so I thought I give Arnott a try and purchased a set for the front. All good but the ride was terrible (hard). Brought it to an Indy to have the suspension reset because it was in default mode (super stiff). It could not be reset and the terrible ride quality persisted. Got another set of Arnott fronts struts thinking the originals might have been damaged because one of the connectors was messed up when I got them. Second set performed the same. The Indy ohmed the strut sensor (very low), then called Arnott to find out the struts are being pulled from sale and heading back to engineering because the sensors wouldn’t communicate with the control module and the vehicle stays in default (full inflate). Maybe why yours rides ok when not driven for a while or until the compressor tops them off. Ended up buying a salvage set and everything is as right as rain. 3 month project. Still waiting for my $ to be refunded.

How many others have you driven that ride better? If you want to have a go with mine - you can!

I was about to say the same. Have you driven a few others recently so you've got a baseline of what to expect.

I’d recommend just going with different parts I know range rovers can be expensive when replacing things but the truth is if you cheap out on the parts you can expect things to not work as they would’ve originally if not better. (Not insinuating you’re buying cheap parts) but I just know there’s a lot of cheap stuff out there that it’s a quick fix but doesn’t solve your problem correctly long term. Your control arms look very old, the tie rods, also check sway bar links, sway bar bushings, pretty much all bushings make sure they’re not old and cracked up. Idk just looking at the parts they don’t seem new to me. Just my own two sense. I’m not a skilled mechanic but I purchased the same vehicle 6 months ago. Suffered from the same problems (even worse mine was riddled with weird noises) but 6 months later here I am with a beautiful amazing smooth ride (Which actually shocked me because I didn’t think I could pull it off ) by swapping parts myself with quality parts since I didn’t have to pay for labor. Ppl say go for cheap parts all the time to me and those same ppl all have had vehicle trouble more than me.

@@mattthompson8657 So, how about a meeting of 4.4 TDV8 L322s (presumably near a ferry port to Ireland!)

Yep this is very important , it can make differenca

Thanks for the comment! So, if you're serious about keeping the L322, the best possible tool would be a GAP IID tool. They're not cheap but it will work on your phone or your mechanic's, in your native language. Most of the tools that I have shown in the videos will give you the same sort of information regarding fault codes - which any decent mechanic should be able to use to work in the right direction. The difference between the tools is in the special/extra features, of which the IID tool has the best complement by some margin. HOWEVER, the IID tool will only work properly on JLR products - so if you're thinking of getting him a tool which he will use on other vehicles, one of the others that I showed would be a better bet. The Otofix D1 Lite which I reviewed: amzn.to/3Wr103Y is a fair bit cheaper than the IID tool, but will work on every major manufacturer and model. The downside is that it doesn't have the advanced JLR features that the IID tool has - but for 99% of use cases it'll do the job and point you to the fault. Oh, and it has 16 language options including Italian.

I'm itching to get stuck into the P38 now.

@@SamsMotors Itching to see all the vids..

Thanks 👍 if it was any other car, it would been long gone by now.

Glad you like them!

Cheers Richard! Yes, best boots I've ever had. These have done nearly 3 years now and still comfy and in one piece. 👍👍

Cool! Glad you've not been put off... Romania is an awesome place and I'd love to go back. Lots of cool places to explore there with an L322!

Hi Gary, thanks for the mega comment! Valves are definitely a good suggestion and will be on my hitlist if the issue persists after the front struts have been replaced. Some bushes have been replaced but not all - and it's definitely due an alignment but there are a few more bushes left to do first. All good suggestions, thanks!

@@SamsMotors , hi Sam, ur so welcome , for my sins had landies for some 30 x years so understand that some can be very frustrating , talking of bushes i wonder when they were replaced if the wishbones wernt jacked up to the correct height setting or put down back on the ground before being torqued up, so would in effect twist the bushings, hope it helps and indeed look forward to see what u find , thks again for the fantastic content , all the best , gary

Hmm, you're the 3rd person that's suggested compressor. I'm trying to figure out how it could affect ride quality - as it is just a pump for filling the reservoir, at the end of the day!

Couple of videos back, the first P38 vid Jim 😂 Link in the description if you wanted to treat yourself ;)

@@SamsMotors I’ll find it mate, I’ve just dropped over £6k on deposit for my new car and emptied my current account 😂 give me a couple of weeks mate and I’ll definitely purchase some merch… which will feature heavily in my next video! 😂 have a good day mate and speak soon. Jim.

I was thinking the same thing, after I had one front bag replaced the garage did not calibrate it and it drove terribly. Luckily I have an IID tool and reset all the suspension heights and it drove well after that. Mine is a 2004/5. It might also be worth checking that the suspension heights are at factory levels and not higher which could throw the balance off.

@@AutomoTom In some shots it actually looks higher, which would make it ride harder.

Yeah I had thought they might be a possibility. Have you ever had a ride quality issue caused by the valve blocks?

@@SamsMotors Hi Sam, with my D3 yes numerous times. Definitely worth looking at the valves as the seals fail.

It could very well be tyre related but the hard ride issue was present before I had these fitted. Also there are plenty of folk around using the same size tyres as me on these cars apparently without issue. Could definitely still be tyre related though, would be nice to find a second set of wheels and tyres to try out. 👍

@@SamsMotors just another idea for the pot....it wasnt so much the tyre size alone being the problem, but using an All terrain tyre in that particular size. All terrains should be on 17” wheels max to compensate for the stiffer sidewall and give it flex. 18” above you’d be better on road tyres, theyll drive better in the wet to!

@@SamsMotors I wanted to write you the same suggestion for tires. Mine L322 has significantly better comfort with the original size 255/50/20. I’ve managed to put 285/50/20 Pirelli Scorpion all season and ride quality is terrible. The additional weight per tyre is 3kg or more… I’m planing to reduce the size to 19” 255/55 :)

Not properly yet, I'd absolutely love to though. Just at the moment I feel like it'd probably break something (or me!) with how firm the ride feels over bumps.

This is an interesting one, because there are technically two different part numbers for air springs (VDS Vs non. VDS) but most places only sell one part to cover both. I'd like to know for certain though!

@@SamsMotors I looked at Rimmer Bros page for L322 suspension and they list continuously variable damping air springs AND height sensors - begs the question if one requires the whole set - shocks, springs and height sensors in continuously variable damping form - in order to not confuse the active damping module?

@@MorganandSophie1 dampers and height sensors are a definite - but I don't know for sure if the air springs are any different. If they are, that could well be the cause of my issues.

@@SamsMotors I am sure you are more than familiar with p190 of the Workshop Manual which almost comically illustrates 28 distinct and expensive looking components , which on the face of it, should deliver a halo-level ride quality...quite sensitive these go anywhere vehicles...

Battery is always a great thing to replace on these Tony for sure. I've not long fitted a brand new battery to this though, so hopefully we can rule that out.

Strange! Do you attribute the poor ride to the blocked dryer, then?

@@SamsMotors Perhaps. There is one easy way to check and that is to remove the litte golden suppressor on top of the compressor. That would increase air flow and tell if the compressor is faulty. Land rover sell a work around part for this named RQV500050 It is basically the supressor with a tiny 3mm hole drilled nere the base.

Hey Jerry, the bottle jack I'm using is just a generic 10 tonne one. It has an extendable screw-top on it, but It's nowhere near tall enough to jack up under the body jacking points. For changing wheels and working on brakes etc, I always jack the RR up under the lower suspension arms, and then put an axle stand under the body jacking point to support it.

Thanks, that helps a lot.

@@jerrygreene7139 not sure if you can get them in the states, but over here Mercedes delivery vans come with a very good bottle jack, plus you can buy an adaptor to replace the fitted end of the bottle jack that fits the L322 lifting points. very easy to fit.

Interesting! I would have thought if the ride height was correct and level that a worn compressor wouldn't affect the ride quality.

@@SamsMotors I’m not sure I can explain it, but I had access to both cars back to back. I did run some diagnostics and the pressure in the tank was much higher with the new pump. I eventually had air suspension faults shown in the ecu where the pressure wasn’t rising quick enough. I tried rebuilding the pump but that didn’t work, so I installed a new one, the biggest difference is the handling where the car doesn’t roll anywhere near as much.

Obv the output was a firm ride…

Hi Richard thanks for this, that's an interesting point. When you say it locks out each airbag, how do you mean? As opposed to what? I would have assumed that once height is achieved, the air spring valves would remain closed until a height adjustment is required. But I could be completely wrong there by the sounds of it! Thanks again Sam

Fingers crossed 🤞

Did yours throw adaptive dynamics warnings though? The wiring to the strut tops is a common issue, which mine has had repaired in the past. 👍

I may do so soon, if these new struts don't work it might be the only thing left!

Definitely a good suggestion, it's well overdue an alignment but I'll probably try and do the rear bushes first.

It's a Bilstein one, correct part number. I fitted a matching one to the other side a while back. Data logging would definitely be interesting if I could get the right kit.

@@SamsMotors some time has passed, have You checked the acceleration sensors yet? If some of them give wrong values, might mess up CVD also.

Yeah I went through and did a height calibration after fitting - didn't show it in the video as it was getting a bit lengthy. Definitely an important factor in ride quality though

Yep, you're correct - among others, the Adaptive Dynamics module reads wheel displacement (height sensors) accelerometers, yaw sensor, steering wheel angle, speed, and probably lots more. I've done a fair bit of data logging with all of these sensors with the IID tool, which all looks 'OK', but it's difficult to know what normal is without a direct comparison. I might try going back to SDD on my laptop as that has better logging capability for the dynamic suspension stuff than the IID tool does. Thanks, good suggestions

@@SamsMotors I just purchased a 2008 Range Rover and it appears to have the hydraulic sway bar on it. If you have that i would try disconnecting the links at the wheels to see if the problem persists. It sounds like the wallowing is being caused by something operating to slowly and causing the truck to rock after the bump or change in height not the actual dampers

@@user-qk9tq1rt7o Definitely no hydraulic sway bars in mine. As I said before, pretty sure that's only an L320 (Sport) feature. Discovery 2 had it too, called 'ACE' (active cornering enhancement) on those cars.

@@SamsMotors Could it be that the pressure sensor for the air system is reading low? The system uses volume to control height but pressure determines the speed of change. Could the air pressure sensor be reading high? That would cause the system to react slower. due to lower actual pressure. I wonder if you should have someone else with a similar vehicle take it for a spin and see if they concur with your thoughts and compare them on the same road. It is possible that on some roads the system will simply react that way due to the shape and frequency of the road and you happen to use those roads?

@@user-qk9tq1rt7o possibly. I think there's a good chance my reservoir leaks, as the compressor seems to run most mornings when I start her up. The springs don't leak and it stays up for weeks on end without dropping - but the leaky tank could be related, and having a weird effect on the spring rate somehow?

Changed them earlier this year - but good shout!

Cool, did you enjoy your trip over here?! So, I've added the digital speed readout to my dash through a CCF change (IID tool). When you change the trip computer to km (through the dash menus), the digital readout also changes to kph. My main dial is still in MPH but I believe it's also possible to change that in the IID tool, which I'll have a go at doing soon I reckon.

Hi Rover, Yeah I definitely need to do some more data logging with SDD. If these new front struts don't solve it I think I will start looking at the compressor and valves very closely. Do you think the dessicant issue you've described could cause a poor ride? If so, through what mechanism? Thanks for your thoughts!

@@SamsMotors yep.. because the l322 design it soo floored..it was once described as a collinder! Because of the water ingress into the boot area either boot seal hinges around multiple body panels and top spoiler to tailgate and bumper main bolt fixings..the water gets in the pump sits in a puddle..then the desiccant is trying harder to dry the air out and eventually ends up being drawn in the pipelines and valve bloody..it may be worth when under the drivers side pulling off the air tank and a, checking condition if it's a steel construction as it could be ally..and taking out the pipes and then see if any water comes out..( I did this and much more with mine)..then I removed all valve blocks and used the 4x4 air seals from the Bay.. this helped mine no end.. although not adaptive system..I seems that's all that is left that's common to all the work so far and the only bit that would possibly be linked to the fault being still there even when you changed to the non adaptive system to troubleshoot it..but being a A land rover product they can test the patience of a saint..it's definitely well worth diagnostic on it in real time actual values just to see if it does correspond .. unless there is an electronic gremlin possible coding..I know you changed the rear bags already..but I no it's a long shot..get hold of ldf leak detection fluid..spray the bags thoroughly..if there is a leak it will bubble like frog's spawn..( I did that and much more on mine..) never leaked in high.but leaked in access and normal/ motorway height..the bags seals itself in high then the tiny holes or hole opens up in normal and leak's..driving it felt awful and dangerous at speed for me.. just a thought to completely eliminate the bag's.. apologies if you have already. keep us informed and best of luck Paul.

Bushings are definitely on the list - got a big box of them here ready to fit when I get a chance. The sidewalls of these tyres aren't actually very big - almost the same as the original 255/55 R19s.

@@SamsMotors I've got 255/55/19's on mine currently, I can confirm going up an inch to 20" wheels makes a huge difference to handling and feel although you do loose some of the absorption of little bumps!

the blocks had got damp in them from being where they were situated

Nothing except for the Megaflush service carried out around a year ago (see my old videos).

Agree, they're an important component for ride. However, it did ride the same on the original 19" wheels, and it rides the same (or slightly worse even) at the standard ride height.

@@SamsMotors it sounds like an adaptive problem then. Like when the gearbox learns your driving style and sets the gears accordingly. Are there CCM updates available vie the iid tool?

The pressure in the bags doesn't really change unless the weight of the vehicle changes. The volume of air just changes depending on the ride height selected

Quite possibly - the yaw sensor has a longitudinal and lateral sensor in it too that I know is used by the adaptive dampers. I've actually got one here to fit, but leaving it as a last resort as it's a pain in the backside to access!

Planning to do so soon, that's the only way I'll get a feel for what it should be like!

I thought the same thing James. I use Michelin Touring tires on my L322 and the ride quality is better than i dare say - a Rolls Royce Wraith i drove in recently.

Hi David, no it'll fill itself automatically.

Thanks Joseph. They're definitely in short supply over here - I'll keep an eye out.

I've done the rear subframe bushes and the rear hub joints. But not got round to the arm bushes yet. They don't "seem" worn out but you never know with these cars 🤷‍♂️

I know who you mean, will give him a watch 👍👍

I agree - but with CVDs they have the capability to go rock solid when de-energised. If you've ever driven your RR with an 'adaptive dynamics' fault, you'll know what this feels like. You could drive over a pencil and feel it through the dampers when they're like this.

@@SamsMotors You fitted non CVD dampers and the problem is still there so logically the issue is elsewhere. You also have much bigger than stock AT tyres. AT tyres by design have stiffer sidewalls and harder compound than road tyres so this will give a harsher ride as well as possibly sending unpredictable data to the Adaptive dynamics ECU. On the FFRR forum I said that replacing 7 yr old ( ie rubber gone hard) Scorpion Verde for new made a big difference to ride comfort on mine. Still get a bit of harshness now and again but generally the tyres are doing their job of cushioning out road imperfections very well.

Rear subframe bushings I've done, but yeah there are still a lot of rear arm bushes that I've not touched yet.

Ah nice, where abouts are you Jonnie? I've not had any other wheels or tyres on it since I fitted these Coopers about 12 months ago. Would be nice to try for sure.

@@jonniemorgan8152 it's public, you can message me on Instagram or email me at samsmotorandmachine@gmail.com for a private chat ☺️

@@SamsMotors cheers just emailed

Hi Paul, I've got two new front struts to fit soon, hoping to do that in the next week or so. Issue still persists!

@@SamsMotors hi Sam.. sounds good are they the vds adaptive one's..or the Dunlop one's you mentioned.. keep me updated..I have an l322 and it's in constant need of attention.. they are living beings, they are always listening and picking the most worst time to break..but we love them.look forward to the results..if they aren't the Dunlop's what will you do with them,I'd be interested.. best of luck Paul.

@@SamsMotors hi Sam hope you are well, how is the suspension and strut noise going?, All the best Paul.

I have a sneaking suspicion that not everything is fine and dandy with the CAN network on this car... after repairing that wire splice under the carpet, it could very easily be the case that another CAN splice somewhere is broken or not connected properly. Just need to figure out the best way to read and interpret the CAN signals. We used CANalyzer at work but not sure I can get hold of that.

@@SamsMotors won't they let you borrow it for a weekend ;) failing that get a reader that will graph live data and look for drop outs?

Sure I can try. Leave a comment here or send me an email at samsmotorandmachine@gmail.com 👍

It is slightly yep, around 20mm. The pressure in the air springs doesn't change with height, it's the volume of air that changes. Also it rides slightly better with a slight lift from my testing!

@@SamsMotors I know what you're saying about pressure/volume/height but as an example it's well recognised that the D3s & D4s ride harder when lifted. There is a design feature in airbags where the internal shape of the airbag support is tapered so it creates a progressive damping effect as it gets compressed under load, I cant recall if that's the case with LR airbags. But generally, if you are chasing the 'stock' performance you need to operate it at the optimum geometry that it was designed for, and that includes having the correct offset on your wheels.

@@noelwhittle7922 Understand all of that and agree with you. But I did run it at standard height for most of this year, and noticed a slight improvement when I added 20mm recently. Similarly with the wheels, the problem was present prior to the wheel & tyre changes. It would definitely be a good idea to revert everything to bone stock though - it's just getting ahold of the wheels that's a bit more difficult here than in the UK.

@@SamsMotors ok, I've only come in late to the saga. But otherwise, keep your eye on the height calibrations so that it's not 2 diagonally opposite struts that are taking all the load. Happened to me on my D3.

Yeah I'm always amazed how chinsy they feel!

Strange! Mine has a tendency to rise at the front over time, despite calibration too. I think it's improved since fitting these new sensors though 🤔

Strange! Did the vibration persist through your recent wheel & tyre change?

@@SamsMotors yeah, it got worse actually

@@itsjoel probably front suspension bushes worn then. The lower arm can cause steering vibration/wobble if the bushes are gone. Your new wheels/tyres are slightly bigger no? If so it would accentuate the problem and make it feel worse.

Hi, it's on the 'About' page, but to save you a click - samsmotorandmachine@gmail.com 👍

@Sam's Motor & Machine sent you an email there 👍🏻

I'm very reluctant to go to a garage with it, I think they'd just want to fire the parts cannon at it too - but with a 100 euro/hr labour charge on top. It might come to that though!