I am uncertain about the exclusivity of my predicament; however, I deem it necessary to document my personal experience, with the intention of maybe mitigating any inconvenience for others.
I have lately made a purchase of a set of new Generation 3 components for my 1999 P38 HSE vehicle. There were two primary concerns:
The air line intake to the spring is not the conventional "push to connect" (PTC) fitting anymore. The existing springs are equipped with an additional connector that allows for the insertion of a 6mm nylon pipe, similar to the Push-to-Connect (PTC) mechanism. However, it is not possible to detach the pipe by depressing a collet. Evidently, the task at hand was deemed too straightforward. The subsequent step involves the detachment of a fitting by unscrewing in order to extract the pipe, so facilitating the removal of the spring. Due of the little space between the frame and the rear spring, doing this task is quite challenging, particularly from my perspective. Fortunately, I made this discovery prior to the installation of the spring.
The plastic casting located on the top of the spring's back is specifically designed to conform to a template on the frame. Despite spending an hour attempting to fit it, the casting remained incompatible even after some filing. I contacted Arnott technical support and received assistance from a someone who was both knowledgeable and accommodating. Ultimately, he proposed that I initiate the process of returning the spring and get a set from an other vendor. This recommendation stems from the possibility that during the production of a new batch of springs, there may be slight discrepancies in the casting. Consequently, it is plausible that I may be able to obtain springs from a different production batch. The assistance provided was limited in its effectiveness.
For the last eight years, I used the Arnott Gen 3 in my P38, which proved to be satisfactory. However, the performance of the newer models did not meet my expectations. I have returned to Dunlops. The PTC fitting was retained and fitted with exceptional precision.