does anyone know what the warranty is on the so called special coating on the Dakar leaf springs as mine are one year and eight months old I think my 1946 Jeep springs look brand new in comparison .any info will help
Arb leaf spring rusting (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Glassco
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Contact vendor who sold said springs and discuss.
- Thread starter
- #4
Well firstly I am in South Africa so they say they can repainted but the coating they speak of is more than likely only available in Australia so don't know how these springs would get the original coating
I don't think there's anything you can do to leaf springs that would prevent rust completely. No paint will withstand that friction. Even power coating would only work on the surfaces that are not touching other leafs. You can prevent rust by removing as much as you can and then oiling them or greasing them to physically block the water/air.
This leaf manufacturer says a similar thing.
Leaf Spring Rust - EATON Detroit Spring
This leaf manufacturer says a similar thing.
Leaf Spring Rust - EATON Detroit Spring
How bad is the corrosion? The special coating is probably just a heavy duty metal paint sold in any automotive paint shop in the world.
Or just send ARB an email.
Ive had good results stopping spring leaves from rusting by spraying a lanolin based anti rust/lubricant OR my own recipe of diesel, kerosene and light oil.
Its best if you remove and dismantle the spring pack .
Or just jack the vehicle up and let the springs sag down and separate. The thinner the concoction, the more it will penetrate between the leaves and less dirt will stick to it.
Wipe it down when finished to keep motorcyclists safe.
Or just send ARB an email.
Ive had good results stopping spring leaves from rusting by spraying a lanolin based anti rust/lubricant OR my own recipe of diesel, kerosene and light oil.
Its best if you remove and dismantle the spring pack .
Or just jack the vehicle up and let the springs sag down and separate. The thinner the concoction, the more it will penetrate between the leaves and less dirt will stick to it.
Wipe it down when finished to keep motorcyclists safe.
Probably to stop them rusting in the warehouse and make them look nice. No one is going to like handing over a $1200 for set of rusty strips of metal.
Most vehicle manufacturers use JIT (Just In Time) manufacturing which means they receive the parts just before they are needed. So not sitting in a warehouse for long.
You also don't see the OE rusting 12 months after you purchased the vehicle either.
You also don't see the OE rusting 12 months after you purchased the vehicle either.
I'm not talking about Toyota and in any case they would rust over night if they were not painted. I am talking about aftermarket springs. As for rusting and how long it takes, it depends on where you are driving.
- Thread starter
- #11
the problem here is we are not allowed to drive on beaches and i do not have a boat and both front and back have rust and arb refer to a slip plate at the end of the blades so it should have less contact between the blades and are greaseable it still amuses me that when you read all the promotional stuff it makes one feel you are buying a product that has been most certainly been tested and is better than others and the price most definitely makes you think that you are buying a superior product i find this all very questionable.
Dakar springs are not manufactured in Australia. They are off-shore, I believe somewhere in Indonesia. The coating almost certainly originated somewhere near the manufacturing plant.
No problem Rosco, understood.
My point is the excuse in the link from gkanai to "Eaton Detroit" Springs is rubbish. Their should be a coating between the leaves. Why is aftermarket not made to the same standard or higher as the OE most sell their product as an upgrade? Definately if you are driving on the beach every day you would expect it.
- Thread starter
- #14
well i must say my vehicle may be old but i do not have a spec of rust on it and even areas like the diff that have bare metal exposed have not rusted . This vehicle in washed every week and polished every 2 months .I agree with what you guys think and this product is sold as an upgrade from oe standard . The differance is really vast from oe but i do think quality is the issue.
The original(4 sets) pre Dakar leafs also rust even in an environment where nothing else is prone to rust.
@Glassco
ARB moved spring production to the eastern rim to produce a more affordable ( cheaper ) spring. Part of the cheaper spring package also means
cheaper materials. Springs can be made from many alloys as long as they have enough carbon to accept hardening. Typically the alloy manufacturers introduce elements like Chromium or Vanadium to add toughness are corrosion resistant properties to the alloy.
At one time , Japanese and Australian BHP steel was the finest spring steel on the market. The off road racers in the 70s and 80s
went out of their way to have springs built there or have the materials brought in to work with here. The Japanese and Aussie steels
were Chrome/Vanadium alloys. The cheapers springs are made from carbon steels like 1050, 1074, 1075 and 1095, the last two numbers referring to carbon contents, 50 =.5 , 75 = .75, etc. Your 10xx series steels are the less expensive of the spring steels.
Most OEM manufacturers use a middle road 5160 steel. It differs from the 10xx steels in that chromium for corrosion resistance and toughness along with silicon which adds toughness, memory and corrosion resistance. The 5160 is a better grade of steel than the 10xx but still affordable
in the eyes of OEM. Service life is extended and warranty is reduced ( less rusting )
Springs of Chrome/Vanadium, ASTM a231 and a401 are premium. Vanadium is added to produce the finest grain structure, a longer cycle
life and high shock loads. It's still very common in coils as leaf spring production is becoming more uncommon.
In short, if your springs are rusted that badly they are probably of a 1050-1060 alloy. Since the leaves are constantly rubbing, no coating will stand up. The old school way of preventing rust on leaves was oil. Anything from WD40 to crankcase oil
ARB moved spring production to the eastern rim to produce a more affordable ( cheaper ) spring. Part of the cheaper spring package also means
cheaper materials. Springs can be made from many alloys as long as they have enough carbon to accept hardening. Typically the alloy manufacturers introduce elements like Chromium or Vanadium to add toughness are corrosion resistant properties to the alloy.
At one time , Japanese and Australian BHP steel was the finest spring steel on the market. The off road racers in the 70s and 80s
went out of their way to have springs built there or have the materials brought in to work with here. The Japanese and Aussie steels
were Chrome/Vanadium alloys. The cheapers springs are made from carbon steels like 1050, 1074, 1075 and 1095, the last two numbers referring to carbon contents, 50 =.5 , 75 = .75, etc. Your 10xx series steels are the less expensive of the spring steels.
Most OEM manufacturers use a middle road 5160 steel. It differs from the 10xx steels in that chromium for corrosion resistance and toughness along with silicon which adds toughness, memory and corrosion resistance. The 5160 is a better grade of steel than the 10xx but still affordable
in the eyes of OEM. Service life is extended and warranty is reduced ( less rusting )
Springs of Chrome/Vanadium, ASTM a231 and a401 are premium. Vanadium is added to produce the finest grain structure, a longer cycle
life and high shock loads. It's still very common in coils as leaf spring production is becoming more uncommon.
In short, if your springs are rusted that badly they are probably of a 1050-1060 alloy. Since the leaves are constantly rubbing, no coating will stand up. The old school way of preventing rust on leaves was oil. Anything from WD40 to crankcase oil
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