So the idea has been pondered and discussed many times on here, myself included. Nearly all people even thinking about it though, have ended up going with OE ones the cost notwithstanding.

You can do a search but here's at least one thread talking about them:

https://www.ttforum.co.uk/threads/chinese-magride.2024752/

In this thread you'll find (about halfway down the first page) a guy that did use the China/aftermarket shocks:

DIY - Magnetic Ride Replacement with Pics & Info

A few weeks ago I had to change one of my rear brake calipers as it had seized up. 3 years after the other side had seized up. Anyway, while the wheel was off i noticed some dust build up on one of the shocks. Now I know the workshop manual says that a light misting is no reason to change it and...

www.ttforum.co.uk

Not the thread starter but a different guy that chimed in. His use of the aftermarket dampers is kind of overshadowed by his rather ingenious jerryrigging of the rear cap in order to not have to replace it (they are extremely expensive these days), but you'll see he did mentioning using the aftermarket shocks and not really having any immediate issues. However he didn't really know what good/working OE dampers should feel like so not much in the way of comparison there.

Also, he only made the few posts that he did at the time (over a year ago now) and never returned, so no word on how his car/shocks are doing a year later. Apart from that, the rest of us that have replaced dampers (either singular, in pairs, or full refreshes as I and a couple others have done) on here...we've all used OE parts.

There's a lot of people that have bought these things to be sure, the problem is you're not really seeing much feedback on the intarweb about them as whoever has been buying them are not the type to post on here or other sites it would seem. It's also possible a lot of them are purchased/used by used car dealers just trying to get a car up to spec using cheap(er) parts like this to get the job done, esp. given the cost of the OE ones which is all very high these days.

So you're more or less the metaphorical guinea pig here unfortunately. One suggestion I have is you might want to go with ones from a more established and standing "brand", well as far as one can go in that dimension when talking about parts like these. I've often mentioned and seen mentioned for other magride cars (like GMs) one company called Aerosus. They have a website (Air Suspension Parts and Kits | Aerosus for UK) and sell on eBay, offer a warranty, and all that stuff. Now how good the support or warranty actually is I can't comment on that, but they at least say they offer 30-day satisfaction guarantee and 2yr warranty. So at least in theory, they should be a safer bet than totally unknown/fly-by-night rando sellers on eBay, Amazon, etc.

This is not a testimonial of any sort for this company as I've never done business but when I was considering buying aftermarkets, that was the company/brand I was going to go with. "On paper" they seem a bit more safe/sure than others...at least from what I saw at the time.

 

My fronts are being replaced by an original pair currently (indeed expensive).

Unfortunately, can’t help you with first-hand experience on aftermarket magride dampers.

While checking with a number of shops on replacement options, one recommended Arnott units that were cheaper than Audi…:

TecDoc

TecDoc Catalogue by TecAlliance - one of the world's leading global vehicle and spare parts catalogues for the automotive aftermarket based on the TecDoc standard.

web.tecalliance.net

 

While checking with a number of shops on replacement options, one recommended Arnott units that were cheaper than Audi…:

TecDoc

TecDoc Catalogue by TecAlliance - one of the world's leading global vehicle and spare parts catalogues for the automotive aftermarket based on the TecDoc standard.

web.tecalliance.net

I had my rears replaced with Arnott's. Not sure they were much cheaper (at least, not in the US), but they come with an added benefit of a lifetime manufacturer's warranty (non-transferable, so it only lasts as long as I own the car, which is fine since I'm not planning on selling any time soon). They went on a few months ago and I've been happy with them since. I was not interested in going to non-magride options.

 

I was definitely not aware of these Arnotts. Two things really stand out (as good):
-The mentioned lifetime warranty
-The websites says they are...made in Poland? Are they? That's pretty interesting because that's where the originals are made!

So I wonder if these are the OE shocks but at a lower price? Edit: Actually the price seems to be what the OE/VAG ones used to cost like 3yrs ago. But since VAG prices have gone bananas now, these are a good price still though not nearly as cheap as then China ones. Still, seems like possibly the same part and lifetime warranty--those are winners.

 

I ordered a set of rear shocks from eBay - £192. I'll report back once they've been fitted.
There seem to be lots of aftermarket ones available now. When I looked a few years ago, there were hardly any aftermarket ones and there were zero reviews. I ended up going OEM from Stoke Audi and I think they were £650 including the caps. £1029 without the caps is a huge increase in price.
It seems its a more common part now and is on various other VAG vehicles.

In for a penny etc....

 

Can’t confirm whether they are actually OE.

Note that online these can be found cheaper too, 489 for a front :

Front Magnetic Shock Absorber Audi TT, TTS (8J), MR-3856

<p>Front Magnetic Shock Absorber Audi TT, TTS (8J) is an OES front magnetic strut for the 2008-2015 Audi TT and the 2011 TTS (8J). This universal strut fits both the right and the left side of the Audi TT/TTS. The magnetically controlled strut from Arnott provides the same highly adaptive ride...

aeropik.eu

I received a discount on the Audi OE’s and wanted to work with that independent for other reasons - but if you’re installing yourself or know someone who wants to work with an online ordered pair…

@ADB looks like there is indeed a lack of hands-on reports on the cheaper Chinese-made ones. Thanks in advance for making the jump and sharing your experience over time!

 

Might be worth considering refurbishment of the shocks vs non-OEM or stooopid expensive Audi prices. There’s a company based in Poland called Nagengast who specialise in mag ride refurbs, The cost of one is around £280, plus shipping and a deposit for return of old ones…..

https://nagengast.pl/en/regeneration-of-shock-absorbers/

https://nagengast.pl/en/produkt/audi-tt-tts-shock-absorber-magnetic-ride-rear-left/

They seem to have good reviews on other forums

https://www.r8talk.com/threads/magnetic-ride-and-nagengast-pl.168554/

 

Indeed another relevant suggestion. I can report they promptly and helpfully answer questions.

They also confirmed they can reuse the caps for the rears. Not sure if they have a magic/secret technique for that .

 

They also confirmed they can reuse the caps for the rears. Not sure if they have a magic/secret technique for that .

Who are "they" though?

 

They also confirmed they can reuse the caps for the rears.

Given the rear caps are going for upwards of € 110 each that alone makes up for the cost of shipping!

If that's the case, I would think you'd have to provide the top mounting bracket (5) as well, since the cap goes on AFTER the shock is attached to the bracket. Parts diagram is from the Workshop Manual Suspension, Wheels & Steering - D3E80075730 which you can download from the Knowledge Base here.

 

The shocks arrived a couple of days after I ordered them. They look OK - but I've not really got a clue. They were fitted earlier. I had the caps from when they were replaced previously as I got new caps last time - one looked servicable, the other looked a bit dubious. However, I told the mechanic there was a knack to getting the original ones off intact. He said stick all the bits I had in the car and he'd have a look.
Anyway now fitted. The new ones came with top mounting brackets but the caps wouldn't fit as the top part didn't protrude enough. They mechanic managed to reuse the original brackets, so all good.
It seems OK, but I'll need to give a better review once I've done a bit of distance. I have just driven around the estate where there are some unfinished roads just to hear and feel it. The knocks have certainly gone and it feels tighter. I've got a 30 mile journey in the morning, so I'll see how it feels on that.

 

The shocks arrived a couple of days after I ordered them. They look OK - but I've not really got a clue. They were fitted earlier. I had the caps from when they were replaced previously as I got new caps last time - one looked servicable, the other looked a bit dubious. However, I told the mechanic there was a knack to getting the original ones off intact. He said stick all the bits I had in the car and he'd have a look.
Anyway now fitted. The new ones came with top mounting brackets but the caps wouldn't fit as they top part didn't protrude enough. They mechanic managed to reuse the original brackets, so all good.
It seems OK, but I'll need to give a better review once I've done a bit of distance. I have just driven around the estate where there are some unfinished roads just to hear and feel it. The knocks have certainly gone and it feels tighter. I've got a 30 mile journey in the morning, so I'll see how it feels on that. View attachment 519437

Heck even comes with the bumpstop, bellow, and a new mount, eh? How much were these ones, out of curiosity?

 

@ ADB - I've linked your threads into this post in the Knowledge Base. It will be very interesting to see how these shocks works out. Might be a long term solution and cost saver if these Chinese MagRide shocks workout. Given the average life* for shocks seems to be around 75,000 miles or about 10 years this might just be an alternative to OEM if they hold up that long.

Can you provide us with the point of contact where someone could order them? Any issues with importing them?

https://www.ttforum.co.uk/threads/faq-mag-ride-test-repair-calibration-delete-options.2023542/?post_id=9540174#post-9540174

*Rough estimate from various suspension and shock specialists. Your mileage may vary.

 

I had two 30 mile or so round-trips on Saturday through a few villages - A-roads, corners, national speed limit etc. It all felt OK Much tighter than it was and no knocking noises.
I've never really noticed a big difference with mag-ride on or off, but I'm no rally driver. I turned it on for a couple of the twisty stretches and it did its thing - although hard to tell.
I think I'll need to review these over a longer period as I don't drive anywhere near as much as I used to.

They were £192.99 including delivery.

 

I had two 30 mile or so round-trips on Saturday through a few villages - A-roads, corners, national speed limit etc. It all felt OK Much tighter than it was and no knocking noises.
I've never really noticed a big difference with mag-ride on or off, but I'm no rally driver. I turned it on for a couple of the twisty stretches and it did its thing - although hard to tell.
I think I'll need to review these over a longer period as I don't drive anywhere near as much as I used to.

The magnetic ride is always "on", it's never "off". In Sport mode it firms up, but in regular mode it's still certainly working full time nonetheless. You should definitely feel the difference in Sport. It can be subtle over a smooth road and just a "highway cruise" but it is much firmer (or should be). Over a longer distance/time you'll actually feel it in your gut (I know I do) because your abdominal muscles will be dealing with it in an autonomic fashion. Now I'm not suggesting you can get a "free ab workout" driving around in sport, lol, but it's definitely something I notice if I inadvertently leave it on, like on the highway cruising, after a while I'm like, "is it in Sport?...oh yeah it is, left it on from the on ramp..."

 

The only time I engage mine is at higher a-bahn speeds (>120kph) and when climbing or descending Alpine roads. If you find a stretch of good twisty road in the hills, try it in both direction with MR on and then MR off. You should notice a difference.

 

Following this thread as I intend to go the Chinese route should mine pack up. I ocassionally get the hard thump from front end which running in sport mode helps. Given the problem with top caps is there any other alternative than OEM? I'd be tempted to fab something myself if cap broken. Others have done and shouldn't be a moon mission to accomplish.

 

I recently replaced my rear mag-rides with Chinese knockoff's, and they work great. $178 Pair Rear Shock Absorbers Magnetic Ride For 07-15 Audi TT MKII TTS TTRS Quattro | eBay

I now plan on replacing the fronts with the full strut assembly (including springs). I don't have the tools to change springs, and I know I'm taking a chance. I found a method to remove the caps without breaking. I'll try to take a video to post.

 

That's fantastic news and glad your reporting back on result. If I changed mine I'd go full hog and replace all 4.
How did you find the EMS & fault codes working with new shocks?

 

Nothing changed and no errors. I have an OBDEleven and didn’t see anything. I’m going to get the front struts soon. I’m kinda surprised that the OEM shocks are blown at 70k miles.

 

Can you feel a notable difference between Magride modes when switched on / off or just a difference between having new functional shocks vs blown / worn-out shocks?

 

I can feel something change, but hard to say it helps because it showed me how bad the front struts are. I’ll report back after I change out the struts. Stay tuned.

 

Any feedback on how these are working and if you ordered fronts as well.?

I'm looking at ordering the full set via Aliexpress as my rears are now leaking.

 

Yes, I did install the fronts. They're still performing very well. It's my wife's play car and it doesn't get a lot of miles, but she is very rough on cars and truck. She is constantly running off the road and just short of going into a ditch. I purchased mine through Ebay. There are many sellers of these, but I suspect they're all coming from the same place.

 

Yes, I did install the fronts. They're still performing very well. It's my wife's play car and it doesn't get a lot of miles, but she is very rough on cars and truck. She is constantly running off the road and just short of going into a ditch. I purchased mine through Ebay. There are many sellers of these, but I suspect they're all coming from the same place.

I have to ask, how does she keep managing to do that? Maybe buy her a tractor instead?

 

Here's the fronts I purchased. I can't believe how much the cost has gone up. I paid $357 USD.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

Here are the rears.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

For reference this is the set of 4, I found from your links. Works out at $450USD or approx $1250 NZD delivered (inc tax). Not bad for the set although I would need to factor in replacement of the electrical caps which can be very expensive. There are some great guides on how to remove caps although only around 50% sucess rate.

4x Front Rear Shock Struts Assembly W/Magnetic For Audi TT TTS TTRS MKII Quattro | eBay

 

I wish I had taken pictures of how I removed the caps without breaking them. I just happened to have some dental tools/picks. They’re very strong and thin where you need it. Don’t try to pull them off. Lubricate the connector where it attaches to the top of the shock. Insert the tip of the dental tool of your choice underneath where plugs into the connector. Slowly, and I mean sloooowly work the tool around and it will pop off intact. How are the cables leading up to the connector cap?

 

I bought a set of 'dental tools' or more precisely oil seal picks which I think will work. Studied the How to Do thread and I'm fairly confidednt I can proceed. The caps & cables are all in great condition with my car as we don't have any rust and car only has 80k km's (48k miles) on the clock. I am not in a rush to replace just yet as car drives fine. The TT just passed our WOF compliance so legally I have another year to sort out. Plans at this stage are to complete reseach and order these replacements from ebay and install rears before winter (May) and then fronts in Oct.

 

Let me know how it goes when you get around to doing it. 😜

 

Ok, will do. Exchange rate has taken a tumble since US election so prices are more than I was hoping for. Just looking at some other options