Air Lift Suspension on 4.4is??

[we350z]

Hi guys - my X5 is at the shop getting checked out for the "SELF LEVEL SUSP INACT." code that has been persisting for the last month or so. Here is the thread regarding that:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...g-rh-side.html

So they are saying the driver side has a leak, which is no surprise to me it's been like that ever since I bought the car from my dad 7 years ago. It's a slow leak so if the car sits for a couple days it will sag. Upon starting the car the compressor always pumps it right back up. It still does this, but now the module is reading a fault consistently. Perhaps the leak has gotten worse...

This is the diagnosis the local shop (Holland Auto Care in San Mateo) is giving. They are quoting $740 parts and labor to replace just the driver side bag and there is no guarantee that will resolve the issue (though it likely will). They may need to continue troubleshooting at additional cost. For that kind of money I would much rather covert to a traditional coilover system in the rear or go big and spend the money on an adjustable air ride system like this AIR LIFT 77786 (even looks like there is a promo for $50 off!):

Air Lift® 77786 - Performance Air Suspension Manual Slam Combo Kit

The shop here won't install anything aftermarket so I'll have to take it to another shop, preferable a race shop (probably Rennsport in Reno, NV).

What parts would I need for the rear if I wanted to just do shocks and springs? I definitely want to lower the truck if I go this route since I love the look though it would be great to have the best of both worlds...

[Skyline]

Hard to say if your price quote is good or bad; it all depends on what exactly is being done. Take a look at this page on the Arnott site, and decide what you want done:

https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...21_pid137.html

But if it were my car, I would NOT do just one side. If one side is leaking, the other will be soon to follow. Also, as you can see from the Arnott site, it is possible to just do the air spring and not the struts. Bounce on the front of the car, if it's not floating, and continuing to bounce, you don't need struts...at least now. I presume a rebuilt strut from Arnott gets you a new airbag, on a used strut, but I can say for sure on that. While you can get airbags without struts, I don't know if you can get struts without airbags.

Another point to note, replacing a front strut or rear airbag is not rocket science. My E53 has only rear air springs, and those were a snap to change. I've also had my front struts out and apart to change the strut tower bushings, and that was simple too. You can take it to your shop for calibration after the job is done, should be no more than 1/2 hour, (although you do have to set the ride heights, drive the car, recheck it, and repeat if its not right)

Make sure your mechanic has the equipment to calibrate the system once the leaky part is done, (ie has an Autologic or similar,) however you decide to address the leak.

[we350z]

Thanks man for the reply. Just spoke to the guys at Rennsport in Reno. John there has an E53 as well. He said they can replace both airbags (with an aftermarket brand) and calibrate them for close to the quote I got for one from local shop ($740). They don't recommend changing just the one side either (which I have learned is never really a good idea for anything suspension related). They also went on to say that it's very possible that there could be another leak somewhere in the system or a bad sensor but it wouldn't be too much more to track down and fix it if that is the case.

We also discussed the air lift system. It would be $1000-$1800 labor to install on top of the $1700 price tag for the parts. It's a big job. Although it would be super cool, thinking it's not worth the money...

The front end seems fine - nice and stiff. If anything down the road I will simply lower the front end by 1" max (Eibach springs) and replace the front struts with some Bilstein Pro or HD+ (a little less expensive than stock sport struts). Probably would cost around $800-$850 in parts for that plus labor. Will need another alignment then too. Shit adds up quick... Regardless, I think this phased approach will be more cost effective and provide a handling upgrade without losing too much clearance.

She handles great now, I would lower mostly for the stance. Don't want something too aggressive I've got my z32 slammed for that (Tokico / Eibach Pro Kit).

I know it's not rocket science to change and I've done much bigger jobs but I don't really have the time and patience to do the work and I gotta bring it in anyway for calibration so screw it I'll pay for the labor for them to install both sides. It comes with a lifetime guarantee as well.

[we350z]

This is all I need right?

Right Rear Arnott Sport Air Spring 00 06 BMW x5 E53 w Rear Leveling | eBay

Left Rear Arnott Sport Air Spring 00 06 BMW x5 E53 w Rear Leveling | eBay

[jsoto]

I've got the nagging error for a good while now. No leaks in the bags or one I can detect. I suspect it's a bad sensor as while I had the error come up, I had a autogic connected and the sensor seemed to be out of spec. It comes and it goes, so I've lived with the error on the dash for now. It's not consistent...

[Skyline]

As far as I know, the only aftermarket bags that are widely used are Arnott, and you should have no fears at all about using them. I would NOT use any other aftermarket brand. And these are quite a bit less costly than BMW OE bags. Since a pair of the front Arnott bags alone is $720 +shipping, it sounds like a corner is being cut somewhere. You have to figure a charge of a minimum of about two hours labor for changing the bags and calibrating the system. So to me, I would expect at least $950-$1,050 would be more than fair assuming you're using the Arnott bags (not struts...just bags.) Even before the bags start to leak, you will see cracks start to appear in the folds of the bags. With your car's age and mileage, it's time. You should budget to do the back ones soon as well. Those are considerably easier to install, and the bags are much cheaper.

Keep in mind this is not a repair to put off a single day once you have a leak like this. You will quickly ruin the compressor by forcing it to work overtime. And that is $$$$$$. Even in the scenario where the leak is really coming from a fitting somewhere, it's time to do the bags anyway. Sometimes you can see the leak if you spray it with soapy water or Windex, but sometimes if it's leaking in the fold of the airbag, you really can't tell. Once it's off in your hands, it's easy to tell if the bag is cracked.

[Skyline]

Originally Posted by jsoto

I've got the nagging error for a good while now. No leaks in the bags or one I can detect. I suspect it's a bad sensor as while I had the error come up, I had a autogic connected and the sensor seemed to be out of spec. It comes and it goes, so I've lived with the error on the dash for now. It's not consistent...

If you had a leak, the car would collapse if sitting for any extended period. If it stays at proper ride height, I think you can safely assume no leak. If it's just a bad sensor, those are really easy to change; they are mounted right on the control arms. They can be adjusted a little with some bending, so if it's out of whack, you might be able to adjust it a bit. I needed to do that for my front sensor, (which on my car only does headlight aim adjustment, as I have rear only air springs).

[Skyline]

Originally Posted by we350z

This is all I need right?

Right Rear Arnott Sport Air Spring 00 06 BMW x5 E53 w Rear Leveling | eBay

Left Rear Arnott Sport Air Spring 00 06 BMW x5 E53 w Rear Leveling | eBay

For the rear, with sport suspension, and rear-only air springs, yes, that's all you need.

If you're unsure if you have a sport suspension, there are a lot of clues. Black headliner. Shinny trim on the B Pillars. Three spoke sport steering wheel. Sport seats only come with the sport package, (but you can have sport package without sport seats). Search here for all the clues. Or check the full option list of your car here:

BMW Model Archive · BMW VIN Decoder · bmwarchive.org

[we350z]

To clarify - I have a 2000 X5 4.4i w/Sport package. So I only have airbags in the rear (i have coilovers in front). Ever since I have owned the car (03/2007) the driver side has had a slow leak. It would deflate completely and sag (but only if the car sat for 5+ days, which it often does however). Now I think both bags have a slow leak since the entire ass end sags down and looks lowered - but again only after 5+ days. I don't think either side has a fast leak - the compressor does not run constantly, nor does it run for an extended period of time. It appear so pump up both sides (or whichever needs leveling) evenly, then shut off (usually only after the vehicle has sat for a while). But it has always done this as far as I can recall only difference being that I think both sides will do this eventually now (driver seems to happen sooner but we are talking days here not hours, minutes, seconds, etc...)

When I get the car back later today or tomorrow I am going to measure the ride height (distance between the top of the tire tread and the bottom of the wheel well. Visually it looks fine to me. I'm guessing if it's off one one side or the other (on a level surface) that perhaps it is indeed a sensor and maybe I should replace that first.

Is there a quick way to test with a level or something? Or is measuring the best? I have a micrometer so I can be accurate... How do I know for sure that the ride height is "proper"? What is it supposed to be? And how does one determine / measure this?

Good to hear others are living with the error and not causing permanent damage. What worries me about mine is that it is constantly in error now. If my ride height is off though that will seriously affect the alignment and chew up my new tires (at least in the rear, perhaps all around) not to mention adversely affect the handling.

God damn air suspension.

[Ricky Bobby]

Based on the old pic of your car you DONT have sport package.

Get the comfort rear bags from Arnott.

Btw, if you are leaking down slowly after sitting, it is not your sensor. A leak down overnight is leaking bags, and if yours are original, based on the age, you should be ecstatic they made it that long.

My front air struts were shot at 9 years of age.


Don't wait too long because eventually you will overwork the compressor and it will throw an inefficiency code which means you'd need to rebuild the seal internally or replace the whole air pump