04 X5 4.8 SELF LEVELING SUSPENSION PROBLEMS

[hcz2]

Originally Posted by markpfe

sorry, can't offer any solution, but I'm following this thread closely. I got a 2003 5X, 3.0l with the same Air Supsenion problem / error message. My front left is low and it looks like the air strut is bad. Seems to be hard to eliminate if it is the strut, the compressor, a relay etc.
Also the light on my switch that raises / lowers the suspesnion is out.

I have been having SLS problems on my '04 4.8is for the past 18 months.

An air strut failed (I heard the air escaping) on the front offside and the dealer replaced it (£1000 after a 40% BMW contribution for parts)

6 Months later the SLS inact. light came on again. £400 later the dealer fitted a relay.

6 weeks later light came on again. It's been coming on every regularly at intervals between 4 days and 4 weeks for the past 11 months.

Last week the front nearside air strut completely deflated. Ah another air strut I thought. But after removing it my indy couldn't find an obvious flaw with it so he refitted it and after a reset the car inflated and operated perfectly!

He spent a whole day stripping and testing and all looked good. 1 hr after he left it it deflated again.

The plan now is to remove the strut again and rig it up to inflate out of the car and submerge the strut in a water bath and look for leaks.

Just wondering, did any of you with similar issues ever get to the bottom of it?

Indy is suggesting (one by one in this order)

1) replace air strut if leak is found
2) if no fault with the air strut replace compressor (I can't understand as it's always the front nearside that goes down and after a reset it always works fine)
3) replace control unit
4) replace actuator