Another Self Leveling Suspension question...
 

The wife's 4.8 has the self leveling suspension inactive message coming off and on. Somedays its on.......and some days its off. I replaced the coolant tank back when we bought it (apprx a year ago) because the tank was leaking. Then, took it in to get a new battery, and they said I needed a new coolant tank. wtf? :dunno: They said this one was leaking, so I took them the receipt of when I bought the first one, and they said I installed it correctly, but it was leaking again so they covered it. Anyways, now they are saying that since it was leaking down onto the computer, its throwing it off making it think that the self leveling suspension is messed up, when essentially it was bad design/placement of the coolant tank, and thats why it is coming on. Just wondering if there is anything I can do about this before I drop money on a new computer? The SLSI light is off for right now and everything rides good, but Im sure its just a matter of time before it comes back on and rides like a wagon with no springs.

The EHCII module (suspension "computer") is located inside the glove box/under the dash. For EHCI, it's located in the trunk under the spare.

Either case, it's far away from the coolant tank.

Some dealerships are clueless. A dealership told me once that the SLS error was due to a bad O2 sensor and wanted to charge me $800 for a new O2 sensor.

hmmmmm, well, im a newbie to a bimmer, so I know little about where the computer that controls the suspension is, is at. Any ideas on what may be causing it to work sometimes, and sometimes not? Because when its not working, it is the worst riding vehicle you can imagine. Especially the noise coming from the passenger front tires when you hit a bump...ouch :wow:

Most likely a leaking front strut, if the ride height changes drastically overnight without usage. My valve block for the air suspension is currently being replaced under warranty as it has been the culprit producing an error on the dash. Mine does change in ride height overnight after I changed the two front air struts.

4.8's do have issues with front airbags on suspension springing leaks. I have replaced both sides on mine. Right side went first - started with a sharp " clunk " when going over pavement cuts, progressed to front end settling down over tire occasionally, then frequently. Bag would pump back up when vehicle was started. If you do need new struts, I suggest you purchase rebuilts from Arnott Industries - BMW wants a fortune for these !. Actual re & re pretty straightforward.

Agreed, I bought Arnott struts on the X5

Me three on Arnott air struts. I replaced both front air struts with arnott and they are working fine!! Would recommend them over BMW OEM.

Hey guys! First post... :) Been reading alot about this problem on this forum and want to get some confirmation about my problem: My front left sags over night down to the tire but re flates on start up. Sometimes parked, I can hear the air escaping rapidly behind the rotor but again re flates on start up. Car always sits lower on the left side. Have never gotten any SLS errors in the dash. I've had both the deal and an indy check the strut for cracks/leaks in the bag but can find anything.

Question is, should the entire front strut be replaced or is there something that can be fixed?

thanks

Sounds like a strut problem to me. You need to replace entire unit ( air bag portion is factory attached to strut steel ). Job is pretty easy DIY with a few tools and basic skills - took me about an hour each side.

Did you use new or re-manufatured struts from Arnott?