E70 X5s are kind of one giant point of failure. It’s the nature of the beast. I had a leaky bag two years ago. Replaced both with the Arnot bags and not an issue since.

The self leveling is sure nice when loaded up for trips.

How long have you been driving it around with leaking airbags?

Eventually the pump burns out.

I bought it from a friend and he said it started happening intermittent for 3 months and finally collapsed.

The compressor is under the front passenger seat under the floor. You can access it by removing the under body shield. Its an easy replacement. Takes about an hour. Confirm its dead though. Probably a reset needs to be done on the computer but it should attempt to re-initialize after every restart. Side note, I have a brand new compressor in my garage....Go with the arnott bags. they carry a lifetime warranty. When the compressor quits, it should get really load but will still pump the car up if the bags are not completely toast.

Thanks for this info. I took a look underneath today and I think it's the solenoid next to the compressor. It was warm to the touch while the compressor was cold.

I unplugged it from the solenoid and when I plugged it back in the compressor kicked in and inflated the rear back up.

Sprayed soapy water to the bags and did not see any leaks but shortly after the rear started sagging again like after an hour or so.

So will be ordering new bags and a solenoid and go from there.


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Ok, replaced both air bags with Arnott and a new solenoid from Arnott as well. It leveled up but the self leveling system still seems intermittent. The self leveling failure warning came up again but after bouncing on the rear it went up a little bit more and the warning went away.

When it the pump suppose to kick in? Every time I start the car or only when the rear is sagging?

I hope it's the my pump as it seems to kick in just not sure what's the trigger or steps the car takes before it decides to activate the pump?

As of right now it's working and even the OEM bags I removed didn't seem to have any signs of MAJOR wear or that it was leaking.

Honestly, It doesn't always come on. I have run into different scenarios where you would think it will come on and it doesn't, and then it comes on for no apparent reason. There are two sensors in the back that measure the level of the vehicle. They tell your compressor and distribution block what to do. I noticed after replacing my pump that it took 2 resets to get her back up to level. The pump will time out if it runs for too long.

Now, I will tell you that if some Bozo has replaced the bags before and done a half-assed job you may need to get a replacement line or a replacement end as I had to. 1st time was the bags, 2nd time was the distribution block and finally, 3rd time was the compressor. I discovered the lines after the distribution block went and replaced the ends with a kit that I bought on eBay.

I loved that I had 6 people in the old goat this weekend for an evening of cocktails and dinner and it really never missed a beat. Smooth, comfortable and controlled. (We, fortunately, have some smaller friends that were able to slide into the back.)

I have gotten into the habit of letting the compressor go through its cycle without driving off. Not to scare you but every single time I just jumped in and drove away resulted in requiring a tow home. You can hear it run and after about 20-30 seconds it clicks off. Once you notice the system, you really will appreciate it. I find myself on many occasion looking at minivans/suvs loaded to where their asses are damn near scraping the ground(headlights pointing in the air) thinking, geeze Ill never wave to deal with that again.

Do I have to change the shocks if I convert to coil springs?

No need to change the rear shocks if converting to coil springs.

I went over to springs over a year ago and have never looked back. Ride comfort is the same as airbags :thumbup:

https://www.coilspringconversions.co...conversion-kit


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