Quote:
Originally Posted by AustraliaG20
My F15 is having both sides of the rear drop after sitting for a couple of hours, it has only started today but (so far) is very consistent. Once the car is started it will pump back up. BMW are not cheap! $1020 per bag, plus labour... plus time is insane. I am very tempted to just do it myself, but I have sold all my tools which is very annoying. Anyway, a few questions if people can help to just narrow down the problem.
- If both sides go down evenly, can it still be a leak? Initially I would have thought each bag would be separate from the other, but that might not be true. With one compressor, will a leak in one side produce an even drop across both - ie. is it a single system? I am just trying to confirm it is likely the air bags as both getting a leak at the same time seems unlikely. I don't have tools to easily lift it and check for leaks, but I might have to borrow some tools.
- Since the compressor inflates the air bags, I imagine it is fine?
- Where exactly is the compressor? I would like to check that it isn't running 100% so I can drive it around while I wait for a fix / parts. I assume just listening is enough, but there is a shield under most of the car. I am hoping that I can slide under the car and hear it.
- Do I have to buy ISTA and an E-Net cable to reset it all?
I think that's it. Thanks all!
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1. Yes and no. This could mean both sides are leaking, or could just mean your airline and/or compressor is giving out.
2. A leak in one side will not affect the other. One of mine was basically gone while the other sit fine. The good side will sag down a bit because... well physics, but would not go down the same.
3. The chances of you finding a hole of sort for this kind of leak is rather small. It's more like the bags are stretched out at the portion where they roll inward in the bottom. Maybe use some soapy water in a spray bottle and spray around the bags to see if there are any obvious leaks, like how you would identify a nail in your tire--this might or might not help.
4. If either your compressor, line, or bags are leaking, I would not leave anything alone. Assuming that your bags OR lines are the trouble maker and everything else is fine, your compressor will be compensating for the leaks and work overtime. This runs the risk of it going out and that bill is a lot more than just the bags. Also, the price you mentioned above per bag is crazily high... I went with Bilstein instead of Arnott, which is already more expensive, but even then it's not even close to the price of $1020 you listed. All in, this should be less than a couple of hundreds even if you don't do it yourself (hence, not factoring in the cost of buying jack and jack stands or other tools). Find a local indy and show them the videos I listed at the bottom of this response. You don't need an Euro shop for this; I'd actually prefer shops that do a lot of work with air suspension/coil overs for any makes and models; even JDM shops that know what they are doing are more than capable of doing this for a reasonable rate. Read points 5 and 6 and you will see why.
5. The compressor is on the right side, underneath the car. I'm not sure if you would really hear it or not... Didn't pay attention when I got mine done. See the videos below, they changed the bags by taking the air lines out of the compressor and not going with ISTA -- I did the same.
6. Kinda answered it just now. You can use ISTA and I am sure that's the recommended route, but it's not the only way. You can disconnect the air lines from the compressors, let the air empty out, change the bags, replug the lines, turn the car on with the car SLIGHTLY on the ground so that your compressor can fill in some air, and then fully lower it.
Vids as mentioned -- the first one is from Arnott using the same technique in point 6, so that's a bit more reassuring.