Air bag replacement year 10

[hartley]

The manual says we should, everybody says it's too expensive ,- has anybody done it - on any car ?

[DB9VolanteDriver]

hartley said:

The manual says we should, everybody says it's too expensive ,- has anybody done it - on any car ?

C'mon. I've replaced airbags...the ones that explode shrapnel all over your face. No way would I ever replace an airbag on my dime...on ANY car.

[pschlute]

I get my 2005 DB9 serviced at HWM , the oldest Aston Martin dealership in the country. When I enquired about this at the 10 year service I was informed they had never replaced an airbag on any car of any age unless it had inflated first.

[Big Ry]

As others have said, I certainly wouldn't replace one on my money.

Just make sure that if it was ever needed you were going sufficiently fast enough to make it irrelevant, job done

[JohnG1]

Slightly off topic but...

If you drive a car with bald tyres and crash you'll be held liable since they are not roadworthy. I guess most folks see that's sensible and reasonable?

If you crash with expired airbags then if you live and your passenger dies and his/her airbag does not detonate then surely you are in a world of legal pain? As in negligent manslaughter?

Any one with any relevant legal training care to offer an opinion?

[Graze01]

Not from the legal viewpoint but can anyone explain why Audi airbags last 14 years and Astons only 10? How long do BMW, Mercedes, Bentley last?

I expect the technology, firing mechanism, explosive charge etc are identical or very similar.

Graze

[pschlute]

If my car has say suspension problems and I ignore the dealers advice to have it fixed, and go on to have a crash then I have been negligent.

If my car's manual says replace airbags at 10 years and I enquire to the dealer who says there is no need to replace them, and I go on to have an accident I have not been negligent. I have followed the advice of a specialist who is (or should be) more aware of current requirements than the person who wrote the manual 10+ years ago.

[V8V Pete]

JohnG1 said:

If you crash with expired airbags then if you live and your passenger dies and his/her airbag does not detonate then surely you are in a world of legal pain? As in negligent manslaughter?

If changing them is not a legal requirement then I very much doubt you've committed a crime or would be liable for anything. I have no legal training though so this is purely speculative. What I do know however, is that killing someone is cheap compared to injuring them badly.

[Evanivitch]

JohnG1 said:

Slightly off topic but...

If you drive a car with bald tyres and crash you'll be held liable since they are not roadworthy. I guess most folks see that's sensible and reasonable?

If you crash with expired airbags then if you live and your passenger dies and his/her airbag does not detonate then surely you are in a world of legal pain? As in negligent manslaughter?

Any one with any relevant legal training care to offer an opinion?

Not legal, but engineering. You've identified a cause and a mitigation there. In the case of private vehicle use there is a duty of care to have a road legalese vehicle and avoid an accident.

However, unless the fault light os illuminatedfor the Airbag (and a MOT failure) you could argue that you assumed the Airbag was still serviceable.

[DocW]

I would be concerned about not replacing safety equipment if the manufacturer had indicated it was recommended. However this statement from the society of motor manufacturers seems to settle matters.

"As a precaution, the handbooks of cars built at that time carried notices informing the keeper that the airbags would require servicing within 10 years.

Observant motorists have recently begun asking dealers what they should do.

However, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has told Telegraph Motoring that the service requirement had been "totally phased out" because airbags had stood the test of time, and were intended to last the lifetime of a car, unless damaged, without the need for servicing."

[M5MarkM]

Probably relevant to check life span of Volvo or Ford airbags... whichever is in the Aston!

[Emily's dad]

I did a vehicle engineering course a few years ago and airbags were covered.
The only way to know if an airbag was serviceable or not was to set it off.
If it deployed it was still working, but obviously needed replacing.
If it didn't deploy it needed replacing.
The 10 year lifespan was described as being a precaution by the motor industry who had no idea of the useful lifespan when this was new technology.

[abanks]

My 2005 DB9 has had every service at a Aston Martin main dealer including years 10 and 11 and no mention of air bag change required.

[Frances The Mute]

Emily's dad said:

I did a vehicle engineering course a few years ago and airbags were covered.
The only way to know if an airbag was serviceable or not was to set it off.
If it deployed it was still working, but obviously needed replacing.
If it didn't deploy it needed replacing.
The 10 year lifespan was described as being a precaution by the motor industry who had no idea of the useful lifespan when this was new technology.

Schrödingers Airbag...

[GingerMunky]

Would be interesting to find out how much that is.

[SLacKer]

These guys do the full airbag/seat belt kit

http://www.airbagteam.com/airbag-finder/c/46/aston...

Might be worth a call to see how much that is. Get your friendly indy to fit them or DIY.

Haven't used them and have no association with them.