E39 air suspension arrgh...

[skoff]

Hi guys,

Well I think one of my airbags has gone on my E39 530iA touring... Understandable as the car is at that age/mileage when they are likely to go... Trouble is I need to drive to Scotland on Wednesday night.

Does anybody know an indie in either the Bristol area (where I work), or the Bridgewater area (where I live) who might be able to help?

Local BMW dealer has no courtesy cars available, but could organise car hire, but since I am away for a week and a half I'd rather not have to do that... It's looking like I am going to have to cancel my trip, which will not go down well with the family.

[skoff]

Just had a look, and they don't look to difficult to change DIY...
Anybody done it? Any pitfalls to look out for?

[Stick Legs]

Hi, are Fritz's Bits (Greenham, just south of Wellington on the A38) too far?

They are knowlegable and helpful, may be able to get you sorted.

[skoff]

Stick Legs said:

Hi, are Fritz's Bits (Greenham, just south of Wellington on the A38) too far?

They are knowlegable and helpful, may be able to get you sorted.

That's a good contact... Thanks, I may well give them a go in the future.

I have decided to have a go myself (following a bit of encouragement from another forum), and I managed to get the bits from BMW this afternoon, so we shall see by tomorrow if I have been monumentally stupid!!!

[skoff]

Quick update...

I did the job this evening and it went pretty well, apart from not realising there was a left and a right bag, and of course putting the wrong one on and being convinced for 5 minutes that BMW had given me the wrong parts...

So now the car is level, and drives like it should again.

[sparkythecat]

skoff said:

Quick update...

I did the job this evening and it went pretty well, apart from not realising there was a left and a right bag, and of course putting the wrong one on and being convinced for 5 minutes that BMW had given me the wrong parts...

So now the car is level, and drives like it should again.

Well done mate

When you do get a spare 5mins, let us know how much the parts cost and how long the job took to do.

[skoff]

I decided to do both sides, my reasoning being that if one side has worn out, then the other probably won't be far behind.

The parts cost me £353 inc VAT. The job took me just under 2 hours, though to be fair I spent quite a long time on getting the car jacked up, and I was being 'helped' by my 3 year old daughter rearranging my tools for me asking what each one was.

It would definitely be easier with two people, just to get the airbags located in the right place, but I managed it with just me, and a couple of choice words.

Definitely a job I'd recommend as a DIY - I saved about £250 in labour charges, and the hassle of being without a car for a day.

[bga]

That's good timing My left air spring gave up the ghost last night. The parts come in tomorrow am and I was planning on changing both tomorrow evening. Looks straightforward, I will make sure my little helper is in bed before I start!

[skoff]

bga said:

That's good timing My left air spring gave up the ghost last night. The parts come in tomorrow am and I was planning on changing both tomorrow evening. Looks straightforward, I will make sure my little helper is in bed before I start!

Yeah not difficult at all... The things I found tricky / confusing at first were -
Getting the car jacked up with a big jack when it was so low down to the ground - careful use of axel stands was the key (and adds to the safety)
Getting the right part for the correct side (just a 'duh' moment from me)
Working out that the plastice clip that holds the hoses onto the bags needs to be squeezed together not spread apart to get the hose off
Getting the new bag locator pins in the holes on my own - would be much easier with 2 people

That's about it. good luck with it.

[bga]

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated!

[bga]

All done
Very straightforward, hardest part was getting car onto the stands

[skoff]

bga said:

All done
Very straightforward, hardest part was getting car onto the stands

Well done... Saved yourself a few quid and no doubt got a nice feeling of self satisfction...

[bga]

skoff said:

bga said:

All done
Very straightforward, hardest part was getting car onto the stands

Well done... Saved yourself a few quid and no doubt got a nice feeling of self satisfction...

There speaks a man with experience!

[bramley]

OP what were your symptoms?

I can hear a noise that sounds like the pump occasionally on mine and I think after a couple of days one side may drop more than the other. Also the car shakes a little shortly after start up (not much but noticeable to me) for a few seconds.

Dunno if it's a pump problem or a bag problem.

[skoff]

bramley said:

OP what were your symptoms?

I can hear a noise that sounds like the pump occasionally on mine and I think after a couple of days one side may drop more than the other. Also the car shakes a little shortly after start up (not much but noticeable to me) for a few seconds.

Dunno if it's a pump problem or a bag problem.

For me it was unmistakable... After driving with 3 blokes in the back, the car all of a sudden felt really bouncy, when I stopped there was a very loud hissing sound and the N/S rear of the car dropped, looking much like Ramone from Cars...
When I got the bag off it had a split in it about an inch long. The rest of the bag was cracked and hard.
It sounds like you might have a small leak as opposed to bag failure. Fingers crossed it's not the pump as I believe that can be expensive...