is my rear air suspension failing?

[gladiatorman]

Hi all, new member just got a 08 x5 3.0si and very excited for my first German vehicle.

I noticed that after parking it for a few days, the rear is sagging a bit but not all the way slammed. Looking at the vehicle from the back it also seems like it has a 'stance' look. I also noticed the rear inside tires are very worn.

Wondering if this is the classic air bag suspension failing or just an alignment issue. trying to get the car all cleaned up mechanically as my daily

[jbash87]

Is your rear air suspension sagging? Probably. Do you notice the pump running when you turn the car on?

You should also get an alignment. Stock BMW alignments will chew up rear tires. Find a good shop that will keep the toe more neutral.

Welcome to the world of BMWs! Hope you can wrench yourself and you've budgeted for repairs...

[gladiatorman]

Originally Posted by jbash87

Is your rear air suspension sagging? Probably. Do you notice the pump running when you turn the car on?

You should also get an alignment. Stock BMW alignments will chew up rear tires. Find a good shop that will keep the toe more neutral.

Welcome to the world of BMWs! Hope you can wrench yourself and you've budgeted for repairs...

Thanks! I love backyard wrenching but only with Japanese vehicles. Went to the University of Chrisfix heh

I didn’t really notice the pump running, didn’t even know it had rear air suspension until I started investigating the issue. Is it very obvious?

[jbash87]

Good stuff. BMWs aren't all that difficult if you do some research and take your time. You should look into getting a BMW specific code reader like protools or ISTA.

If you listen for it you'll notice it. Sounds pretty much like an air compressor (go figure). I imagine, since you said you notice it after a few days of sitting, that the car levels out when being used?

[dvorak9085]

Hey,
I had this problem. You could try looking at the compressor air suspension valve block, where the airline is connected; sometimes, there is a small air leak because it's all plastic.
Try to check it out.

[gladiatorman]

Originally Posted by jbash87

Good stuff. BMWs aren't all that difficult if you do some research and take your time. You should look into getting a BMW specific code reader like protools or ISTA.

If you listen for it you'll notice it. Sounds pretty much like an air compressor (go figure). I imagine, since you said you notice it after a few days of sitting, that the car levels out when being used?

I started her up and idled for 10 min but didn’t notice the rear leveling out.

Really don’t hear the compressor sound either, but if the compressor is shot, shouldn’t there be a code? I have a BlueDriver reader, not BMW specific but can get a bunch of codes when performing a deep scan. No errors on the compressor.

Will investigate the compressor lines for leaks, seems pretty easy to work on. Just not sure why I don’t hear the air compressor nor does it level out.

[Jables92]

I thought my right side airbag was leaking but it ended up being the airline itself. I guess when the previous owner had the compressor replaced someone got a little frisky with it because the line looked pretty damaged...almost like they pulled the compressor out before disconnecting the lines (not sure why you would do that). Anyways, I just pulled some slack out and trimmed the end off, easy fix!