wh2825

my air bags on my suspention are going bad. they are still doing fairly well in high mode but i can tell that will be short lived.
it seems that there are a few options.
1 replace the bags at the dealership. very very expensive
2 replace with aftermarket parts from china for example. its about half the cost
3 convert the car to shock absorber's
4 buy an extended warranty and turn it in for repair

i'm sure there are more options. has anyone had to deal with this out of warranty?

UDel

I would go with 3, convert to shock absorber's. It is the least costly and longest lasting option.

-Dealership is way too expensive and just a huge waste of money you will never get back, used buyers are avoiding air suspension.
-Chinese parts, who knows how good they are and they will likely not last as long as Lexus parts, again used car buyers would avoid it.
-Who knows if the extended warranty is going to fully pay for the repair and if you keep it longer the air suspension may go again and you will likely have to fork the bill yourself. A extended warranty will likely cost as much or more then just converting to shock absorber's.

Is there a good DIY with pictures/video converting air suspension to shock absorber's? Is it difficult?

wh2825

thank you. i believe you are totally correct. i will search for a video

Kennyr44

Convert it to normal shocks. I would not buy a car with air suspension unless it was way underpriced and I was dying for that color etc. After converted you will own a more desirable car.

UDel

Just keep all your old air suspension components so when you sell it you can give them to the buyer in case they want to go back to air suspension, it should make your car more desirable.

wh2825

Thanks.
All Great advice

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

Arnott finally makes air struts for our cars, they are a high end , reliable aftermarket option used by Mercedes guys a lot.

They offer a 1 year warrantee on their products and are about 50% cheaper then the OEM

It could be option #5

wh2825

I appreciate it. I looked it up and it seems that they would still cost $3,400 in parts.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

On ebay they go for $1250 a pair with warrantee but that's just for the fronts

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-New-Arn...tY3EnB&vxp=mtr

The rears might be more expensive I'm not sure

wayman28

I have an '09 AWD SWB and have done two of the options on your list. I got a warranty (without knowing I had air suspension issues) and over the course of about two and a half years have replaced all four air shocks through my warranty. I have about 97k miles on the car. One of the shocks had to be replaced twice within two years. I'm totally done with air shocks now. As soon as the next air shock dies I'm converting to traditional shocks.

My question is what hardware do I need to convert an AWD SWB? I've heard I need a Suncore conversion kit but they don't seem to sell one for an AWD. Thanks everyone.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

With no offense to suncore the kit in my opinion is basically a scam.

There is no "conversion kit", its just a no name set of struts and springs for like $1000+

Ive spoken to them a few times and they do not offer anything in regards to making sure the warning lights don't go off, they even said they cant guarantee the warning lights wont appear once you install their "kit"

If you want struts just order a set you like and swap them in, no need to go through them.

wayman28

Thanks *****. Just so I'm clear I can just take out the air shocks and install gas struts like any other strut replacement? No special conversion hardware needed?

teedub21

No. you'll need the coil springs and all mounting hardware as well. I've read if you pull the fuse for the air compressor no warning lights come on.

wh2825

Do you have advice on the brand of struts to go with?

Lexuslsguy

KYB is the OEM manufacturer but the strut rates tend to be a little different for the OEM part vs the direct part. GR2's or whatever they are. They have a great rep and RockAuto should have most of the parts you need. I would not go with cheap shocks personally. Do NOT remove the height sensors. The air suspension computer needs to see signal from these sensors unless you enjoy warning lights on your dash. You can pull the fuse for the air compressor or disconnect at the compressor itself. Mounts, coil springs, shocks, and hardware I believe is all you need. There is also special tool that is used to disconnect the air fitting at the air strut. The procedure is well documented on the 430 forum and is the same.

Nothing like riding on air. You are going to miss it.