Air springs - cleaning ? muddy ?

[nashvegas]

Question -- I'm relatively new to air suspension (but I love it)... and I was washing the underside of my LR3 this AM and I noticed that the air bags / springs are pretty dirty. Does the dirt present on the air springs and thus rubbing on the rubber parts mess them up or otherwise shorten their lifespan perhaps? I'm not talking caked on mud and total mess, but its just road grit and a dirt / mud ... I keep reading about everyone with their P38s and 2003+ Ranges and replacing air bags after 5 years or so... the LR3s dont seem to have this problem.. yet. Ideas?

 

[kwlr3]

Good question, valid concern. The air springs don't "move" up and down in the same sense that a conventional spring moves up and down. They kind of roll inside themselves and up into that coffee can. That being said, I once read (can't remember where) that Land Rover offered protective boots to keep debris off the rubber bags. This may have been for the DII and not the LR3 and only in other markets, not North America. There are here more informed people than myself that could elaborate. I can imagine that if a small sharp stone where to roll up with the air bag, it could cause a puncture.

I have the same concern as you and so I when I wash my LR3 I use a consumer grade pressure washer and I raise the suspension so that I can clean off the air bags.

 

[Trynian]

wondered as well mine has boots over the suspension on the rear but not the front.