Are these air struts bad?

[almost_nick]

2013 LR4, the rear air struts look like they may be bad. No codes or any abnormal lights being posted, car rides fine. Put the truck in high clearance mode overnight to see if it sags, but she held fine the next morning. Only thing I notice is that it looks like there is a very slight bit of negative camber to the rear. Car gets driven once a month.

Your thoughts on the struts…

 

[MellonRover]

I see no visual indication they are bad. Look fine, and you said they perform fine. I'd say ...your ok.

 

[m_lars]

Those bellows are the actual air bag, the air bags are tucked up inside. Bad struts wouldn’t cause negative camber. If you suspect a leak, don’t put it in off-road height, it will skew your test. When the air bags go bad, they usually developed pinholes at the fold at normal height. When you raise the truck, it moves those pinholes up into the strut and slows the leakage, often making the leak slower than normal or disappear until you go back to normal height.

 

[GunsAndRovers]

Looks like the lower portion of the air bag has separated from the strut. I'm assuming those pics are in access height? Or did you bleed the air suspension prior to those pics? You sure you have no leaks?

 

[Livid killer]

All Struts should be changed around 50-100k. I imagine people avoid changing out air struts because they don't seem to be leaking air. I try to swap out every 50k due to the heavier weight from my LR3. If your ride is only used once a month, consider swapping it out now. This way, you won't have to worry about it when you need it most during an emergency.

 

[mm3846]

All Struts should be changed around 50-100k. I imagine people avoid changing out air struts because they don't seem to be leaking air. I try to swap out every 50k due to the heavier weight from my LR3. If your ride is only used once a month, consider swapping it out now. This way, you won't have to worry about it when you need it most during an emergency.

50k is crazy. Replace when they start to leak.

 

[Livid killer]

50k is crazy. Replace when they start to leak.

No. Struts are like every other shock and strut in every other car that is out there. Internal oil and valving will go bad. The air bag, like coils, will almost always be more durable than the strut itself. From a cost perspective, it is frugal to wait until the bag fails. From an overall health of the vehicle's tire/suspension system, 50-100k is wise and common practice. Especially when you consider how much heavier the LR is and how much more work it performs.

Benefit: Rebound/compression will remain within tolerances and will preserve bushings along with keeping even tire wear when everything is properly maintained.

***And, most important, braking is heavily impacted.***

Please don't call what I'm sharing from my experience crazy. It is not appreciated. You are welcome to share your observations from your experiences without being disparaging.

@almost_nick, you are free to do whatever you like. I hope my information helped. Please keep us posted on what you did. I'm curious to know!

Consequences of Driving with Worn Shocks & Struts

Properly working shocks and struts are key to the safe operation of your vehicle. Learn what can happen to your vehicle if you're driving with worn shocks.

www.monroe.com

Conrad's Tire Express & Total Car Care

www.econrads.com

https://www.kyb.com/resources/shock-strut-basics/reasons-to-replace-shocks/

 

[Jimmy Brooks]

All Struts should be changed around 50-100k. I imagine people avoid changing out air struts because they don't seem to be leaking air. I try to swap out every 50k due to the heavier weight from my LR3. If your ride is only used once a month, consider swapping it out now. This way, you won't have to worry about it when you need it most during an emergency.

this is overkill. I have 157k on the original rear airstruts right now. If it ain’t broke don’t fix

 

[Livid killer]

this is overkill. I have 157k on the original rear airstruts right now. If it ain’t broke don’t fix

see my last post.

 

[mm3846]

50k is overkill. 100k if you’ve got nothing else to do, sure. These trucks are expensive enough to maintain, I’d rather keep the money in my bank account.