Renew shocks inside D3 Air Springs - whosdunnit recently?

[matti4556]

Dear brains trust,
With a secondhand set of airsprings cluttering up my shed floor, I have decided to try to change the shockies inside the complete airspiring units.
So to those who have "dunnit", where did you get your shocks? and did you need the seal kit?
And finally, what should I look out for?
I'm going to start with the rears and see how that goes.

Thanks - Matti

[Graeme]

I replaced just the shocks on my D4 a few times and have a couple of seal kits somewhere so obviously I didn't always use new seals. The sequence of the o-rings and plastic spacers needs to be maintained to ensure that the o-rings have a proper seat on which to seal.
Inspect the insides of the air-springs at the folds for cracking before buying new shocks as buying genuine air-springs (only) is prohibitively expensive.
I fitted genuine D3 shocks, refitted the original D4 shocks for a very short time, fitted complete non-genuine assemblies then genuine LR D4 shocks to the non-genuine air-springs.

[Eric SDV6SE]

Following with interest, the airbags on my D4 are all ok but i think after 200,000km the shock absorbers are getting a bit tired. Would love to change them all out with new shocks.

[Graeme]

The insides of the folds of mine were quite cracked at 90K which I did not expect to survive another 60-80K, being the average distance any of my shocks have lasted before they had lost their effectiveness.

[matti4556]

Thanks Graeme - just the info I was looking for.
The airsprings I have on at the moment are my third set (counting the originals it came with, now at 205K km) and they were installed around October 2018 (approx 160 000km). So they have done 45000km since fitted [bigsad]
I'm not happy with rate at which these lasted before they became spongy, but there was a caravan thrown into the mix this time.

You mentioned you have tried D3 and D4 shocks - which one would you suggest is the better and did you source them from a dealer?

Regards - Matti

[Bulletman]

I have a pdf file on how to do the strip down if you want a copy , it's in 4 parts which includes removal from the car . PM me an email address if you want a copy. It's not perfect but will give you a good idea on how to.

I was looking at replacing my shocks only with B6 bilstien but with 160k on the original - well except 1 front which got a hole in the bag- a full set of OEM from advanced factors is prolly a better option for me , especially give the cost of the full set of Bilstiens .

Bulletman

[matti4556]

I have a pdf file on how to do the strip down if you want a copy , it's in 4 parts which includes removal from the car . PM me an email address if you want a copy. It's not perfect but will give you a good idea on how to.


Thanks Bulletman, I will keep that in mind if I decide to go down this rabbit hole. I have a copy of the KONI instructions if that's the one you have.
I agree that replacing the complete airspring as a unit is an "easier" option, bit the cost is "up there" to say the least.
I was hoping to get the shocks at a reasonable cost (awaiting Graeme's input as to sourcing shocks) and provide my free labour, but as Graeme suggested, I should pull apart a unit I have and properly assess the airbag before diving in with a"shock only" refurbishment.
I may get some shed time in the next day or so to have a gander.
Matti

[Bulletman]

Thanks Bulletman, I will keep that in mind if I decide to go down this rabbit hole. I have a copy of the KONI instructions if that's the one you have.
I agree that replacing the complete airspring as a unit is an "easier" option, bit the cost is "up there" to say the least.
I was hoping to get the shocks at a reasonable cost (awaiting Graeme's input as to sourcing shocks) and provide my free labour, but as Graeme suggested, I should pull apart a unit I have and properly assess the airbag before diving in with a"shock only" refurbishment.
I may get some shed time in the next day or so to have a gander.
Matti

No worries Matti, I have the Koni pdf as well as the 1 I got off the UK site , which is more laymans than the koni pdf. I never priced up the Original L/R shocks so will be interested in what you find . I know the Bilstiens had to come from either UK or USA so they started to get expensive. I got a spare 2nd hand or used front and rear airstrut that have Bilstein shocks that is why I looked down that path. I also read stories on here of people only getting 40k out of aftermarket shocks ( think it was Terry O ), so was a bit wary of spending up big and only getting low kms before needing another set of shocks.

Bulletman

[Dagilmo]

I also read stories on here of people only getting 40k out of aftermarket shocks ( think it was Terry O ), so was a bit wary of spending up big and only getting low kms before needing another set of shocks.

I was just about to post about that.

I'm no expert but I remember quiet a bit of information a few years ago where a couple of manufacturers tried but couldn't get their shocks to last inside the airbag. It would be worth researching before proceeding....

[Tombie]

Airbags over 7+ years and higher kilometres are really not suitable for rebuilding the shock only.

I’d certainly never trust one.

[Graeme]

I removed the original shocks from my 2009-build 3.0 D4 at 30K because I didn't like their excessive (IMO) firmness which hadn't softened by 30K and fitted genuine D3 shocks. The D3 shocks lasted 60K before they became too sloppy so the originals were refitted for a 2nd try. However they lost all damping within 5K, presumably because they had been stored on their sides for 2 years. I then purchased the non-genuine set locally in a hurry to get new air-springs plus a try of the cheapies, which while initially they were better than the worn-out D3, by 40K kms they were too sloppy. I then purchased the 2012-revised D4 shocks from Duckworths which I thought were the best of all the shocks that I had tried on the D4 - firmer than the new D3 but more supple than the 2009/2010 D4 original shocks.

[jh972]

Airbags over 7+ years and higher kilometres are really not suitable for rebuilding the shock only.

I’d certainly never trust one.


Hmmm.... At 13 years and 300+ k maybe I should get ready to replace!

[INter674]

Hmmm.... At 13 years and 300+ k maybe I should get ready to replace!

Don't tell the Toyota fans about that ..geez you might even make the magical half million club reserved for Toyotas😃

[scarry]

geez you might even make the magical half million club reserved for Toyotas😃

Without a single repair[bigwhistle]


Back on topic,I go along with Tombie,having had bags fail at less than 6 yrs,yes I know Ron must have made the ones on my D4.[biggrin]

First thing I would do is pressure test them,which is pretty easy,the fitting is 1/8 BSP,so easy to put a line on it.Drop in a container of water,but be careful I don’t know what the max pressure would be out of the vehicle,(maybe same as in the vehicle?)and at that sort of age anything could happen.I have had one up to 150 PSI,but they operate at around 250 PSI.

If not leaking,it’s still a lot of work and some cost if the bag then fails shortly after.

In my opinion,not worth doing.

[Graeme]

Hmmm.... At 13 years and 300+ k maybe I should get ready to replace!That's a bit of a change of plans JH, from a whole vehicle down to maybe just the air-springs!