Legacy Air suspension knackered, anyone changed to springs ?

[Tampon]

As per title, 2001 2.5 gx, has air suspension, one side looks lowish the drivers side look like it has been slammed by a teenager in nova. I have the height hi light flashing and doing some research seems it is one of the few things that goes wrong with them.

So looks like it will be cheaper to replace the whole suspension system for aftermarket coilovers rather than attempt to replace the broken part within the air suspension.

Anyone done it here or know rough costs ? or know where would be a good place to have it done ( I am in Surrey ).

Cheers guys
Ben

[ScoobieWRX]

Why don't you just go for used parts from a dedicated Subaru breaker. There are a few decent breakers around and most do online/mail order.

[Tampon]

The problem is the air suspension is one of the one weak spots on the car and it is extremely costly to fix. Even second hand parts can easily cost more than a new coilover suspension, and they are still secondhand.

[ScoobieWRX]

Fair comment. I don't think i'd want to go coilovers though. Too harsh in my opinion and a big diffrerence to your air suspension.

I'd go for a damper and spring kit if there is one for your car. Bilstein and Eibach come to mind and will be a nice ride, not at all harsh, very compliant still but well damped and much improved handling.

[Tampon]

I have been thinking about that, I am trying to find a solution that doesn't break the bank, the coilovers and fitting should come in at around £800. There seem to be lots of versions of them available as well.

I will speak to the mechanic to see if he knows of a decent spring and dampner combinations that will fit.

What about adjustable coilover set to there softest and higest, would they be more like "normal suspension"?

[ScoobieWRX]

I find the softest settings on coilovers at your price level(on Impreza anyway) to be very bouncy, hardest settings can be solid and back breaking, i personally don't like them apart for use solely on track.

IMHO generally the very high end dampers with adjustable rebound give the best ride on soft settings. By adjusting rebound you can get get rid of the bounce and still get a very well damped and comfy ride. exe-tc and AST come to mind but they are not cheap by any stretch.

Because UK roads are so bad and i spend 99% of my time on UK roads i prefer a more compliant setup that still gives a compliant but well damped ride. Bilstein Dampers and Eibach springs are generally the most recommended combination for Subaru owners that don't want to go coilover.

[Tampon]

Hello again I have found this secondhand.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

What do you think to that as a replacement for the knackered air suspension ?

To harsh, will it lower it ? or like goldie locks be just right ?

[ScoobieWRX]

So long as it's all in excellent working order you will be just fine. That's the kind of setup i'm talking about.

I'd be offering £225 initially with a max of £250. They are worth that.

[Tampon]

ScoobieWRX said:

So long as it's all in excellent working order you will be just fine. That's the kind of setup i'm talking about.

I'd be offering £225 initially with a max of £250. They are worth that.

Done just that, mechanic has said 200 to fit it and I can have a play whilst he is doing it as well. Day in the workshop as well as knowing the car a little better, brilliant.

Cheers bud for your help and

[Tampon]

ScoobieWRX said:

So long as it's all in excellent working order you will be just fine. That's the kind of setup i'm talking about.

I'd be offering £225 initially with a max of £250. They are worth that.

Done just that, mechanic has said 200 to fit it and I can have a play whilst he is doing it as well. Day in the workshop as well as knowing the car a little better, brilliant.

Cheers bud for your help and

[ScoobieWRX]

You're welcome, anytime

[AB8219]

I'm considering getting one of these barges. What should I be looking out for when it comes to be air suspension? And as has been discussed in this thread, if it did got completely wrong, there is the option to change to a more conventional set up?

[Tampon]

AB8219 said:

I'm considering getting one of these barges. What should I be looking out for when it comes to be air suspension? And as has been discussed in this thread, if it did got completely wrong, there is the option to change to a more conventional set up?

When you buy it check to see if it works. There is a high/low button in the dash, press it see if the suspension rises and lowers when on/off.

If it doesn;t then the compressor is probably shagged (expensive) if the suspension looks like it is lowered or sinks over a few days without running means you have a leak in the system and the compressor is working overtime to keep it topped up (again not cheap but very easy parts to replace). This will shag a compressor over time.

I ended up buy a secondhand spring set up from a standard legacy, rather than the bilstein set up or aftermarket set. Ment the system was nice a soft rather than the harder setup of the twin turbo model.

Cost me £140 for the all 4 corners off a breaker on ebay. Paid £200 to have it fitted. After seeing the guy do it it really was simple and easy to do yourself with a haynes manual. You will need a tracking set up after so add another £20.

I paid £500 less for the car because of the suspension and ended up shelling out less than £400 to get a standard set up. It is a direct swap for spring/air parts. Almost 100% sure older models fit as well. I really wanted a outback set up but apparently the top mounts need slight adjustment.

Overall the car was great. Thirsty, sounded great and comfy . The Knock sensor went on mine and threw up a engine warning light. Dead easy to replace myself for £20.

[AB8219]

Do you mean the button on the centre console near gear lever? That's says Height On?

I'm tempted to offer £500. The car is up for £999 and was otherwise lovely.

FSH, 100k, good bodywork.

[AB8219]

To add, I couldn't hear a compressor, and the 'height hi' light was flashing away every time I hit the button

[Tampon]

AB8219 said:

To add, I couldn't hear a compressor, and the 'height hi' light was flashing away every time I hit the button

Did the suspension actually rise? You should be able to see a difference in height when it is in High mode. If not, no compressor. You can just measure the height between the wheel arch and the wheel.

Not a massive ball ache, but until I knew I was worried I had bought a car that needed some expensive work. I can comment on the sound of the compressor (whether it is silent or not) as mine never worked!

Sounds like you will need the springs. Try and locate a set first.

Edited to add, I found a video of the air suspension working.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yxH24qYB3c

[AB8219]

No movement in the vehicle whatsoever. No engine dip to suggest something running, and no noise to suggest either.

So to clarify, we started the engine, all was fine, but then noticed how low the car was sitting on all four corners. So not knowing anything about how to operate this stuff, I went in and hit the height button inside the car near the handbrake. The heigh hi light flashes on the dash but no movement in the vehicle whatsoever.

We went for a short drive and it was like riding on cut springs. Very harsh and low.

They are going to have a look at it tomorrow but right now I see two options;

1. They fix it. I buy it.

2. They don't, I offer £500, and change the suspension over to shocks and springs. Therefore still likely remaining within a £1k budget. Or there abouts.

My lack of knowledge of how to operate the suspension etc though is my only concern but then the guy showing us the car couldn't do it either! Blind leading the blind..

[Tampon]

AB8219 said:

No movement in the vehicle whatsoever. No engine dip to suggest something running, and no noise to suggest either.

So to clarify, we started the engine, all was fine, but then noticed how low the car was sitting on all four corners. So not knowing anything about how to operate this stuff, I went in and hit the height button inside the car near the handbrake. The heigh hi light flashes on the dash but no movement in the vehicle whatsoever.

We went for a short drive and it was like riding on cut springs. Very harsh and low.

They are going to have a look at it tomorrow but right now I see two options;

1. They fix it. I buy it.

2. They don't, I offer £500, and change the suspension over to shocks and springs. Therefore still likely remaining within a £1k budget. Or there abouts.

My lack of knowledge of how to operate the suspension etc though is my only concern but then the guy showing us the car couldn't do it either! Blind leading the blind..

Exactly the same as mine. There is a leak in the system (bet it is one of the front ones) and the compressor has shagged itself running constantly to top up the bags. It isn't a zoned system so the leaking bag will go down first then the rest will follow over night.

The owner won't fix it as it is mega money on a 1k car. They are trying to past it on, you know best, offer your money, don't mention the spring, just say you will have to spend the rest on trying to get a new compressor. They will know the score and think they have got rif of a lemon.

You fix it and enjoy a belter of a car. I you know a ratchet from a screwdriver I would say give it a go yourself and save the money. I would now.

[AB8219]

Tampon said:

Exactly the same as mine. There is a leak in the system (bet it is one of the front ones) and the compressor has shagged itself running constantly to top up the bags. It isn't a zoned system so the leaking bag will go down first then the rest will follow over night.

The owner won't fix it as it is mega money on a 1k car. They are trying to past it on, you know best, offer your money, don't mention the spring, just say you will have to spend the rest on trying to get a new compressor. They will know the score and think they have got rif of a lemon.

You fix it and enjoy a belter of a car. I you know a ratchet from a screwdriver I would say give it a go yourself and save the money. I would now.

Well, here's a turn up for the books, they have fixed it!

ECU reset, and cleaning all connections and it's now working as it should. So I've agreed to buy it and I'll collect this afternoon.

My thinking is that I will also budget for a suspension change later in the year just for my peace of mind. But for now, very much looking forward to my first Subaru.

Will update once I've got it home.

Thank you very much for your help and advice so far, I'm sure I will now become a regular in this part of PH.

[Tampon]

AB8219 said:

Well, here's a turn up for the books, they have fixed it!

ECU reset, and cleaning all connections and it's now working as it should. So I've agreed to buy it and I'll collect this afternoon.

My thinking is that I will also budget for a suspension change later in the year just for my peace of mind. But for now, very much looking forward to my first Subaru.

Will update once I've got it home.

Thank you very much for your help and advice so far, I'm sure I will now become a regular in this part of PH.

I would be very careful. It is possible to inflate the system with a external input , My garage fitted a tyre valve into the system and I used a tyre 12v compressor to inflate the system instead of the internal compressor. My car front right dropped to the bumps on a 20 miles journey so it didn't work for me but can be used to hide problems. My mechanic (subaru specialist) said he had temporally fixed a few legacy's like that and had owners pump them every week or so with small leaks.

There is a still leak in the system for it to be dropped on the bumpstops, this will put extra strain on the compressor in day to day running. Try and figure out which bag is leaking (shouldn't be too hard to see which corner or side is dropping first). Then start looking for replacement bits. It will shagged the compressor topping up on every journey consistently.

The car shouldn't sink overnight/couple of nights and reinflate the next day. They (air bag) hold air for very long periods and the compressor is only needed to either raise the height or up pressure when the rear is loaded. they aren't designed to run lots.

Edited by Tampon on Monday 1st February 14:31