I think any car with AS will sink over time, as in after a few months. Any sinking that's occurring after a few weeks isn't right IMO.

It could be just needing starting up, equally it could need new bags/struts, compressor, valve block, pipework etc. I presume it's also got no MOT? I'd not pay very much for such a car myself.

 

I'd get it started and give it a while to run and charge the battery a bit. I never take anyones word with cars.
Failing that most likely the compressor, Is there a low suspension warning message on it when it drives?

 

Many thanks for the replies, the car is MOT'd and passed with no advisories. It hasn't been used for a few months since then though. Apparently, the low suspension warning message came up if the car wasn't used for a few weeks but it cleared once the car had driven a few miles. I'd imagine that the suspension will be fine once the battery is charged up and the car driven a few miles but I think I need to value the car as though it needs a new air compressor just in case it ends up needing one.

 

TBH it sounds quite good, there may be a slow leak, TBH most of older X350's I've seen that people have bought, you know, in excess of 100k, some history or maybe full, paid less than £4000 for seemed to either have one side that dropped after a few days, or even a spurious suspension light.

The fact it's MOT'ed and has been in use recently is good. Obviously check the AC etc, which engine?

 

The car has been well maintained, I'm viewing it next week so will check the AC and look for warning lights etc then. It's the 4.2 which I gather is pretty reliable - I had issues with a 5 litre X351 engine but it sounds as though the 4.2 is generally more reliable.

Regarding the suspension, I guess it is encouraging that all 4 corners have dropped as at worst (hopefully!) this points to needing a new battery or air compressor. I have seen X350s with just one low corner and have avoided them!

 

The car has been well maintained, I'm viewing it next week so will check the AC and look for warning lights etc then. It's the 4.2 which I gather is pretty reliable - I had issues with a 5 litre X351 engine but it sounds as though the 4.2 is generally more reliable.

Regarding the suspension, I guess it is encouraging that all 4 corners have dropped as at worst (hopefully!) this points to needing a new battery or air compressor. I have seen X350s with just one low corner and have avoided them!

This isn’t correct, if it sinks when left it has a leak, they will also drop slightly when temperature drops, if it fails to raise when started (you may have to drive it just a few metres if it’s in jacking mode) then suspect compressor, I think if they are left for a few months I’d expect it to drop so probably nothing wrong.

 

In case its of any help/interest: mine sits around for quite a while (can be perhaps 4-6 weeks or so) without being touched over winter and (touch wood!) has never sunk to such an extent that the 'vehicle low' message appeared.
It is connected to a battery conditioner when laid up and I'm lucky enough for it to be sitting in a dry garage.
Good luck with the viewing - personally I'd be wary.

 

It's potentially a tricky one - I think if the suspension doesn't rise when the battery is charged and driven a few metres I'll probably have to pass on the car.

I've asked on a few of the XJ Facebook groups and some people think it could run into thousands to sort out the suspension! Unless it needs new shock absorbers though, I can't really see how it will cost thousands.

I'm a bit confused over the best way to solve the issue if there is a leak - am I right in thinking a new compressor wouldn't solve a leak?

The previous owner has given the impression that there is no problem with the car and it's just a case of driving it in order to get the suspension back up to normal - this suggests it is only a low battery causing the problem - at the moment the battery is completely flat so although this might sound a daft question, is it correct to say that the suspension is bound to fall down very low if the battery is flat?

If the problem isn't caused by just a low battery, then naturally recharging the battery / getting a new battery won't cure the issue.

Thanks for all the help

 

The 4.2 is a sweet engine IMO, had one in an XF. Very efficient, sounds awesome and wears well as long as it's serviced every 10k or so. TBH the other guys know their stuff. The only way to really cover yourself is to buy from a dealer. That way you've got 6 me months statutory warranty. Make sure to pay a minimum of £100 on credit card, if they won't let you run.

 

This is my second wagon with air shocks. My car now and my van before. Its the only thing thats ever worried me. Yes can cost a small fortune if its shocks and sensors. Compressor isn't that expensive and can actually be a DIY job. But that wouldn't solve a leak. One day that dreaded message will pop up and stay.
Your call but youre right. If it doesn't rise with a fully. Note fully charged battery. Give it thought. Never know though might actually be a good car. If on the test drive and the warning came on. If it was me id walk.
Head not heart. I know. The saga of bic in my sig taught me that.

 

"bic in my sig"

May I ask what happened?

 

I think my best plan is to see if charging the battery gets the suspension up - then to inspect the car in 2 or 3 days time to make sure the suspension is still up. If the suspension comes down again within 2 or 3 days there is definitely a leak and I'll pass on the car. Thanks for all the advice - I have a much clearer idea of how the air suspension works now.

 

Good plan, and remember dont be afraid to walk away. There's plenty of cars out there, especially large engined luxury stuff. Yes, a dealer might command a premium, but it's often worth it so long as you don't get tangled up and sidelined with not worth the paper warranties, or dodgy traders who don't want to play by the rules. Good luck

 

Regarding suspension height, the suspension when in "sleep mode" will attempt to maintain a level - not height -every 24 hours. It will not run the compressor, just use air in the reservoir. So, if there is a slow leak on one air spring the whole car will gradually sink to the corner showing the lowest height. On starting, the compressor runs for 2 minutes and should raise the car to the set height. If not then it could be below par. A bad battery can cause all sorts of faults, which are good bargaining points when deciding to buy or not.

 

Many thanks for all your help. I'm thinking there could well be a leak from an air spring - these apparently cost £1k each although it is possible to buy used ones much cheaper.

If the suspension goes up with a new/recharged battery and there is a pre-existing leak, how long is it likely to be before the suspension drops again?

I'm thinking along the lines of leaving it say 3 days after the suspension rises to see if it is still up but is it possible it could fall again more than 3 days later?

 

Although this is very rude and maybe a little invasive, do mind if I ask roughly how much their asking, how many miles, age, model?

 

When I found my X350, it was looking forlorn at the back of dealers yard. Not been started for months. Flat battery and suspension low, not fully down though.
Used a jump starter to get it going. This is when it decided that I would be its new owner, engine sterted without rattle and was smooth and silent - bonnet was open. Suspension compressor worked and suspension was raised, no problem. Battery has been OK since. With temperature changes, the suspension will change height, so if it was parked when hot from ambient temperature and use it will drop when cold as the air contracts. I have noticed this and it is to be expected.

 

Thanks sheddist, that's really interesting as it sounds a similar story to mine in that it wasn't used for months. I was just thinking, I wonder if X350s at dealerships suffer from the suspension going down as quite a few seem to have been for sale for ages.

That's impressive the suspension came up fine on a jump start. I have a Ctek charger which I intend to take to the seller when viewing but the seller is possibly going to get a new battery fitted.

I'd imagine the dead battery will take ages to charge. With the X350 do I connect both terminals to the battery or do I connect the negative to a point elsewhere?

I'd imagine this car was parked about March/April, it has been started in the drive a few times but not driven on the road.

I'm seeing the car properly later in the week but will try and take a pic tomorrow to show the suspension - it is as low as it will go.

 

As others have said, the battery is not the cause of the suspension falling. There’s a leak somewhere. It could be small and not bother you but leaks tend to stress the compressors which then pack in. (£250).

I don’t think new air struts are as much as £1k each. Arnott do aftermarket ones but the genuine struts last a long while and the system is robust.

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Thanks, Mr Kis & Sheddist; I learned from your posts.
I wasn't sure how the car behaved when asleep - even wondered if it engaged compressor to keep itself level while asleep. Nice to understand that it just redistributes the air in the reservoir.
On that basis, it seems that if it loses height over a period, there is some air departing the system somewhere.

Only air suspension problem I had vaguely like this was with my old E class estate (rear air only) which sank the rear to the floor over only a couple of days or so. That was down to a split air hose, replaced and no problem afterwards.

I wonder if a car drops over a much longer period, could it be a corroded/otherwise degraded air line connector somewhere? Would seem to be a very slight leak if it takes long time to sink. For example, I found (when repairing the Merc) that if I didn't clamp the hose into the air spring properly, the car would sink, but more slowly (I did get it right in the end!)

All the best

 

The pipe connections are a brass olive and union nuts. Seems strange to use an olive on plastic pipe when push fit connectors are more widely used. I think the plastic pipe can creep over time, losing compression with the brass olive. Push fit use an O ring that has more compliance.

 

Although I've often considered getting an X350 and have driven one when nearly new, I've never really appreciated all the intricacies of the air suspension before. Going forward, it's great to have more knowledge about how it works.

It will be interesting to see if the suspension rises on the one I'm looking at - thanks to this forum I know for sure there must be a leak for it to drop so low, otherwise I might have been fobbed off that it was just a low battery. The trouble is, it could be hard to detect where the leak is coming from, especially if it's a slow small leak.

I'll keep you posted on progress but I've pretty much decided if anything else is wrong with it like the air con or electrics I'll pass on it. The snag with buying a relatively high mileage one is that it would be easy to spend more than the car is worth doing a few jobs - I'd imagine the labour cost of fitting a new shock would give me another shock!

It was interesting to see that ad for a red XJ saying the suspension light comes on but it holds its height even when not being driven very often. It definitely seems as though the X350 shouldn't fall too low if not being used.

 

I know this is VAG, but his analysis of the AS's interesting. Worth a watch INO, it's part 2, can't remember if there's anything else relevant in part 1. So

 

The ride height sensors are a more common source of warnings and a simple fix.

 

I've just been reading on another thread on this forum that someone with an 06 XJR had Chinese shocks and a compressor fitted and it worked well. I was just thinking, how much can I expect to pay roughly for labour for fitting a new shock and for the compressor if needed?

 

Rear shocks a fairly easy to take off as I had to replace a bush on one of mine. Not done a front one, yet!!

 

Mine sits quite low at the front if I have left it for 4 or 5 days but have never had the vehicle too low message come up on the dash. As soon as it starts it rises up fine & never drops while using it. The air suspension fault light comes on sometimes too, but again, never actually causes me a problem.
The way I view it is, it's 20 years old now & probably deserves a suspension refresh at some point, which it will get when the time is right.
You could get these issues with any X350/X358, regardless of mileage, age or price. I would buy mainly based on the overall condition of the vehicle, inside & out, specification & excellent maintenance records. Ideally one that has had lots spent on it recently. Negotiate the price based on any faults & factor in spending some money on it yourself at some point & don't worry too much about it!

 

I fitted a Chinese compressor to mine recently following a couple of guides on here and if you take the bumper off, it's really easy. Worth having a set of stainless steel screws for the undertrays handy to replace them all with as they WILL be rusted solid. Cutting them off took the time tbh but I was using a oscillating tool that I use for cutting through titanium fixion nails and implants and it was still a challenge!

 

I was using a oscillating tool that I use for cutting through titanium fixion nails and implants and it was still a challenge!

I hope you gave it a wipe before you took it back to work.

 

Naaaa........ but I do spray with alcohol after work... 🤢🤮

 

forget the battery bit initially, get it started and it should start rising in a minute or two. then you can check out the battery. it doesn't need to drive it just needs to run.

 

Sorry it's taken so long to update the saga - when a new battery was fitted the suspension came up fine to what I think is the correct level - there was a fair gap at the top of all 4 wheels and you could easily fit your hand in to touch the top of the tyres, Thursday in the photo. However, 2 days later on Saturday both sides at the front started to drop and by Sunday the front on both sides already dropped to a fairly low level. Both sides on the rear are still as high as they were when the battery was replaced.

I understand when working 100%, the front and back should stay up for at least 3 weeks so I'm sure this car has a problem with an air leak - is it likely to be one or both front air springs/shocks and / or the compressor?

I'm not sure how easy it will be to diagnose with these symptoms.

How much should I knock off the asking price given this suspension fault?

Even if I use Chinese or used shocks this won't be a cheap repair. Used front shocks seem quite thin on the ground although there are plenty of used rears available.

Thanks again for all the input, much appreciated.