DIY: Panamera Air Suspension Shock Replacement (Front)
11-16-2020, 04:38 PM
#16
Are you sure you plugged in the connectors at the shocks all the way? I would recheck them to ensure they are plugged in right...unplug clean and plug in with car off.
Are your shocks aftermarket? Sometimes the way they remanufacture them, makes them faulty internally. This is almost impossible to debug unless you send the shocks back to them to inspect internally.
No errors? Have you attached some diag package to scanned for codes? Check engine light or other errors that manifest on dash are not the only codes, There are many codes that often do not show up, but are present in the car flash memory.
I would day, check for leaks at the top of shocks again (including the air lines (which you should check to ensure no leaks), then check compressor line connections for leaks, valve body for leaks (this one leaks internally sometimes, making it impossible to be sure - only way is to replace).
If no leaks, see if the sensors work ok (height sensors). You can raise car with jack and see if they start responding to height change (dash should say extremely high, etc).
What happens when you press the raise car button? Does it say not possible? Make sure you check after you run car for 5 mins or so. If so, the air tank (reservoir) does not have enough pressure to raise car. If it takes a long time to raise (spec should be within 3 seconds from button press), then pressure is low in the air tank. Means a leak somewhere. Compressor pushes air into air tank, which (with help ofvalves in shocks, valve body, etc), direct air into shocks to raise/lower. Air pressure under min means car takes longer to raise.
Are your shocks aftermarket? Sometimes the way they remanufacture them, makes them faulty internally. This is almost impossible to debug unless you send the shocks back to them to inspect internally.
No errors? Have you attached some diag package to scanned for codes? Check engine light or other errors that manifest on dash are not the only codes, There are many codes that often do not show up, but are present in the car flash memory.
I would day, check for leaks at the top of shocks again (including the air lines (which you should check to ensure no leaks), then check compressor line connections for leaks, valve body for leaks (this one leaks internally sometimes, making it impossible to be sure - only way is to replace).
If no leaks, see if the sensors work ok (height sensors). You can raise car with jack and see if they start responding to height change (dash should say extremely high, etc).
What happens when you press the raise car button? Does it say not possible? Make sure you check after you run car for 5 mins or so. If so, the air tank (reservoir) does not have enough pressure to raise car. If it takes a long time to raise (spec should be within 3 seconds from button press), then pressure is low in the air tank. Means a leak somewhere. Compressor pushes air into air tank, which (with help ofvalves in shocks, valve body, etc), direct air into shocks to raise/lower. Air pressure under min means car takes longer to raise.
gm I sent this in wrong place so sending it again ,so first, let me thank you for the very detailed posts my problem is after changing both front struts with system operating normally ,drove car approx two miles and front end dropped down and no longer raises rear is at high level and also does not respond ,no warning lights ,no messages and no faults, no leaks on either bag and also replaced compressor as I thought that it may have been worn out from constantly trying to refill left shock (which is reason for initial change, small leak at sensor) so now I'm just rubbing my head ,local dealer quoted me 13000.00 for replacement of entire system after 15 min diagnosis, needless to say that's out of the question ,hopefully you have some suggestions for me
11-19-2020, 02:52 PM
#17
What brand after market (rebuilt) air shocks did you buy for your DIY replacement? Were you able to diagnose and/or resolve the problem? That's a tremendous amount of DIY work only to have your "new" front suspension lock in the wrong position.
01-30-2021, 02:00 AM
#19
When replacing the air springs, what about all that nitrogen that leaked out?
I replaced the driver side air spring myself. It worked for a couple of months. Then it was always a half inch higher than the passenger side so I requested a warranty replacement. The replacement was even worse. It never really worked and both front springs wouldn't even air up. Had to have the car towed to the dealership. They said the spring I replaced was leaking. Unfortunately, the replacement spring was a Chinese rebuild I hoped would work. It didn't. This time I'm gonna to use the company you went through for air springs because you said you had success with them. My questions are, 1) when you disable the air suspension (jack-mode) do you have the spring in highest or lowest position when you activate Jack-mode? 2) Once you disconnect the air lines from the springs, how did you replace all that nitrogen that leaked out of internal tank and air spring? 3) I heard that introducing air to the system will also introduce moisture which will cause internal damage over time and cause erratic ride heights. 4) I heard you have to buy a special adapter to fill the springs and you need the Piwis tester to get the pressure up to 17 bars of pressure. How were you able to avoid all that? I'm gonna do it myself one more time. It will still be cheaper than $3k per spring. Thanks.
02-04-2021, 01:45 PM
#20
Burning Brakes
Hellbent, the system isn't truly a "closed" system, air is introduced from the outside over time, it's highly unlikely that your system had much if any nitrogen left in it to begin with.
if you live in a very humid area that can be a concern, refilling with nitrogen would be a good thing, but as you noted it is not a simple task.
if you live in a very humid area that can be a concern, refilling with nitrogen would be a good thing, but as you noted it is not a simple task.
03-18-2021, 11:53 AM
#21
Caution! RMT Now has the worst warranty for shocks. Void if you install it yourself.
This is a great tutorial for the Do-it-yourselfers. Thank you so much but I just had a horrible and costly experience buying rebuilt air shocks from RMT (RebuildMasterTech) that the readers need to know about.
PLEASE READ RMT's WARRANTY POLICY BEFORE BUYING!! I didn't read it. I just assumed they were reasonable and I assumed they know people buy from them because they intend to do their own maintenance and repairs. I was wrong. If I had read their warranty policy, I would not have purchased my shocks from.
If you plan on doing your own repairs and you are not ASE certified...DO NOT BUY anything from RMT. If you are not ASE certified, your warranty is voided as soon as you install the part. They're warranty policy states you have to let an ASE certified mechanic install it for you and you must show proof of that for warranty service. It totally defeats the purpose of "do it yourself" if you have to hire a mechanic shop to install it.
I only purchased my shocks from RMT (Bad Mistake) because they were mentioned in this website as a company that had no problem honoring the warranty. So I purchased 2 air shocks from them for almost $700. Both shocks arrived with air already leaking due to the center bolt on both shocks were overtighten before I ever received them. This caused them to leak air and therefore were useless. This is the exact same problem mentioned in this tutorial but now that warranty service no longer applies.
The leak on both shocks were found immediately after installation the same day I received them in the mail but because I installed them myself, they refuse to honor the warranty because I'm not ASE certified. However, I am a certified auto mechanic for 30 years and I graduated from a 2 year college for auto mechanics and I have the certification to prove it but none of that matters to them. I even have video evidence of the defect. They don't care.
Any and all Auto Parts stores will honor warranties no matter who installs the part. Because Auto Part stores support "do it yourselfers". RMT does not support "do-it-yourselfers." They sent me 2 defective shocks and took my $700 for something that dont work. That's a lot of money to give away for nothing. I've only had the parts for less than a day and they still left me holding the bag. I just dont want anyone else to lose all their hard earned money with RMT simply because they were trying to save money by doing their own repairs. You better hope the part is not defective when you get it. It's a very expensive gamble because you can't tell if its leaking or defective until after you install it. Good luck. I was totally ripped off by them.
PLEASE READ RMT's WARRANTY POLICY BEFORE BUYING!! I didn't read it. I just assumed they were reasonable and I assumed they know people buy from them because they intend to do their own maintenance and repairs. I was wrong. If I had read their warranty policy, I would not have purchased my shocks from.
If you plan on doing your own repairs and you are not ASE certified...DO NOT BUY anything from RMT. If you are not ASE certified, your warranty is voided as soon as you install the part. They're warranty policy states you have to let an ASE certified mechanic install it for you and you must show proof of that for warranty service. It totally defeats the purpose of "do it yourself" if you have to hire a mechanic shop to install it.
I only purchased my shocks from RMT (Bad Mistake) because they were mentioned in this website as a company that had no problem honoring the warranty. So I purchased 2 air shocks from them for almost $700. Both shocks arrived with air already leaking due to the center bolt on both shocks were overtighten before I ever received them. This caused them to leak air and therefore were useless. This is the exact same problem mentioned in this tutorial but now that warranty service no longer applies.
The leak on both shocks were found immediately after installation the same day I received them in the mail but because I installed them myself, they refuse to honor the warranty because I'm not ASE certified. However, I am a certified auto mechanic for 30 years and I graduated from a 2 year college for auto mechanics and I have the certification to prove it but none of that matters to them. I even have video evidence of the defect. They don't care.
Any and all Auto Parts stores will honor warranties no matter who installs the part. Because Auto Part stores support "do it yourselfers". RMT does not support "do-it-yourselfers." They sent me 2 defective shocks and took my $700 for something that dont work. That's a lot of money to give away for nothing. I've only had the parts for less than a day and they still left me holding the bag. I just dont want anyone else to lose all their hard earned money with RMT simply because they were trying to save money by doing their own repairs. You better hope the part is not defective when you get it. It's a very expensive gamble because you can't tell if its leaking or defective until after you install it. Good luck. I was totally ripped off by them.
Last edited by Hellbent 706; 03-18-2021 at 12:19 PM.
07-26-2021, 08:25 PM
#22
Burning Brakes
@ciaka Excellent thread - thank you very much for posting. 
2 quick questions:
1) Did your remanufactured struts already have air in them when shipped from factory? ( i would assume yes but am asking because of the next question....)
2) If yes how much were you able to compress them by before installing? Did you have any concerns about over stressing the air bladder when doing so?
Thanks in advance
2 quick questions:
1) Did your remanufactured struts already have air in them when shipped from factory? ( i would assume yes but am asking because of the next question....)
2) If yes how much were you able to compress them by before installing? Did you have any concerns about over stressing the air bladder when doing so?
Thanks in advance
08-19-2021, 04:56 PM
#23
1. Remanufactured struts have no air in them. From any place. Even if they did, you have to connect the air line to them which will drain anything inside shock.
2. To install I used a cam strap, to compress the shock enough to fit into place. Then release the cam, then bolt down the shock. I have no concerns of overstressing bladder since the compression with cam will be nowhere near to the weight of the car.
Advice.
Once you compress shock and then install it, do not drop the entire weight of the car on the shocks. What you want to do is do front or rear end, not all shocks together. You lift front, do the shocks change, then lower the car so that the wheels do not support the entire weight of car on them.
You lower car enough to prevent bottoming out (approximate it to be bit lower than normal height so when air inflates shocks, the front raises and you can see it.
Then to do the other side, you make blocks (I made from squares of a 2x4 wood with rubber jack lift bushings for panamera. Placed them under lift points for front, when doing the rear. When you disconnect the lines, the car front will rest on these blocks without bottoming out the shocks. Once you finish work and car inflates, the front will raise again and you are all set.
2. To install I used a cam strap, to compress the shock enough to fit into place. Then release the cam, then bolt down the shock. I have no concerns of overstressing bladder since the compression with cam will be nowhere near to the weight of the car.
Advice.
Once you compress shock and then install it, do not drop the entire weight of the car on the shocks. What you want to do is do front or rear end, not all shocks together. You lift front, do the shocks change, then lower the car so that the wheels do not support the entire weight of car on them.
You lower car enough to prevent bottoming out (approximate it to be bit lower than normal height so when air inflates shocks, the front raises and you can see it.
Then to do the other side, you make blocks (I made from squares of a 2x4 wood with rubber jack lift bushings for panamera. Placed them under lift points for front, when doing the rear. When you disconnect the lines, the car front will rest on these blocks without bottoming out the shocks. Once you finish work and car inflates, the front will raise again and you are all set.
@ciaka Excellent thread - thank you very much for posting.
2 quick questions:
1) Did your remanufactured struts already have air in them when shipped from factory? ( i would assume yes but am asking because of the next question....)
2) If yes how much were you able to compress them by before installing? Did you have any concerns about over stressing the air bladder when doing so?
Thanks in advance
2 quick questions:
1) Did your remanufactured struts already have air in them when shipped from factory? ( i would assume yes but am asking because of the next question....)
2) If yes how much were you able to compress them by before installing? Did you have any concerns about over stressing the air bladder when doing so?
Thanks in advance
09-30-2021, 05:59 AM
#24
Hi I have a question about refilling the nitrogen. My 2015 Panamera S e-hybrid was sitting what appeared to be about an inch off of the ground out of the blue one day, and these great detailed step by steps for the DIY gave me the courage to take the task on myself and saved me a bunch of money. It turned out for me that a line had gotten pinched and severed in a small spot that had been leaking and that was why the whole car was sitting so low. Since fixing the leak the car has raised and leveled itself, but I'm not sure if it's me or my car seems like it might be a little lower than it was originally. I was thinking that nitrogen must have leaked from it when it was leaking so it must need to be replaced and maybe that's why it isn't up as high? Also am wondering now if anything else might need to be reset? Any advice is appreciated, and once again thanks for such detailed information in these threads on the suspension
01-02-2022, 01:51 PM
#25
Hellbent 706 - Sorry about your terrible experience sourcing struts. Where did you (finally) end up going for rebuilt air shocks to get ones that worked? Brand, rebuilt or new? Did you experience any major issues installing them? Thanks for your post above, probably helped others avoid the same bad experience.
giese639
giese639
01-02-2022, 05:06 PM
#26
Hellbent 706 - Sorry about your terrible experience sourcing struts. Where did you (finally) end up going for rebuilt air shocks to get ones that worked? Brand, rebuilt or new? Did you experience any major issues installing them? Thanks for your post above, probably helped others avoid the same bad experience.
giese639
giese639
Last edited by Hellbent 706; 01-02-2022 at 09:27 PM.
01-02-2022, 07:33 PM
#27
Too bad about the extra $350 you had to pay to get them to honor the hypothetical warranty, but at least you got your air suspension working again. Congrat's on that.
Could I ask you for your advice with my situation? My 2010 PTT's air suspension went flat the other day (complete "Chassis System Failure"). I was at a ski area and it was about 10 degrees, the coldest weather of the season. Up til now, the system has always cleared itself after a restart; not this time. I've tried everything short of beginning to replace parts: multiple recycles, partially jacking up the front, the back (to "help" the compressor get some air back in) but "no go." The compressor will come on for a few seconds when I open or close the door but it doesn't add any air. I'm running 0.0 Bar. In other words, completely flat. Being completely flat, I can't check the front air shocks for leaks, since there's no air in the system at all. I did run a scan on my iCarsoft POR2, which is somewhat limited in its ability to scan for air suspension problems, but slightly better than nothing. Here are the results of the scan (relevant faults):
Level Control Module: Valve for FR additional volume faulty; switching system implausible
PSM: Sport Mode: Level control faulty; vent solenoid valve: ON time exceeded
Regarding the Level Control Fault above, does this sound like it could be the front right (FR) air shock, or maybe the FR valve in the valve block?
As I mentioned, the compressor seems to want to work, but quickly realizes it can't lift a 4700 lb car by itself then cuts off. And there's a leak somewhere. With no air pressure in the system, can't do the soapy liquid test for leaks. No suspension parts have ever been replaced. The car has 36K miles on it. Where would you start?
Thanks for any advice.
Could I ask you for your advice with my situation? My 2010 PTT's air suspension went flat the other day (complete "Chassis System Failure"). I was at a ski area and it was about 10 degrees, the coldest weather of the season. Up til now, the system has always cleared itself after a restart; not this time. I've tried everything short of beginning to replace parts: multiple recycles, partially jacking up the front, the back (to "help" the compressor get some air back in) but "no go." The compressor will come on for a few seconds when I open or close the door but it doesn't add any air. I'm running 0.0 Bar. In other words, completely flat. Being completely flat, I can't check the front air shocks for leaks, since there's no air in the system at all. I did run a scan on my iCarsoft POR2, which is somewhat limited in its ability to scan for air suspension problems, but slightly better than nothing. Here are the results of the scan (relevant faults):
Level Control Module: Valve for FR additional volume faulty; switching system implausible
PSM: Sport Mode: Level control faulty; vent solenoid valve: ON time exceeded
Regarding the Level Control Fault above, does this sound like it could be the front right (FR) air shock, or maybe the FR valve in the valve block?
As I mentioned, the compressor seems to want to work, but quickly realizes it can't lift a 4700 lb car by itself then cuts off. And there's a leak somewhere. With no air pressure in the system, can't do the soapy liquid test for leaks. No suspension parts have ever been replaced. The car has 36K miles on it. Where would you start?
Thanks for any advice.
01-02-2022, 09:21 PM
#28
Im not sure but I would suspect the problem is either the compressor or the valve block or a sensor or a control unit. Sometimes it can be something as simple as a bad relay, fuse or even the battery itself. If that's not it, I would take it to the dealer or a independent shop that works on Porsche and pay them to do a diagnostic on it. They generally charge about $180 to do it (they have given me a couple of diagnostic tests in the past for free after they got to know me) but at least you'll know exactly what it is. I have the same scanner you have plus I also have the Durametric and I even have a PIWIS tester clone which I think is about 90% the same as the dealers scanner and sometimes even with all that, I still end up having to go to the Porsche dealer to get a diagnostic because sometimes I need that other 10% that my tester can't do, to diagnose and locate the problem.
Last edited by Hellbent 706; 01-02-2022 at 09:30 PM.
01-02-2022, 10:56 PM
#29
Thanks very much for the advice, will follow it. What diagnostics pointed you to replace your front struts vs the other components....the soapy liquid leak test at top of the struts?
01-03-2022, 03:58 AM
#30
Yes, i had an air shock fault on the dash. So, I sprayed soapy water on the center bolt on top of the air shocks. The drivers side would bubble up but you can also hear the air leak whenever I could get it to air up. So, I didn't have to get a diagnosis for that because the problem was kinda obvious. Unless it's an air line leak that can simply be tightened up to stop the leak you have to replace the entire air shock if its leaking from anywhere else. It started out as the front drivers side air shock wouldn't air up like the others so the entire system would shut down and trigger a fault on the dash but I decided to just replace both as a pair even though nothing was wrong with the passenger side. The crazy thing about nothing being wrong with the passenger side is that when I sent them to RMT to be rebuilt, both the new driver side and the new passenger side came back defective worse than they were before I took them off the car. Lol.