Sorry folks but here I am again with another RR woe

I’ve had the rangie parked in my shed during lockdown and have noticed that it’s slowly dropped in height to the point that ,if you look at the photos, the rear passenger side looks like it’s down on its stop.

Click image to enlarge

The air suspension system is a closed system so if there is no leakage it will not drop.
You seem to have a small leak. Whilst you may have a leak it may well not be a significant problem in day to day running where it would be topped up as required. The car sitting there for a long while has just highly the problem.

Yeah when I was driving it everyday I parked it in access height so I wouldn't have noticed any drop in height as you say so thanks for confirming what I thought

Do you happen to know if there is any way of detecting where the leak is coming from, like injecting a dye or similar into the system? Current collection :

2007 Vogue TDV8 Stornoway grey, black on black
1982 JCB Sitemaster (resto)
1970 MGB
BMW R1200GS

The chances are any leak is from one or both front airbags. The usual way to confirm is to raise the car to off road height and spray a solution of water and washing up liquid on them and look for bubbles. In off road height you may even be able to hear the leak, certainly I could hear mine when it happened.

As nicedayforit says, if it's a big enough leak to drop the car in a day or so you should be able to hear it. If you have some ramps get it up on those. If not, put it in off road height, put some axle stands underneath and get under the car. I had a pinhole leak on the rear RHS of my first L322 that would drop exactly like yours, and found it to be one of the nylon pipes had rubbed through on the subframe. This was the day before going on holiday so it got a quick fix with a 6mm pushfit connector before replacing the pipe later, but i'm sure it would have been fine for years.

Thanks for the replies and advice folks and helping out this newbie RR owner

It's been parked for about 3 weeks now so it's a slow leak thankfully. Im guessing that it might have been doing it before I bought it last October as the previous owner told me that he had replaced the compressor for "preventative measures"? I also noticed whilst poking about that the height sensor arm on the same wheel must have snapped at one time as its had a hillbilly repair been with a piece of rubber hose and jubilee clips which would explain why it always looked a bit lower than the rest! Why oh why people do these things when it's a cheap repair always baffles me but

No dramas....I'll give the soapy water solution a go and see what else I come across in the process for one job seems to lead to another one atm. Current collection :

2007 Vogue TDV8 Stornoway grey, black on black
1982 JCB Sitemaster (resto)
1970 MGB
BMW R1200GS

That height sensor does indeed sound suspicious, could well be part of your problem.

As for one job leading to another, this is simply a feature LR built into the cars from new! Luckily this forum is full of knowledge from lucky owners who are willing to share their experience.
Enjoy!

The compressor probably failed due to running too much chasing an air leak however small. Usually in such a situation they cutout due to overheating. Under normal circumstances the compressor should hardly ever run unless you choose to change the height of the car. I get the impression these compressors are not designed for hard work.

Parallel wrote:

That height sensor does indeed sound suspicious, could well be part of your problem.

As for one job leading to another, this is simply a feature LR built into the cars from new! Luckily this forum is full of knowledge from lucky owners who are willing to share their experience.
Enjoy!

nicedayforit wrote:

The compressor probably failed due to running too much chasing an air leak however small. Usually in such a situation they cutout due to overheating. Under normal circumstances the compressor should hardly ever run unless you choose to change the height of the car. I get the impression these compressors are not designed for hard work.

These don't like not being used for long periods. If it will be sitting for that long, I take it you have the battery on a trickle charger?

Quote:

Why oh why people do these things when it's a cheap repair

Sometimes £70 per side for front height sensors doesn't seem cheap, when a 10 minute fix which can last for years does  .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

Parallel wrote:

As nicedayforit says, if it's a big enough leak to drop the car in a day or so you should be able to hear it. If you have some ramps get it up on those. If not, put it in off road height, put some axle stands underneath and get under the car. I had a pinhole leak on the rear RHS of my first L322 that would drop exactly like yours, and found it to be one of the nylon pipes had rubbed through on the subframe. This was the day before going on holiday so it got a quick fix with a 6mm pushfit connector before replacing the pipe later, but i'm sure it would have been fine for years.

Parallel wrote:

These don't like not being used for long periods. If it will be sitting for that long, I take it you have the battery on a trickle charger?

Yeah that’s why it’s living in the shed as we just use my wife’s petrol motor for the short once a week run to the shops as it’s never anymore than a 10 mile round trip. As for cars not getting used, there’s going to be so many unhappy car owners out there with automotive headaches once this lockdown is lifted again Current collection :

2007 Vogue TDV8 Stornoway grey, black on black
1982 JCB Sitemaster (resto)
1970 MGB
BMW R1200GS

Snowy90 L322 wrote:

Parallel wrote:

As nicedayforit says, if it's a big enough leak to drop the car in a day or so you should be able to hear it. If you have some ramps get it up on those. If not, put it in off road height, put some axle stands underneath and get under the car. I had a pinhole leak on the rear RHS of my first L322 that would drop exactly like yours, and found it to be one of the nylon pipes had rubbed through on the subframe. This was the day before going on holiday so it got a quick fix with a 6mm pushfit connector before replacing the pipe later, but i'm sure it would have been fine for years.

Plus 1 on the axel stands! My very slightly leaky airbag let go when in access mode, and it comes down fast! Brown trouser moment it certainly was!

Always assume these things will fall onto you when underneath, better to be safe than flat

Brown trouser moment Many moons ago my dad, who I hasten to add was a motor mechanic, had a leaky trolley jack that decided to gently let a car down onto me so depending on what I’m doing I have always at the very least slid a wheel underneath since, just in case As for said trolley jack....30 odd years on and he still has it in his garage and I have my own  Current collection :

2007 Vogue TDV8 Stornoway grey, black on black
1982 JCB Sitemaster (resto)
1970 MGB
BMW R1200GS