My '02 Rover continues to lose air and I am considering the conversion to spring coils. My mechanic recommends this and says the cost is about $1800. Does this sound right?

 

yeah, its right, good price really. be prepared for a different ride too, its not the same comfort level at all

 

if you are interested in saving the ride search for new air bags from arnott's web site

 

Thanks, roverguy. This world is new to me. I LOVE my RR and the ride is so smooth (when the air is behaving)...how different is the ride? They also tell me I need an accumlator. I have an 02 with 89K.

 

HI SkyGuy--

I am trying to decide how to proceed with my leak problem...seems like the car just doesn't pump up at all...I can't bear to shell out $1800 to change the coils....and hate to lose the comfortable ride. They also tell me I need an accumulator...have you had to repair these items on your 02? How many miles do you have? I have only had it for a year, it's a gorgeous car but I am not mechanically inclined and could never sell it for what I paid for it. Thanks for your words of wisdom!

 

Before you consider a switch to coils see if you can locate where the leak (s) are. You say that the car isn't raising at all, can you hear the compressor running ? Has the EAS gone into a hard fault situation ?
Once you get your head around the idiosyncratic EAS system it really isn't so complicated and can usually be fixed for less than a coil conversion. Without more details it won't be easy to diagnose your specific problem but you might want to consider a MARS system as a short term method of driving the Rover back up. This device will allow you to fill each bag to the desired height using a regular gas station tyre compressor, they cost around $100, install in under an hour and are a great standby for future emergencies. It will not clear the EAS fault codes (if you have them) but it will enable you check the bags, lines and O-ring connections. I can help you with more on this subject but I would require a more in depth insight as to the problems immediately before the car dropped down.
All the best,

Chris.

 

Thanks, Chris. After more evaluation, it took more than an hour for the air to raise up this morning....seems like the pump is giving out to the leaky airbags so off to coils I go on Monday morning. I have decided to save $ by not replacing the shocks so the $1300 shouldn't hurt too badly. At least I'll be off the ground.

I appreciate your nice letter!

 

well based on my observation its much much more convenient and cheaper if you just convert it to coils, the ride is just about the same but ofcourse air is always smooth, go for the conversion it will save you lots of dollars in the long run

 

That's an oxymoronic statement isn't it ?
The ride on coils is nasty when compared to EAS and it will hurt re-sale value as well.
Before you castrate your Rover lesliesmukler, try this; Run the car for 10-15 minutes with the driver door open, this should allow the compressor to fill the air tank if the compressor is good. Next, shut the door and with the engine running the height indicators should settle to regular height in around 15 seconds. If this doesn't happen, I would suspect a compressor seal. 1/2 hour and under $10 with regular tools to fix it.
In any event, get the car to full height then remove the valve block cover, squirt all the connections and solonoids with a soapy water solution, any bubbles ? Next, get down and dirty. Crawl under each corner and douse the airbags with the soapy stuff, get your wife or a friend to cycle the suspension through its different heights and check the bags again, sometimes they will seal at one height and leak at another. next, above the rear wheels and in the arch centre you will see the air line connectors (6mm black lines) where they connect to the bags, squirt away and check for bubbles then lastly, under the hood you will see the front bag tops and the respective air lines, squirt away again. Find the problem yet ? This whole operation is so easy to do, no need to remove a wheel and can be accomplished in less time than it takes your coffee to go cold or your beer to go flat.
Judging by your posts, i'm guessing that your problem is just that pesky compressor seal, I could be wrong but since the car has obviously not hard faulted and gone into limp mode i'm betting that your troubles are relatively minor. I am surprised that your mechanic has not tested this out and is probably unfamiliar with EAS. Fitting coils is a money making cop out for him.
Please give the above a try and report back, you just might be pleasantly rewarded with some coin in the bank. I can PM you some interesting reading if you would like to check this whole thing out. Not fair to this site though, to post another sites information for general consumption.
Good luck,

Chris.

 

Chris, thanks for your amazing reply. I am not mechanically inclined but I will certainly try some of your ideas....tomorrow morning. Please feel free to PM any reading materials. Looking forward! I will report back!