Air suspensions are designed to enhance the function of the suspension in Jaguar cars. However, when your Jaguar begins encountering issues with the air suspension, it can cause serious performance deficits that must be addressed to ensure the quality and reliability of your car. In this article, we’ll go over some basic information about the air suspension in your Jaguar and how you can attend to problems that arise.
Every car comes with a suspension. The overall suspension system, regardless of what type, is designed to absorb impact, keep the drive smooth, and protect the undercarriage from hitting the ground. Traditional suspensions include many different components that help to achieve these goals, and air suspensions aren’t all that different. Both types of suspensions require ongoing maintenance and routine inspections to ensure they’re working properly.
Air suspensions are made up of a system of air bags at each point of the car with a compressor that pumps pressurized air into the airbags. The bags fill up, lifting the car off of the four wheels and absorbing minor or major impacts from the road. As you can see, the suspension on any car serves a critical function; however, certain luxury vehicle manufacturers such as Jaguar utilize air suspensions to enhance the function of the suspension and its components.
There are a few basic things you can do to help keep your Jaguar’s suspension in good working condition throughout the life of the vehicle. Here are a few suggestions and tips for how to ensure your Jaguar’s air suspension is properly maintained:
It’s important to be aware of how your suspension feels in your Jaguar, as this is often the most telling indication that there could be a problem with it. Here’s what symptoms you should be on the lookout for:
Abnormal sounds that occur once your car is turned off is common; however, the sounds could be due to the air compressor being unable to turn off due to an air leak in one of the air suspension airbags.
As we mentioned before, the most telling symptom of suspension issues is differences in handling and suspension function. If you notice any changes in your car’s performance, it’s critical to have the issue checked out by a Jaguar specialist right away to avoid further damage or ongoing performance problems.
Often when the air suspension fails people park their car, and return back to it only to find it resting on all four tires, abnormally low to the ground. This is concerning, as you’ll likely be unable to drive your car effectively if at all this way.
It’s helpful to know the main causes of air suspension failure, as they’ll likely be one of the avenues of repair. These are the two most common reasons for air suspension failure that you should know about:
If the air compressor fails, it will be unable to provide the airbags with adequate air, which will render the suspension useless. This is a common issue in older Jaguar models with air suspensions.
Leaks in airbags are highly common, and as the car ages and wears, the airbags become more susceptible to being punctured or damaged. This is one of the first things your Jaguar specialist will check out when you bring your car in for an inspection.
The Jaguar pros here at Pro Car Mechanics serve clients from all over the areas of Gardena, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Glendale, and Anaheim, CA. We’re known for our expert services and affordable prices, which are tough to find in combination. If you’ve recently experienced any of the aforementioned symptoms of air suspension issues, please call us right away to schedule a diagnostic appointment – your safety is most important to us.
* Jaguar XJ12 Series III image credit goes to: Berezko.
* Jaguar E-Pace R-Dynamic Sport image credit goes to: Kyryl Gorlov.