Fixing leakage on my air suspension Tesla model S (English subtitle)

How to fix a classic leak on a Tesla S air strut, with emphasis on the o-ring / sealing rings.

[@viktorvar]

Thank you so much for making this video, Christian! The world needs more people like you :) I followed your steps and fixed both leaking rear air struts on my 2014 RWD Model S. They were leaking because of corrosion build-up under the O-ring. You saved me a lot of money and the repair wasn't too hard. A tip for others: be careful when pulling down the silver part as the O-ring might get stuck underneath it and rolls down deep inside. Rolling it back up was quite a challenge.

[@christianvenneslan9361]

Thanks for your nice comments, Viktor. Your tip is also important. I experienced the same with one of my O-rings, it rolled down when pulling down the cover. Quite a lot of work to get it back! So people should notice 🙂

[@torsteinerdal7316]

Sykt kult at du gidder å lage disse videoene! Leiet etter tips (på engelsk) så finner eg deg... med samme fine dialekten som meg ❤ Setter pris på det du gjør, du e rå!

[@Danin4985]

Thanks for the video. How difficult is it to remove the air suspension from the car? Is there any video showing how to do that?

[@christianvenneslan9361]

Its not very difficult to remove them from the car. You can have a look at these videos to get an impression PRE-FACELIFT S kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZOwZGWufZl_Z6Msi=c0HZC9H3ghMEZ1Sv FACELIFT S kzbin.info/www/bejne/iajPlGOibN6feKMsi=dz0gIk3PQTECgQZ1 TESLA X kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZmmh4Nqp82kpc0si=wc90H8owWdsdT0KU

[@explorer9829]

Hello, I have the same problem with my vehicle. This repair costs nothing, except time. But how long will it last? A year later, the problem has not returned? Thank you.

[@christianvenneslan9361]

The air strut, of course, can fail any time, because you don't fix wear and tear regarding the bellows, retention valve and the shock absorber itself (consisting of the cylinder, piston and a small metal ring). When it comes to rust removal around the sealing rings - where most leaks occur - durability depends most on the quality of the work you do, and how bad the damages is in the first place. May be deep rust that sits in tiny places, so you should in some cases most probably be more thoroughly than shown in the video (drill with steel brush, sandblasting may be used, chemical metal to smooth out uneven surfaces on the metal cover etc.). But if you do proper work here, I would assume that the leaks will stop for quite some time ahead. But exactly for how long, is impossible to say.

[@t.8750]

Great

[@ZteinNorway]

Hei, fin video. Hvilket verktøy brukte du til å skru ut ventilen med? :)

[@christianvenneslan9361]

Det er en slik hjemmelagd sak jeg bruker i videoen der. Tilgjengelig her tidligere, men utsolgt: www.teslasuspension.com/p/nippel-nokkel-til-luftfjaer-tesla-s/ Men det går stort sett fint med en vanlig polygrip tang, men putt på noe beskyttelse

[@jesperholmdal690]

Hi . How do you fix it ion front suspension ? The arm is different and you cant just hit it with a hammer . Any suggestions ?Jesper

[@christianvenneslan9361]

For the AWD versions with the lower fork arm, its much more complicated. Recommend this facebook site for more info. You need to be a member there to see it. Its Tore Nordvik who has put out a very nice photo series about how to, so just search in the group by his name. facebook.com/groups/1756513194679397/permalink/3415097115487655/

[@aramil81]

Gjør du slike servicer på dempere?

[@christianvenneslan9361]

Gjør ikke det, dessverre. Vær litt obs på at rehab kan ha sine begrensninger, særlig hvis demperne har rullet langt. En luftfjær har tre kritiske hoveddeler: 1. Luftbelg 2. Støtdemper og 3. Ventiler Da hjelper det ikke så mye å fikse luftlekkasjer ved bare å pusse og lakkere tetteflater og skifte noen o-ringer, hvis det viser seg at det er belgen som er gammel og morken, eller ventil innfestingen er nesten rustet av. Og selve støtdemperen kan også være mer enn overmoden for utskifting. Så anbefaler derfor å ta en generell vurdering på tilstand før man setter i gang.

[@hermanmoseby1471]

Hei, jeg har samme lekkasje på min. P85D med 15200 kilometer. Tror du det er verdt å gjøre som du gjør her? Har ikke helt nok penger til å kjøpe 4 nye nå.

[@christianvenneslan9361]

Gi gjerne et ord her inne etter rehab og du har testet dem en stund 🙂

[@corpusmori4657]

Can this fix be done without removing the suspension from the car?

[@christianvenneslan9361]

I think that would be difficult. I guess by depressurizing (loosen the nipple) the air strut, you should be able to loosen the cover by knucking it upwards. But access gets very difficult, for proper rust removing, cleaning and painting. You very easily can oversee some parts, and if its not almost 100% smooth, you still got a leak. I believe you save time and efforts by taking the whole thing of the car. But if you give it a try, we very much would like to hear from you.

[@corpusmori4657]

@@christianvenneslan9361 ok, thx mate. I have some leakage at the front, but it's still manageable. Have to fix the ac condenser and instrument panel before I do this. Guess I will be following your advice and remove the suspension. Thanks for the advice!