 | Home > General & Technical (L663) > Air suspension sensor fail - can you drive? |
 
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| Philm Member Since: 19 Jun 2020 Location: Manchester Posts: 175  
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Just out of interest, what would you do if a spring snapped in the middle of a dessert?
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17th Jul 2021 11:14am |
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| G&T Member Since: 13 Jul 2021 Location: Shropshire Posts: 38
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Good point, and the subject of good debate I’m sure but the question is “Can you still drive a Defender with a failed suspension sensor?”
Thanks Glenn I’ve seen a bust spring bodged in situ with a splint. Did the trick. |
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17th Jul 2021 11:31am |
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| Philm Member Since: 19 Jun 2020 Location: Manchester Posts: 175
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I've seen one that wrecked the tyre and wheel plus some wheel arch damage.
Yes, it will drive in limp home mode. |
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17th Jul 2021 11:41am |
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| Supacat Member Since: 16 Oct 2012 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 11018 
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Get out a big spoon?  |
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17th Jul 2021 12:04pm |
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| markb110 Member Since: 22 May 2010 Location: Guildford Posts: 2655  
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Or if in a desert 
If the New Defender was a little better prepared then it would have had High Lift jacking points, then you could lift the body, remove the stapped spring and strap a rock in it place then preferably replace it with some wood when you find it. Otherwise, press the SOS button, call out LR Assist and be prepared to drink your own wee, as they will take a while……meanwhile complete the online warranty claim and the ‘How was your experience today’ questionnaire. And finally, be prepared to eat your passenger before they size you up for the pot… 
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17th Jul 2021 12:30pm |
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| Tim in Scotland Member Since: 23 May 2007 Location: The Land that time forgot Posts: 3753 
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Sensor failure doesn’t appear to have featured in many of the RRS,FFRR, Disco 3, Disco 4 and Disco 5’s that have been into the deserts of North Africa so why should it be any more of an issue on an air sprung Defender? Not saying it hasn’t happened but it does seem to be a very very rare issue.
You could ask on the D3, D4, D5 and RRS forums if any of the number of owners who have ventured that far south, also if it has been an issue for the Americans, South Africans and Australians who also take their air sprung cars into very remote places. Pangea Green D250 90 HSE with Air Suspension, Off-road Pack, Towing Pack, Black Contrast roof , rear recovery eyes, Front bash plate, Classic flaps all round, extended wheel arch kit and a few bits from PowerfulUK Expel Clear Gloss PPF to come 2020 D240 1st Edition in Pangea Green with Acorn interior. Now gone - old faithful, no mechanical issues whatsoever ever but the leaks and rattles all over the place won’t be missed! |
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17th Jul 2021 1:42pm |
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| G&T Member Since: 13 Jul 2021 Location: Shropshire Posts: 38
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Good to know and even better to think that there is at least a chance of getting it to somewhere for help if the ‘rare’ occasion occurs.
Cheers Glenn |
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17th Jul 2021 2:52pm |
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| shropshiredefender Member Since: 05 Jun 2017 Location: Shropshire Posts: 834 
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Seems to me that the questions are the same as they always have been -
01. How likely is the problem (whatever it may be) to occur? 02. Is there a "work around"? I have no idea of the answer to either of those questions with the New Defender - but someone here might. Defenders build memories and should be fun - so go for it  Just because you're offended doesn't mean you're right. |
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17th Jul 2021 4:47pm |
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| oop north Member Since: 23 Mar 2016 Location: Preston-ish Posts: 59
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Apologies in advance if this is useless - but n my disaster of a D3 back in 2011 (which resulted in me vowing never to pay a penny to the Preston Land Rover dealership as long as I live and preferably longer if possible), it had two wiring problems (one on the abs and I forget the other one) that meant that it didn’t know the speed of the wheels.
That resulted in the suspension being deflated and running on the bumpstops (more apologies if I have any terminology wrong) with a warning not to do anything but trundle along slowly. Anyway - it seems to me that a suspension sensor could have a similar effect. Not that I have any idea about technical things  |
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18th Jul 2021 8:13am |
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| G&T Member Since: 13 Jul 2021 Location: Shropshire Posts: 38
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‘Bumpstop’..good enough terminology for me
 It makes sense that you could still drive. I’ll investigate further with Hatfield’s ,my local dealership, and get some time with a ‘technician’. |
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18th Jul 2021 8:31am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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The biggest problem with complex cars such as this is actually identifying the source of a fault in the first place. If the suspension fails, how will you know whether it's a height sensor, a wiring fault or something seemingly unrelated but is referenced by the relevant ecu? By and large this stuff is very reliable (yes, even on LR's) but without some sort of diagnostic capability they're very difficult to fix 'in the field'.
When Gap introduced the IID tool, it was something of a game changer for DIY maintenance of the D3 and related vehicles and I wouldn't want to take a new Defender anywhere truly remote until something similar is available for it. Darren 110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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18th Jul 2021 8:58am |
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| Tim in Scotland Member Since: 23 May 2007 Location: The Land that time forgot Posts: 3753
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On previous air suspended Land Rover products I’ve owned if there is a suspension failure you scroll to the OffRoad settings page that shows the steering angle/ suspension and e-diff situation screen of the Centre screen and the sensor at fault is highlighted with a red bar above it. Of course it doesn’t tell you if it’s wiring or a sensor but at least it points you where to start looking. Pangea Green D250 90 HSE with Air Suspension, Off-road Pack, Towing Pack, Black Contrast roof , rear recovery eyes, Front bash plate, Classic flaps all round, extended wheel arch kit and a few bits from PowerfulUK Expel Clear Gloss PPF to come
2020 D240 1st Edition in Pangea Green with Acorn interior. Now gone - old faithful, no mechanical issues whatsoever ever but the leaks and rattles all over the place won’t be missed! |
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18th Jul 2021 9:57am |
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| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1852
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My RR P38 - a car slated for its unreliability - is my first experience of air suspension systems. I've no doubt the system on a new Defender could be significantly more complex, however I'm only now dealing with suspension height sensor issues on the basis of corrosion. That's on a 21 year old vehicle.
On a car designed by LR to cope with the terrain envisaged for the new Defender I can't see the new system being any less robust than the P38? Similar to what shropshiredefender says it's always possible to ponder the "what ifs" and to come up with a big list - sensible, even. But then the next question needs to be "how likely is it" - and then you're into the situation of preventative maintenance, being sure th car is checked over before any big trips which might leave you exposed. I think Darren also makes a good point about diagnostics - the Nanocom for the P38 is an almost essential piece of kit for figuring out what's upsettng the car's systems. Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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18th Jul 2021 10:00am |
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| whiterdesign Member Since: 10 Jun 2021 Location: Preston Posts: 270
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OOP North, I had the same problem with my D3, same dealership as well. It required a modification to the abs wiring.
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18th Jul 2021 10:09am |
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