On my 98 Cadillac Deville the rear suspenion seems to be out on both sides. I know that it’s an air suspenion system but I wanted to know if it was something you could have the pressure checked and “fixed” or when it goes out you have to replace. I am asking because the part is $630 per wheel not including labor putting me at $1250 before the car gets raised up. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks
Yea, that was a bad idea from the beginning. The usual fix is replacement of the air bags, and maybe some other parts. I suspect that the quote will be correct, unless there are additional unrelated problems.
Car manufacturers have been attempting to design a reliable and durable air suspension system since the late 1950s, without success. No matter how comfortable the ride may be when the car is new, after a few years, most of these systems develop leaks and other problems that are VERY expensive to fix.
The real solution is to replace the air bladders in the rear suspension with good old-fashioned coil springs that are designed for the car as a retrofit. The one with which I am familiar is Strutmaster, but there are likely other companies that have similar retrofit kits for your car’s rear suspension.
Take a look at:
http://www.strutmasters.com/cadillac-suspension-parts-s/12.htm"%20rel="nofollow
Would retrofitting the suspension(thanks) cost about the same to as replacing the air suspension?
thanks again
No, it would be far cheaper.
Strutmasters’ price for the parts for your car is $367. (plus shipping, I assume).
The labor to install the kit would probably be similar to the labor cost for replacing the air bladders in the car. So, even though I am not a mathematician, it looks to me like you should be able to save somewhere between $800 to $900 with a retrofit.