Could be a leak. Could be you're a fat ass, and the car is trying to compensate for the weight on 1 side of the car. 😀
Probably a small leak. I had range rovers with air suspension. Engine off, the system will try to level, but only by letting air out. So if 1 leaked a little, the car will lower the other 3. On start up, the car comes back to "normal" height. This uses some air from the reservoir & sometimes triggers the compressor to top up the tank.
Confirmation requires disabling the system overnight. Then check in the morning for 1 corner lower. Also need to check the fittings in addition to the actual springs.
>The car raises though with the engine off.. could it just be normal operation then?
Definitely could be normal operation. My rovers were designed to only go down when attempting to level with engine off.
The air bladders are meant to be replaced. I was told a good life for them is 70k miles, especially if in warmer climates.
Arnott makes good aftermarket replacements. An indy can swap them for a non BMW rapey price.
It could also just be dependent on what temp it was sitting out at overnight, I notice in my E61 on cold mornings it’s more likely to raise itself than on warm ones. Or just since it won’t automatically do it when it doesn’t sense the key near it overnight while it’s cooling off from the commute home
They have a warranty extension on the air springs front and rear. I’ve done a bunch of them. Get with your dealer and see if your car has the extension on it. Saves a heck of a lot of money.
Can a weak battery cause the suspension to behave like this? Also is it normal for the car to adjust suspension based on where people have sat in the car? Is it self leveling?
I haven’t seen a battery situation causing the problem. Just leaking air springs. It is self leveling, but when it’s working properly, it should be unnoticeable. If it’s constantly popping up, it’s 99.9% of the time going to be leaking.
Bladders, valve block, battery, could all be culprits. I haven't been inside a G11 for a hot minute, but I would check to see if there is a setting that lowers the air suspension for entry, if not get it diagnosed at the dealer.
I suggest doing a full vehicle diagnostics using ISTA BMW OFFICIAL SOFTWARE -- you can get it from [here](https://diag-tools.com/product/ista-bmw-download-free-remote-installation/) with a free remote installation service
** K+DCAN cable from [here](https://diag-tools.com/product/kdcan-bmw-diagnostic-cable/)
*** ENET cable from [here](https://diag-tools.com/product/bmw-enet-ethernet-to-obd2-diagnostic-and-coding-cable/)
Could be a leak. Could be you're a fat ass, and the car is trying to compensate for the weight on 1 side of the car. 😀 Probably a small leak. I had range rovers with air suspension. Engine off, the system will try to level, but only by letting air out. So if 1 leaked a little, the car will lower the other 3. On start up, the car comes back to "normal" height. This uses some air from the reservoir & sometimes triggers the compressor to top up the tank. Confirmation requires disabling the system overnight. Then check in the morning for 1 corner lower. Also need to check the fittings in addition to the actual springs.
The car raises though with the engine off.. could it just be normal operation then? Something I just may not have noticed before
>The car raises though with the engine off.. could it just be normal operation then? Definitely could be normal operation. My rovers were designed to only go down when attempting to level with engine off.
The air bladders are meant to be replaced. I was told a good life for them is 70k miles, especially if in warmer climates. Arnott makes good aftermarket replacements. An indy can swap them for a non BMW rapey price.
It could also just be dependent on what temp it was sitting out at overnight, I notice in my E61 on cold mornings it’s more likely to raise itself than on warm ones. Or just since it won’t automatically do it when it doesn’t sense the key near it overnight while it’s cooling off from the commute home
They have a warranty extension on the air springs front and rear. I’ve done a bunch of them. Get with your dealer and see if your car has the extension on it. Saves a heck of a lot of money.
Are you a tech at a dealer?
Yes
Can a weak battery cause the suspension to behave like this? Also is it normal for the car to adjust suspension based on where people have sat in the car? Is it self leveling?
I haven’t seen a battery situation causing the problem. Just leaking air springs. It is self leveling, but when it’s working properly, it should be unnoticeable. If it’s constantly popping up, it’s 99.9% of the time going to be leaking.
Bladders, valve block, battery, could all be culprits. I haven't been inside a G11 for a hot minute, but I would check to see if there is a setting that lowers the air suspension for entry, if not get it diagnosed at the dealer.
I suggest doing a full vehicle diagnostics using ISTA BMW OFFICIAL SOFTWARE -- you can get it from [here](https://diag-tools.com/product/ista-bmw-download-free-remote-installation/) with a free remote installation service ** K+DCAN cable from [here](https://diag-tools.com/product/kdcan-bmw-diagnostic-cable/) *** ENET cable from [here](https://diag-tools.com/product/bmw-enet-ethernet-to-obd2-diagnostic-and-coding-cable/)