Air suspension systems from VB-Airsuspension are designed to be maintenance-free, but it certainly won't do any harm to carry out a visual and functional inspection once a year. We always recommend doing this.
We advise checking for the following:
All of the functions of the VB-FullAir system
The VB air suspension system has a number of options, such as manually lowering and raising the rear axle. The supplied user manual will tell you what optional equipment your system has. We recommend checking the optional equipment once in a while to ensure it is still functioning properly.
Compressor
The compressor is one of the most important parts of the VB air suspension system. Therefore, we recommend inspecting it once a year. In doing so, check the following parts: the rubber mountings and the capacity of the compressor. The silica gel crystals may become saturated more quickly in the autumn and winter due to the high air humidity levels. Your VB-Partner can carry out this inspection, and check the condition of the silica gel crystals and replace them if necessary.
Ride-height
The correct ride-height is defined at the time of developing the VB-Airsuspension system. This ride-height provides the most comfort, the best driving dynamics and the greatest stability. For this reason, it's important that the vehicle is always at this pre-set height. The ride-height is set - referred to as calibration - when the air suspension is installed by the VB-Partner. There is always a chance the ride-height may accidentally get altered during repairs to the vehicle, causing it to lean, stand too high or too low. Driving the vehicle at a height other than the pre-set ride-height could result in damage to the chassis and/or the air suspension. We therefore strongly advise against doing so. Your local VB-Partner can help, and will check whether your vehicle is still set at the correct ride-height.
Air Springs
In normal use, VB-Airsuspension air springs will give many years of fault-free service. Nevertheless, it's still important to carry out a regular visual inspection, particularly if the vehicle is regularly driven on unmetalled or poor roads. There is a risk of the air spring being damaged by loose materials lying on the road. Therefore, we advise checking the air springs whenever you clean your vehicle. It's easy to do this: put the vehicle in the highest position and spray off the air springs with clean water (do not use cleaning agents as the chemicals could damage the rubber), to wash off any mud or other debris. Your VB-Partner can do a full check of your air springs.
Shock absorbers
Shock absorbers are an important part of a vehicle's suspension. The combination of air spring and shock absorber determines the driving characteristics of your vehicle, however they also play a specific role in safety. For this reason, you should also check your shock absorbers. To do so, carry out a visual inspection for leaks. It's alright for a shock absorber to “sweat”, but it mustn't “leak". Sweating is where a film of oil can be detected on the shock absorber, but a leak is where actual drops of oil can be seen. Since shock absorbers can wear, they may need to be replaced over time. Your VB-Partner can do a test drive to determine whether the shock absorbers are still OK.
Rubber bushes
Some air suspension kits also include steel components into which rubber bushes are pushed (e.g. main spring, panhard rod, etc.). Do a visual check to see that these bushes are properly in position and have not popped out. Rubber bushes that have popped out will no longer work properly and this can lead to an undesirable spring response.
We recommend consulting a VB-Partner for the above inspections. Your VB-Partner will have many years of experience in fitting and maintaining our systems, and can provide you with expert advice.
