nell

Not sure what went wrong with mine. I have a 08 535 which showed "level control system malfunction" light with text all lit up. Just a few weeks earlier, the dealer had just secured the compressor which he said was loose and rattling. Now it seems the whole thing is dead. My car looks like a low rider, I checked the air pressure of the tires and that is fine, but the fender lip is now below the top of the tire. One side is and inch below the fender lip and the other side is maybe an inch and a half. Called the dealer and left a message, but I don't think the car is safe to drive even to the shop... Is it the compressor, sensors or the rubber bladder or all????

Any advice is appreciated.

deepdiver-2008

Hi,
I hope the following will help anyone with a failure warning.

My 2007 20 ltr diesel kept showing that there was a failure, the problem turned out to be a hole in the pipe which runs from the rear of the pump to the spliter that feeds both rear wheels. It had rubbed on the frame that the pump is attached to, you can't buy just the pipe it's a complete pump £725 plus fitting Ouch !!!! my solution was to wrap a piece of insulation tape around the pipe to keep out any debris , then I split a 1 inch piece of rubber tubing filled it with a rubber glue and wrapped it around the pipe and secured it top and bottom with zip ties. time will tell if it works.
If anyone is intrested I can add some pictures.
Cheers Rob

Dangerousbw

Hi All. This is my first post and, unfortunately, a frustrated request for help!

I have suffered a number of failures/faults with my car since ownership, the main ones being intermittent battery drain overnight and Self Levelling System Fault/Failure warnings. The former, following a number of hours of diagnostics, was found to be a driver's seat module that was randomly waking up the car. The latter i am still to determine.

The latter problem manifested itself after repeat and prolonged running of the compresseor after exiting the vehicle. This was intermittent and then progressed to the fault/failure messages. The car does not appear to be too low but there is negative camber of the rear wheels which has led to inconsistent inner tyre wear, noted at my recent MoT. The fault remains intermittent, however, i have recently started the suffer a very annoying `creaking' from the rear of the car.

Any ideas please?

mmitev

- the tyre wear issue is quite common, and in my experience occurs on lower quality tires only. if you are worried about the camber, check the alignment, but that's rarely an issue.
- the creaks.. we all have them, don't think it has to do with the cpompressor, unless something very specific
- your compressor will probably soon be dead, read the rest of the thread to get a feel of others' symptoms. yours sound similar. then you will need a replacement.

Bingle

I had 3 or 4 intermittent warnings over the first 6 months of ownership ('06 530xi). When we took the car on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the NC mountains a few weeks ago, the warnings became non-stop. I attributed this to the air pressure changes from the increased elevation as the warnings stopped once we got back home (~6,000 ft above sea level to ~1000). However we did get another warning when we loaded the car up with about 400 lbs. of top soil for our garden. I took the car in as I knew it would be covered by the CPO warranty and it was diagnosed as a failing compressor. The part had to be ordered and the repair took over a week to complete. According to my service adviser, the hose was replaced as part of the compressor assembly but I have not had the opportunity to get the car in the air to confirm that. Fingers crossed.

nell

My compressor normally runs for a few moments in the mornings, but how often should the system need a topping up? I've had mine pumping air into the system a few miles after the early morning fill. In fact, should the system run every morning start up? I thought the bags should hold the pressure for longer than daily.

JasonH

I only hear my compressor perhaps once a week.

nell

Dealer found no code fault, but determined compressor was excessively noisy. They finally replaced the unit. Hope it holds up. Part was over $800.

Nimesis

If this (.pdf) would be of any assistance to those with suspension problem.

BMW Troubleshooting on level control.pdf

Patrick E61

Ok, I have finally had it with these suspension failure warnings in iDrive. I think that the dust in the road to our summer cottage is finally going to kill the compressor, and I do not want to get stuck out there with the rear end hanging on the ground.

I am going to order the compressor, the hoses and relay from Germany, and then get a local mechanic to take care of the installation.

Enough is enough!