Remove or Repair Air Suspension

[Flightdeck]

98K miles 2018 Premier Tahoe
Potholes, R/R tracks, etc = SVC SUSPENSION Msg.

Leaking front left shock,
Rear Air bag(s)? blown.
Rt rear shock DOA.
Repair estimate $6K.
Mechanic recommending Remove the air system completely and replace with O'Reilly's suspension kit - go back to old skule.
$1700 out the door.
Serious thoughts please on pro vs cons other than cost.
I'm 70, retired, and intend to keep the Premier ** till death do us part,, another 100K miles at best,
and knowing any air system component could easily fail again.
$6+K repair or < $2K replace ?

 

[Joseph Garcia]

First, do you do any wrenching on your truck? If yes, then you can change out these shocks on your own, and save virtually all labor costs. I did my own replacements. If your truck has front struts, then you remove the entire strut assemblies, take the assemblies and replacement shocks to a local repair shop with a commercial spring compressor, and pay them to disassemble the strut (using the spring compressor), replace the failed shocks with the new ones, and reassemble the strut assemblies for you.

IMO, the OEM active suspension is better than any aftermarket one, if most of your driving is on asphalt. Other members here may have different opinions in this area, and that's cool.

For OEM replacement parts at RockAuto.com or GMPartsDirect.com, the prices should be in the neighborhood of:
Shocks - less than $400 each
Compressor - less than $300
Springs - less than $65 each (if you decide to replace them)

And, GM OEM shocks for these active suspensions are now warranted for life.