Rear air suspension is VERY stiff since changing right rear tire

Check the air lines for leaks especially around the right rear tire area. chances are the flat tire severed or pulled loose one of the lines from compressor

There's a level sensor in the back of most cars that have air ride suspension such as Cadillac Devilles.

If there is plenty of pressure, it's probably not a leaky air shock aborber nor is it a bad air pump under the hood.

You will need an alignment. The strut is slotted to allow camber adjustment.If the tire is leaning in then the camber is excessively negative.

the leveling system does have an air pump - should be behind back tire under trunk on right side - the pump works from a leveling switch on the rear suspension

the pump should be underneath the trunk behind right rear tire, if not follow the noise when the pump is running - the leveling switch is on the rear suspension arms - sounds like the pump is not pumping enough air or you have an air leak in the struts

indicates a wheel alignment problem
have the rear suspension checked and aligned first then have the front redone
the car could be going sideways down the road because the rear wheel are not in line with the front tires
not self centering and stiff indicates not enough castor

i am assuming this X5 has the self leveling rear suspension, but not the front, right? can you hear the pump in the rear coming on?

pump is locatred under the spare tire. remove the rear deck floot & spare tire and you will see the pump in the center.

check to see if any hoses are pinched first. have someone start the car while you are in the back to see if you can hear/feel the pump running. if the pump is running, then a hose is definately pinched or disconnected.

if the pump is not coming of, then check the wiring at the pump and the fuse. if power is present at the pump, then pump may have finally failed.

it might be the tire pressure or the shocks. if the pressure is too high it can feel that way. it could also be the suspension.

your leveling sensor will be on the rear suspension it will hook to one of thwe control arms.
you can un hook the arm and push it all the way down and should let air out

Hi,

Your concern is your BMW displays the message "SELFLEVEL SUSP. INACT" which indicates that the car's computer detects a problem with your active suspension system. Self-leveling is standard to most late model BMWs. It works on a pump, an air system and a computer that tells which suspension gets how much height, ride stiffness and other suspension settings.

Your concern is a known issue though not that fairly common. Technically, the best would be to contact your dealer or if in The USA, BMW of North America, LLC. call (800) 831-1117 or email [email protected].

You may want to mention a possible problem with the firmware/software of the EHC (Electronic Height Control) Control Module. They may want to recode (flash). It is also possible to have air leaks in the system specially on the suspension bladder.

Other things you can check are tire pressure (30PSI), see if your ride is a bit stiff/hard now compared to before the earning displayed showed up, handling difficulty, loopsided/tilted level among others.

Incidentally, if there is nothing out of the ordinary in how the car ride, handle or drive, it may just be a systems glitch. Try jockeying the key to ON/OFF a couple of times.

Hope this be of initial help/idea. Pls post back how things turned up or should you need additional information.

Good luck and kind regards.

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