VB Air suspension - good?

[sdes]

Has anyone out there fitted VB Air suspension system on their California?

I have a 4 motion, which if anything is actually lower than standard although I believe the 4motion should actually be slightly higher than the 2wd version as stock from VW.

So, although the 4wd seems good from the very short 'test' driving in snow in the lake district this january, the ground clearance is pretty poor.

Clearly the promise of flull air suspension, the ability to raise for rougher roads, lower for motorways and the ability to 'self level' for sleeping all seems like a fine idea. But at £3.5k quite an investment.

Any thoughts, particularly if you have it fitted, much appreciated. Or alternatives of course...

Thanks

Stephen

 

[choplee]

If u got spare cash and don't know what to do with it and have all the other mod's then go for it :-£ lol

 

[greenfintry]

I am also mulling this over as we too have the 4motion.. and on the medium term itinerary is a trip to Iceland and the Arctic Circle...so the clearance is quite a consideration. Added to which the roads round us are potholes with an occasional bit of surface between them......

I am actually going to wait till our cali is our of warranty but has also had the roof rot surgery completed satisfactorily before maybe taking the plunge... Also quite like the idea of hitting a button and being level straight off!

Also encouraging that it is VW approved..

 

[bvddobb]

We have the VB air suspension under your 4Motion. Including the auto levelling, sports pre-set for highway (-2 cm), off-road pre-set (+ 3 cm) and parking garage pre-set ( -7 cm) and everything. Iceland off road planned for 2015. See this topic for our first off road experiences.

If you have specific questions, just send us a PM!

 

[greenfintry]

Impressive video...was that using the air suspension

Also, what is that on your roof? Solar PV?

cheers

 

[Custardtart]

I love the idea but would be worried about reliability and finding people who could maintain it.

 

[surfbus]

But at £3.5k quite an investment.

I was really interested when I thought it was around £3.5 but it turns out that it is £4.6K when you add VAT and the optional but very necessary Auto Levelling Control at another £255.
I am sure it is very good, but I can't justify an additional £4.6k on a brand new vehicle ......... Bilsteins it is then!

Bill

 

[bvddobb]

Impressive video...was that using the air suspension
Also, what is that on your roof? Solar PV?

Yes, that was using the air suspension. On the roof we have a solar panel, yes.

 

[bvddobb]

I love the idea but would be worried about reliability and finding people who could maintain it.

I can imagine. But I thought one of this forum's sponsors is a representative for VB in UK?

We feel less exposed: VB is a Dutch company, so relatively close by for us, and he person who is head of R&D and after sales services there is also a participant of the Dutch t4 and T5 board. So, we feel that whenever we might have an issue, help is close by .

 

[bvddobb]

But at £3.5k quite an investment.

I was really interested when I thought it was around £3.5 but it turns out that it is £4.6K when you add VAT and the optional but very necessary Auto Levelling Control at another £255.
I am sure it is very good, but I can't justify an additional £4.6k on a brand new vehicle.

It is expensive, yes. But so is the Cali itself... We thought it worth the while.

 

[sdes]

Many thanks for all the responses, and interesting video. Yes, at £4.6k there is certainly some thinking to be done.

Do you know is it 'reversible' i.e. could you transfer is to your next California and put the one you might be selling back to 'stock' - or would that cost almost £4.6k too? I suppose it is just a numbers game, not many people but VB suspension, so what came on my 1970's citroen "for free" is the cost of a small hatchback to add to a VW T5.

Thanks

Stephen

 

[choplee]

Very expensive accessory i do agree and will not give you any extra re-sale value and if anything it can put people off buying ,as it would me if i didn't know the owner of cali ,but if your keeping it and can afford it then you don't look at future sale then it's all good ..

sorry had to edit forgot to say i like it ..

 

[surfbus]

Do you know is it 'reversible' i.e. could you transfer is to your next California and put the one you might be selling back to 'stock' - or would that cost almost £4.6k too?

Hi Stephen,
I am assured by Rosmia that the main hardware is a direct replacement for the existing shocks and springs with no extra drilling or modification. However, the airlines and other electronics are probably a bit more fiddly.
Cheers
Bill

 

[bvddobb]

Do you know is it 'reversible' i.e. could you transfer is to your next California and put the one you might be selling back to 'stock' - or would that cost almost £4.6k too?

Technically it's completely reversible. If it is financially feasible as well is another question, I hardly think so. The labour cost is an important part of the total cost, and you would face that again when reversing, I'm afraid.

 

[KernowLad]

Looks great but much more than 4motion as an option!

But a slight lowering for road use then a raise off road and it really would be the best all rounder; as it is, it's a bit rolly for roads, too low (especially at the back) for off roading. It's acceptable for both though. Just about.

 

[RosmiaAirSuspension]

Hi,
As you have mentioned, I'm the member that's the accredited dealer for VB. We’re based in Sussex but we can organise collection/delivery anywhere in the UK.
You’ve pretty much discussed the main advantages of having the VB system fitted but also pointed out the minor drawback of the cost. Just to clarify our fitted prices are:
Full Air 4 corner: £4,366.00 inc VAT
Auto Level option: £255.00 inc VAT
We offer a 5% discount on the Full Air to VIP members of the VW California Club. Price would then be: £4,147.70 inc VAT. (The cost of the Auto Level is fixed).

It’s probably a good time to advise that this kit is factory approved by VW so there is no issue with it affecting your warranty. The warranty for the VB Air Suspension is fully covered and valid for 2 years or 150,000 km and can be carried out by any of the network of approved VB dealers which include the UK and most of Europe.
You also raised the question about transferring the system. Whilst there is a physical way of doing it, it would become fairly (I really mean massively) impractical when trying to remove the air bags. Putting it bluntly, the amount of parts that would need to be replaced and the amount of labour involved would make it a non-starter.
Please come back to me if you have any further questions.
Ryan.

 

[robo]

How much extra ground clearance would I get on a 4 motion?
rob

 

[bvddobb]

How much extra ground clearance would I get on a 4 motion?
rob

The system comes in two basic variants. The special off road variant gives a standard 3 cm extra compared to factory height, still allowing full speed. In the off road pre-set the system then gives you an additional 3 cm, so 6 cm higher in total, then with a max speed of 45 km/h. And then you could still raise it manually another 12 cm if you wanted. But in that extreme setting you can only do 5 km/h.

 

[RosmiaAirSuspension]

Robo,
Please remember though that the measurements are all relevant to the ride height of the vehicle. Air suspension is programmed to maintain perfect ride height at all times whether the vehicle is laden or empty. So a vehicle on standard steel springs will change height depending on what you're carrying.

I've got a full diagram of all the functions and this should make it easy for you to compare them to your vehicle.

Do you want me to email it to you directly?
Ryan.

 

[briwy]

Does it cause any problems with drive shaft angles at the extremes of travel. Is this why the speed is limited.
Where is the compressor sited, just wondering about losing storage space or vulnerability if it is under the van.
Very interested in this as we are looking at going to Iceland for a couple of months next year and having seen the state of a lot of the roads off the main ring road this would be just the job.
Thanks for any info
Brian

 

[RosmiaAirSuspension]

The speed is limited to about 20mph in 'Off Road' and 'Car Park' modes. The only reason is if you forget to come out of these modes you would be sitting too high and there would be too much roll to corner at speed or too low meaning you would hit the bump stops on the suspension. The theory is that your unlikely to be going over 20mph when off road or in a car park.
The compressor is located under the vehicle between the chassis rails. It's completely weather proof and in no danger of being damaged.

 

[KernowLad]

Any pics of one raised and lowered?

The Cali is definitely a bit high on the road and a bit too low off it.

 

[robo]

Have you any details on the self levelling function?
rob

 

[RosmiaAirSuspension]

This is my van. It needs a wash but shows you the difference. Both these modes are driveable up to about 20mph.

 

[RosmiaAirSuspension]

The Auto Level is an optional extra. It's basically and electronic gyroscope that we program to perfect level which it will then store. Once you press Auto Level, the van empties all the air out of the 4 airbags and then inflates them individually until it achieves the pre-programmed level.