jjrichar

About a year and a half ago I used slime (tyre puncture fluid) to fix leaking front air springs on our Allroad. Initial results were positive. I was careful during the fix to ensure the fluid was blown far from the air hole so nothing would get sucked into the air lines later.

The air springs stayed inflated for about six months prior to them starting to deflate again. More slime fixed the problem. Another six months later it started to deflate again, so I replaced them with Arnotts Gen 1. When I removed the old air springs, I was surprised to see what the slime now looked like. Picture below.

The fluid that goes in is like a soup (it's full of fibres that plug punctures), but over time, it is clear that the water in the slime evaporates. What remains is a paste of fibres that do not flow, and a mess all through the air spring.

What I've learned is that the slime is a good temporary solution only. Over time it will most likely not continue to work.

My thoughts on the Arnott air springs (I replaced the front only)? The front end feels far better. I was expecting it to be the same as before, but it is significantly better. Very happy with the results.