Range Rover L322 dropping or sagging overnight

If your Range Rover L322 sits low on one corner in the morning and rises again when you start the engine, it has a slow air leak, and the cause is almost always a cracked air spring on that corner. This page explains why it happens, how to confirm which corner leaks, and what the repair costs.

Why one corner drops overnight

Each corner of the L322 is held up by an air spring, a rubber bellows filled with air. When the engine is off, nothing tops up the pressure. If that spring has a small crack or a perished seal, air slowly escapes and the corner settles down over a few hours. When you start the engine, the compressor refills it and the corner rises, so the car looks normal again until it sits for a while.

The rubber bellows perish with age. On a car that is now well over a decade old, springs that have never been changed are the usual culprit. A corner that drops only overnight, not while driving, is a classic slow leak rather than a compressor or sensor fault.

Finding the leak

The pattern of the drop usually tells you which corner and which part. A few simple checks confirm it before buying anything.

• Note which corner is low. One low corner points straight at the air spring on that corner. All four low points more at the compressor or a system-wide leak instead.
• Soapy water test. With the corner raised, spray soapy water on the air spring, the air line and the valve block. Bubbles show where air escapes.
• Listen on start-up. A loud hiss when the corner refills can point to the spring or a fitting. A compressor that runs a long time to refill one corner confirms that corner leaks.
• Check the valve block. If no single corner stands out and the leak seems shared, the valve block O-rings can leak internally. A seal kit is cheaper than a new block.

Rough repair costs

Indicative euro prices for parts plus typical independent specialist labour. Full detail on the air suspension repair costs page.

Many owners replace both springs on an axle at the same time, because if one has perished the other on the same age car is usually not far behind. Whether to do this is a judgement on the car's age and budget, not a strict rule.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to drive with one corner low?
A short drive is usually fine once the corner has refilled, but driving with a corner resting on its bump stop risks damage. Since the corner rises with the engine running, most owners can drive it carefully to a garage rather than recover it.

Why does it only drop overnight, not while driving?
While the engine runs, the compressor keeps topping up the leak, so the corner stays up. Parked with the engine off, nothing refills it, so the slow leak shows. This is the signature of a leaking air spring.

Could it be the compressor instead?
A compressor fault usually drops the whole car or shows SUSPENSION INACTIVE, not one corner overnight. One corner low is a leak on that corner. See the SUSPENSION INACTIVE page for the compressor case.

Should I replace one spring or both on the axle?
One is enough to fix the immediate fault. Many owners do both on the same axle because the second is usually a similar age and likely to fail soon. It is a budget decision, not a safety one.