Additional air suspension

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Updated – December 29, 2022

The installation of additional air suspension is sometimes considered as a basis for an intended increase in load.

Here the consideration was more due to the expected additional comfort. Motorhomes should offer a lot of space and weigh little. A contradiction in terms.

To put it bluntly: yes, it was worth it. The driving comfort is significantly better. Vibrations caused by uneven road surfaces are essentially a thing of the past. Of course, it would be ideal to also have the front axle equipped this way, but not every chassis variant supports this structurally.
Two air suspension bellows were installed on each rear axle. A control panel in the driver's cab shows the current pressure via two pressure gauges connected directly to the bellows. When you switch on the ignition, two red LEDs indicate any pressures below the setpoint, which can then be corrected immediately to the recommended minimum pressure using a switch. If it was a little too much, you can release the pressure on the relevant side a little by pressing the corresponding valve.

This means that real level regulation cannot be achieved. You should already be halfway level and can then help a little, but only marginally. Driving comfort is more the argument here.

The air suspension manufacturer, Goldschmitt, has a workshop network through which regional workshops can be found.

The company was in the Hamburg area KARABAG in Hamburg-Eimsbüttel, also a FIAT authorized dealer.

The offer, which was quickly drawn up by KARABAG in response to an email request, including the building inspection, amounted to around 4,000 euros. The installation date was also agreed promptly. The time frame for installation was planned to be two days.

As it happens, in practice unpleasant imponderables arise. In this case, the wheel bearing simply refused to be removed.

Now it becomes clear whether a workshop is good or not, that is, whether it communicates openly with the customer, clearly explains a problem that has arisen and makes binding suggestions for remediation, taking conceivable scenarios into account.

In this regard, KARABAG – and I am very critical – left no room for even the slightest suggestion for improvement.
The problem that had arisen was first described over the phone, and two possible variants, the hoped-for more favorable circumstances and the worst case, were described, and the (fixed) costs incurred in each case were described. An SMS and email were also announced, through which the two variants could be agreed to in a user-friendly manner. A video was also sent in which the mechanic illustrated the problem directly on the object.

Fortunately, the worst case scenario did not occur and the lower amount remained for the additional parts, such as wheel bearings, etc.

With a delay of only one day, the installation was then conscientiously completed and the vehicle was announced by telephone as being ready for collection. It was also mentioned that KARABAG and FIAT would receive a customer satisfaction survey by telephone and email. This also happened promptly.

Not only the professional competence, but also the friendliness and flexibility of all employees, whether telephone switchboard, reception, customer service, workshop, is absolutely exemplary and praiseworthy. If every company were to approach its customers in such a balanced, committed manner and deliver solid work, the industry would be in significantly better shape.

With this in mind: I can recommend both the fundamental decision to install the Goldschmitt additional air suspension and KARABAG as the workshop carrying out the work!