Airbag Change Interval

never even thought about this.......
wonder whats the interval on 'normal' cars.....'95 RR LWB (suv, not the other)
and other 'just cars'.....'95 Porsche 928? (just picking on miscl names.....)

 

I have looked into replacing the air bags in the past but all I got were blank stares.
Is there another source besides the dealer?

 

I don't know if mine works (and I don't intend to check it either!), but the red airbag light is on. WHY?? What can be done to have it go off??

Thanks,

PS. I have a 1999 456M.

 

As always: Good work Taz

yes, probably on the bubble but here is my take an questions:

1. is it due to age from mfgr date?
2. would a used one have the same expiration date: expecting of course

personally I would like to just turn mine off. I take my chances in the Mondial with just belts [old school I guess] and feel the same about the 456. Shoot the hood costs > $30k unfinished, so with the bags it's a totaled car no matter how you look at it.

Thus, no way am I replacing those expired bags.

 

There's only one way to be certain that the airbag works and I'm not interested enough to try to find out.

 

HAHA

 

Not sure about the 456 specifically, but on my ex BMW 325Ci which had airbags in the doors the light would go on if they were disconnected (not a bad idea when working inside the door for power window repairs) and then reconnected. There could be a weak or broken connection somewhere.

The dealer had to reset it.

 

Anyone know how much an airbag replacement costs?

 

And even 15 is being conservative. I've talked with the guys who make most of the airbags in production (including Ferrari), they dug up the oldest units they could find, sitting out in junk yards with 20+ years and they were found to be perfectly normal still. Personally I wouldn't replace an airbag before 20 yrs...unless I'm upgrading the steering wheel

 

That is good news, was just thinking about that.
Bill

 

Found this on Tech Correspondence on R&T. Just another point of view.

A letter asked about the life of his 1990 Miata's airbag and I'll paraphrase the response.

...because of liability concerns no one wants to talk about this... Around the industry you'll find 10-15 years is the guestimated zero maintenance period. But there are vague instructions for what is maintenance... and replacement is the only official service. The electronic firing circuitry is checked on each start and helium detectors are used to detect small leaks from the canisters. Practically speaking we'd conjecture that airbags are never replaced because they "timed out". Our bet is that if you hit a Brinks truck your airbags would deploy and we'd bet for a few years yet. Around the 30 year mark- twice the airbags' designed life span in our estimate- it's anyone's guess...

 

Taz --

As always, very useful post. I think I speak on behalf of the community when I give sincere thanks to you for the information you provide. I suppose my 1995 F355 will need airbag replacement soon.

Can I be a bit of a free rider here and encourage you to do some additional leg work while the rest of us sit back and benefit from you toils? Go find out how much these things and the labor associated with them will cost

Thanks pal!l haha

 

$3000 for the drivers side airbag alone in a 355. Installation plus the required testing of the system puts it up several hundred more. My guess is the right bag is $2000 to $2500.

Puts the total price up to $6000 or about 10-15% of the value of the car for a safety system many owners do not even want. Most that are safety minded to that degree want the latest and greatest car with the best, newest safety engineering.

Bottom line is almost no bags will be replaced.....ever. Even in the event of an accident the cost of the bags drives repair cost up to the point it totals many but the newest cars. Insurance companies have giving many owners the choice, total the car or sign a waiver and fix the car without reinstalling new air bags. Companies are making false panels to take the place of airbags for cosmetic reasons to fit mainstream cars. I assume it is all being done in conjunction with filing for the federal waiver.

There is already a pretty good market for used and rebuilt airbag system parts. Most by fly by night outfits and none are accepted by any of the auto repair associations or trade groups as an accepted repair. That means no reputable shop will touch them because there is no way we could defend using such a component. To do such a thing would never stand the test of a law suit.

Air bags are a good safety technology but are too expensive to be maintained long term in the real world for the vast majority of consumers.