Help! Air suspension airbag blowout, stuck in middle of nowhere

[jsc168]

Trying to figure out best course of action. I have a 2016 interstate, with the VB Air suspension option. My inner dually tire blew out and before I could stop it ripped the airbag on that side. I’m stuck on the road somewhere outside Flagstaff. Airstream dealer in Phoenix seems to be confused about suspension repair and is telling me to go to the dealer, which of course have no idea what to do with it. Possibly is that airbag a somewhat standard part found on other air suspension vehicles? Could somebody else such as a mobile repair or truck repair shop find a common airbag part to replace it?
Hoping AAA will put the spare in and maybe I can limp somewhere riding on the bump stop then figure out how to get this fixed tomorrow.

Thanks
John

[wxbuoy]

Any body who services Sprinter or other commercial vans or trucks can handle it as well as most RV shops who work on motor home chassis. The air bags are easy to come by and all work the same, just different sizes. Yours will be easy compared to bigger motor homes and trucks. Hopefully You didn't damage the airlines running to it. Not a huge deal, but just another issue and more time to find/repair any leaks.

[BayouBiker]

You can limp along indefinitely without the airbags. They are primarily for passenger comfort and secondarily to support the added weight. watch your speed on rougher highways so you don't bottom out too much and add a bit of following distance so you don't have to do any emergency swerves.

Airbags are fairly standard as the volume they displace and the pressure in them determines the load support. Surly a little web surfing will allow you to find the exact match though. Any competent shop can do the swap. you just stuff it in the housing and attach the tubing. Ill see if I can find it now.

oops I repeated most of what Dave said, ah well such is life.

Edit: ok, there are several different models of bellows, I found 4 at carid.com so you'll have to have someone figure out which one you have so the new one will be a perfect fit. They are only $130 each so this is not a big deal. Don't sweat this too much.

[Rig Rat]

Do you have a tire pressure monitoring system? If so, did it give you any warning that the inside tire was about to fail?

[jsc168]

Originally Posted by Rig Rat

Do you have a tire pressure monitoring system? If so, did it give you any warning that the inside tire was about to fail?

Unfortunately there were no tire pressure monitors on this vehicle, which does seem strange on a 2016 Mercedes Sprinter, since their regular passenger cars years earlier had them standard. That would have helped prevent the tire disintegration that resulted in hitting the airbag. I’ll probably look into adding that as a precaution.

[jsc168]

Originally Posted by BayouBiker

You can limp along indefinitely without the airbags. They are primarily for passenger comfort and secondarily to support the added weight. watch your speed on rougher highways so you don't bottom out too much and add a bit of following distance so you don't have to do any emergency swerves.

Airbags are fairly standard as the volume they displace and the pressure in them determines the load support. Surly a little web surfing will allow you to find the exact match though. Any competent shop can do the swap. you just stuff it in the housing and attach the tubing. Ill see if I can find it now.

oops I repeated most of what Dave said, ah well such is life.

Edit: ok, there are several different models of bellows, I found 4 at carid.com so you'll have to have someone figure out which one you have so the new one will be a perfect fit. They are only $130 each so this is not a big deal. Don't sweat this too much.

I was able to reach in on the good side to get pictures of the intact airbag, and it has markings ContiTech SK 86. Unfortunately Internet searches only come up with an SK 86-10, and some cross references. One photo of a VB air suspension shows a SK86-109, but that doesn’t come up anywhere. Then the truck shop didnt know what the SK86 was when I called around.
I was able to “limp” another 200 miles riding on the bump stop last night to get to Phoenix, where there would be a better possibility of finding a shop that can help.
I did email VB Suspension and they gave me a part number #1052032554 but that doesn’t come up as a Contitech part, which would be useful for cross referencing other brands in case that would be more readily available in stock locally. It’s probably a VB part number, and will have to be shipped from them.

I’m headed to the truck shop to see if they are able to figure out the actual ContiTech part or equivalent. Once I find out more I’ll post it, in case another Interstate owner runs into this problem or wants to have a spare for long trips. (apparently it’s common with truckers, and there is a lot of vulnerability with the proximity of the airbag to the inner tire)

[Rig Rat]

Originally Posted by jsc168

Unfortunately there were no tire pressure monitors on this vehicle, which does seem strange on a 2016 Mercedes Sprinter, since their regular passenger cars years earlier had them standard. That would have helped prevent the tire disintegration that resulted in hitting the airbag. I’ll probably look into adding that as a precaution.

Yes, IMO a TPMS is a must have for an RV!
There are several threads on here to search about which brands etc.

Just be sure to put metal valve stems on first to support the weight of the sensors!

I hope the rest of your trip is Mechanically uneventful!

[BayouBiker]

I show this Air-Lift as an exact replacement on the 2016 MB Sprinter. Take a look at it. https://www.amazon.com/AIR-LIFT-5025.../dp/B000CFNOSS

The reference to ContiLift is that the OEM part is made By Continental rubber and tire company. The rubber portion is from Continental.

If that is not what yours looks like, attach a photo.

[jsc168]

Turns out none of the Phoenix area RV repair shops know what part this is, and truck repair places were all booked up.
I was able to get in touch with VB Air Suspension and they said the part is their own fabrication, using the rubber sleeve from Contitech Continental. Local Airstream dealer was still calling around to figure out a cross reference for an available airbag. Anyway it costs around $350 from VB and I’m having it sent to my destination. Then it should be easy to swap in.
Meanwhile I can pull the fuses for the VB so it’s not beeping the rear of trip, and use the direct fill schrader valves under the hood to partially inflate the remaining bag so it’s not damaged by staying flat.
I attached some pics of the good side and the blown. The generator is now sitting less than 2” off the ground.

[Hawk-ination]

If you happen to get the Continental part number when it comes, I could check for future reference if it’s available through Continental for less. I know that stinks when you pay more but sometimes it’s handy although I hope you’d never have another blow out!

Sorry for your luck too.

[orlik]

Originally Posted by jsc168

Trying to figure out best course of action. I have a 2016 interstate, with the VB Air suspension option. My inner dually tire blew out and before I could stop it ripped the airbag on that side....

Thanks
John

I'm just curious if you have any idea what cased your tire to blow? Did you hit something? Since my my model is essentially the same as yours I now have something else to worry about. https://www.airforums.com/forums/ima...lies/blush.gif

[Goin camping]

If you can get the size and limits from the manufacturer. Width, high and low measurements etc.

You can replace both with a more common brand.

Any auto mechanic can replace them. Not a difficult task.