Tesla Model X Raven air strut refurbishment: saving the original strut
A Model X Raven came in with a heavy air strut leak. The shock absorber inside was healthy, so we refurbished the original Tesla strut instead of fitting a new or aftermarket one. Here is what usually causes the leak, and how we fix it.
personBy Gabor, MegaEV calendar_today 2 min read
This Tesla Model X Raven came in with a heavy air strut leak.
Where we can, we prefer to refurbish the original Tesla struts rather than fit low-quality aftermarket units. Brand new genuine struts are expensive, and in many cases the original unit is still well worth saving.
What usually goes wrong
Inside these air struts is a Bilstein shock absorber. It is a robust unit that very rarely fails.
The leak usually comes from somewhere else:
- corrosion on the lower collar, which stops the seals sealing properly
- in some cases, a top nut inside the strut that has worked loose
So the expensive part of the strut is usually fine, and the fault is in parts that can be cleaned up and resealed.
The refurbishment
On this strut, we:
- removed the lower collar
- cleaned everything up properly
- replaced the seals
- reassembled the unit
- carried out a leak test
- refitted the strut
- cleared the air spring leak alert
- calibrated the suspension system
Another original Tesla component, repaired properly and back in service.
Refurbish, replace or go aftermarket?
We have now written about several air strut jobs, and the pattern is the same each time: when the shock absorber is sound, refurbishing the original strut gives you genuine Tesla quality for much less than a new one. See our Model X front air strut reconditioning and rear air strut refurbishment entries. We also keep refurbished struts in stock, which helped us get a stranded Model X back on the road quickly.
If your Tesla is dropping overnight, sitting low on one corner or showing an air suspension warning, send us a message. Our air suspension refurbishment and repair service explains more.
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