10 year old airbags

I have searched and although i found this question asked before I couldn't find an answer...

the good old LR manual says the airbags need to be replaced every 10 years. It seems the kit is easy enough to change - bolt on components all round... but I am guessing relatively expensive..

has anyone done it / had it done or are you all (like me) driving around with out of date explosives in our vehicles?

I don't know anyone that has on any car that they own, not many people have 10 year old cars except Land Rover owners.

Is that the same as a 10year old Gasbag?

The Mad Hat Man said:

Is that the same as a 10year old Gasbag?

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I think they improve with age

mjltigger said:

I have searched and although i found this question asked before I couldn't find an answer...

the good old LR manual says the airbags need to be replaced every 10 years. It seems the kit is easy enough to change - bolt on components all round... but I am guessing relatively expensive..

has anyone done it / had it done or are you all (like me) driving around with out of date explosives in our vehicles?

Click to expand...

We've got airbags on our Disco, didn't realise that they needed replacing. I'd imagine that if LR have any new in back catalogue stock, the cost will be horrendous.

Do you know whether they deteriorate with age or just stop working as I wouldn't want one of the kids injured if one decided to go off.

Top Gear did a bit on the handling of a 4x4 and as a demo used an old RRC when it finaly crashed both of the air bags worked.
The electrical side is monitored, it would be the air bag fabric that will give problems.

i am guessing that they just haven't tested one over 10 years old so haven't a clue whether it will work or not.. on the other hand I don't know if the chemicals in the pyrotechnics deteriorate over time so they wont go off or become unstable over time meaning they could go bang at any time...

odd.. we drive around with these things in our motors but I guess most of us haven't a clue what they are or how they work..

the steering wheel one is easy enough to change, not that I have changed mine...

...but I did take it out to fit my cruise control, which suggested to disconnect the battery for 10 mins at least to allow it to discharge...

apart from that you remove the ignition cowl and undo the 4 torx bolts from behind it in the wheel, then disconnect the spades..

the "explosive" charge (not actually an explosive, actually a propellant) is very similar to the stuff used in shotgun cartridges. they're safe / stable for 50 years or more. even then, they just lose their power never spontaniously explode.

ok so it seems that it is probably OK not to bother but it might be worth doing depending on the price.. looked at the rave cd and changing the passenger one doesn't look a lot harder than the steering wheel one....

now to see if I can get a price without sparking a heart attack...

Let us know what the price turns out to be. (Once you're over the shock of course!)

I'm not really thinking of swapping mine but I'm curious to know what it would cost. I once used an air bag in anger, lost a good amount of skin from half my face to a friction burn on the bag. It all healed up ok though. Was I glad I had an air bag that day! Not sure I'd have walked away from that one without it.

the airbag in my audi a6 is 14 years old,the door label says replace at 15 years & i thought airbags would have a similar shelf life...

different mfrs seem to have different predicted lives for their bags...

still haven't plucked up the courage to find a price...

mjltigger said:

different mfrs seem to have different predicted lives for their bags...

still haven't plucked up the courage to find a price...

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Could be quite pricey, as apparently it's one of the hings people break into cars to steal.

they are welcome to nick mine then the insurance will pay out for a new set

mjltigger said:

they are welcome to nick mine then the insurance will pay out for a new set

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But yours probly won't fit in a ford fiesta. All LR drivers are of course pillars of probity (except the b** who nicked my spare wheel)

just keep your eye out for a corsa sitting funny on the road

mjltigger said:

just keep your eye out for a corsa sitting funny on the road

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If my Landy had bloody airbags I'd rip em out and fill the holes with empty crisp packets.

kinell.. that's a brilliant idea...