Panamera Turbo Suspension issue after visit to dealership
 

So - over winter, like many others, my air suspension started to act up. It seemed limited to front suspension, namely on passenger side - although the issue + failed suspension alert was intermittent. I figured this was due to the cold weather, which seemed to prompt the same issue with many others, although I suspected there may have been shock damage due to an encounter with a pothole. The issue has recently resurfaced after quite some time with no issues, and in 60-70 temp weather...

Over the weekend, I had my oil changed and went to the dealer to inquire about map and PCM updates - I asked about the suspension and they agreed to diagnose at no charge. As suspected, dealership states both front air spring struts need to be replaced - I am not convinced this is necessary, specifically for driver side. I am not sure what was done to turn this diagnosis, but within a few hours my suspension started to act up in a completely different way than it had before. When this issue presented itself, passenger side front would be deflated when I went to garage each morning - once car was started, it would inflate and drive normally. No other shocks were affected. Now, the exact opposite was occurring and over a much shorter interval - Driver side would deflate if I went to check on car after a few hours, passenger side unaffected. Suspension would inflate upon startup. Over the past 2 days, now both shocks are deflated, will not inflate + message of vehicle extremely low + sometimes eventual suspension failure message occurs. I may also be imagining this, but it almost sounds like compressor is making a different noise or none at all...

I have read Ciaka + other posts on this subject and didn't bother to diagnose as problem went away until now - although I find it very odd that such dramatic changes to symptoms occurred right after dealership had car. I dont believe this was the result of any sleazy act @ dealer, but perhaps may have been done inadvertently. Any input on what may have occurred @ dealership to cause this + any idea of what true diagnosis may be based on above is extremely appreciated! Will continue to research + will post results - TY in advance!

Maintenance induced failure - could be the method used to check it caused it to worsen the problem, as for the pump, well, you might have waited too long and now you have multiple problems.
The pump is not real happy being used a lot.

you just simply have to follow through ciaka's suspension checklist... thats the ONLY 100% full proof way to make sure you get your problem solved.

thats the plan tonight. My guess is that I will find the pass side front to be leaking air - my question now, however, is what accounts for the new symptoms that have shown up post-dealership trip and is this the result of them playing with my ECU or has another physical component broken, perhaps as a direct result of the diagnosis?

for you, I would definitely check the valve block and make sure that after they tested everything that they didnt happen to just keep it loose, if you know what i mean.. Also, check the air hose connection to the strut as well..

This

My bet is that because shocks were already leaking (on side bet, they were leaking from top of shocks, thats why they didnt charge since very easy to check), when they lifted car on hoist, the shock rubber bushings got stressed some more by being lifted and stretched, making the leaks worse.
I also think both shocks were damaged, but only one was bad, while the other leaked very little.

Spray soapy water under the triangle trim. takes 5 minutes, and you will know. Only way.

updates to come soon - I think I will have some info that may help others out with similar problems but it will be a long post + want to wait until work is complete and problem is 100% solved.

I will say this - I can 100% confirm there are leaks on driver side top of shock, passenger side, which initially seemed to be the culprit pre-dealership visit, is not as obvious... When taking apart the engine bay covers to check for leaks I noticed a TON of debris above and around the top of the shocks - I had to loosen and vac out multiple times to get area clear for observation - anyone else notice similar rocks/junk/buildup in these areas?

Yes sir, there is quite a bit of sand and grit that will be found under those triangular trim pieces, once you remove them.
Once they are off, it is good to clean out the area, especially if one plans to do a swap (last thing you want is to get that grit into lines for new shock).
When one shock leaks, often times, folks notice the other shock leaks too (for some reason I noticed folks posting passenger side leaks much more than driver side, but both leak).
Soap water = cheap and guaranteed troubleshoot tool. Spray top of each shock plus all connections there, look for bubbling.
2nd step, make sure valve block not leaking, spray those connections on valve block too.
3rd step, make sure connections to air tank and compressor dont leak, spray those with soap too.
4th step, replace where leaks are (if valve block starts leaking internally, usually gone and must be replaced). Shock leaking mean replacement every time. No repair.
5th step, if compressor very noisy, usually will be replaced sooner or later. If replacing compressor, also replace the relay which has modified firmware for operating the compressor.
6th step, once all pieces back in place, get in the car, go for a nice drive and admire the awesome piece of technology you just fixed.

I spoke to 2 different Porsche techs at two places and neither had seen a leaking shock yet, so good luck in your hunt.

well I ordered the shocks yesterday around lunchtime, after leaving work to go home the suspension started working again, including the height adjustment which had been completely shut off even without/before the PASM failure message showing up....

Just an observation, the compressor can and will turn on any time you start the car. So if you started it, and air tank has low pressure, the compressor will turn on and will generate pressure to bring air tank pressure to within norm.
So it is quite possible that by turning on few times, the air tank pressure is increased, which can cause the psm errors to be turned off, since a low condition is not present anymore.
However, if shocks are leaking, over time the air will be lowered in tank and in lines/shocks again, and the PSM erros will return.