Air bag dilemma

Hi ExOzers,

Later this year, our trusty Land Rover Discovery will be 10 years (and about 240,000 km) old. The Owners Handbook for this model, fitted with driver and passenger airbags, is adamant that the air bags must be replaced on the tenth anniversary of the vehicle's first sale.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think Land Rovers will be the first commonly available 4WD wagons to face this requirement. [As many of you will know, Land Rover have pioneered most of the significant innovations and developments in 4WD design and safety over the last six decades... Any bites?] It is sure to become an increasingly common problem in the next few years, as more SRS-equipped vehicles reach their tenth anniversary.

Now, of course, I want our vehicle to remain safe but I can see air bag replacement being a very expensive and potentially self-defeating exercise.

I'm a great believer in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach. For example, the only time I've had problems with vehicle air conditioning is AFTER having it "serviced" by so-called experts. So my last several vehicles have never had the air cons touched while they continue to work properly, including the Disco's nearly 10 y.o. system.

As I believe there's probably little alternative to using authorised dealers for the air bag replacement, my experience tells me there's a significant chance of the job not being performed properly, defeating the purpose of the exercise. (Let me tell you what I think of "authorised dealer" servicing & workmanship (several makes, not just LR) when you have a week or so to spare!)

I'm sure the "letter of the law" types will insist that, the day after the anniversary date, our air bags will cease to be operational and thus endanger now only ourselves but every other road user. However, common sense dictates that the operation life of such components is hugely variable. They may have been inoperable for the last nine and a half years or they well may work perfectly in another nine and a half years time.

So, to the automotive industry types out there especially (but also to anyone with reliable first-hand knowledge), what's the go? Should I just bite the bullet and hope the "stealer" does the job properly? Will my insurance suddenly become null & void if I don't? Will my vehicle be considered unroadworthy if I don't? (No annual checks in Qld, where it's registered. Is out of date air bags a "fail" item in NSW??) Thanks for your help.

Ian & Annette