What a ride - suspension nose-down

[DavidCC]

Trying to fix this suspension has been quite a ride...

I used to own a couple of Lincoln Mark 8s so I know about dynamic air suspension systems, in principle, but not Audi-specific. So, the other day after work, the Audi is nose-down - all the way down. Rear at normal height. Blinking yellow and green lights.

I hit the internet, checked my compressor - using a jack to move the wheel up and down the compressor triggers on and off. But it was jumping out of its mount and loud. Soapy water - no leaks around the compressor, or either front air lines visible from the wheel wells. E-bay, scored a used compressor for $180, installed, it runs smooth and quiet. But nothing goes up, lights still blinking.

So at this point, the hood release cable just pops and swings freely, no hood release. I drop the dash panel, the cable is still in place, pulling on it there is no resistance :'( I hit the internet: how to open the hood. Lots of answers, none of them have worked, although I haven't tried anything destructive. Hood still impossible to open. Got drunk on Bourbon cocktails.

Back into the passenger (american-side passenger side) again with soapy water. I can;t see the back of the strut, but I try really hard to detect any leaks on it by touch and sound, and in the wheel well lines etc and find nothing. I decided to put this side on a jack stand since the only jack that would fit under the dropped car, even driven up on bricks, is the Audi tire-change jack. While using my floor jack under the front end, something goes wrong and the Audi jack fails, the central screw twists out of it's mount. I feel like an idiot, but I'm still not sure how that happened, but somehow it seems the weight shifted onto that jack at the behind-the-tire lift point?

If you are keeping score now that is one broken hood release and one broken jack, and one replaced compressor. And zero repairs effected.

Not only can I not detect any leaks, I also cannot find any way to open the hood from tat wheel well either. So I go back to the driver side, find the module where all the lines are distributed, and spray all around it for leans,and track those lines as far as I can, no leaks.

So where am I now? My working compressor is installed but the lights still blink, and the suspension will not move at all. I can't get the hood open to look for air line leaks in there. It's sitting so low I don't know how I can even get it to a repair shop, scraping the nose up onto a flat bed or towed behind dragging the rear

I don't even know what my next step should be. My wife is breaking out the emergency credit card, wants me to send it to a shop, but I know she'll be making me "pay for it" in other ways until that bill is paid off :/ And like I said, how do I even get it towed without damaging it?

I look forward to any advice on how to fix my car or calm down my wife.

thanks!

[Delboy]

That does not sound good, I have no idea how to help but I wish you all the best, sure someone will be along with some info on how to get the bonnet open at least.

Del

[S4_Sat]

Well, try getting your wife drunk on bourbon cocktails until you get it fixed. That would solve that problem at least.


With regards to the car, sorry, I can't offer anything useful

[DavidCC]

GENIUS!

That will work! Here is my favorite, it was also a favorite of Al Capone

1oz simple syrup
2 basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
2 oz Bourbon (or Whiskey)
smash the leaves a bit, then pour over ice and shake.
Strain over ice, and top off with soda water or ginger ale.

I prefer the soda water. You have to get the amount of vinegar to match the strength of your Bourbon, so you might have to drink 3 or 4 to get it just right

[maglite]

Hi David, I'm not sure if this will help, but it may be an idea to look on Craigslist and see if there is anyone with a flatbed vehicle truck, nearby who could transport your A8 to a local Audi specialist. If you have no luck there, I did a quick search to see if there was any Euro specialist independent garages nearby. I took a screenshot with some phone numbers here. It might be worth while giving a couple of them a call and seeing if they can help, or even shed some light on the matter. They may also have a recovery truck.

Keep us posted as to how everything turns out.

[DavidCC]

thanks! I just called Cordel, he can look at it next week, but says it is a high probability one of the front struts has failed. And that I would need to replace both sides if doing one.

Is that true? If one side fails is it a safety issue to not replace the other side too?

He said he would do a diagnosis for $100 if I wanted to then do the work myself - depending on what the diagnosis is.

I have a tow service who brings flatbeds, but getting on and off without wrecking the nose will be tricky...

[HPsauce]

Surely it can be jacked up with airbags of some sort and put onto wheeled trolleys? Like the F1 guys use.

[PsYcHe]

If it was traditional style shocks, then replacing a pair is usually the best idea (though they still sell them seperately..)

With these units, it's perfectly safe to do one at a time (and a whole sh*tload cheaper!)

[maglite]

Not sure if this will help, but might be worth a shot. It's a seller from Gemany selling the struts. I would contact the seller and see if they can send them internationally. I know that A8 Parts send parts to all over the world, so give them a call too. However, I agree, you should be ok replacing just one strut. Also I would maybe call around a few other Euro car specialists, just to get an idea of pricing and to see if any of them have dealt with A8's before.

[47p2]

You might have to clear any fault codes with Vagcom or similar before the suspension starts working