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D3 - Axles, Brakes, Suspension and Steering Brakes, Springs, shocks, steering racks, steering columns, suspension arms, wheel hubs etc.

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  #21  
Old 7th April 2019, 01:57 PM
mannyo mannyo is offline
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Mine sinks right to the bottom, there is zero suspension on my right front. You can feel everything if you try and drive it, it's not pleasant.

Rear is perfectly fine, and holds air with no problem.

Hopefully I'll get around to fixing it sooner or later, I did move her slowly (in jack mode) to another part of the farm so I could clean her yesterday. First time it's moved in a while and apart from the front all is well.

ignore the off height of the rear suspension, the car was moved in jack mode and the ground is not level where this is taken. The level is fine outside my house.
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Manny
2004 A4 1.8T Sport Cabriolet, 89K Miles
Past
2004 D3 A8 3.7 Quattro, Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Solar Sunroof, TV, ACC, phone and almost every option. 168K miles rising slowly
with retrofit AMI and DVB-T in place of Analogue
2003 Volvo S60 D5 SE Manual, 197K miles.
2001 D2 A8 3.7 QS, Bi-Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Electric Everything, retrofitted RNS-D, 191K Miles

Last edited by mannyo; 7th April 2019 at 02:02 PM.
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  #22  
Old 8th April 2019, 02:10 PM
snapdragon snapdragon is offline
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Attachment 21249
Hi Mannyo, does yours go as low as the attached photo with the tyre hidden up the wheelarch?

Attachment 21250

Attachment 21251

I checked the top where the cable comes out with bubble mixture, nothing, also the air inlet area and the lower few inches of strut housing where there are some seals, no leaks.

I have ordered a used valve block and will fit this. I don't have time to test much more, also driving to Keukenhoff in Netherlands in a less than a week so really hoping this works or will struggle.

Last edited by snapdragon; 23rd April 2020 at 09:18 AM.
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  #23  
Old 8th April 2019, 02:40 PM
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Architex_mA8tey Architex_mA8tey is offline
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If that doeesnt work (and I hope it does) then I still maintain that a low output on the air suspension compressor (anything under 10-12 bar) will not be able to keep the system topped up properly and you will be getting lots of "high temperature cut outs" of the air compressor as it tries to cope. There is a thread somewhere on here from Delboy which explains how to add some additional functionality to VagCom so that you can see the output of the compressor and also individually (or per axle) raise and lower the front and back air jacks.
I had repeated issues and replaced a couple of air jacks but as soon as a replacement compressor was fitted all of the rest disappeared until nearly 2 years later when a third air jack leaked and so I also replaced that one.

*EDIT* Delboys Thread is here - http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthrea...437#post102437
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20" x 9" Bentley GTC Wheels with 385mm W12 Front Discs & Bentley Caliper Covers, Front Lowered on Coilovers, Xenons, Combined DRLs and LED Foglights to modified OEM front fog lamp position, Alcantara/Leather, Full Black Alcantara headlining + pillars and blind shelf, Bespoke Flat Bottomed Sports Steering Wheel, Dark Myrtle Wood, Autodim Mirrors, Bose, Blinds, Digital TV, Ski Hatch, Modified rear exhaust section for extra V8 Burble
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and some other A8's A8L's and Mercs

Last edited by Architex_mA8tey; 8th April 2019 at 02:42 PM.
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  #24  
Old 24th April 2019, 08:31 PM
mannyo mannyo is offline
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Well, mine is still not repaired.

However, I did move and wash it a couple of weeks ago. Rear of the car sits at a good height and front is on the deck.

I now have a replacement strut, I opted for a refurbed one rather than going second hand. It was shipped from Germany, it looks good however I have not yet had it fitted so cannot vouch for quality.

Not sure I am going to attempt to fit it myself yet, I did look at the bolts and I am not sure the control arm bolt will come out easily, along the lower one. The big problem is that if the bolts shear off or will not undo then I do not have the facilities to deal with that and I could be left with an even more stranded car.

I need to try and save some money again, I only have a temp low paid job until mid July, so may have to sell the car as is with the replacement part.

MOT is due at the end of July and its hardly been used since the last one, she needs a cambelt and oil change, I simply have no spare money at all to spend on the old girl and the lack of use I am sure is doing it no good at all.
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Manny
2004 A4 1.8T Sport Cabriolet, 89K Miles
Past
2004 D3 A8 3.7 Quattro, Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Solar Sunroof, TV, ACC, phone and almost every option. 168K miles rising slowly
with retrofit AMI and DVB-T in place of Analogue
2003 Volvo S60 D5 SE Manual, 197K miles.
2001 D2 A8 3.7 QS, Bi-Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Electric Everything, retrofitted RNS-D, 191K Miles

Last edited by mannyo; 24th April 2019 at 08:43 PM.
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  #25  
Old 24th April 2019, 11:07 PM
snapdragon snapdragon is offline
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My new valve block didn't help, so I will be getting an airspring assembly and remove the strut and take apart and fit this. It will be a struggle I know. Sadly I missed a used strut off a 2009 for a reasonable price. The rest of the used ones are tired, old and very expensive for such old and battered parts. I fear the Chinese new ones may be inferior, I read a couple of reviews that said the adjustable damping is bogus/inoperable on them. That leaves refurbs but these seem quite above my price range at the moment.
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  #26  
Old 27th April 2019, 10:27 AM
mannyo mannyo is offline
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I've moved the cars around today. This is how the Audi sits today with the front low down, there is no suspension movement on the front.

Compare this picture with the one in my signature where the car is in dynamic (taken many years ago now). Look at how the alloys have corroded for example.

I may remove the wheel tomorrow (weather permitting) and check out the bolts.

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Manny
2004 A4 1.8T Sport Cabriolet, 89K Miles
Past
2004 D3 A8 3.7 Quattro, Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Solar Sunroof, TV, ACC, phone and almost every option. 168K miles rising slowly
with retrofit AMI and DVB-T in place of Analogue
2003 Volvo S60 D5 SE Manual, 197K miles.
2001 D2 A8 3.7 QS, Bi-Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Electric Everything, retrofitted RNS-D, 191K Miles

Last edited by mannyo; 27th April 2019 at 10:59 AM.
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  #27  
Old 28th April 2019, 12:37 PM
mannyo mannyo is offline
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Took the wheel off today to have a look at how it would be to change. After cleaning things up they do not look too bad, but I do not have sockets or spanners big enough.

Pictures below are of what I am dealing with. Not sure if the strut is original or not based on part number.
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Manny
2004 A4 1.8T Sport Cabriolet, 89K Miles
Past
2004 D3 A8 3.7 Quattro, Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Solar Sunroof, TV, ACC, phone and almost every option. 168K miles rising slowly
with retrofit AMI and DVB-T in place of Analogue
2003 Volvo S60 D5 SE Manual, 197K miles.
2001 D2 A8 3.7 QS, Bi-Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Electric Everything, retrofitted RNS-D, 191K Miles
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  #28  
Old 12th May 2019, 02:48 PM
mannyo mannyo is offline
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Here is the latest update on my suspension problem.

Finally managed have the strut replaced today, had a friend come round with decent tools and after lots of cursing we got the new one in.

However

The front would still not rise, so we struggled on, he tried some output tests in VCDS and the car would not level.

We observed one odd thing that got us thinking, the rear right wheel was at the correct height, but the rear left went all the way up to the top of its travel. The sensor readings confirmed this, it was way higher than the other side.

After friend had left, talking to neighbour we kind of put 2 and 2 together and got the right answer it seems. Sticking valve in valve block, all the air was being sent to the left rear corner. Despite VCDS saying valve was closed, it cleary was not.

So got access to valve block and tapped it a few times with a hammer, and restarted engine. Observed that rear left corner now dropped down to correct height, and then the front raised up as normal.

So looks like it needs a valve block replacement, and the compressor is also borked as it keeps cycling on and off every few minutes as it cannot build pressure beyond 7 bar and has gone quiet noisy.

At some point with my friends messing around we have lost the basic settings, so the suspension needs re-calibrating.

So the current status is that the carr is sitting level now, needs a compressor and valve block and may not have needed a strut after all.

Alarm bells should have sounded when we went to disconnect the air line to the old strut and air came out under pressure.
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Manny
2004 A4 1.8T Sport Cabriolet, 89K Miles
Past
2004 D3 A8 3.7 Quattro, Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Solar Sunroof, TV, ACC, phone and almost every option. 168K miles rising slowly
with retrofit AMI and DVB-T in place of Analogue
2003 Volvo S60 D5 SE Manual, 197K miles.
2001 D2 A8 3.7 QS, Bi-Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Electric Everything, retrofitted RNS-D, 191K Miles
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  #29  
Old 12th May 2019, 04:13 PM
mannyo mannyo is offline
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attached current log file.

when using the modified label file, the accumulator only pressurises to 8 bar.
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File Type: txt Log-LJ04-270050km-167801mi.txt (21.6 KB, 297 views)
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Manny
2004 A4 1.8T Sport Cabriolet, 89K Miles
Past
2004 D3 A8 3.7 Quattro, Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Solar Sunroof, TV, ACC, phone and almost every option. 168K miles rising slowly
with retrofit AMI and DVB-T in place of Analogue
2003 Volvo S60 D5 SE Manual, 197K miles.
2001 D2 A8 3.7 QS, Bi-Xenon, Bose, Blinds, Electric Everything, retrofitted RNS-D, 191K Miles
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  #30  
Old 12th May 2019, 04:35 PM
snapdragon snapdragon is offline
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Worwsers.
I worked on mine yesterday and today, if I knew it was such a PITA I would have probably held out for a decent used strut. Mine seems OK now but I did then have a leak where the air-pipe connects. I had tried to get away with using the old fitting and onion on the plastic pipe but it was probably not compatible with the new valve so leaked so much it wouldn't lift at all. Had to cut 1cm of the pipe off and use the new fitting and onion supplied with the airspring. Then lifted OK and so calibrated with VCDS in SAINSBURYS car park.
Having stripped down and replaced the seals and other parts, it is a bit heath robinson, I'm surprised there aren't more problems. With no air in it, it literally falls apart!
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