OSF collapsed on 2006 a8 4.2 tdi

[Bushido]

Hi all,

I havent used the car for a couple of months and on returning to it have found that the OSF seems to have collapsed and stayed down when the rest has raised.

Can anybody please give me a helpful / idiots guide to what sequence the car should run through on start up and when manually adjusting the suspension settings?

Eg does the rear always raise first and then the front?

And the same when setting it to comfort or lift??

I appreciate that many of you have been here before! On the positives I have our sponsors 30 mins away but need some guidance as to where to start the diagnostics process. Will it be a VCDS as a starting point or will a good mechanic be able to make manual diagnostics and inroads?

All help and guidance much appreciated.

[steamship]

In terms of diagnostics, it sounds like the strut has a leak and it's only become noticeable having sat so long. Basic check would be to start the car and let it sort itself out first. Then change the setting to Lift and then spray some mild soapy water on the problematic strut, and check for leaks. If no leak found, another option would be to spray the valve block which is located in the passenger side wheel arch, behind the liner.

If you find the leak, it would also be a good idea to use VCDS and check the output from the compressor (something like 15-16 bar), as depending on how big the leak is and how long it's been there, it can cause excess wear on the compressor. Check the compressor for fault codes, with one for 'cutoff for excess temperature' (not the exact text) being a sign for an overworked compressor. There are repair kits available on eBay.

For more detailed info on their operation, check out the following PDF from the D3 Tech Dump thread starting from page 24:

65-SSP 994303Audi Adaptive Air Suspension.pdf

[Bushido]

Well, that's an answer of the highest order!! Many thanks