Major suspension problem
 

So, as most of you know my 2004 D3 has hardly been used for quiet a while now as I have been doing a minimum wage job and simply cannot afford to run it.

I've been using it as a daily driver this week, and last weekend with no problems wharsoever, until today.

So, I decided to demonstrate the air suspension to some work colleagues and now wish I hadn't.

whilst in the car park at work, I selected dynamic and everything was ok and the car dropped down and settled as it always had in the past and then the fun started.

I selected automatic, air compressor kicked in and not a lot happened. Eventually the orange light came on. I switched the engine off, waited a while and started it again and the car returned to normal height.

This morning everything was ok, but this evening whilst driving home the green warning light kept on coming on and going off. Now back at home it looks like one whole side of the car is lower than the other.

Next mistake I think, I thought I would try lift mode. Compressor kicks in and nothing happens until the orange light came on again. Left it for an hour and now cannot get out of lift mode, so everytime I start the car it tries to lift up.

If I select automatic, the down arrow comes on, but compressor continues running until orange light comes on. Selecting jack mode switches off the compressor but obviously disables controls.

Everything was ok until I decided to show off dynamic mode, keeping in mind the car has not been down that low for several years.

I have zero spare money to fix this, so sadly I fear the end maybe nigh for the car which I have been trying to unsuccessfully sell for months. This could be anything from a leaky strut to busted compressor, or simply a height sensor.

I'll stew on it for a few days, but may well remove the AMI and DVB-T tuner. Not sure I could even successfully drive to A8parts given the suspension problem.

For now she is sitting outside with battery disconnected.

Not sure if it helps but these repair kits have some very good reviews on other forums

http://www.bagpipingandy.com/

I had one of those kits fitted just over 5 years ago, been trouble free until yesterday.

This morning, after sitting overnight the car height has not changed despite sitting there with battery disconnected.

You can see in the pictures what I was talking about, the passenger side rear wheel is has much greater clearance in the arches compared to the other three.

This is either because, I think.

a) there is a sensor problem and the car simply cannot level or,
b) the compressor cannot provide enough output to lift the other three wheels to the same height.

The compressor could well be overheating - there is a cut out that switches it off if it overheats, also the relay under the passenger footwell area can also play up and/or cause the 30A fuse there to blow

Been looking at this today, I think the drivers front strut has a leak.

I've been away all weekend, and the car was as I left it. However when you start the car the compressor starts and does not stop until the orange light comes on.

I left it a while and then restarted the car, and put the car in dynamic mode, the car appeared level but compressor still running.

I moved the car to flatter ground with Jack mode enabled, when trying to get back to auto mode the rear comes up fine but the front will not rise.

Looking at these pictures I think the front drivers side is low, does it look like it's on the deck. Compared to passenger side.

The first picture is passenger side, second is drivers.

My front right is going down when parked >8 hours.
The rear left goes high.
When I start the car, it rises back and the green light comes on to say the car is lowering! I think this is because the rear is lowering.
I never get a yellow light, also never hear the compressor at all in 9 years of ownership. I have no idea when it is on or off, is that because it's a diesel?

I was thinking of getting this valve where you connect it to the strut instead of the pipe and blow it up like a tyre, and then can see if the strut is leaking by leaving it overnight and see if it sinks.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Schrader-...r/192687349732
trouble is, not sure exactly what is required for the A8 D3, the seller has other similar items.

Also, two front struts can be quite cheap now - £450 a pair delivered...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pc-...33a619cdRhJLVv

I've done some logging with VCDS,

I've got 7 bar coming out of the compressor, but the front of the car stays low and does not rise.

I've attached the log to this post in excel format.

Is 7 bar sufficent to raise the front.

Would you be putting money into compressor or damper, are the front dampers sided, can I get one and use it on either side.

7 Bar is very poor Manny - a good compressor should put out 16 bar when new and 12-16 Bar when its functioning well so thats not helping!
I've got an unused new aftermarket compressor in my barn at the moment which just has a small part broken on it (which you could transfer from your old one when changing) if youre interested, just pm me +++
Alternatively you could try a Bagpiping Andy kit from ebay but if youve done it before once then theres a chance that the cylinder is also worn.

Thanks Neil

I've done some messing about this afternoon, I have I think confirmed the drivers side front strut is leaking very badly.

I've basically been fooling the system by using a jack under each front corner and raising each front wheel so that the car tries to level the other one and then enabling jack mode and then removing the jack and watching what happens.

I now have air in three of the four struts, but the drivers front drops to the floor every time and I cannot get that one to rise when I place the jack under the passenger front.

Pictures of how the car sits now will follow, obviously as soon as I drive off and jack mode disengages the other front drops to the floor to match the drivers side.

Here are the pictures.

I guess I'll need a drivers side front strut, as cheap as possible and to find someone very locally to fit it.

Possibly a compressor in the near future. I wonder if the reason for seeing 7 bar is that some of the air is escaping from the front drivers strut.



I am still only doing a minimum wage job, so need to keep costs as small as possible.

Why, when I've had no trouble with this car for 5 1/2 years do things start going wrong when you are trying to sell it and nobody is biting despite being for sale since July last year.

Ive put 3 different replacement struts onto 3 corners of my A8L D3 so far, and a new compressor.
I think youd need to replace both the compressor (or fix it) and the air jack because the jack leaking is one issue and then the compressor putting out 7 bar is never going to keep the system fed with enough air even when fixed or you may still get orange fault light where the compressor times out due to overheat.

When I changed my compressor it pumped so much more pressure the car then levelled before i had even changed my front leaking strut but if you dont change the strut then the new compressor will just get worn out much more quickly through over-use eventually as it will be on for much more of the time to constantly top up the leaking jack. That said, a new compressor may give you some time to wait and pay for a new air jack. +++

Hey Mannyo, you can always mix some fairy liquid with water and trigger spray it all over the air bag to confirm it's the source of the air loss, you get lots of bubbles

I might well do that Dezzy, I think I'll order a used strut from ebay from the newest donor car that I can find. There is one at a local breakers and maybe able to get them down on price.

Are they sided, I don't think they are, and can I get any old non sport one be it from diesel or petrol and pre or post facelift?

The compressor seemed to do a reasonable job of raising the working struts, and did cut off normally when I had the jack under the drivers front raised to the correct height.

BTW, I used the VCDS measuring blocks to increase the front drivers wheel to where there was almost no deviation from the expected height so the car neither released or tried to add air to the drivers strut. When I did that the passenger side came right up as soon as I switched off jack mode and then the compressor shut off as it should.

The Ambul8 was dropping on the rear axle over night and I sprayed the 4 bags on the back of that, rear bags bubbled like mad, so replaced them all good after that. Do the 8's have an emergency fill point? the Ambo has a Schrader valve under the bonnet so you can full with an air line in an emergency.

I can get a front strut pulled from a 2004 diesel locally for less than £100 which includes the strut mounting bracket.

https://www.trents.co.uk/car-parts/m...f-strut-106994

The part number appears to be 4E0616040AF. Given the age of the car it was pulled from, I wonder if that is the original part or has been replaced in the past.

My only worries about doing this sway are the bolts that hold the upper arms in place and the one at the bottom that holds the strut onto the control arm. I guess these will be a pain to remove due to corrosion.

Replace the air strut this way - https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-...heavy-2954502/

No need to tackle pinch bolts etc. Only thing you'll need which you likely won't have is a 41mm socket. I got a 41mm box spanner from my local tool store which was 36mm at the opposite end. Impact gun onto the 36mm end and off it came. It's tight going onto the 41mm nut at the top of the strut when fitted in the car so make sure the box spanner / impact bit is thin enough to fit.

You'll also need to solder the two wires you cut. No way around this. All sounds like a pain but is a 1hr job start to finish doing it this way.

Good luck!

My problem is very similar - if I watch VCDS and operate to lift mode the compressor starts and it lifts, but the front right lags. When the compressor stops, the front right sinks and I can see the deviation in VCDS change around 1mm a second. The Compressor runs for a couple of mins and gets to 80 degrees C. It never goes above 7.5BAR presumably because there is a leak.

I need to spray soapy water on the strut and the valve block.
Maybe the valve block as an internal leakdown? New pattern parts are £60. Almost worth a punt. The strut normally bubbles at the very bottom with the weight of the car on it, not so much if jacked-up. I thought about swapping the pipes over on the valve block, but I guess it is too clever and will react badly to the opposite side rising as to what it is commanding.

2dogs1monkey youtube channel has some good videos.

Hi Mannyo,
Your car does seem a bit like mine. Today I am in the countryside and so can hear hisses as it is quiet. I parked up in Lift mode and enabled jacking mode and got out and turned off. I can hear hissing in the driver's wheel well, but the hissing sounds internal, not leaking to air. It is a different sound. A tyre puncture sounds different to an air compressor in a garage after it has shut off and has small internal leakages. This sounds like the latter.
The front right sinks slowly as I crouch there for a couple of minutes.
It does not go really low like a low rider, more like just to the dynamic ride height on one wheel and similar to your photos.

The top of the struts have a brass residual valve that keeps a minimum of 3.5BAR inside the strut to prevent them collapsing - it as though pressure drops to this level and stays like it. This is making me think a pipe leak, valve block fault or leak around the valve block pipe connectors. I will remove the wheel arch liner on Monday and then repeat this and listen to the valve block, it should be easy to hear if air is hissing inside this. Also will buy a load of bubble mixture from Wilkos.

Mine was leaking at the top of the strut. Video:

https://app.box.com/s/dg6euepuohhflf2ne80w2k6jkmu5s0fy

Seems like it was coming from around the bonded rubber bush at the top rather than the o-ring. The o-ring looked pretty much perfect when I removed it.


G

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...8&d=1556357219

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.

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.

attached current log file.

when using the modified label file, the accumulator only pressurises to 8 bar.

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!

Can you elaborate on what you mean by the last sentence? Reason for asking is that I'm hoping to swap the aftermarket air suspension on mine back to OEM before the annual meet. As such, the original compressor, valve block and associated piping haven't seen any action in two years. Just wondering if I'm likely to run into any issues.

Firstly, after 274,000 miles, the spring itself (the bladder or airbag was still pristine) I suspect the leakage was from one of the two o-oring seals.

When I assembled the new airbag and metal housing to the old damper, it is held at the top with a large threaded nut but at the bottom (behind the narrow part of the dust boot it is just an interference fit of about 5mm (tube inside a tube with an oring) and just turning the damper upside down it will slide off. That means when you jack the car up, if there is no pressure in the strut it will try and pop off (fall part) as the sping is exerting no pressure to hold itself engaged. Maybe this is worse on a new instalation with everything lubed up.

Some people have reported aftermarket springs burst soon after installation, I have a theory that they assembled it without worrying about the orientation of the bottom forks in relation to the strut and then twisted them to fit the lower control arm and in the process twisting the airbag inside.

Thanks snapdragon. That puts my mind at ease.

Sorry mannyo for hijacking your thread. Back on track again.

Thats ok.

Back to my problem,

I managed to get the basic settings done with the duff compressor although it did overheat at the end of the process as the car was increasing height from dynamic to comfort.

The rear came up fine and the front started to rise when the compressor went overheat. Result was the car went back to dynamic and the other options on the MMI greyed out. I am sure I'll get back into comfort mode once the compressor cools down, but at least all the faults have cleared and none now showing.

Compressor is cycling on/off way too often right now, it will switch on and run for 15 seconds or so, then shut off and then back on again for another 15 seconds a few minutes later. I really hope this is because of the low compressor output as it is really noisy right now and very audible in the cabin.

I did drive her yesterday in comfort mode, with the amber suspension light due to no basic settings and she sat in the office car park all day and the ride height was the same 12 hours later, so hopefully nothing is now leaking. She looks ok as the photos below show (Taken pre suspension calibration). Yes one side is slightly higher, this car park is on the **** slightly.

Next step is sort compressor, not looking forward to replacing that.

Just one quick question, does the surface used for calibration have to be completely level or just flat, eg. not on a slight slope.

Mannyo - sounds like you've had a lot of hassle there :(

For all those looking to replaces struts I bought some for my Allroad from Germany new for about £140 each. Company was called aerosus or something along those lines.

I never had any problems with it at all. I think buying a used strut is a gamble as you never know whether your used replacement is any better.

Mannyo - I had a replacement strut fitted on my D3 and it was calibrated on the flat. Not sure how a slope would affect things but why risk it?

Hope you get your car sorted. They are good cars the D3's but replacing costly items is a major headache and is where a lot of owners sell up.

if mine packs up im fitting Bilstien Coilovers

Back again, mine is now sorted and back on the road after more than 2 months.

To summarise,

It looks like the strut I replaced was not faulty, as the same issue remained after replacement. Instead it looks like the valve to the left hand rear wheel was stuck open. The left hand rear went right up to maximum, and because the valve was stuck there was not enough pressure to raise the heavy front of the car.

I have also now fitted a replacement compressor and recalibrated the suspension and she sits nice and level now.

Great news Manny, glad to see your determination has finally paid off and you have a useable D3 again +++

Well done.
Hope that everything else comes to you.