Audizine - An Automotive Enthusiast Community

Results 1 to 18 of 18
  1. #1
    Junior Member One Ring
    Join Date
    Nov 27 2010
    AZ Member #
    67530
    Location
    W Baldwin, Maine

    allroad air suspension

    Guest-only advertisement. Register or Log In now!
    I am about to purchase a 2004 allroad. The front passenger side air shock has a leak. The car will stay in it's highest to second highest setting without loosing ride height even when left sitting for several days. Set it lower and it will eventually bottom , sitting or otherwise. Can I use the lock out option ( which i've only read about) by holding the two switches down to dis-able the ride height. I'll need to drive this car home on the highway? It' typically wants to go to the lowest setting over 50mph and I'm worried it will bottom onto the wheel
    Thanks
    Jeff

  2. #2
    Veteran Member Four Rings EErie B6's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 30 2008
    AZ Member #
    29363
    My Garage
    Honda HRX
    Location
    Penna.

    if im not mistaken, the lock out shuts off the compressor completely. and youd probably slowly sink till bottom out.

    it should only drop to setting #2 at hwy speeds. Id just leave it on auto. and it will keep itself where it needs to be.... the compressor will just be working a little more.

    Edit:
    and get that taken care of soon or you will end up burning out the compressor.

    you might give Arnott Industries a call and see if they will cut you a deal. AZine just has a 20% off group buy end not too long ago... they might still hook you up.

    and congrats. on your allroad purchase. I love mine. id definitely use the leaking suspension as price leverage. Its not a cheap date (but once its done, its done.)... might even print out the Arnott prices to show the person selling it.
    Last edited by EErie B6; 12-17-2010 at 11:25 AM.

  3. #3
    Junior Member One Ring
    Join Date
    Nov 27 2010
    AZ Member #
    67530
    Location
    W Baldwin, Maine

    Thanks John/EErie B6
    The seller's already aware of the cost
    which is why he hasn't done it i guess

  4. #4
    Veteran Member Four Rings EErie B6's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 30 2008
    AZ Member #
    29363
    My Garage
    Honda HRX
    Location
    Penna.

    dont know why i just thought of this...

    if you have a VCDS, you could always 402mod it up 30mm. that would make your number 2 setting about the height of number 3 taking you out of leak territory... then when you get home just 402 it down to what ever height you prefer it at.

  5. #5
    Junior Member One Ring
    Join Date
    Nov 27 2010
    AZ Member #
    67530
    Location
    W Baldwin, Maine

    How would I find out if in fact i have VCDS ( not familiar with the terms.variable control dampening shocks? guessing..)
    I'm in Maine , the cars still in Boston

  6. #6
    Veteran Member Four Rings EinSchnellAudi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 24 2009
    AZ Member #
    49713
    My Garage
    2011 X3
    Location
    CT / RI

    Lol, no. VCDS is a program from ross-tech that you use with a vag-com cable. the 402 mod changes the height settings for your AR air suspension.
    '24 CX-90 PHEV | '68 GTO 4MT | '20 GMC Canyon (No rings to be seen :/ )
    Previous - G01 LCI X3 | F25 X3 | '14 Ibis White B8 A4 6MT | '03 B6 3.0 6MT | '00 C5 4.2

  7. #7
    Veteran Member Two Rings
    Join Date
    Nov 15 2004
    AZ Member #
    4160
    Location
    Brunswick, ME

    you should be fine to drive it home even with the leak and the car lowering to level one on the highway. reason is because the compressor will run and keep inflating the suspension as you drive preventing it from dropping unless there is a large hole. my guess would be that it is a rather small hole if the air spring holds in level 2 +3.
    if you do end up purchasing the car and need some work done PM me. I am an Audi tech and would consider doing some side work from home.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Two Rings TozoM8's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 17 2010
    AZ Member #
    64284
    My Garage
    Black on black 01 Twin Turbo S8, 6MT, built in SRX 01' allroad 2.7T
    Location
    Chicago

    leave it in manual mode and it will not change level on the hwy.
    01' black on black twin turbo S8 with 6 speed manual (euro TDI 6th gear), RNS-E, Passport SRX

  9. #9
    Veteran Member Two Rings
    Join Date
    Nov 15 2004
    AZ Member #
    4160
    Location
    Brunswick, ME

    dont think it has a manual mode like my 01 does, Audi did away with it after a certain year might have been 03 but not sure

  10. #10
    Established Member Two Rings
    Join Date
    Sep 05 2008
    AZ Member #
    32738
    Location
    California

    How can you tell if it has manual mode?

  11. #11
    Veteran Member Four Rings EErie B6's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 30 2008
    AZ Member #
    29363
    My Garage
    Honda HRX
    Location
    Penna.

    it says "man." on the button with a little led next to it

    to the guys that have this feature... does that mean you can ride any level at any speed?

    Edit: found my answer, no it does not.


  12. #12
    Registered Member One Ring
    Join Date
    Jan 14 2013
    AZ Member #
    107516
    Location
    newark, de

    Fixed mine with tire slime from pepboys. Worked instantly and takes about 35 mins. Take the tire off , disconnect the air going into the suspension(usually green or red tube), squeeze at least 3/4 of a bottle of slime into opening. It sounds alittle amaturish but saves a lot of money. It worked for me.

  13. #13
    Deactivated Two Rings
    Join Date
    Dec 14 2011
    AZ Member #
    85241
    Location
    Mirabel, Quebec, Canada

    Quote Originally Posted by callickysticky View Post
    Fixed mine with tire slime from pepboys. Worked instantly and takes about 35 mins. Take the tire off , disconnect the air going into the suspension(usually green or red tube), squeeze at least 3/4 of a bottle of slime into opening. It sounds alittle amaturish but saves a lot of money. It worked for me.
    Are you not worried about contamination to the rest of your system, tubing, valves, compressor, etc? What drying process did you follow to prevent the stuff from sliming its way back out?

  14. #14
    Veteran Member Three Rings G0to60's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 25 2011
    AZ Member #
    83022
    My Garage
    90 Corrado, 02 allroad
    Location
    Milwaukie, OR

    Quote Originally Posted by dcaron9999 View Post
    Are you not worried about contamination to the rest of your system, tubing, valves, compressor, etc? What drying process did you follow to prevent the stuff from sliming its way back out?
    Yeah, I think that adding slime to the system is asking for bigger problems down the road. Sure it's cheap now but wait until that stuff gums up an air line or somehow makes it back to the compressor system. Then you'll be hurting.

  15. #15
    Established Member Two Rings
    Join Date
    Aug 12 2011
    AZ Member #
    79653
    My Garage
    Jensen Interceptor (resting)
    Location
    Epsom Downs, England

    If your Allroad suspension works the same as mine, leave it in setting "2" and keep your speed below 85 MPH and it will stay there.

    You can fix the suspension at any height, but this is disabled once you drive over a walking pace..

    I've put Slime in my leaking bag and it's been fine for 6 months or so, but I know the risks...

  16. #16
    Deactivated Two Rings
    Join Date
    Dec 14 2011
    AZ Member #
    85241
    Location
    Mirabel, Quebec, Canada

    Im having similar suspension issue on a 2005 allroad with 67,000 Miles. I just bought the allroad in early November 2012, and problem has only begin to be noticeable lately during colder weather (December and January) here in Quebec, Canada.

    I hear my airpump motor running a little too often, when Im driving and holding steady at level-2 or level-1. Lately, the air pump has started to work a little longer than usual to change from one level to the next. I tried to detect leaks with soapy water on two occasions, with wheels off the car, and weight of the car resting on the lower ball bearing. I do not see any signs of bubbles at any of the four levels on air springs, and air fittings.

    Once in a while, I inflate the air springs to level-4, and thouroughly clean the air bags with water and a brush, to get all grit and dirt off, especially at the bottom of the bag, where strut enter the bag. I then dry it off, and lubricate the metal strut with a bio-degradable lubricant/rust inhibitor.

    I dont have access to a VCDS VAG-COM yet to pull codes, but I have no suspension warning lights on my cluster at this point. Nevertheless, it seems as if my pump is on its way out due to longer delays to reach an upper level. The pump is not particularly noisy though. I cant help wondering if I have a slow leak in one of my bags, or elsewhere under the car. The problem seems worse when Im driving and flexing the air springs. If I park the car overnight, I do notice some slight droop on the driver side/front (1/4-1/2"), so I do suspect a slow leak there, but one that I cannot detect with the soapy water test.

  17. #17
    Deactivated Two Rings
    Join Date
    Dec 14 2011
    AZ Member #
    85241
    Location
    Mirabel, Quebec, Canada

    Just slimed my two front air springs tonight on my 2005 allroad with 68,000 Miles. Figured I give this a shot, and buy new springs if it fails.

    I had a slow leak in the driver front air shock. It would take a few hours to droop, but leak was more pronounced while driving, as I could hear my pump working every few minutes.


    After this fix, my allroad feal great - I even lost the floaty boat fealing I was getting in level-1. Air pump used to start every few minutes while driving in level-1 or level-2. It now starts only when I change to a higher level, like it should.

    Here the procedure I used, which could be useful for anyone thinking about doing this:

    #1 I recommend buying at least 32 ounces of green Slime. The Slime comes with a short piece of vinyl tube under the label that, as others have said, will be too large of a diameter to fit in the hole in the air spring. You need to find about a foot of smaller diameter tube that fit into the Slime's tube, to reduce the diameter at the end to fit into the airbag's hole. I used the hard plactic tube from a spray bottle such as this (http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/i..._29945_102.jpg). This plastic tube fits perfectly in the opening of the air spring. I used another intermediate flexible tube between the one supplied with the Slime, and the one from the spray bottle. I secured the three tubes together with a few tie wraps to prevent leaks.

    #2 You do not need to remove the wheel. Drop car to Level-1, and put it in Jack Mode. Initially, you will be pressurizing the bags by going to higher levels, preventing any residual slime from leaving the bags, and contaminating the rest of the system.

    #2 Use a hydraulic jack, and jack up the car until the wheel nearly rises off the ground. This reduces the air pressure in the air spring. You will noticed that this gives you lots of space to reach the air line above the tire.

    #3 Use 10mm open-ended wrench to remove the airline that goes into the aluminum cap at the top of the bag. As a safety precaution, when unscrewing your 10mm air fittings, do so very slowly, half a turn at a time, to allow air to slowly escape. Do this until you hear no more pressure, and then remove the air fitting screw.

    #4 Move the air line out of the way. Make sure you have removed the seal inside the cap of the Slime bottle. Insert the tube attached to the slime bottle, into the air spring's air hole. I had to hold the tube's end against the air bag's hole while squeezing the bottle. Squirt as much as you can into the opening. You will probably need both hands, as the small diameter of the tube creates resistance. This is where the 32 ounce bottle comes in handy, as it is large enough to wrap both of your hands around it to increase pressure forcing the sline into the bag, and offer you a better "pouring" angle. Tokk me 5-10 minutes to get about 8-10 ounces into the air spring. I cleaned up the opening with a few Q-tips.


    #5 Massage the rubber around the bottom of the bag, to spread the slime as evenly as possible.

    #6 After you button everything up, slowly lower your jack VERY CAREFULLY, and do not let the whole weight of the car rest on the empty bag. Go back inside your car, and remove jack mode, to allow your bag to be re-pressurized. Once you hear no more air flowing into your bag, you can now slowly lower and remove your jack. Once your suspension level has stabilized, you may process to next level (level-2 or more).

    #7 Go for a test drive, at this level (2 or more). Go over a bumpy road, and drive in the city, where you can brake often, and put pressure on your bags.

    #8 Drive for a couple of miles, while moving to next levels (3,4). Drive for another couple of miles, and proceed to lower levels.

    #9 Enjoy your new suspension dynamics, and set money aside for new bags eventually ...

  18. #18
    Registered Member One Ring SparxDaddy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 01 2015
    AZ Member #
    359103
    My Garage
    1996 Porsche 911 4S
    Location
    Santa Monica/CA

    Im sliming my bags today. Should I put the whole bottle in? half?
    2004 Allroad Grey 2.7t

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


    © 2001-2025 Audizine, Audizine.com, and Driverzines.com
    Audizine is an independently owned and operated automotive enthusiast community and news website.
    Audi and the Audi logo(s) are copyright/trademark Audi AG. Audizine is not endorsed by or affiliated with Audi AG.