allroad air suspension problem.

**Foley** · 30-04-2009,01:50 AM

MY offside front air spring seems to be sagging after only a few hours settlement(on wheel arch in morning) Also my near side front is also dropping after about eight hours. I Have gone for it and orderd relacements from Arnott industries($799 deliverd) I will post how i get on, has anyone fitted these before as some tips could help. Cheers Foley...........
be aware hm customs are looking for £100 ish import duties

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/wheel57.shtml
also found this for tool sizes etc

**bagpipingandy** · 30-04-2009,12:51 PM

Originally Posted by Foley

MY offside front air spring seems to be sagging after only a few hours settlement(on wheel arch in morning) Also my near side front is also dropping after about eight hours. I Have gone for it and orderd relacements from Arnott industries($799 deliverd) I will post how i get on, has anyone fitted these before as some tips could help. Cheers Foley...........
be aware hm customs are looking for £100 ish import duties

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/wheel57.shtml
also found this for tool sizes etc

Hi Foley,

there are a few of us Allroad owners in the UK who have now fitted the Arnott unit,

see link for the thread i started

https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?t=60746

there are fitting instructions here:
http://forums.audiworld.com/allroad/msgs/217082.phtml ( I See you found them!!)

but it also comes with less detailed fitting instructions,

Tools you DO NEED:18MM deep crank spanner to remove the nut from the top of the Shock, without the 18mm you could be stuck!! everything on the suspension is 16mm and 18 mm.

the People i have spoke to say the hardest part is removing the upper pinch bolt, they get rusted in and can break, pleny of loosening agent and i found a hammer action gun would break the rust rather than a socket stripping the head off. mine still broke but i could remove it, all in thread link above.

Lee (Snugglebum) from this forum had trouble with the air pipe fitting as he did not have the correct instructions for it, i never removed the audi one as it is the same thread and so re-used it, but I have a copy of the new air pipe fitting instructions, PM Me if you would like a copy.

As for your air bags are they definately leaking?, did you try soapy water or other? it does sound like they are but i would not recommend guessing its them that has the leak.

let us know how you get on

Andy

**Foley** · 30-04-2009,01:52 PM

no did not try soapy water, the hissing gave it away. it is only really the front o/s thats really bad. the n/s front drops about an inch in 8 hours. Backs seem fine and only drop mm over 24 hours. Am i right to assume the rears do not leak as often? Are the arnott springs better engineered?(lifetime warranty?)
Thanks for your reply

**bagpipingandy** · 30-04-2009,03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Foley

no did not try soapy water, the hissing gave it away. it is only really the front o/s thats really bad. the n/s front drops about an inch in 8 hours. Backs seem fine and only drop mm over 24 hours. Am i right to assume the rears do not leak as often? Are the arnott springs better engineered?(lifetime warranty?)
Thanks for your reply

Fronts seem to be prone 1st, backs dont seem to be as bad but they still perrish, causing the leaks. it is ussually the rubber bag perishing which causes the leaking,
Tip: if you put the car at level 3 or 4 they tend not to leak as much as the creases of the perished rubber are in a different place.

the Arnott Springs definately look and feel good quality, cannot comment on a comparrison to the Audi ones, but the US are big on Air suspension so they must know what they are doing, We hope!!.

The life time warranty we will have to wait and see!! It supposedly only covers the car being in your ownership, and I imagine would only cover major failure, and hopefully any further perrishing of the rubber bag!!. it states somewhere no damage is covered, so if an object tears a hole in it, its tough!!

for the warranty i would assume you would need to buy one and then send the faulty unit back for investigation before any refund (Again more import costs!!). this is all only assumption and any way we will not have any issues with them

.

If you have any questions let us know, or post in this or my post how you get on fitting them so we can give other Allroaders advice and guidence tp the arnott option.

delivery for mine was around 2 weeks so plenty time for preperation to freeing off those pinch bolts!!, good luck with that one, no really, good luck!!

Andy

**Foley** · 30-04-2009,04:09 PM

hope ts quicker than two weeks, fingers crossed, i paid for express. suppose its how long customs hold it. thanks for all the info iwill take some pics and post if i find anything interesting or usefull

**bagpipingandy** · 30-04-2009,09:09 PM

Ah yes, it should be much quicker, I just took the basic postage, thats the tight Scotsman in me

**Foley** · 01-05-2009,08:27 PM

replaced worst arbag today, air bag was not split. A load of white plastic bits fell out. looks like it was some kind of clip to keep small o ring in position. anyone had this before?
Anyway took 3 hours to complete (some of the bolts were a right ball ache to remove), but car pumped up ok and is looking ok.

**bagpipingandy** · 01-05-2009,08:34 PM

Originally Posted by Foley

replaced worst arbag today, air bag was not split. A load of white plastic bits fell out. looks like it was some kind of clip to keep small o ring in position. anyone had this before?
Anyway took 3 hours to complete (some of the bolts were a right ball ache to remove), but car pumped up ok and is looking ok.

wow that was quick fitting from recieving it!!, it must just have arrived today??
well done any way with the quick turn around, the white bits are some kind of plastic bearing to hold the bag parrallel whilst on the shock to seal also, they must locate on the out side of the shock somehow i could see this item in my old one once removed but mine wasn't in bits like yours.

it is a great feeling to see the car not sinking!!

on to the other one

**DANCHASLYN** · 02-05-2009,07:53 PM

Hi Bagpipingandy and Foley

Bagpipingandy, as usual you have been so generous with your amazing knowledge, thank you.

We ordered an Arnotts Airbag on Monday and wait for it, it arrived on Wed! £45 duty paid.

Just waiting on guy to come back to our home to fix it, then thats the front hopefully sorted, and can work on rear, still stuck on Level 4, high in the air.

Bagpipingandy I sent you a PM......

Cheers

Danchaslyn