Allroad suspension dropping at one side plus acoustic parking not working

[garyizme]

Hello,
I have just bought a 2005 Allroad 2.5TDi Limited Auto with 103K. I have 2 problems:1zhelp:

1) Suspension drops within 2 hours at passenger side on any level setting. It pumps up when engine on and drives fine but there must be a leak somewhere. I can hear a hissing sound from the area but am not sure what is wrong. When switching off I lower to level one so the car does not sit so squint, is this right to do? My local Audi centre has said it will be a bag (hundreds of pounds!!!)but is there a definate way to check this or can it be something else?

2) The front and back parking aid does not work. It gives a long beep which according the the handbook means there is a fault. Does this have to go to Audi for a diagnosis?

I understand there are several replies on here for similar problems but would like a fresh reply for myself please

Many thanks for any replies

[Guest 2]

Not sure on the air suspension but a user bagpipingandy knows his air suspension systems inside out and also owns a c5 allroad so im sure he could help

you dont need to go to audi for this - if you look at my signature there is a map with all the users who have vcds (diag software) and im sure there will be someone near to you.

bagpipingandy's profile - http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?71942-bagpipingandy

[pete99]

Regarding Parking sensors--very common fault- they always fail.
Best thing to do is get yourself a 'mechanics stethascope' off fleabay (cost a couple of quid.

It only takes one sensor to fail and it knocks out BOTH front AND back sensors. They wont work until you replace the faulty sensor.

Turn ignition on-- put car into reverse and hear the constant 'bleep'.
Go around each sensor and place M stethascope on each one in turn- and whicher one does NOT click-- that is the faulty one .

Always available on fleabay (Do NOT buy a second hand sensor). German ebay is cheaper to buy one from even allowing for postage . Approx £30 ish each.
Dont order one until you remove the faulty sensor and get the number Part off it.. The 2 inside sensors are different from the 2 outside ones .
Hope this helps you bud .

[bagpipingandy]

Hi Gary,

the suspenson dropping is most likely a leaking airbag, spray the corner that sits the lowest with soapy water and see were the bubbles form to confirm if it is the rubber airbag leaking, if a leaking airbag I assume the error light only flashes on start up and then goes off? is this correct? they ussually dont leak when parked at level 3 or 4 try this also,
parking at any height is ok as the car should lower and try and keep the car level, so when it sinks the working corners will lower to try and keep it level but they can only go as low as level 1, the leaking corner will go all the way to the bump stop,

confirm it is the rubber airbag with soapy water before buying a new one, best ones are from Arnott which can be bought on ebay

regards

Andy

[garyizme]

Hi Gary,

the suspenson dropping is most likely a leaking airbag, spray the corner that sits the lowest with soapy water and see were the bubbles form to confirm if it is the rubber airbag leaking, if a leaking airbag I assume the error light only flashes on start up and then goes off? is this correct? they ussually dont leak when parked at level 3 or 4 try this also,
parking at any height is ok as the car should lower and try and keep the car level, so when it sinks the working corners will lower to try and keep it level but they can only go as low as level 1, the leaking corner will go all the way to the bump stop,

confirm it is the rubber airbag with soapy water before buying a new one, best ones are from Arnott which can be bought on ebay

regards

Andy

Many thanks. Will try that tomorrow. Is it better to jack up the car or remove the wheel? I'm sure it leaked at level 3 but will double check.

[bagpipingandy]

Many thanks. Will try that tomorrow. Is it better to jack up the car or remove the wheel? I'm sure it leaked at level 3 but will double check.

If it is bad it will leak at 3, so my bad, jack up spray with soapy water use hands to rub it all over and if no bubbles put it back on the cars weight to see if bubbles form.

Regards
Andy

[garyizme]

If it is bad it will leak at 3, so my bad, jack up spray with soapy water use hands to rub it all over and if no bubbles put it back on the cars weight to see if bubbles form.

Regards
Andy

Right, we have bubbles. I only really want a temporary fix, is there anything? Anyone tried a cycle tube repair kit??

[bagpipingandy]

Yes but I dont recommed it, replace with a new one is the best option

NOT RECOMMENDED--> but here goes anyway!! --> some have used Tyre slime into the airbag, this can stop small leaks for a little while but can potentialy ruin the rest of the system, I had a guy recently with a valve block ruined as the tyre slime product just clogs it up :(

regards

Andy

[garyizme]

Have ordered a new one from abay. Made by Arnott. Negotiated a £100 fitting from local Audi dealer and £15 off unit so whole job will cost £335.

[Phutters]

Anyone tried a cycle tube repair kit??You'd never get the whole car into a bucket of water :D

[garyizme]

Regarding Parking sensors--very common fault- they always fail.
Best thing to do is get yourself a 'mechanics stethascope' off fleabay (cost a couple of quid.

It only takes one sensor to fail and it knocks out BOTH front AND back sensors. They wont work until you replace the faulty sensor.

Turn ignition on-- put car into reverse and hear the constant 'bleep'.
Go around each sensor and place M stethascope on each one in turn- and whicher one does NOT click-- that is the faulty one .

Always available on fleabay (Do NOT buy a second hand sensor). German ebay is cheaper to buy one from even allowing for postage . Approx £30 ish each.
Dont order one until you remove the faulty sensor and get the number Part off it.. The 2 inside sensors are different from the 2 outside ones .
Hope this helps you bud .

HI.
Have tried the stethascope but don't hear clicking on ANY sensor. Am I doing something wrong?

[Guest 2]

another way to check is to either get a vcds scan or put the car into reverse, with the ignition ON, do NOT start the engine then go and listen to each sensor with your ear. you should be able to hear.

[garyizme]

Many thanks to bagpipingandy. Got my local Audi centre to fit a new Arnot unit and its great, pity I needed 2 new arms as well. Suspension great although compressor a bit noisy. Car sits perfect all night. Is is normal for compressor to come on now and again when driving?

Going to leave the acoustic parking as it needs a new control unit, when that's fitted it may need a sensor or two. Unless anyone can suggest a whole after market system that will work and is not too expensive

[bagpipingandy]

Yes the compressor running is pretty regular, normally it 1st turns on when you 1st hit 15MPH, if it is tired it will run more often, common symptoms of a tired compressor is when it fails to reach a requested level, if it raises 1-4 ok then its got plenty of life in it yet, if not i know a man that can fix them, ;)

regards

Andy

[subyted555]

hi everyone new to forum and after some help. started my allroad today 51 plate 2.5 suspension looked a bit high so i thought had knocked leveler knob which i hadnt so i pressed it to lower when i heard a big bang from front left side and suspension just dropped so now back of cars high and front is nearly touching tyres any ideas any one ??? cheers in advance ted

[subyted555]

hi everyone new to forum and after some help. started my allroad today 51 plate 2.5 suspension looked a bit high so i thought had knocked leveler knob which i hadnt so i pressed it to lower when i heard a big bang from front left side and suspension just dropped so now back of cars high and front is nearly touching tyres any ideas any one ??? cheers in advance ted

i have since took wheel off and seen the bag that covers the shocker is blown to bits??? does this mean i need full shocker or can you get the covers to replace and is it a big job to change and do you need a special tool to get the air pipe out of top of shocker cheers ted

[bagpipingandy]

you need one of these(there are other sellers) but go for the arnott unit.

Audi Allroad Quattro Front Air Suspension Bag / Spring | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-Allroad-Quattro-Front-Air-Suspension-Bag-Spring-/270805220023?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f0d3fbab7)

this is the airbag which goes over the shock, if original audi fitting the airpipe unscrews using the 10mm nut,

i guess you mention the car lifted 1st so something told it to put air into the front?? check the level seosors are still fitted to the car at that corner dont fit a new one until you qualify what happened or you may burst it too!!

the hardest part is removing the top pinch bolt, they can be stuck, get wd40 into it,

regards

Andy

[subyted555]

you need one of these(there are other sellers) but go for the arnott unit.

Audi Allroad Quattro Front Air Suspension Bag / Spring | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-Allroad-Quattro-Front-Air-Suspension-Bag-Spring-/270805220023?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f0d3fbab7)

this is the airbag which goes over the shock, if original audi fitting the airpipe unscrews using the 10mm nut,

i guess you mention the car lifted 1st so something told it to put air into the front?? check the level seosors are still fitted to the car at that corner dont fit a new one until you qualify what happened or you may burst it too!!

the hardest part is removing the top pinch bolt, they can be stuck, get wd40 into it,

regards

Andy
thats part have been looking at but looked totally diff ok thanks
for reply and will try that thanks

meant to ask as well is it ok to drive till a source parts cheers

[kid-jensen]

If you're desperate, you can drive it a few hundred yards on smooth roads, but no more as you're effectively down to (almost) no suspension and every bump will stress the monocoque..

Remember to pull the fuse that powers the suspension pump or you'll have another big bill to pay....

[subyted555]

hi thanks for replies had new shocker fitted 161 quid sec hand off ebay all fitted. guy who did it said he put comp on it and car comp set suspension up its self. now though am driving it and noticed its diff heights on front and back, a friend of mine reckoned all four wheels had to be off floor to reset suspension up is this correct ??? cheers t ed

[bagpipingandy]

No,

it needs calibration via VCDS, probably due to one of the sensors has been moved or changed giving different heights, what is the difference in heights at each corner?, if it is just one corner, especially the one which was worked on you could slide the sensor clamp slightly along the arm to change the angle,

best option is VCDS and calibrate

at level 2 the height from wheel centre to top of wheel arch should be 402mm -+5mm

regards

Andy

[ceilidhalfie]

hi thanks for replies had new shocker fitted 161 quid sec hand off ebay all fitted. guy who did it said he put comp on it and car comp set suspension up its self. now though am driving it and noticed its diff heights on front and back, a friend of mine reckoned all four wheels had to be off floor to reset suspension up is this correct ??? cheers t ed

After changing suspension parts - shock, air-bag, self-levelling sender, etc. the on-line Maint Manual shows you how to run the VCDS Suspension Level Adaptation. From memory, there are 5 fields where you store the current 4 wheel heights AND THEN FIELD 5 STORES THESE 4 SETTINGS. Forgetting field 5 does not change settings BUT LOCKS THE SUSPENSION - holding the 2 level buttons on the dash WILL NOT release it. You can guess how I know this! No big deal, you just have to go back into VCDC and correctly re-run the process (but it did scare the s**t out of me at the time!)

Forgot to say, all 4 wheels on the ground, correct tyre pressures and plenty of tread on tyres!

[subyted555]

After changing suspension parts - shock, air-bag, self-levelling sender, etc. the on-line Maint Manual shows you how to run the VCDS Suspension Level Adaptation. From memory, there are 5 fields where you store the current 4 wheel heights AND THEN FIELD 5 STORES THESE 4 SETTINGS. Forgetting field 5 does not change settings BUT LOCKS THE SUSPENSION - holding the 2 level buttons on the dash WILL NOT release it. You can guess how I know this! No big deal, you just have to go back into VCDC and correctly re-run the process (but it did scare the s**t out of me at the time!)

Forgot to say, all 4 wheels on the ground, correct tyre pressures and plenty of tread on tyres!

ok lads thanks for that will try

[subyted555]

ok lads thanks for that will try

had car in for callibrating today but it wudnt let him do it because of as fault saying temperature sensor for leve lcontrol pump compressor aniy ideas on this also ive read some where you need to be in jack mode to jack car up ???? how do you do that as well thanks in advance lads

[ceilidhalfie]

had car in for callibrating today but it wudnt let him do it because of as fault saying temperature sensor for leve lcontrol pump compressor aniy ideas on this also ive read some where you need to be in jack mode to jack car up ???? how do you do that as well thanks in advance lads

Hello. Am sure Bagpipeandy will reply soon. In the meantime, what is the fault code? Do you hear the compressor running? All the time? - could be compressor overheating and causing the fault code - could be temp sensor of compressor failed. Could be previous logged faults when driving with incorrect levels.
I guess the (non-Audi??) garage did not clear any fault codes first before attempting adaptation - this would be worth trying. Using vcds, Clear fault codes, perform adaptation and then run vcds later to see if any related suspension faults re-occur.

You do not need to be in jack-mode to do any of this, but jack mode entered (and exited) by holding down BOTH level buttons on dash for 5 secs with ignition on. Entering mode you will see the yellow car level icon come on in the dash panel. Exiting mode it will go off. If you forget to exit, car will automatically exit jack mode when speed exceeds 5mph.

[bagpipingandy]

had car in for callibrating today but it wudnt let him do it because of as fault saying temperature sensor for leve lcontrol pump compressor aniy ideas on this also ive read some where you need to be in jack mode to jack car up ???? how do you do that as well thanks in advance lads

The temp sensor is mounted on the compressor head bolt, what was the fault code? Is the suspension error light on at all?
check the sensor is fitted and plugged in.

Regards

Andy

[subyted555]

The temp sensor is mounted on the compressor head bolt, what was the fault code? Is the suspension error light on at all?
check the sensor is fitted and plugged in.

Regards

Andy

not sure on the fault code a just wrote down what he said only fault showing was that saying temperature sensor for level control pump for compressor it let him set first two heights on comp then threw him out so he just said get sensor sorted and hel try it again ty light for suspension is on dash yeh

[bagpipingandy]

Is it a friend or a garage? The temp sensor is highly unlikely to be faulty it either works or doesnt, but perhaps the compressor is overheating and this could be the error, hence we could do with the error description. When calibrating, the system 1st lowers fully and then raises to level 2, if it cannot achieve this it will not be ready calibrate, does your compresor lift the car ok from level 1 to 2 & higher or does it take ages?

Regards
Andy

[bagpipingandy]

Ok just re read your post

Is error light on constant or only after operation of suspension? if error light is on all the time, i assume nothing is working at all, and if you are sure it was a temp sensor error only it will be due to this temp sensor, so either sensor is broken or wiring to it damaged/unplugged, check it is plugged in and wiring is ok, you need no faults before you perform calibration.

Regards
Andy

[ceilidhalfie]

Hello. Just came accross a Ross-Tec Utube video which details the procedure. you may find it useful:
YouTube (http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=o2aeQ6bhu-Y&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Do2aeQ6bhu-Y)

[subyted555]

hi just looked today and noticed front driver side level sensor broke off from bottom are these easy to mend just looked on ebay and not able to find any cheers getting me down now this car haha

[subyted555]

having trouble getting a suspension level sensor for drivers side anyone know iff passenger side one is same as drivers or diff cheers lads

[ceilidhalfie]

having trouble getting a suspension level sensor for drivers side anyone know iff passenger side one is same as drivers or diff cheers lads
Have a look at motorsinmotion.co.uk and then give Andy a call. January 2012 I bought a used osr self-levelling sender from him for my 2002 Allroad. Came with a 3 month warranty and cost £30. It is stll going strong.
When you fit it (which is very straightforward) you will have to use VCDS to run the adaptation rocedure.

[ceilidhalfie]

having trouble getting a suspension level sensor for drivers side anyone know iff passenger side one is same as drivers or diff cheers lads
The senders are the same but all 4 brackets are different ... And it is your bracket that is bust, so I think you need to source a replacement. Hang on to your old one, you might be able to replace just the sender if you have a future sender failure. If it had been the OSR you could have had the bracket of my old one!

[subyted555]

tried him on ebay only had the arm, its the bottom of the bit that fastens to the clip bracket thats broke tried tie wrapping it haha

[ceilidhalfie]

tried him on ebay only had the arm, its the bottom of the bit that fastens to the clip bracket thats broke tried tie wrapping it haha
Have my old one in the shed. If you think it will replace your failed bit I am happy to send it (if indeed it does come off). Mind you, if that is broken your sender could be goosed also! Let me know.

[subyted555]

thanks very much for offer but am guna replace all lot to eliminate that cheers very helpful you lot on here