Audi S6 2016 Front Air Suspension

[enigma1992]

I love this car so much but have one issue with it that I and my dealer have yet to solve; that the front air suspension after a few days drops down as pictured below. It doesn't affect the back and while they have replaced the 'valve unit' under warranty, it doesn't appear to have improved the sagging.

It doesn't affect the car to drive and once you unlock and open the driver door, the car after a few seconds returns to the correct height.

The warranty runs out in March 2021 so if this is a fault that can be fixed i'd aim to do it but the dealer tells me it's a common fault with the S6 and S8 cars due to the weight at the front and something that I need to tolerate!

Any advice appreciated. Thank you

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[johnsimcox]

A lot of people on this forum and others always refer to https://www.bagpipingandy.com/ as the go to person for any air suspension issues. Note I have no afiliation or experience of him (don't even have a car with air suspension!), but might be worth a call

[bluezie]

If it's sagging, it has an air leak somewhere. It should be repaired under warranty, and you shouldn't have to tolerate it.
The dealer said 'it's a common fault' The clue is in the word fault, and it should be repaired. I suspect they are hoping it will drag on until the warranty runs out?

[enigma1992]

If it's sagging, it has an air leak somewhere. It should be repaired under warranty, and you shouldn't have to tolerate it.
The dealer said 'it's a common fault' The clue is in the word fault, and it should be repaired. I suspect they are hoping it will drag on until the warranty runs out?

Thanks. Got it back yesterday and the receipt for the service said "Check front suspension goes down after parking for 2-3 days - found normal"

I'm guessing the cure is not to leave the car undriven for more than 2 days!

[johnsimcox]

Thanks. Got it back yesterday and the receipt for the service said "Check front suspension goes down after parking for 2-3 days - found normal"

I'm guessing the cure is not to leave the car undriven for more than 2 days!
Might still be worth speaking to someone else to get their opinion. Alos keep all records of this visit safe in case you need to go back to the dealer after the warranty has expired with the same fault (only worse!). You can then prove you raised it during the warranty period but they were unable/unwilling to fix it.

[JohnF]

This happened to my 15yr old 70Kmile A8. You need to find the leak. Put it in jack mode and leave it overnight. You will then spot which airbag is leaking. The leak is unlikely to be from other parts of the system unless the slightly exposed highly pressurised accumulator has been punctured. Restore pressure and paint soapy water over the strut and at the top of the turret. Foam appeared here on mine so I was able to diagnose a failed top O ring, which I suspect is the weakest point of the system. If the bag itself was damaged, the leak would be rapid. Injecting industrial quality sealant into the top of the strut where the bubbles appeared has partially cured it for me as it now takes 48hrs to sink rather than just overnight. Tip - always leave the car in jack mode. This saves the compressor and its relay from working overtime. On the A8, and presumably on other models, if you don't put it in jack mode the car wakes up occasionally (see audi SSP 292) and vainly tries to level itself using air from the accumulator. If under warranty, get it repaired! It sounds as though the garage is trying to fob you off. A slow puncture is not acceptable in your case. Hope this helps.

[enigma1992]

If under warranty, get it repaired! It sounds as though the garage is trying to fob you off. A slow puncture is not acceptable in your case. Hope this helps.

Thanks. I can see it's going to be a battle over the next 9 months of warranty!

[A8Cruiser]

Go to a different Garage. this one clearly doesn’t know the S6.

[enigma1992]

I think you are right - I’m going to need to get this to an independent though for a second opinion as the dealer here has sole rights to the territory. With the second opinion, I’ll be able to go back to the dealer and get them to hopefully deal with it. I do want to keep the car for a few more years and this feels like a problem that could be expensive out of warranty

[A8Cruiser]

Good move.

if they are the only Audi dealer in the ‘village’ then they don’t and can’t be ***** to try. Captive market. Very annoying.

And sagging does not sound right. My A8 was left for a while since lockdown and previous A8s left for weeks whilst on holiday, and they never sagged.

does the rear have air suspension? If you stand outside the car and get someone to switch thenignition half way, do all 4 corners lift? Thhen after starting, do they all lift then? Or just the front?
does the S have different suspension settings anyway and do those adjustments work ok?

[enigma1992]

I am told the rear has a hybrid air suspension which is why only the front sags down after a few days. You can get the car to regain its composure by opening the driver door. It takes around 15 seconds but stands to attention at the same height as the back. The only settings I see are raise, lower and (I think) auto.

I should have said from the outset, I’m a Brit but I live in the UAE. I could drive to Abu Dhabi but it’s not convenient and they may side with the local dealer here.

[A8Cruiser]

Oh yes, I see the location of UAE.
unlucky on the dealer front.

Anything else on the web about it?

[enigma1992]

I love this car so much but have one issue with it that I and my dealer have yet to solve; that the front air suspension after a few days drops down as pictured below. It doesn't affect the back and while they have replaced the 'valve unit' under warranty, it doesn't appear to have improved the sagging.

It doesn't affect the car to drive and once you unlock and open the driver door, the car after a few seconds returns to the correct height.

The warranty runs out in March 2021 so if this is a fault that can be fixed i'd aim to do it but the dealer tells me it's a common fault with the S6 and S8 cars due to the weight at the front and something that I need to tolerate!

Any advice appreciated. Thank you

Good news on this issue. The front suspension finally gave up the ghost and refused to raise the car, the ride was quite choppy plus the auto-levelling headlamps made a complaint that the angle of the car was presumably beyond their adjustment tolerance!

Fortunately, the warranty covered an entire right hand suspension replacement and re-tracking of the car. It seems perfect now. I've seen the warranty invoice - £2200 - which has a further 2 years warranty on the replaced components.

[JohnF]

Thanks for coming back and letting us know the outcome - so many don't. Wow - £2200!! Thank goodness my sealant partial repair plus remembering to leave in jack mode is still acceptable with hardly any extra work for the compressor. Amazing that they took so long to make a diagnosis - I would have thought that one of the valves would have been the least likely component to fail. Perhaps they knew this and just wanted to charge the warranty supplier as much as possible.....

[Audi S6 DXB]

I love this car so much but have one issue with it that I and my dealer have yet to solve; that the front air suspension after a few days drops down as pictured below. It doesn't affect the back and while they have replaced the 'valve unit' under warranty, it doesn't appear to have improved the sagging.

It doesn't affect the car to drive and once you unlock and open the driver door, the car after a few seconds returns to the correct height.

The warranty runs out in March 2021 so if this is a fault that can be fixed i'd aim to do it but the dealer tells me it's a common fault with the S6 and S8 cars due to the weight at the front and something that I need to tolerate!

Any advice appreciated. Thank you

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Good to hear the dealer sorted this issue for you eventually.
I think I have the same issue after buying an Audi S6 2016 earlier this year.
It appeared today.
Was this covered under the standard new warranty or approved used extended warranty?

I have the latter and want to see if that will cover it.

[enigma1992]

Good to hear the dealer sorted this issue for you eventually.
I think I have the same issue after buying an Audi S6 2016 earlier this year.
It appeared today.
Was this covered under the standard new warranty or approved used extended warranty?

I have the latter and want to see if that will cover it.

It's not a UK car and so the warranty may not be comparable. Fingers crossed that you get yours sorted.

[Audi S6 DXB]

It's not a UK car and so the warranty may not be comparable. Fingers crossed that you get yours sorted.

Mine is not a UK car either! Hence the "DXB" in my username.
My warranty is a gold 2 year CPO and I suspect yours is still a new car warranty?

My infotainment won't turn off now too!
So 2 problems to fix...

[enigma1992]

Ah OK... mine is in Dubai but originally sold by Ali & Sons Abu Dhabi, hence the 5 year warranty expiring, worryingly in March 2021!
It was all sorted at no cost to me in Dubai under the Aoodi warranty so I hope the same is true for your stallion. Mine was 10k AED billed to the warranty for one side (front right) air suspension. No issues whatsoever since.
Good luck on the repair - do persist with the complaint as the form is to say it happens on all cars - mine just got worse with use, Cheers.