So I just bought my 2002 allroad, and I'm convinced the suspension is possessed. Hope you guys can help me out.
About two weeks ago, I'd hit the "raise suspension" button, the compressor would kick on, and in under a minute, it would go up. Life was good.
Then, every time i'd hit the button, the compressor would go, the next level light would flash, but it would stay at the lower level and the "suspension problem" light on the dash would go on. No raising at all.
Then i went out to find the rear suspension completely bottomed out, nearly dragging on the ground; front was still on level one.
I got in the car, the bottom level light and the "suspension problem" light would flash, the compressor would turn on, but the *** of the car would not come off the ground at all. Real bad, and the car was undrivable.
The next morning (without starting the car again), the rear suspension was fine and raised up and down w/o a problem! for days now! WTF? (and i'm not crazy, my friend saw it all too.)
If anyone has any idea what demons are inside my suspension, it would really help. thanks

 

The air suspension doesn't like the cold. Mine freaks out when it's below about -10 F, but I just live with the craziness until it warms up.

The basic components:
Air springs which usually fail one at a time, and make one corner of the car drop overnight.

Compressor, which usually fails when one of the other parts is failing, requiring it to run excessively to provide more air to lift and maintain the level.

Valve block, which can leak or get sticky valves and cause weird problems.

There are also the air lines which connect the other components and a computer which runs the show based on the inputs from height sensors on the control arms.

First thing is to get it hooked up to a computer and find out what the error codes are. It will likely store a code from the warning light, even if the warning light goes off, and this will give you a place to start. Usually sinking overnight is air springs or valve block, and may show up as an error code for excessive run time or excessive temperature of the compressor.

There are aftermarket air springs with a good warranty, and also coil-over conversions available.

 

I have owned my Allroad 2003 for 4 years. I started noticing the car was sitting lower in the front. It started slowly with the driver's side then progressed to the passenger side. Eventually getting to the point that if the car was left parked, the bags would totally deflate and I would hear the compressor running most of the time when driving the car.

I did some research and saw that many people were having the same issue. I found some basic directions for pulling the (Air Spring) bladder out and decided to give it a try. I had visions of inflating the bladder in a bucket of water to find the leak(s). However I was stopped dead in my tracks by a stuck pinch bolt. I then read horror stories about this bolt...breaking, getting stuck, etc. I also didn’t want to spend $1,500.00 - $3,500.00 to have the dealer repair the bladders.

Then a moment of pure genius struck... I thought, well, the bladder probably has a hole in it. The bladder is made of flexible rubber just like an inner tube - I wondered if I could inject some "fix-a-flat" or Slime into the air bladder?

Well I'm happy to report it worked!!! While it might not be a solution for everyone's situation, it seems to be doing the trick for my car.

Here’s how I did it...it was a 20 minute operation and cost 10 bucks!!!!

I jacked the car up, disconnected the 10mm air fitting at the top of the shock, used a small plunger type syringe to squirt 4 ounces of fix-a-flat into each bladder, reconnected the air fitting. I then drove the car around on various settings to help the fix-a-flat liquid coat the inside of the bladder. Fix-a-flat is a thick liquid with microscopic fibers in it. It works by getting into the hole(s) and the fibers then bind to "patch" the hole. I don't know how large the holes in my bladder were, but, I have been driving the car for 2 months now after this fix without issue with the bladders. I believe this fix will continue working for quite some time and will keep you posted.

I was so excited to see it work, I had to share this fix! Good Luck and let me know if it works.

Nathan

 

It could be a sensor or the control module, but chances are you have a leaky air spring. Changes in tem and humidity affect when and how much they leak. (contraction and expansion of the air and rubber)

If you opt to change the rear springs, go with Arnott springs. They're 1/2 the price of the Audi OE springs and come with a lifetime warranty. I replaced both fronts with Arnotts...they cost me $536 for the par and $400 for the install. The OE springs alone would cost you $1200 and they will ultimately fail again.

 

Start with the compressor. My sisters burnt out, and she experienced a dropped left side. Mine is burnt out and I had a saggy butt. Point being, in my opinion, the fact of the matter is that the compressor is exposed to the elements, and they do not like road grime, and they rarely get a good wash, so they like to fail of their own accord, even if you have good bags. So, start with a warm garage, let your car get warm, then run the car and allow the compressor to pump the system. Spray soapy water on the bags, voila, you've just determined if your bags leak. I'll betcha they don't.

 

I've owned my 2001 allroad for a couple years, and every winter my suspension acts up. It is always in the front. Two winters ago I had the bags replaced, and last year I had the whole suspension replaced. I live in WI so the cold weather is inevitable. I park in a garage every day.
Now this year already, I almost constantly see the light on on my dash, and it is almost always stuck on level 1 or trying to get there. I don't know if it's a good thing or not that I'm not the only one...?

 

My problem is the reverse of the others. In cold weather my suspension works normally. As soon as the weather warms up it starts dropping air all at once. I was in level two last evening. This morning it was cool and the car was still in level two. Once the temp hit 15 Celsius the air suddenly purged out and put me in level one. I had the same problem last summer, and it went away for the winter now it has returned. Anyone have this problem before? The shocks and valve block are only two years old. Is there a temp Controll somewhere?