Approved to buy Allroad !
 

Hi guys,

I am new to this forum but have been a member of many others. Since the wife is cool I will now be bidding on a 2003 greenAllroad this week(auction). I must admit I am in love with this car and have been reading about them for a while. I am no stranger to AWD but Quattro has always really caught my eyes. Tiptronic with around 52K miles. I will have the GIAC chip installed and I will be done. Pretty clean rig but I need to be educated on how the suspension works. When I went to go to the lowest setting, it seemed that only the rear end lowered and the front did nothing. I have been able to inspect this car and all looks good accept for this one part. I expect that I am probably experiencing some retardness here. So then I pushed the button to send it back to the highest setting and it just sat there and blinked green with reend compressors make noise (as normal) but the rear end to did not appear to rise as I was watching it. Does the system need to be reset ? How is a ECU reset done on these cars ? Can someone explain how this system works so I can check the car for this issue ? I hear this suspension is quite expensive to repair.

Thanks

G

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

when the car is turned on, are there any warning lights about the suspension? if it is messed up, the lights will be on.
Now when you hit the button, the rear will go up, then the front, sometimes it does not look like it is going. The compressor will fill up the rear, then fill up the front. Set to lowest setting, then go to highest, when the lights stop blinking, the car is done raising. If the rear is way higher up, and you will be able to tell, then take to a dealer and see whats up. any warrenty left?

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

Thanks MyAudi98 ! I was hoping you would reply. I have been reading many of your replies. No warnings lights at all. As I remember, there are separate switches for front and rear on the console correct ? Rear first, then front...ok. With 52K on it I don't know if it still has a warranty. I am thinking that it would. Since the wife and I are dealers up here in Washington, I am hoping I can score this rig for as cheap as possible. I already have the hookup for the chip, maps, and switcher. Do you think I really need to go with exhaust ? Expensive for sure. Do you have exhaust ? How does it sound ?

g

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

There are two switches, one for up and one for down. There are not seperate for front and rear. But when you hit one level up, the compressor is small so it lifts the rear first, then it lifts the front. If you get a chip, a full exhaust will make that car run fantastic. Unfortunately, i am a poor youngin so i cant afford the chip and exhaust yet. I had a test chip for6 hours from apr, and it ran unreal! Exhaust will cost you close to 1500 for a good one.

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

I hear ya there. Exhaust catbacks are $1500 and turbo backs w/hi-flo cats are just over $2000. Jeeeeze. EM will cost me close to $1400 w/forge DV's anyway so I will probably just start with that. There is only so much I can do as I am "married with children". Exhaust will have to come later or find it used somewhere. It all depends on what my initial purchase will cost me.

G

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

BTW,

I notice you have the manual tranny. Is this just the better way to go ? I have to admit, my wrx got me tired of manuals which why I sold it. Is the center seal in the torque converter really that troublesome ? I hear the tippys are expensive to fix when they die, not sure I want to deal with that.....

G

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

well i always have to have manual so thats why i went this route. I heard from 02 and up were less troublesome. I just love driving manuals. I really dont know much about the tiptronics. but i have heard that rebuilds are ten times cheaper than a new one from dealership. as long as maintained well and not beaten, i think you will be ok. I just get lucky with my cars, they never break until i am ready to sell them. lol

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

SCORE !!! I am now the owner of a2003 Allroad green machine with 50K miles. Grabbed it for $17K. Why so cheap ? Ihave connections. But, I now I have a nice car with.....isssues. Air suspension maybe sort of works for levels 2 and 3. It can't rise to level 4, it just sits there running the compressor all day. So I test all the way down to level 1 and quickly found out it can't handle that either. The alarm signal on the display comes up and reports that the level is too extreme. So when I have a look, it is definitely the driver's side rear bag that can't handle the load. All other corners look fine. I can definitely hear the air leaking towards the front of car and I watch the rear just slide down to the tire. Called the dealer, car went out of warranty January of this year. Awesome !! I thanked them for offering me an appointment 30 days out to fix this. Any ideas ? Need a good Audi mechanic in Tacoma, Wa ??

G

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

buy extended warrenty if you can? i got my car for 17 and bought a 2 year bumper to bumper for 1500 bucks. trust me, it has paid itself off already. lol Congrats. When you lower it, you will hear the leaking. it does that. But you might just have a bad line. hope thats all it is. Plus if somebody before you had it and vag commed it, you can fool the car into thinking its too high and it will lower even more. Sometimes people take them too low so see if somebody can reset it to factory settings.

RE: Approved to buy Allroad !
 

Did you buy the extended warranty from Audi ? Or did you get it someplace else ? I have located a shop recommended to me via friends who race that can handle any Audi issues. I will be doing GIAC EM anyway.

G