Air suspension

[Bigdave1230]

Hi all I have a 2006 3.0tdi Q7 which has developed a fault on the drivers side front suspension in that it goes down over night. Having raised the car up and squirted soapy water anti the strut/airbag etc, the place the bubbles are apparent is at the top of the strut where the cradle seems to sit just above where the air pipe connects. My question is does anybody know if there is some sort of rubber seal there or is it a sealed unit and I need a new strut. Any advise would be greatly appreciated as if it's just a case of a new seal at cost of a few pounds rather than a complete suspension strut. 

[Trevor]

I wouldn't imagine there would be any way to seal the leak for the long term.

Below is a link for some Q7 air suspension parts and there are new ones for £189 which isn't too bad and if it only goes down overnight at the moment then at least it's one of those jobs to leave until it becomes more imperative...or necessary from a safety perspective.

http://www.audiownersclub.com/parts-results/Q7/Air-Suspension--Parts/174088

[Bigdave1230]

Audi do sell the seals separately. It's a rubber o ring and costs £4.80 plus vat. Parts guy told me  it's very common that the seal is at fault but because of the labour involved they only recommend replacing the entire unit to their customers which including fitting is over £1000. 

Replaced the seal and the car has stayed up over night ever since

[Bigdave1230]

Number 5

[Trevor]

Cheers for the info Dave

That certainly is worth the repair to save huge bundles of cash.

It's quite rare nowadays for dealers to sell components within suspension/steering parts but good to know Audi are still providing them.

[KEVFRST]

Good fix Dave.

[Andy Cunningham]

Hi Guys just joined the group, I have an A6 Allroad which is doing the same, front near side deflates over night, been quoted silly money by dealer, is this an easy diy fix Dave, or is it a garage job, 

Ive had the car 10 years and its still mint so don't want to get rid if its an easy fix, Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

Andy

[curlykevs]

hi 2010 s line v8 diesel i have changed the air pump air bag sensor on the drivers side front but now still dont move and now getting this message on vagcom security access error big red cross controller refused key!
error 22 conditions not correct or request sequence error

[Bigdave1230]

Hi Andy it wasn't that hard really but just a little time consuming. It took a couple of hours. Got a squeezey bottle with a little washing up liquid and water in and then raised the suspension and squirted it onto the bag and cradle to see where the leak was. It was right at the top of the suspension cradle so wasn't the bag that was leaking. After removing the suspension strut the top cradle is held on with 3 13mm bolts. The seal is under that and is really easy to see and remove. I put a little sealer on the new one just to make sure it sealed properly. To remove the bag in case that's what is faulty on yours it looked like a nut in the centre under the cradle would need taking off to allow it to slid off. It was all fairly straight forward and obvious what needed taking off I wouldn't be worried about carrying it out as long as you have a good selection of tools. I used my mates garage and his air tools. I also replaced the pump on mine which was on its way out which was under the car on the drivers side. All the pipes for each corner of the car run from there so if you can't see any bubbles from your suspension have a look there as if it can leak on that connection too and have the same result. 

[Bigdave1230]

Found a video I took when mine was leaking

IMG_6176.MOV

[Andy Cunningham]

2 hours ago, Bigdave1230 said:

Hi Andy it wasn't that hard really but just a little time consuming. It took a couple of hours. Got a squeezey bottle with a little washing up liquid and water in and then raised the suspension and squirted it onto the bag and cradle to see where the leak was. It was right at the top of the suspension cradle so wasn't the bag that was leaking. After removing the suspension strut the top cradle is held on with 3 13mm bolts. The seal is under that and is really easy to see and remove. I put a little sealer on the new one just to make sure it sealed properly. To remove the bag in case that's what is faulty on yours it looked like a nut in the centre under the cradle would need taking off to allow it to slid off. It was all fairly straight forward and obvious what needed taking off I wouldn't be worried about carrying it out as long as you have a good selection of tools. I used my mates garage and his air tools. I also replaced the pump on mine which was on its way out which was under the car on the drivers side. All the pipes for each corner of the car run from there so if you can't see any bubbles from your suspension have a look there as if it can leak on that connection too and have the same result. 

 

[Andy Cunningham]

Hi Dave,

thank you so much for your response I really do appreciate it, I will look into the repairs you mentioned and I will post the outcome on here, I was quoted over £1000 to sort this issue out but to be honest if I was guna spend a grand on a car I've had for 10 years I may as well use it for a deposit for another one, I willl certainly look into repairs tho, my car has only done 100k on a W plate & is a rare 2.7 v6 twin turbo petrol so its quick to say the least, the engine has never had a spanner on it either other then servicing, thanks again Dave 👍

[Andy Cunningham]

2 hours ago, Bigdave1230 said:

Found a video I took when mine was leaking

IMG_6176.MOV

Can't open video ! 

[Bigdave1230]

I can't open it either for some reason. It's just a video from my iphone showing the bubbles coming from the top of the strut. Have you tried putting soapy water on to see where the leak is