TNslim

Greetings fellow allroad owners!

I am completely new to this forum but I have had my allroad for about five years now. What a love/hate relationship it has been. Still love the car, but of course hate it when things break!

So my suspension is on the fritz, which is a story I know we are all familiar with. It's a repeat of an similar issue I had roughly 3 years ago but this time I want to make sure I'm going through the right troubleshooting process rather than just putting a bandaid on a problem without getting to the true root of the disease.

My current problem is that the none of the airbags are inflating, and therefore the car is sitting very low--lower than the lowest normal airride setting. I do not think this is a problem with the compressor or the air cylinders at each wheel. I can hear the compressor kick on and run each time the car is started (the light on the dash flashes for a couple minutes but will eventually stop when it senses that no level change has occurred) and I do not hear any hissing that might indicate an air leak somewhere.

The last time this happened all four wheels stopped inflating at the same time. This time around the front wheels stopped inflating for roughly two days before the rear wheels finally settled down to the same level (when left parked for several days). My fix last time was to replace the rear ECU, which worked like a charm and immediately fixed the problem, although I had a CEL for the suspension system that I've never been able to clear since then. Before I go hunting for another junkyard ECU module though, I need some assurance that this is or is not really the same problem, and so I turn to you, the great Hive Mind of the internet.

So, without turning this into the typical post where I ask people to help me troubleshoot my specific problem, what are your favorite or most popular posts for troubleshooting suspension problems? I should also mention that I have a Vag Com cable and software but I have not ever used it before, for what it's worth.

Anyone care to help a fellow allroader?

G0to60

You should try to use the Vag Com. I believe that you can check the suspension ECU and can tell whether it is communicating correctly.

If it is not the ECU then I would think that it is the valve block or it might be an easier problem like the main air line from the compressor to the valve block has a leak or restriction. Might be worth it to look around under there.

If you haven't seen it before here is just about all the information you need on the allroad air suspension: http://www.volkspage.net/technik/ssp/ssp/SSP_243.pdf

TNslim

Thanks for the link. I believe I have run across that before the last time I had my ECU problem. This will be very helpful if I need to troubleshoot something mechanical or hydraulic/pnuematic rather than electrical or ECU related.

Is there a good walkthrough out there for how to use the Vag Com to hook up and troubleshoot the ECU? I have yet to even take my Vag Com out of the box so I am starting from square one when it comes to using this tool.

Kneale Brownson

Download VCDS from the Ross-Tech website, plug the cable into the communication port and the computer, turn on the key and start following the software suggestions on the Ross-Tech website.

amiram

If you want to diagnos your allroad you can ask of your vehicle's ECU, He records the faults during the trips. He speaks in codes.
You can purchase VAG fault code scanner on eBay. Prices from 10.00 dollars to 1500.00 dollars. I'm using one like this for two years SUPER VAG K+CAN (100.$). He read and erase fault codes, and also allows to keep tracking allroad's Systems. It can not make adaptations.
Very easy to use. In the network has a lot of sites that translate to you for free fault codes to your language.
It is very difficult to make a diagnosis based on the description of the situation that you write.
By the way, after seeing a fault code, and after you fix the problem in a car, you must delete the fault code. If not, it will interfere with the ECU to work correctly.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/U281-VAG-OBD2-OBDII-Auto-Scanner-Code-Reader-Diagnostic-Tool-VW-AUDI-SEAT-SKODA-/111476200403?hash=item19f47fd3d3&item=111476200403&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-K-CAN-V4-8-Vag-Scanner-Diagnostic-Tool-Code-Reader-for-VW-Audi-OBD-OBD2-/190893843127?hash=item2c7228e2b7&item=190893843127&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr

Foxwell NT500 VAG Scanner Audi VW Engine Airbag ABS ALL Module Diagnostic Tool | eBay

ariana66

I would think that it is the valve block or it might be an easier problem like the main air line from the compressor to the valve block has a leak or restriction. If it is not the ECU then, Might be worth it to look around under there.

indoor

What Kneale Broenson said. And here's some official info: http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Misc/VA...nual_512.1.pdf

It's outdated as far as softwear versions(they got to 12something) but the general user instructions are the same. I've been using VCDS for years, and just recently saw this PDF, but still learned something new from it.