Convert air suspension to coil springs
10-27-2015, 05:13 PM
#11
AudiWorld Super User
If that is truly the case, scrap the car and try to by another one with the exact cost of the repair plus the salvage value of your old car. I'm guessing you won't find this possible. Instead, fix the car you know and presumably have not abused which has a good drivetrain. My'04 has 247,000 miles on it. I'd replace a defective air strut today if needed. Same with the air compressor.
10-27-2015, 08:47 PM
#12
AudiWorld Wiseguy
It would be if you asked your local friendly Audi dealer to sort it out. They will quite happily tell you with a straight face that you need 4 new struts, a compressor and valve block for $13k all in.
Alternatively you can buy a VCDS cable and diagnose the issue yourself which in 99% of cases is caused by just one leaking strut, and worst case a consequent burned out compressor too. Less than $1000 dollars in parts and a few hours labor to fit.
Alternatively you can buy a VCDS cable and diagnose the issue yourself which in 99% of cases is caused by just one leaking strut, and worst case a consequent burned out compressor too. Less than $1000 dollars in parts and a few hours labor to fit.
10-28-2015, 11:54 PM
#13
AudiWorld Member
If somebody says you need more in parts than your car is worth on a 10k+ car, it's time to use your brain and let somebody who knows what he/she is doing do the job.
The struts in these cars very seldom leak, and the strut is often repairable with very simple manners, just taking off the strut and putting a new hose connection if the old has cracked. Costs like a few hours and a few dollars in parts.
There is no magic in these air struts, just a normal air bellow strut built around a shock absorber with electrically controlled damping force. So two connections, one electrical for controlling the damping and one air connection for controlling the air pressure in the strut.
And as i've driven several D2 and D3 cars, the air suspension makes a whole world in difference. The D2 is always as rough ride, but on the D3 you can choose several options according in height/damping to where you are driving.
But if you are willing to get rid of a good system, just because your mechanic can't do a simple job and fixing an air leak (if he can't fix an air leak, how the hell can he fix anything else on a car then?), then it's your loss.
And as said By dvs_dave, at worst it can be a leaking strut, and a burnt compressor. If you don't own vcds or any other diagnosing software, you can even measure all the components with a multi-meter, but it's a lot smarter and easier to have a diagnostic software (even Autocom can do it) that can read the measurements from the controller.
The struts in these cars very seldom leak, and the strut is often repairable with very simple manners, just taking off the strut and putting a new hose connection if the old has cracked. Costs like a few hours and a few dollars in parts.
There is no magic in these air struts, just a normal air bellow strut built around a shock absorber with electrically controlled damping force. So two connections, one electrical for controlling the damping and one air connection for controlling the air pressure in the strut.
And as i've driven several D2 and D3 cars, the air suspension makes a whole world in difference. The D2 is always as rough ride, but on the D3 you can choose several options according in height/damping to where you are driving.
But if you are willing to get rid of a good system, just because your mechanic can't do a simple job and fixing an air leak (if he can't fix an air leak, how the hell can he fix anything else on a car then?), then it's your loss.
And as said By dvs_dave, at worst it can be a leaking strut, and a burnt compressor. If you don't own vcds or any other diagnosing software, you can even measure all the components with a multi-meter, but it's a lot smarter and easier to have a diagnostic software (even Autocom can do it) that can read the measurements from the controller.
10-29-2015, 06:00 AM
#14
AudiWorld Senior Member
I
The struts in these cars very seldom leak, and the strut is often repairable with very simple manners, just taking off the strut and putting a new hose connection if the old has cracked. Costs like a few hours and a few dollars in parts.
There is no magic in these air struts, just a normal air bellow strut built around a shock absorber with electrically controlled damping force. So two connections, one electrical for controlling the damping and one air connection for controlling the air pressure in the strut.
And as i've driven several D2 and D3 cars, the air suspension makes a whole world in difference. The D2 is always a rough ride, but on the D3 you can choose several options according in height/damping to where you are driving.
But if you are willing to get rid of a good system, just because your mechanic can't do a simple job and fixing an air leak (if he can't fix an air leak, how the hell can he fix anything else on a car then?), then it's your loss.
And as said By dvs_dave, at worst it can be a leaking strut, and a burnt compressor. If you don't own vcds or any other diagnosing software, you can even measure all the components with a multi-meter, but it's a lot smarter and easier to have a diagnostic software (even Autocom can do it) that can read the measurements from the controller.
The struts in these cars very seldom leak, and the strut is often repairable with very simple manners, just taking off the strut and putting a new hose connection if the old has cracked. Costs like a few hours and a few dollars in parts.
There is no magic in these air struts, just a normal air bellow strut built around a shock absorber with electrically controlled damping force. So two connections, one electrical for controlling the damping and one air connection for controlling the air pressure in the strut.
And as i've driven several D2 and D3 cars, the air suspension makes a whole world in difference. The D2 is always a rough ride, but on the D3 you can choose several options according in height/damping to where you are driving.
But if you are willing to get rid of a good system, just because your mechanic can't do a simple job and fixing an air leak (if he can't fix an air leak, how the hell can he fix anything else on a car then?), then it's your loss.
And as said By dvs_dave, at worst it can be a leaking strut, and a burnt compressor. If you don't own vcds or any other diagnosing software, you can even measure all the components with a multi-meter, but it's a lot smarter and easier to have a diagnostic software (even Autocom can do it) that can read the measurements from the controller.
When it comes to comparing the D2 to the D3 it all comes out about even when looking at long term ownership. The D2 suffers from a gimpy transmission that always seems to always fail at about 100.000 miles or so. It costs about $4k plus a trip to Chicago to fix. If all 4 struts fail on a d3 (very rare), it is about the same money. Personally I would rather have a strut fail than a transmission. I can replace a strut or two in my driveway in a few hours. Not so with a transmission failure.
If someone could source the rubber bellows, I think that strut repairs could be be very cheap.
10-29-2015, 06:40 AM
#15
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I know someone that converted and the car rides fine. It's all about what you use, the ride quality isn't an issue in his case, it's the light on the dash that kills me. I also have a buddy with a cls55 amg and they have done the same conversion. IMO his car actually rides better now and the crappy airmatic is expensive to fix and certain to fail at some point. BTW with the Benz kit they include a module for the dash light delete. Why this isn't available for Audi, is a mystery. It's not about being able to afford the repairs, or screwing up the ride quality. It's about having a worry free system that's reliable through the life of the car. Done right it'll be fine, ride would be comparable to having a functional trunk in our Audi's and not having it open and close with the push of a button. It's not a big deal.
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