Echidna

I purchased, from a friend, a 2001 AR a few months ago. This will become my designated ice racer in AWD rubber class this winter. The AR is a high mile car that had suffered some front end damage. The hood has a couple of dents and the door edges are starting show how subject they have been, over time, to the salt in the Minneapolis area.


I bought it cheap and the mechanicals are pretty decent. My friend had come across four new shocks for the car that had been used for less than 500 miles and he was able to pick them up at a very reasonable price. This, I thought, was the perfect situation, as I know that the Achilles heel is the suspension system on these cars and that the shocks are very expensive to replace.


Everything worked fine for a few months and then the car started losing air pressure. The light on the tach started blinking, as well as the light south of the heater vents. I could not raise it to level two. The pump ran continuously and the car sat very low.


The pump, while having been rebuilt, was making some pretty strange noises. I put our scan tool to work and found out that two of the leveling sensors were bad. In looking at the components of this system, I thought an investment to reconstitute the original system was, simply, putting good money after bad. I had reconciled myself to the idea that it was time to go to a non air system with Bilstein struts. I did get the car pretty cheap but the new system was going to cost north of $1,100. I wasn't real happy about that idea and I was one click away from the purchase of the system when one of our Techs, who knows VWs and Audis quite well, came up with a novel idea.


Now, remember one thing, I did say the car had new air shocks but all the rest of the other suspension system's components were original. Travis suggested that I simply eliminate the pump, sensors, etc. and simply splice into the lines, run a T off both the front and back lines, attach a Schrader valve to each line and manually pump the front and back to the desired height. Again, the shocks are new, so this was the perfect answer.


I am running around 100 psi in each line and, so far, it has worked perfectly. I ran the lines into the trunk via the spare tire older and identified what line is for the front and which one is for the back.


The total cost was $24.00 for lines and fittings and about a hour of work. To remediate the system with the two sensors and pump would have run around $900.00 and there were more components to eventually break, as well. The Bilstein system was the best answer had I had to go the replacement route.


Personally, I like the AR but the suspension system is gimmicky. When you get to looking at the system the whole car seems to be built around the air suspension system. The benefit of the system does not justify the maintenance and eventual rehab of keeping it in working order.