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I thought I'd reply to this as apart from being hopefully amusing it might help someone with a similar air suspension problem. Although it's about my 'forever car' I think one Audi air suspension strut and compressor system is much the same as another. A few years ago my 2005 D3 SWB W12 at 70,000miles started to sag at the front when left overnight. The compressor would restore the height and the orange and green lights would go off. But the tiny leak got worse and the compressor sometimes needed two goes at it, presumably because the thermal protection switch would cut in after much noisy pumping. Lots of air was lost from the system when the clever car tried to keep itself level by transferring air from the high pressured accumulator to the lower pressure leaky strut (see Audi SSP 292, P31). If overworked, the compressor or its relay will eventually fail. To locate the leaky strut, I put it in ‘jack mode’ to prevent level equalisation. Next day only the front driver’s side had bottomed out. I removed the under bonnet trim to expose the strut's upper mounting, slid the large dust cap back along the black wire, and did the same with the smaller dust cap underneath it. With jack mode off to restore pressure in the strut, I sprayed soapy water around the strut and poured about 15mls into the top of the mounting, not filling it above where the black wire goes in. No sign of leak from the strut air bag behind the wheel but foam appeared on top of the strut mounting. Diagnosis – the tiny top ‘O’ ring has failed, impossible to replace without major work and the garage rejoicing in a big bill for a new strut. I suspect this is the most common failure rather than the larger bottom ‘O’ ring or the tough air bag itself. I replaced the foam with about 20 mls of clear water. With a magnifying glass I saw a tiny stream of bubbles appearing from below the 18mm locking nut. So I put jack mode back on and waited a couple of days till the bubbles stopped when the pressureless strut had bottomed out. Then I sucked out the water and left it to dry thoroughly. Then I injected a layer of some tough ‘CT1’ sealant. After a day to harden, I added another layer….then another. Then, jack mode off to restore pressure in the strut. Sadly, it didn’t completely cure the leak, but it took around three days to sink rather than just overnight. But a little later the WABCO compressor finally failed, rattling away uselessly. Although access is via the wheel arch for most A8 cars, it is impossible for the W12. The front bumper has to expensively come off. So I bounced it along to my capable indy to do this and the compressor, reconditioned with my repair kit from ‘bagpiping andy’, is now silent. I could live with the leaky strut, remembering to put a bespoke 30cm x 12 x 6 wooden block under the jacking point with ‘jack mode’ on if unused for a few days. It’s important to leave the car in ‘jack mode’ so the compressor doesn’t have to replenish the whole system every time the car is used. Amazingly, a few weeks ago (at 76000 miles) I noticed the car no longer sank onto the block, even after well over a week. Somehow the amazing CT1 sealant (incidentally good for repairing trainer soles!) seems to have almost sealed this top end leak! I hope this story helps someone with a similar problem as I don’t believe I’m the only one with O ring failure which a garage would probably resolve with a new strut and a hefty four figure bill.

Apologies for the gripe, but the forum has recently suffered from a spate of what can be termed ‘Post and Run’ new members, who seem to think it’s perfectly acceptable to post a plea for help, and simply not return to view the help given. In a more diluted form, help is offered, but is very rarely acknowledged even via. a simple press of the Like button, leave alone a posted Thank You. The last part of the gripe is that we frequently have to ask for additional information, and this extra detail often never materialises. Please remember, everyone who posts replies do so without payment, but it certainly does cost them in time - in terms of the Moderators and Admin back up - a lot of time. So a special plea to all on here who post needing help:- please be respectful enough to acknowledge any help given, rather than simply accept it as a no-cost, no time of yours, free advice service. It’s wearing thin folks, so if you want to retain this service, please respect and acknowledge its benefits. Thank you all for reading this, and above all, agreeing to adhere to the respect that is needed to be shown. Kind regards, On behalf of the Moderators. Please note:- This request is to all members, not just new ones.

Looks fantastic, sounds like you've got a good plan to get it recommissioned. Slow starting could be worn out glow plugs or injector issue. Any blue smoke on start up could be failed injector seals. Please keep us posted on how you get on

You'd have thought so from the point of view of a practical mechanic, but the "master technicians" that Audi employ can only plug in their computers and read the screens, and if the computer says "no" you are out of luck yet still face a large bill.

The sagging must be caused by either a leak or a problem with the control system. The history of the problem is important. You said that it 'only seems to be when sitting a long time'. If it was the control system, the sagging would be present immediately, I think. If the level is OK for several hours, and then gradually sags, that is suggestive of a small leak gradually reducing the pressure in the strut. Have a thorough read of my post above and ask your expensive mechanics specifically if they have sprayed the strut bags with Fairy Liquid water (makes lots of giveaway bubbles) and also done the same as I did at the top of the strut housing to check the top O ring. It only takes a few minutes to do, and should have been the first thing they did.

Just joined hoping someone would like to buy my wifes cherished dark blue A4 Cabriolet. 2 lady owners, 54000 miles, FSH and always garaged. She is looking for around £3000, having been offered £2400 by an unpleasant dealer who test drove it.thanks Bob

I'm signing out of this forum but I thought you might like to learn that Audi in America advocate a long-soak method of oil flushing before oil change to try to solve this very common problem. It sounds very severe to me - 45 minutes at 3000 rpm after adding the substance - so I'd have reservations. But you can't buy it retail anyway, only through Audi dealers.

Interesting John, and fix. Just been listening to someone on YouTube with a Q7. They had sagging suspension overnight and replaced airbag suspension up front and the fault continued. According to them this was traced to insufficient tyre inflation. Now this got me thinking, hold on, this is a Q7, TMPS has been in place since 2012, so surely a incorrectly inflated tyre would have flagged an issue? Apparently there was an update to the story and it was in fact one of the self levelling sensors that was corroded. Would be worth checking them out that there’s no corrosion or damage before condemning the airbag.

Thanks Steve. The Cabriolet has an integrated zip which should make the process a little more straightforward, although I’ve heard that lining up the teeth of the zip can be a nightmare! The replacement window comes with an adhesive strip, but I’m also doing to use a speedy stitche awl to use the original stitching holes to re sew it too. For extra measure I may also use a sealant on the zip teeth themselves too. Leave it with me and I’ll try and document the process.

I repeat "nothing you can do by way of additives or treatments will help". Sorry you find that unhelpful. Would you prefer me to have advised you to spend silly amounts of money on useless materials? It's your money to waste as you want, but don't expect me to condone it.

Paid for a basic Autotrader history check at the time which showed no issues. I've just done a Car Vertical one too though and seems to check out, no odometer or damage history. My indie did say that there are some crash codes missing, so he thinks it's had a knock in the past. Thanks, I'd come across VAG technic. Seems to be lots of debate online about them in the forums but I spoke to the guy on the phone and he seemed reasonable, so maybe will try there next. Thanks very much for your help!

Just to keep you all updated. My car is sorted and back on the road. It only took a few days fortunately. I was told part fitted now is a better version. I did not to have to pay for anything it was done under 7 years extended warranty. Thank you all for sharing your experience here especially Mark as otherwise I would probably not know about it and ended up paying 1000s.

good afternoon I would not want to post it here just in case it is against the forum's rules. but all I can tell you is that a Google search found the APK for my Android phone and is free I can't update it. but says ultimate vag and has allowed me to do a lot of things to about 10 cars at work. there is a YouTube guy that does a guide on about 20 different OBD11 tools and how some of them are a scam like the Carly one where it clearly states you are paying a membership which you have to pay each year or something and he does not recommend getting it

i have one and cracked app so i get all settings

Awesome. Thank you, getting low on fuel now so I’ll fill up with some premium unleaded at a complete different garage and see!

Pinking, or pre-ignition, is not dependant on engine speed, instead it depends on engine load hence it happens when accelerating. A fuel mixture that is too weak or a spark that is too advanced will cause pinking. Modern engines normally detect that pinking and automatically adjust the ECU output accordingly. That's not to say your engine is definitely pinking because we can not hear the sound, but it is a possibility.

Mark. I see you looked at this forum yesterday, so have you made any progress on the matter?

That video is a blown turbo like whistles or whirrs when you rev it, engine management light on and losing oil, I have none of those symptoms. I have exact match to your first post. No worries if you didn't get to the bottom of it mate, thanks for your message though

Mine just seems to over run on starter motor, prob 2 secs after engine fires. Seen others saying it's as starter motor wears the engagement onto the fly wheel doesn't release and withdraw as quick as it should, which sounds like makes sense. Mentions recondition or replace starter just wanted to see if you got yours sorted as either way over £150 if a simple fix possible

Welcome to the forum you'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch 🙂 You'll find that most soft top roofs are glued as well as stitched these days. I guess the key question is, what's the warranty on the replacement roof?

You're welcome, sorry I can't help more.

Sorry Hamza, I will not open links to untrusted sources, however if the tyres are as bad as you describe I have no doubt they are the cause of the noise.

Is there any damage to the summer tyres, or a foreign body such as a stone jammed in the tread? Are they even at the correct pressure?

Welcome to the forum you'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch 🙂 Check for wet carpets in front footwells which is often due to a broken pollen filter housing or blocked battery tray drains. This water can damage the CCM which is under the passenger footwells carpet. The CCM controls a lot of electrical functions so make sure all electrical items work. Looks stunning to be fair. Service history is key for the 2.5tdi. People say they're unreliable but this is often because people have failed to keep up on regular maintenance. My A6 2.5tdi had done 344k miles before engine expired. Regarding the gearbox, make sure it's been serviced and gear changes are smooth. Regarding the ingenium engine my wife has a Jag xe with this engine so fully aware of the issues.

Thank you for your help, Daveyboy. I've taken careful note of those sources for locks that you gave me but I THINK I've solved it without a new lock! I noticed yesterday that the lock was ticking when both the 'lock' and 'unlock' were pressed on the fob so this made me think (hope) that it was a mechanical problem rather than an electrical one. So I cleaned the mechanisms all out with one of those modern degreasers - actually WD40 degreaser. I put it all back together this morning after re-oiling and it works. My 79 year old eyesight and fingers aren't ideal for this sort of thing but I managed to re-connect the door handle operating rod in the correct place after a couple of false starts. I'll keep my fingers crossed. There are eight pins in the socket but only six in the plug but I'd still dearly like to know why six wires are needed for a simple open/close mechanism! I believe there are two, maybe three micro-switches in the electrics and the usual problem is that the connections to one or more of these become 'dry' or a little cracked. Very often simply resoldering the connections works apparently. They are simply (and cheaply) soldered in to the board and it's easy to imagine that they flex a little every time the switch is operated and eventually something gives. The micro-switches are, I believe, something to do with sending signals back to ECU about the status of the door: locked/ unlocked/ shut/ open etc. Thanks again.

And thank you guys for all your help on this situation. I really appreciate all the advise given to me.

My decision is still undecided but if it’s going to be too much headache then I’ll probably end up not changing the engine. I just needed some advise and guidance before I make a decision.

That looks identical! Thank you. I've sent the seller the Reg and VIN number to check. It's much cheaper than the German one (that didn't fit) too!

In my experience, using bushes is only cost effective if you're doing the work yourself. As you mentioned, labour is the killer. For convenience, replacing the entire arm is the way to go. The suspension arm needs to be completely removed, the old bush pressed out and the new one pressed in. On lower arms, some vehicles may have hydra bushes fitted (filled with a liquid). Once it's all done, the vehicle tracking geometry should be checked. Personally, I'd have chosen a random MOT centre and put it through. You might get some disparity between the two checks, but it should be minimal, as the garage's MOT certification is at stake, so it's in their interests to be honest and impartial. Visual inspection is only part of it, the tester should put a pry bar on those joints to check for flex.

Thanks Mark, If it were mine:- (1) I would not return it to the same MOT station - they are highly likely to pass it again - perhaps with a backside- covering advisory. As said, I would chose a random local MOT station. (2) Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but would I have put my faith in the car’s total condition being assessed via a seller-chosen MOT and the seller’s word? No ( in caps). (3). Such MOT issues are drawn to the attention of VOSA and not DVLA. As an aside, I go back many decades, at the time I was selling a MK2 Cortina Estate. A potential buyer ( without having seen the car) arranged for an AA inspection. They came up with about half a dozen trivial conclusions on what was a nice vehicle, and understandably, he did not buy it - but someone else did shortly after. The point I make is that paid-for inspections can be a backside covering assessment, to prevent any ( in caps) come backs. Might be worth keeping this in mind, and the affair may turn out to be a storm in a tea cup. We can only offer advice to follow on the ‘if it were mine’ principle, and it’s obviously up to the poster to chose whether to follow it or reject it. Good luck with whatever you decide to do Mark, but please keep us up to date on progress. Kind regards, Gareth.

Definitely could be a leaking airbag. I'd recommend a diagnostic check to see if any fault codes flag up

Hi. New to the group (based in Edinburgh) having bought a 2000 2.8 Final Edition just under a year ago. Not had much chance to drive it as it was bought as a project but the head gasket went the day I got it and I only managed to have the car returned early December 2024. Fun starts now!

You could alternatively get a remap which does an adblue delete? Would cost around £300-500 I think

Never found why this is the case. Replaced everything and still get hot as if they are dragging. New calipers,discs,pads and wheel bearings. Gave up to be honest