LeadToRome

I'm sure it's a common question, sorry. Bilstein, OEM or other? I knew I shoulda put shocks on it when I put the suspension in, penny wise and pound foolish. Oh well.

Thanks!

LeadToRome

Nobody? The OEM shocks are twice as much (three times as much if you were dumb enough to buy them from a dealer), but don't tie into the air system like the oem ones do. Is the extra cost worth it?

09mehashaw

Well, the Bilsteins aren't made for the allroad, they are just modified instead of the stock ones which are AR specific.
I'd honestly go the route of OEM.

The cheapest online price is Europa and then cheaper even is Genuine Audi Parts and if you want the cheapest price available, email this guy:

cheter@classicaudi.com

The guy's name is Carson and if you are on QuattroWorld, he'll hook you up, but honestly, just tell him you are being sent by a few QuattroWorld guys.
He has the best pricing and not to mention, he ships über fast, he's an Audi guy at heart, and honestly is a great dude.

My vote is for the OEM's.

LeadToRome

thanks man I'll hit him up, I've decided going OEM is worth it. Appreciate the heads up.

09mehashaw

No sweat, mate.
If Carson asks if you want some OE bolts and stuff, it's up to you, but most of them in the Bentley say Replace or Die so I'd follow that.
Carson has the best parts, mate.
I've spend WAAAYYYY too much through him. haha
I've definitely saved over 60% buying through him even with shipping than I would if I were buying at the local dealership.

dcaron9999

I recently bought a used 2005 Audi allroad with 102,000Kms on the clock. Im based in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada.

My front left bag has started to sag just a bit (sits a quarter inch lower than three others after a few days of no use in my heated garage). My air pump works overtime when riding in position #2 a little more often than normal. I will be doing the soapy water test on all bags, tubes, regulator, and pump soon. Up to now (2 months ownership), there are no warning lights on my cluster. Been thinking about OEM or Arnott gen #1. Also, if it is possible, I would like to reduce or eliminate the floaty feal in level #1. I ride in level #2 in the city or the highway most of the time to avoid this behavior.

GTA_Driver

Front left is often the first to go, and if that corner is dropping over several days, it has a slow leak.

A slow leak like you're describing should be no cause for alarm, and your compressor should not work overtime. The only time the compressor starts to work too much is if you have a serious leak and the spring has trouble holding air during driving.

You may be experiencing other issues, though you should really get a VAG-COM scan, or a scan at the dealer (if you'll be keeping your Audi for a while, get VAG-COM/VCDS. It will pay for itself very quickly).

There is nothing you can do to fix ride quality in level 1. It is not meant to be driven in that level very much. It's either live with it, or change to coilover suspension if you want great handling but no adjustability.

If your shocks are worn, then replacing them will help the ride quality, but at 100K kms I doubt that's the case.

dcaron9999

GTA_Driver: Thanks for your great advice - from a feloow Canadian too!

I think the shocks are still good as they dampen the bounciness well in level #2. It seems like they are overwhelmed in level #1 though, but Im learning that is by design.

Been thinking seriously about the VCDS, but the price tag is killing me. Still might give in soon though, as I DIY as much as I can on my cars. Other car is a tiptronic 2002 BMW 330xi, and the cheaper Peake diag tool has helped me save and pinpoint issues faily quickly...