Audi air suspension sagging, warnings and compressor faults

Which Audi models are affected?

This page covers Audi cars with air suspension. For other Audi work, see our Audi and VW specialist page.

The models owners ask about include:

• A6 allroad
• Q7
• A8
• A7

Air suspension depends on the model and how the car was specified. If you are not sure whether your Audi has it, put the registration in the enquiry form and we will check.

What are the symptoms?

• the car is slow to rise or lower
• a corner, or one end of the car, sits lower than the rest
• an air suspension warning in the instrument cluster
• the compressor runs all the time, or does not run at all

When you book, tell us which corner drops, how long the car had been parked when you noticed, and which warning you saw.

What causes it?

The compressor is the part that often gets the blame, but one air suspension supplier says it usually fails because of a leak elsewhere in the system. The leak points it names are:

• an air spring
• the fittings and air lines
• the valve block

With a leak, the compressor has to keep running and overheats. Fitting a new compressor without fixing the leak leaves the new one to fail the same way.

How do you confirm the fault before fitting parts?

A fault code is not a repair, and a low car is not a diagnosis. Before we quote for any parts, we:

• read the fault data stored in the suspension control unit
• leak-test the joint between each air spring and its strut, the valve block and the air lines
• inspect the folds of each air spring

We then show you what we found and send a written price. No part is fitted until you give us your written approval.

What does the repair involve?

We repair the part the tests prove faulty, not the whole system.

• Leaks first. We fix the leak, whether that is an air spring, a fitting, an air line or the valve block.
• Compressor. If it has failed, we replace it and fit a new relay with it.
• Recheck. We test the system for leaks again after the repair, then check and set the ride height.

Once the work is done, we check that the car rises and holds its height and verify the repair, including a road test where appropriate.

How long does an air suspension repair take?

It depends on what the tests find and how many parts are faulty. Checking that the car holds its height may mean it needs to stand for a while, so it may need to stay with us.

Before any work starts, you get a written price and a promised time for your next update. If the car needs to stay with us, ask about a courtesy car when you book.

Is there a recall for Audi air suspension?

DVSA’s recall records include R/2022/359 and R/2025/237, both for the struts on the Audi e-tron GT.

Whether a recall applies depends on the individual car, so check your registration on gov.uk. Recall work is done by the manufacturer’s network, not by us.