Ive been wrenching on my own cars for over a decade now and Ive handled my fair share of Audi maintenance on my 2016 C7 A6 but this air suspension issue is really starting to get to me. Usually I can track down a leak pretty fast with some soapy water but this one is being stubborn. The front driver side keeps dropping overnight and even though I swapped out the level sensor last month thinking it was just a calibration glitch the problem came back.
I hooked it up to VCDS and Im seeing some codes for the compressor duty cycle being too high so I know its working overtime to keep up. Im trying to figure out if its the actual bag itself or maybe something in the valve block acting up because I really dont want to drop 800 bucks on a new strut if I dont have to especially since Im supposed to drive down to my cousins wedding in Philly next week and I need the car reliable. I already checked the lines for kinks and did the spray test on the visible parts of the strut but nothing.
Is there a specific sequence I should follow to isolate the leak without just throwing parts at it? Like should I bypass the valve block first or check the reservoir tank connections before I tear the whole front end apart? Just trying to map out the teardown steps before I spend my whole Saturday under the wheel well...
In my experience, if one side drops, it is almost definitely the bag itself. I fought this same battle on my A6 for weeks before I realized the leak was hidden in the bellows fold. Picking up the Arnott New Front Air Strut AS-2814 saved me a ton compared to OEM.