Aronis
March 19th, 2006, 02:37
So far so good, I feel the car is near 100% after nearly 9 weeks. After a lot of back and forth it finally came down to replacing all four socks and the central control valves. I suspected that if the car could have been serviced at a closer dealership with less driving on the leaking sytem that the shocks themselves could have been spared, but certainly all four of the bottom seals needed to be replaced as the corrosion problam made all four leak.
The extra mileage needed to get to and from the dealer while parts were being ordered led to a completely empty system with damage to the shocks. I asked for a loaner at the first visit, but they were not prepared at that point and in all fairness I don't think anyone at that point had any reason to believe my suspicion that all four shocks would end up empty of fluid and dead.
My mechanics FIRST impression was that at the very least the rear shocks which were clearly empty of any hydraulic fluid would need to be replaced, but he was not allowed to take this approach.
Whatever process is used to refill the shocks (applying a -5 bar vacuum to the shocks and refilling it with fluid) it is apparently touchy and needs to be done very precisely or the air remains trapped in the shock. I still feel that removing the shock from the car and inverting it with or without the use of a vacuum would be easier! So perhaps if the system was refilled precisely correctly the shocks may have been 'ok'. I don't know and neither does the mechanic.
I have driven about 400 miles on the system since its final repair. The car still bottoms out occasionally, but perhaps just as before due to the larger diameter of the snows (correct tire size though) and the improper wheel offset, but certainly it is not bottoming out on EVERY little bump like it was after the first 'repair' was complete.
Clearly I want to drive it for another 400 or so miles to be able to say for certain it's completely normal again.
If you system developes a leak, get it serviced ASAP and avoid driving it. Some of us only have one car and need transportation so this can be tricky.
After their recent experience I'd recommend that if you are in the New England, New York, New Jersay area and have a DRC failure I'd go to Langan Audi East in Latham, NY, because now Tommy clearly has the know-how to do it right. This was my chief concern in the first place in that NO ONE in the North East US had any experience fixing this system before!
If the system leaks, the Control Valves must be replaced since they cannot be refilled at the shop.
If one seal (on the tubing connecting to the bottom of the shock) leaks due to corrosion - All Four Seals/Tubes must be replaced - don't accept anything less. This then requires that the shock be refilled, the trick apparently is to exceed the -5 bar to -8 bar instead.
If a shock is CLUNKING - CHANGE IT. The shock can be tested on the bench if they have the special equipment.
I'll update this after a few hundred miles more.
Mike
The extra mileage needed to get to and from the dealer while parts were being ordered led to a completely empty system with damage to the shocks. I asked for a loaner at the first visit, but they were not prepared at that point and in all fairness I don't think anyone at that point had any reason to believe my suspicion that all four shocks would end up empty of fluid and dead.
My mechanics FIRST impression was that at the very least the rear shocks which were clearly empty of any hydraulic fluid would need to be replaced, but he was not allowed to take this approach.
Whatever process is used to refill the shocks (applying a -5 bar vacuum to the shocks and refilling it with fluid) it is apparently touchy and needs to be done very precisely or the air remains trapped in the shock. I still feel that removing the shock from the car and inverting it with or without the use of a vacuum would be easier! So perhaps if the system was refilled precisely correctly the shocks may have been 'ok'. I don't know and neither does the mechanic.
I have driven about 400 miles on the system since its final repair. The car still bottoms out occasionally, but perhaps just as before due to the larger diameter of the snows (correct tire size though) and the improper wheel offset, but certainly it is not bottoming out on EVERY little bump like it was after the first 'repair' was complete.
Clearly I want to drive it for another 400 or so miles to be able to say for certain it's completely normal again.
If you system developes a leak, get it serviced ASAP and avoid driving it. Some of us only have one car and need transportation so this can be tricky.
After their recent experience I'd recommend that if you are in the New England, New York, New Jersay area and have a DRC failure I'd go to Langan Audi East in Latham, NY, because now Tommy clearly has the know-how to do it right. This was my chief concern in the first place in that NO ONE in the North East US had any experience fixing this system before!
If the system leaks, the Control Valves must be replaced since they cannot be refilled at the shop.
If one seal (on the tubing connecting to the bottom of the shock) leaks due to corrosion - All Four Seals/Tubes must be replaced - don't accept anything less. This then requires that the shock be refilled, the trick apparently is to exceed the -5 bar to -8 bar instead.
If a shock is CLUNKING - CHANGE IT. The shock can be tested on the bench if they have the special equipment.
I'll update this after a few hundred miles more.
Mike