Recently, I have stumbled on a procedure to lower the car with air suspension by changing adaptation values in chassis control (module 74). The procedure can be done using the Ross-Tech VCDS tool or the OBDEleven mobile app.
Since I already had an Obdeleven Bluetooth adapter and application, I tried that, but with no success. I would always end up with errors like “Incorrect sequence” or “Function not available”. There are multiple documents online how to do it and testimonials of people who successfully did it, but it appears that the procedure varies from car to car – it depends on the car model and maybe even a production year.
Anyway, after some research and trial and error I managed to change the height successfully.
Most people who performed the procedure wanted to lower the car for better looks and handling. I, however, wanted to raise the height in comfort mode to improve ride comfort. The idea was that by raising the height, the suspension will have more travel and that should have a positive effect on comfort. Of course, I could just switch to Allroad mode and achieve the same effect, but Allroad mode raises the car by 25mm and stiffens the damping for better body control so you don’t really get better comfort.
The procedure is the same whether you want to lower or raise the car, and here is what worked for me.
To succeed, certain conditions have to be met:
- the car has to be on a flat surface
- hood has to be open
- doors have to be closed during the coding
- fuel tank should be at least half full
- engine should be running to maintain a stable battery voltage
- auto drive mode has to be selected (some say that comfort works as well)
Once ready, plug in the OBDEleven dongle, launch the app, and connect.
Once connected, go to the control units, find chassis control (module 74)
First, check to make sure no faults are logged. Then, go to Faults, scan for changes, and clear any faults.
At this point, the smart thing to do is to create a configuration backup—select the backup option at the bottom.
After that, go to Security Access and type the code OBDEleven offers. Once the security code is accepted, go to Basic Settings and select “Start up prelim. stage for calibrt. cust. service”
Wait 10-15 seconds for the process to complete. You’ll get an error message on the dash – that’s perfectly fine.
Next step is to select “Start up to reference level”. During this process, the car will go up and down.
Again, give it some time to complete. This may take 15-20 seconds. After that, go to “Adaptations” and locate these four entries:
- Body height left front wheel house edge
- Body height right front wheel house edge
- Body height left rear wheel house edge
- Body height right rear wheel house edge
Write down all values so you have a backup. The values are in millimeters.
If you want to raise the car, subtract the 10mm from the value (or how much you want to raise the car). If you want to lower the car, add 10mm to the original value. You may think that for raising the car you need to increase the value, but that’s not how it works. Make sure to change all wheels by the same amount. Also, make sure not to add or subtract more than 15mm. Going over 15mm could cause errors.
Once you update settings for all four wheels, go back to basic settings and select “Switch to normal level control function”. This should clear the error from the dash. Check and clear any faults in the module. Some could be logged during the process.
That’s it!
Ride height should be changed now!
Here are before and after pictures on my car:
Before
After
The difference is exactly 10mm.