-----------------------VEHICLE OPERATION
Driving on rough roads or rugged terrain
For off road use, your Audi allroad is
equipped with a 4-level air suspension ride
height adjustment system, in addition to all
wheel drive.
Yo ur vehicle's ground clearance (ride height)
can be adjusted to changing terrain condi
tions with the push of a butt on.
At the highe st level setting (maximum clear
ing level), ground clearance is 8.2 inches
(20.8 em).
Some general tips
Navar drive on terra in that is too de
manding for the design of your ve
hicle or for your driving abilities.
Navar t�;�ke any unnecessary
chances!
• Before you take your vehicle off-roa d,
make certain that you know how to operate
the ride height adjustment system-see pa
ge 153. •
Make sure that you adjust the ride height
just before you travel on any rough sections
of terra in.
• Always adjust the vehicle's speed
to the trail and terrain conditions.
• Stow any luggage or other items in the
luggage compartment and make certain
that they are properly secured so that they
do not shift.
• Never travel on any roads, trails or terrain
on which motor vehicle travel is prohibited.
r.:Cib Always protect the environW ment. Respect our natural su�
roundings.
• After traveling off-road, remember to re
move any branches or other foreign objects
caught in the grille, underbody or wheels. In
particular, look for foreign objects (stones)
caught in the tire treads.
Check the vehicle for possible damage.
• Clean dirty windows, headlight and tail
light lenses and license plates. •
Check your brakes after traveling off-road
especially after driving through water.
• If need be, clean the underbody, suspen
sion parts, etc. (for example, in an under
body wash).
Some driving tips
Unpaved roads and off-road
• Drive slowly on unfamiliar roads and ter
rain, and stay alert for unexpected hazards
(for example, potholes, rocks and stumps).
• To avoid hanging up the vehicle and dam
aging the undercarriage on extremely un
even terrain, drive over large humps with
the hump in the center of the vehicle.
Instead, always drive over the hump with
the vehicle wheels on one side of the ve
hicle positioned over the crown of the
hump.
199
Braking
General notes
• The brakes on today's automobiles are
still subject to wear, depending largely on
operating conditions and driving habits. On
vehicles which are driven mostly in stop
an d-go city traffic or which are driven hard,
the brake pads should be checked by your
authorized Audi Dealer more often than
specified in the Maintenance booklet.
• On steep slopes, you should use the
braking effect of the engine. This way, you
prevent unnecessary wear to the brake sys
tem. If you must use your brakes, do not
hold the brakes down continu ously. Pump
the brakes at interv als.
• Under certain conditions, for example,
when driving through water or very heavy
rain, or even after washing your vehicle, the
braking effect can be reduced due to the
wet brake pads or pads which are iced-up in
the winter. A few cautious brake applica
tions should dry off the brake pads or re
move ice coati ngs. The
effect iveness of the brakes can be re
duced when the vehicle is driven on a salt
covered road and the brakes are not used.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious
brake applications.
�W ARNING
• If you damage the front spoiler,
or if you install a different spoiler,
be sure the air flow to the front
brakes is not obstructed, other
wise the brake system could over
heat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake aystem.
• Failure of one brake circuit will
impair the braking capability re
sulting in an increased stopping
distance.
Avo id driving the vehicle and have
it towed to the nearest authorized
Audi Dealer or qualified work
shop. VEH
ICLE OPERATION
Brake booster
�W ARNING
• The brake booster works with
vacuum pressure which is created
only when the engine is running.
Never let the vehicle roll to a stop
with the angina shut off.
• If the brake booster is not work
ing, for example when towing your
vehicle, or because the brake boo
ster has somehow been damaged,
the brake pedal must be pressed
harder to make up for the lack of
booster assistance.
201
VE
HICL E OPERA TION-----------------------
'4 WARN ING continued
• Before descending a steep
grade, reduce speed and shift
transmission into a lower gear or
lower driving position. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down
too long or too often. This could
cause the brakes to get hot and di
minish braking efficiency.
• If you damage the front spoiler,
or if you install a different spoiler,
be sure the air flow to the front
brakes is not obstructed. Other
wise the brake system could over
heat reducing the effective ness of
the entire brake system.
• Failure of one brake circuit will
impair the braking capability re
sulting in an increased stopping
distance.
Avoid driving the vehicle and have
it towed to the nearest Audi Dealer
or qualified workshop.
204 Electronic differential lock
(EDL)
The EDL operates in conjunction with the
ABS. The EDL acts automatically, i.e. with
out the driver's intervention.
With the aid of the ABS sensors, this sy
stem monitors the speed of the driven
wheels up to about 50 mph, 80 km/h .
Within the speed range at which this sy
stem operates, if the wheels spin (e.g. on
slippery surfaces) they are braked in a con
trolled manner , and more of the engine's
power is directed to whiche ver wheels
achieve greater traction.
Please note:
• When driving off, always be sure to keep
road conditions in mind as you accelerate.
If a drive wheel spins because it's on a slip
perier surface, gradually increase the pres
sure on the accelerator pedal until the car
starts to move. •
When accelerating on slippery surfaces,
such as on ice or snow, always be careful
when depressing the accelerator pedal.
Even with the EDL working, the drive
wheels can spin and reduce your ability to
control your car.
• To prevent the disc brake of the braked
wheel from overheating, if subjected to ex
cessive loads the EDL cuts out temporarily.
The vehicle remains operational and be
haves in the same way as a vehicle without
EDL
If a fault occurs in the ABS the EDL is also
not functioning. This is ind icated by the ABS
warning light-see page 125.
ftl WARNING
The increased safety afforded by
EDL does not mean that you can
take safety risks. Always adapt
your driving style to the road con
ditions and traffic situation.
VEHICLE OPERA
TION-----------------------
Trailer towing
Yo ur Audi was designed primarily for pas
senger transportat ion. The additional load
will affect durability, economy and perfor
mance.
Tra iler towing not only places more stress
on the vehicle, it also calls for more con
centration from the driver.
For this reasons, always follow the opera
ting and driving instructions given and use
common sense.
208 Te
chnical requirements
Tr ailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to
the gross trailer weight. The hitch must be
suitable for your vehicle and trailer and
securely bolted to appropriate place on the
vehicle's chassis. Use only a trailer hitch
with removable ball mount. Always check
with the trailer hitch manufacturer to make
sure that you are using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way
that it does not interfere with the impact-ab
sorbing bumper system. No modifications
should be made to the vehicle exhaust and
brake systems. From time to time, check
that all hitch mounting bolts remain secure
ly fastened. When
you are not towing a trailer, remove
the trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents
the hitch from causing damage should your
vehicle be struck from behind.
�W ARNING
When you are no longer towing a
trailer, remove the entire trailer
hitch. When doing so, seal all bolt
holes to prevent water and deadly
exhaust fumes from entering the
vehicle.
Engine cooling system
To wing a tr ailer make the engine work hard
er. It is important that the engine cooling
system be up to the job. Make sure that the
cooling system has enough fluid.
VEHICLE OPER
ATION-----------------------
Driving Instructions
To obtain the best possible handling of ve
hicle and trailer , please note the following:
• A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and
control. This means that the tow vehicle
should be loaded to the extent possible and
permissible while keeping the trailer as light
as possible under the circumstances.
Whenever possible, transfer some cargo to
the luggage compartment of the tow ve
hicle while observing tongue load require
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
• The higher the speed, the more difficult
it becomes for the driver to control the rig.
Do not drive at the maximum per
missible speed. Reduce your speed even
more under unfavorable load, weather or
wind conditions - particularly when going
dow nhill.
210 Be
especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
Reduce vehicle speed immediately if the
trailer shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try to stop the sway ing by accel erat
ing.
Observe speed limits. In some areas
speeds for vehicles towing trailers are low
er than for regular vehicles.
• Always apply brakes early.
When driving downhill, shift into lower gear
to use the engine braking effect to slow
down the vehicle. Use of the brakes alone
can cause them to overheat and fail. •
The coolant temperatura gauge
must be observed carefully. H the
needle nears the upper end of the
scale, reduce speed immediately
and/or switch off the air condi
tioner.
If the coolant temperature warning
light in the instrument cluster starts
flashing in red, pull off the road,
stop and let the engine idle for about
2 minutes to prevent a heat build-up.
-----------------------VEHICL E OPER ATION
Tr ailer towing tips
Yo ur vehicle handles differently when tow
ing a trailer because of the additional weight
and weight distribution. Safety, perfor
mance and economy will greatly depend on
how carefully you load your trailer and oper
ate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic until you learn the feel of
your vehicle and trailer unit.
Backing up is difficult and requir es practice.
Steering while backing up is generally oppo
site of that when backing your vehicle with
out a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your
vehicle and the one in front of you. You will
need more room to stop.
To compensate for the trailer, you will need
a larger than normal turning radius. When
passing, remember that you cannot
accelerate as fast as you normally would be
cause of the added load. Make sure you
have enough room to pass. After passing,
allow plenty of room for your trailer before
changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
After parking, always block the wheels of
both vehicle and trailer. Do not park with a
trailer on a slope. If it cannot be avoided, do
so only after doing the following:
• Apply foot brake.
• Have someone place chocks under both
vehicle and trailer wheels.
• With chocks in place, slowly release
brakes until wheel blocks absorb the load.
• Turn wheels to curb.
o Apply parking brake.
• Place automatic transmission in "P". If
you move the selector lever of the auto
matic transmission to "P" before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may require more force later to
move the lever out of the "P" position.
When restarting after parking on a slope, re
verse the procedure:
• Start the engine.
• Shift transmission into gear.
o Release the parking brake and slowly
move away from the wheel blocks.
• Stop and have someone retrieve the
wheel blocks.
Notes
• Do not tow a trailer during the
break-in period of your vehicle.
• If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex
tra load -see also page 228.
211
VEHICL E CA
RE----------------------------------------------------
Notes
• Do not wash the vehicle in direct sun
light.
• If the vehicle is rinsed with a hose, do not
direct the water into the lock cylinders -
otherwise they may freeze up in the winter.
�W ARNING
• Do not wash, wax or dry the ve
hicle with the engine running.
• Do not clean the underside of
chassis, fenders, wheel covers,
etc. without protecting your
hands and arms. You may cut your
self on sharp-edged metal parts.
• Moisture and ice on brakes may
affect braking efficiency. Test the
brakes carefully after each vehicle
wash.
214 Washing
your vehicle with a power
washer
If you use a power washer, please note the
following:
• Always follow the operating instructions
for the power washer -especially for pres
sure and spraying distance.
• Make sure that the jet on the spray hose
produces a "fan shape" spray. Do not use
a jet which sprays the water out in a direct
stream or one that has a rota ting jet.
• Water temperature should not exceed
140 °F (60 °C).
�W ARNING
Never wash tires with a jet that
sprays the water out in a direct
stream. This could invisibly dam
age and weaken the tires, even if
they are sprayed from a relatively
long distance for a vary short
amount of time. Damaged and
weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal injury. Headli
ghts
Do not clean your headlights with a dry
towel or sponge. They must be cleaned
with a moistened towel.
Never use a sponge designed for removing
dried-on insects, a kitchen scrubber or any
other similar product since the lens surface
can be damaged by scrat ching and scour
ing.
When using high-pressure washing equip
ment or steam-cl eaning units, never spray
the vehicle with the nozzle close the vehicle
surface and never aim the spray at the same
point for a relatively long period of time.
Polishing Please refer to the imp ortant information on
page 212.
Polish your vehicle only if the paint has lost
its shine and the gloss cannot be brought
back with wax. If the polish used doesn't
contain preservative compounds, the paint
must be waxed afterwards.
Do not treat matte- pain�ed and plas
tic parts with polish or wax.
VEHICLE
CARE---------------------------------------------------
Maintenance
Yo ur vehicle has been designed to help
keep maintenance requirements to a mini
mum.
However. a certa in amount of regular main
tenance is still necessary to assure your ve
hic le's safety, economy and reliabili ty.
c£> By regularly maintaining your
vehicle, you help make sure that
emission standards are maintai ned,
thus minimizing adverse effects on
the envir onment.
For detailed vehicle maintenance consult
your Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating condi
tions, for example at extremely low out
side temperatures, in very dusty regions,
when towing a trailer very frequently, etc.,
some service work should be performed
between the intervals specified.
This applies particularly to:
• oil changes, and
• cleaning or replacing the air filter.
228 Important
considerations for
you and your vehicle:
The increasing use of electr onics, sophisti
cated fuel injection and emission control
systems, and the generally increasing tech
nical complexity of today's automobiles,
have steadily reduced the scope of mainte
nance and repairs which can be carried out
by vehicle owners. Also, safety and en
vironmental concerns place very strict
limi ts on the nature of repairs and adjust
ments to engine and transmission parts
which an owner can perform . Main
tenance, adjustments and repairs usu
ally require special tools, testing devices
and other equipment available to specially
trained workshop personnel in order to as
sure proper performance, reliability and
safety of the vehicle and its many systems.
Impr oper maintenan ce, adjustments and
repairs can impair the operation and reliabil
ity of your vehicle and even void your ve
hicle warranty. Therefore, proof of servicing
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule may be a condition for upholding
a possible warranty claim made within the
warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be ad
versely affected, creating unnecessary
risks for you and your passengers.