Checking and topping up fluids 164Charging the battery
A fully-charged battery is important for reliable starting.–Note the warnings ⇒ in “Important safety warnings
for handling a car battery” on page 163 and ⇒.
– Switch off the ignition and all electrical equipment.
– Only if “fast-charging”: both battery cables must be
disconnected (first the “negative” cable, then the “posi-
tive” cable).
– Connect the charger cables to the battery terminals,
noting the colour code (red is used for “positive”, black
or brown for “negative”).
– Now connect the battery charger to the mains and switch
on.
– After charging the battery: switch off the battery charger
and disconnect the mains cable.
– Now disconnect the charger cables.
– If necessary, reconnect both battery cables to the battery
(first the “positive” cable, then the “negative” cable).When charging with a low current (for example with a small battery
charger) the battery cables do not normally have to be discon-
nected. However, both battery cables must be disconnected before
“fast-charging” the battery with a high current. However, always
follow the instructions given by the manufacturer of the battery
charger.
Fast-charging a battery is dangerous ⇒ in “Important safety
warnings for handling a car battery” on page 163. This work should
only be performed by a competent mechanic with the proper equip-
ment. If necessary, we therefore recommend that this work should
only be performed by a qualified workshop.When it is discharged the battery can freeze at temperatures
around 0°C. A frozen battery must be thawed before charging ⇒.
However, it is advisable to replace the battery if it has frozen,
because the ice can crack the battery casing and allow the battery
acid to escape.
The battery caps should not be opened while the battery is being
charged.
WARNING
Never charge a frozen battery – it could explode. Windscreen washerPlain water on its own is not sufficient for the windscreen
washer system.The container for the windscreen washer
is located in the
luggage compartment and contains the cleaning fluid for the wind-
screen and the headlight washer system ⇒fig. 121. Container
capacity: ⇒page 199.
Plain water on its own is not enough to clean the glass properly. It
is therefore advisable to add a suitable washer fluid additive (with
Fig. 121 Luggage
compartment: Wind-
screen washer
container
document_0900452a816e6cc9.book Seite 164 Mittwoch, 21. Februar 2007 1:32 13
Index 202AABS
SeeAnti-lock brake system . . . . . . . . 132
AC mode
Air conditioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Acceleration figures
SeePerformance, weights and
dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
acoustic parking system
SeeParking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Air conditioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
AC mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Air distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Air recirculation mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Blower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Defrosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Dust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Pollen filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Rear window heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Switching on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Air distribution
Air conditioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Air recirculation mode
Vehicles with air conditioner . . . . . . . . 78Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Key-operated switch for front passenger's
airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Alterations to the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Alternator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Anti-dazzle interior mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Anti-freeze additive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Anti-knock properties of petrol . . . . . . . . 152
Anti-lock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Anti-theft alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Interior monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Tow-away protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Anti-theft wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Audi magnetic ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 88
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Audi parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Automatic car washes
SeeWashing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Automatic headlight control . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Automatic headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Average fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Axle weights
SeePerformance, weights and
dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
BBattery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Disconnecting and connecting . . . . . 162
Long periods of non-use . . . . . . . . . . 162
Replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Winter conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Winter operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Battery voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Bioethanol fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Blower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Brake system
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Brake light failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Brake pads worn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Brake servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Bulb monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Business equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175CCapacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
document_0900452a816e6cc9.book Seite 202 Mittwoch, 21. Februar 2007 1:32 13