2008 AUDI A4 AVANT Owners Manual

/b, WARNING (continued )
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tether .
• If a tether or other strap is used to attach a child restraint to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight , that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat.
• The heavier weight registered can make the system work as
though an adult we re on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag
when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal injury to
the child. •
Using tethers on rear-facing child restraint
systems
Currently, few rea r-facing chi ld restraint systems come with a tether.
Pl eas e read and heed the chi ld res traint sy stem man ufa cture r's
instruct ions careful ly to determ ine how to proper ly instal l the
teth er.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center arm rest , or door.
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward -facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System . The heavier weight registered can make
the system work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy
Safety first
Child Safety
/b, WARNING (continued )
the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious
or even fatal injury to the child.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear -facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer . •
Securing the upper tether strap to the anchor
bracket
Fig . 198 T ether strap:
prope r routing and
mounting
Securing the child restraint tether strap to the
tether anchor
R el ease or deplo y the tethe r str ap o n the chil d restraint
acco rding to the c hild restr ain t m anu fac ture r's usa ge
inst ructions. ._
irechnical data

-Child Safety
P'U:1--''-----------------
-Guide the upper tether strap under the rear head
restraint=> fig. 198 (raise the head restraint if necessary).
-Tilt the recess flap -detail view -=> fig. 198 up to expose
the anchor bracket.
-Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor bracket.
-Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring catch of
the hook engages.
-Tighten the tether strap firmly following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
-Loosen the tension following the child restraint manufac ­
turer 's instructions.
-Depress the spring catch on the hook and release it from
the tether anchor .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS.
0 Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether strap firmly installed
for several days, this could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where the tether strap was
installed. The upholstery would also be permanently stretched
around the tether strap . This applies especially to leather seats.•

Child Safety -
---------------''------'
Controls and equip­ment Safety first
Vehicle operation Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Vehicle operation

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Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieval after an accident or crash event . EDR's
are sometimes called "crash recorders" .
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored
by EDR's that were insta lled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped
with a number of electronic control modules for various vehicle
systems such as, for example, engine function, emission control, as
we ll
as for the airbags and safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record vehicle-related data
during normal vehicle operation for diagnostic and repair purposes .
The recording capacity of the electronic control modules is limited
to data (no sound is recorded) and only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very limited period of time and stored when
a system fault or other condition is sensed by a control unit. Some
of the data then stored may relate to vehic le speed, d irection,
braking as well as restraint system use and performance in the
event of a crash or other condition . Stored data can only be read and
down loaded with special equipment. •
Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP)
General information
The ESP improves the vehicle stability.
(X) CD
Fig. 199 Center
console with ESP
sw itch
ESP is designed to he lp you maintain vehic le control in situations
where the car approaches the limits of "grip", especial ly when
acce lerating and cornering. ESP reduces the risk of skidding and
improves stability under al l road conditions.
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system . If the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) malfunc ­
t ions, the ESP will a lso shu t down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDU
and the Anti -Slip Regu lation System (ASR) are integrated in the e lec ­
tronic stabilization program . In addition to the data provided by
these functions, the ESP control unit requires additional measure ­
ment data provided by high performance sensors. The rotational
.,,.

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speed of the vehicle about its vertica l axis, the lateral acce leration
ac ting on the veh ic le, the brake pressure and the s teering ang le a re
a ll measured .
The direction in which the driver wishes to travel is determined with
the aid of the steering angle and veh icle speed and is continua lly
compared with the actual behavior of the vehicle. If the two do not
match, -for example, when the vehicle starts hydrop la ning on a
wet road -
, ESP will au tomatical ly brake the appropria te wheel to
correct the problem .
The vehicle is then stabi lized by the forces acting on the whee l
during braking . If the vehicle is
oversteering (r ea r tends to skid out
of the turn), t he brakes are main ly app lied on the whee l that is on
the outside of the curve . In the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to s lide out of the curve) , the bra kes are applied at the
rear whee l that is on the inside of the curve. An acoustic signal indi ­
cates when ESP brake appl ication cuts in
=> & .
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination
wi th the ABS system
~ page 240. If the Ant i- Lock Brake Sys te m
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESP wi ll be out of act ion as well.
Ac tivat ion
When you turn on the engine, ESP will automatica lly be activated
and will perfo rm a self -test.
You can activate a deactivated ESP or deact ivated ASR as requ ired
by pressing the
=> page 236, fig. 199 button.
D eac tiva tion
Norma lly, the ESP should always be on .
When necessary, you can deact ivate Anti -Slip Regulat ion (ASR) or
the Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) by pressing the button
=> page 236, fig. 199 .
• Dea ctivating A SR: Tap briefly on the ESP button . In certain excep ­
t iona l situations (e .g. driving wit h tire chains or a t a forced pace
around a track), the Anti-S lip Regu lation (ASR) can be deactivated
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
=> page
238 . The ESP check light flashes . T ap the ESP button again
t o r eact ivate ASR. The ESP check light g oes out .
• Deactiv ating ESP : Press the ESP button for more than 3 seconds .
W ith ESP deactivated, the ESP check ligh t illum inates cons tant ly .
Press the ESP button again to reactivate ESP . The ESP check light
g o es out .
& WARNING
The Electronic Stabilization Program i s neve rthele ss subject to the
laws of physi cs . It is part icularly important to pa y attent ion to thi s
fact on we t and slippery roads . It is therefore important that you
always adapt your driving to the condit ion of the road and traffic
c onditions. Do not allow the inc reased safety provided by the Elec ­
tronic Stabiliz ation Program sy stem to lull you into a ccepting
additional safety ri sk s.
• Plea se note that when ESP or ASR is dea ctivated , the drive
wheels can spin on icy and slippery roads and the vehicle can
break a way -da nger of skidding! •
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The elec tr o nic differen tial l ock mon itors t he r ota tion al
speed of the drive wheels .
Gener al not es
The elec tronic d if f erential l ock (EDU helps the ca r to start mov ing,
accelerate and c limb a grad ient on surfaces providing poor or
a lmost n o grip. W ithout EDL, th is w ould be difficult, if no t impos ­
sib le.
How the system works
The EDL operates automatical ly. It monitors the rotational speed of
the drive whee ls on an ax le with the he lp of t he ABS senso rs
=> page 2 40 . If a noticeable difference in rotational speed between
the drive wheels on one axle is de tected (e .g. on sl ippery grou nd
on .,,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Intelligent technology
------~----- ~~--------------------------------------
one side), the spinning wheel is braked, thereby transferring power
to the other drive wheel or wheels (all- wheel drivel. This is done up
to a speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h). Noises from the brake
system signal that wheel spin is being control led.
Driving off
When driving off, always be sure to keep road conditions in mind as
you accelerate. If one drive wheel spins because it is on a surface
with less grip, gradual ly increase the pressure on the accelerator
pedal until the car starts to move. The wheel less able to transfer
power spins.
Overheating of brakes
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel from overheating if
subjected to excessive loads, the EDL cuts out temporarily. The
veh ic le remains operational and behaves in the same way as a
vehic le without EDL.
As soon as the brake has cooled down, EDL switches on again auto ­
matically.
& WARNING
• 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 . - Risk of crash!
• The increased safety afforded by EDL does not mean that you
ca n take safety risks. Always adapt your driving style to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
[ i ] Tips
If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also not functioning. This is
indicated by the ABS warning
light => page 21. •
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti-Slip Regulation System prevents the driven
wheels from spinning when the car is accelerating.
General notes
The Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) is integrated in the electronic
stabilization program (ESP) . When the vehicle starts up and acceler­
ates, the wheels are prevented from sp inning by adjus tin g the
engine power to match the amount of grip availab le from the road
surface.
How the system works
ASR performs automatical ly, i.e . w ithout the driver's intervention.
With the aid of the ABS
sensors=> page 240, ASR monitors the
speed of the driven wheels. If the wheels start to spin, the engine
power is reduced automatically until the tires find enough grip to
lock onto the road surface. The system is active across the entire
speed range.
The ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If a malfunction shou ld
occur in the ABS, the ASR will also be out of act ion.
Activation
The ESP is automatica lly activated when the eng ine is started, and
it performs a self-test. You can activate a deactivated ASR, if
requ ired, by pressing
t h e=> page 236, fig . 199 button .
Deactivation
You can deactivate the ASR, if required, by pressing the button (for
less than 3
seconds) => page 236, fig. 199. With the ASR deactivated,
the ESP check light flashes,
see=> page 22.
Normally, the ESP shou ld always be on, however, it may be advanta­
geous to turn off the system in certai n special cases when some
degree of wheel spin is desired such as :
• when driving with snow chains