2008 AUDI A4 AVANT airbag off

Child Safety -
---------------''------'
Toddle rs and chi ldren who ar e older than one y ear up to about 4
ye ars old and wei gh m ore th an 2 2 lbs (1 0 kg) u p to 40 lbs. (1 8 kg)
shou ld be prope rly restrained in a c hild saf ety s eat c ertifi ed for their
si ze and we igh t=> fig. 18 6.
T he a irba g on t he passe nger s id e m akes t he fr ont seat a p otentially
dangerou s place fo r a child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
pl ace fo r a c hild in a forw ard -f ac ing child safety sea t. It is a very
dangerous place for an infant o r a larger ch ild in a rearward-facing
s e at .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or other emergency situa ­
tion .
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates . 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.
• Always install rear -facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• 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 airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used => page 176, "Safety
belts" ,
=> page 187, "Airbag system " and => page 210, "Important things
to know".
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward -facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat , the child's safety and
well -being require that the following special precautions be taken:
• Make sure the forward -facing seat has been designed and certi ­
fied by its manufa cturer for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost posi­
tion of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range , and as
far away from the airbag as possible before installing the child
restraint.
• Always make sure that nothing prevents the front passenger's
seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore and aft
adjustment range .
• Always make sure the backrest is in an upright position .
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If the light does not stay on , perform the
checks => page 198,
" Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System ".
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG
OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t--= y'-------------------------------------------------
Booster seats
Properly used booster seats can help protect children
weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80 lbs. (18 kg and 36
kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. tall.
Fig. 187 Rear seat:
child properly
restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most children
until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kgl. Booster seats raise these children up so that the
safety belt will pass properly over the stronger parts of their
bodies and the safety belt can help protect them in a crash.
-Do not use the convertible locking retractor when using
the vehicle's safety belt to restrain a child on a booster seat.
-Always position the shoulder portion of the safety belt midway over the child's shoulder.
-Always make sure that the shoulder portion of the safety
belt never rests against or across the child's neck.
-Always make sure that the child can properly wear the
lap portion of the belt low across the thighs or pelvis and
never over the stomach or abdomen.
Children up to about 40 lbs (18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats designed for their age and weight. Experts say that the skel­
etal structure, particularly the pelvis, of these children is not fully
developed, and they should not use the vehicle safety belts
~ page218,fig.187.
Children who weigh more than 40 lbs. (18 kg) may generally use the
available three point combination lap and shoulder belts when they
sit on an appropriate booster seat. Be sure the booster seat meets
all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the child and reposition
both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The routing of the belt
over the child's body is very important for the child's protection .
This applies whenever a child uses the vehicle's safety belts, even
when the child is big enough to use them without a booster seat. Children age 12 and under should always ride in the rear seat .
Children should not ride in the front seat unless no other seating
position is available because crash statistics show that children are
better protected in the rear seat.
In a crash , airbags must inflate within a blink of an eye and with
considerable force . In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to
inflate so that it will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the airbag.
A vehicle occupant including a child who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating airbag. When an
occupant is too close, he or she will be struck violently and will
receive serious or possibly even fatal injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all
vehicle occupants, especially any children, who must be in the front
seat in exceptional circumstances, be properly restrained and as far
away from the airbag as possible. By keeping room between the _.,.

child's or other occupant's body and the front of the passeng er
c o m pa rtm ent, th e a ir ba g ca n i nfl ate fully and completely and
p rov ide supp lem ental p rotection in cert ain fr ontal crash es.
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster seat improperly, incor­
rectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety belt
improperly increases the risk of serious personal injury and death
in a collision or other emergency situation. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury and /or death :
• Always make sure to position the shoulder portion of the three­
point belt over the middle of child's shoulder .
• Never let the shoulder portion of the belt rest against or across
the neck , face , chin , or throat of the child .
• Always make sure the lap belt portion of the three -point belt is
worn snug and passes as low as possible across the child's pelvis .
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route safety belts over a child's body will
cause severe injuries in an accident or other emergency situation
=> page 176 .
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates . 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.
• Never let a child stand o r kneel on any seat , for example the
front seat .
• Never let a child ride in the cargo area of your vehicle.
• Always remember that a child leaning forward , sitting side ­
ways or out of position in any way during an accident can be
struck by a deploy ing a irbag. This will result in serious personal
injury or death .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances the
Safety
first
Child Safety
& WARNING (continued )
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on , when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , perform the checks
described => page 198, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OF F light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being
used => page 176 , "Safety belts" ,
=> page 187, "Airbag system" and => page 210 , "Important thing s
to know ".•
Safety belts and older children
Prop erl y worn t hree point la p and sho ulder belt can h elp
p ro te ct childre n weighing more th an 8 0 lbs . (36 kg) and
w ho a re at lea st 4 ft. 9 in. tall .
~ .... 0 cL (X) a,
Fig . 18 8 Child taller
than 4 ft . 9 in . properly
restrained on the rear
s eat
.,_
•
irechnical data

& WARNING (continued)
• If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child
restraint will be thrown forward together with the backrest and
will strike parts of the vehicle interior . The child can be seriously
injured or killed.
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates .
• 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, door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the rear seat.
• Forward-facing child safety seats or infant carriers installed on
the front passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the child.
• It is safer to install a forward-facing child safety seat on the rear
seat.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used
=> page 210. Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger
seat => page 189, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know".
& WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or
rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat in
exceptional situations :
• Whenever a forward or rearward-facing child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat, the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on whenever the ignition is
switched on.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Child Safety
& WARNING (continued)
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on, perform the checks described
=> page 198, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on .
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection.
• An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child.
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight registered by the weight -sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash.
& WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up, against or very
near the instrument panel .
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on. ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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ld :...:: S::.::a :.:f .:::e ::.::t .!..y ____________________________________________ _
& WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
• 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, door or roof.
• Always be especially careful if you must install a rearward
facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat in exceptional
circumstances.
• A tight tether 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
the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal injury to the child.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If 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 airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer. •
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a child
restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's instruc­
tions when installing a child restraint in your vehicle. To
activate the convertible locking retractor:
-Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on the rear
seat.
-Slowly pull the belt all the way out.
-Route it around or through the child restraint belt path
=>& .
-Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight.
-Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that seating
position.
-Guide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat.
-You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
into the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pulling on the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The convertible locking
retractor is now activated.
-Make sure that the red release button is facing away from
the child restraint so that it can be unbuckled quickly.
-Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is properly
tight and fastened so that the seat cannot move forward
or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
& WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improperly installed child
restraint can cause serious personal injury or death in a crash.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or
in a crash.
~

/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

___ C_ le_a_ n_in ~ g_ a_n _ d_ p_ ro_ t_e _c _t _io _ n ___________________________________________ _
In the case of genera l soiling of the upho lstery and cover material,
we recom mend hiring a spec ialis t that has the equ ipment to c lean
the seat covers and other fabric surfaces by shampooing and spray
extraction .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and the information
=> page 254.
[ i] Tip s
Open Ve lcro fasteners on your clothing can damage the seat cover .
Please make sure that Ve lcro fas te n ers are c losed. •
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always us e a c lean cloth mo istened in clear wa ter to c lean thes e
areas . For persistent dirt use an Audi approved
solvent -free plastic
cleane r/p rotec tant.
& WARNING
Solvents can change the propertie s of some pla stics and make it
harder for the airbag to deplo y.
• Never clean the instrument panel or the surface of Airbag
modules with cle aning produ cts th at contain solvents .
• Produ cts c ontaining sol vent s will make the surf ace of thi s part
porous.
• Serious injur ies can re sult if pla stic p art s come l oose when the
airbag is deployed .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and the info rm ation
~ page 254 .
0 Note
Cleaning agents conta ining solvents wil l attac k the mater ial and can
change the way it behaves .•
Ap plies to vehic les: w it h n atu ral lea ther
Natural leather
Audi makes grea t efforts t o main tain the pro perties,
n at ural look and feel of in terior le ather.
Gener al
We offer many d ifferent types of leather on our vehic les. Most are
different types o f nappa leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in various co lors.
T he in tensity of the color determi nes the vis ual c h aracteristics and
appearance . If the surface of the leather has a typical natura l look ,
t hen t he leat her is a nap pa lea ther that has been left in a re lati vely
natural condition. Th is leather offers part icu lar ly good comfort and
breathes wel l. Fine veins, closed grains, insect bites, skin folds, and
subt le variations in color remain visible. These characteristics
demonstrate that the material is genuinely natural.
Na tura l nappa leather is n ot covered by a color fi nish . It is there fore
more sensitive to soiling a wear, which is something you need to
co nsider if chi ldren, a nimals or other factors m igh t prove to be
particularly hard on the leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by a colored finish layer
are more durable. Th is has a posit ive effect on the leather's resis­
tance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the other hand, the typical
character istics o f natura l leather are barely or not appare nt.
However, this does not mean that the leather itself is of inferior
qual ity.
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of t he types o f leather tha t Audi
uses and their unique properties (such as sensit ivity to oi ls, grease, .,_

111'1_....::::A::.:l:.!: p :.:h..:.: a:::.:: b:.::e :.:t::i c::.::: a.:..l ..:.: in :..:.:: d:.:e :.:x::..... ___________________________________________ _
A
ABS (Anti- lock Brake System)
Warning/indicator lights ... .... .... 21
Accessories . .... .... .... .... .... ... 348
acoust ic park assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Adap tive light .. ... .... ... .. ...... ... 75
defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Adding Engine coo lant
282
Engine oi l ... ... .. .... .... ... .... 278
Windshield washer fluid .... .... .. 291
Additiona l accessories .. ...... ...... . 348
Additives Eng ine oi l .. ....... ....... ....... 278
Adjustable steering whee l column .. ... 134
Adjusting Instrument cluster il lumina tion ... .. . 15
Steering wheel co lumn . ...... .... 134
Advanced A irbag System . .... ... .... 191
Ch ildren ... ........... .... ... ... 211
Components ...... .... ... .... ... 194
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
How the c ompone nts wo rk togethe r 195
Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
PASSE NGER AIR BAG O FF light ..... 199
Weight -sensing mat ....... ... .... 211
Air conditioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
See also Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . 125
Air conditioning Switching on and off 128
A ir distribution
C limate controls . ...... ... .... ... 130 Air outlets
Adjusting the outlets for rapid defrosting/de fogging .. ...... .... 131
Cl imate con trols ...... .... .... ... 131
Air quality sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Air recirculation .. ... .... .... .... ... 128
Clima te controls .. .... ..... .. .... 129
When should I use the air recircu lation?
129
Airbag Warning/indicator lights .... ... .... 20
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 , 205
Car e ...... .... .... .... .... .... .. 201
Child restraints .... .... .... .... .. 212
Componen ts (front airbags) .... ... . 194
Danger of fitting a chi ld safety seat on the
front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Disposal .. ....... .... .... .... ... 201
Front airbags . .... ... .... .... .... 191
How do the front
ai rbags work? .... 196
How many airbags does my vehicle have? 194
I mportant things to know ....... .. 1 87
I ndicator light ... .. .... .... ... ... 198
Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Repairs ...... .... ... .... .... .... 201
Side airbags ... ...... .... ... .. ... 203
Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD) .. 207
When must the sys tem be inspec ted? ...
198
Alloy w heels . .... .... .... .... .... .. 260
All -wh ee l driv e 242
Winter tir es ..... .... .... ... .. ... 310 A
lternator
See Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Aluminum al loy wheels . ...... .... ... 260
Ambient light ing . ....... .... ... .. .... 82
Anti-free ze
See Engine coolant system ........ 280
Anti -glare inside day -ni ght mi rro r .. ... . 90
An ti- lock B rake System (ABS)
How the ABS system works . ....... 240
Warning/indicator l ights ........... . 21
Anti -Slip R egulation Syst em (ASR)
How the sys tem works .... .... .... 238
An ti- theft systems
Anti -theft ala rm system .. ...... .... 64
Electronic immobilizer .. ... .... ... . 5 4
Tilt sensors . .... .... ... .... .... ... 65
Armrest Adjusting ...... .... ... .... ..... . 102
Storage bi n
Ashtray 1
02
Front . .... .... .... .... ... .... ... 119
Rear ...... .... .... .... ... .... ... 119
ASR Anti- Slip Regulation System .... ... 238
Asterisk What does it mean when something is marked with an asterisk? .. ... .... .. 6
Attachment hooks ... .... .... .... ... 112
Aud i Service Repa ir Manuals and Lite rature
346