2008 AUDI A4 AVANT ESP

Safety belts .................. .
Safety belt tensioner ..... ... .. .
Airbag system ........ .... .. .. .
Important th ings to know .. .... .
Front airbags .. ... .. ... ...... . .
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System ... ..... .... ..... .. ... .
Side airbags .... ... ...... ..... .
Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD™l
Child Safety .. ... ... ..... ... ... .
Important things to know .... .. .
Child safety seats ........ ... .. .
Insta lling a ch ild safety seat .... .
Addit ional Information .... ..... .
Lower anchorages and tether for
chi ldren (LA TCH) .......... ... .. .
t
181
185
187
187
191
198
203 207
210
210
215
220
223
225 Avoid damag
ing the vehicle .....
Operate your vehicle economically
and minimize pollution ......... .
Trailer towing .......... ... .. .. .
Driv ing w it h a trailer ... .... .... .
Trai ler towing t ips ....... ...... .
Vehicle care ........ ... ... .
C lean ing and protection ...... .
Genera l information ........... .
Care of exterior ....... .. .. .. ... .
Care of interior ................ .
Fuel supply and filling your fuel
tank ........ .... .. ... .... ...... .
245
245
248
248
250
253
254
254
254
261
267
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . 235 Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Intelligent technology ... ...... .
Notice about data recorded by
veh icle contro l modules ....... .
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP) ......................... .
Braking .. ... ... ... ... ... .. ... .
Servotronic®
-advanced power
steering system . ......... .. ... . 236
236
236
239
241
Driv ing w ith your quattro® . . . . . . 242
Driving and environment . . . . . . 243
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 kml and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Cata lytic conver ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Engine
hood ......... ......... .
Engine compartmen t .... ... ... .
Engine oil ... ...... ... ....... .. .
Engine cooling system .. .... ... .
Brake fluid . ............... .... .
Ba ttery ...... .......... .... ... .
Windshield/headlight washer
con ta iner .. ........ ... ........ .
Tires and whee ls ..... ......... .
Tires .......... ...... .. .. ..... . 272
2 74
275
280
284
285
291
293
293
Tabl e of cont ents
Do-it-yourself service . . . 3 15
What do I do now? . ......... ... 316
Jack, tools and spare wheel . . . . . . 316
W hee l change ............... ... 318
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Fuses ........ ......... ..... .... 326
Bu lbs .............. ... ... ... ... 328
Eme rgency sit uations . . . . . . . . . . 330
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . 330
Starting with jumper cables . . . . . . 330
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Emergency tow ing with comme rcial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Lif ting the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Technical data
General in for matio n
339
340
E xplanat ion of technical data . . . . 340
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 341
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
irechnical data

About this Owner's Manu al
About this Owner's Manual
This owner's manua l contains important information, tips, sugges ­
tions, and warnings for the use of your vehicle.
Make sure that this owner's manual is always located in the ve hicle .
This is especially important if you a llow other people to drive the
veh ic le, or if you sell it .
T his owner's manua l describes the
equipment range specified for
t his model at the ed itoria l deadline date . So me of the equ ipment
described here wi ll only be availab le at a later date, or on ly in
specific mar kets.
Some sections in th is owner's manual do not apply to all ve hicles.
I n that case, the
range of appl icability is given at the beginning of
the sect ion, e.g . "Appl ies to veh icles : with Audi Parking System". In
addition, optiona l equipment is indicated by an asteris k"*".
The deta ils in the
illustrations may be diffe ren t fro m t hose in your
veh ic le, and are intended to be viewed as a basic guide .
You wil l find a
table of contents at the beginning of this book, which
d isplays all top ics descr ibed in this manua l in order of appearance .
You wil l find an a lphabetical
inde x at the end of this book.
A ll
directions , such as "left", "right", "front", "bac k", are re lative to
the d irection of trave l.
* optiona l equipment
Iii-This section continues on the next page .
• Indicates the end of a section .
® Registered trademarks are identified with a®. If this symbo l is
m iss ing, it is no guarantee that the terms can be used freely.
=> & Cross -reference to a "WARNING!" within a section . For indi ­
cat ion with a page n umber, the correspondi ng "WARNI NG!" can be
found outside of the section .
& WARNING
Text w ith thi s symb ol c ontains important information on safety
and how to reduce the risk of per sonal injury or death .
0 Note
Text with this symbol draws your atten tion to potential sources of
damage to your veh ic le.
<£' For the sake of the environment
Text with this sy mbol contains in formation about the environ ment
and how you can he lp protect it .
[ i ] Tips
Text with this symbol contains special tips and other information
about getting the mos t out o f your ve hicle a nd i ts feat ures .•

Instruments and controls
General illustration
G) Power window switches ........................ .
0 Door handle
G) Power locking switch .......................... .
© Adjuster control fo r outside mirrors ...... .... .... .
© Light switch .. ...... .... ... .... .... .... .... ... .
© Air o utlets ........ ... .. .... .... ... .... .... .... .
0 Turn s igna l and high beam .. .... .... ......... .. .
© Instrument c luster .. ... .... .... .... ... .. .... ... .
G) Switches for
- Windshield wiper/washer . ...... .... .... ... ... .
- Trip computer ...... .... .... ... .... .... .... . .
@ Steering lock/ignition/starter switch (in the steering
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
whee l column) . ...... ... .... .... .... ... .... ... .
Electron ic Stab ilization Prog ram (ESP) switc h ...... .
Emergency flasher ....... .... .... .... .... .... .. .
Storage compartment for sma ll objects
Sound System
G love compartment ( lockab le) ... .. .... .... .... .. .
Front passenger's airbag .... .... .... .... ..... .. .
Cl imate controls .. ..... .... .... ...... .... ... .. .
Rear window defogger switc h .... .... .... .... ... .
Switch for seat heating ......................... .
Ashtray .. ....... .... ............. ...... .... .. .
Gear shift lever or selector lever (automatic transmis ­
s ion)
- Manual transmission .. ...... ....... ...... ... .
- 6-speed automa tic transm ission .. ...... .... ... .
I .
.
® -mu t1tronic ................................ .
65
59
91
72
131
80
12
85
38
135
236 79
123
122
191
126
131
132
119
142
1 4 3
14 9
Controls and equip ­
ment • I I • • I
Instrum ents and controls
Cupho lder
Park ing brake lever ............................ .
Electrical socket ............................... .
Storage compartment
Memory buttons (driver's seat) .. ...... .... ... ... .
Re lease lever for t he e ngine hood ...... .... ... ... .
Data Link Connector fo r On Board D iagnostic (OBD Ill
Cruise control .... .... .... .... ....... .... .... .. .
Steering wheel with:
- Horn
D. ' . b - nversa1r ag . ................ .... ......... .
@ Adjustab le steering co lumn .. ...... .... .... .... . .
@ Recessed she lf for vehic le literature .............. .
118
137
121
100
272 27
140
191
134
123 •

Warning/indicator lights
Overview
The warning/indicator lights indicate different functions
or a p ossible malfunction.
Fig . 9 Instrume nt cluste r wi th warn ing/ ind ica tor l ights
Your vehicle is equipped with several important warning and indi ­
cator lights to help you monitor the continued reliable operation of
your vehicle
=> & .
AIR
BAG
Controls and equip ­
ment U
SA mod els:
Ma lfunction Indicato r lamp {MIU => page 20
Canad a mo del s:
Malfunction lndictor Lamp {MIU => page20
Airbag system => page 20
Inst rum ents and w arning /indi cator li ght s
Tire pressure monitoring system* => page20
CRUISE
USA model s: => page21 Cruise contro l activated
-ti(') Can ada mod els: => page21 Cruise control activated
U SA m odel s: => page 21 Anti-lock brake system {ABS)
Canad a model s: => page 21 Anti-lock brake system {ABS)
~ Safety belt => page22
·-
¢ Left turn signal => page22
Electronic stabi lization program => page22 {ESP)
D Generator => page22
D High beam => page 23
Electronic power control => page23
BRAKE
U SA model s: => page23 Brake system, parking brake set
CCD>
Canad a model s: => page23 Brake system, parking brake set •
c> Right turn signal => page 22 .,,
irechnical data

Cruise control
CRUISE (USA models)/ ·~ (Canada models)
The CRU ISE wa rn in g/ ind icato r light illuminates whe n the cruise
control is act ivated. •
Anti-lock brake system
ABS (USA models)/
<0 (Canada models)
This warning /indicator light mon itor s the ABS and the
e lec tr oni c di fferent ial loc k (EDL ).
The ABS warning light will come on for a few seconds when the igni ­
t ion is sw itched on. T he lig ht wi ll go out a fter an autom ati c ch eck
sequenc e is complet ed .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when :
• the warning/indicator light does not ill uminate when you switch
o n t he ign ition .
• the warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds .
• the warning/i ndicator light illu minates while driving .
Without the electronic assistance of the ABS , the brake system will
still respond and brake the car . Have the brake system checked and
restored to its full performance by an authorized Audi dealer as
soon as possible.
Fo r m ore info rm ation re gar din g th e ABS s ee
=> pa ge 24 0.
Since any malfunction of the AB S also affects the
ESP, that s ystem's
warning symbol !;.
=> page 22 will light up along with the ABS/
0 (Canada mode ls) warning light.
Unspecific malfun ction in the brake system
If both th e bra ke warn ing lig ht => page 23 and the ABS w arn ing l ig ht
illum inate when t he park in g brake is released, t he likely cause is a
serious malfunction in the brake system beyond an inoperative AB S
=>& .
Controls and equip ­
ment
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
If an unsp ecific defect in the brake system is indicated, the entire
br ak e syste m is lik ely to be a ffec ted a nd you
mus t exp ect deg ra d ed
b rake r espons e and performance .
Since any malfunction of the ABS also effects the ESP , that system 's
w ar ning symbol
f;.. => page 2 2 will l ight up alo ng with th e ABS/ 0
(Canada models) warning light.
Malfunction in the electroni c differential lock
(EDL )
The two systems ED L and ABS interact . For th is reason the ABS
warning light/ 8 (Canada mode ls) wi ll come on to ind icate a
ma lfunction in the EDL syste m
=> page 237. See your authorized
Aud i deale r as s oon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the ABS/ 8 (Canada models) warning light does not go out ,
or if it comes on while driving, the ABS system is not working
properly . The vehicle can then be stopped only with the brakes
operating without ABS support . You will not have the protection
ABS provides. Contact your Audi dealer as soon as possible.
• USA models : If both the BRAKE warning light and the ABS
warning light come on at the same time, the rear wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel brake lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an accident . Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake application .
• Canada models : If both the brake warning light ((DJ and the ABS
warning light
0 come on at the same time , the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel brake lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an accident . Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
application. •

Instruments and warnin g/indi cat or li ghts
Safety belts i
This warning/indicator light reminds y ou to put on your
safety belt.
The .ft warning/indicator light i lluminates when the ignition is
switched on to remind the driver and (on USA mode ls only) any front
passenger to put on the safety belt. Additiona lly, an acoustic
warn ing (gong) w ill also sound.
For more
information~ page 176 , "Safety belt warning light 4". •
Turn signals ¢ ¢
The in dicator light flashes when you use either turn
signal.
Whenever you use the left ¢ or the right ¢ turn signal, the indicator
l ight flashes. W hen you use the emerge ncy flasher, both indicator
lights f lash .
I f one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out, the turn signal will
flash twice as fast as normal. •
Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) fJ
The warning/indicator ligh t monit ors the electr onic s tabi ­
lization program.
The ~ warning/indicator light has the fol lowing functions:
• it flashes while you are driving, when the ESP is working .
• it illuminates when you switch on the ignition for approximately
2 seconds as a funct ion check.
• it illuminates when there is a ma lfunction in the ESP.
• it illuminates after the battery has been disconnected .
• it illuminates continuous ly when the ESP is switched off . •
it illuminates if there is a malfunction in the ABS, since the ESP
is part o f the ABS system.
If the ESP warning/indicator light illuminates and stays on after you
have started the engine, this may mean that the control system has
temporar ily switched o ff the ESP . If this is case, you can reactivate
the ESP by switching the ignition off and then on again . The
warning/indicator light should go out to show that the system is
ful ly functional again .
I f the battery terminals were disconnected and re -connected, the
vehic le was jump started or the battery is very weak, the ESP sensor
system goes through a learning p rocess for the firs t few yards.
D uring th is time, t he ind icator l ight i llu minates. It goes out as soo n
as the learning process is comp lete.
For more information about the
ESP ~ page 236. •
Generator 0
T his warning/indicator light detects a malfunction in the
generator or i n t he vehicle's elec trical system.
T he O warning/indicator light i lluminates w hen you switch on the
ignition and must go out after the engine has started .
I f the
O warni ng/ind icator light illum inates while you a re driv ing,
you shou ld contact your authorized Audi dealer . Since the vehicle
battery is dischargi ng, you should sw itch off any unnecessary elec ­
trical consumers (for example, the air conditioner) .
0 Note
If the _JL warning/indicator light (ma lfunction in the engine coo ling
system) i n the instrument cluster shou ld
i llumi nate ~ page 31, stop
the ve hicle and turn o ff the engine . The coo lant pump is not work ing
-this can cause engine damage! •

High beam [D
The ~D warning/indicator light il lu m inates when the high beams are
on or w hen you use the head lig ht flash er. For mo re inf ormation
about using the h igh beams,
see=> page 80 . •
Electronic power control EPC
Th is warn ing /indicator l ig ht m on ito rs the ele ctr onic
po wer co nt rol.
The EPC warning/indicator light (E lectronic Power Control) illumi ­
n at es w he n yo u switch o n the ignitio n as a functi on ch ec k.
[ i] Tips
If thi s wa rning/indi cator light i llum ina tes w hile you a re driving , then
there is a ma lfunction in the engine electronics . Have the malfunc ­
t io n co rre cte d as so on as p oss ible by your auth orized Audi de aler or
qualified wor kshop .•
Brake system BRAKE (USA models)/ (CD)
(Canada models)
Th is warn ing /indicator l ight i llu minates when the brake
fl uid leve l is t oo low or wh en ther e is a ma lf u nct io n in t he
ABS , or when the pa rkin g brake i s se t.
T he lig ht illu min ate s w hen the igni tio n is turn ed on. It goes out aft er
the engine has be en started and the parking bra ke is fu lly released .
T his i ndicate s th at th e br ake w arni ng lig ht is fun cti onin g prop erl y.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking or the parking brake is applied , there may be a malfunction
in the electrical system. In this case, contact your Audi dealer.
When the l ig ht comes on, an audible warning si gnal is also given.
Controls and equip ­
ment
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Parking brake set
T he BRAKE or CCD) (Canada) wa rning/indicat or l igh t illum in ate s wh en
t h e pa rkin g b rake is
se t=> ,&.
& WARNING
• USA models : If the BRAKE warning light and the ABS warning
light come on together , the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle control
and an accident . Have your vehicle repaired immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light
{(j)) and the ABS
warning light
0 come on together , the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­
diately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake applications.
• If the brake warning/indicator light does not go out after a few
seconds and the parking brake released, or lights up while you are
driving, the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so , proceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility and have the brake system inspected .
• Always keep in mind that after several brake applications , you
will need greater pressure on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle .
Do not rely on strained brakes to respond with maximum stopping
power in critical situations . You must allow for increased braking
distances . The extra distance u sed up by fading brakes could lead
to an accident . •

Driver information display
& WARNING
• Never rely exclusively on the outside temperature display to
determine if a road surface is icy or not. Keep in mind that road
surfaces, especially bridges and overpasses, could be ice covered
and slippery even at an outside temperature above 41 °F
1+5 °Cl.
• Always remember, even if the "snowflake" symbol lice
warning) does not appear in the display, black ice could be on the
road .
• Always reduce your speed and drive with special care in cold
weather conditions when the chance of encountering icy road
surfaces increases.
[ i ] Tips
When using the navigation system feature "Destination", the
outside temperature is also displayed.•
Miles (kilometers) to empty
The miles (kilometers) to empty indication is a valuable
aid to schedule the refueling stops on a trip.
Fig . 13 Center display:
miles (kilometers) to
empty
Th is feature shows you the estimated range in miles (kilometers)
:::::, fig. 13 until the tank runs dry. This feature calculates how far you
could drive with the amount of fuel left in your fuel tank while
driving under the current driving conditions. The remaining
distance is recalculated every
6 miles (10 km).
While calculating the miles (kilometers) to empty, the system also
calculates your fuel consumption over the last
18 miles (30 km).
Remember:
-the more economica lly you drive, the further you can
go.•
Warning : engine hood, door or rear lid open
Fig . 14 Display: door ,
rear lid, and engine
hood open
With the ignition switched on, the open-door-or-lid warning illumi­
nates when at least
one door, or the engine hood or the trunk lid is
not closed . The symbol also shows you which door(s) or lid is not
closed. The illustration shows that both the driver's and the right
rear door are not closed
:::::, fig. 14.
If the engine hood or trunk lid are not closed, the display will flash.
As soon as all the doors and lids are properly closed, the warning
goes out.
~