
Tires and wheels -
----------------
•
& WARNING (continued)
crashes and serious personal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
low speed.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to
the extent that these items are available as factory-installed equip
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio means the ratio of the height to the width of the tire in percent.
Numb ers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewall for improved
steering response and better overall handling on dry pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the tire.
& WARNING (continued)
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their
"previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side
when driving, always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage.
•
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer
for a tire of a designated size that has not been driven for more than
a couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in the three hour period
before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor vehicle with standard equipment
including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher infla
tion pressures than the corresponding standard tire. Extra load tires
may be identified as
"XL", "xi", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the side
wall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capacity of a single axle system, measured
at the tire -ground interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
( " GVWR")
means the maximum total loaded weight of the vehicle.
Vehicle care

Tires and wheels -
-----------------'
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of different things
including proper installation and balancing, correct tire
pressure and driving style .
Tread Wear Ind icator (TWI)
Fig. 274 Tire tread:
tread wear indicators
(TWII
Fig . 275 Rotating tires
for more even wear
The origina l tires on your vehic le have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear
indicators"::::, fig. 274 running across the tread. Depending on the
make, there will be six to eight of them evenly placed around the
tire. Marks on the tire sidewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols)
indicate the positions of the tread wear indicators. Worn tires must
be rep laced. Different figures may apply in other
countries::::, &-
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out. For this reason, tire pressure must be checked
at least once a
month ::::, page 331.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy accele ration and hard braking
increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the same service life, we
recommend that the front and rear tires are rotated according to the
tire manufacturer's suggested tire rotation intervals. Please
remember the following:
• Tire rotation intervals may differ from the vehicle service inter
vals outlined in your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
• The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle, the
more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rotation intervals .
• Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread wear on
the front wheels compared to all -wheel drive (quattro®l .
• Please rotate tires as shown
~ fig. 275.
• Extra care must be taken when rotating direction -specific tires
::::, page 357.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various situa
tions during everyday driving can cause them to become unbal
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can usually feel through the
steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to avoid excessive wear on
steering, suspension and tires. A whee l must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
...
Vehic le care I I Technical data

lll'ft __ A_l-=- p _h_ a_ b_e _t_ic _ a_l _in _ d_e _x ____________________________________________ _
p
Paint
Touch-up 292
Paint No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Automatic transmission ... .... .... 163
Caution when parking near a parking bar -
rier or curb .. .... ....... .... ... 135
Low bumper cover, spoilers and suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Parking brake
See Electromechanica l parking brake 134
P arking on a dec line (downhill) ....... 135
Parking on an incline (uphill) ... .. .... 135
Parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t ........ 230
Passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Passenger's seat memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Passive safety system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Pedals ............................ 204
Physical principles of a frontal collision 210
Pockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Polishing .... ..... .. .... .... ...... . 291
Power locking switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Power locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Conven ience open feature .......... 64
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside ........... ....... .... .... 53
Opening and closing the windows .. . 64
Rear lid/trunk lid ...... .... .... .... 55
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Selective unlock feature . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Settings
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Unlocking and locking vehicle ... .... 51
Power roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Power seat Contro ls .. .... ... .... .... .... .... 87
Massage function ....... ...... .... 89
Seat adjustment ........ ....... ... 88
Upper thigh support .. ...... .... ... 88
Power side door closer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Power steering ..................... 273
Power sunroo f
Emergency c losing ............. 67, 68
Power window switche·s ... .... ....... 62
In the driver's door ................ 63
In the front passenger's door . . . . . . . 64
Reactivating the system ............ 65
Power windows Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Pregnant women Specia l considerations when wearing a
safety belt ..................... 215
Programming the Homelink® universal re-
mote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Prop er occupant seating positions .... 200
Proper safety be lt position .. .... ... .. 214
Proper seating position Front passenger ................. 201
Occupants ...................... 200
Rear passengers 202
a
Quartz clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 quattro®
See All Wheel Drive
............... 273
Question
R
What happens to unbelted occupants? . .
211
Why safety belts? ................ 209
Radiator fan ........................ 317
Rain sensor ......................... 80
Rain sensor defective ... .. .... .... .... 36
Reading lights
Front . .... .... .... .... ....... .... 74
Rear ............................. 75
Rear ashtray ....................... 107
Rear center console ...... .... .... ... 108
Rear c limate controls ................ 125
Air distribution .... ....... .... ... 125
Automatic operation . ...... .... ... 125
Contro ls . ...... ..... .. .... .... .. 125
Heated seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
PASSIVE . ... .. .... .... ...... .... 125
Switching on and off . ...... .... ... 125
Temperature ...... .... .... .... .. 125
Ventilated seats .................. 125
Rear fog lights .. ...... .... ...... .... . 71
Rear lid
Automatic operation ............... 56
Escape handle .... .... .... .... ... 348
Opening and clos ing ... .... .... .... 55
Opening manual ly ...... .... .... ... 56

-Alphabetical index _-!.. ____ ...::.:..:... ___________________________ _
Power seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Safety guidelines .. ....... .... .... 86
Seat belts Why YOU MUST wear them .. ...... 209
Seat memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Seat position Incorrect seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Seating capacity .................... 209
Seating position Driver .......................... 200
Front passenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
How to adjust the front seats . . . . . . 201
Occupants . ...... .... .... ...... . 200
Rear passengers
Seats 202
Number of seats ... ....... ....... 209
Selective unlock feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Service and disposal Safety belt pretensioner . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Service interval display ............... 27
Service position Windshield wipers ................ 82
Servotronic Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Shift buttons . .... .... .... ........ .. 168
Ship Transporting your vehicle
Side airbags 369
Description ... .... .... .......... 237
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 Side assist
Activating and deactivating ........ 154
Description .......... ...... .... .. 154
Informationa l and alert stage signa ls 156
Messages in instrument cluster display ..
161
MM I settings .................... 159
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Safety tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Sensor detection area . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Side curtain airbags Description .......... ...... .... .. 240
How they work ................... 241
Safety instructions ............... 241
Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD) ..... 240
Side marker lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Ski sack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Snow chains ... .. ...... ....... ..... 342
Sockets ....................... 107, 108
So lar blower fan/solar roof . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Sound system display Driver information display . .... .... . 25
Spare wheel ... ....... .... .... ...... 350
Speed contro l system
See Adaptive Cruise Control .. ..... 139
Speed rating letter code ............. 338
Speed warning system ......... ...... 36
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Sport Suspension
See Adaptive Air Suspension .... ... 185
Starting off with a trailer .... .... .... . 136 Starting the engine
...... .... .... 129, 130
What should I do if the engine does not
start? ..... ...... .... ...... ... . 130
Steering .. .... ... .... .... ..... .. ... 128
Adjusting steer ing column ...... ... 128
Easy entry feature ... .. .... .... ... 129
Locking the steering ... .... .... ... 129
Malfunction .. .. .. .... .... .... .... 33
Steering wheel heating .............. 119
Steps for determining correct load limit 334
Stopping the engine .. ....... .. .... .. 131
Storage .. .... ........... .... ...... 109
Compartments in the door trim pane ls ..
111
Compartments in the rear doors .. .. 111
Cupholder ... .. .... .... ...... .... 105
Cupholder rear center armrest ..... 105
Glove compartment ....... .... ... 109
Luggage compartment .. .... ... ... 112
Ski sack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Small objects .......... .... .... .. 110
Sun shade ..... ...... .... ...... ..... 78
Sun visors .... ........... .... .... ... 77
Switches Emergency flashers ...... .... .... .. 73
Power sunroof .................... 65
Rear window defogger ..... .... ... 124
Symbols Red .......... ............... .... 30
Y ellow ........................... 34

______________________________________________ A_ l_,_ p _h_ a_ b_e _t_i c_ a_l _in _ d_e _ x __ lfflll
Rain sensor ........ .... .... .... ... 80
Service position . ....... .... .... ... 82
Washer reservoir ...... .. .... .... . 323
Winter driving Windows . .... .... .... ... .... .... 292
Winter operation Battery . ... .. .... .... .... .. . .. .. . 318
Cooling system ...... .... .... ... . 314
Steering wheel heating .. .... . .... . 1 19
Tires .. ......... .... .... ... .... . 273
W. t t
' in er ires . .. .. .... .... ... .... ... .
Al l-whee l drive . ...... .... ... .... .
Wiper blades 341
341
See Windshield wipers ............. 82
X
Xenon-Lights ...... .... .... ......... 362
y
Yellow symbols ... .... .... .... .... ... 34
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data