lllffl __ A_ ir_b _a_ g;::;_ s-=-- y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
• in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor
is too low
• in front -end collisions
• in rear-end collisions
• in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side curtain airbags
and side airbags may be triggered together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protection
when occupants are in the proper seating position
~ page 238.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used , have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer . The airbag may not work properly when the vehicle
acceleration in a side collision is high enough to activate the
airbag .•
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help reduce the risk
of upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly
restrained.
Fig . 237 Inflated side
airbags on left side of
vehicle, rear s ide
airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is fi lled with propellant gas
and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked
"AI RBAG ". I t expands between the side trim panel and the
passenger. In order to he lp provide this additional protection, the
side airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second at very high
speed and with great force . The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if items
are located in the area where the supplemental side airbag expands.
This applies especially to
children~ page 243, "Ch ild Safety" .
Supplem ental side airbags inflate between the occupant and the
door panel on the side of the vehic le that is struck in certain side
collision~ fig. 237.
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can "cushion" the impact
and in this way they can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys. This is normal
and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always prop
erly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating posi
tion .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must know and act
accordingly to help the safety belts and airbags do their job to
provide supplementa l protection.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or fatal injury. Improp
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is
being used .
~
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol or ethyl alcohol}
• Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
• Blend must not contain more than 10% ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
• Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
• Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform especially well for
winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest
that you fill up at busy gas stations where the seasonal adjustment
is more likely to be made in time.
0 Note
• Methanol fuels which do not meet these requirements may
cause corrosion and damage to plastic and rubber components in
the fuel system.
• Do not use fuels that fail to meet the specified criteria in this
chapter.
• If you are unable to determine whether or not a particular fuel
blend meets the specifications, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier.
• Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
• Fuel system damage and performance problems resulting from
the use of fuels different from those specified are not the responsi
bility of Audi and are not covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
• If you experience a loss of fuel economy or driveability and
performance problems due to the use of one of these fuel blends,
we recommend that you switch to unblended fuel. •
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufacturers is carbon
deposit build-up caused by the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another,
they have certain things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect on vital engine parts,
such as fuel injectors and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and fuel systems clean,
they are not equally effective.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline, please go to the offi
cial website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate fuels, carbon deposit
build -ups can rob your engine of peak performance.
(D Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel quality is not covered by
the Audi New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear side panel behind the
fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you can still open the flap
manually - for detailed instructions
see=> page 305.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle in Technical Data
=> page 378. ~
-Checking and filling PW~---=---=----------------
It is not necessary to remove the battery from the luggage compart
ment, and it is also not necessa ry t o disco nnec t the cab les.
F a st ch arging th e batt ery ( charging rate above 14 .8
V olts )
For technical reasons do not use a battery charger that uses voltage
greater tha n 14.8 Vo lts to charge your veh ic le's battery.
& WARNING
C harging a b attery can be dangerou s.
• Always follow the operating in structions provided by the
battery charger manufacturer when ch arging your b attery .
• Never charge a frozen battery . It may expl ode because of ga s
t rapped in the ice . Allow a frozen batter y to tha w out fir st .
• Do not reu se batteries which were fro zen. The battery hou sing
m ay have cracked and weakened when the battery froze.
• Charge the battery in a well ventilated are a. Keep aw ay from
open flame or electric al spar k. Do not smoke . Hydr ogen gas gener
ated by the battery i s explosive.
• To reduc e the danger of e xplosion , never conne ct or dis conn ect
charger cable s while the charger i s oper ating.
• Fa st charging a batter y is dangerous and should only be
a ttempted by a competent technician with the proper equipment .
• Battery ac id that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solution of warm water and b aking soda to neutralize
the a cid .
0 Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start the engine. This wil l
ser iously damage sens it ive elect ronic compo nents, such as control
units, r elays, radio , etc ., as wel l as the battery charger. •
Battery replacement
The new batte ry mus t have t he s ame s pecificati ons and
dimensions as the original equipment battery.
I ntel ligent energy management in your vehicle is responsible for
distr ibut ing the e lectr ica l energy throughout your veh icle
~ page 274. The inte lligent energy management system will keep
t he engine ba ttery charged be tter than vehicles without t his sys tem.
T o make sure the add it ional electr ical energy is avai lab le once aga in
after you have changed t he battery, we recommend that you ins tall
batteries of the same type and manufacture only (the same as those
insta lled at the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifications are
listed on the battery housing . Your authorized Audi dea ler wi ll then
code the battery management contro l unit .
The new battery must have the same capacity, voltage (12 volts), amperage, construction and p lug sea ling.
When instal ling the battery, make sure the ign ition and all elect rica l
consumers are turned off .
0 Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the side of the battery is
connected, otherwise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
'£> For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of a battery, we recom
mend your authorized Audi dealer change the battery for you.
Batteries contain sulfur ic acid and lead and must always be
disposed of proper ly i n compliance with all environmental regula
tions . Disposing of vehicle batteries improper ly is very dangerous to
t he environment .•
lll'ft __ T_ ir_e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h
_ e_e_ l_ s _______________________________________________ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused parts
of a motor vehicle.
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused parts of a
motor vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts
of a vehicle, particu lar ly considering the comparatively smal l patch
of rubber on each tire that assures that all -important contact
between you, your vehic le and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, making sure that your vehicle
and its t ires do not have to carry more we ight than they can safely
handle, avoiding damage from road hazards and regularly
inspecting tires for damage inc luding cuts, slashes irregular wear
and overa ll condition are the most important things that you can do
to help avoid sudden tire failure inc luding tread separation and
blowouts.
Av oidin g dam age
If you have to drive over a curb or similar obstac le, drive very slowly
and as close as possib le at a right angle to the curb .
A lways keep chem ica ls including grease, oi l, gaso line and brake
flu id off the ti res.
Inspect t he t ires regu larly fo r damage (cuts, cracks or b listers, etc .l.
Remove any foreign bodies embedded in the treads .
Storing tire s
Mark tires when you remove them to indicate the direction of rota
tion . This ensures you to be able to moun t them correctly w hen you
reinstal l them. When removed, the wheels or tires shou
ld be stored in a coo l, dry
and preferably dark place .
S tore tires in a vert ical pos it ion if they are not mounted on r ims, in
a horizonta l position if they are mounted on rims.
New tire s
New tires have to be broken in=> &.
The tread depth of new ti res may vary, according to the type and
make of tire and the tread pattern .
Hidden dam age
Damage to tires and rims is often not readily visible . If you notice
unusual vibration or the vehicle pu lls to one side, this may ind ica te
that one of the tires has been damaged . The tires must be checked
immediately by an authorized Audi dealer or qual ified workshop .
Unidir ec tiona l tir es
A unid irec tional tire can be identified by arrows on the sidewa ll, that
point in the direction the tire is designed to rotate. You must fo llow
t he specified directio n of rotation . Th is is necessary so that t hese
tires can deve lop their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road
noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance . For more information
=> page 357.
& WARNING
New t ires or tire s th at a re old , worn or d am aged cann ot pro vide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tire s tend to be slipper y and mu st be bro ken in . To redu ce
the risk of lo sin g con tro l, a collision and seriou s per sonal injurie s,
dri ve w ith spe cial care f or the fi rst 350 mile s (560 km l.
• Driving wi th worn or damaged tir es can l ead to lo ss of control ,
sudd en tire f ailure , inc ludi ng a blowout and sudden defl atio n, .,_
1119...__T_ ir_e _ s_ a_ n
_ d_ w_ h_ e_ e_ls _________________________________________________ _
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause excess ive tire wea r, impairi ng
the safety of the vehic le. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment c hecked by an au th o rize d Audi deale r or qualifie d
wo rkshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro® must always have tires of the same size, construc tion and tread type. F or details see
~ p age 273 .
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to los s of control, a crash and serious
personal injury !
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indi cators .
• Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning " and loss of control.
• Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage , such as
grease, oil , gasoline and brake fluid aw ay from tires .
• 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
lower speed s.
• 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 los s of veh icle control. •
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
N ew t ires and wheels h ave t o be broke n in.
Fig . 2 76 T ir e specification code s on the sidewall of a tire
No .
G)
0
©
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nominal width of tire in millimeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
Rim diameter code
L o ad in dex and s peed rat ing