___ A_ ir_b _a_ g:-- s-=- y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
• in front -end col lisions
• in rear -e n d coll isions
• in ro llovers.
In some types o f accide nts the front air bags and side ai rbags may
be triggered together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protect ion
when occupant s are in the proper seating position =>
page 188 .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle i s being
used , have the system inspected immediately by your authori zed
Audi dealer . The a irbag may not work properl y when the vehicle
acceleration in a side colli sion is high enough to activate the
airbag .•
How supplemental side airbags work
Side air bags deploy inst ant ly an d co n help reduce the risk
of up per tors o injuries for occu pants who ore properly
restrained .
M ~
1§==:::::::;;;.;;: ::::--! \':- -"7;1, _ 0:, m
Fig. 178 Infla ted side
a irb ags on left side of
vehi cle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is fi lled with pro pel lant gas
and breaks throu gh a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG"
. It expands between the side trim panel and the
passenger. In or der to help pr ovide this ad ditional protection, the
side airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second at very high
speed and with g reat force . The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if items
are located in the a rea where the supplemental side airbag expands.
This ap plies especia lly to children=>
page 190, "Child Sa fety".
Supplemental side ai rbags inflate between the occupant and the
d oor pa nel on the side of the vehic le that is struck in cer tain si de
collision=> fig. 178.
Al though they are n ot a s oft pillow , they can "cushion" the im pac t
and in this way they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
p ar t of t he b ody.
A fin e dust may develop whe n the airba g deploys. T his is no rmal
and does not mean the re is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airba gs ore o nly s up p leme nta l restra ints. A lw ays prop
erly wear s afe ty bel ts and ri de in a p roper sea ting posi
ti on.
There is a lo t th at you a nd your passengers must know a nd act
according ly to help the safety belts and airbags do their job to
prov ide su pple men ta l p ro tection .
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or fatal injury. Improp
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions in crease
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used .
• In order to reduce the risk of injury when the supplemental side
ai rbag inflates:
~
•
Ble nd o f gas oline and eth ano l (gr ain al coh ol o r eth yl a lcoho l)
• Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
• Blend must not contain more than 10% ethanol.
Blend of gasoli ne a nd MTBE
• Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
• Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonall y ad ju ste d ga solin e
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform especially well for
winter or summer driving . During seasona l change -over, we suggest
that you fil l 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 p lastic 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 particu lar fuel
blend meets the specifications, ask your service station or its fuel
suppl ier.
• Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
• Fuel system damage and performance problems resu lting 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 Warran ties.
• If you experience a loss of fue l economy or driveability and
performance problems due to the use of one of these fue l b lends,
we recommend that you switch to unblended fuel.•
Fue l supply and fillin g yo ur fu el tank
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 d iffer from one manufacturer to another,
they have certain things in common. A ll gaso line grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect on vita l engine parts,
such as fuel injectors and intake valves. Although most gaso line
brands inc lude additives to keep engine and fue l systems c lean,
they are not equally effective.
Audi recommends using TOP T IER Detergent Gasol ine. For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gaso line, please go to the offi
cial website (www.toptiergas .coml.
After an extended period of using inadequate fue ls, carbon deposit
build -ups can rob your engine of peak performance.
(D Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel qua lity is not covered by
the Audi New Vehic le Limited Warranty .•
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel fi ller neck is located on the right rear side panel behind the
fue l filler f lap.
If the power locking system should fail, you can still open the flap
manually - for detailed instructions see~
page 248.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle in Tech nic al Dat a
~ page 314 . _,.
Ve hic le care
Tires a nd wh eels BIii ________________________________ :....:.:.....::.=.....::.:..:..:..::..:___:___:..__ __
•
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, particular ly considering the comparative ly sma ll patch
of rubber on each tire that assures that all -important contact
between you, your vehicle and the road .
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, making sure that your vehicle
and its tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
handle, avoiding damage from road hazards and regular ly
inspecting tires for damage inc luding cuts , slashes irregular wear
and overal l condition are the most important things that you can do
to help avoid sudden tire failure including tread separation and
b lowouts .
Avo iding d am age
If you have to drive over a curb or similar obstacle, drive very slowly
and as close as possible at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemica ls including grease, oil, gasoline and brake
flu id off the ti res .
I nspect the tires regularly for damage (cuts, cracks or blisters, etc .!.
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 ab le to mount them correctly when you
reinstall them. When removed, the whee
ls or tires should be stored in a coo l, dry
and preferably dark place.
Store tires in a vertical position i f they are not mounted on r ims, in
a horizontal position if they are mounted on rims.
N ew tire s
New tires have to be broken in => &.
The tread depth of new tires may vary, according to the type and
make of tire and the tread pattern.
Hidd en d am ag e
Damage to tires and rims is often not readily visible . If you notice
unusua l vibration or the vehic le pul ls to one side, this may indicate
that one of the tires has been damaged . The tires must be checked
immediately by an author ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Uni dir ection al tire s
A unidirect ional 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
the specified direction of ro tation . This is necessary so that these
tires can deve lop their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road
noise, wear and hydroplaning resistance . For more information
=> page 298.
Rim s with bolted rim ring *
Light-alloy wheels with a bo lted rim ring consist of several parts .
These parts are screwed together with special bo lts, using a specific
technique. This ensures proper function, seal, safety, and true running of the wheel. For this reason, damaged rims shou ld be
replaced, and you should never repair or dismantle them
=> & .
Rim s with screw -on decorative co vers *
Light-a lloy whee ls can be furnished with interchangeab le decora -
tive covers that are mounted to the rim with se lf -locking bolts. ...
Vehic le care
__________________________________________________ T_ ir_e _ s_ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_ e_ e_ls _ _____,ffllll
In correct wheel alignment
Inc orrect wheel alignment can cause excessive tire wea r, impairing
the saf ety of the vehicle . If tires s how excessive wear , have the
whee l alig nment chec ked by an autho rized A udi deale r or q ualif ied
workshop .
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must always have tires of the same si ze ,
cons tructi on and tread type . For details see => page 218 .
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss 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 .
• E specially in wet and slick driving situations , a preferably large
profile depth of the tires is necessary , and an approximately
similar profile depth of the front and rear axle tire s.
• The diminished driving safety , caused by too small of a tire
profile , is negatively perceivable especially in handling , in danger
of hydroplaning when driving through deep puddles and ponds ,
when driving around curve s, and in braking behavior.
• Worn t ires 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 a s
grease , oil , gasoline and brake flu id away from tires.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly ,
espe cially 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
lowe r speeds.
• Never mount used tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old u sed tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and los s of vehicle control. •
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels ha ve to be bro ken in.
Fig. 211 Tire spe cification cod es on the sidewall of a tir e
No. Description
©
@
@
@
©
©
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nominal w id th of tire in mi llimeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Radia l
ii Rim diameter code
Load index an d sp eed ra ting
Vehic le care irechnical data