2010 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET technical data

Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' "---.L==--
The ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If a malfunction should
occur in the ABS, the ASR w ill also be out of action.
Activating
The ESP is automatically activated when the engine is started and it
performs a self-test. You can activate a deactivated ASR if required by
pressing the=>
page 240, fig. 214 button. When it is activated, the
message
ESP/ASR on appears briefly in the display .
Deactivating
You can deactivate the ASR if required by pressing the button (for less
than 3 seconds) =>
page 240, fig. 214. With the ASR deactivated , the
ESP check light comes on, see=>
page 14 . The message ASR off
appears in the display as well. The ASR can be deactivated at any
speed .
The ASR should normally be activated a ll the time. Only in certain
exceptional situations when some slip is desirable does it make sense
to deactivate the ASR. Examples:
• when driving with tire chains
• when driving in deep snow or on loose ground and
• when rocking the vehicle loose after it has become stuck .
When the abnormal situation is over, you should activate the ASR again.
& WARNING
The increased safety afforded by ASR does not mean that you can
take safety risks. Always adapt your driving style to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
[I] Tips
To ensu re that the ASR works properly, all four whee ls must be fitted
with ident ical t ires. Any differences in rolling radius of the t ires can
cause the system to reduce eng ine power when this is not desired.
See also=>
page 307, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels". •
Safety first
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still subject to wear,
depending la rgely on ope rating conditions and driving habits=>& .
On vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traffic or
are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your authorized
Audi dealer more often than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet.
Failure to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should use the braking effect of the engine. This
way, you prevent unnecessary wear on the brake system. If you must
use your brakes, do not hold the brakes down continuously. Pump the
brakes at intervals.
Noises may occur when brak ing depending on the speed, braking
force and outside cond itions such as temperatu re and humid ity.
Moisture or road salt
If you are driving faster than 31 mph (50 km/h) and the windshield
wipers are on, the brake pads will briefly touch the brake discs in
regula r interva ls so as to improve reaction time when braking on wet
surfaces. You, the driver, will not not ice anything.
Under certain condit ions, for example, when driving through water or
very heavy rai n, or even after washing your vehicle, the braking effect
can be reduced due to moisture (or in free zing conditions ice) on the
bra ke pads. A few careful brake applications should dry off the brake
pads or remove any ice coatings.
Th e effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced when the vehicle is
dr iven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used. H ere too,
you should clean off accumu lated salt coating from brake discs and
pads with a few careful applications of the brake=>&,.
Vehicle care Technical data

Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' '----'----
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS}
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up under braking.
The ABS contributes effectively to vehicle control since it prevents the
w heels from
locking whe n the brakes are applied . This means t hat t he
vehicle rema ins steerable and is less likely to skid.
With ABS you do not need to pump the brake. Ju st hold the brake
pedal down .
However, do not expect the ABS to shorten braking distance under all
circu mstances. When d riving on gr ave l o r on new ly falle n snow o n top
of icy s urfaces, braking distance may be even longer, therefore, under
t he se c ir cu mstances, i t is especially importa nt that you dr ive slowly
and with great care.
How the ABS system works
An a utomat ic check is made when a speed of about 12 mph (20 km/h)
is reached. When this happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an individ ual w heel beg ins to rotate too slow ly in relat ion to vehicle
speed and tends to lock, t he ABS automat ic al ly reduces brake pres­
sure to prevent t hat wheel from locking .
Thi s automatic adjustment process w ill cause a
slight vibrat ion of
t he bra ke ped al and some noises to aler t you th at vehicle s peed mus t
be adapted to existing road and traff ic conditions.
& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective , always remember that braking
capability i s limited by tire traction . Always adjust your driving
speed acco rding to the road and traffic condition s. Do not let the
extra safety afforded by the ABS tempt you into taking extra risk s.
T he ABS cannot overcome the laws of physics .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
(I] Tips
•
If ABS is no t fun ct io ni ng prope rly, a wa rning light will come on .
See =>
page 16.
• If a fault occurs in the A BS, the EDL is also not functioning . This is
indicated by t he ABS warn ing light .•
Brake assist
Brake assist is designed to achieve the optimum braking
effect.
Bra ke ass ist helps to i ncrease the effe ctive br aking power and thus to
achieve a shorte r stopping distance . If the d river presses the brake
peda l very quickly, brake assist automatically boosts the bra king
force to the max imum level, up to the po int whe re the anti-lock b rake
function (ABS) intervenes to stop t he wheels from locki ng . You
should then keep the br ake peda l pressed unti l the ve hicle has braked
to the required speed . Brake ass ist switches itself off as soon as you
re le ase the br ake pedal.
& WARNING
Please remember that the accident risk always increases if you
drive too fast , especially in corners or on a slippery road , or if you
follow the vehicle ahead of you too clo sely. Increased ri sk of an
accident cannot be compensated for even by brake assist , so
alway s maintain a safe speed. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' "---.L=.c=--
Repl acing wheel s/tires
Vehicles wi th all wheel drive must a lways have tires of t he same size.
Also avoid tires with different tread depths. For details see page
=> page 307, "New tires and rep lacing tires and wheels".
Off -Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as an
off-road veh icle . It is therefore best to avo id ro ugh tracks and uneven
terrain as m uch as possible . Also refer to=>
page 251.
& WARNING
Alway s adju st your driving to road and traffi c conditi ons. Do not
let the ex tra safety afforded by all wheel dr ive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
• Although the all wheel dri ve is ve ry effecti ve, always
remember that braking capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not dri ve at ex cessive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces .
• On wet road surfaces , be careful not to drive too fast because
the front wheel s could begin to slide on top of the water (aqua­
planing ). If th is should occur, you will have no warning from a
sudden increase in engine speed as with a front-wheel drive
vehicle. Always drive at speeds which are suited to the road cond i­
tions -ris k of crash.
n
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
E
nergy management contr ols th e distributi on of elec­
tri cal energy and thus optimizes the availabili ty of elec­
tri cal energ y for star ting the engin e.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system is not dr iven for a long
per io d of time, t he battery is di sch arged by idling cur rent consume rs
(e .g. immob il izer) . In certain c ircumstances it can result in there
being insuffic ien t energy av a ilab le to start t he eng ine .
Inte lligent energy management in your ve hicle hand les the d istribu ­
tion of e lectrical energy . Starting ability is ma rkedly improved and
the l if e of the battery is extended.
Bas ically, energy management consists of
battery d iagnos is, idling
current management
a nd dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis con tinuously dete rmines the st ate o f the batte ry.
Sensors determ ine battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
t empe ra ture. This de termine s the cur rent sta te of cha rge and the
power of the battery.
Idling current management
I d ling current management reduces energy consumption wh ile the
vehicle is s tanding. W ith t he igni tion swi tched off, it con trols the
energy supply to the var io us electrical components. Data from
b att ery diag nosis is considered .
Depend ing on the battery 's state of charge, individual consumers a re
gradually t urned off to p revent excessive discha rge of the battery and
thus main tain start ing capab ility.
Dynamic energy management
Whi le the vehicle is being dr iven , dynamic energy management
dis tributes the energy generated a cco rding to the needs o f th e in di-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' '----'----
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it can limit the ability of
the engine to start, this is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
Lo w b attery charge : batt ery will be charged while driving
Th is notification rem inds you that the starting capability of the
engine may be limited . As soon as you start driving again, the batte ry
w ill be recharged and the notification w ill go out.
Dri ver notification appears and goes out again
If th is dr iver notification appears after the ignition is turned o n or
while driving a nd it goes out again afte r a w hile, the battery has been
adequate ly recharged.
Driver no tification appears and does not go out
again
If th is dr iver notifica tion appears afte r the ignition is turned o n or
while driving and does not go out again, the battery 's state of charge
is not in the optimal range . Starting ability is restricted. Have the
battery checked as soon as poss ible by an au thor ized Aud i dea le r o r
qualified workshop. •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driving and environment
----------------------------------------------'
New brake pads
- -
Remem ber th at new brake pads do not have a full braking
e ffe ct du ring the first 250 mi les (400 ki lo mete rs) afte r they
are in sta lle d .
N ew br ake pads have to be " burnishe d in" before they have op tim al
grab~ &-
Dur ing the break-in period, you sho uld avoid putting severe loads on
the brakes . Severe loads include, for example, sudden ha rd bra king,
in part icu lar at very high s peeds o r, for example, on mountain passes .
& WARNING
New brake pads don't have the best stopping power and must be
" broken-in " during the in itial 100 to 150 miles (150 to 200 kilo ­
meters) of normal city driving. You can compensate for this by
pressing the brake pedal mor e firmly . This also applies later when
new pads are installed. n
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When yo u are driving on poor roads, or over c urbs, steep ramps, etc.,
ma ke ce rtain that low-lying pa rts su ch as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged .
This is es peciall y tr ue for veh icle s wi th low-slung chass is (sports
chassis)" and fully loaded vehicles. •
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage w hen drivi ng through
water, fo r examp le on floode d roa ds:
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
The wate r must not be any higher than the bottom of the vehicle
body .
• Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
& WARNING
After driving through water , mud , slush , etc ., the brakes may be
slow to take effect because of wet brake rotors and pads . Dry the
brakes first by braking carefully to resto re the full braking effect.
0 Note
Vehicle components such as the engine, transmiss ion, suspension or
ele ct ric al sy stem can be severe ly d amaged by driv ing thro ugh wa ter.
[ i ] Tips
• C heck the de pth o f th e wate r before driving thr oug h it.
• Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or switch the engine off
w he n dr iving throug h wate r.
• Keep in m ind that oncoming vehicles may c reate waves t hat raise
t he water leve l and make it too deep fo r yo ur vehicle t o drive thr oug h
safely.
• Avoid drivi ng through sal t wa ter because it can cause corros io n.
Catalytic converter
It is very important th at your emission control s ystem
( c a ta lytic co n verter) is functionin g proper ly to e nsure
th at y our ve hicl e is ru nn in g in an en vir onm entally sound
m ann er.
- Alwa ys use lead- free g asoline=> p ag e 274, "Fuel sup ply".
- Never ru n the tan k down a ll the way to empty . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driving and environm ent
------------------------------------------------'
[I) Tip s
The consumption estimates as published by ENV IRONMEN TA L
PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the road, wh ich w ill vary
depending upon vehicle load and speed, road and weather conditions ,
trip length, etc. •
Drive smoothly :1nd keep a Lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are accelerating .
-Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they a re accelerating. If you antici­
pate what is going to happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possible -for
example when you see that the next traffic l ight is red. •
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and improves your
mileage.
- Try and keep well below your car's maximum speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consumption, engine wear, and does
not disturb the environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine noise increase
disproportionately at high speeds . If you drive at approx imately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half.
Never dr ive faster t han the posted speed limit and weather condi­
tions permit. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
-
Shut the engine off when you are not driving the vehicle .
- Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the engine run at
idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic jams, when wa iting for
trains to pass at railroad crossings, or at traffic lights that have long
wa its on red . Turn ing the engine off for just 30-40 seco nds saves
mor e fuel than is burned starting the engine again .
It takes a long t ime for the engine to wa rm up fully when it is run ning
at idle. However, wear and noxious emissions are espec ia lly high
when the eng ine is wa rming up. So you should dr ive away as soon as
you start the engine and avoid running at hig h rpms while the engine
is still warm ing up.
0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after starting . If warning
lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, which could result in
overheat ing or other damage to the vehicle or othe r property.
Regular mai n _t_ e_ n_a_ n_ c_e ___________ _
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
-Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals .
By having you r vehicle regularly serviced by an authorized Audi dealer
helps to ensure that it runs properly and economically . The condit ion
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to ho ld its val ue,
it also affects
fu el con sumpt ion.
C hec k your oil ea ch tim e you fill you r ta nk .
"1>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger transpor ­
tation.
If yo u plan to tow a t rai ler, p lease rem emb er that the add itiona l load
wi ll affect durab ility, economy and performance.
T railer tow ing not on ly p laces mo re s tress on the vehicle, it a lso calls
for more concentrat ion from the driver.
For this reason, a lways follow the ope rating and dr iv ing instr uctions
prov ided and use common sense .
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the gross trailer weig ht.
Th e hitch mus t be suitable for yo ur vehicle a nd tra ile r and mus t be
mounted secure ly on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically sound l oca­
t ion. Use only a trailer hitch wi th a remov ab le b all m ount. Alw ays
check w ith the tra iler hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using t he cor re ct hi tch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The h itch must be installed in such a way t hat it does not interfere
w ith the impa ct-absorbing b umper system. No mod ifi cat ions sho uld
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems. From time to
ti me, chec k tha t all hitc h mou ntin g bol ts rem ain secure ly f aste n ed.
When you a re not tow ing a tra iler, remove the tra iler hitch ba ll
mount. This prevents the hitc h from caus ing damage should yo ur
vehicle be struck from behind=> &.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is eq
uipped with a braking system, check to be s ure that
i t confo rm s to all regula tions.
The tra iler hydraulic brake system must not be directly connected to
the vehicle's hydraulic brake system=>& .
Safety chains
Alw ays use safety chains be twee n your vehicle and the trai ler.
Trailer lights
Tr ailer l ights m ust meet all reg ulat io ns. Be su re to check with your
author ized Audi deale r for correct wir ing, switches, and re lays.
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traffic behind you us ing the regular
outside m irro rs, then you
must install extended m irro rs. It is impor­
tant that yo u
always have clear vision to the rear.
& WARNING
• If a trailer has electrical b rake s please note that these brakes
are not activated by the factory-fitted control unit -ri sk of acci­
dent!
• After removing the trailer hitch , do not store it in your vehicle.
In case of sudden braking, the hitch could fly fo rward and injure
you or your passengers. •
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer we ight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical class 1 or class 2 trailer . .,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for vehicles towing
t railers are lowe r than for regular veh icles.
Always apply brakes early. When dr iv ing downh ill, sh ift in to a lower
gear to use the engine braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge~ page 8 must be observed care­
fully. If the needle moves close to the upper end of the scale, reduce
speed immediately and/or turn off the air conditione r.
If the coolant temperature warning light in the instrument cluster
star ts flashing
-t- , pull off the road, stop and let the engine idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up.
& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving vehicle is at a much
greater risk in an accident. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided by Audi. u
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
------------
Your vehicle handles differently when tow ing a tra iler because of the
additiona l weight and different weight distribution. Safety, perfor ­
mance and economy will greatly depend on how carefu lly you load
your trailer and operate your rig .
Before you actua lly tow your trailer, practice turning, stopping and
backing up in an area away from traffic. Keep pract icing until you have
become completely familiar with the way your vehicle-t railer combi­
nation behaves and responds.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Backing up
is d iff icult and requ ires practice . Backing up with a trailer
generally requires steering action opposite to that when backing up
your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle and the one in front
of you. You will need more room to stop . To compensate fo r the
trailer, you will need a larger than norma l turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accelerate as fast as you
normally would because of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for you r
trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes .
[I) Tips
• Do not tow a trai ler during the break-in per iod of your vehicle.
• If you tow a tra iler, your Audi may requi re more frequent mainte­
nance due to the extra toad~
page 343. •
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot be
avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
-Apply the foot brake.
- Have someone place chocks under both the vehicle and the
trailer wheels.
- With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes until the
wheel chocks absorb the load.
- Turn the wheels towards the curb.
- Apply the parking brake .
- Move the se lector lever to
P.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data