___ C_h_ e_ c _ k_in -= g'--a_ n_d _ f_il _l _in """'g=--- ------------------------------------------
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brak e flu id l evel c an be checke d with a quick gl ance.
F ig . 2 24 Engi ne
comp artme nt: Br ak e
fluid re ser voi r
Before you check anythi ng in the eng ine compart ment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working i n
the e ngine compar tment" on
page 280 .
- Read the bra ke flu id level from the bra ke fluid reservoir
~ page 29 0, fig . 224. The bra ke fluid level must be
between the "MI N" and " MAX" m ark ings.
T he bra ke fluid reservoir is located at the rear partition of the engine
compartmen t on the left side=> page 281 .
The flu id level may drop slightly after some time due to the auto
m atic adjus tment o f th e br ake pad s. This is no t ca use for alarm.
If the b ra ke fl uid leve l falls considerably below the "MIN" mark, t he
brake warn ing/i nd icator light ( U.S. models:
BRAKE , Canadia n models:
«D> ) will come on=> page 17 and=> page 28 . Do not continue to
operate t he vehicle. The complete brake system should be thoro ughly
c hec ked by an au thor ized Aud i deale r or q ualified works hop a nd the
cause corrected.
If the b rake fluid level is too low, the brake wa
rning/ind icator light will illum inate. Contact a n author ized Aud i
de aler
immediately .
W Tips
The b rake fl uid reservo ir is located un derneath the cover .•
Changing brake fluid
Hav e th e b rake fluid chang ed by an experi enc ed techni
c ia n.
Br ake flui d ab sorbs mois ture from the air. If the wate r cont en t in the
brake flu id is too hig h, corros ion in the brake system may result after
a period of time. The boil ing po int of the brak e fl uid w ill also de cre as e
considera bly and d ecrease b raking performance .
T herefo re, the brake f lu id m ust be c hanged
every two years . Always
use new br ake fluid w hich confo rm s to Federal Motor Veh icle Sta n
dard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
T he bra ke fl uid r eserv oir ca n be diffi cult t o rea ch, there fore, we
recommend that you have the brake f lu id changed by yo ur autho rized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct tools , the rig ht bra ke fl uid
and the k now -how to do t his for you .
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored only in the closed
original container out of the reach of children!
• Brake failure can result from old
or inappropriate brake fluid.
Observe these precautions:
-Use only brake fluid that meets SAE specification
J 1703 and
conform s to Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116 . Always che ck
with your authorized Audi dealer to make sure you are using
the correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake fluid is also indicated on the brake
fluid reservoir . ~
_____________________________________________ C_h_ e_ c_k _in --= g'-- a_n _ d_ f_ i_ll _i_n __ g ____ _
& WARNING (co ntinued )
-The brake fluid mu st be new. Heavy use of the brake s can
cause a vapor lock if the brake fluid i s left in the sy stem too
long. This can seriously affect the efficiency of the brakes as
well as your safety . This could result in an accident.
0 Note
B rake fluid will damage the pain t of your ve hicle.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of proper d isposal of b rake fl uid as we ll as
the spec ia l too ls requ ired and the necessary expert ise , we recom
mend th at yo u have the brake fl uid ch anged by your authori ze d Audi
dealer. •
Battery
General information
Under normal operating cond itions, t he battery in your Audi does not
need any maintenance. W ith
high o uts ide temperatures or long daily
dr ives we recomme nd that yo u have the electro lyte level ch ecked by
an a utho rized Audi dealer o r q ua lified workshop. The e lectrolyte leve l
sho uld also be che cked ea ch t ime the battery i s ch arge d=>
page 293 .
Have t he battery checked when yo u take you r vehicle in for serv ice .
You a re well a dvised to rep lace a batte ry that is o lde r than 5 years.
With certa in ty pes of a irbag deployment, the ba tte ry is disconnected
from the vehicle e lectr ica l system for safety reasons=>
& in "Repair,
c are and disposal of the air bags " on
page 214.
Safety first
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle f unctions ( power w indow reg ulators, for examp le) are
lost if the batte ry termina ls a re disconnected . These funct ions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are connected again . To
prevent this, the battery should only be disconnected from the
vehicle electr ica l system when absolute ly necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If yo u do not drive your ve hicle over a period of severa l days o r wee ks,
elect rical compo nents are g radually cut bac k or swi tched off. This
re du ces ene rgy consumption and maintains start ing capability over a
longer period=>
page 2 47.
Take into consideration that when you unlock your vehicle, some
c onvenie nce func tions, such as the master key remote func tion o r
power seat adjustme nt, may not be avai lable. The convenience func
tions will be available again w he n you t urn on the ign it ion and sta rt
the engine .
Winter operation
During the winter months , battery capacity tends to decrease as
t empe ra tu res drop . This is beca use more power is a lso cons umed
wh ile starting, and the headlights, rear w indow defogger , etc ., are
used more o ften .
Avoid unne cessa ry powe r consum ption, part icu larly in city traffic o r
when traveling only short distances. Let your authori zed Audi dealer
che ck t he capa city of the vehicle b atte ry befo re w inte r sets in
=>
page 293 . A well charged battery will not only prevent start ing
pro blems when t he we ather is co ld, bu t w ill also last l onge r.
[ i ] Tips
If yo ur vehicl e is lef t standi ng fo r seve ral weeks at extremely low
temperatures, the veh icle battery should be removed and stored
whe re it will no t free ze . This will preven t it from being dam aged and
having to be replaced .•
Vehicle care Technical data
lffl) __ C_ h_e _c_ k_ i_ n _ g_ a_ n _ d_ f_il _l _in ____ g ___________________________________________ _
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near the
battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compartment under the
floor. Before you check anything in the lu~gage compart
ment, read and heed all WARNINGS=>
&-
Always heed the safety warnings, when working on the vehicle
battery or the vehicle electrical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important when
working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYMBOLS and safety pre cautions when working on the battery.
@
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Always wear
gloves and eye protection.
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking .
When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen
gas which is explosive and could cause personal
injury.
Always keep the battery well out of reach of chil
dren .
& WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the electrical system,
there is the risk of injury, accident and even fire. Read and heed
the following WARNINGS:
& WARNING (continued)
• Always wear eye protection. Do not let battery acid or any lead
particles get on your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
• Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid can cause
blindness and severe burns.
-Always wear gloves and eye protection. Do not tilt the
battery because acid could leak out of the ventilation open
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immedi
ately rinse with cold water for several minutes and get medical
attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek medical attention
immediately.
• Do not expose the battery to an open flame, electric sparks or
an open light.
• Do not smoke.
• Do not interchange the positive and negative cables.
• When working on the battery, be sure not to short-circuit the
terminals with tools or other metal objects. This would cause the
battery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or
explosion and personal injury.
• When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen gas which is
explosive and could cause personal injury.
• Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children.
• Before work is done on the electrical system, disconnect the
negative ground cable.
• Before performing any work on the electrical system, switch
off the engine and ignition as well as any electrical equipment.
The negative cable on the battery must be disconnected. If you are
just going to replace a light bulb, then it is enough to switch off the lights. ..,_
___________________________________________ C_ h _ e_c _k _ i_n -=g .._ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g '-- ....... JIII
& WARNING (continued)
• Before disconnecting the battery, switch off the anti-theft
alarm system! Otherwise you will set off the alarm.
• When disconnecting the battery, first disconnect the negative
cable and then the positive cable.
• Before reconnecting the battery, make sure all electrical
consumers are switched off. Reconnect the positive cable first and
then the negative cable. Never interchange the cables -this could
start a fire!
• Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out battery. It could
explode! If a battery has frozen, then it must be replaced. A
discharged battery can freeze over at 32°F (0°C).
• Make sure the vent hose is always attached to the opening on
the side of the battery.
• Never use batteries which are damaged. There is the danger of
an explosion! Always replace a damaged battery.
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems. Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
• Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when the ignition is
switched on or when the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the electrical system.
• If your vehicle is going to stand for a long period of time without
being driven, protect the battery from "freezing", otherwise it will be
damaged and will then have to be replaced. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery.
Fig. 225 Engine
compartment: Connec
tors for charger and
jumper cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below::::;, & and::::;, &
in "Working on the battery" on
page 292.
-Turn off the ignition and all electrical consumers.
- Make sure the area is well ventilated when you charge the
battery .
- Open the engine hood ::::;,
page 2 79.
- Remove the cover over the positive terminal in the plenum
chamber.
- Open the red cover on the positive pole::::;, fig. 225.
- Connect the charger connectors according to the instruc-
tions to the jump start bolts . (Bolts under the red cover=
"pos itive", Bolts with hex head = "negative").
- Only now plug the mains lead for the charging equipment
into the wall outlet and turn it on::::;, &.
- Make sure the charging rate is not over 30 arnps/14.8
Volt. ....
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
lffll __ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
- When the battery is fully charge d: T urn th e charg ing
equ ipment off an d remove the ma ins lea d from t he wall
ou tle t.
- Now remove the clamps for th e ch ar ging equip men t.
- Close the red cover o n the posit ive po le.
- Close the hood
=:> page 280 .
A discharged battery can freeze at tempe ra tu res of only 3 2 °F ( 0 °C) .
Allow a froze n battery to thaw comp lete ly before attempt ing to
charge it~ & . H owever, we recommend not using a thawed batte ry
again because the battery casing can be c rack ed d ue to ice format ion
and can lea k battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of 30
amps/14.8 Volt)
Wh en charging a t /ow voltages (e.g. with a trickle charger), t h e
battery cables do not have to be disconnected first. The battery caps
should not be opened w hen c ha rging a ba ttery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from the luggage compart
me nt.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate above 14.8
Volts)
For technical reasons do not use a battery cha rger that uses voltage
grea ter than 14.8 Vol ts to cha rge yo ur vehicle's batte ry.
& WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous .
• Always follow the operating instructions provided by the
battery charger manufacturer when charging your battery .
• Never charge a frozen battery . It may explode because of gas
trapped in the ice. Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Do not reuse batteries which were frozen. The battery housing
may have cracked and weakened when the battery froze.
• Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from
open flame or electr ical spark . Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas gener
ated by the battery is explosive .
• To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or disconnect
charger cable s while the charger i s operating.
• Fast charging a battery is dangerous and should only be
attempted by a competent technician with the proper equipment .
• Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solution of warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the ac id.
0 Note
N ever use a fast charger as a booster to start the engine. This w ill seri·
ously d amage sens it ive e lec tronic components, suc h as con trol units,
re lays, rad io, etc., as well as t he battery charger. •
Battery replacement
Th e ne w batt ery m us t hove the s ome speci fic ati ons and
d imensio ns as the origi nal e quip ment battery.
Inte lligent e ne rgy management in yo ur vehicle is respo nsib le for
dis tribu ting the elec trical energy througho ut yo ur vehicle
~ page 247. The intelligent energy management system will keep
t he e ngine bat tery ch arged bette r then vehicles wi thou t this syste m.
T o make sure the addi tional e lectr ica l energy is available once aga in
after you have changed the batte ry, we recommend that yo u inst all
batter ies of the same type a nd m anuf actu re only ( the same as t hose
installed at the time yo ur vehicle was delive red). Specificat ions are
listed o n the batte ry hous ing . You r a utho rized Audi dealer w ill then
code the battery management control unit. .,_
_____________________________________________ C_h _ e_ c_ k_in --= g'-- a_n _d_ f_i _ll _i_n -=g ::;__ ____.lftll
If it is not poss ible to use a ba ttery of this type, the new battery must
h ave the same capacity, voltage (12 volts), amperage, const ruct ion
and plug sealing .
When installing the battery, make sure the ignition and all electrical
consumers are turned off .
0 Note
Make sure the vent ilation hose on the side of the battery is
connected, otherwise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
c£' For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of a battery, we recom
mend you r author ized Audi dealer change the battery fo r you .
Batteries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be disposed
of properly in compliance with all env ironmenta l regu lations.
Disposing of vehicle batteries improperly is very dangerous to the
environment. •
Windshield/headlight washer
container
Fig. 226 Engin e
c o mpa rt m ent : W in d
s hiel d an d hea dlight*
wa sh er fl uid containe r
Vehicle OP-eration
The washer fluid container is marked with the symbol¢, on
i t s cap.
- Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS ~ & in "Working
in the engi ne compar tment" on
page 280 .
-Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer fluid. You can fill
the container to the top.
- Press the cap back onto the filler neck after filling the
co ntainer.
You can find the reservoir capacit y in the table in=> page 342.
To prevent lime res idue from build ing up on the sp ray jets, use
distilled water when refilling . Always add a glass cleaner solution
(with frost protection in the winter) .
0 Note
Do not mix engine coo lant antifreeze or any other additives to fill up
the windsh ield washer reservo ir. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least apprec iated and most abused pa rts of a moto r
vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
veh icle, parti cularly conside ring the comparative ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assu res that all- important co ntact between
you , your ve hicle and the road .
Ma inta in ing t he correct t ire pressu re, making s ure that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and reg ula rly inspect ing
tires for damage incl ud ing c uts, s lashes irregular wea r and overall
condi tion are the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoi d
sudden tire fa ilure includ ing t read separation and blowouts .
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or sim ilar obstacle, drive very s lowly
and as close as poss ible at a right angle to the cu rb .
Always keep chemicals including grease, oil , gasoline and bra ke fl uid
o ff the t ires .
Inspect the ti res regularly for damage (cuts, crac ks o r bl ist ers, e tc .).
Remove any foreign bodies embed ded in the trea ds.
Storing tires
M ar k tires when yo u remove t hem to indica te the d irect ion of rota
tion . This ens ures yo u to be able to mo unt them co rrectly whe n you
re insta ll them.
Wh en r emoved, t he wheels or tires s hould be sto red in a c ool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace. Sto
re tires in a ver tica l pos it ion if they a re not mounted on rims, in a
hor izonta l position if they are mo unted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be bro ken in~ & .
Th e tread dep th of new tires may v ary, ac cor ding to t he type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern.
Hidden damage
Dama ge to t ires and rims is often not readi ly visible . If yo u notice
unusu al v ib ra tion o r the veh icle pulls to one sid e, t his may i ndicate
that one of the tires has been damaged. The tires must be c hecke d
i m medi ately by an a uthor ized A udi deale r or quali fied w or ksh op .
Unidirectional tires
A u nidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the sidewall, that
point in the d irect io n the tire is des igned to rotate. Yo u m ust follow
t he s peci fied dire ction of ro tation . T his is nece ssary so th at t hese
tires can develop the ir optimum c haracter istics regarding gr ip, road
noise, we ar and hy dropl aning res istance. For more informa tion
~page 326 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must also be broken-in. To
reduce the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal
injuries , drive with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. .,_
________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ l!'II
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Tires age even if they are not be ing used and can fail suddenly ,
e specially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weigh t (in excess of those sta ndard items wh ich
may be replaced) of automatic transmission, power steer ing, power
bra kes, powe r win dows, power sea ts, radio, and heate r, to the exte nt
that these items are available as factory-insta lled equipment
(whet her i ns ta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
means the r atio of t he he ight to t he widt h of the t ire in percent.
N umbers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
res ponse and bet ter over all h andling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part of the t ire that is made of stee l wi res, w rapped or
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the ti re.
Safety first
& W ARNING (co ntinued )
• Never mount u sed tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old u sed tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unusual vibr ation 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 t ire pressu re recom mended by the vehicle manufa ctu rer
for a tire of a desig nate d size that has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree hour per io d
before the tire pressu re is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a moto r vehicle wit h standard equipment
incl uding the max imum ca pac it y of fue l, o il, and coo lan t, air condi
tioning and additiona l weig ht of optional eq uipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher inflat ion
pressures than t he co rresponding sta ndard t ire. Extra load tires may
be identif ied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the loa d-carrying capac ity of a sing le ax le system, measure d at
the t ire-grou nd interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
mea ns the maximum tota l loaded we ig ht of the vehicle .
Vehicle care Technical data