________________________________________________ T_ i_ re _ s_ a_ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l _s _ ....... JIII
Unbalanced wh eels must be rebalanced to avoid e xcessive w ear o n
st eeri ng, sus pens ion and tires. A w heel must a lso be re balan ced
w hen a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect whee l alignm ent can ca use excessive ti re wea r, impairing
th e safe ty o f the vehicle. If tir es show excessive we ar, ha ve the w heel
alignment checked by a n authorized A udi dealer or qualif ied wo rk
s hop .
All wheel drive
Vehicle s wi th qu att ro ® mus t alw ay s ha ve tires of the sa m e siz e,
construct ion a nd tread type. For details see~
page 246.
& 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 indicators.
• 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 away 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 speeds.
• 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. •
Vehicle OP-eration
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and w heel s hav e to b e brok en in .
Fig. 231 Tire specificat ion codes on the sidewall of a tire
No.
©
®
®
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where app licable)
Nom inal width of ti re in mil lim eters
Ratio of hei9ht to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
jj Rim diameter code
L oa d index and speed rating
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
ffll.,___W_ h_ a_t _ d_ o_ I_d_ o_ n_o _w_ ? ___________________________________________ _
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be opened from
the inside using the trunk escape handle.
To open rear Lid
F ig . 234 Trunk esca pe
ha ndle : vie w from
i n side th e clo se d trun k
- Pull the hand le down towards the bumper~ fig. 234.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is made of fl uorescent
m aterial to glow in the dark.
& WARNING
The trunk e scape handle is to be u sed only in an emergency.
(I) Tips
T he emerge ncy re lease lever should never be used as a handle for
closing the rear lid. •
Vehicle tool kit
The tools are sto red undern eath the floor panel in the
luggage compartment.
Fi g. 2 35 Luggag e
c omp art me nt: to ol kit
When you need access to the vehicle tool kit or jack* , yo u will need to
t ake out the spare ti re * and cover =>
page 319.
The ve hicle too l kit includes:
• Hook for removing whee l covers*
• Alignment p in for changing the wheel
• Screwdrive r with reversib le blade
• Tool for changing light bulbs
• Revers ible b it (reversible Torx b it for chang ing lig ht bulbs)
• Rod for jack
• Jack
• Lu g wre nc h
• T owing eye
Some of the veh icle items listed above are prov ided on ce rtain models
only or a re optional extras .
Before ret urning the jack to its place, ret ract the jack arm fully . .,
What do I do now ? -_______________ __.PfWII
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for changing the wheel
F ig. 242 Changing a
wheel: using the
sc rewdriver handle
(w ith the b lade
r emove d) to turn t he
bolts
Fig. 243 Changi ng a
wheel: alignment p in
i nside t he top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and raised the vehicle
off the ground, remove and replace the wheel as follows :
Removing the wheel
- Remove the topmost wheel bolt completely with the
hex agon al sock et in the screwdriver handle (vehicle tool
kit) :=} fig. 242 and set it aside on a
clean surface.
Vehicle OP-eration
-Screw the threaded end of the alignment pin from the
tool kit hand-tight into the empty bolt hole:=} fig. 243.
- Then remove the other wheel bolts as described above .
- Take off the wheel leaving the alignment pin in the bolt
hole.
Putting on the inflatabl e spare tir e
-Push the spare tire over the alignment pin.
- Screw on the wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly using
the hexagonal socket.
- Remove the alignment pin and insert and tighten the
remaining wheel bolt slightly like the rest .
- Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to lower the
vehicle until the jack is fully released.
- Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all wheel bolts firmly :=}
page 323 . Tighten them Tighten them in a crisscross
pattern,
from one bolt to the (approximately) opposite
one, to keep the wheel centered .
- Perform the steps required after changing the wheel :=}
page 321, "After changing a wheel" .
[ i ] Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle of the screwdriver to
loosen or tighten the wheel bolts.
• Pull the reversible b lade from the screwdrive r before you use the
hexagonal socket in the handle to turn the wheel bolts.
• When mounting tires with
unid irectio nal t rea d design make sure
the tread pattern is pointed the r ight way=>
page 326. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service iTechnical data