2011 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET warning

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Have the battery checked when you take your vehicle in for service .
You are well advised to replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
With certain types of a irbag deployment, the battery is disconnected
from the vehicle electrica l system for safety reasons~
& in "Repair,
care and disposal of the airbags" on
page 213.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle funct ions (power window regulators, for example) are
lost if the battery terminals are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery termina ls are connected aga in . 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 you do not drive your veh icle over a period of several days or weeks,
electrical components are gradually cut back or switched off. This
reduces energy consumption and maintains starting capability ove r a
longer period
~ page 247.
Take into consideration that when you unlock your vehicle, some
convenience functions, such as the master key remote function or
powe r seat adjustment, may not be available. The convenience func ­
tions will be available again when you turn on the ignition and start
the engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends to decrease as
temperatures drop. This is because more power is also consumed
while starting, and the headlights, rear window defogger, etc., are
used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, particu larly in city traffic or
when travel ing only short distances. Let your authorized Audi dealer
check the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter sets in
~ page 293. A well charged battery will not only p revent start ing
problems when the weather is cold, but will also last longer.
Safety first
(I] Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several weeks at extremely low
temperatures, the vehicle battery shou ld be removed and stored
where it will not freeze. This will prevent it from being damaged and
having to be replaced. •
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. .,_
Vehicle care Technical data

lfflJL_JC~h~e~c~k~i~n~g~a~n~d:!._!f~il~l:!!in~g L_ ________________________________________ _
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:
• Always wear eye protection. Do not let battery acid or any l~ad
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.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• 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.
• 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. _,.

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& 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
sw itched on or wh en the eng ine is running, otherw ise , 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. •
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 291.
- Turn off the ignition and all electrical consumers.
Vehicle OP-eration
-Make sure the area is well ventilated when you charge the
battery.
- Open the engine hood=:>
page 279.
- 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 =
"positive", 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 amps/14.8
Volt.
- When the battery is fully charged: Turn the charging
equipment off and remove the mains lead from the wall
outlet.
- Now remove the clamps for the charging equipment .
- Close the red cover on the positive pole.
- Close the hood=:>
page 280.
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures of only 32 °F (0 °C) .
Allow a fro zen battery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it=>&. However , we recommend not using a thawed battery
aga in because the battery casing can be cracked due to i ce formation
and can leak battery acid. .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of 30
amps/14.8 Volt )
When charging at /ow voltages (e.g . w ith a trickle charger ), th e
battery cab les do not have to be disconnected first. The batte ry caps
should
not be opened when cha 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 te r t han 14 .8 Vol ts to ch arge yo ur vehicle's ba tte ry .
& WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerou s.
• Always follow the operating instructions provided by the
battery charger manufacturer when charging your battery .
• Never charge a frozen battery . It may explode be cause of g as
trapped in the ice . Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
• Do not reu se batteries which were frozen . The battery h ousing
may have cracked and weakened when the battery froze.
• Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from
open flame o r elect rical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas gener ­
ated by the battery i s explosive.
• To reduce the danger of e xplosion , never connect or disconnect
c harger cable s while the charger is operating.
• Fast charg ing 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 wa shed
off with a so lution of warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid.
0 Note
N ever use a fast cha rger as a booster to s tart the eng ine. This w ill seri­
ously damage sensitive e lectronic components , such as control units,
re lays, ra dio, etc., as well as t he ba ttery cha rger. •
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifications and
dim ensions as the original equipment b atte ry.
Inte lligent e nergy ma nagement in yo ur vehicle is responsib le for
distr ibuting the elect rical energy throughout your vehicle
~ page 24 7. The intelligent energy management sys tem will keep
the eng ine battery charged better then vehicles without this system.
T o m ake s ure the addi tional e lectr ic al energy is available o nce aga in
after you have changed the battery, we recommend that you install
b atter ies of the same type and manuf actur e only ( the same as t hose
installed at the t ime you r vehi cle was delive red) . Specifications are
listed on t he batte ry ho using. Yo ur authorized A udi dealer m ust code
the batte ry in the energy management system to enable yo u to use
the energy managemen t fu nct ions co rrectly after rep lacing the
battery .
If it is not poss ible to use a battery of this type, the new battery must
have the same capa city, volt age (1 2 volts), amperage, const ru ct ion
and plug sealing .
W hen installing t he ba ttery, ma ke s ure t he ign it ion and all electrica l
cons umers are turned off .
0 Note
Make sure the vent ilatio n hose o n the side of t he battery is
connected, otherwise fumes or battery acid can lea k out.

Checking and filling IJl!II
--------------------------------------------=------- =------
<£> 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.
Batte ries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be disposed
of properly in compliance with all environmental regulations.
Disposing of vehicle batter ies improperly is very dangerous to the
environment. •
Windshield/headlight washer
container
Fig. 226 Engine
co mp artmen t: Wind­
sh ield and headlight*
washer fluid container
The washer fluid container is marked with the symbol Q on
its cap.
- Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS => & in "Working
in the engine compartme nt" 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
container.
Vehicle OP-eration
You can find the reservoir capacity in the table in::::, page 342.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If possible, use soft water
to prevent scaling on the washer jets. Always add a glass cleaner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
0 Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or any other additives to fill up
the windshie ld washer reservoir .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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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. .,_