2011 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET instrument cluster

___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y'-- b_e_ l_ t _s _____________________________________________ _
- Make sure that your passengers also buckle up a nd prop ­
erly wear their safety belts .
- Protect your children wi th a child restraint system appro-
p ria te for the siz e and age of th e ch ild ren.
The warn ing light ~ in the instrument cluster lights up when the igni­
tion is sw itched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi­
tion, you w ill hear a warning tone for a certa in period of t ime ..
Fasten your safety belt now and m ake sure that your passengers
also properly put on their safety belt s.•
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the Law of physics
Frontal crashes c reate very s trong f orces for people
riding in vehicles.
Fig . 18 6 Unbelted
occu pa nt s in a v ehi cle
h ea ding f or a w all Fig. 18
7 The veh icl e
c ra she s into the wall
The p hys ica l pr inc iples are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen ­
gers possess energy wh ich var ies wit h veh icle speed and body weight.
Enginee rs call th is ene rgy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the veh icle and the greater the vehicle's
we igh t, the more e ne rgy tha t has to be "abso rbed" in t he crash.
Vehicle speed is the most sign ificant factor.
If the speed doubles
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passenge rs of this vehicle a re not using safety belts
=> fig. 186, they w ill keep moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving j ust before the crash, unt il some thing stops them· here, the
wall => fig . 187 .
Th e same principles apply to people sitting in a vehi cle that is
involved in a frontal collision . Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30
to 50 km/h), the forces acting on the body ca n reach one ton (2,000
lbs . or 1,000 kg) or mo re . At greate r speeds, these forces are eve n
higher.
People who do not use safety bel ts are also not at ta ched to their
vehicle . In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
t he speed the ir veh icle w as t ravelling just befo re the crash. O f course,
the laws of p hys ics don 't just apply to frontal collis ions, they deter ­
mine wha t happens in a ll kinds of accidents and collisions .•

-Airbag
system
----
--=----------------
the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight tha n is actua lly on
t he seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and
does not stay on cont inuous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child res tra int off the fr ont p assenger seat an d ins ta ll it
properly at one of t he rear seat positions. Have the a irbag system
ins pec ted by your a uth ori zed Audi de aler immedi ately.
• move the child to a rea r seat position and ma ke s ure that the child
is p roperly res trained in a c hild rest rain t th at i s appr opriate fo r its
size and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on a nd an adult is sitt ing in a proper sea ting pos ition on the
front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and s tays on o r flashes fo r abo ut 5 seconds while d riving, under these
circumstances, make sure that:
• t he adul t on the front passenger se at is pro perly seate d on the
center of the seat cushi on with his or her back up against the backrest
an d t he bac krest is not reclined => page 178, "P roper occ upan t
seating posit ions",
• t he adult is not tak ing weig ht o ff t he sea t by holding on to th e
passenge r assist handle above the front passe nger door or
supporti ng thei r weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is be ing properly wor n and that there is not a lot of
s la ck in th e s afe ty be lt webb ing,
• accessory seat cove rs or cushions o r othe r th ings that may ca use
an in corre ct re ading o r impre ss io n on th e weigh t-sensin g m at un der
the upholstery of the seat have been removed from the front
p as senge r se at,
• a sa fety be lt extender has not been left in th e safety belt latch for
th e fr ont pas senger se at.
In addit io n to t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in t he center of the
instrument pane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF o r
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill briefly appea r in th e inst rument cluster display
. This is to inform the dr ive r of the current front passenger
a irb ag s tat us.•
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System.
It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho­
r ized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflate s, a child without a child restraint, in a
rearward-facing child safety seat or in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed.
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially 12 years and
younger, always r ide on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
• Always install forward or rear-facing child safety seats on the
rear seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• If you must install a rearward-facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
~

___ A_ i_ r_b _ a_ g=- s_, y"-- s_t _e _m ______________________________________________ _
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 202 S ide airbag
l o cat ion
in the d rive r's
s e at
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
~ page 218 , fig. 202. They are identified by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag sy stem basicall y consists of :
• the electronic control module and external s ide impact sensors
• t he two side airbags located in t he sides o f the front backrests
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
T he airbag sys tem is moni tore d ele ct ronically to make certa in that it
is funct ioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
t ion , the airbag system indicator light w ill come o n for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supp lements the safety belts and can he lp to
red uce the risk of injury to the drive r's an d front passenge r's upper
torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision . The
a irbag dep loys o nly in side impac ts an d only when the veh icle acceler ­
ation registered by the contro l unit is h igh eno ugh. If this rate is
below the refe rence val ue p rogrammed into the control u nit, t he side
airbags will not be triggered, eve n thoug h the car may be badly damaged as a resu
lt of the collision. It is not possib le to define an
air bag trigger ing range tha t w ill cove r eve ry poss ible an gle o f imp act,
since the circumsta nces will vary considerab ly between one collision
and another . Important factors incl ude, for example, the nature
(hard or soft) of the impact ing object, the a ngle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.~
page 219, "Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system" .
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safety be lts work to he lp
keep the driver or fron t passenger in po sit io n in t he event of a side
collision so that the side airbags ca n provide p rotect ion.
T he a irbag system is
not a substitute for your safety be lt. Rather, it is
pa rt of the ove rall occupant res trai nt system in your veh icle. Always
remember that the side airbag system can only help to protect you if
you a re wear ing yo ur safety belt and wea ring it properly. This is
another reason why you shou ld always wear your safety belts, not just
bec ause t he law requires you to do so~
page 189, '' Genera l no tes ".
It is important to remember that while the supp lemental s ide airbag
system is designed to red uce the lik elihood o f serious injuries, other
injuries, fo r example, swe lli ng, br uis ing , and minor abras io ns can
also be assoc iated w ith deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will de ploy only once and only in cert ain kinds of acc idents -
your safety belts are a lways there to offer protection.
Vehicle dam age, re pair costs o r even the la ck of vehicle dam age are
not necessarily an ind ication of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t ion. In some collisions, both front and side airbags may infla te .
Remember too , tha t airbags will de ploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of collisions -yo ur sa fety bel ts are a lways the re to offe r protec ­
tion i n those accide nts in which airbags ar e not s upposed to deploy o r
when they have already dep loyed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
• when the ign ition is turned off
• in side co llisi ons when the accelerat ion measured by the sensor is
t oo low
• in front -end col lisions ._

Intelligent technology
'-------------------------------------------------
vi dual components. It regulates consumption, so that more electrical
energy is not being used than is being generated and ensures an
optimal state of charge for the battery .
[I] Tips
• But even energy management cannot negate the limits of physics.
Consider that the power and life of a battery are limited.
• If starting ability is threatened, you are informed by a warning
~ page 249, "Driver notification in the instrument cluster display" .•
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining starting capa ­
bility.
Th e battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance driving, in city traffic
and during the cold time of year. Abundant electrical energy is
required, but only a little is generated.
It is also critical if the engine
is not running and electrical components are turned on. In this
instance energy is being consumed but none is being generated.
It is in prec ise ly these sit uations that you will notice energy manage­
ment actively regulating the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of several days or weeks,
electrical components are gradually cut back or sw itched off. This
reduces energy consumption and maintains starting capability over a
longer period.
Take into consideration that when you unlock your vehicle, some
convenience functions, such as the remo te key or power seat adjust­
ment, may not be available. The convenience functions will be avail­
able again when you turn on the ignition and start the engine.
W ith the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the engine turned off or
use other MMI functions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy consumption, the
following warning appears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will switch off in
3 minutes.
Th e warn ing indicates that the system will be turned off automati­
cally after 3 m inutes. If you wish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrica l energy is generated when the vehicle is being
driven, the battery can become discharged. This happens most ly
when little energy is being generated and a great deal consumed and
the battery's state of charge is not optimal.
T o br ing the ene rgy balance back into equilibrium, consumers which
require especially large amounts of energy are temporarily cut back
or switched off. Heating systems in particular require a great deal of
energy .
If you notice, for example, that the heated seats* or the
heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporarily cut
back or switched off. These systems will be ava ilable again as soon as
the energy ba lance has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has been increased
slightly. This is normal and not a cause for concern. By increasing
eng ine id le speed the additional energy required is generated and the
battery is charged. •

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

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

_____________________________________________ C_h_ e_ c_k _in --= g=--- a_n_ d_ f_ i_ll _i_n __.g=-- -•
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed according to the mileage
(kilometers) and time intervals specified in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed these intervals -harmful
deposits from old engine oil can reduce engine performance and can
lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended intervals is so very important
because the lubricating properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when you have your oil
changed, ask your authorized Audi Service Advisor .
Under some circumstances the engine oil should even be changed
more frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly short
distances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or mostly under stop­
and-go traffic conditions, or when you use your vehicle where temper­
atures stay below freezing point for long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil look dark after the
engine has been running for a short time. This is normal and is not a
reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the recommended intervals
using only engine oil that complies with Audi oil standard
VW
502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover
damage or malfunctions due to failure to follow recommended main­
tenance and use requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. Your dealer will have
to deny warranty coverage unless you present to the dealer proof in
the form of Service or Repair Orders that all scheduled maintenance
was performed in a timely manner. •
Safety first
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an adequate
amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and cooling of internal
engine components, all internal combustion engines consume a
certain amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to engine
and may change significantly over the life of the engine. Typically,
engines with a specified break-in period (see~
page 250) consume
more oil during the break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil consumption depends on the
quality and viscosity of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient temperature and road
conditions. Further factors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the oxidation level of the oil. As any
engine is subject to wear as mileage builds up, the oil consumption
may increase over time until replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of oil
consumption can be established or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil level, see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol in the instrument
cluster _ lights up, you should check the oil level as soon as possible
~ page 284. Top off the oil at your earliest convenience~ page 284.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS~
& in "Working in the engine
compartment" on page
280.
Vehicle care Technical data

•--=C:.:.h.:.. e=. c=.:..:: k .:.:in ..:. g ~ a::..:..: n~d .:...:.. f:....:il ..:.li :.:.n.;.: g~ ------------------------------------------
0 Note
Driv ing with an insufficient o il level is likely to cause severe damage
to the engine .
[ i J Tips
• The oil pressure wa rning display 9:!::r. is not an ind icator of the oil
level. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the oil level
in your engine at
r egula r inte rvals , prefe rably ea ch time you refuel , and always
before going on a long trip.
• If you have the impression your engine consumes excessive
amounts of o il, we recommend th at yo u consult an autho riz ed Aud i
dealer to have the cause of your concern properly diagnosed . Keep in
m ind that the accurate measu rement of oil consumption re quires
great care and may take some t ime. An authorized Audi dealer has
instructions about how to meas ure oil consumption accu rately .•
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 2 21 MMI D isplay :
Oil le vel ind icat or
Read oil level
-Park your vehicle on a level sur face.
- S hut the engine off when it is warm. -
Switc h only th e ignition back on .
- Wa it appro ximately two minutes.
- Select: Function button
[CAR ]> Oil level.
- Check the oi l level in the display=> fig. 2 2 1. Add e ngi ne oil
if t he ba r of the oil level ind icator is near "min"
=>
page 284 .
The oil leve l needs to be c hec ked at regular intervals. The bes t times
to do this are whe neve r you refuel and p rior to long tr ips.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and the operating condi­
ti ons, oi l cons ump tion can be u p to 1/2 q uart per 600 m iles (0.5 l iter
per 1,000 km). Consumpt ion may be higher with in the first 3,000
m iles (5,0 00 km).
[ i J Tips
T he oil leve l ind icator in the MM I Display is only an informa tion
display . If the oil level is too low, a minim um oil warning appea rs in
the inst rument cl uster . Add oil=>
page 284 . If th e hood has been
opened, the current oil level is shown in the instrument cluster the
ne xt time the ignition is switched on. •
Adding engine oil ce:i,-:
Fig. 222 Engine
com partment : Oil fill er
c a p l oca tion ...