-Airbag system PIS!- --=--=----------------
is below the reference va lue programmed into the cont rol unit, the
side airba gs w ill no t be triggered, even though t he car may be b ad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not possible to define an
airbag tr iggering range that w ill cover every possible angle of impact,
since the circumstances will vary considerably between one collision
and another . Important factors include, for example, the nature
(hard or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.~
page 215, "Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system" .
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safety be lts work to help
keep the d river or front passenger in posit ion in the event of a side
co llision so that the side airbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is
part of the ove rall occupant restraint system in your veh icle. Always
remember that the side airbag system can only help to protect you if
you a re wearing your safety belt and wearing it p rope rly. This is
another reason why you shou ld always wear your safety belts, not just
because the law requires you to do so~
page 187, "General no tes" .
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the supp lemental s ide airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of se rious injuries, ot her
injuries, fo r examp le, swe lling, bru ising, and minor abras ions can
also be associated with deployed side airbags . Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certai n kinds of accidents -
your safety belts are always there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage a re
not necessar ily an ind ication of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa
t ion . In some collisions, both front a nd side airbags may inflate .
Remember too, that a irbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are a lways there to offer protec
tion in those acc idents in w hich airbags a re not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy :
• when the ignition is turned off
• in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor is
too low •
in front-end collis ions
• in rea r-end collisions
• in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side curtain airbags and
side airbags may be triggered together.
& WARNING
• Safet y belts and the airbag s ystem will only provide protection
when o ccupants are in the proper seating position ~
page 215.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle i s being
used, have th e system inspe cted immediately by your authoriz ed
Audi dealer. The airbag may not work prope rly when the vehicle
a cceleration in a side collision is high enough to activate the
ai rbag. •
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help reduce the risk
of upper torso injuries for occupants who are pro perly
restrained.
Fig. 186 Inflated side
ai rba gs on left side of
v eh icle, rea r side
a irba g opti onal e quip
m ent
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled wit h propellant gas
and breaks thro ugh a seam in the seat s urface area marked
~
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
• Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
• Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform especially well fo r
winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest
that you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the seasonal adjustment is
more likely to be made in time.
0 Note
• Methano l fuels which do not meet these requirements may cause
corrosion and damage to plastic and rubber components in the fue l
system .
• Do not use fuels that fail to meet the specified criteria in this
chapter .
• If you are unab le to determine whether or not a particu lar fuel
blend meets the spec ifications, ask your serv ice station or its fuel
supplier.
• Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
• Fuel system damage and performance problems resulting from
the use of fuels different from those specified are not the responsi
bility of Aud i and are not covered under the New Vehicle or the Em is
sion Control System Warranties.
• If you experience a loss of fuel economy or driveab ility and perfor
mance problems due to the use of one of these fuel blends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended fuel.•
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufacturers is carbon deposit
build-up caused by the type of gasoline you use. Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another,
they have certain things
in common. All gaso line g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect on v ital engine parts,
such as fuel injectors and intake valves. A lthough most gasoline
brands include additives to keep eng ine and fuel systems clean, they
are not equally effective.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline, please go to the officia l
webs ite (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate fuels, carbon deposit
build-ups can rob your engine of peak performance.
0 Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel quality is not covered by the
Audi New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear side panel behind the
fuel filler flap .
If the power locking system should fail, you can still open the flap
manually- for detailed instructions see~
page 277.
You can find the fue l tank capacity of your vehicle in
Technical Data
~page 343.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap tells you the correct fuel
for your ve hicle. For more information about fuel specifications, see
~page 273.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refue lling vapor recovery
system. This feature helps to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from
the tank and polluting the environment wh ile you refuel your veh icle . ..,_
________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
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 appreciated and most abused pa rts of a motor
vehicle . Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle , pa rticul arly conside ring the comparat ive ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assures that all-important contact between
you, your veh icle and the road.
Maintai ning t he cor rect tire pressu re, mak ing su re that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight t han they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and regularly inspecting
tires for damage includ ing cuts, s lashes irregular wea r and ove rall
condi tion a re the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoid
sudden t ire failure including tread separation and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
If you have to d rive ove r a cur b or sim ilar obstacle, d rive very slowly
and as close as possible at a rig ht angle to the curb .
Always keep chemicals incl ud ing grease, oil, gaso line and brake f luid
o ff t he t ires .
Ins pect the ti res regularly for damage (cu ts, cracks o r blisters, e tc.) .
Remove any foreign bodies embe dded in the treads.
Storing tires
M ark tires w hen yo u remove t hem to indica te t he d ire ct io n of rota
tion . This ensures you to be ab le to mount them correctly when you
re insta ll them.
Whe n removed, t he wheels or tires should be sto red in a cool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace.
Safety first
Store tires in a v ertica l pos it io n if they a re not mount ed on rims, in a
hor izonta l posit ion if they are mounted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be broken in~ & .
Th e tre ad d epth of new ti res may v ary, accor ding t o th e type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often not readi ly visible. If yo u notice
unu sual vib ra ti on o r the ve hicle pulls to one side, t his may in dica te
that one of the t ires has been damaged. The tires must be checked
im media tely by an auth oriz ed A ud i d eale r or qual ifie d wor ks hop.
Unidirectional tires
A un id irectional tire can be identified by arrows o n th e sidewall , th at
point in the direct ion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must fo llow
t he s peci fied dire ction o f ro tat io n . This is neces sary so t hat t hese
tires can deve lop their optimum cha racte ristics regard ing g rip, road
noise, we ar an d hy dropl aning res ist an ce. F o r more informat ion
~page 325 .
& 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 be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, dri ve 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. _..
Vehicle care Technical data
________________________________________________ T_ i_ re _ s_ a_ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l _s _ ....... JIII
Incorrect wheel alignment
In correct whee l al ignme nt can ca use excessive tir e wea r, impairing
th e sa fety o f the vehicl e. If t ires show excessive w ear, hav e the w heel
alignment checked by a n authorized A udi dea ler or qualifie d work
shop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles wi th quattro® must always have tires of the same size ,
con st ruct ion an d tread type . For details see~
page 248.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to los s of control, a cra sh 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 t ire 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 failu re and loss of vehicle control. •
Vehicle OP-eration
New tires and replacing tires and whee ls
N ew t ires an d w hee ls have to be brok en in .
Fig. 220 Tire specificat ion codes on th e sidewall of a tire
No.
©
®
®
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nom inal wid th of ti re in mil limeters
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