88 Transmi ssion
engaged, the engine shou ld never be
speeded up unintentionally (e.g. manual ly from under the hood). Otherwise the
vehicle will immediately start to move -
sometimes even if the parking brake is
firmly applied -risk of an accident!
- Before yo u or other persons open the
hood and work on a running eng ine, the
selector lever must be move d to P and
t h e parking bra ke applie d firm ly -ris k of
an a cciden t! Fo llow the w arning stickers
¢ page 17 2, Engine compartment.
@ Tips
If you have inadvertently shifting into N
while the veh icle is moving, yo u should re
move your foo t from the accelerato r and
wait until t he engine speed has dropped to
id le before shifting back to Dor S.
Selector lever lock
The selec tor lever lo ck prevent s a gear from
being engaged accidentally and unintention
ally setting the vehicle in motion .
Fig . 97 Se lecto r leve r locks
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
• Switch the ignition on.
• Step on the brake pedal
and simultaneous ly
hold down the re lease button .
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po
sitions when the ignition is on. To move the
l ever from t hese positions the driver m ust de
press the brake pedal. As a reminder to the
driver, the follow ing warning appears in t he inst
rument cluste r display when the se lector
is in P and N:
To start engine or select gear apply foot brake when stationary
The selector leve r lock is eff ective o nly when
t h e vehi cle is stationary and at speeds be low
5 km/h . At hig he r sp eeds, the lock in the N
pos ition is a utomat ica lly switched off.
The selector leve r is not locked when rap id
sh ifts are made through the N posi tion (e.g.
from R to D) . This a llows you to "ro ck" the ve
hi cle if it becomes stuck. If the leve r is i n the
N position fo r more than 1 second with the
brake pedal not depressed, the selector lock
engages automatically.
Release button
T he re lease bu tton in t he sele ctor lever han
dle p revents acci dent al shifts into cer tain se
lector lever positions . When yo u press the re
l ease b utton , the selector lever lock is cancel
led. In the illustration , the posit ions in which
the re lease button has to be p ressed are high
li ghted in color
¢ fig . 97 .
Ignition key removal lock
The ign ition key can only be remove after the
ignit ion is switched off if the selector lever is
i n P. As long as the ignition key is removed,
the selector lever is locked i n P.
(D Tips
If t he se lector lever does not engage,
the re is a malfuncti on. The engine is disa
bled to prevent the vehicle from driving off
unintentionally. To allow the se lector lever
to engage aga in, p roceed as follows: P ress
and release the b ra ke pedal.
Driving Notes
The forward gears are shifted up or down au
tomatically.
--
-
-
-
-
-
--Fig. 98 Section from cente r console: Selector lever
wit h rele ase butto n
Starting from stop
.. Step on and hold the brake pedal.
.. Hold the release button (button in selector
lever) down, move the selector lever to the
desired position, for example Do
page 87,
and release the button .
.,. Release the brake pedal and accelerate
o,& .
Stopping temporarily
.. Bring the vehicle to a full stop with the
brake, e.g . at traffic signals.
.. Do not accelerate.
Parking
.. Step on and hold the brake pedal o _&.
.. Apply the parking brake firmly.
.. Hold the release button down, move these
lector lever to P and release the button .
Stopping on an incline
.. Always hold the vehicle with the footbrake
or parking brake in order to prevent "roll
back" o
_&. Do not try to prevent the vehi
cle from rolling back by rewing the engine
while it is in gear.
Starting on a hill
.. Apply the hand brake firmly.
.. With the engine in gear, gradually acceler
ate and release the hand brake.
Transmission 89
The engine can only be started with the selec
tor lever in P or N
opage 81. At low ambient
temperatures
(14 °F /-10 °C), it is only possi
ble to start the engine with the selector lever
in P.
When parking on level ground, it is sufficient
to place the selector lever in P. On a steeply
sloping road, you should first apply the park
ing brake firmly and then place the selector
lever in P. This way, you do not overload the
pawl mechanism and it is easier to move the
selector lever out of P .
.&_ WARNING
-Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle with the engine running, set
the parking brake and engage the park
lock.
- When the engine is running and the
transmission is in gear (D, Sor R) or in
"tiptronic" mode, it is essential that you
stop the vehicle with the footbrake.
When idling, the transmission of power
does not stop completely -the vehicle
"c reeps" .
- Do not accelerate when you change the
selector lever position with the vehicle
stationary and the engine running - risk
of an accident!
- Never place the selector lever in the R or
N position while the vehicle is moving -
risk of an accident!
- If you have to bring your vehicle to a stop
while on an incline, keep the foot brake
depressed all the way down so that the
vehicle does not start to roll backward.
You should never hold the vehicle using
the clutch if you are going to be stopped
on an incline. If you do, the clutch will
start to slip when it overheats caused by
the constant overload . This is dangerous
because if the vehicle starts to roll back
ward, you could cause an accident. If the
clutch should start to slip, you will feel
the vehicle "jerk" and the selector lever
display will start blinking. ..,.
If you have selected a lower gear than the cur
rent one, the transmission w ill only shift down
when the engine cannot be overspeeded .
If kick-down is actuated, the transmission
shifts into a lower gear independent ly of
speed and engine rpm .
Steering wheel with Tiptronic ® controls
The selector paddl es allow the driver to keep
both hands on the steering wheel when shift
ing gears.
Fig. 101 Sport steer ing wheel w ith selector paddle s
Shifting up
.. Pull the right paddle, marked 0 ¢ fig. 101
briefly towards you .
Shifting down
.. Pull the left paddle, marked 0 ¢fig. 101
briefly towards you.
The selector paddles on the steering wheel
are activated when the selector lever on the
center console is in
D , S, or in the manual po
sition (Tiptronic mode) .
You can also shift gears in the Tiptronic mode
using the selector lever on the center console.
@ Tips
With the gear selector lever in either "D"
or "S" the transmission will switch back to
the automatic mode if you do not use the
paddles within approx. 30 seconds.
Transmission 91
Kick-down feature
The kick-down feature allows maximum ac
celeration .
If you depress the accelerator pedal fully be
yond the full-throttle position, the transmis
s ion automatically downshifts one gear, de
pending on vehicle speed and engine rpm. The
upshift into the next higher gear takes place
as soon as the maximum specified engine
speed is reached.
_&. WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if the kick-down is used on a smooth slip
pery road -risk of sk idding!
Launch Control Program
The Launch Control Program permits maxi
mum acceleration.
In order to use Launch Control, the ASR (Anti
Slip Regulation) must be disabled. When ASR
is disabled, the ESP warning/indicator light
I
in the instrument cluster illuminates. So that
Launch Control can be used, the engine must
be at operating temperature and the steering
wheel must not be turned .
.. With the engine running, briefly press the
ESP button. The message "ESP off" appears
in the instrument cluster display.
.. Shift the gear lever to "S" or the tiptronic ®
position.
.. Step on the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep the brake pedal fully depressed for
at least one second.
.. W ith your right foot, step on the accelerator
to the wide-open throttle position or Kick
down. The engine speed settles at about
3,200 rpm.
.. Take your left foot off the brake.
&_ WARNING
-
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic
flow.
92 Transmission
-Only use Launch Control when road and
traffic conditions allow it and other driv
ers will not be endangered or annoyed by
your driving and the acceleration of the
vehicle.
- Make sure that ESP remains enabled.
With the ESP disabled, the vehicle could
brake away, particularly on a slick and
slippery road -risk of skidding!
- Once acceleration is finished, switch ASR
on again by briefly pushing the ESP but
ton.
Back -up program
In the event of a system malfunction, there is
an back-up program .
In the event of system malfunction, the auto
matic transmission switches to the fail-safe
mode . All of the selector lever position dis
plays for the automatic transmission are high
lighted with a light background in the instru
ment cluster display . In some cases you can
not use reverse gear any more.
If the transmission switches to fail-safe
mode, you should take the vehicle to an au
thorized Audi dealership as soon as possible
to have the condition corrected.
Clutch is overheating
• Clutch is overheating! Please stop vehi
cle!
If the symbols are illuminated, the clutch is
overheating and could be damaged if you con
tinue to drive . Stop the vehicle and allow the
transmission to cool with the selector lever in
the
P position while the engine runs at idle. If
the warning does not turn off, do not continue
driving. See your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repair facility for assistance. Other
wise serious transmission damage could re
sult. Once the indicator light has turned off,
drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali
fied repair facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle 's power supply fails, the selec
tor lever can be released in an emergency.
-
-
-
-
-
-
---Fig. 102 Selector lever: Removing t he selector lever
boot
Fig. 103 Selector lever: Using the e merge ncy release
to move o ut of the Park pos it ion
The emergency release mechanism is located
in the right front area under the selector lever
shift gate. Using the emergency release can
be complicated. We recommend contacting
your authorized Audi dealer for assistance, if necessary .
Removing the selector lever boot
.. Activate the parking brake.
.. Carefully pry the selector lever boot out of
the trim @ using a small screwdriver .
.. Pull both sides of the selector lever boot up-
ward in the direction of the arrow @.
.. Fold the selector lever boot upward.
Selector lever emergency release
.. Press the release lever down and hold it in
place
~ fig . 103 .
.. Press the release button in the selector lever
© and move the lever into the N position. Iii>
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g. immobilizer). In ce rtain c ircumstances it
can result in there being insuff icient ene rgy
avai lab le to start the engine .
Intell igent energy management in your vehi
cle handles the d istribution of electrical ener
gy. Starting ab il ity is markedly imp roved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
batt ery diagno sis, idlin g current man ag e
m ent
and dyn ami c en ergy manag emen t.
Batter y diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery . Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determ ines the current
state of charge and the powe r of the battery.
Idling curr ent man agement
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing .
W ith the ignition switched off, it cont ro ls the
energy s upply to the various electr ical compo
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid
ered.
D epending on the batte ry's state of charge,
i nd ividua l consumers are gradual ly t urned off
to prevent excess ive d ischarge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability .
Dynam ic en ergy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en
e rgy management dist ributes the energy gen
e rated according to the needs of the individu
a l components.
It reg ulates cons umption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
Int ellig ent technolog y 155
than is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge for the battery.
(0 Tips
- But even energy management canno t
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
r::!)poge 156,
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short -distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re quired, but only a little is generated .
It is also
critical if the engine is not running and electri
cal components are turned on . In this in
stance energy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management actively regulat
ing the d istribution of energy .
Vehicle stands for an e xtended peri od
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectr ical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Take into considerat ion that when you unlock
your vehicle, some convenience functions, such as the remote key or power seat adjust
ment, may not be available . The conven ience
funct ions w ill be available again when you
tu rn o n the ignition and start the engine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, w ith
the engine turned off, the battery is being d is-
charged.
~
•
•
156 Intelligent technology
If starting capability is jeopa rdized due to en
ergy consumption, a message appears in the
driver information disp lay.
You have to start the engine to charge the
battery.
With the engine running
A lthough electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be
come discharged. This happens most ly when
little energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state o f
charge is not optima l.
To bring the energy balance back into equili
brium, consumers which require especially
l arge amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par
ticular require a great dea l of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy balance 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 increas ing engine idle
speed the add itiona l energy required is gener
ated and the battery is charged.
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, th is
is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) Low battery charge : battery will be
charged while driving
This notification reminds you that the starting
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driving again, the battery
will be recharged and the notification will go
out.
Driver notification appears and goes out
again
If this driver notification appears after the ig
nition is turned on or whi le driving and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately recharged.
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If this driver notif ication appears after the ig
nition is turned on 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 possible by an autho rized Aud i dea le r o r
qualified wo rkshop.
168 Cleaning and protection
Use only special acid -free cleaners form ulated
for a lloy rims. Safe products are available at
your Aud i dealer. Never leave the cleaner on
the r ims longer than spec ified on the label. If
not rinsed
off promp tly, the acid conta ined in
some cleaners can attack the threads on the
wheel bolts .
Never use abras ive or metal polishing clean
ing agents. If the protective coating has been
chipped, e .g . by k icked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as poss ible.
A WARNING
- Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency ¢
page 151, General
information.
Test the brakes c aref ully
each t ime you wash the veh icle.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS and
other informa tion ¢
page 162.
Body cavity sealing
-
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked.
A ll body cavities wh ich could be affected by
corrosion have been give n thorough protec
tion at the facto ry.
T his sea ling does not require any inspection or
addit io nal treatment. If any wax should seep
out of the cav ity when the ambient tempera
ture is high, it can be removed w it h a plastic
scrape r and a su itab le so lven t.
A WARNING
So lvents can be dange rous.
- B enzine is flammable and t oxic.
If you
use benzine for removing the wax, keep
spar ks, flame and lighted c igaret tes
away. Never dump benzine on t he
ground, into open streams or down sew
age drains.
- Be sure to observe all safety and env iron
menta l regulations . Follow all instruc
t ions on the container.
- Always read and heed all WAR NIN GS and
the in format ion
¢page 162.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Aud i is also thor
oughly protected against cor ros io n.
Any damage to the unde rcoating ca used by
road ha zards should be repaired prompt ly.
A WARNING ....__
Too much undercoating in the wrong p la
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
ver ter or heat shields. While driving, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overhea t and cause a fire.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS and
o ther info rmation
¢ page 162.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and o ther co rrosive materials w ill
damage the mate ria l in the e xhaus t tail pipes
i f they are not cleaned regular ly . Do not clean
the tail pipes with w hee l cleaner, pa int polish,
c h rome polish or other ab rasive cleane rs .
Clean the tail pipes with car care products
t h at are suitable for sta inless steel.
Your a uthorized Audi dea ler can prov ide clean
ing products that have been tested and ap
proved for your vehicle .
Care of interior
Radio-/Navigation* display
.. Clea n the dis play wi th a soft clean clo th and
a n LC D cleaner.
T he disp lay can be cleaned with a profess io
nally ava ilab le " LCD clea ner". The clot h should
be s ligh tly d ampened wit h the cleaning flui d
to clean the disp lay. .,..
(D Note
To avoid scratching the display, you should never clean it dry.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutr al- pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum surfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum inum su rfaces and can dam
age them over time.
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
t he information<=>
page 162.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fabric coverings (e .g. seats, door
trim panels, etc.) should be cleaned at regular
interva ls with a vacuum cleaner. T his removes
surface dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabr ic through use. Steam
cleaners should not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it there.
Norm al cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
or a lint-free microfiber cloth to the clean fab
ric. Brushes should only be used for carpets
and floor mats, s ince other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by b rushes .
Normal surface sta ins can be cleaned using a
commercially available foam cleaner . Spread
the foam on the surface of the fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently . Do not satu
rate the fabric. Then pat the foam d ry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e.g. microfibe r clo th)
and vacuum it afte r it has dr ied comp lete ly.
Cl eaning stains
Stains caused by beve rages (e .g. coffee, fruit
juice, etc.) can be t reated with a mild deter
gent solution. App ly the dete rgent so lution
wi th a sponge. In the case of s tubbor n stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
Cleaning and protec tion 169
the stain and worked into the fabric. After
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to
remove the rema in ing detergent. Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric dry with an absorbent, dry cloth.
Stains from choco late or makeup should have
detergent paste (e.g . ox-gall soap) rubbed in
to them. Afterwards, remove the soap with
water (damp sponge).
A lcohol can be used to treat stains from
grease, o il, lipstick or a ballpoint pen. Melted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab
sorbent mater ial. It may be necessary to re
treat the areas with detergent paste and wa
te r.
In the case of genera l soiling of the uphols
tery and cover material, we recommend hir ing
a specia list that has the equipment to clean
t h e seat covers and othe r fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the info rmation
<=> page 162.
@ Tips
Open Velcro fasteners on your clothing can
damage the seat cover. Please make sure
that Ve lcro fasteners are closed.
Plastic parts and instrument panel
A lways use a clean clo th moistened in clea r
water to clean these areas . For pe rsistent d irt
u se an Aud i approved
solvent-free p lastic
clea ner/protectant.
A WARNING
Solvents can change the properties of
some plastics and make it harder for the
a irbag to deploy.
-
- Never clean the instrument panel or the
surface of Airbag modu les with cleaning
products that co nta in solvents .
- Products containing solvents will make
the surface of this part porous. •
•