148 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts .
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during normal vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Program (ESP)
General
The Electronic Stability Program increases
driving stability.
With ESP, control over the vehicle is increased
in situations when the vehicle is close to the
limits of grip, such as during acceleration and
in curves . ESP reduces the risk of skidding and
improves vehicle stability under all road con
ditions.
It operates at all speeds.
The Anti -Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic
Differential Lock (EDS) and Anti-Slip Regula
tion System (ASR) are integrated in the Elec
tronic Stability Program .
How ESP works
The ESP control unit processes the following
data from high-sensitive sensors : the rota
tional speed of the vehicle about its vertical
axis , fore-and-aft and lateral acceleration
forces, brake pressure and steering angle.
Using steering angle and vehicle speed, the
direction the driver wishes to travel is deter
mined and continuously compared with actual
vehicle behavior. If the two do not match, for
example when the vehicle begins to skid, ESP
brakes the appropriate wheel automatically.
The vehicle is stabilized again by the forces
acting on the wheel during braking. With an
oversteering vehicle (tendency for the rear end to skid out of the curve), the brake appli
cation is mainly at the front wheel on the out
side of the curve, with an understeering vehi
cle (tendency to run wide in the curve) at the
rear wheel on the inside of the curve or addi
tionally at the other wheels as needed. This
brake application is accompanied by noises.
ESP works in conjunction w ith ABS
~ page 153. If there is malfunction in the
ABS, ESP is also inoperative.
A WARNING
- The limits of physics cannot be suspended by ESP. Even in vehicles w ith ESP, you
should always adapt your driving to road
and traffic conditions. This is particular ly
t rue on a slippery and wet road. Do not
be tempted by the inc reased safety pro
vided to take ris ks - danger of an acci
dent!
- Please note tha t when ESP/ASR is deacti
vated, the drive whee ls can spin on icy
and slippery roads and the veh icle can
break away - danger of skidding!
Switching on and off
Fi g. 130 Center co nsole wit h ESP switch
The ES P is a utomatically activated when the
engine is star ted, and it performs a self-test.
As soon as the test is completed, the system
is in normal operating mode.
Deactivating
ESP should normally be activated at all times
because this ensures optimum vehicle stabil i
ty. Only in some cases it does make sense to
deactivate the Electronic Stability P rogram
(ESP) by press ing the button
~fig . 130. Deac
tivation is ind icated by the ESP lamp
I in the
instr ument cluster f lashes. The message
ESP
OFF
appears in the instrument cluster. Ant i
Slip Regulation is completely deactivated and
the stabilization effects from the ESP system are lim ited. Th is makes a mo re agile and spor
ty driv ing style poss ible, but the fu ll exte nt of
t he s tabiliza tion f unct ion is not available .
Intelligent technolog y 149
Activating
Press the@] button again~ fig. 130. T he ind i
cator light
I goes out . The message ESP ON
appears brief ly in the instrument cluster dis
play.
&_ WARNING
i=
You shou ld only switch the ESP off if your
driving ab ility and the traff ic situat ion al
low. Please note that when ESP/ASR is de
activated, the d rive wheels can spin on icy
a nd slippery roads and th e vehicle can
b reak away- dange r of skidd ing!
a) Tips
- If Aud i magnetic ride* is malfunct io ni ng,
the ESP may not sw itch off or it may
switch off automatically.
- In the event of a defect in the rear spoil er sys tem or in Audi magnet ic ride, it can
happen that ASR and ASR/ESP cannot be
deactivated, o r they are ac tiva ted au to
matically in the deactiva ted st ate.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the
rotational speed of the drive wheels.
General notes
The electronic d ifferential lock (EDL) helps the
ca r to start moving, accele rate and climb a
gradient on su rfaces provid ing poor or a lmost
no g rip. Withou t EDL, this would be d iff icul t ,
i f not impossib le.
How the system works
The EDL operates automatica lly. It mon itors
the rotational speed of the dr ive wheels on an
axle with the help of the ABS sensors
c;:> page 153. If a noticeable difference in ro
tational speed
between the drive wheels on
o ne axle is detected (e.g. on s lippery ground
on one side), the s pinning wheel is braked,
thereby t ransferring power to the other drive
whee l or wheels (a ll-wheel drive). This is done
up to a speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h). ..,_
150 Intelligent te chn olog y
Noises from the b rake system signal that
wheel spin is being controlled.
Driving off
When drivi ng off, a lways be sure to keep road
conditions in mind as you accelerate. If one
d rive wheel spi ns because it is on a surface
with less grip, gradua lly increase the press ure
on the accelerator pedal until the car starts to
move. The wheel less able to transfer power
spins.
O verheating of bra kes
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel
from overheating if subjected to excessive
loads, the EDL cuts out temporarily. The vehi
cle rema ins operationa l and behaves in the
same way as a vehicle without EDL.
As soon as the brake has cooled down, EDL
switches on again automatically .
A WARNING
-When accelerating on slippery surfaces,
such as on ice or snow, always be careful
when depressing the acce lerator pedal.
Even with the EDL working, the drive
wheels can spin and reduce yo ur ability
to contro l your car. -Risk of crash!
- The increased safety afforded by EDL
does not mean that you can ta ke safety
risks. Always adapt your dr iving sty le to
the road conditions and traff ic situa tion.
@ Tips
If a fa ult occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also
not f unct ion ing. This is indicated by the
ABS warning light ¢
page 17.
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti-Slip Regulation System prevents the
driven wheels from spinning wh en the car is
accelerating.
General notes
The Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) is inte
grated in the electronic stabilization program
(ESP). When th e vehicle starts up and acceler- ates, the whee
ls are prevented from spinning
by adjusting the engine power to match the
amount of grip available from the road sur
face.
How the system works
ASR pe rforms a utomat ica lly, i.e . w ithout t he
driver's intervention. With the aid of the ABS
sensors ¢
page 153, ASR monitors t he speed
of the dr iven whee ls . If the whee ls start to
spin, the engine torq ue is reduced automati
cally until the tires find enough gr ip to lock
onto the road surface . The system is active
across the ent ire speed range .
The ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If
a malfunction should occur in the ABS, the
ASR w ill also be out of act io n.
@ Tips
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all
four whee ls must be fitted wit h ident ica l
tires . Any differences in ro lling radius of
the tires can cause the system to reduce
engine power wh en this is not desired. See
a lso
¢ page 205, New tires and repla cing
tires and wheels.
Rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling
and enhances driver control .
Fig. 131 Switc h fo r rear spo iler
The rear spoiler deploys and retracts. Spoiler
operation can be set for automat ic or manual
operation .
Automatic mod e (normal operat ion)
- Automatic deployment: At a speed of about
75 mph (120 km/h), the rear spoiler deploys
automatically .
- Automatic retraction: When speed drops be
low abo ut SO mph (80 km/h), the rear spoil
er retracts automatically.
Manual mode
- Manua l dep loyment: Tapping briefly on the
switch
¢ fig. 131 dep loys the rear spo iler .
- Manual retraction: At speeds up to about 10
mph (20 km/h), retract the rear spoiler by
pressing and holding the switch ¢
fig. 131.
At speeds between 10 mph (20 km/h) and
75 mph (120 km/h), retract the rear spoi ler
by tapping on the switch
¢ fig. 131 .
A WARNING
Driv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler dep loyed can impair handling char
acteristics, making the vehicle harder to
control.
- Always make sure that the spoiler is de·
ployed whe n driving at speeds over 85
mp h (140 km/h) . If the rea r spo ile r
wa rning/ind icator light in the instru
ment cluster comes on, the rear spo iler
may not have dep loyed.
- Never drive at speeds hig her than 85
mp h (1 40 km/h) if the spoiler is not de
ployed. Have the spoi ler inspected as
soon as possible by an authorized A udi
dealer or qualified workshop .
- Always obey speed limits and other traf
fic laws.
A WARNING
Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries .
- Always make sure that nobody, especia lly
children, is in the way when the rear
spoiler is deployed or retracted.
Q) Note
Never push the vehicle o r apply fo rce to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
Int ellig ent technolog y 151
(D Tips
Clean the spoiler compa rtment every 2 to
3 months. The spoiler compartment must
a lways be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debr is .
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Ope rating condition s and driving h abits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat
ing condit ions and driving habits ¢.&, . On ve
hicles that a re either dr iven mostly in stop
and-go city t raff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be chec ked by yo ur author
ized Audi dea ler mo re often than specified in
the
W arranty & Maintenanc e boo klet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should use the braking
effect o f the engine . This way, you prevent un
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont in uous ly. Pump the brakes at inter
vals.
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and o utside condi
tions such as temperature and humid ity.
Moisture o r ro ad s alt
U nder certa in conditions, for examp le, when
driving through water or very heavy rain , or
even after washing your vehicle, the b raking
effect can be reduced due to moist ure (or in
freezing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
few cautious brake applications should dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road and t he brakes are not used. L ikewise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads with a few cautious ap-
plications of the b rake ¢ .&, .
IJJ,
•
•
152 Intelligent technology
Corrosion
There may be a tendency fo r dirt to bu ild up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the brakes .
I f the b rakes are not used frequen tly, or if cor
rosion has fo rmed on the discs, it is advisab le
to clean
off the pads and discs by b raking
firm ly a few times from a moderate ly high
speed
c> .& .
Fault s in the bra ke sy ste m
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake peda l travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed¢.& .
Low brake fluid level
Malf unc tions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fl uid level is too low. The b rake fluid
l eve l is monitored electronica lly .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lin ing wea r may be c hecked by visual i n
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces
sary, the whee l may be removed for this in
spection ¢
page 222, What should I be
aware of when changing a tire?.
Brake power assist unit
The brake power assist un it increases the
p ress ure th at yo u genera te with the b rake
pedal. It works on ly when the engine is run
ning.
& WARNING
- Yo u should perform braking maneuve rs
for the purpose of clean ing the brake
system on ly if road condit ions permit.
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
you may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss io n into a lowe r
gear or lowe r driving position . Do not
ride the brak es or ho ld the pedal down
too long or too ofte n. This cou ld cause the brakes to get hot and dimin
ish b rak
ing efficiency.
- Do not " ride the brakes" by rest ing you r
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance .
- Under certain cl imatic and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing through wa
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
b rakes can be reduced . In wi nte r, ice can
a ccumu late on the br ake pads , lin ings,
d iscs and drums. Cautiously app ly bra kes
for a test . Brakes wi ll dry and ice coat
ings wi ll be cleaned
off after a few cau
tious b rake app lications .
- Driving for an exten ded period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect bra king efficiency.
Clean
off accum ulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a diffe rent spoiler, be sure the a ir
f low to the front b rakes is not obs truc t
ed. Otherwise the bra ke system could
overhea t redu cing t he effectiveness o f
the entire brake system.
- Fai lure of one b rake circuit will impa ir
the braking capa bility result ing in an in
cre ase d stopping dist ance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near
est A udi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never let the vehi cle roll to a s top with
the engine sh ut
off .
- If t he bra ke booste r is no t working, for
examp le when towing yo ur vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the bra ke peda l must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking under braking.
The anti-lock brake system (ABS) makes a ma
jor contribution to increasing active dr iving
safety. You should not expect that braking d is
tances will be
shortened under all circumstan
ces with ABS. Braki ng d istance may even be
come somewhat
longer, for example, on grav
e l or in new snow on slippery g round, even if
you are driving care fully and s low ly.
ABS operation
When a vehicle speed of about 10 mph (20
km/h) is reached, an automatic test sequence
is run. Some noise from the pump may be au
d ible.
I f the speed of a wheel slows down too much
r e lative to veh icle speed and it starts to lock,
brake pressure to this wheel is reduced. This
ad justment process can be felt as a
pul sin g
moti on of the br ake pedal , accompanied by
some noises. You as the driver are intentiona l
ly being given the information that the whee ls
are tending to lock (ABS control range). In or
der for ABS to be able to operate optimally in
this range, you must keep the brake pedal de pressed - do not "pump the brakes ".
Brake a ssist ant
The brake power assist unit increases the
pressure that you generate with the brake
pedal. It works only w hen the eng ine is run
ning .
Automatic full br ak ing
This function allows full brak ing in spite of
high brake pedal forces (e.g. when the brakes
are severely stressed because the vehicle is
fully loaded) . The driver notices th is function
throug h a reduction of pedal force and in
creased pedal travel. When the brake pedal is released, fu ll braking assist switches off again
automatically .
Intellig ent technolog y 153
If there is an ABS failure, the b rake assistant
and automatic fu ll braking assist are not avail
able.
A WARNING
- ABS cannot suspend the laws of physics.
You should keep th is in mind in particu
lar on an icy or wet road . If ABS control
of braking intervenes, you should adjust
your speed immed iately to road and traf
fic conditions. Do not be tempted by the increased safety provided to take risks -
danger o f an accident .
- Please keep in mind tha t the risk of an
accident is increased by driving too fast,
particularly in bends and on icy or wet
roads, and by driving too close to the ve
hicle ahead . The increased risk of an acci
dent cannot be reduced by the brake as
sistant - danger of an accident.
(D Tips
If a malfunction occurs in the ABS, this is
s ignalled by an indicator light, see
<=:> page 17.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
The degree of power assist is electronically
matched to vehicle speed.
The power steering system assists the driver
so that he can steer the vehicle with reduced physical effort .
Power steering will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn .
A WARNING
If the system develops a problem, you
must seek qualified professiona l assis
tance.
•
•
Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the fir st 600 mile s (1,000
kilometre s):
.,. Do not use full throttle .
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imimum permitted
RPM .
.,. Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometres):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum pe rm iss ib le road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
.. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds
when it is cold . T hi s applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) o r in gear.
After the break- in period
.. Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next hig her gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach
ometer scale
<::;> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en
g ine's inter na l friction is higher tha n later
when all the moving pa rts have been broken
i n. How well this break-in p rocess is done de
pends to a considerable exten t on the way t he
veh icle is driven d uring the first 1,000 miles
(1, 500 kilome tres) .
(D Note
Extremely high engine speeds a re auto
mat ic al ly reduced. However, t hese RPM-
Driving and environment 157
limits were programmed for an eng ine
well run-in, not a new eng ine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not d rive wi th unnecess arily h igh en
gine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
r educes noise and protects the environ
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
particularly carefu l for the first 350 miles
(500 ki lometres) after fitting .
A WARNING
-New tires tend to be s lippery and must a l-
so be "b roken-in". Be s ure to remembe r
this dur ing t he firs t 35 0 m iles (500 kilo
me tres) . Brake gent ly . Avo id following
closely behind other vehicles or other sit uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking.
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full brak ing effect during the first 250 m iles
(400 kilometres) after they are installed.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be
fore they have optima l grab¢ .&..
D uring the break-in period, yo u should avoid
putting seve re loads on the brakes . Severe
l oads include, for example, su dden hard brak
ing, in particular at very h igh speeds or, for
example, on mou nta in passes.
A WARNING
Until t hey develop the maximum "bite" for
best stopping power, the s urfaces on new
b rake pads requ ire some "brea king- in" dur
in g the initial 10 0 to 150 miles (15 0 to
20 0 kilome tres) of normal c ity dr iv ing. Yo u
can compensate for this by press ing the
b rake peda l more f irm ly . This applies
whenever new pads are installed.
•
•
158 Driving and en vi ro nm ent
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc ., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis) and fully loaded
vehicles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any highe r tha n the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
_& WARNING
After d riving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(]) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before driv
ing through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine
off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh salt water because
it can ca use corrosion.
-
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 17 4,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
.. Never put too much motor o il in your eng ine
r::;> page 183, Adding engine oil~-
.. Never try to p ush- or tow-sta rt your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean
up" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
t h e vehicle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be
f ore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r funct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additiona l undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat sh ields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already ser iously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢page 183.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis-
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into ..,.