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 .
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.
•
•
154 Intelligent technology
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser
votronic
w ill st ill function like a conven
tional power steer ing system, prov iding a
constant steer ing support force that is no
longer proportionate to the ve hicle speed .
This is most noticeable when turning the
steer ing whee l at low speeds (for examp le
when par kin g), -more effo rt will be re
qui red th an usual.
- Be aware of the different than usual
stee ring response and adjust you r steer
i ng force a ccord ingly.
- Have the p roblem chec ked and set right
by an authori zed Audi dealer as soo n as
poss ib le.
- If a stee ring malfunct io n occu rs, this is
s ignaled with the
42J or .• indic ator
li ghts and a wa rning tone, see.
(D Tips
- If the power steering system shou ld fa il,
or if the eng ine is no t runn ing (fo r exam
ple, while being towed), yo u wi ll st ill be
able to stee r the veh icle. However, more
effort will be req uired to do so .
- If the power steer ing system is not func
tioning p roperly , contact your a uthorized
A udi dealer immediate ly .
Driving with your
quattro ®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
General inform ation
W ith All Whee l Dr ive, power is d istributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your dr iv ing sty le and the road
conditions at the t im e. See also ¢
page 149,
E lectronic differential lock (EDL) .
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle w it h
All Wheel Drive has an advantage, even with regular t ires. In winter road co nditions it may
be adv isable to mount winter tires (o r all-sea- son tires) for
improved driveability and brak
ing : these tires must be mounted o n
all four
wheel s.
See also ¢ page 209, Winter tires .
Snow chains
Where tire chains a re m andatory o n certa in
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to ve hicles
wi th All Wheel Drive
¢ page 210, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles wi th A ll Wheel D rive mus t always
have t ires of the same s ize. A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths . For deta ils see
page ¢
page 205, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Aud i does not have enough g ro und clea r
an ce to be used as an off- road vehicle. It is
therefore bes t to avoid rough tracks and un
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 158.
A WARNING ~
Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and traf-
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by All Wheel Dr ive tempt you into
taking ext ra ris ks.
- Although the All Wheel Drive is very ef
fective , always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire t raction . You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road s urfa ces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front whee ls
could begin to slide o n top of the wate r
(aquapla ning). If th is should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in
crease in eng ine speed as wit h a front
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con
d itions. -risk of crash.
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.
~
•
•
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash. However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de
sig n of the fac ility, the filte ring of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
If the paint has a dull appearance afte r go ing
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
The power top does not require special pre
cautions be fore passing through a car wash.
Howe ver, the car mu st not be tre ated with
hot w ax after the wa sh cy cle!
The wax could
adversely affect the power top and
even dam
age the fabric
over a period of time.
The power top does not have to be washed
ev
ery time you use a car wash. The power top
can be spared if the car wash facility is equip
ped with manually adjustable roof brushes or
rollers .
Before going through a car wash, be sure to
take the usual precaut ions such as clos ing the
windows . Remove antenna if applicable .
If yo u have installed additional accessories on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, etc. -it is best to
ask the car wash operator if these should be
removed .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
Qpage 162.
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi
cle by hand.
~ Before you start washing, make sure you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
9 A in General informa tion on page 162 .
~ First soak all dried dirt until it is soft, then
rinse it off.
Cleaning and protec tion 163
~ As yo u clean yo ur vehicle , start with the roo f
and work your way down to the bottom, us
ing a sponge, a sponge g love or a clean
brush.
~ Rinse the sponge or the sponge glove often,
flushing it clean each time.
~ Use spec ial car shampoo only for very persis
tent d irt .
~ Rinse the ca r tho roughly with water .
~ Use a chamois leather to gently w ipe the ex-
ter ior dry .
U se a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls , door s ills and othe r regions exposed
to road dirt. In this way, yo u will no t scratch
the paint with coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car .
A WARNING
-Do not clean the underside of the chas
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts without protect ing your
hands and arms . You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
9 page 162 .
(D Note
-Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the veh icle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, s ince this
cou ld scratch your vehicle's paint or win
dows .
- Never wash your car in bright sunlight.
Drops of wate r act as mag nifying lenses
and may damage yo ur paint .
- When you wash your car in the winter: if you rinse you r vehicle with a hose, be
carefu l not to aim the stream of water
directly at locks, or at doo r or hatch
openings -they can freeze sh ut.
- Never use sponges designed to
remove
insects, or any k itche n sco uring sponges
or s imilar p rod ucts. They can damage
your paint finish .
- Yo u should remove debris (such as in
sects) from the headlight lenses on a •
•
(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. •
•
170 Cleaning and protection
-Serious injuries can result if plastic parts
come loose when the airbag is deployed.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
¢page 162.
(D Note
Cleaning agents containing solvents will
attack the material and can change the
way it behaves.
Instrument cluster glass
~ Clean the glass with a soft, damp cloth .
In order to preserve the anti-glare properties
of the instrument cluster glass, it should only
be cleaned with a soft, damp cloth.
Natural leather
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties , natural look and feel of interior
leather.
General
We offer many different types of leather on
our vehicles. Most are different types of nappa
leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in various colors .
The intensity of the color determines the visu
al characterist ics and appearance. If the sur
face of the leather has a typical natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has
been left in a relatively natural condition. This
leather offers par ticularly good com fort and
breathes well . Fine veins, closed grains , insect
bites, skin folds , and subtle variations in color
remain visible. These characteristics demon
strate that the material is natural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col
or finish .
It is therefore more sensitive to soil
ing and wear, which is something you need to
consider if children, animals or other factors
might prove to be particularly hard on the
leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a colored finish layer are more durable. This has a positive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in daily us
e. On the
other hand, the typical characteristics of natu
ral leather are barely or not apparent. Howev
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
is of inferior quality .
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and their unique prop
erties (such as sensitivity to oils, grease, soil
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care
ful with these leathers, and a certain type of care is required. For example, dark clothing
materials can discolor leather seats (especial
ly if such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and dirt particles in pores,
folds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
and can damage the leather surface as well as
weaken seams.
The leather should be cleaned regularly as
needed. After having been used for a relatively
long time, your leather seats will acquire a
rich aged finish. This is a characteristic of nat
ural leather and a sign of true quality .
In order to maintain the value of this natural
product over the life of your vehicle, you
should follow the recommendations below:
(D Note
- To keep your leather from bleaching out,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the vehicle parked outside
for long periods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to sun
light .
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
(l) Tips
-After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather preser
vative creme that contains UV-blockers
and that works into the leather. This
172 Cleaning and protection
• Once the stain is no longer visib le, use a soft
dry cloth or tissu e to soak up the moisture .
Do not use leather cleaning produc ts on Al
cantara .
You may use a suitable shampoo fo r remov ing
dust and dirt.
Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface . If the car is
l eft stand ing i n the sun fo r long pe riods, the
A lcantara should be p rotected against direc t
sun light to preven t it from f ad ing. Slig ht color
va ria tions will develop in normal use an d are
not an indication of material deterioration .
CI) Note
-Never use chemi cal solven ts (e.g. lighter
fl uid , turpentine), waxes, shoe po lish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® sur faces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
r emoved by a commerc ia l cleaning spe
cia list.
- Do no t use br ushes, st iff sponges or sim
ilarly abrasive cleaning a ids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia
bly when ne eded .
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retr act
p rope rly.
• Keep be lts clean.
• For cleaning, use a m ild soap and wate r sol
u tio n. Le t be lts d ry thoro ughly and away
from direct s unli gh t.
• Do no t all ow ine rtia reel safety be lts to re
t ract before they are completely d ry .
• Check the condition of your safety belts
reg
ularly.
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
1l Use o nly th e co rrec t cle anin g so lu ti on s. Ne ver use gas
oli ne or d ie se l fuel.
- Anyth ing that might damage yo ur sa fety
be lts could mean that you and your pas
sengers would not be adequate ly pro
tected in an accident .
- Safety belt performance depends on co r
rect insta llation. Never remove be lts
from the veh icle to clean them .
- Do not use chemical clea ning agents,
b leach or dyes . They have corrosive prop
ert ies which wea ken the webb ing .
- When clean ing your safety be lts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam
age, see your Audi dea ler .
'
-Always read a nd heed a ll WARNINGS and
the information
<=;> page 162 .
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en
gine compar tment.
Always switch off the ignition before clean
ing the engine<=;>.&, .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the w indshield under the eng ine hood . This
preve nts the water drain holes from becomin g
block ed, and it prevents debris from enter ing
the ve hicle interio r thr ough the heating and
ventilat ion duc ts.
Corrosion protection
T he eng ine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion -protected at the factory .
G ood anti- corrosio n treatmen t is very impor
tant, par ticul arly in the w inter.
If the vehi cle
is frequently driven on salt t reated roads, the
entire engine compa rtment an d plen um panel
sho uld be thoro ughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage.
At the same time, the unde rside of the vehicle
shou ld be washed as well.
If the engine compa rtment is cleaned at any
time with grease remov ing solutions
1> , or if ..,.