204 Tires and wheels
c::>fig . 148 running across the tread. Depend
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> ,& .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 200.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For a ll four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota
tion intervals. Please remember the follow
ing:
- Tire rotation interva ls may differ from the
vehicle serv ice intervals outlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacture r's suggested
t ir e rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com
pared to all-wheel drive (quatt ro ® ).
- Please rotate t ires as shown
c::> fig . 149.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rect ion-specific tires
c::> page 226.
Wheel balancing
The whee ls on new vehicles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steering wheel. Unbalanced
wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires . A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see c::>page
154.
A WARNING
-Sudden tire fai lure can lead to loss of con-
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet roads and increase
your r isk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire 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 w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
218 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es
cape handle.
Fig. 157 Luggage compartment: Trunk escape handle
... To open the trunk lid pull the handle down
as indicated by the -arrow- ~
fig. 157.
The trunk escape handle inside the storage
compartment is made of fluorescent materia l
to g low in the dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency.
Vehicle tool kit
The tools are stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 158 Luggage compa rtmen t: vehicle tool kit
... Swing the Luggage compartment floor up
wards .
... Remove the vehicle tool k it.
The on board tool kit includes: -
Hook for removing wheel covers *
- Plastic clip to remove wheel bo lt covers•
- Wheel bolt wrench
-Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Replacement bit (reversible Torx bit for
chang ing lamps)
- Open ended wrench 10 x 13
- Towing eye
Note : some of the on board items listed above
are provided on certain models only or are op
tiona l extras .
A WARNING ~
-Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle
will damage the bumper system. The
jack may slip, caus ing injury .
- Never support your vehicle on cinder
b locks, bricks or other objects. These
may not be able to support the load and
could cause injury when they fail.
- Never start or run the eng ine while the
veh icle is supported by the jack.
- If you must work under the vehicle, al
ways use safety stands specifically de
signed for th is purpose.
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
Tire repair
General and safety pointers
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h Tire Mobility Sys tem
Tire repair is intended only for temporary,
short-term use.
Fig. 159 Tire damage for whic h t he Tir e Mob ility Sys-
tem is not suited
II>
224 What do I do now?
a firm base for the jack on the ground. If nec
essary place a sturdy board or similar support
under the jack. On
hard, slippery surfaces
(such as tile s) use a rubber mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping¢,&.
A WARNING
- You or your passengers could be injured
wh ile changing a wheel if you do not fol
low safety p recautions:
- Positioning the jack under the vehicle
at any other place than those indicated
above may damage the vehicle or may result in personal injuries.
- A soft or unstable surface under the
jack may ca use the vehicle to slip off
the jack. Always provide a firm base for the jack on the ground . If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or s imilar to prevent
the jack from slipping.
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle unti l yo u are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe p lace away from the vehicle and
well away from the roadway and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad
just as necessa ry and then continue to
raise the jack .
@ Note
A floor jack or the pads on the hoist arms
must
not be positioned at the points
shown
-arrows-.
Taking the wheel off
F ollow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel .
Fig. 168 Whee l cha nge: us ing th e screwd river ha nd le
(with the blad e removed ) to turn t he bolts
Fig. 169 Whee l change: alignment pin inside the top
h ole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
raised the vehicle off the ground, pe rform the
f ol low ing steps to remove and replace the
whee l:
Removing the wheel
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriv
er handle
to completely turn out the top
most whee l bolt and set it aside on a
clean
surface ¢fig. 168.
... Screw the threaded end of the alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the
now vacant bolt hole¢
fig. 169 .
.. Then completely unscrew the other wheel
bolts as described above .
.. Take off the wheel leaving the alignment pin
in the bolt hole .
Putting on the wheel
... Lift the spare wheel and carefully s lide it
over the alignment pin to guide it in place
¢(0.
~ Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bo lts
slightly .
~ Unscrew the alignment pin and insert and
t ighten the remaining wheel bolt s light ly
like the rest.
~ T urn the jack handle counter-clockw ise to
l ower the vehicle unti l the jack is fully re
leased .
~ Use the whee l bolt w rench to t ighten al l
whee l bolts firmly <=>
page 222 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap
proximate ly) opposite one, to keep the
whee l cente red.
Q;) Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you.
(D} Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversib le b lade from the screw
driver before yo u use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to t urn the whee l
bo lts .
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make su re the tread pat
te rn is poi nted the r ight way
<=> page 226.
- The wheel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn . Check for d irt and corrosion on
the mat ing s urfaces of both the wheel
and the hub. Rem ove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before rem ounting the wheel.
Notes on wheel change
Please read the information <=> page 205 , New
tires and replacing tires and wheels ,
if you are
going to use a spare t ire which is different
from the tires on your ve hicle.
Afte r you change a tire :
What do I do now? 225
-Check the tire pre ssure on the spare imme
diately after mounting.
- Have the whe el bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon a s
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualified service station.
- With steel and alloy wheel rim s, the wheel
bolt s are cor rectly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you noti ce while changing a tire that the
wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to
turn , then they should be replaced before
you check the tightening to rque.
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the whee l co ver.
Until then , dr ive with extra care and at re
duced speeds.
A WARNING
- If you are going to equ ip your vehicle
w it h tires o r rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be
sure to rea d the information
¢ page 205,
New tire s and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always sto re the too ls secu rely in lug
gage com partmen t. Othe rwise , in a n ac
cident or s udden m aneuver they cou ld fly
forwa rd, causing inj ury to passengers in
the vehicle.
(D Note
D o not use comme rcially ava ilab le tire
se alants . Ot herwise, t he e lectr ic al c ompo
nen ts of the tire pressu re monitoring sys
tem will no lo nger work p roperly and the
sensor fo r the tire pressure mon itor ing
system will have to be rep laced by a quali
fied workshop. •
•