2012 AUDI A5 COUPE ESP

208 Intellig ent technol ogy
,8. WARNING
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road condit ions permit .
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
you may cause an acc iden t!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . This cou ld cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumula te on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing fo r an extended period of time on
salt -covered roads w ithout using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­ creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­ est authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power .
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
runn ing
c> .&. .
,8. WARNING
-Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the bra ke pedal mus t be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un­ der braking .
-
The ABS contributes effect ively to vehicle con­
trol since it prevents the whee ls from
locking
when the brakes are applied. This means that
the ve hicle remains steerable and is less likely
to skid .
With AB S you do n ot need to pump the
brake . Ju st hold th e bra ke p edal down.
However, do not expect the ABS to s horten
braking distance under
all c ircumstances.
When driving on gravel or on new ly fallen
snow on top of icy surfaces, braking dis tance
may be even longer, therefore, under these
circumstances, it is especia lly important that
you drive s low ly and with great care.
How the ABS syst em work s
An automat ic check is made when a speed o f
about 12 mph (20 km/h) is reached. When
this happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an ind iv idual whee l begi ns to rota te too
s lowly in re lation to vehicle speed and tends
to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake pressure to prevent that whee l from locking . .,..

This automatic adjustment process will cause
a
slight vib ra tion of the brake pedal and some
noises to alert you that vehicle speed must be
adapted to existing road and traffic condi­
tions.
A WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always
remember that braking capability is limit­
ed by t ire traction . A lways adjust your dr iv­
ing speed according to the road and t raff ic
conditions. Do not let the extra sa fety af­
forded by the ABS tempt you into taking
extra risks. The ABS cannot overcome the
laws of physics .
(D Tips
-If ABS is not functioning properly, a
warning light will come on . See
~ page 16.
-If a fault occu rs in the ABS, the EDL is al­
so not functioning . This is indicated by
the ABS warning light .
Brake assist
Brake assist is designed to achieve the opti­
mum broking effect.
Brake assist helps to increase the effective
brak ing power and thus to achieve a shorter
stopping distance. If the driver presses the
brake peda l very quick ly, brake assist auto­
mat ica lly boosts the braking force to the max­
imum level, up to the point where the anti­
lock brake function (ABS) intervenes to stop
the wheels from locking . You should then
keep the brake pedal pressed u ntil the vehicle
has braked to the required speed . Brake ass ist
sw itches itself off as soon as you release the
b rake peda l.
A WARNING
Please remembe r that the accident r is k al­
ways increases if yo u drive too fast, espe ­
cially in corners or on a s lippery road, or if
you fo llow the vehicle ahead of you too
close ly. Increased risk of an accident can-
Int ellig ent technolog y 209
not be compensated for even by brake as­
sist, so always maintain a safe speed.
S .
®
ervotron1c
-
advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
T he advanced Servotronic ® power steer ing
system senses the road speed and elect ron i­
ca lly adjusts power assistance to provide com­
fortab le and safe ste ering response exact ly
matched to the vehicle speed .
Power steering will not work i f the engine is
off. As a result, the stee ring wheel will be hard
to turn .
T he power steering fluid level is checked d ur­
ing the schedu led maintenance services .
(D Note
If there is an e lectronic malfunction, ser ­
votronic
will s till function like a conven­
tiona l power steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
l onger proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeable when turning the
steering wheel at low speeds (for example
when parking), -more effort w ill be re­
q uired than usual.
- Be aware of the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer ­
ing force acco rdingly .
- Have the problem checked and set right
by an Audi dealer as soon as possible.
(D Tips
-Whe n the engine is running, never hold
the steering w heel turned all the way to
the rig ht or to the left for longer t han 15
seconds. The powe r steering pump will
overheat the hydraulic fluid if you keep
holding the stee ring wheel turned all the
way. This is likely to damage the power
steering system .
IJI>
•
•

212 Intelligent technology
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en­
ergy consumption, the following warning ap­
pears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will
switch off in 3 minutes.
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes. If
you wish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the engine .
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is be ing driven, the battery can be­
come discharged . Thi s happens mostly when
little ene rgy 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, this is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•i Low battery charge : battery will be
charged while driving
This notif ication 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 notification appears after the ig­
nition is turned on or whi le 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 authorized Aud i dea ler or
qualified wo rkshop.

214 Driving and en vironm 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 load­
ed veh icles .
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 higher tha n the
bottom o f the vehicle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
_& WARNING
After d riving through water, m ud, slush,
et c., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake ro tors and pads . Dry
the brakes fi rst 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 o f the water before driv ­
ing through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive 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 232,
Fuel supply .
.,. Never run the tank down all the way to
empty .
.,. Never put too much motor o il in your en-
gine ¢
page 242, ~ Adding engine oil .
.,. Never try to push- or tow-sta rt you r vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean­
u p" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
the vehi cle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollu tan ts in the exha ust gas be­
f o re they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalyt ic convert­
er and prope r fu nct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot ex haust 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
r u stproofing 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
converte r.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢page 242.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine co uld mis-
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into ..,.

216 Driving and environment
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driv­
ing the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at rail ­
road crossings, or at traff ic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned starting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However , wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
... Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
authorized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it runs properly and economically . The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ability to hold its value, it also affects
fuel
consumption .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driv ing short distances with a
cold engine .
The engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their optimal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and noxious emis­
s ions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy cl imbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2 .5 miles (4 km), ll>

Tire pressure
When towing a tra ile r, inflate the t ires of your
vehi cle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located either on the
driver's side B-pillar (visible when the doo r is
open) or inside the f uel f iller flap. Inf late
trailer tires to trailer and tire manufact urers'
specifications .
Lights
The headlight settings should be chec ked w ith
the t railer attached before dr iv ing off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trai ler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be s ure trai le r sa fety chains are p roperly con ­
nected from the t railer to the hitch on the ve­
h icle. Leave enough s lack in the chains to per ­
mit turn ing corners . When you install safety
chains, make su re they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
T he chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from droppi ng in case of
separat io n from the hitch .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do no t tow a loa ded tra iler whe n your car i t­
self is no t loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other ve ­
hicles.
.,. Observe speed limits.
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Monito r the t em perature gauge.
Weight distribution
Tow ing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this ca nnot be avo ided, drive at very
Trailer towin g 219
low speeds on ly to avo id t he ris k of losing
steering cont ro l.
A "b alanced " rig i s ea sier to op erat e and con­
tr ol. T his means t hat t he tow vehi cle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi ­
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi­
ble under the c ircu mstances . Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some ca rgo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while obse rvi ng
tongue load requirements and vehicle load ing
cons idera tions .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maxim um permissib le speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather o r
wind conditions are unfavo rable -pa rticula rly
whe n going downhill .
Red uce ve hicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slig htest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating .
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ile rs are lowe r than for
regular ve hicles .
A lways apply brakes early. When driving
down hill, shift into a lowe r gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the b rakes alone ca n cause them to overhea t
and fail.
Coo lant temperature
The coo lant temperat ure ga uge ¢ page 10
must be observed carefu lly. If the need le
m oves cl ose to t he upper end of t he scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off t he
a ir condi tioner .
If the coolant temperature warning light .
in the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road , stop and let the engine
i dle for
abo ut two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
A WARNING
Anyone no t properly restra ined in a mov­
in g ve hicle i s at a much gre ater r isk in an
a cci dent . N ever le t anyone rid e in yo ur car
-
•
•

220 Trailer towing
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing
a trailer because of the additional weight and
different weight distribution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy wi ll greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler genera lly requires
steering action opposite to that when backing up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turn ing radius .
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
celerate as fast as you normally would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, allow
plenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
ing lanes aga in.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes .
(D Tips
-Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
q page 293.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­ lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load.
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.. App ly the parking brake.
.. Place an automatic transmission* in
P, re­
spectively a manual transmission in first or reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the se lector lever to
D , respectively a
manual transmission in first gear .
.. Release the parking brake and slow ly pu ll
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
matic transmission* to
P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
lat er to move the lever out of the
P posi­
tion.

224 Cleaning and protection
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special care.
For environmenta l reasons, Audi fabricates
the bright tr im strips and trim pieces from
pure chromium-free aluminum.
Dirt and marks on the trim strips should be
removed with a
pH -b ala nced cleaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner). Authori zed Au­
d i dealers carry clean ing products wh ich have
been tested for use on your veh icle and are
not harmful to the env ironment .
To avoid corros ion on the exterior trim strips,
only a pH-balanced solution should be used
for the w indshield washer .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
c:> page 221.
Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care .
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt. For other soil, use
a lukewarm all-purpose clean ing solution or a
mild saddle soap for vinyl trim. Remove water
spots and traces of soap w ith a clean, damp
clot h or sponge. Use a clean, soft clot h to rub
d ry.
Grease, tar or oil stains can be removed with a
clean cloth or sponge soaked w ith all-purpose
cleane r or with a solvent designed especially
to clean viny l.
Occasionally apply a colorless vi nyl or leather
preservat ive to reta in the material 's luste r
and p liability.
A WARNING
Alw ays read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c:> page 2 21.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from aluminum s urfaces. Chrome care products and a
lkaline cleaners
will attack a luminum surfaces and can dam­
age them over t ime.
A WARNING "--
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c:> page 221.
Touch-up paint
Minor paint damages should be touched up
immediately.
... Use either a touch-up paint stick or spray
paint to cover m inor scratches and nicks .
Your a uthorized Audi dea ler has touch- up
paint for minor scratches and stone chips.
Scratches sho uld be to uched up soon after
they occ ur to prevent corrosion.
If a spot starts to rus t, however, a s imple
touch -up job will not be eno ugh. The affected
s u rface m ust be sanded smooth and coated
with an anti-rust prime r before the painted
finish can be restored.
T he number for the original veh icle paint can
be fo und on the vehicle identification label
c=> poge 290 .
I
'
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c:> page 221.
Windows
Clear vision to oil sides.
C lean all w indows regularly to remove road
film and car wash wax buildup.
.,. Remove snow from w indows us ing a b rush .
... Use a plastic ice s craper to remove i ce from
w indows and m irrors.
... Remove ot her residue on the windows with
a spray-on g lass cleaner .
... Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of
cloth or kitchen paper towel.