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>
Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes , corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after purchase . Regu lar and correct care w ill con
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
F u rth ermor e, good c are may be a conditi on
for subs tantiati ng a w arrant y claim sho uld
c orrosion d amag e or paint d efects oc cur.
Your authorized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedic ated veh icle-car e products and can ad
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i
or and interior of your vehicle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially available clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply them cor
rectly .
.&, WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caut ion labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product. Follow the di
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ign it ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. w ithout pro
tecting your hands and arms. You may c u t yourself on sharp -edged metal parts .
Cleaning and protec tion 221
- Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing effic iency¢
page 207, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environmentally friend ly clean
i ng products . Leftover cleaning products
should not d isposed of in the household
waste.
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best protection against environmental i n
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often t his is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the veh icle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasonal and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and indus tria l gr ime, ta r, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle body, the more lasting their destructive ef
fects wi ll be . High temperatures caused by ex
posure to intense sun light intens ify the corro
s ive effect, particularly when humid ity is high
as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekl y washing
may be necessary. Under other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional car wash .
.&, WARNING ,_
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 221.
•
•
24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional petrole
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi 's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle 's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge ", that ove r time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of print ing , engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
a re synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing specifi
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il container labe ls may carry the specif ica
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Visco sity
Engine oils are graded accord ing to their vis
cosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con
d itions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E 5W40 across all tem
pe ratu re ranges for normal driving conditions .
However, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SA E
5W40 is not available, you can also use viscos
ity grade SAE 5W -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specif ications .
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart (
li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 specification , in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available - may you top
off
with a high quality engine o il, preferab ly syn
thet ic-based, tha t mee ts ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then , only in v iscosity
grades SAE 5W-40 , SAE 5W-30, or SAE
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be
tween oil change inte rva ls , never top
off with
more than a total of 0.5 q t/ liter engine o il
t h at does not con form to Audi oi l specification
vw 502 00.
For more informa tion about eng ine oi l that
has been approved for your veh icle, please
contact e ither your authorized Aud i dealer or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names e tc.) tha t conform to Audi oil s tandard
vw 502 00 .
Changing the engine oil
The eng ine oi l and oil fi lter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your ve hicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs .
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat ing proper ties of oil decrease gradually during
normal veh icle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequent ly .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly unde r stop-and-go t raff ic con-
ditions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
244 Checking and filling
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re
quires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly
col-basedcoolant additive G12++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion add itives (SO% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix
ture bo th assures the necessary frost protec
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's coo ling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60%
to main
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi
cle heating and engine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- - 31°F (- 35 °C) USA
- -40°F ( - 40°C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant additive with
other additives (G12+ or G12). Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer.
_&. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 237.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli
mate conditions. This is especia lly impor
tant if you live in a reg ion where the win
ter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, in
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad
ditive G12++ (check the label) for your
vehicle . This coolant additive is availa
b le at authorized Audi dealers . Other
types of antifreeze can significant ly re
duce corrosion protection. The result
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool
ant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repair fluid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and cou ld resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 206 E ngin e compart men t: Coo lant expans ion tank
.,. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 23
7.
.,. Turn off the ignition .
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the
coo lant expansion tank¢
fig. 206. With a
cold engine, the coolant level should be be-
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings . ..,..
256 Tires and wheels
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 210 Tire p ress ure labe l: loca ted e ith er on d river 's
side 8 -pillar or ins ide t he fue l filler flap
Tire pressure genera lly refers to the amount
of air i n a t ire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the inte rna
tional measuring unit and in pounds pe r
squa re inch ( PSI). Tire pressure is based in
pa rt o n the vehicle's design an d load limit
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size . The prop
er tire pressure is freq uently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inf lation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire p ress ure is higher when the tire
h as warmed up than when i t is "cold ." It is the
in flat ion pressu re i n a "cold " tire that coun ts.
T herefore, you sho uld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tir e infla tion pres
sure" recommendations . The ti res wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail su ddenly .
M ain taining p roper t ire pr es su re is one o f the
most impor tan t things you can do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinfla ted ti res
a re a major ca use of s udden tire failure. Keep
ing tires at the r ight pressure is also impor
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tire pres
sur es are particularly important when th e
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds , and
then especially when heav ily loaded even
w ithin the permissible load -carrying capaci
tie s approved for y our vehicle .
,;
•(=~ : I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA. a PSI
Fig. 21 1 Tir e pressure la bel
SU OWNER'S MANUAl FOR AD0"10NAL l10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR Pl.US DE
REHSEKi.\'IEME NTS
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on t he kind of tires o n your veh icle
and the numbe r of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you w il l be transporting .
On USA vehicles, the t ire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-p illar. On Canada
vehicles, the tire press ure label is located ei
ther on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or inside the
fuel fille r flap. The t ire press ure l abel lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures for
t h e veh icle at its ma ximum ca pa ci ty we igh t
and t ires th at were on yo ur vehicle at the t ime
it was manufac tured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 3 oc cu
pant s), you can adjust tire pre ssures to those
specified for normal vehicle lo ad. Before op
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the ti re pressures to those
specified for ma ximum veh icle load ¢.&..
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system * can o nly monitor the tire press ures
yo u have sto red. The system does not recog
ni ze the load condition of your vehicle.
T he effectiveness of the tire press ure monitor
ing system * w ill be impa ired i f you store nor
mal load press ures but then operate the veh i
cle at its maximum load
¢ .&. .
See the ill ustration ¢ fig. 210 fo r the location
of the label eit her on driver's side B -p ill ar or
i nside the fuel fi ller flap (color of the actual
IJI>
264 Tire s and wheel s
contribution to good road ho lding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated ¢
,&.
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized Audi
dea ler. They are familiar with recommended
proced ures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as well as the proper fa
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ires and whe els
Tires sho uld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for examp le both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 270.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement t ires
must always have the same load rating speci
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
c:> page 256.
Aud i-approved specification ti res are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road ho ld
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(<:>page 256) lists spec ifica
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l (On USA vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located on the driver's
side B-pillar. On Canada veh icles, the tire pres
sure label is located either on the driver's s ide
B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap)
(¢page 256, fig. 211) lists the spec ificat ions
of the origina l equipment ti res installed on
your ve hicle a t the time it was manufactured.
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide
wall of all tires
c:> fig. 214. This information
ident ifies and describes the fund amental characteristics, the q
uality grade of the ti re
and also provides a tire identification n umber
for safety standard certification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specification s
Knowledge of ti re specif ications makes it eas
ier to choose the co rrect tires. Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P255 / 35 R1 9 96Y XL
This conta ins the following information :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
2 55 Nom inal tire w idth in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/w idt h ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
96 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "E XTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indica tes
that the t ire is a"Re in forced" or an "Extra
Load" ti re
M+S (or "M/5") Indicates that the tire h as
some mud and snow capability
T he tires could also have the information of
direction of rotat io n ¢
page 252.
Tire manuf acturing date
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly only on the
inner
side of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2209 ... "means, for example, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2009.
Speed rating (letter c ode )
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in
dicates the maximum permiss ible road speeds
c:> & in Winter tires on page 268 .
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
26 6 T ire s and whee ls
- Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (roll ing c ir
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driv ing with different ti res reduces veh i
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare t ire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
f or example with winte r tires -on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care. Refit the nor
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the tires on your veh icle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading t ires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
poss ible to use wheels from other vehi
cles -in some cases not even whee ls
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel tr im discs on the ve
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus
ing a collision.
0 Note
- For technical reasons , it is not general ly
possib le to use the whee l rims from oth
er vehicles . This can ho ld true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve- hicle (fo
r example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possib le.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap.
The va lves could get damaged.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
D ispose of o ld tires in accordance with the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality g rades can be found where applicab le
on the tire side wall between tread sho ulder
and maximum section width
~ page 263,
fig . 214.
For exampl e: Tread wear 200, Trac tion AA ,
Tempe rature A.
All passenge r car t ires must conform to Feder
al Safety Requirements in add ition to these
grades .
Tread w ear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
under controlled conditions o n a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one ha lf (1 1/2) times as well on the
gover nment course as a ti re g raded 100 .
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how
ever, and may depart s ignificantly from the
no rm due to va riations i n driving hab its, se rv
ice practices and differences in road charac ter
istics and cl imate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the ..,.
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
t raction performance¢ .&,.
Temp eratu re
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and
C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi pate heat when tested under controlled condi
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure ¢.&, .
T he grade
C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand
ard No.
109 . Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
.8, WARNING
The trac tion grade assigned to this t ire is
b ase d on stra ight-ahead brak ing t raction
t ests, and does not inclu de acceleration,
co rnering, hydrop laning or peak traction
characteristics .
.8, WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible ti re fa ilu re.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice . At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
-
In some heavy snow a reas, loca l governme nts
may require t rue winter or "snow" tires, those
Tires an d wheel s 267
with very deeply cut tread. These tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
fo ur wheels. Make sure you purchase snow
tires that are the same si ze and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with a ll-wheel drive,
th is w ill imp rove traction d uring winter driv
ing, even with the standard tires. However, we
strong ly rec ommend that you always equip all
fou r wheels on you r vehicle with correctly fit
ted w inter t ires or al l-season t ires, when win
te r road cond itions ar e expected . This also im
proves the veh icle's b ra ki ng perfo rman ce and
reduces stopping d ista nces .
Summe r tires p rovide less grip on ice and
snow .
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all four wheels .
Ask your authorized A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes . Use
only rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0.157 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive with winter tires under winte r con
ditions. S ummer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °().
If you have a flat t ire, see no tes on spare
whee l ¢ page 263.
P lease alway s remember tha t win ter tire s m ay
have a lowe r speed ra ti ng than the tires orig i
nally installed on your vehi cle at the time it
was man ufactured. Please see ¢page 264,
Speed rating (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rating letter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
T he spee d rating letter code (¢ page 254) is
on the side wall of the t ire ¢page 263.
.8, WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than yo ur vehicle's max-
imum speed . Always know the max imum
~
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