LATCH Lower
anchorages and tether
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s impler and more pract icable way
to attach the child restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federal regu lations require special lower
anchorages in vehicles and dev ices on new
child restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho
rages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called
the
LA TCH system for "Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children ."
F orward-facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new ch ild
head movement performance requirements .
T hese new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
I nstalling a chi ld restraint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the
performance of the chi ld restraint and its ab il
ity to protect the child in a co llision . Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a v iolation of
state law.
Ch ild restraint manufacturers offer LATCH
lower anchorages on their ch ild seats with
hook -on or push-on connectors attached to
adj ustable straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child
restra int firmly in place .
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instructions p rov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re-
Child S afety 199
straint you intend to install in your vehi
cle.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc
tions require the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of child restraint LATC H
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision . The LATC H lowe r anchorage
points ar e designed to withstand on ly
those loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mo unt two ch ild restra int systems
on one LA T C H l ower anchorage point .
- Never secure or a ttach any luggage or
o ther item to the LATCH lower anchorag
es.
a) Tips
In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower u niversal anchorages" (or "lower
universa l anchorage ba rs") are used to de
scribe the sys tem.
- In other countries, the t erm " ISOFIX" is
used to describe the lower a nch o rages.
Location
Fi g. 189 Sc hema tic overv iew: LA TCH ancho rage point
l ocations
T he illust rat ion shows the seati ng loca tions in
yo ur vehicle which are equipped with the low
er anchorages system.
200 Child Safety
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating.
Fig. 190 Lower anchorages, covers marked
Fig. 191 Rea r seats: lower anchorage bracket locations
lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are
l ocated on the rear end of the rear seatback.
Remove the covers
c::> fig . 190 to access the
lower anchorage attachment points .
The lower anchorage attachment points are
visible ¢fig. 191.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy
to- use attachment and minimize the possibili
ty of improper child restraint installation.
All child restraints manufactured after Sep
tember 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the LATCH system.
Please remem ber that the lower anchorage
points are only intended for installation and
attachment of child restraints specifically cer
tified for use with LATCH lower anchorages.
Child restra ints that are not equipped with the
lower anchorage attachments can still be in- stalled
in compliance with the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions on using vehicle
safety belts .
A WARNING
-Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious personal injury in an ac
cident.
- Always carefully follow the child re
straints manufacturer's instructions for
proper installation of the child restraint
and proper use of the lower anchorages
or safety belts in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho
rages.
- Always read and heed the important in
formation about child restraints in this
chapter and WARNINGS c::>page 186,
Child Safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
When ever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in
structions.
Fig. 192 Lowe r anc horages : proper mou nting
Mounting
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright posit ion and securely
latched in place .
"' Attach both hook-on connectors with the
spr ing catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connecto rs lock into place ¢fig. 192.
II>
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight following the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions.
Relea sing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following
the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instruc
tions .
.,. Depress the spring catches to re lease the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag
es .
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATC H system can in
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in an acc ident.
- These anchors were developed only for child safety seats us ing the "LATCH" sys
tem.
- Never attach other child safety seats,
belts or othe r objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click when latching the seat in place . If you do
not hea r a click the seat is not secure and
c ou ld fly forward and h it the inte rior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi
cl e.
A WARNING
Improper installation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of in jury in an acc i
dent.
- Always fo llow the child rest raint system
manufacturer's instr uctions for proper
installation o f the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as we ll as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your vehicle.
- Always read and heed the important in
format io n and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re
st raint systems~
page 186, Child Safe
ty.
-
Child S afety 201
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 193 Tet her anc hors : recess flaps behind t he rear
seatbacks
T he te ther anchors for the rear seating posi
tions are located in recesses in the rear win
dow shel f¢
fig. 193 .
A tether is a stra ight or V-s haped st rap that
attaches the top par t of a ch ild restrai nt to
special a nchorage po ints in the vehicle.
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for
ward movement of the child rest raint in a
c rash, i n orde r to help reduce the risk of head
injury that cou ld be caused by strik ing the ve
hicle inte rior.
Fo rward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S.
federa l reg ulations to comply wi th ch ild head
movement pe rformance requ irements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats .
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restra ints
will increase the r isk of injury and death in
a crash.
-Always follow the instr uctions provided
by the manufacturer of the child re
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in
jury in a coll ision. The anchors are de
signed to withstand only those loads im posed by co rrectly fitt ed child restraints.
- Neve r mo unt two child rest ra int systems
on one LATC H lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap o r tethe r ancho rage .
-
202 Child Safe ty
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment .
- Never use child restraint tether ancho
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at
tach a child restraint to the front passen
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sensing
mat to measure more weight than is ac
tually on the seat.
- The heav ier weight reg istered can make
the Advanced Airbag System wo rk as
though an adult were on the seat and de
ploy the Advanced A irbag when it m ust
be s uppressed causing ser ious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- If you mus t install a rearward f acing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan
ces and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig. 194 Tether strap: prope r rou ting and mo unt ing
Inst all in g the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions . .,.
Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint co
fig. 194 (raise the head re
straint if necessary).
.,. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten t he te ther s trap firmly fo llowing
the child restraint manufacturer's instruc
tions.
Relea sing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension fo llowing the child re
straint manufacture r's instructions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it from the ancho rage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restra int w ith the
tether strap firm ly installed for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up
ho lstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in
stalled. The upholstery would also be per
manently stretched around the tether
strap . This applies espec ia lly to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child restraint
systems come w ith a tether. Please read and
heed the chi ld restra int system manufactur
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether .
A WARNING
-
-
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be serious ly injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad
van ced A irbag System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrie r with great
for ce and will smash the child safe ty seat
~
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.
~ Then wipe the MMI contro l conso le with a
clean, soft, slightly damp cloth.
The MM I control console shou ld be cleaned
with a brush first so that no dirt is trapped be
tween the buttons and the housing . We rec
ommend giving the MMI contro l console a fi
na l wipe with a cloth moistened with water
and d ish washing detergent.
(D Note
To prevent damage, make sure that no flu
id ever gets into the MMI control console .
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum surfaces.
Ch rome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum inum su rfaces and can dam
age them ove r time.
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 2 2 1.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fabric coverings (e .g. seats, door
trim panels, etc.) should be cleaned at reg ular
interva ls with a vacuum cleaner. Th is removes
surface dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabr ic through use. Steam
cleane rs 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 o nly be used for carpets
and floor mats, s ince other fab ric su rfaces
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 fab ric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu
r ate the fabric. Then pat the foam d ry using
Cleaning and protec tion 22 7
absorbent, dry cloths (e .g . m icrofiber cloth)
and vac uum it after it has dried completely .
Cleaning stains
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fr uit
j u ic e, etc.) ca n be treated w ith a mild de ter
gen t solu tion. Apply the detergent sol ution
with a sponge. In the case o f stubborn stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the stain and worked into the fabric . After
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to remove the rema ining detergent. Apply the
water wit h a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabr ic dry with an absorbent, dry clot h.
Stains from choco late or makeup should have
detergent paste rubbed into them . After
wards, remove the soap with water (damp
sponge) .
Alcohol 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 general soiling of the up hols
te ry and cover material, we recommend hir ing
a spec ia list t hat has the equipment to clean
the seat cove rs and othe r fabr ic surfa ces by
shampooing a nd spray extraction.
A WARNING ~ -
Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
the information
~ page 221 .
(D Tips
Open Ve lcro fas teners on yo ur clothing can
d am age the sea t cover. Please m ake su re
that Ve lcro fasteners are closed .
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For persistent d irt
use an Aud i approved
sol vent -free p lastic
cleaner/protectant. ..,. •
•
228 Cleaning and protec tio n
8_ WARNING
So lvents can c hange the properties of
some plas tics and ma ke it ha rder for the
a irbag to deploy .
-
-Never clean the instrument panel or the
surface of airbag modules with cleaning
products that contain solvents .
- Products containing solvents w ill make
the surface of th is part porous.
- Serious injur ies can result if plastic parts
come loose when the airbag is deployed.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 221.
(D Note
Cleaning agents containing solvents will
attack the mater ial and can change the
way it behaves.
Natural leather
App lies to vehicles: with natura l 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 veh icles. Most are different types of nappa
l eather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in var ious colors.
The intensity of the color determines the visu a l characteristics 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 cond ition. This
leather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes well. F ine veins, closed g rains, insect
b ites, ski n folds , and subtle var iations in co lor
remain visible. These c haracte ris tics demon
stra te that the mater ia l is na tural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col
or finish.
It is therefore more sensitive to soil
ing and wear, w hich is something you need to
conside r if ch ild ren, anim als or othe r fa ctors
might p rove to be particular ly hard on the
leather . By cont
rast, leather types that are covered by
a colo red finish layer are more durab le . T his
has a positive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in dai ly use. On the
other hand, the typical characteristics of natu
ral leather a re barely or not apparent . Howev
er, th is does not mean that the leathe r 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 sensit ivity to oils, grease, soil
i ng, etc.), you will need to be somewhat ca re
ful with these leathers, and a ce rtain type of
ca re is req uired. Fo r example , da rk clothing
mater ials can dis co lor le athe r seats (especia l
l y if such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correct ly). Dust and dirt parti cles in pores,
folds, and seams can have an abrasive effect and can damage the leather surface as we ll as
wea ken seams.
The leather should be cleaned regularly as neede d. After having been used for a relatively
l ong time, your leather seats will acq uire a
rich aged fin ish. This is a characteristic of nat
ural leather and a sign of true quality.
In order to maintain the val ue of this nat ural
product over the life of your veh icle, you
shou ld follow the recommendat ions be low:
(D Note
- To keep your leather from b leaching out,
do not allow it to be exposed to b right
sunlight for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the ve hicle parked outside
for long per iods, cover the leather to
pro tect i t from direct expos ure to sun
light.
- Sharp objects o n cloth ing, such as z ip
pers, rivets o r sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent s cratches or s crape
ma rk s on the s urfa ce o f th e leathe r.
(D Tips
-Aft er each time you clean the leather and
a t regular intervals, use a leathe r
1111>
298 ~l :..:.: nd ~e ~x :._ ______________________________ _
A
A/C mode 83,88
Accessories .. ....... ...... ... ... .. . 295
Adaptive cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Changing speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Driver information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Driver intervention prompt . .. .. .. .. . 111
Driving in traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Driving program . ........... .. .. .. . 111
Error messages .......... .... .... . 109
Open road .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 103
Override ... ................ ..... . 103
Request for driver to assume contro l . . 103
Save speed ............... ... .... . 104
Setting distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Setting time interval .......... .... . 106
Special driving situations ...... .. .. . 112
Status messages ... ...... .. .. .. .. . 109
Switching on and off .... .. .. .. .. ... 104
System limits . ........... .... .... . 112
Temporarily turning off .. .. .. .. .. .. . 105
Warning/indicator lights ............ 108
Adaptive dampers . .......... ... .. .. . 124
Adaptive light ............. .. .. ......
52
defective ................ .... .... .. 36
Adding
Engine coolant ............ ... .... .
245
Engine oi l .. ................ ..... . 242
Windshield washer fluid ... .. .. .... . 251
Addit ional accessories
Addit ives 295
Eng ine oil .. ................ ... .. . 242
Adjusting
Steering column manually . .. .. .... ..
92
Adj usting front seats ....... .. .. .. .. . . 61
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162, 181
Advanced Airbag System ....... .. ... 166
Advanced Airbag System components . 169
Care ... .. ............... .. .. .... . 175
Children . .... ........... .. .. .. .. . 187
Child restraints .............. ..... . 188
Components (front airbags) . ... .... . 169
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . .
163
Disposal . ................. .. .... . 175
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166, 167
How do the front airbags work? ... ... 171
How many airbags does my vehicle
have? ... ... .. .. .. .............. .
169
How the Advanced Airbag System com-
ponents work together ......... ....
170
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system ...... ...... .. ..
179
Important things to know .......... . 162
Indicator light . ... ............ .. .. 173
Knee airbags ..... ... .......... .... 177
Monitoring . ..... ................ . 173
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light . . . . . . . 173
Repairs .......................... 175
Safety instructions ............. .... 175
Side airbags ... .. ............. .... 180
Side curtain airbags ............ .... 182
Weight-sensing mat ............... 187
When must the system be inspected? 173
All-wheel drive
Winter tires ... .. ... .......... ....
267
Alloy wheels .. .. . .. ............ .. .. 225
All wheel drive 210
Alternator
Malfunction ... ... ................ .
30
Anti-freeze
refer to Engine coolant system ....... 244
Anti-lock brake system
How the ABS system works ..........
208
Warning/indicator lights ............ . 16
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
How the system works ............. .
206
Anti-theft systems
Electronic immobilizer ...............
39
Ashtray .. .. .. .. .. .... ......... .... . 75
ASR
How the Anti -Slip Regulation System
works
Asterisk
206
What does it mean when something is marked with an asterisk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Audi braking guard ................. .
113
Error messages .................. . 115
Settings .. .... .. ............. .... 115
Status messages ... ........... .. .. 115
Switching on and off ........... .... 115