18 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
BRAKE/ CQ)) Brake system
The warning/indicator light flashes if brake
fluid level is low, if there is an ABS system
malfunction or a parking brake malfunction.
The 1111 (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
light illuminates when the ign ition is turned
on .
It goes out after the engine has been
started. This indicates t hat the brake war ning
light is funct ion ing properly.
If th e br ake w ar ning light d oes not light up
w hen the engin e is c ranking , th ere ma y be a
ma lfun cti on in th e ele ctric al sys tem. In thi s
case, c ontact an auth oriz ed Audi d eale r.
If the brake system warning/ind icator light
flashes, there is a brake system malfunction .
By pressing the
ISE TI button, you can br ing up
a driver message which exp la ins the ma lfunc
tion in more detail
Q page 30.
If the ABS fails, the ABS warning/ind icator
light
B (USA mode ls)/ 11] (Canada mode ls)
flashes together w it h the brake system warn
ing/i ndicator light
Q & .
(USA models): If the 1111 warn ing light and
the
El warning light illuminate togethe r, im
mediately contact your author ized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have all bra ke pads
inspected
q page 34 .
When the light comes on, an audib le warni ng
signal is also give n.
A WARNING
- USA models: If the 1111 warning l ight
and
the m warning light come on to
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock
up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an acc ident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop . Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap·
plicat ions.
- Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light . and the ABS warning light
II]
come on together, the rear wheels could
.
lock up first under hard braking . Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle
control and an accident . Have your vehi
cle repaired immed iately by your author·
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive s low ly and avoid sudden, hard
brake applications.
- If the brake warning/ind icator light does
not go ou t after a few seconds and the
pa rking brake released, or lights up wh ile
you are driv ing, the fluid level in the
brake fluid reservoir is too low. If yo u be
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im
mediately at low speed to the nearest
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied repair
facility and have the brake system in·
spected.
- Always keep in mind that after severa l
brake applications, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
veh icle. Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond with max imum stopping power
in critical s ituations. You must allow fo r
increased braking dis tances. The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could
lead to an accident.
(D Tips
The symbol's appearance might be different in some models .
Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
Fig. 27 Display: Yellow warning symbo l
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 malfunc
tion -Warning!
When a yellow warning symbol appears,
one
warning tone sounds. A driver message ap
pears as well to explain the malfunction in
more deta il. The driver warning goes out after
about 5 seconds, but it can be brought up at
any time by pressing the
! SET I button aga in.
Check the funct ion displayed as soon as possi
ble. The yellow symbol will not go out again
until the reason for the malfunction has been
corrected.
If several priority 2 malfunctions are present ,
the symbols appear in succession and remain
for about 2 seconds .
~~
Dynamic steering*
¢page34
•
Worn brake pads
¢page34
•
Battery voltage
¢page35
I:~
Defective light bulb*
¢page35
•
Check engine oil level
¢
page 36 or¢ page 36
Dri ver inform ation di spl ay 33
•
Engine oil sensor malfunction
¢page36
II
low fuel level
¢ page 35
•
Windshield washer fluid level
low
¢page35
e
Convenience key* Key not in vehicle
¢ page 34
m
light/rain sensor* defective
¢page34
II
Dynamic headl ight range control
defective
¢ page 36
m
Battery in remote control key
¢page38
rm
Electromechanical pa rking brake
¢ page 99
•
Engine speed limitation*
¢page36
r1i
adaptive light* defective
¢page 36
-
m
Ignition lock malfunction
¢page36
B
Adaptive dampers*
¢page36
m
Windshield wiper defective
¢page36
[ti
Significant loss of air pressure*
¢page 271
Tire pressure monitoring system*
11111 (malfunction)
¢page 271
rm
Automatic transmiss ion
malfunction
¢page 131
34 Driver in formation d isplay
The speed warnings warning threshold 1
[i and warning threshold 2 HIil are also
yellow symbols in some models. The warn
ing is always shown as a small symbol in
the upper area of the display
c> page 27 .
~ Dynamic steering
App lies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
&1rJ D ynamic steering: Sy ste m m alfun ctio n
This driver message and the &1r-1 symbol ap
pear when a system malfunction occurs dur
ing travel. You can continue to dr ive carefully
at a reduced speed to a qualified workshop .
Steer ing ca n be mo re d iff icult or sensitive
tha n usual. The stee ring wheel can also be at
an angle when dr iv ing str aight.
&1rJ Dynamic steering: initial ization
If th is driver message appears and the &1rJ in
d icator light is flash ing on the instrument
panel, dynam ic steering is being re initialized .
Once you sta rt the eng ine after this is f inish
ed, the steering wheel will be easy to move.
Re-initialization might be necessary if the
steer ing whee l was moved ha rd to t he left and
right whi le the vehicle was not moving . The
d isplay goes out as soon as initia lization is
comp lete.
A WARNING
-
Have the dynamic steering system mal
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
(D Tips
The dynam ic steering stability systems are
not ava ilable in the event of a system mal
function .
2e Key not in vehicle
Applies to vehicles : wit h co nvenience key
I! Key no t in vehicl e
This rem inder appears along with the I! sym
bol if the master key is removed from the ve
hicle with the eng ine runn ing .
It is intended
to rem ind you (e.g . whe n cha nging dr ivers)
not to cont inue t he journey withou t the m as
te r k ey.
If the master key is no longer in the ve hicle,
you cannot swi tch off the ig nit ion after stop
ping the engine and you also canno t start the
engine aga in. Yo u also cannot lock the vehicle
from the outside .
· fi.. D Light/rain sensor defective
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h ligh t/rain sensor
B Automatic headlights /automati c wipers
defective
If the symbol illumina tes, the ligh t sensor has
failed. For safety reasons the low beams are
turned on permanently with t he switch in AU
TO . However, yo u can cont inue to turn the
lights on and off using the light switch. In the
case of a defect i n the rain sensor, the wind
shield wipe r lever functions are still ava ilab le.
Have the light/ rain senso r checked as soon as
poss ible by an authori zed Audi dealer.
(0) Worn brake pads
EiJ Brake pad s!
If the warning light illuminates, immed iately
co ntact your authorized Audi dea ler or qua li
fied workshop to have all brake pads i nspect
ed. On USA mode ls t he
EiJ w arni ng lig ht
comes on together with the - warning
light . Both sets of brake pads on an ax le must
always be replaced at the same time.
A WARNING
'-
Driving w ith bad brakes can cause a colli-
sion and ser ious personal injury.
-If the El war ning light and the -
warning light
l ) w ith the message Br ake
pads !
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au
thorized Aud i dealer o r qualified work
shop to have a ll brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
~ Defective light bulb warning
Applies to vehicles: with defective light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning monitors the
function of the light bulbs in the vehicle.
The defective l ight bulb warning monitors the
function of the light bulbs . If a defect ive lig ht
bu lb is detected, or if a light bulb has burned
out, the
I symbol appears as well as a notifi
cation that shows wh ic h light bulb is defe c
tive.
A WARNING
- Ligh t bul bs are under pressure and can
exp lode when bulbs a re replaced -risk o f
injury.
- W it h gas -discharge lamps* (xenon head
lights), the high-voltage component
must be handled approp riately. Doing
otherwise poses a risk of death!
(D Tips
Have an author ized Audi dealer or other
qua lified workshop perform the rep lace
ment or the repai r.
c:> Windshield washer fluid level too
low
f-4 "lease refill washer fluid
-
If the symbo l illuminates, add windshield
washer fluid to the washer system and also to
the head light washer system*
c::> page 251 .
1) - : USA mod els on ly
Dri ver information di spla y 35
Ehl Fuel supply too low
When the 11)1 symbol illum inates, t his means
th ere are abo ut 2.1 gallons (8 lite rs) of fuel
l eft in the fue l tank . Time to re fuel!
<=:> page 233.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is
amp le fue l in the t ank, and the text
TANK
SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
! CONTACT WORK
SHOP
appears in the disp lay, there is a fa ult in
the system . Contact a qualified works hop to
have the fa ult rectif ied .
0 Battery voltage
App lies to vehicles : with battery voltage warn ing
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ability of the engi ne to start, this
thP
(•i symbol appears i n the instrumen t
cluster d isp lay with the fo llow ing drive r mes
sage
batter y charge low : Indicates charging
by being driven .
While this d river notification is d isp layed, you
have to be prepa red fo r limited starting capa
bility.
Driver message appears and goes out
again
If this drive r message appea rs after the ign i
t ion is tu rned on or while dr iv in g and it goes
o ut again afte r a while, t he battery has been
adequate ly re charged.
Driver message appears and does not go
out again
If this d rive r notifi cation appea rs after the ig
ni tion is t urne d on o r wh ile dr iving and does
not go out again, the ba tte ry's state of charge
is not in the optima l range . Starting capab ility
is restricted . Have the battery checked at an
authorized Aud i dea ler or other q ualified
wor kshop as soon as possib le.
A WARNING ,~
The increased safety afforded by ASR does
not mean that you can take safety r isks .
Always adapt your driv ing style to the road
conditions and traffic situation .
@ Tips
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all
four wheels must be fitted with identical
tires. Any differences in rolling radius of
the t ires can cause the system to reduce
engine power when this is no t des ired. See
also ¢
page 263, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automob iles are st ill
subject to wea r, depend ing largely on operat
ing conditions and dr iving habits ~.&. . On ve
h icles that are either driven mostly in stop
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your a uthor
ized Audi dealer more often than specified i n
the
Warranty & Maintenan ce booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing
effect of the eng ine . This way, you p revent un
n ecessary wea r on the brake system . If you
must use you r brakes, do not ho ld the bra kes
down continuously . Pu mp the b rakes at in ter
va ls.
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, bra king for ce and outside condi
tions s uch as temperatu re a nd humidity .
Moisture or road salt
If you are driving faster than 31 mph (SO km/
h) and the windsh ie ld w ipers are on, the brake
pads will briefly touch the b rake d iscs in regu
l ar i nte rva ls so as to imp rove reaction t ime
Int ellig ent technolog y 207
when b rak ing on wet surfaces . You, the driver,
will not notice anything.
U nder certa in cond itions , fo r example, when
d riv ing th rough wa ter or very heavy ra in , or
even after washing your veh icle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
few carefu l brake applications should dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be red uced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used. Here too,
you should clean off accumulated salt coating
from brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
applications of the brake¢,&. .
Corrosi on
There may be a tendency for dirt to b uild up
on the brake pads and corros ion to form on
the d iscs if the car is not driven regularly or
o nly for short trips w ith litt le use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are no t used frequently, or if cor
ros ion has formed on the discs, i t is adv isable
to clean off the pads and d iscs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high speed ¢,& .
Fault s in the brake s ystem
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have failed ¢,&. .
Lo w br ake fluid le vel
Malfunctions can occ ur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored electronically.
Brake lining wea r status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If neces
sary, the wheel may be removed for th is in
spection ¢
page 2 74, Changing a wheel.
•
•
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 . .,..
Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the fir st 600 mile s (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not d rive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers ):
.. Speeds ca n gradually be increased to the
maximum perm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after br eak-in period
.. Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
After the break- in peri od
.. Do not exceed maximum eng ine speed un
der any circumstances.
.. Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach
ometer scale
c.> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en
g ine's internal friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
in . How well this break -in process is done de
pends to a considerable extent on the way the
vehicle is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 kilome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds are auto
mat ica lly reduc ed. However, t hese rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine.
Driving and environment 213
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en
g ine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
reduces noise and protects the environ
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 ki lo
meters) after fitting.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al
so be "b roken -in" . Be sure to remember
this dur ing the f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llowing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking .
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full brak ing effect dur ing the first 250 m iles
(400 ki lomete rs) afte r they are installed.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be
fore they have optima l grab
c.> .&. .
During the brea k-in period, yo u should avo id
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include , for example, sudden hard brak
i ng, in particular at very h igh speeds or, for
example, on mountain passes .
.&, WARNING
New b rake pads don 't have the best stop
p ing power and must be "broken-i n" dur
ing the initi al 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) o f no rma l ci ty driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing the b rake peda l more firm ly . This also applies
later when new pads are installed.
•
•
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 ..,.