2013 AUDI A4 warning light

190 Intelligent technology
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
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
f or a test . B rakes will dry a nd ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few ca re ­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended pe riod of time on
salt -covered roads without using you r
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 . O therwise 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 t he near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your ve hicle, or
because the b rake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerab ly harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steer ing adapts electronically based on
the veh icle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Ste ering d efe ct ive ! Do not d rive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
a nd this message appears, the power steering
may have failed .
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance.
'Tij D ynamic steer ing: Sy stem f au lt! You c an
cont inue d riving
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the stee ring may be more diffi­
c ul t to move o r more sensitive than usua l. The
steering wheel may a lso be at an ang le when
driv ing straight.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lf u nction
corrected.
'Tij Dynamic stee rin g: initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel, dynamic steer ing* is being re initia lized . On ce
you start the engine after t his is finished, the
steering wheel will be easy to move . Re-initi­
alizat ion might be necessary if the steering
whee l was moved hard to the left and right
whi le the vehicle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initiali zation is complete.
A WARNING
-Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repa ired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop - r is k of accident!
-

@ Tips
- If the . or
fT j indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, you may continue
driving.
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering*, refer to
c:> page 113.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles: with a ll-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
Gener al inform ati on
W ith all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your dr iving style and the road
conditions at the t ime. See also
c:> page 185.
A center different ial distr ibutes the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle . It
works together with selective wheel torque
control, which activates when driving throug h
curves
c:> page 186. With the spo rt d ifferen ­
tial*, power dist ribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with drive select
c:> page 113.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power. Yo ur vehicle is exception ­
ally powerful and has exce llent driving charac ­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and fo llow
safety precautions
c:> A .
Winter t ir e s
When driv ing in the w inter, your veh icle w ith
all-wheel drive has an advantage,
even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
w heels . See also c:> page 250, Winter tires .
Intellig ent technolog y 191
Tire chain s
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this no rma lly also applies to veh icles
with all-wheel drive
c:> page 251, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of t he same s ize. A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths . For detai ls see
page
c:> page 246, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
You r A udi does no t have enough ground clear ­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle .
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
c:> page 194.
A WARNING
Always adjust your dr iving to road and traf­
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire traction. You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road surfa ces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
co uld begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If this should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in ­
crease in engine speed as w ith a front­
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
•
•

192 Intelligent technology
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
tery is d ischarged by idling current consumers
(e.g. immobilizer). In ce rtain circumstances it
can result i n there bei ng insuff ic ient ene rgy
avai lab le to start the engine .
Intell igent energy management in your vehi­
cle hand les the d ist ribu tion of elect rical ener­
gy. Starting ab ility is mar ked ly imp roved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically , energy management consists of
batt ery diagno sis , idling curr ent manag e­
ment
a nd dynami c energy man agement .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously determ ines
the state of the battery . Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This dete rm ines the current
sta te of charge and the power of the ba ttery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption wh ile the vehicle is stand ing .
W ith the ignition switched off, it cont ro ls the
ene rgy s upply to the va rio us e lectrica l compo­
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
e red.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
i nd ividua l consumers are grad ually t urned off
to p revent ex cess ive d isc harge of the ba ttery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is be ing dr iven , dynamic en­
e rgy management dist ributes t he energy gen­
e rated accordi ng to the needs of the individu­
a l componen ts.
It reg ulates consump tion, so
that more electrical ene rgy is not being used than
is being generated and ensures an opti ­
mal state of charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy man ageme nt canno t
negate the limi ts of physics . Conside r
that the powe r and life of a battery are
limited .
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi ­
cator light (•) appears ~
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability .
The b attery is severe ly taxed in short -d istance
driv ing, in ci ty traff ic and during t he cold time
of yea r. Ab undant electrical energy is re­
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engine is not r unning and electri­
ca l components are turned on . In this in­
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precisely these s ituations that you will
notice energy management active ly reg ulat­
ing the d istribution of energy.
Vehicle stand s for an e xtended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectrica l compo ­
nents are gradually cut back or sw itched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in­
ta ins start ing capability over a longer pe riod .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior lights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
f unc tions wi ll be available again when yo u
swi tch on the igni tion and sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w it h
the engine t urned off or use other MMI func­
t ions, t he battery is be ing discharged.
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en ­
ergy consump tion, the following warning ap-
pears in the MM I display: .,,.

Please start the engine soon or the system
will be turned off.
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automa tically 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. This happens most ly when
litt le energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
To br ing t he ene rgy 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 requ ire a great deal 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 ba lance has bee n restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly . This is normal and not
a cause for concern. By increasing engine idle
speed the add itional ene rgy required is gener­
ated and the ba ttery is charged.
Intelligent technology 193
•
•

(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could 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 serv iced at regular inter-
vals .
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author iz ed Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab il ity to hold its value, it also affects
fu el
c onsump tion .
C hec k your oil each tim e you fill your t ank .
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must d rive yo ur vehicle about 3 ,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) be fore you can properly
assess oi l consumption.
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en­
g ine output .
0 Note
-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance wit h the service rec­
ommendat ions i n your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte ­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle wi ll impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 197
-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 shie lds, 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 rela tively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driving short distances with a
cold engine.
The engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal
op erati ng t emper ature 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 climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2 .5 miles (4 km),
the e ngine is at its proper operat ing tempera­
ture and fue l economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that you should avo id
short trips whenever poss ible.
T he
outs ide t emp erature is also cr itical in th is
regard. Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the summer.
allroad : Driving offroad
General information
App lies to vehicles : allroad
When d riving offroad, the functions for the
electron ic stabilization control (ESC) are ex­
panded. The ESC -Offroad -Mode can be act ivat ­
ed in driving situations in which a whee l lock
o r a d iffe rential lock function is needed
~ page 188. In addition , you r Audi p rov ides
continuous all wheel drive.
Your Audi i s ho wever, no t an offroad vehicl e.
Nev er drive the vehicle in terrain which i s not
lilJJ,,
•
•

198 Driving and en vironm ent
s uit able for the vehicl e, or w hic h ex ceed s
y ou r dr iving sk ill s. N eve r tak e an y unnec es­
s a ry risks!
After driv ing offro ad
- After driving offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the rad iator grille, under ­
body, and whee ls. Look especia lly for objects
(stones) that have been caught in the tire
tread .
- Clean t he body and the vehicle underbody
and inspect the vehicle for possible damag­
es.
- Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and the license plate.
- Perform a brake test (especially after driving
through water) .
A WARNING
- Be especially aware and attentive when
dr iv ing under d iff icult conditions. Dam­
ages to the vehicle and injuries may oc­
cur when driving at an excess ively high
speed or with incorrect driv ing maneu­
vers.
- Always adjust your speed and handling
to the roads, terra in, traffic and weather
condit ions. Drive especially slow if off­
road with low v is ibility.
- Please note that the wheels can spin and
the vehicle can brea k away when the ESC
Offroad Mode is switched off, espec ially
whentheroadisslipper~
- Driv ing stab ility is red uced in the ESC
Offroad mode.
@) For the sake of the environment
Avo id harming the environment and take
nature into conside rat ion.
@ Tips
Only drive where it is allowed and always
stay on the provided roads and paths.
Driver messages
App lies to veh icles : all road
There is only one right way to drive in difficult
conditions: slowly and with caution!
When driving offroad, observe the follow ing :
.. Never drive the vehicle in terrain which is
not suitab le for the vehicle, or which ex­
ceeds your driving ski lls. Never take any un­
necessary risks!
.. Drive slowly and caut iously!
.. Pay attention to the
ground clearanc e of
your veh icle! This may vary depending on
the load and composition of the ground and
t he environment. The d river is therefore re­
sponsib le for deciding whether a veh icle can
handle a specific situation .
.. Activate the
ESC-Offroad-Mode r::;, page 187
as needed .
Difficult terrain
Never drive in areas that are not fam iliar to
you and d rive slowly when offroad and be p re­
pared and expect the unexpected (e .g. pot ­
holes, boulders , tree stumps, etc.)
T o p reven t the veh icle from bottoming and
avo id damage to the unde rbody, yo u should
drive straight across severe bumps in the
ground with only one side of the ve hicle so
that only two of your whee ls cross the bumps.
Drive quickly th rough sandy or marshy offroad
sections and do not stop, if at all possible.
Driving through water on roads
Read the information on r::::> page 194 .

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 199
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trai ler has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 200.
Engine cooling system
T owing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard ­
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•

200 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the tir es of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it ­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced'' rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rticularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest 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 trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
in the in strument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
in g vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not p roperly wea ring the restraints
provided by Audi.
-