2013 AUDI A4 warning

Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13.5 mm), including the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
~ 0. For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
~ WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different sizes. Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer .
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
(j) Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all wheel drive.
Tires and wheels 251
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of wheel bolts is ma tched to the
factory inst alled rims. If diffe ren t rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly.
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model~
page 282 .
&_ WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose causing loss of
control , a collision and serious personal in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly tightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque .
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle.
-Always maintain the correct tightening torque for the wheel bolts to reduce the risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving.
If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be­
come loose.
(I} Note
The specified torque for the wheel bolts is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm) with a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lbs. (± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bolts .,.. •
•

254 Tire s and wheel s
stored. You can find the recommended tire
pressures for your vehicle on the label on driv­
er 's side 8-p illar
c> page 238.
Tire tread c ircumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and ca use a tire pressure
warning if :
- the tire pressure in one or more t ires is too
low,
- the tire has st ructu ral damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed o r replaced but the TPMS was not reset
c>page254.
Warning s ymbols
[DJ Loss of pressure in at least one tire c> .&..
Check the tire or tires and replace o r repair if
n ecessary. The
[DJ ind icator light in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
c> page 13.
Chec k/correc t the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via radio or
MMI* .
1181&1 (T ire Pressure Monitor ing System) Tire
pr essur e: Sy st e m malfuncti on !.
If!JHJL, appears after switching the ignition
on or wh ile driving and the
[DJ indicator light
i n the instrument cluster blinks for approxi­
mately one mi nute and then stays on, the re is
a system ma lfunction .
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢
page 254. If the ind icator light does not
turn
off or if it tu rns o n short ly thereafter, im­
mediately drive your veh icle to an autho riz ed
Aud i dea le r or autho rized repair facility to
have the ma lfunction corrected.
A WARNING
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cl uster display, one or
more of your tires is significantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard stee ring or braki ng
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the t ires and the ir pressures. In­
flate the tire pres sure to the proper p res­
s u re as in dic ated on the vehicle 's t ire
pressure label ¢
page 238. Driving on a
significantly under-inf lated tire ca uses the tire to overheat and can
lead to tire
fa ilure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regu larly .
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­ paved roads), the pressure monitor indi ­
cato r may be delayed .
-Ask your authorized Aud i dea ler if run­
flat t ires may be used on you r vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these t ires when not perm it­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
could a lso result.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure mon itoring system
stops work ing whe n there is an ESC/ABS
m alfu nction.
- Us ing snow chains may result in a system
ma lf u nction.
- The tire pressure mon itoring system on
your Audi was deve loped using tires with
t he "AO" or "R O" ident ifi cat ion on the
tire s idewa ll
c> page 246 . We recom ­
mend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h tire p ressu re mo nito rin g system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro ­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
radio or MMI*.
.. Before resett ing the TPMS, the current pres ­
sures of a ll four tires must correspond to
the specified values . Ad just the tire p ressu re
and reset the pressure in the tire pressure
mon ito ring system according to the load
you are carrying
i=>page 238.
.. Turn on the ignition.
.. Select: the
ICARI funct ion button > Tire
pressur e monitoring
> Stor e now . Or
.,. Select: the
ICARI funct ion button> Car sy s­
tem s*
cont ro l button > Servi cing & che ck s > .,.

256 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 197 Sedan Luggage compartment: tool kit
Fig. 198 allroad Luggage compartment: too l kit
When you need access to the vehicle tool kit
or jack*, you will need to take out the spare
tire and cover
Q page 256.
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, the
tool kit may also be located under the cargo
floor cover @
Q fig. 198 behind the seat back­
rest.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Alignment pin for changing the wheel
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Tool for changing light bulbs
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang- ing light bu lbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye Some of the vehicle
items listed above are
provided on certain mode ls only or are option­
al extras.
Before returning the jack* to its place, retrac t
the jack arm fully.
A WARNING
-
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tightening tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an acc ident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy vehicles or other loads; you risk in­
juring yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­ priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)
Appl ies to veh icles : w ith space -sav ing spare tire
The spore tire/wheel is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover . It
is intended for short-term use only.
Fig . 199 Spare tire
Removing the spare tire
., lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
Q fig. 199.
., Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.

.. Turn the large screw c:> fig. 199 counter­
clockwise.
.. Take out the spare tire .
.. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 133 .
.. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid .
Using the spa re tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is only intended for
emergenc ies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quick ly as possible with a stand­
ard wheel and t ire .
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare t ire . The compact spare t ire
has been designed specifically for your type of
veh icle.
It must not be swapped with a com­
pact spare t ire from another type of veh icle.
Sn ow cha in s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
not p erm itted .
If you do have to drive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, mount the spare whee l w ith
tire instead of a rear tire. Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defective front tire.
.,&. WARNING
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dica to rs.
- If the spare tire is mo re tha n 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emerge ncy and w ith e x­
treme cau tion a nd careful d riving.
- T he spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and sho rt-term use.
It should be
replaced as soon as possib le w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounti ng the compac t spare tire,
the tire pressure must be che cked as
soon as possible . The tire pressure of the
compact spa re tire m ust be 4 .2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident.
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h) . You risk having an accident.
What do I d o now ? 257
-Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
brak ing, and fast cornering. You risk hav­
ing an accident .
- Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an acci­
dent .
- Normal summer or winter t ires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim .
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted .
If it is necessary to drive with t ire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
fro nt axle in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The newly available fron t wheel
m ust then be instal led in place of the
rear whee l with the flat tire. Installing
the tire chain before mounting the whee l
a nd tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart ­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard brak ing or in an accident.
Never store the spare tire or jack and
too ls in the passenger compartment.
Inflatable spare tire
App lies to vehicles: wi th inflatable spa re tire
The inflatable spare tire expands to its full di­
ameter when it is inflated .
Fig. 20 0 In flatable spare t ire w it h compressor
Removing inflatable spare tire
.. Lift up the cargo floor us ing the handle .
.. Turn the la rge screw
c:> fig. 200 c ounter-
clockw ise.
.. Take out the inflatable spare tire.

2 58 What do I do n ow ?
• Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment ¢
page 133.
Stowing the infl ata ble spare tir e
• Re lease the air by unscrew ing the va lve
stem.
• Screw the valve stem back in afterwards .
• Wait a few hours before placing the whee l
in the spare wheel well¢
,A.
• Secure the wheel with the large screw.
• Fold the cargo floor back down.
Aft er using th e inflat able sp are wh eel
The inflatable spare tire can be re-used as
long as it is not damaged and is not worn
down to the tread wear indicators¢&. .
When you let the air out of the inflatable
spare tire, it does not assume its folded shape
again for several hours . Until then, it cannot
be p laced back in the spare wheel well and
stowed securely .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dicators.
- If the inflatable spare tire is more than 6
years old, use it only in an emergency and w ith extreme caut ion and caref ul
dr iv ing .
- The inflatable spare tire is intended only
for temporary and short-term use.
It
should be replaced as soon as possible
with the norma l wheel and tire.
- T he tire pressure value for the inflatable
spare t ire is located on the drive r's side
8 -pilla r
¢page 238, fig. 192.
-Maximum perm iss ible speed is 50 mph
(80 km/h).
- Avoid full-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing.
- When the air is let out of the inflatable
spare wheel, it does not ass ume its fold­
ed shape for severa l hours. Until t hen, it
cannot be p laced back in the spare wheel
we ll and stowed secu rely . -
Never drive with more than one inflata­
ble spare tire.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the inflatable spare tire is not
perm itted. If it is necessary to drive with
tire chains, the inflatab le spare wheel
must be mounted on the rear axle in the
event of a f lat in a front tire . The newly
availab le rear whee l must then be instal­
led in place of the front whee l with the
f lat t ire. Instal ling the tire chain before
mount ing the wheel and tire is recom­
mended .
- L oose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident.
Never store the inflatable spare tire or
jack* and too ls in the passenger com­
partment.
(D Note
- The inflatable spa re tire has been deve l­
oped specifically for this vehicle mode l.
It must not be exchanged or used for
other vehicle models. Sim ilarly, inflata­
ble t ires from other vehicle models must
not be used.
- Normal summer or w inter tires must not
be installed on the inflatable t ire rim.
Inflating inflatable
spare tire
Applies to veh icles: w ith inflatable spare t ire
F ig. 201 Lu gg age compart ment: co mpressor
• Remove the cover for the veh icle tools and
remove the compressor. For some vehicle
models, the compressor is located i n a hold-
er under the spare tire . .,.

~ Unscrew the valve stem from the spare tire.
~ Screw the tire filler hose from the compres­
sor firmly onto the valve of the spare tire.
~ Insert the plug from the compressor into a
socket of the vehicle¢
page 64.
~ Switch the compressor on .
~ Let the compressor run until the value
specified on the tire pressure label is
reached
¢ page 238, fig. 192. Switch the
compressor off after running for 12 minutes
at the most -danger of overheating!
A WARNING
The compressor and the tire filler hose can
become extremely hot while they are run­
ning -danger of burns!
(D Note
Switch the compressor off after running
for 12 minutes at the most -danger of
overheating! Allow the compressor to cool
down for a few minutes before you use it
again.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
~ After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop¢ L!)..
~ All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢
A.
~ Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally ¢
A.
~ Shift into 1st gear on vehicles with manual
transmission, or move the
selector lever to
the P position
on vehicles with automatic
transmission .
~ If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
~ Take the jack¢ page 256 and the spare tire
¢ page 257 out of the luggage compart­
ment.
What do I do now? 259
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold­
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the
jack* and the replaced tire in the luggage compartment
¢page 133.
(D Note
If you are changing the wheel on a steep
incline, use a rock or similar object to
block the opposite wheel to prevent the
vehicle from moving.
(D Tips
Obey all laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
l. Remove the decorative wheel cover* or
-
the wheel bolt caps*. For more details see..,.
•
•

260 What do I do now ?
also c:> page 2 60 , Decorative wheel cov­
ers
or c:> page 260, Wheels with wheel
bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel b olts c:> page 261.
3 . Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
<=> page 261.
4. Li ft the car with the jack c:> page 261 .
5. Remove the wh eel with th e flat tir e and
then install the
s par e tir e c:> page 262 .
6 . Tighten all wheel bolts light ly .
7 .
Lowe r the ve hicle with the jack .
8 . Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firml y
tighten all whee l bolts in a crisscross pat­
tern
c:> page 261.
9 . Replace the decora tive whe el c ov er* or
the
wh eel b olt caps *.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information
c:> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page
262 and c:>page 263.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the replaced tire in the l uggage com­
partment
c:> page 133 .
.,. Check the tire pre ssure of the spare tire as
soon as poss ible .
.,. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torqu es
on all wheel bo lts checked with a
torq ue wrench . The correct tightening tor­
que is 90
ft lbs. (120 Nm) .
.,. Have the flat tire
repl aced as soon as poss i­
ble .
(j) Tips
-If you notice that the whee l bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a t ire, they should be replaced
before you check the tighten ing torque.
- Drive at reduced speed unt il you have the
tightening torques checked .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: with decorative whee l covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig . 202 Cha ng in g a w hee l: removing t he w heel cover
Removing
.,. Insert the hook prov ided with the vehicle
too l kit in the hole in the hub.
.,. Pull off the
dec ora ti ve wh eel cove r
<=>fig. 202.
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bolts with caps
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts can be un­
screwed .
Fig. 203 Changing a wheel: removing t he wheel bolt
caps
Removing
.,. Push the plast ic clip provided with the ve hi­
cle tool ki t over the wheel bo lt cap until it
engages.
.,. Pull on the
plastic clip to remove the cap
r:!) fig. 203.

Refitting
• Place the caps over the wheel bo lts and
push th em back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel bolts clean.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before ra is­
ing the vehicle .
Fig. 204 C hangin g a whee l: l oosening t he w heel bolts
Loo sening
• Install the wheel bol t w rench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
hand le and turn the whee l bolts
co unter­
cl ock wise
about one single turn in the direc­
t ion of arrow
9 fig. 204 .
Tightening
• Install the whe el bolt w rench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will go .
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
hand le and turn each wheel bol t
clockwi se
until it is seated .
_& WARNING
-Do not use force or hurry when changing
a whee l -you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious persona l
injuries.
- Do not Loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury .
What do I do now ? 261
@ Tips
-Never use the hexagona l socket in the
hand le of the screwdr iver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- If a wheel bo lt is very tight, you may find
it eas ier to loosen by carefully pushing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench with
one foot only . As you do so,
hold o n to the car to keep your balance
and take care not to slip .
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
Fig . 205 Sill panels: mark ings
Fig. 20 6 Sill: positi on ing the v eh icle ja ck
The location of the jack po int is indicated by
an indentation on the underside of the vehicle
9 fig . 205 .
• Act ivate the parking brak e to prevent the
veh icle from rolling unintentionally .
• Shift into
1st ge ar on veh icles with ma nual
transmiss ion or move the selector Lever to
the P position on vehicles w ith automatic
transm iss ion .
• Find the
m arking (impr int) on the sill that
i s nearest the wheel that will be changed .,..