Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, pe rform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be
cause of the added load. Ma ke s ure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
o page 280.
Trailer towin g 201
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l choc ks absorb the
load .
.. Tur n the whee ls towa rds t he curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake.
.. Place an a utomat ic t ransm ission* in P, re
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot br ake .
.. Sta rt t he engine.
.. Move the se lector lever to D/S, respectively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gear .
.. Release the parking brake and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto
matic transmissio n* to P before applying
the pa rking brake and befor e bloc king the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
la ter to m ove the lever out of the P p osi
tion.
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Apply the product using a microfiber cloth . To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the vehicle tho roughly with water . Clean
the vehicle starting at the top and working to
ward the bottom using a
neutra l sh ampoo
and a soft mi crofiber cloth . Stop frequently to
rinse the cloth thorough ly.
Clean the wheels and sill panels last. Use a
clean
s pon ge on these areas .
R inse the vehicle tho roughly aga in and let i t
a ir dry. If there are any wa ter spots, they can
be removed using a
le ather cloth.
Clea n again with the sp ecial cl eaner for matt e
finish paint
i f ne cessary.
Removing stubborn dirt
B ird dropping s or tree sap a re best removed
with plenty of water and a m icrofiber cloth .
You shou ld r inse off
gasoline residue immedi
ately with plenty o f water.
A WARNING
- Wash your veh icle only when the ignition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
c rash .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 202.
0 Note
-Do not treat vehicle parts painted w ith
matte f inish paint usi ng polish ing mate
r ials or hard wax . These products could
cause damage to the appearance or sur
face that cannot be repaired.
- Never use p rotective wax. It can destroy
the matte fin ish effect .
- Do not p lace any st ickers or magne tic
s igns on vehicle parts painted with
matte finish paint. The pa int co uld be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
the veh icle in direct sun ligh t.
Cleaning and protec tion 205
- To prevent damage to the pa int sur face,
do not use insect remova l sponges ,
rough kitchen sponges or sim ila r items .
- Yo u should remove deb ris (such as in
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regu lar bas is, for example when refuel
ing your vehicle . Only clean the head
lights using a wet cloth or sponge, never
a dry one. Cleaning with soapy water is
recommended.
(D Tips
For more information on special cleaning
products designed for matte finish paint,
see your Aud i deale r.
, Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow with a hand brus h and remove
ice with a de- ic ing sp ray that does not con
t ain so lvents.
- Clean the senso rs (adaptive cruise co ntrol*,
pa rking system*) w ith a cleaning so lution
tha t does not contain so lvents and a soft
cloth .
(D Note
-If you wash your vehicle with a pressure
washer,
- make sure there is enough distance to
sensors i n the rear bumper.
- do not clean the camera lenses and the
area around them with the pressure
washer.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens. This
cou ld cause the lens to crack .
- Never clean the camera lens with abra
sive products .
Waxing and Polishing
Waxing
A good wax coating protects the vehicle paint
to a large extent against the environmental
factors listed under~
page 202, Washing and
even against s light scratches.
ii,.
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24 2 T ire s and wheel s
-Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I a dju st the tire p re ss ures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
o r replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels . In addition, you must then initi
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres
sure monitoring system*
r:!> page 253.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, ser ious personal injury
or even death.
- When the
II] warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
t ion can cause increased t ire wear and
can affect the handling of the veh icle and
stopp ing ability.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
t ire press ures fo r all tires on the vehicle .
T he applicable p ressure va lues are locat
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B -pil
lar.
- Only when a ll ti res on the vehicle are fi l
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres
sure monitoring system* can work cor
rect ly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified t
ire pressure val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the ti re pressure monitoring system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not ha ndle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wh eel immediately, drive at
red uced speed to the nearest service sta
tion to check the t ire p ressure and add
air as required.
Q) Note
D riving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure tha t factory insta lled
valve stem caps on all whee ls are sec urely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
U nderinflated tires w ill also incre ase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any tire can carry.
A vehicle that is over loaded will not handle
well and is more d iff icult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire fa ilure, in
cl ud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation tha t
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are .,..
Tire pressure monitoring system
UJ General notes
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
Each t ire, i ncluding the spare (if provi ded),
should be chec ked month ly w hen cold and in
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacture r o n the vehicle
placar d or tire infla tion pressure label. (If your
veh icle has t ires of a diff erent siz e than the
size ind icat ed on the vehicle p lacard or tir e in
flation pressure label, you should deter mine
the proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitor ing
system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pr essu re tellta le when one or mo re of your
tires is significantly under -inflated . Accord ing
l y, when the low tire p ress ure telltale illumi
nates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driv ing on a signif icantly un
der-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire failure. Under -inflation al
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire t read life,
and may affect the ve hicle's handling and
stopping ab ility.
Please note that the TPMS is not a subst itute
for p roper t ire mainte nance , and it is the dr iv
e r's responsib ility to ma inta in cor re ct t ire
p ress ure, even if under- infla tion has no t
reached the leve l to trigger ill umin ation of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your veh icle has also bee n equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunc tion indica to r to indica te when
the system is not opera ting properly. The
TPMS mal function indicato r is combined wi th
the low tire press ure tellta le . When the sys
tem detects a malf unct ion, the te lltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain cont inuo usly illuminated. This se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lf u nction ex ists .
Tire s an d wheel s 253
When the malfunction indicator is illum inat
ed , the system may not be ab le to detect or
s ignal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a var iety of rea
sons, including the insta llation of replace
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi
cle that p revent the TPMS from functioning
proper ly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
te lltale after rep laci ng one or more tires o r
whee ls on you r vehicle to e nsur e th at the re
placement or alterna te t ires and wheels a llow
the TPMS to continue to func tion p roperly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indica tor in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
Low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fi g. 19 6 Disp lay: un de rin flat io n warni ng
U sing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure mo ni
toring system compares the tire tread c ircum
ference and vib rat ion character istics of the in
dividua l tir es . If the pressure decreases i n one
o r more t ires, this is indicated in the inst ru
ment cluster with a
[ti wa rning symbo l and a
message ¢
fig. 196. Th e d river message in the
display goes o ut afte r 5 seconds . The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
ISE TI button. If on ly one t ire is affected,
the d isplay w ill indicate its position.
T he tire pressure monitoring system m ust be
reset via radio or M MI* each time the pres
sures are ad justed (e.g. when switc hing be
tween part ial and f ull load press ure) o r after
changing or rep lacing a tire on your ve hicle
¢
page 254. T he TPMS indicator o nly mo ni-
tors the t ire p ress ure t hat yo u have p revio usly ..,.
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_______________________________ ___:I~n ~d ~e:.::x 287
Changin g engine oi l
Chass is 225
U ndercoat ing ............ .... .. .. . 208
Checking
Eng ine coolant level ........ . .. .. .. .
226
Checking tire pressure .............. . 241
Ch ild restraints
D anger of usin g child restraints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
146
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? ..
184
Child restraint system anchors . .. ... .. 180
Ch ild safety .. ............. .... .. ... 166
Convertible locking retractor . . . . . . . . . 176
Important safety instructions for using
ch ild safety seats .... ... .. .. .. .. .. .
169
Impo rtant th ings to know when driv in g
wi th children ............ .... .. ...
166
Insta lling a chi ld res traint using the
L A TCH system ............ .. .. .. .. .
18 1
Mounting and releasing the ancho rage
hook .... .. .. ............. .. .. ...
18 1
Tether anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Tether straps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Child safety loc ks
Power windows .......... .. .. .. ....
42
Rear doors ... ........... .. .. ...... 42
Child safety seats .......... .... .. .. . 172
Booster seats ................ .. .. . 17 4
Convertible child seats .... .. .. .. .. .
173
Convertible locking retractor .. .. .. .. . 176
Danger of using child restra ints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
146
How do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ........ .. .. .. .. .
169
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Installing ............ ...... .... .. 176
LATC H system ......... ...... .... .. 18 1
Saf ety inst ruc tions ........ .. .. .. .. . 169
Unused safety belts on the rear seat 17 1
Ch ild seats
L ower ancho rages ........... .. ....
18 1
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Cleaning
Alcantara® (syn thetic suede) .. .. .. .. .
212
En gine compartment .............. . 213
Exhaust tail pipes ............... .. . 209
Fabr ics and fabric coverings ......... 209
Instrument panel ... . .......... .. .. 210
Interior ... .. .. .. .. . .. .......... .. 209
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Matte finish paint ................. 204
MMI display/controls ... ......... ... 209
Plastic and vinyl .. .. . .. .. .. ... ... .. 206
Plastic parts ..... .. .. .. .. ......... 210
Safety belts ... .. .. . .............. 21 2
Trim strips .. .. .. .... ........... .. 206
Cleaning and protection . .. .......... . 202
Climate controls ..... . .. .......... .. . 76
Climate control system
Au tom atic recir culat ion ......... .. .. .
79
Supplementary heater ............... 79
synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Clock .. ... ... .. .... .. .. ...... ... .. . 12
Closing
Power w indows ................... .
42
Sliding/tilting sunroof ............... 44
Sunshade ....... .. . .. ......... ... . 44
Closing/opening
at the lock cylinder .. ........... .... .
38
by remote control ............. .. .. . 35
with the centra l locking sw itch ........
36
with the conven ience key . .......... .. 36
Cold tire inflation pressure .......... .. 238
Coming home ... .. .... ........... .. . 48
Compact spare tire .................. 256
also refer to Spare tire ....... ... .. .. 256
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Compass in the mirror ... ......... ... . 56
Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 135, 280
Contacting NHTSA .... .. ......... ... 135
Convenience key
Ind icator lights .. ................. .
84
Starting engine (START ENGINE STOP
button) . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. ..... ..... .
83
Stopping the engine (START ENGINE
STOP button) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
84
Switching on ignition ............... . 83
un locking/loc king ............. ..... 36
Convenience opening/clos ing .......... 43
Convertible child safety seats ......... 173
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-----------------------------~I~ n~d~ e~x 289
Emergency operation
Emergency braking function (parking
brake) ... .. .. .. ........ ... .. .. .. .. 87
E me rgency sta rting ........ .. .. .. .. . 269
Emergency towing .. .... .... . .. .. .. . 271
Energy management .... ... .. .. .. .. . 192
Battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7
Driver notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
E ng ine
Compartment ..... .... ... .. .. .. ... 221
Coolant .... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 226
Hood . ..... .. .. ... . .... ... .. .. ... 219
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, 83
Start ing with jumper cables .. .. .. .. . 269
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 84
Eng ine compartment
Safety instructions ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 2 19
Working the engine compartment 219
E ng ine coolan t
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
E ng ine coolant system .......... ... .. 226
Adding coolant .............. ... ... 227
Chec kin g coolant leve l ..... .. .. .. .. . 226
Checking the eng ine coolan t leve l .. .. . 226
Ra diato r fan ............. .... .. ... 228
E ng ine coolant temperature
Temperatu re ga uge .... ...... .... ... 10
Eng ine data .. ............. .... .. ... 277
E ng ine hood
C losing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
How to release the hood ... .. .. .. .. . 2 19
E ng ine oi l .. ................. ... ... 221
Adding .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 224
Addi tives . .. ............. .... .. ... 224
Changing .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 225
Check oil leve l .. .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 224
Consumption ..... .... ... .. .. .. ... 224
Indicator light ........... .... .. 17,21
O il consumption .......... .. .. .. .. . 223
O il grades .. ............. .... .. ... 221
O il level symbol ............. .... ... 21
Pressu re malfunction ...... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1
Specification and vis cos ity .. .. .. .. .. . 22 1
Eng ine speed limitat io n ..... .. .. .. .. .. 21 Environment
Break-in period ..... . ... ...... ... .. 194
Catalytic converter . .. .. ..... ... .. .. 195
Dispos ing of your ve hicle battery ... .. 233
Driving at high speeds .............. 196
Driving to minimize po llution and noise 196
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Fuel economy .. .. .. ..... ......... .
Lea ks unde r you r vehicle ........ ... .
Let ting the vehicle stand and warm up .
Proper disposal of d rained brake flu id .
Proper disposal of drained engine cool
ant
. ... .. .. .. .... . ... ...... ... ..
Proper disposal of drained eng ine 196
2 19
196
229
227
o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224, 22S
Recycling used engine oil ............ 224
Roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Un leaded fuel .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. 214
What shou ld I do with an o ld battery? . 233
EPC
refer to Electron ic power control . . . . . . 20
ESC ( Electronic Stabi lization Contro l)
Warning/indicator lights ..... ... .. .. . 19
E thy l alco ho l (Fuel) . ............. .. .. 215
Event Data Recorder (EDR) .......... .. 185
E xhaust tai l pipes
Cleaning . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 209
Expansion tank
Exterior lighting
E xterior m irrors 226
. .. ............... .. . 47
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
D' . 1mming .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 51
Heating ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. . SO
F
Fan
Radiator
Fasten ing
B oos ter sea ts 228
17 4
Convertib le child sa fe ty seats .... .. .. 173
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Fasten ing eyes
refer to Tie-downs .... ........... .. . 72
Flat tire Chang ing . .. .. .. .. . .. ....... ... .. 259
flexib le fue l
Floor
. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 215
75
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Incorrect seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1
Occupants .. ..... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 128
Rear passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Seat memo ry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Seats Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59, 60
Driver's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
F old ing .. .. ............. .... .. .. .. 69
F ront passenge r's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
H ead res traints .......... .. .. .. .. .. 6 1
Number o f seats
Safety guide lines 13
7
58
Secur ing attachments ...... .. .. .. .. .. 73
Select ive unlock feature ..... .. .. .. .. .. 37
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Emergency release ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. 98
Selector leve r emergency release . . . . . . . 98
Service and disposal Safety belt pretens ioner . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Service interval disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Service pos ition
refer to Replac ing wipe r blades . .. .. .. 54
SET button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Shift indicator (eff ic iency p rogram) . ... .. 28
Side airbags Descr ipt ion . ................ ... ... 160
H ow t hey wo rk ........... .... .. .. . 16 2
side assist Adjusting the brightness ... .. .. .. .. . 111
Sensor range
Side assist 110
Activating and deactivating . .. .. .. .. . 111
Cleaning sensors ......... .. .. .. .. . 205
Descr ipt io n ..... .... ... .. .. .. .. .. . 109
Side curtain ai rbags ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 163
Description ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 163
How they work ........... .. .. .. ... 164
Safety instructions ........ .. .. .. .. . 165
Side marker lights . ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. 47
Ski sack ... ... ............. ...... ... 74
Sliding/tilting sunroof Conven ience opening/closing . .. .. .. .. 43
Emergency closing ........ .. .. .. .. .. 45
Opening and clos ing ...... .. .. .. .. .. 44
Sunshade ............ ...... .... .. .
Snow chains 44
25 1
Inde x 295
Socket
12 -volt ... .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 64
Sound system disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Sources of information abo ut child re-
stra ints and their use . .... .... ... .. .. 184
Spare tire ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 256
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Speed rat ing letter code .............. 247
Speed warning system ........... .... . 87
Sport d ifferential .. .. ... ....... .... . 113
Ind icator lamp ... .. ................ 22
S TAR T E NGINE STOP button (conven ience
ke0 ..... .. .. .. .. .. ................ 84
START ENG INE S TO P button (Convenience
key) .. ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 83
Starting from rest .................. .. 86
Starting off w ith a trailer ......... .. .. . 87
Star ting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, 83
Steering Locking the steering ................ 80
olso refer to Electro-mechan ica l powe r
ass ist .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 190
Steering wheel Adjusting steering col umn ......... .. 80
Ind icator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 190
Steps for determin ing correct load limit . 243
Stopping the eng ine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 84
Storage ...... .. .... .......... ...... 64
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . 66 , 75
S tronic .. .. .. .. .. .. . ... ...... ... .. . 91
Se lector lever .. .. .... ............. . 92
S t ronic transmission
Emergency re lease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Launc h Control P rog ram ... .... ... .. . 97
Sunroof .. .. .. .. .. .. ............... . 44
also refer to Slid ing/tilting s unroof . .. . 44
Sun shades Rea r doo rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 53
Rear window ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 53
Su n visors .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 52
Symbols
refer to Warn ing/ indicator lights . .. .. . 13
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
T e chnical modifications .......... .. .. 283
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