228 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam
age.
(D Note
Please note that summer and winter tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that th ese
items are availab le as factory -installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re
sponse and better overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Audi recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ressu re recommended by t he
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des igna ted
s iz e that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
t h e three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicl e w ith
standard equipment including the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
me ans a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor
responding standard tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the lo ad -c a rry ing c apac ity of a s ingle
axle system , measured a t the tire-ground in
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicl e. .,.
24 4 T ire s and wheel s
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If differen t rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the brake system funct ions
correctly .
In ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
i s the same model~
page 2 71.
_& WARNING
Improperly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l 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 t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque .
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle .
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and com e out when the veh i
cl e is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
@ Note
The spec ified torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm) wi th a toler ance of
± 7,4 ft lbs. (± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque m
ust be checked as soon as possi
ble with a torque wrench -preferably by an
a uthori zed Audi dea ler or q ua lified work
shop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory -equ ipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . T hese tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety o f driv ing condi
t ions . As k your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-a spect-r atio tire s is
pa rt icul arly s ens itive to imp ro per i nfl ation
pressure. It is therefore import ant that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pre ssure and that the inflation pressure is
r e gularly checked and maintained . Tire pres
sur es should be checked at l east once a
month and always before a long trip
~ page 233, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w it h potholes, c urbs, g ull ies
o r ridges on the road, pa rticul arly if the tire is
u nderinfla ted .
In orde r to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to t he tires of your vehi cle, we recom
mend tha t you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
pressu res. Check your tire pressure eve ry
2 ,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces -
sary. ..,.
276 Index
Changing a wheel
Changing engine oil
Chassis 249
218
Undercoating .............. .. .... . 201
Checking Eng ine coolant leve l ...... ... .. .... . 219
Checking tire pressure ....... ..... .. . 233
Child restraints Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Where can I get add itional information
about child restraints and their use? . . 178
Child restraint system anchors ... .. .. . 175
Ch ild safety .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 161
Convertible locking retractor . ..... ... 17 1
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats ................. . 164
Important things to know when driving
with children .............. .. .... . 161
Installing a child restraint using the
L ATCH system ......... .... ... .. .. . 177
Lower anchorages ............ .. ... 176
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook .. .... ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 177
Ch ild safety seats . ..... .... .. .. .... . 167
Booster seats ............. ... .. ... 169
Convertible ch ild seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Conve rtible locking retractor .. .. .. .. . 171
Danger of using child restra ints in the
front seat .... ............. ...... . 141
How do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ................. 164
Infant seats .............. ... .. .. . 167
Installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
LATCH system ............ .. .. .. .. . 177
Safety instructions .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 164
Unused safety belts on the rear seat .. 166
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
C leaning
A lcantara® (synthe tic suede) .. .. .. .. . 204
E ngine compartment ............ .. . 205
Exhaust tail pipes ........... .. .... . 201
Fabrics and fabric coverings . ..... .. . 202
Instrument panel ........... .. .... . 202
Interior .. ............... .. .. .... . 201
Leather .... .......... ...... ... .. . 204
Matte finish pa int ......... ... .. ... 197
MMI disp lay/controls .. .... .. .. .. .. . 201 Plastic
and vinyl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Plastic parts ..... ................ . 202
Safety be lts ... .. ................ . 205
Trim strips .... .. ............. .... 199
Cleaning and protection .......... .... 194
Climate controls ... ..... ........... .. 70
Climate control system Automatic recircu lation ......... .... . 73
Supplementary heater ........ .. .. .. . 73
synchroni zing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Clock ..... ..... .. .. .............. .. 12
Closing Power windows .. ............. .. .. . 39
Closing/opening at the lock cylinder ................ .. 36
by remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
with the centra l locking switch ........ 35
with the conven ience key ........ .... . 35
Cold tire inflation pressure ........ .... 231
Coming home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Compact spare tire . ................ . 248
also refer to Spare tire . ...... ... .. .. 248
Compass in the mirror ........... .... . 59
Compliance ... .. .. .. .............. . 272
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 129, 269
Contacting NHTSA ................. . 129
Convenience key
Indicator lights .. ... .......... .. .. . 79
Starting engine (S TART ENGINE STOP
button) ....... .. .. .............. .. 78
Stopping the engine (START ENGINE
STOP button) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Switching on ignition ........... .... . 78
unlocking/locking ... ... .... ... .. .. . 35
Convenience opening/closing ....... .. . 40
Convertib le child safety seats ......... 168
Convertible locking retractor Activating ..... .. ............. .... 173
Deactivating . .. .. ..... ........... . 173
Using to secure a child safety seat 1.71, 173
Coolant system . ... ................ . 219
Cooling mode (automat ic climate control) 71
Cooling System Expansion tank . .. ................ . 219
Cornering light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
278 Index
Hood ....... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 212
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75, 78
Starting with jumper cab les .. .. .. .. . 259
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 79
E ng ine compar tmen t
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Working the engi ne compa rtment 212
E ng ine coolant
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Eng ine coolant system ...... .. .. .. .. . 219
Adding coolant .. .......... ... .. .. . 220
Check ing coolant leve l ...... ... .. .. . 219
C hec king the eng ine coolant leve l . . . . . 21 9
R ad ia to r fan .. . ........ .. .. .. .. .. . 22 1
Eng ine coolant temperature
Temperature gauge ........... .. .... 10
Engine data . .... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 267
E ng ine hood
C losing .... ............. .. .. .. .. . 212
H ow to release the hood ... .. .. .... . 2 12
E ng ine oi l ... .. ........ .... ... .. .. . 214
Adding .. .. ................ ... ... 217
Addit ives . ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 217
C hanging .. ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 218
Che ck oil leve l ........... .... .... . 217
Consumpt io n . ... ..... ... .. .. .... . 217
Indicator light . .. ..... ... .. .. .. 1 7,21
O il consumption .......... .... .... . 216
O il grades ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 214
O il level symbol ............ .. .... .. 21
Pressure malfunction ....... ..... .. .. 17
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Specif ication and viscos ity . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Eng ine speed limitat ion ..... .. .. .... .. 21
E nv iro nment
Break -in period . .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 18 7
Cata lytic converter ..... ... .. .. .... . 188
Disposing of yo ur vehicle battery .. .. . 226
Driving at high speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Driving to m inim ize pollution and no ise 189
Fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
F uel economy ............. ... .. ... 189
Le aks under your veh icle . ........ .. . 212
L ett ing t he ve hicl e s tand and wa rm up . 189
P roper disposal of dra ined br ake flu id . 22 2 Proper disposal of d
rained eng ine cool -
ant . ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 220
Proper d isposal of d rained eng ine
o il ... .... .... .. ............ 217,218
Recycling used engine oil ........ .... 217
U nleaded fuel .. .. ................ . 207
What s hou ld I do w ith an old battery? . 226
EPC
refer to Electronic power control . . . . . . 20
E SC (Electron ic Sta biliz atio n Con trol )
Warning/ind icator lights ..... ... .. .. . 19
E thy l alcohol (Fuel) . ................ . 208
Event Data Recorder (EDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
E xhaus t tai l pipes
C leaning . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 2 01
E xpansion tank . ... ... .. .. ... ..... .. 219
Exterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
E xte rior m irrors
Adjus ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
D imming . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 56
Heating ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 55
F
Fan
R adiator
Fastening 2
21
Boos ter seats .... ............. .... 169
C o nvertib le child sa fe ty seats .. ...... 168
Infan t se ats
Flat tire 16
7
Chang ing ... .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... .. 2 49
flexib le fue l ... .. .. ............. .. .. 208
Floor ma ts .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. 126
Fog lights/rea r fog lig ht(s) .. .. .. .. .. .. . 52
Fol ding the rear seats ..... .... ... .. .. . 68
Foot peda ls . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 1 26
For the sake of the environment Gasoli ne fumes and the e nvironme nt .. 210
Letting the engine warm up . . . . . . 75, 78
Ref ueling ... .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... .. 210
Sav ing f uel by early ups hifting . .. .. .. . 11
Front a irbags
Description .... .. ................. 144
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Frontal coll is ions and the laws of phys ics 133
F ront passenger's door emergency lo cking 36