Page 177 of 290

LATCH Lower
anchorages and tether
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s impler and more pract icable way
to attach the chi ld restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federa l reg ulations require specia l lower
anchorages in vehicles and dev ices on new
chi ld restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho
rages .
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called
the
LATCH system for " Lower Anchorages and
T ethers for Children ."
F orward-facing child rest raints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply wit h new c hild
head movement performance requirements .
These new performance requirements make a tether necessary on most new chi ld seats.
I nstal ling a chi ld restraint that requi res a top
tether witho ut one can serio usly impair the
performance of the chi ld restraint and its ab il
ity to protect the c hild in a co llision . Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a v io lation of
state law.
Ch ild restra int manufacturers offer LATCH
lower anchorages on the ir ch ild seats with
hook -on or push-on connecto rs attached to
adjustable straps .
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child restra int firmly in place .
Tether anchorage s
Your Audi Cabriolet is not equipped with a
LATCH system. It is not equ ipped with top
tether anchorages. It is equipped with lower
anchorages only.
Your Cabriolet is equipped with the Active Rollover Protection System, w hich is integrat-
Child Sa fet y 175
ed into the back rest of the rear seat . The Ac
tive Ro llover P rotection System dep loys up
wards to he lp prov ide addit ional protection in
certain co llisions and crash s ituations. For this
reason, your vehicle is
not equipped with top
tether anchorages for use with forward -facing
c hi ld restra ints.
In Canada , provinc ial law requ ires that for
ward-fac ing ch ild restraints use both top teth
er anchorages and lower anchorages; the re
fore, it is
not pos sib le to install a forward-fac
ing child restra int in this vehicle.
In the United States , child restraint installa
tion must conform w ith the child restraint
manufacture r's instructions. Check the in
structions that come w ith the c hild restra int
o r contact the ma nufactu rer to determine if
the ch ild res traint may be ins ta lled fac ing fo r
ward without sec uring the top te ther strap .
A WARNING ,..__
Improper installation of child restraints
will increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instr uctions provided
by the manufacture r of the child re
straint yo u intend to install in your vehi
cle.
- Improper use of child restraint LATCH
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision. The LATC H lower anchorage
points are designed to wi thstand on ly
those loads i mposed by co rrectly fitted
child r est raints.
- Never mount two ch ild restra int systems
on one LATC H lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other item to the LATCH lower anchorag
es.
@ Tips
In other countries, the term "ISOFIX" is
used to describe the lower anchorages .
•
•
Page 178 of 290

1 76 Child Safety
location
Fig. 163 Schematic overview: LATCH anchorage point
locations
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipp ed with the low
er anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating.
Fig. 164 Rear seatbacks: locator buttons for lower an
chorages
Fig. 165 Rear seats: lower anchorage bracket locations
Attachment locator markers for lower
anchorages
Circular locator buttons on the rear seatback
indicat e the lower anchorage locations on the
rear seating positions
¢ fig . 164.
lower anchorages
Th e lower anchorage attachment points are
located between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion
¢fig. 165.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy
to-use attachment and minimize the possibili
ty of improper child restraint installation .
All child restraints manufactured after Sep
tember 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LATCH system.
Remember that the lower anchorage points
are only intended for installation and attach
ment of child restraints specifically certified
for use with
LATCH lower anchorages. Child
restraints that are not equipped with the low
er anchorage attachments can still be instal
led in compliance with the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions on using vehicle
safety belts .
.&_ WARNING
-Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious personal injury in an ac
cident.
-Always carefully follow the child re
straints manufacturer's instructions for proper installation of the child restraint
and proper use of the lower anchorages
or safety belts in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the
LATCH lower ancho
rages.
- Always read and heed the important in
formation about child restraints in this
chapter and WARNINGS
¢page 161,
Child Safety.
Page 179 of 290

Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in
structions.
F ig . 166 Lower anchorages: proper mounting
Mou nting
~ Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright position and securely
latched in place.
~ Attach both hook-on connectors with the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATC H lower anchorage so that the
connectors lock into p lace
c::> fig. 166 .
~ Pull on the connector attachments to make
s u re they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage.
~ Pull st raps tight following the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions.
Re leasing
~ Loosen the tension on the straps follow ing
the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instr uc
tions.
~ Depress the spring catches to re lease the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag
es.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in p lace.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can in
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in an acc ident.
Child S afety 177
- These anchors were deve loped only for
child safety seats using the "LATCH" sys
tem.
- Never attach other chi ld safety seats,
belts or other objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click
when latch ing the seat in p lace. If you do
not hear a click the seat is not secure and
could fly forward and hit the interior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the veh i
cle .
A WARNING
Improper installat ion of ch ild rest ra ints
will increase the risk of injury in an acci
dent.
- Always follow the child restraint system
manufacturer's inst ruct ions for prope r
installation of the ch ild restra int system
and proper use of tether s traps as well as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your vehicle.
- Always read and heed the important in
formation and WARNINGS about chi ld
safety and the insta llation of chi ld re
straint systems
c::> page 161, Child Safe
ty.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
-
Currently, few rearward-facing chi ld restraint
systems come w ith a tether . Please read and
heed the ch ild restraint system manufactur
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-fac ing chi ld safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be ser iously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or i nfant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
11>-
Page 180 of 290

178 Child Saf ety
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door .
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear
ward -facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-mat in the
seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heav ier
we ight registered can make the system
wor k as though an adu lt were on the seat
and dep loy the Advan ced Airbag when i t
must be suppressed ca using serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan
ces and the
PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
med iately install the rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seat ing pos i
t io n and have the airbag system inspect
ed by your authorized Audi dea le r.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional
information about ch ild restraint select ion, in
stallat io n and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat
is the one that fits your child and fits in your
vehicle, and that you w ill use correctly and
consistently.
Try before you buy!
U.S N ation al H ighw ay Traffic S afety Admin
i s tr ation
Te l.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY : 1-800-424-9153)
www .nhtsa.gov
N ation al SA FE KIDS Campaign
Te l.: (202) 662-0600
www .safekids.org
Safet y Belt Safe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 74S-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747 -SANO (Span ish)
www.carseat .org
T ransport Can ada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or ca ll
1-6 13-998-86 16 if yo u are in the Ottawa area
http://www .tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
menu. htm
Audi Cu stome r Rel ation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
Page 181 of 290

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 179
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in
dicator light
JjJ in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations .
It is important to remem
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface. If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC can
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi
ence the benefits of ESC.
•
•
Page 182 of 290

180 Intelligent technology
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys
tem, anti-slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif
ferential lock (EDL), dynamic steering" and
e lectronic interaxle differentia l lock* /selective
wheel torque control* . ESC is switched on all
the t ime. I n certa in s ituations whe n you need
l ess t raction, you can switch off ASR by p ress
i ng the bu tto n
[ru ¢ fig. 167 or ¢ fig. 168. Be
sure to sw itch ASR on ag ain when you no lon
ger need less trac tion.
Anti -lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents t he wheels from locking up
when braking. The veh icle can still be st eered
even d uring ha rd b rak ing . Apply steady p res
sure to the br ake pedal. Do no t pu mp the ped
a l. A puls ing in t he bra ke peda l ind icates that
the system is he lping yo u to b rake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease bra king
d ista nce. It increases braking powe r w hen the
d river p resses the brake pedal quickl y in eme r
gency situa tions . You mus t press and ho ld the
brake peda l until the situation is over. In
ve hicles with adaptive cruise contro l", the
brake assist system is more sensit ive if the
d ista nce detected to t he vehicle a head is too
smal l.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engi ne power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
tra nsfers t he d rive powe r to the other d rive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h).
In extreme cases, EDL a utomatica lly switches
off to help keep the bra ke on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL will switch on aga in au
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Dynamic steering*
On vehicles wi th dynam ic s teering *, ESC he lps
sta bilize the steer ing in crit ica l sit uat ions.
Electronic interaxle differential lock*/
selective wheel torque control*
T he ele ctroni c in te raxle di fferentia l lock ( fron t
whee l drive) o r th e se lective whee l torque
control (all -whee l drive) operates when driv
ing t hro ugh cu rves. The front wheel on the in
s ide of the c urve or both whee ls on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed .
Th is mi nimizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more precise d rivi ng through
cu rves . The a ppl icable syste m may not acti
vate when dr iv ing in wet o r snowy cond itions.
_&. WARNING
- E SC, A BS, ASR, ED L d ynam ic steering *
a nd the elect roni c in ter ax le d ifferenti al
loc k* /se lective whee l torque control *
cannot ove rcome the laws of physics .
This is especia lly important on slippery
or wet r oads. If the systems beg in acting
to stabilize your veh icle, yo u should im
mediately change you r speed to match
the road and t raff ic conditions. Do not
let the increased safety prov ided by
t hese systems temp t you to ta ke r is ks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a lo ss of
veh icle cont ro l, col lision an d ser io us per
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to ro ad, traff ic
an d wea ther conditions . The risk of los
ing contro l of t he vehicle increases when
driving too fast, es pec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
a head. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys
t e m, ASR, EDL dynam ic s teer ing* and the
elec tronic inte raxle differe ntia l lock*/se
lective whee l to rque contr ol* cannot p re
vent co lli sion s.
- Always accelerate wi th special care on
eve n smooth s urfaces su ch as those that
'
ar e we t or covered w ith i ce and snow.
T he drive whee ls can spin even w ith
-
these assistance systems that can not ~
Page 183 of 290

always help to reduce the risk of loss of
vehicle control.
(D T ips
- ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
a ll four wheels are eq uipped with identi
ca l tires . Different tire s izes can lead to a
reduction in eng ine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the indicator light
DJ or r.1:1::1 (U SA
models) ;tiJ (Canada mode ls) appears,
there may be a malfunction
c:> page 19,
c:> page 19.
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automaticolly when you start
the engine.
Fi g. 16 7 Version A: lowe r ce nter console,~ OFF but
to n
:.!;::.:-, I I ---- 1- n~I -
l.
~
- o~ -· \)1) 1./ .., l~c~~ ·-WJO -J •-MJTO -~, -
-----....... -... ~ ~ -~
Fi g. 16 8 Versio n 8: upper ce nter conso le,~ OFF but
to n
Tu rning off ASR
In some situations, it may be useful to switch
ASR off to allow the wheels to spin. For exam ple:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
Intelligen t technolog y 181
- Driving with snow chains
Quick ly press the
lf3 O FF ! button c:> fig. 167
and c:> fig. 168. The I indica to r li ght turns on
and the message
Trac tion control (ASR ): Off.
Warning! Restri cted stabilit y
appears in the
display.
It i s only poss ib le to turn off the ASR up to
30 mp h (SO km/h) fo r vehicles with front
whee l drive. At about 45 mph (70 km/h) it au
tomatica lly turns on again. It is possible to
turn off the ASR at any speed for vehicles with
all wheel drive.
Turning off ESC
Press and hold the It, O FF I button fo r th ree
seconds. The
fl ESC indicator light t urns on
and the message
Stabil ization cont rol (ES C):
off. Wa rnin g! Restricte d stability
appears in
the d isplay. A5R is also switched off when ESC
is sw itched off.
Switching on
Press the I~ OF FI button again. The fl indica
tor lig ht t urns on and the message
Stabiliza
tion cont rol (ES C): O n
appears in the disp lay.
_.& WARNING
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
contro l of t he vehicle more eas ily w hen
ASR and ESC are sw itched off, especially
when the road is slipp ery .
- Sw itch A5R/ESC off only when your driv
ing skills, t raffic and weather conditions
pe rm it .
(D Tips
You cannot sw itch ASR and ESC off when
adaptive cruise control* is worki ng.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
Ne w brake p ads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new
-
brake pads do not possess the ir full brak ing
effect, they have to be "broken in" first
c:> .&.. .,.
Page 184 of 290

182 Intelligent technology
You can compensate for this slightly reduced
braking power by pushing harder on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy braking loads d uring the
break-in per iod.
Operating condition s and d riv ing hab it s
The brakes on today 's automob iles are st ill
subject to wear, depending largely on operat
ing conditions and driving habits¢.&. . On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your author
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warra nty & Maint enance booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result in red uced b rake pe rformance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing
effect of the engine . Th is way, you prevent un
necessa ry wear on the brake system. If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously . P u mp the brakes at inter
va ls.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking fo rce and outside condi
tions s uch as temperature and humidity .
Effect of w ater and ro ad s alt
In certain situat ions, for example after driving
through water, in heavy ra in, after overn ight
condensat ion or after washing your car, the
b rak ing effect can be reduced by moistu re or
ice on the bra ke roto rs and b rake pads . The
b rakes must be dried fi rst with a few caref ul
b rake app lications .
At higher speeds and with the w indshield w ip
e rs turned on, the brake pads press agains t
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regular intervals without the
driver noticing and provides for better brake response time under wet condit ions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used. Likewise,
you clean
off accumulated sa lt coating from brake d
iscs and pads with a few cautio us ap
plications of the brake
Q ,&. .
Corrosion
The re may be a tendency for dirt to bu ild up
o n the brake pads and corros io n to fo rm on
the d iscs if the car is not driven regu la rly or
only for short trips with litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes a re not used frequently, o r if cor
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
c> &. .
Faults in the brak e syst em
If you shou ld no tice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
ci rcuits may have fai led
c> &. .
Lo w brake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occu r in the bra ke system if
the b rake fluid level is too low. The brake f lu id
level is monitored electronically.
Brake booster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
yo u generate with the brake peda l. It works
o n ly when the engine is running .¢
&
Brake lining we ar status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in
spect ion 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 i n
spect io n ¢
page 249, Changing a wheel.
_&. WARNING
- New brake pads don't have the bes t stop
p ing power and m ust be "bro ken-in" dur
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal city driving.
You can compensate for this by pressing
the brake pedal more firmly. Th is also
applies later when new pads are instal led.