2013 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET brakes

188 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
CD Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi­
cle to dr ive through safely.
-
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function ­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in on environmentally sound manner.
,,. Always use lead-free gasoli ne¢ page 207,
Fuel supply .
,,. Never run the tank down a ll the way to
empty.
,,. Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine ¢
page 217, "t':::r. Adding engine oil.
,,. Never t ry to push- o r tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an effic ient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the polluta nts in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphe re. The exclusive
use of unleaded f uel is critica lly
important for the life of the catalytic convert­
er and proper funct ion ing of the eng ine .
A WARNING
= -
-Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con­
ver ter or heat shields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used for under coa ting co uld
overhea t and cause a fire.
CD Note
- Be aware that just o ne tank filling with
leaded fu el w ill already ser io usly de ­
gr ad e the per form ance o f the catalytic
c onverte r.
- Do not ex ceed t he corre ct engine oil level
r:;!) page 217.
- Do not drive until the fuel tank be co m es
completely emp ty. The engine co uld mis­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get in to
the exhaust system and this co uld cause
the cata lytic converter to overheat .
- Do not turn off the igni tion whi le the ve ­
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not contin ue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converte r. T his
co uld resu lt in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System:
- H ave you r vehicle maintained p rope rly
and in accordance w ith the se rvi ce rec ­
ommen dat ions in yo ur Warranty &
M ain tenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenan ce as we ll as
i mprope r use of t he ve hicl e wi ll impair
the func tion of the em ission cont ro l
system and could lea d to damage .
Ill>

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 191
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 trailer 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 for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the lo ad in the traile r 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 19 2.
Engine cooling system
Towing 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 . .,..
•
•

192 Trailer towing
Tire pre ss ure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld 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.
Light s
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.
Saf ety chains
Be sure tra iler sa fe ty cha ins a re p roperly 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 o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded tra iler whe n your car it ­
self is no t 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.
Weigh t di stribution
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
steer ing 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 trai ler 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 t he maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rtic ularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do n ot
try to sto p th e swaying by acc elerating .
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
fo r vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . U se of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefu lly. 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 •
i n t he i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two min utes to prevent he at build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restra ined in a mov ­
i ng vehicle is a t a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not p roperly wea ring the rest raints
prov ided by Audi.
-

194 Cleaning and protection
Cleaning and
protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value .
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes, corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after
purchase . Regular and correct care w ill con­
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
Furth erm ore, goo d car e m ay be a c onditi on
for substantiat ing a warrant y claim shou ld
c orrosion dam age or paint d efe ct s occ ur.
Your author ized Audi dealer has a variety of
d ed ica ted vehicl e-ca re product s and can ad ­
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i­
or and inte rior of your vehicle .
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially ava ilable clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply them cor­
rectly .
A WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caut ion labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product . Follow the di­
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted.
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail pol ish remover or other volati le
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ignit ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, etc. without pro­
tecting your hands and arms. You may
c u t yourself on sharp-edged metal parts . -
Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing eff ic iency
c::> page 181. Test the
brakes carefully each time you wash the
veh icle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environ mentally friendly clean­
i ng products. Leftover cleaning products
should not d isposed of in the househo ld
waste .
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best protection against environmental in ­
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often this is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the veh icle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasona l and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and indus tria l gr ime, ta r, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle body, the more lasting their destr uctive ef­
fects wi ll be . High temperatures caused by ex­
pos ure to intense sun light intens ify the corro­
s ive effect, particularly when humid ity is high
as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekl y washing
may be necessary. Under other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade­
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferably in a professional car wash.
Vehicles with matte finish paint
c::> poge 197.
A WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c::> page 194.

A WARNING 1=
- Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency
Q page 181 . Test the
brakes carefully each time you wash the
vehicle .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information Qpage 194.
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does no t need to be
checked.
All body cavities which co uld be affected by
corrosion have been thoro ughly protec ted at
the factory.
This sea ling does not require any inspection or
addit iona l treatment. If any wax should seep
out of the cav ity when the ambient tempera­
ture is high, it can be removed w it h a plastic
scraper and a suitab le solvent.
A WARNING
So lvents can be dangerous .
- Benzine is flammable and toxic . If you
use benzine for removing the wax, keep
spar ks , flame and light ed c igaret tes
away. Never dump ben zine on t he
ground, in to open s tre ams or dow n sew­
age dra ins.
- Be sure to observe all safety and env iro n­
me ntal regu lations. Follow all ins truc­
t ions on the con tainer .
- Always re ad and hee d all WARN INGS and
ot her informa tion
Q page 194 .
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Audi is a lso thor­
ough ly protected against corrosion .
Any damage to the undercoating caused by road hazards shou ld be repa ired promptly .
Cleaning and protec tion 20 1
A WARNING
Too much undercoating i n the wrong p la­
ces can cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
ru stp roof ing o n or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . While d riving, the
substance used fo r under coating could
over hea t an d cause a fire.
- Always read an d heed a ll WAR NIN GS and
o ther info rmation
c:? page 19 4.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and other co rrosive mater ials w ill
d amage the mate rial in the exhaus t tail pipes
i f they are not cleaned regular ly . Do not clea n
the tail pipes with whee l cleaner, paint polish,
c hr ome polish or other abras ive cleaners .
Clean the tail pipes with car care products
that are suitable for sta inless s teel.
Your a uthorized Audi dea ler can provi de clean ­
ing products that have been tested and ap ­
proved for yo ur vehicle.
Care of interior
Infotainment components
The Rad io/MM !* disp lay m ay be cleaned with
a soft cloth and commercially-available "LC D
cleaner". The cloth should be coated lightly
whe n the cleaning sol ution when cleaning the
display.
T he M MI* con trols m ust be cleaned first with
a b rush so that dirt does not enter the unit or
enter between the buttons and the housing.
Then wiping the cont rols with a cloth damp­
ened with dish de tergent and water is recom­
mended .
(D Note
-To avoid scratching the display, you
should never clean it dry .
- To prevent damage, make sure fluids do
not enter the cont ro ls .
•
•

222 Check ing and filling
• Read the brake fluid leve l from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 179, ¢ fig. 175. The
brake f lu id leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear partition of the engine compartment on the
left side ¢
page 214 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi ­
cator light (U .S . mode ls:
1111 , Canadian
models :. ) will come on
¢ page 15. Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop and the cause corrected . If the
brake fluid level is too low, the b rake war ning/
i ndicato r light w ill illuminate . Contact an au­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediately .
@ Tips
The brake f lu id reservoir is located unde r­
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
dec rease braking per formance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ver y two ye ars. A lways use new b rake fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
S tanda rd "FMVSS 116 DO T 4".
The brake flu id reservoir can be difficult to
r each, therefo re , we recommend that yo u
have the brake fl uid changed by yo ur au tho r­
i z ed
Audi dealer . Your dealer has the co rrec t tools, the
right brake flu id and t he know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
'-
- Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor-
ed only in the closed or igina l container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can res ult from o ld or inap­
propriate brake f lu id. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SA E
spe cifi cat ion
J 17 03 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehi cle Standard 1 16.
Always chec k with yo ur authorized A udi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The cor rect type of
brake flu id is also ind icated on the
brake f lu id reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left i n the system too
long . This can se riously affect the effi­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety . T his could result in an accident.
W Note
Brake fluid will damage the pai nt of you r
vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
r ecommend that yo u have the brake flu id
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
U nder normal operat ing cond itions, the bat­
te ry in your Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance. With
high outside temperatu res or
long da ily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte leve l che cked by an autho riz ed
A udi dealer or qu alified workshop. The elec­
tro ly t e level should also be checked e ach time
the battery is charged
¢ page 225. ...

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. .,.

Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. You
may not find this information on all tires be­
cause it is no t req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called "maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diamete r of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ ­
in g elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Tires and wheels 229
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production options we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in wh ich the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see¢ page 228, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
re sp onding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
•
•