86 Transmi ssion
Transmission
multitronic ®, S tronic ®,
tiptronic
Introduction
Appl ies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
The automatic transmission is controlled elec
tronically. The transmission ups hifts or down
shifts automatically depending on which drive program is se lected.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission se lects the most economical
driving mode. It wi ll then change up early and
de lay the downshifts to g ive better f uel econ
omy.
The transmission switches to a sporty mode after a k ick-down or when the dr iver uses a
sporty driv ing style characterized by qu ick ac
celerator peda l movements, heavy accelera
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed .
If desired, the driver can a lso sel ect the gears
manually (tiptronic mode ) q page 86.
Various a utomatic transmissions may be in
stalled, depend ing on the mode l:
multitronic ® transmission
The mult it ron ic® transm ission is a co nti nuous
l y var iable transmission. Power is transferred
using a m ultidisk clutch. In contrast to con
ventiona l automatic transmissions using sh ift
ing operat ions, the transmission ratio in the
continuously variable transm ission is changed
continuously. This optimizes the comfort level
and conserves fuel.
S tronic ® transmission
The 5 tronic ® is a d ual-clutch transmission .
Power is transferred using two clutches that
work independently from one another. They
replace the to rque conve rter used in conven
tional automa tic transm iss ions and allow the
ve hicle to acc elerate without a noticeable in
ter ruption in traction.
tiptronic transmission
In the t ipt ro ni c transm iss ion, powe r is trans
f erred by a torque converter .
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
i--...~~-----------..,.-~ -... N
N
N
" :ll
Fig. 96 Display in t he inst ru m ent cluster: selecto r lever
in pos ition P
The selector leve r pos ition engaged appea rs
next to the se lector lever as well as in the in
strument cluster d isp lay.
P -Park
In this se lector lever posi tion the transmis
sio n is mechanica lly loc ked. Engage P o nly
whe n the vehicle is
completely stopped q .&.
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page
89.
To shift i n or out of posit ion P, yo u must first
press and ho ld the bra ke pedal and then press
the re lease b utton in the selector lever hand le
whi le movi ng the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of th is position only with the
ignition o n.
R - Reverse
Se lect R on ly when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed q .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page
89.
Befo re you move the se lector lever to R, press
both the release button in the hand le of the
select or lever
and the brake peda l at the same
t ime .
When the ignition is on, the bac kup lights illu
minate when t he selector lever is moved into
R. 1111-
temporarily to the manual shift program in or
der to adjust the gears to the driving condi
tions by hand
¢ page 90.
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position.
This prevents too much stress from being placed on the locking mechanism.
Vehicles with multitronic transmission : Your
vehicle is equipped with
hill hold assist allow
ing you to start while on an incline. The sys
tem is activated when the brake pedal is
pressed down and held
for a few seconds. The
brake p ressure will hold for a moment after
the brake pedal loosens to prevent the vehicle
from rolling backwards while starting up.
A WARNING
-The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running,
activate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position
while the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is running .
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases
Transmission 89
braking distance or causes complete fail
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload . An indicator lamo
[O] illu
minates and a driver message appears
¢ page 92 when the clutch is overload
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake set
¢ page 205, Engine compartment. Oth
erwise, any increase in engine speed may
set the vehicle in motion, even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
- S tronic ®- and tiptronic transmission:
When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator pedal while a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the transmis
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti
vate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling .
- S tronic ®- and tiptronic transmission: Al
lowing the vehicle to roll when the en
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be
cause it is not lubricated under those cir
cumstances.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driv
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
scalding from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the engi ne and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escapi ng fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a cou nte r-clockw ise dir ect ion while
a pply ing lig ht, downwa rd p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- T o avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an
tifree ze o r coolan t on t he exh aust sys
tem or ho t engine parts . Un der certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en
gine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifree ze is poisono us. Always store an
tifreeze in its or iginal co ntainer and we ll
o ut o f the reac h of children.
- If you drain the coolant , it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con
tainer clear ly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could ca use a n engine fire . Excess coo l
ant wi ll be forced out through the pres
sure re lief va lve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added , the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze¢
page 219 must be re
stored as soon as possib le .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be re used . Al
ways dispose of used c oolant while observ
ing all envir onmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automa tically by
itself
T he radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-be lt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the
coolant .
Checkin g and fillin g 221
An auxiliary electric radiato r fan* sw itches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle ope rat ing con ditions.
After yo u switc h the engi ne off, the aux iliary
f an can con tinue r unning for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself¢ & , if
- t he temperatu re of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat b uild -up from the en gine in
the engi ne compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up be cause
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal in jury nev
er touch the radiator fan.
- The a uxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
contro lled and can switch on sud denly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fa n switches on a u
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coo lant temper
ature drops .
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
qui ck glance.
Fig. 17 9 En gin e compar tment: Cover o n the brak e flu
i d reservoi r
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partment ,
always re ad and heed all WARN
INGS c::> ,& in Working in the engine compar t-
ment on page 212 . .,..
256 Fuses a nd bulb s
I
I
-No. Consumer
6 Headlight range control sys-
tern/cornering light
7 Headlight (cornering light) Control modules (electro-
mechanical parking brake,
8 shock absorber, quattro sport, trailer hitch), DCDC
converter
9 Adaptive cruise control
10 Shift gate
11 Side assist
1 2 Headlight range control,
parking system
13 Airbag
14 Rear wiper (allroad)
15 Aux
iliary fuse (instrument
panel)
1 6 Auxiliary fuse terminal 15
(engine area)
Fu se pa nel@ (brown)
2
3
4
5
6
7 Brake light sensor
Fuel pump
Clutch sensor
Left seat heating with/w ith
out seat ventilation
ESC
Horn
Front left door (window reg-
8 ulator, central locking, mir
ror, switch, lighting)
Two-door models: rear left
w indow regulator, Four-door
11 models: rear left door (win-
dow regulator, central lock-
ing, switch,
lighting)
12 Rain and light sensor
Fu se p ane l© (red)
3 Lumbar support
4 Dynamic steering
5 Interior lighting (Cabriolet)
Amps
5/7,5
7,5
5
s
5
5
5
5
15
10
40
5
25
5
-
15/30
5
15
30
30
25
30
5
10
35
5
No . Consumer
6
7
8
9
Windshield washer system,
headlight washer system
Vehicle electrical system
control module 1
Vehicle electr ical system
control module
1
Left rear window regulator
motor (Cabriolet)/sunroof
Amps
35
20
30
7,5/20
10 Vehicle e
lectr ical system
30
control module 1
11
Right rear window regulator
7,5/20 (Cabriolet)/sun shade motor
12 Anti-theft alarm warning
system 5
Right cockpit fuse assignment
Fig.
199 Right cockpit: fuse panel wit h plastic cl ip
No . Consume r Amps
F use panel@ (bl ac k)
5 Steering column switch
5
module
.. -.. -
7
Term inal 15 diagnos tic con-
nector
5
8 Gateway (Databus diagnos-
5
tic interface) ...