
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara
tively small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more weight than they can safely han
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspect ing t ires for damage i nclud
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
A vo idin g damage
If you have to drive over a curb or similar ob
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re
i nstall them .
When removed, the wheels or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, dry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 231
New tires
New ti res have to be broken in¢& .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
patte rn.
H idden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is often not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must
f ol low the specified di rection of rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information ¢
page 258.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
also be broken-in. To reduce the risk of losing control, a collision and serious
personal injuries, drive w ith special care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
fl ation, cras hes and se riou s personal in
juries . Have worn or damaged t ires re
placed immediate ly.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

(D Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely
mounted on the valve .
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry .
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can a lso damage important pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in
cluding a blowout and sudd en d eflation that
c a n cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exce eded . Vehicl e load includes ev erybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle. These
load limi ts are techn ically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicl e W eight Rat ing
("GVWR ").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all fac tory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load . The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
i ntended to ca rry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger a t a des igna ted seat ing pos ition
and the tota l weight of any l uggage in the ve
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weig ht of the
trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of the
loaded traile r must be included as part of the
vehicle load .
The
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
Tire s an d wheel s 239
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on th e
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar. Audi has 4 seat ing pos i
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for total
seat ing capac ity of 4. Each seating position
has a seat belt ¢
page 134, Safety belts .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of the
loaded tra ile r) is lim ited. The more passen
gers in the vehicle or passe ngers w ho are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug
gage.
T he tire pressure label on your Aud i also lis ts
t h e maximum combined weight of a ll of the
occupants and l uggage or other cargo that
the ve hicle can carry. For the location of the
l abel ¢
page 235, fig. 176.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident , se
rious personal injury, and even death .
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
ve hicle from handling properly and in
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
ve hicl e with in a safe distance .
- Tires o n a vehicle that has been overload
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
a nd sudden defla tion, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always ma ke sure t hat the to tal load be
i n g transpo rted - incl udi ng t he weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we igh t of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi
cle Weight Rating.
•
•

242 Tires and wheels
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con
trol, a crash and serious persona l injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your 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 tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 180 Tir e specificat ion codes on the s idewall of a
t ire
No. Description
(!) Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
@ Load index and speed rating
(J) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Audi Orig inal tire
@ Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
Maximum load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
Maximum permissible inflation pres
sure
T he tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle 's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..

-Always make sure the transm ission se
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) or Neutral (manual
transmission) and the park brake is firm
ly appl ied .
® For the sake of the environment
-Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad
versely affect em ission levels. This is det
rimental to the environment and increas
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula
tions when d ispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and p reten
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo
rate Material -special handling may ap
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous
waste/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system including
airbag modules safety belts with preten
s ioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authorized Audi dealer is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult on authorized Audi dealer be
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de
sign featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac
tive and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non-ap
proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason ,
if parts have to be replaced, p lease observe
the following points when installing addition
al accessories:
Con sumer In formation 275
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi
parts are available from authorized Audi deal
ers.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly.
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and serious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve
hicle.
- Never install accessories such as tele
phone cradles or beverage holders on air
bag covers or within the airbag deploy
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
page 209.
(D Note
-If items other than genuine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth
ods, this can result in severe damage to
your vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect your vehi
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
•

Automatic climate control Air vents ... ................ ... .... 69
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Setup ... .. ................. .. .... 70
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 88
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Driving .. .. ............. .... .. .. .. 82
Dynamic shift program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Emergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88, 94
Kick -down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Manual shift program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Removal lock (ignition key) . .. .. .. .. .. 71
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
84
S tronic .. ..... ........... ... ... ... 88
also refer to S tronic transmission ..... 88
Automatic wipers ................ .. .. 49
Auto Safety Hotline ........ .. .. .. .. . 132
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Avoid damaging the vehicle ... ... .. .. . 193
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,226
Battery location inside the luggage com-
partment .. ................ ... ... 227
Charging ... ................ ... ... 229
Important warnings when working on
the battery . ............. .... .. ... 227
Jump starting ............ .... .. ... 263
Low ..... ... ...... ............. .. 191
Replacing the battery ..... .. .. .. .. . 230
State of charge ........... .... .. .. . 191
W inter operation ......... .. .. .. .. . 226
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 227
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Bio-ethanol (Fuel) ................ .. . 212
Blended gasoline .......... .. .. .. .. . 211
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 69
Body cavity sealing ............ ... .. . 205
Booster seats .............. ... ... .. 174
Brake fluid Changing the brake fluid ... .. .. .. .. . 226
Checking the brake fluid level ... .. .. . 225
Reservoir .. ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 225
Index 279
What is the correct brake fluid level? . . 225
What should I do if the brake fluid warn- ing light comes on? ............... . 225
B rake system .. .. .. .... ........... .. 225
Anti- lock b raking system ........ .. .. . 19
Brake assist system ............... . 185
Brake fluid . ..... ................. 225
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re-
placement .. .. .. .... ........... .. 226
Brake light defective ............... . 21
Brake power assist unit ............. 188
Brakes .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ........ 188
Ceramic brakes ... .. ............... 188
Electromechanical parking brake ..... . 76
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 15
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Braking Emergency braking function .......... 78
braking guard . .. .. .... ............. . 95
Messages . .. .. .. .. ............... 103
Settings .. .. .. .. .... ... .... .... .. 102
Break-in period . ..... ............... 193
Tires ........... .. ............... 193
Bu lbs .......... .... ............... 262
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ... .. 217
Battery specific ...... ......... .. .. 228
Capacities .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. 271
Car care ..... ... .... ............... 200
Interior ..... .... .. ............... 206
Plastic and vinyl .... .............. . 203
Care of exterior .. .. .... ........... .. 200
Cargo area
refer to Luggage compartment. . . 63, 130
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Center armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Central locking .. .. ............... .. . 32
Central locking switch .......... .... . 36
Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Remote control key .... ....... .... .. 35
Ceramic brake rotors New brake pads .. ................. 188
Certification .. .. .. ... ............ .. 276
Changing a flat tire ................. . 253
Changing a wheel .... .............. . 253
•
•

28 2 Index
Eng ine
Compartment .. . ...... ... .. .. .... . 218
Coolant .. .. ... ... .... ... .. .. .... . 223
Hood .. .. ............... .. .. .... . 216
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 74
Starting with jumper cables .. .. .. ... 263
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 75
Engine compartment Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Working the engine compartment 216
Eng ine coolant
Indicator light . .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 18
E ng ine coolant system ............... 223
Adding coo lant ......... .. .. .. .. .. . 224
Chec king coolant leve l ..... .. .. .... . 223
Check ing the eng ine coolant leve l .. .. . 223
Radiator fan . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 225
E ng ine coolant temperature
Tempe ratu re ga uge ................. 10
Eng ine data .... ........... ........ . 271
E ngine hood
C losing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
How to release the hood ... .. .. .. .. . 216 Proper disposal of d
rained eng ine cool -
ant . ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 224
Proper d isposal of drained eng ine
o il ... .... .... .. ............ 221,222
Recycling used engine oil ........ .... 221
Roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Unleaded fuel .. .. ... .. ....... ... .. 211
What shou ld I do with an o ld battery? . 230
EPC
refer to Electronic power control . . . . . . 20
E SC (Electronic Stab ilizat ion Con trol)
Warning/indicator lights ..... ... .. .. . 19
E thy l alcoho l (Fuel) . ... .......... .. .. 212
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ........ .... 185
E xhaus t tail pipes
Cleaning . ..... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. 205
E xpansion tank .. .. ................ . 223
Exterior lighting . .. ... .......... .. .. . 43
E xterior mirrors
Adjusting ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 46
Dimm ing . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 47
Heating ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 46
E ng ine oil ... ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 218
F
Adding .. .. ............. ........ . 22 1
Addit ives ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 22 1
C hanging . .... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 222
Check oil leve l ........... .... .... . 221
Consumpt ion ............ .. .. .. .. . 221
Indicator ligh t ............. .. .. 17,21
O il consumption ............... .... 220
O il grades .. .......... ........ ... . 218
O il level symbol .............. .. .... 21
Pr essu re malfunct ion ................ 17
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1
Specif ication and viscos ity . ... .... .. . 2 18
E ng ine speed limitat ion .......... ..... 21
Environment Break- in period ............... .... . 193
Cata lytic converter ............ .... . 194
Disposing of your vehicle battery .. .. . 230
Driving a t high speeds ......... .. ... 195
D riving to m inim ize pollution and no ise 195
F uel . .. ................. .. .. ..... 2 13
Fu el economy .......... .. .. .. .. .. . 195
L eaks under your veh icle ... .. .. .. .. . 216
L etting the vehicle stand and wa rm up . 195
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . 226 F
an
Radiator
Fastening 225
Boos ter sea ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Co nvertib le child sa fe ty seats . . . . . . . . 173
Infan t seats
Flat tire 172
Chang ing . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 253
flexib le fuel . .... .. ... .......... .... 212
Floor mats . ..... .. .. .... .... ... .. .. 129
Fog lights/rear fog light(s) ...... ....... 43
Fo lding the rear seats .... ..... ... .. .. . 63
Foot peda ls . ....................... 129
For the sake of the environment
Gasoli ne fumes and the env ironme nt .. 213
L etting the engine warm up . . . . . . 71, 74
Ref ueling . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 213
Sav ing f uel by early u pshi fting . .. .... . 11
Front a irbags
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
How they work ........ ........... . 151
Frontal coll is ions and the laws of phys ics 135