-Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether ancho
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints .
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at
tach a child restraint to the front passen
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sensing
mat to measure mo re weight than is ac
tually on the seat .
- The heav ier weight reg istered can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as
though an adult were on the seat and de ploy the Adva nced Airbag when it must
be s uppressed causing serious or even
f a tal inj ury to the child .
-If you mus t install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position a nd
have t he a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig. 160 Tether strap: proper routing and mounting
Inst alling the tether strap
.. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restra int according to the child re
stra int manufacturer's instructions.
Child S afety 183
.. Guide the upper tether strap und er the rear
head restraint
¢ fig. 160 (raise the head re
straint if necessary).
.. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of t he tether anchorage .
.. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spr ing catch of the hook engages .
.. Tighten the te ther s trap firmly fo llow ing
t he child restra int manufac turer's inst ruc
tions .
Releasing the tether strap
.. Loosen the tension follow ing the child re
s traint manufacture r's instr uctions.
.. Depress the spring c atch on the hook and
re lease it from the ancho rage.
(D Note
If you leave the c hild restra int w ith the
tethe r strap fi rmly ins talle d for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up
ho lstery on the seat cushion and backrest
i n the area where the tether strap was in
stalled. The upholstery would also be per
manently stretched around the tether
strap . This applies espec ia lly to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Curre ntly, few rearward-facing child restraint
systems come w ith a tether . P lease read and
heed the chi ld restraint system manufactur
er's instr uctions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced A irbag Sy stem .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety sea t or i nfan t carrie r wi th great
for ce a nd will smas h the child safety se at .,.
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 197
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 trai ler 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 fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler 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 198.
Engine cooling system
T owing 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 . .,..
•
•
216 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig . 16 7 Dr iver' s side footwe ll: e ngin e hood re lease
lever
.. Open the drive r's door.
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
inst rument panel
c> fig . 167 in the d irect ion
of the ar row .
The hood pops up s light ly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 168 Re lease lever under the eng ine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make s ure
that the windshie ld w ipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they co uld damage the
pa in t on the hood.
.. Pull up on the release unde r the hood
r:!> fig . 168 . This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood all the way
c> .&,.
A WARNING
-Hot eng ine co olant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being b urned, never
o pen the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escapi ng from the eng ine
compa rtment . W ait unt il no steam or
coo lant can b e se en o r heard before care
fu lly openi ng the ho od.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he stru ts is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down an d latc h in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
c> .&, .
A WARNING
--
A ho od t hat is not completely latched
could fly up an d block your vi ew while dr iv
i ng.
- W hen you close the engine hood, c heck it
to make sure the safety catch has p ro per
ly engaged . The ho od s houl d be flush
wit h the surrou nding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv ing t hat t he hood
is not s ecured properly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment .
Whenever you must perform any wo rk in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartm ent of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
c> &, .
A WARNING
To he lp avo id i njury, before yo u check any
thi ng under the hoo d:
- Tu rn off the eng ine.
- Remove the igni tion key.
(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.
•
•
248 Tires and wheels
driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
¢ page 275.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose causing loss of
control, a collision 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 tightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque for the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the veh i- cle
is moving.
If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lbs . (120 Nm) with a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lbs. (± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bolts
diagonally . After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi
ble with a torque wrench -preferably by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory -equipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road feel
and handling under a variety of driving condi
t ions . Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details .
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven
tional tires have a height/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pressure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pres
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always before a long trip
¢ page 237, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact with potholes, curbs, gul lies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated . ..,.
252 What do I do n ow ?
What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 182 Luggage compartment: tool kit
When you need access to the vehicle too l kit
or jack*, you will need to take out the spare
tire* and cover ¢
page 252.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Alignment pin for changing the whee l
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- T ool for chang ing ligh t bu lbs
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang-
ing light b ulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Some o f the ve hicl e items listed above a re
p rovided on certain models o nly or are option
a l extras.
Before returning the jack* to its place, retra ct
the jack a rm fully .
_&. WARNING
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten whee l bolts, s ince the bolts can
not attain the necessa ry tightening tor
que i f you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory -supplied jack is intended on
ly for your veh icle model. Under no cir
c u mstances should it be used to lift heavy vehicles or othe
r loads; yo u risk in
juring yo urself .
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely wit h app ro
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)
App lies to vehicles: wit h space-saving spare t ire
The spore tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartmen t under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only.
F ig . 1 83 Spa re tire
Removing the spare t ire
.. Lift t he cargo floor by the p lastic handle
¢fig . 183.
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart
ment weather strip.
.. Turn the large screw ¢
fig. 183 counter
clockw ise .
.. Take out the spare tire .
.. Always store the vehicl e tool kit, the jack*,
and the rep laced tire in the luggage com
pa rtment
¢page 130.
.. Unhook the cargo floor be fo re closing the
rea r lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tire)
T he compact spare ti re is only inte nded for
eme rgen cies unt il you can reach a rep air shop.
Repl ace it as quickly as possible with a stand
ard wheel and tire.
T he re a re some restr ictions on the use of the
c ompac t spa re tire. The compact spa re tire ...
254 What do I do now?
-To help prevent the vehicle from moving
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold ing chocks or other objects. When one
front whee l is lifted off the gro und, plac
ing the A utomat ic Transm iss io n in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehi cle from
moving .
- Be fore yo u change a wheel, be sure the
ground is leve l and fi rm . If necessa ry,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the spare tire, make sure
that you replace the f lat ti re/wheel in its
storage area properly and tighten the
knurled retain ing screw secu rely .
@ Note
If you are chang ing the wheel on a steep
incline, use a rock or similar object to
block the opposite wheel to prevent the
veh icle from mov ing.
(D} Tips
Obey a ll laws .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the se
quence described below step -by -step and in
exactly that order.
1. Remove the decorative wheel c ove r* or
the wheel bolt cap s*. For more de tails see
a lso
¢ page 255, Decorative wheel cov
ers
or ¢ page 255, Wheels with wheel
bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel bolts ¢ page 255.
3. Locate the proper mount ing point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢ page 256.
4. Lift the car with the jack¢ page 256 .
S. Remove the wheel with th e flat tire and
then install the spare tire
¢page 257.
6. Tighten all wheel bo lts ligh tly.
7 . lowe r the ve hicle w ith the jack . 8
. Use the wheel bolt w rench and firmly
tighten all wheel bolts in a crisscross pat
te rn
¢ page 255.
9. Replace the decorati ve wheel cover * or
the wheel bolt caps *.
A WARNING
Always read and fo llow all WARNINGS and
in fo rmat ion¢ .&.
in Raising the vehicle on
page 256
and ¢ page 258.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partme nt
¢ page 130.
.,. Check the tire pressure of the spare tire as
soon as possible.
.,. As soon as poss ib le, have the tightening
torque s on all whee l bolts chec ked w ith a
to rque wrenc h. The co rrect tighte ning tor
que is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm) .
.,. Have the flat tire replaced as soon as possi
ble.
@ Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bo lts a re
co rroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, they shou ld be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Dr ive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked.
256 What do I do now?
@ Tips
-Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bo lts.
- If a whee l bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loosen by carefully pushing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench with
one foot only. As you do so,
hold on to the car to keep your balance
and take care not to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
*
Fig. 187 Sill panels: mark ings
Fi g. 188 Sill : posit ion ing th e vehicle jack
The location of the jack point is indicated by
an indentat io n on the underside of the vehicle
¢fig . 187.
... Activate the parking brake to prevent the
vehicle from rolling unintentionally.
... Shift into
1st gear on vehicles with manua l
transmission or move the selector lever to
the P position on vehicles with automatic
transmission*.
... Find the
marking (imprint) on the sill that
is nearest the wheel that will be changed
¢fig. 187. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the vehicle jack.
... Turn the
vehicle jack located under the lift
ing point on the sill to raise the jack unti l
the jaw ¢
fig. 1 BB @covers the notch on
the vehicle ¢
.&,¢(D .
... Align the vehicle jack so the jaw @covers
the notch and the base plate ® is flat on
the floor. The base plate
@ must be vertical
under the lifting point @.
... Insta ll the rod on the vehicle jack: Insert
the rod into the opening on the handwheel.
Turn the rod left or right to secure it.
... Continue raising the jack w ith the rod unti l
the wheel lifts off the ground slightly.
Position the vehicle jack
only under the desig
nated lifting points on the sill ¢
fig . 187.
There is exactly one location for each wheel.
The jack must not be positioned at any other location ¢,&. ¢(}).
Soft ground under the jack can cause the ve
hicle to slip off the jack. Always place the jack
on firm ground. Use a flat, stab le support if
necessary . Use a non-slip surface such as a
rubber mat on a
slippery surface such as tile .
&_ WARNING
--You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol
low these safety precautions:
- Position the vehicle jack only at the
designated lifting points and align the
jack. Otherwise, the vehicle jack could
slip and cause an injury if it does not
have sufficient hold on the vehicle.
- A soft or unstable surface under the
jack may cause the vehicle to slip off
the jack . Always provide a f irm base for
the jack on the ground.
If necessary,
us e a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as til es)
u se a r ubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping.
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers: