194 Intelligent technology
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equipped w ith identi
cal tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the indicator light
DJ or 11:11 (USA
models) 1i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction¢
page 20,
c> page 19.
Switching on and off
ESC
turns on automatically when you start
the engine.
Fig. 177 Center console w it h ESC OFF button
Switching sport mode on
Press the I~ OF FI button c::> fig . 177. The ac
tions taken by the ESC system to stabilize the
vehicle are limited. In vehicles with front
wheel drive, the anti-slip regulation (ASR) is
limited. In vehicles with a ll-wheel drive, the
ASR is switched off. The
It) ESC indicator light
turns on and the message
Stabilization con
trol (ESC): Off Warning! Reduced stability
¢.&. appears in the driver information system
d isplay.
The following examples are unusual situa
tions where it may make sense to switch sport
mode on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle back and forth when it is
stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow cha ins
Switching sport mode off
Press the 1.$ OF FI button again. The I indica
tor light turns off and the message
Stabiliza
tion control (ESC): On
appears in the driver
information system display .
A WARNING
-
-Drive wheels can spin and you can lose
control of the vehicle more easily when
ASR and ESC are in sport mode, especial
ly when the road is slippery.
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traffic and weather condi
tions permit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on when
adaptive cruise control* is working.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
-
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat
ing condit ions and driving hab its
c::> .&. . On
vehicles that are either driven most ly in stop
and-go city t raff ic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author
ized Audi dea ler more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should use the braking
effect of the engine . This way, you prevent un
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. Pump the brakes at inter
vals .
Moisture o r road salt
Under certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in .,,_
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads. A
few careful brake applications sho uld d ry
off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
When you are driving at h igher speeds wit h
the windshield wipers on, the brake pads will briefly touch the brake discs in regular inter
va ls so as to improve reaction t ime when brak
ing on wet surfaces. You the driver w ill not no
tice anything.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt -covered
road and the brakes are not used . Here too,
you should clean
off accumulated salt coat ing
from brake discs and pads with a few careful
applications of the brake
¢ ,&..
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to bui ld up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
f irmly a few times from a moderately high
speed ¢,&. .
Fa ult s in the b rake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed
c> ,&..
Lo w brak e flu id le vel
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low . The brake fluid
level is monitored electronically.
Brake boo ste r
The brake booster works with vacuum pres
sure which is created only when the engine is
running ¢ ,&. .
Brake lining w ear statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by vis ual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces-
Int ellig ent technolog y 195
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in
spection ¢
page 263 , Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range . Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long o r too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing you r
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, p remature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain cl imatic and operating
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, lin ings,
discs and drums . Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat
ings w il l be cleaned
off after a few care
fu l brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period o f time on
salt- covered roads wi thout using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean
off accum ulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct
ed. Otherw ise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capab ility result ing in an in
creased stopping distance . Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near-
est A udi dealer or qualified wo rkshop.
~
•
•
196 Intellig ent technolog y
-Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power stee ring adapts electronically based on
the veh icle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steerin g d efecti ve! Stop th e vehicl e
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering may have fa iled.
Do
not continue driving . See your authorized
Aud i dealer or other qualified repa ir facility
for assistance.
lor-ij St eerin g: S yste m malfun ction ! You m ay
c ont inue driv ing
If the indicator light turns on and the mes
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi
cult to move or more sensitive than usual.
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
(D Tips
If the . or 'Iij indicator light only stays
on for a shor t time, you may contin ue driv
ing .
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles : with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive , all four wheels are driv
en .
General info rmation
With a ll Wheel Drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
condit ions at the time. See also ¢
page 192.
With the sport differential*, power distribu
t ion to the rear wheels is va riable and can be
adjusted with Audi drive select*
r::¢, page 98.
Always read and follow safety precautions
Q _& .
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, eve n wit h
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea
son tires) for improved driveability and brak
ing : these tires must be mo unted on
all fou r
wheel s. See also ¢ page 255 , Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to ve hicles
with all-wheel drive r::¢,
page 256, Snow
chains.
Replacing wh eels /tires
Vehicles with all-wheel drive m ust always
have ti res of the same s ize. A lso avo id tires
with different t read depths . For detai ls see
page r::¢,
page 251, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
You r Audi does not have e nough ground clea r
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle . It is
t h erefore best to avoid rough tracks and un
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
r::¢, page 200. ..,_
A WARNING ,~
Always adjust your driving to road and traf
fic conditio ns. Do not let the extra safety
a ff orded by all-wheel dr ive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Although the all-wheel dr ive is very ef
fec tive, a lways remember that b raking
capacity is limited by t ire traction . You
sho uld the refore no t dr ive at excess ive
speeds on icy or sl ippery road surf aces.
- On wet road su rfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to slide on top of the water
(aq uaplaning). If this sho uld occ ur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in
crease in engine speed as with a front
whee l drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con
ditions - risk of c rash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
E nergy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a veh icle wit h a conven tional energy system
is not d riven for a long period of time , the bat
tery is discha rged by idling c urre nt cons umers
(e .g. immobilizer) . In certain circumstances it
can result in there being ins ufficient ene rgy
avai lab le to start the engine.
I ntell igent energy ma nagement in your vehi
cle hand les the d istribution of electrical ener
gy . Starting abi lity is mar ked ly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
B asically, energy management consists o f
battery diagno sis , idling current manage
ment
and dynamic ene rgy man agement.
Battery diagnosis
B atte ry d iagnosi s con tinuously dete rmines
the state of the battery. Se nso rs dete rm ine
battery vo ltage, battery cur rent and battery
Int ellig ent technolog y 197
temperature . This de termines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idli ng cur ren t management reduces energy
consump tion while the vehi cle is st anding.
With the ig nition switched o ff, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo
nents . Data from batte ry diagnosis is consid
ered.
Depend ing on the ba ttery's state of cha rge,
individual consumers a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and th us maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While t he vehi cle is being dr iven, dyn ami c en
ergy management distr ib utes the energy gen
erated according to the needs of the individ u
al components. It regulates consumption, so
that more e lectrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
lim ited.
- If start ing ability is t hreatened, the indi
cator light(•] appears ¢
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in s hort-distance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year. Ab undant electrical energy is re
quired, but on ly a little is generated .
It is also
crit ical if the engi ne is not r unning and elec tri
ca l components are tu rned on . In this in
s tance ene rgy is be ing consumed b ut none is
being genera ted.
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice ene rgy management active ly reg ulat-
i ng t he d istr ibu tion of ene rgy. ..,_ •
•
198 Intelligent technology
Vehicle stands for an e xte nded period
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a pe riod
of several days or weeks, elec trical compo
nents are grad ually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy cons umption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer period.
Some of the conven ience f unctions may not
ope rate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment. T he conven ience
f u nctions w ill be ava ilable again when you
switch on t he ignit io n and start the engi ne.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to t he radio, for example, with
the eng ine turned off or use othe r MMI func
tions, the battery is b eing d ischa rged .
I f starting capab ility is jeopa rdized due to en
ergy consumpt ion, the following warning ap
pears in the MMI disp lay:
Please start the engine soon or the system
will be turned off.
T he warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically afte r 3 m inutes. If
you wish to cont inue using the f unctions, you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
A ltho ugh elect ric al e nergy is genera ted when
the veh icle is being driven, the bat tery can be
come d ischarged. This ha ppens most ly w hen
litt le energy is be ing generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery 's state of
charge is not optimal.
To br ing the ene rgy balance back into equili
brium, cons umers which require especially
large amo unts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par
ticular requ ire a great dea l of energy. If you
n otic e, fo r example, that the heated seats * or
the heated rea r window a re not heat ing, t hey
h ave been te m po rar ily cu t bac k or swi tched
o ff . T hese sys tems will be availa ble again as
soon as the energy ba lance has been restored .
You will a lso not ice that engin e idl e spe ed has
been in cr eased sligh tly. This i s norm al and no t
a ca use fo r con cern. By incre asin g engi ne idle speed
the a dditional energy requi red is gener
ated and the battery is charged.
Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not d rive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
.. Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in per iod
.,. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds
when it is cold. This applies whether the
transmission is i n N (Neutra l) or in gear.
After the break- in peri od
.. Do not exceed maximum engine speed un
der any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach
ometer scale
¢ page 11.
During the first few hours of driving, the en
g ine's interna l friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
i n. How well this break-in p rocess is done de
pends to a considerable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven d uring the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 ki lome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds are auto
mat ica lly reduced. However, t hese rpm
lim its are progr amme d for an eng ine well
r u n- in, not a new engine .
Driving and environment 199
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en
g ine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
reduces noise and protects the environ
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
particularly caref ul for the first 350 miles
(500 kilomete rs) afte r fitt ing.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al
so be "b roken -in" . Be sure to remember
this dur ing the f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llowing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking .
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full brak ing effect dur ing the first 250 m iles
(400 ki lomete rs) afte r they are installed.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be
fore they have optima l grab¢ .&. .
D uring the brea k-in period, yo u should avo id
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include , for example, sudden hard brak
i ng, in particular at very h igh speeds or, for
example, on mounta in passes .
.&, WARNING
New b rake pads don't have the best stop
p ing power and must be "broken-i n" dur
ing the initi al 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) o f no rma l ci ty driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing the b rake peda l more firm ly . This also applies
later when new pads are installed.
•
•
200 Driving and en vir onm ent
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 an environmentally sound manner .
• Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 220,
Fuel supply.
• Never run the tank down all the way to
empty .
• Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine ¢
page 230, Adding engine oil~-
., Never try to push- or tow -start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff ic ient "clean
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the cata lytic conve rt
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
& WARNING
-
- Do not park o r operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shields . During driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire .
@ Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously de
grade the performance of the catalytic
conve rter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢ page 230.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis
fire . U nburned f uel could a lso get into the exhaust system and this co
uld cause
the cata lytic converter to overheat .
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is moving .
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
cou ld result in overheating of the con
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
sion Control System:
- H ave your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance w it h the service rec
ommendat ions in your Warranty &
M ain tenance book let.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehi cle will impair
the function of the em iss ion contro l
system and could lead to damage .
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is
operat ing proper ly, the exha ust gas can
have a sul fur -li ke exhaust gas smell under
some operating states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or f il li ng the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are d rivi ng on poor roads, or over
c u rbs, steep ramps, etc., ma ke certai n that
low- ly ing parts s uch as spoilers and exha ust
system parts do not bottom o ut and get dam
aged.
T his is espe cially true for ve hicles with low
s lung chassis (spor ts chassis)* and fully load
ed vehicles .
202 Driving and environment
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.,. Try and keep well below your car's maxi-
mum speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fu el consumption, exhaust emissions and en
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con
ditions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driv
ing the vehicle .
... Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
The idling phase is automat ically reduced for
vehicles w ith the Start/Stop system .
It is effi
cient to switch
off the engine in vehicles with
out the Start-Stop-System when stopped at
railroad crossings and long red lights . Turning
the engine
off for just 30-40 seconds saves
more f uel than is burned by starting the en
gine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to wa rm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
([) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting. If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they would
go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could result in over
heating or other damage to the veh icle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
.,. Have your vehicle serviced at regu la r inter-
vals .
By having your veh icle reg ularly se rviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it runs prop
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
ho ld its value, it also affects
fuel consump
tion .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amou nt of oi l used is related to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven .
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fuel consumption and en
gine output .
(D Note
-Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet. Lack of proper ma inte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
em ission control system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
t he Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System