198 Intelligent technology
Dynamic ste ering *
On vehicles with dynamic stee ring* , ES C helps
stabilize the st eering in critical s ituations .
Selective wh eel torque c ontrol
The selective whee l torque control operates
when dr iv ing through curves . T he front wheel
on the inside of the curve or both wheels on
the inside of the curv e are braked selective ly
as needed. This m inimizes sliding in the front
wheels and allows for more pr ecise driving
through curves . T he system may not act ivate
when driving in wet or snowy cond itions .
A WARNING
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL dynamic steering"
and the se lective wheel torque control
cannot overcome the laws of physics .
Th is is especially important on slippery
or wet roads.
If the systems begin act ing
to stabilize yo ur vehicle , you sho uld im
med iately change your speed to ma tch
the road and traffic condit ions. Do not
let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing so wi ll increase the risk of a loss of
vehicle control, collision and serious per
sonal injuries .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traff ic
and weather condit ions. The risk of Los-
-
ing cont ro l of the veh icle increases when
dr iv ing too fast, especially th rough
c u rves and on slippery o r wet roads, and
when d riving too close to vehi cles up
ahead. ESC, A BS, the brake assis t sys
tem, AS R, EDL, dynamic steering* and
the se lective wheel torque control can
not prevent collis ions.
-Always acce lerate with specia l care on
even, smooth surfaces s uch as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these ass istance systems that cannot al
ways help to reduce the risk of loss of ve
hicle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi
cal tires. Different tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine power .
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the ind icator light
DJ or E (USA
mode ls)/ m] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
q page 15 ,
q page 17.
-When i nstalling a factory -supplied roof
rack system on the roof railing, the ESC
will adapt itse lf to a different center of
gravity .
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start
the engine.
F ig. 1 86 Vers ion A: l owe r ce nte r con so le, butto n YJ
OFF
Fig. 1 87 Version B: upper cente r console, button YJ
OFF
ESC Offroad mode
The ESC Off road mode was developed espe
c ia lly for offroad driving . In o rder to maintain
max imum trac tion and optimal b raking when
driv ing offroad, the cond it ions for the ESC to
IJII,
212 Trailertowing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
T ra ile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita
ble for your vehicle and trailer and mu st be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
h itch with a removable ball mount. A lways
check with the trai ler h itch manufact urer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do n ot use a bumper hi tch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb
ing bumper system . No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys
tems . From t ime to time, check that all hitch
mounting bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer h itch ball mount. This prevents the
h itch from causing damage should your veh i
cle be struck from behind
¢ A .
Traile r brak es
If your tra iler is equipped w ith a braking sys
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to a ll
regulat ions . The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A .
Saf ety ch ain s
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trai le r.
Trail er light s
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, sw itches, and relays.
Mirror s
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors .
It is important
that you always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- I f a trai ler has electrical brakes p lease
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory -fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
- Never install a "weight distributing" or
"load equalizing" trailer hitch on your ve
h icle. The vehicle was not designed for
these kinds of trailer h itches. The h itch
attachment can fail, caus ing the trailer
to tear loose from the veh icle.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance
label on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must
never be exceeded under any c ircumstan
ces. Exceeding the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating of yo ur vehicle is likely to damage
your vehicle, and such damage will not
be covered by yo ur Limited New Ve hicle
Warranty . Exceeding the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating will a lso change the per
formance and handling characteristics of
your veh icle, wh ich could cause a crash
resulting in serious injury or death.
-
@ Tips
-Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period o f your vehicle .
- If you tow a t railer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 295.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol
lowing:
When parking:
.,. Apply t he foo t brake .
.,. Have someone place c hocks under bo th the
vehicle and the trai ler whee ls .
.,. With chocks in p lace, s lowly re lease the
brakes unti l th e wheel chocks absorb the
l oad .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply t he pa rking brake .
.,. Mov e the sel ecto r leve r to P .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move the selecto r lever to D/S .
.,. Re lease th e par kin g b rake and slowly pull
out and away from the whee l cho cks .
.,. Stop and have someone re tr ieve the w hee l
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of t he a uto
mat ic t ran sm ission to P before app lyi ng
t he p ark in g br ake an d bef ore blocking the
wheels, you may have to use mo re force
later to move the lever out of t he P posi
tion.
Trailer towin g 215
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& WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong pla
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exha ust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cata lytic con
verter or heat shie lds . Wh ile driving, the
substance used for undercoating could overheat and cause a f ire.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
c:> page 216.
Exhaust tail pipes
-
Road sa lt and other corros ive materia ls will
damage the mater ial in the exhaust tail p ipes
if they are not cleaned regula rly . Do not clean
the ta il p ipes with whee l cleaner, paint polis h,
chrome polish or othe r abrasive cleane rs.
C lean the tail p ipes wi th car care prod ucts
that are s uitab le for stain less stee l.
Your authori zed Audi dealer can provide clean
in g p roducts t hat have been tested and ap
p roved for you r vehi cle.
Care of interior
Radio and MMI* display
.,. Clean the d isp lay w ith a soft clea n cloth and
an LCD cleane r.
The display can be cleaned w ith a professio
na lly available "LCD cleaner". The cloth shou ld
be slightly dampened with the clean ing flu id
to clean the display .
(D Note
To avoid scratching the display, you should
never clean it dry .
MMI control console
Applies to vehicles: with MMI
.. First clean the MMI control console with a
brus h to remove dust from the hous ing .
.,. The n w ipe the MMI con tro l c onso le w ith a
cl ean, soft, s ligh tly damp cloth .
Cleaning and protec tion 223
The M MI contro l console sho uld be cleaned
with a brush first so that no dirt is t rapped be
tween the buttons and the housing . We rec
ommend giving the MMI control conso le a fi
nal wipe with a cloth moistened with water
and dish washing detergent .
(D Note
To prevent damage, make s ure that no flu
i d ever gets into t he MMI contro l conso le.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from aluminum surfaces .
Chrome care products a nd a lkaline cleaners
will attack a luminum surfa ces and ca n dam
age them over t ime .
& WARNING ~
Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other info rmation
c:> page 216.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fab ric coverings (e.g . seats, door
trim pane ls, etc .) sho uld be cleaned at regular
intervals w ith a vacuum cle aner. This removes
su rface dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabric through use . Steam
cleaners sho uld not be used , because the
steam te nds to p ush the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lo ck it the re.
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend us ing a soft sponge
o r a lint -free microfibe r clo th to t he clean fab
r ic. B rushes s hou ld only be used for carpets
and floo r mats, since othe r fabr ic surfa ces
cou ld be harmed by br ushes.
Normal su rface stains can be cleaned using a
comme rc ially availab le foam cleaner . Spread
the foam o n the su rface of t he fabric with a
soft sponge and wo rk it in gently . D o no t satu
ra te the f abric. Then pat the foam dry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e .g . m icrofi ber cloth)
and vac uum it after it has dried compl etely .
Ill>
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224 Cleaning and protection
Cl ean ing s ta ins
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
juice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter
gent solution. App ly the detergent so lution
with a sponge. In the case of stubborn stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the stain and worked into the fabric. After
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to remove the remaining detergent . Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric d ry w ith an absorbent, dry cloth.
Stains from chocolate or makeup should have
detergent paste rubbed into them. After
wards, remove the soap w ith water (damp
sponge) .
Alcohol can be used to treat stains from
grease, oil, lipstick or a ballpo int pen. Melted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab
sorbent material.
It may be necessary to re
treat the a reas with dete rgent paste and wa
ter.
In the case of genera l so iling of the uphols
tery and cover mater ial, we recommend h iring
a specialist that has the eq uipment to clean
the sea t covers and other fabric surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
the information
¢ page 216.
(D Tips
Open Ve lcro fasteners on your cloth ing can
damage the seat cover. P lease make sure
that Ve lcro fasteners are closed .
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For pers istent dirt
use an Audi approved
solv ent-fr ee plastic
cleaner/protectant.
& WARNING
Solvents can change the properties of
some p lastics and make it harder fo r the
a ir bag to deploy.
-
- Never clean the instrument panel or the
surface of airbag modu les w ith cleaning
products that conta in solvents.
- Products containing solvents will make
the surface of this pa rt porous.
- Ser ious injuries can resu lt if p lastic parts
come loose when the a irbag is deployed .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 216.
(D Note
Cleaning agents conta ining so lvents wi ll
attack the material and can change the
way it behaves.
Natural leather
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties, natural look and feel of interior
leather.
General
We offer many different types of leather on
o u r vehicles. Most are d ifferent types of nappa
l eather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in various colors.
The intensity of the co lor determines the visu
al characteristics and appea rance. If the sur
face of the leather has a typica l natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has
been left in a relative ly natural condit ion. This
leather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes we ll. Fine veins, closed grains, insect
bites, sk in fo lds, and subt le variations in color
rema in v is ible. These charac ter istics demon
strate that the mate rial is natura l.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a co l
o r finish.
It is therefo re more sensit ive to soil
ing and wea r, which is someth ing you need to
consider if children, animals or other fac tors
mig ht prove to be particu larly hard on the
l eather . ..,
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a co lored finish layer are more durable. This
has a posit ive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the
other hand, the typical characterist ics of natu
ral leather are barely or not apparent . Howev
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
i s of infer ior quality.
C ar e and h and ling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and the ir unique prop
erties (such as sensitivity to o ils, grease, so il
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care
fu l w ith these leathers, and a certain type of
care is required. For examp le, da rk clot hing
materia ls can d iscolor leather seats (especial
l y i f such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and dirt particles in pores,
fo lds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
and can damage the leather surface as we ll as
weaken seams.
The leather sho uld be cleaned regularly as
needed. After having been used for a re lative ly
long time, your leather seats will acquire a
rich aged finish. This is a characteristic of nat
ura l leather and a sign of true quality.
In order to maintain the va lue of this natura l
product over the life of your vehicle, you
should follow the recommendations below:
(D Note
- To keep your leather from bleaching out,
do not a llow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the vehicle parked outside
for long periods, cover the leather to
protect it from d irect exposure to su n
light.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on be lts can
l eave pe rmanent scratches o r sc rape
mar ks on the surface of the lea ther.
{O) Tips
-After each time you clean the leathe r and
at regu la r i nte rva ls, use a leather prese r-
Cleaning and protec tion 225
vative c ream that contains UV -b locke rs
and that works into the leather. This
cream wi ll nour ish and mo isturize the
leather, helping it to breathe and stay
supple. It also helps to build up a protec
t ive coating on the surface.
- Clean the leather every 2 - 3 months,
and clean any areas that get soiled.
- Remove fresh marks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as poss ible.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need
ed by us ing a specia l co lored leather care
cream to touch up areas of uneve n color .
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: wi th natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at
tention .
Normal cleaning
.. Clean soiled areas with a slightly moistened
cotton or woolen cloth.
More stubborn dirt
.. More st ubborn dirt can be removed using a
cloth saturated with a mild soap solut ion
(2
tablespoons mild liquid soap).
.. Never allow the soap solution to saturate
the leather, and make certain that no water
soaks into the seams .
.. Wipe off the soap so lution with a soft, dry
cloth.
Cleaning spo ts
.. Remove fresh water-based spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or pape r towel.
.. Remove fresh
grease or oil -based spots
(suc h as bu tte r, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorben t cloth or paper towel, o r use
t he cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has not yet penetrated into t he surface
of the leathe r.
.. Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil /
grease spots ha ve dried on.
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thoroughly checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected .
If the brake fluid level is too low ,
the brake warning/indicator light will i llum i
nate. Con tact an au thori zed Aud i dealer
im ·
mediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moist ure from the a ir. If
the water con tent in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may resul t
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
decrease b raking performance .
There fore, the brake flu id must be changed
e very two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4 ".
The brake flu id reservoir can be difficult to
reac h, therefore , we recommend that you
h ave the brake flu id changed by your author
iz ed
Audi dealer . Your deale r has the co rrect
too ls, the right b rake fluid and the know-how
to do this fo r you.
_& WARNING ,~
- Brake fluid is po isonous. I t must be s to r
ed only in the closed orig inal container
o ut o f the reac h of c hildren!
- Brake fa ilure can resu lt from old o r inap
propriate b rake fluid. Observe these pre
cautions :
- Use o nly bra ke fluid t hat meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and confo rms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Sta ndard 116 .
Always check wi th you r auth orized Audi
deale r to make s ure you are using the
correct brake f luid . The co rrec t type of
brake fluid is a lso indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir .
- The brake f lui d m ust be new. Heavy use
of the b rakes can ca use a vapor lock if
the brake fl uid is left in the system too
long . This can ser io usly affect the effi-
Checkin g and fillin g 243
ciency of the brakes as well as your
safety. Th is co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
B ra ke fluid will damage the pa int o f you r
vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the p rob lem of proper disposal
of bra ke fluid as well as the spec ia l t oo ls
r equire d an d the necessary expe rtise, we
recommend that yo u have the brake f luid
changed by yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler.
Battery
General information
Under n o rmal ope ra ti ng cond itions , the b at
te ry in yo ur Audi does not need any ma inte
nance . With
high outside temperat ures or
l ong daily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte leve l checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop. The elec
troly te level should also be checked each t ime
the battery is charged
c:> page 245 .
Have the battery checked when yo u take you r
vehicle in for service. You are well advised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the veh icle elec
trical system for safety reasons
c:> .&. in Re
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 171 .
Hybrid drive* : you can find important informa
tion about the high voltage battery under
c:> page 97.
Di sconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window reg u
lators, for example) are lost if t he battery te r
mina ls are disconnected. These f unctions have
to be relearned after the ba ttery termina ls are
con nected aga in . To prevent th is, the battery
shou ld only be d isconnected from the veh icle
electrica l system when abso lutely necessary
fo r repa irs. ..,_
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When the malfunction indicator is illuminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installation of replace
ment or alternate tires or whee ls on the veh i
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
p roperly . Always check the T PMS malfunct ion
tellta le afte r replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly .
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 208 Display : underinflatio n warning
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the t ire tread circum
ference and vibration characteristics of the in
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, th is is indica ted in the instru
ment clus ter with a
IE warning symbol and a
message ¢
fig. 208. The driver message in the
display goes out after 5 seconds. The driver message can be displayed again by pressing
the
! SET ! button. If only one tire is affected,
the display will indicate its pos ition.
The ti re press ure monitoring system must be
reset via radio or MMI* each time the pres
sures are adjusted (e.g . when switching be
tween partia l and full load pressure) or after
changing or replacing a t ire on your vehicle
¢
page 268 . The TPMS indicator only moni
tors the tire pressure that you have prev iously
Tire s an d wheel s 267
stored . You can find the recommended t ire
pressures for yo ur vehicle on the label on driv
er's side B-pillar ¢
page 252.
Tire tread circum ference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the t ire p ress ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- t he t ire has structural damage,
- the t ire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 268.
Warning symbo ls
IE Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.&,.
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The
IE indicato r light in the inst ru
ment cluster a lso illuminates
c::!;> page 14.
Check/correct the press ures of all fou r tires
and reset TPMS via radio o r MMI*.
119;~, (T ir e Pressure Mon itoring System) Tire
pre ssure: Syst em malfun ction!.
If 11Nlf:1 appears afte r switching the ignition
on or while driving and the
IE indicator light
i n the instrument cluster blinks fo r approx i
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malf unct ion.
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢ page 268 . If the ind icator light does not
tu rn off o r if it turns on sho rtly the reafter, im
med iate ly dr ive your vehicle to a n author ized
Audi dealer or au thorized repair faci lity to
have the malfunc tion corrected .
A WARNING
-=
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is significant ly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In
flate the tire p ressure to the prope r pres
sure as indica ted on the vehicle's tire
pressu re labe l
¢page 252. Driving on a
significantly under-i nflated tire causes
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