Operate your vehicle
economically and minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex
haust and noise levels .
Fue l economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your persona l driving style
- opera ting conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumption by 10-15 percent . This sec
tion will give you some t ips on how you can
he lp the environment and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
The consumpt io n estimates as published
by ENVIRONMEN TAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Ca nada may not corre
spond to your act ual consumption on the
road, wh ich will vary depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
ditions, trip length, etc .
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating.
" Avoid unnecessary acce lerating and braking .
Vehicles use the most fue l when they are ac
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
h appen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever poss ible -for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 207
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage .
" Try and keep well below your car 's maxi-
mum speed .
Acce lerat ing gently reduces fue l consump
tion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en
gine noise increase disproportionately at h igh
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed l imit and weather con
ditions perm it.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
" Shut the eng ine off when you are not driv
ing the vehicle .
" Do not warm up the ve hicle by letting the
eng ine run at id le.
The idling phase is automatically reduced for
vehicles with the Start -Stop-System* . It is ef
ficient to switch off the engine in vehicles
without the Sta rt-Stop-System * when stopped
at rai lroad cross ings and long red lig hts . T urn
ing the engine off for jus t 30-40 seconds
saves more fuel than is b urned by s tarting the
engine again.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
f ully when i t is runn ing a t id le. However, wea r
and noxious emissions are especia lly high
when the engi ne is warming up. So you shou ld
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter start ing . If warning lights sho uld come
on to indicate improper operation, they ..,.
•
•
Driving off road
Driving in difficult road
conditions and offroad
General information
The operation of the E lectronic Stabilization
Control (ESC) is expanded fo r operation away
from paved roads. In situations where slip or a
differential lock ing funct ion is required, the
ESC offroad mode can be act ivated
c> page 197 . Your Audi also has permanent
all-wheel drive in addition .
However, your Aud i is not a pure offroad ve hi
cle . It was not built for driving under extreme
conditions, e .g . for trips that are in the nature
of an expedition .
D riv e only on roads and offro ad sections
which match the des ign of your vehicle and
your abil it ie s as a driver . Ne ver take ri sks!
Before dri ving offroad
- Check the engine oi l level, tire pressure,
coolant leve l, and the fluid level in the w ind
shield washer reservo ir.
- Stow luggage items and other objects in the
lu ggage compartment, and secure them
against slid ing around .
After driv ing offroad
- After trips offroad, remove any twigs and other foreign objects from the grill, the un
derbody and the wheels. Pay specia l atten
t ion to fore ign objects (stones) which have
become lodged in the tire tread.
- Clean the body and the vehicle unders ide,
and inspect the veh icle for possible damage.
- Clean dirty windows, headlamp lenses, rear
lights, and license plates.
- Perform a brake check (particu larly after
trave lling through water) .
A WARNING
- Drive especially attentive ly and plan
ahead in difficult road conditions and
w hen offroad . Excess ive speed or incor-
-
Driving off road 209
rect maneuvers can cause injuries and
damage to the vehicle.
- Always adapt your speed and driving
style to road, offroad, traff ic, and weath
er conditions. Drive especially slowly off
road when your v iew is restricted.
- Please be aware that in ESC offroad
mode, particularly on a smooth and slip
pery road, the wheels may have an in
creased tendency to spin and the vehicle
may break away - danger of skidding!
- Stability is limited in the ESC offroad mode.
@) For the sake of the environment
Avoid damage to the environment and re
spect nature .
(D Tips
Only drive where it is permitted and stay
on marked roads and paths.
Explanation of some technical terms
The following data refer to ideal cond itions .
Depend ing on veh icle load and ground condi
tions and the environment, the numbers may
vary. It is the d rive r's responsibi lity to decide
whethe r a veh icle can overcome a specific s it
u at ion
c::> .&. .
Gradient angle
The number of meters in alt itude ga ined over
a d istance of 109 .4 yards or 100 meters
(grade) a re given as a pe rcentage o r degrees .
Info rmation abou t the gr ad ient the veh icle
can climb under i ts own power (depends in
part on the road surface and engine power).
Max imum permitted grade : 3 1
°
Late ral angle (slope of vehicle )
Ind icates the angle up to which the vehicle
can be d riven diagona lly or across the fall line
on a slope wi tho ut the vehicle tipping over
sideways (depends o n center of gravity) . Maxi-
mum permitted lateral angle: 25 ° .,.
•
•
236 Check ing and filling
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional petrole
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi 's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to he lp keep your vehicle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge ", that ove r time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of pr int ing , engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifi cations of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
a re synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every syn thetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing specifi
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il container labe ls may carry the specif ica
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis
cosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con
d itions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem
pe ratu re ranges for normal driving conditions .
However, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SA E
SW40 is not avai lab le, you can also use viscos
ity grade SAE SW -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specif ications .
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an ext ra quart (
li te r) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 spec ification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the ba r of the o il level indica tor is near
" Mi n" - and no oil that express ly conforms to
Audi o il standard VW 502 00 specifications is
available - may you top
off w ith a high quality
engine oil, preferably synthetic-based, that
meets ACEA A3 or API SM spec ificat ions, but
even then, on ly in viscosity grades SAE
SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE OW-40 . Howeve r,
during the entire time between o il change in
te rva ls , never top
off with more than a total
of 0 .5 qt/liter engine oil t hat does not con
f orm to Audi oil specification VW 502 00 .
For more information about eng ine oi l that
has been approved for your ve hicle, please
contac t either yo ur autho riz ed Aud i deale r or
Audi C ustome r Re lations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or v isit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.audicanada.ca . Here you wi ll also find a
c u rrent list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
T he eng ine o il and o il fil ter m ust be changed
accord ing to the mileage (k ilometers) and
time intervals specified in your ve hicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet . Do not exceed
these interva ls - harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce eng ine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat
ing propert ies of oil decrease gradually d uring
normal veh icle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author
ized Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld even be changed more frequent ly.
Change oil more often if you drive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly unde r stop-and-go traff ic con
ditions, o r when you use your vehi cle where
temperatu res s tay be low freezing point for
l ong periods .
240 Checking and filling
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re
quires little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly
col-based coolant additive Gl3 ant ifreeze
with anticorros ion add itives (SO% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix
ture both assures the necessary frost protec
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i
cle heating and engine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- - 31 °F ( - 35°() USA
- - 40°F ( - 40°() Canada .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 233.
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant addit ive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli
mate cond itions. This is especially impor
tant if you live in a region where the w in- ter
is extreme ly cold . If necessary, in
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad
ditive Gl2++ or Gl3 for your vehicle.
This coolant additive is available at au
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor
rosion protection. The resulting corro
sion can ca use a loss of coolant and se
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant .
Add ing radiator repair fluid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 199 Engine compartment : cover on t he coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS c:> &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 233 .
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Turn off the ignition .
.. Read the engine coolant level from the
coolant expansion tank
c:> fig. 199,
c:> page 235, fig. 196 . With a cold engine,
the coolant level should be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings. When the
24 2 Ch ecking and filling
-If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper
conta iner clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and
could cause an engine fire . Excess coo l-
ant will be forced out through the pres
sure relief valve 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 240 must be re
stored as soon as possible .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al
ways dispose of used coolant while observ ing all environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-be lt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan accord ing to t he temperature of the
coolant.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
a nd off depending on coolant temperature
and other ve hicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can cont inue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself¢&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the veh icle is parked in intense sunlight.
_&. WARNING
- To reduce the r isk of personal injury nev
er to uch the radiator fa n. -
The a uxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on a u
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certai n temperature and will
continue to ru n until the coolant temper
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
F ig. 2 00 Engine compart men t: cover on t he brake fluid
reservoir
Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
alway s read and he ed all WARN
INGS c::> ,&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 233.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the b rake
fluid reservoir
c::> fig. 200, c::> page 235,
fig. 196.
The brake fl uid level m ust be be
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
T he bra ke fluid reservo ir is located at the rear
part ition o f the e ngine compartment on the
left s ide
c::> page 235.
The fluid level may drop slightly afte r some
t ime due to the a utomatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for a larm .
If the brake fl uid level falls
considerably be
low the
"MIN" mar k, the brake war ning/ indi
cator light ( U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian
models :. will come on
c::> page 18 and
c::>page 29. Do not con tinue to operate the ve-
hicle . The comp lete brake system should be ..,.
Tires an d wheel s 253
you have stored. The system does not recog
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the ti re pressu re monitor
ing sys tem* will be impaired if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load¢,& .
See the illustration ¢
fig. 203 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side B-pillar (co lor of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve
hicle wi ll vary slig htly) .
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate a t
the t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
Tire de signation
c h ange. In the event of discrepancies, the ti re
pressure label located o n the driver's side B
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Model /
Engine normal load condition full load condition
front rear front rear
Q5 :
2.0 liter
4-cylinder
and
Q5:
3.0 liter
6 -cy lind er 235
/60 Rl8 103H
All S eason
235 /55 Rl9 101H
All Season
235 /55 Rl 9101W
High P erforman ce
255 /45 R20 101W
High Performance
255 /40 R21102Y
High Perfo rmance PSI
29
29
29
35
kAA ~I kAA ~I kAA ~I kAA
200 29 200 3
2 220 32 220
210 30 210
33 230
33 230
200 29 200 33 230 33 230
'
200 29 200 33 230 33 230
I
240 36 250 36 250 39 270
X
L= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD , or RF on the tire side
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
located on a label on the dr ive r's side B-p illa r.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, al
ways compare the tire size designation on the tire pressure label on your vehicle w it h the
tires on your vehicle . Make su re t hat the tire
size info rmation on the veh icle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be
l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi
cle with different rims/tires or yo u bought the
vehicle as a previous ly owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of yo ur pas
sengers also depends on making sure that load lim
its are not exceeded . Veh icle load in
cludes everybody and eve ryth ing in and on the
vehicle . These load limits a re techn ica lly refer
r ed to as the veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rat ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle We igh t Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maxim um load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax les.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Ax le Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar . The tire pressure labe l on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage o r
other ca rgo that the veh icle can ca rry . Fo r the
location of the t ire pressure label ¢
fig. 203. IJI,,
•
•
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 norma lly also applies to
veh icles with all-whee l dr ive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design o f whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled r ims . If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bo lts wit h the right
l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are f itted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model<=>
page 297.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in
Jury .
- Always keep the w heel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
w hee l bolts can t urn easily and be p rop
erly t igh tened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose wh ile d riving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- Only use whee l bo lts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Alw ays m ain ta in the co rrec t tig hten ing
torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi-
Tire s an d wheel s 265
cle is mov ing. If the tightening torq ue is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
105 ft lb (140 Nm) with a to lerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bolts
diagonally . After changi ng a wheel, the
torque m ust be checked as soon as poss i
ble with a to rque wrench -preferably by an
a uthorized Aud i dea le r or qualified wor k
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is fac tory -eq uipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been tho ro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving condi
tions . Ask your authorized Aud i dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage. Conven
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-a spect-r atio tire s is
particularly sensit ive to improper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefor e important that low
a spect ratio tire s are inflated to the specified
pres sure and that th e inflation pr essure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s
sure s should be chec ked at lea st once a
month and always before a long trip
<=> page 2 54, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avo id tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
under inflated . ..,.
•
•
/! WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in
dicators .
- If the inflatable spare tire is more than 6
years old, use it on ly in an emergency
and with extreme ca ution and carefu l
dr iv ing.
- The inflatab le spare tire is intended only
for temporary and short-term use . It
should be replaced as soon as poss ible
with the no rma l wheel and tire.
- The tire pressure value for the inflatable
spare t ire is located on the driver's side
8-p illar
c::> page 252, fig. 204.
- Maximum permiss ible speed is 50 mph
(80 km/h).
- Avoid full-throttle acce lerat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing.
- When the air is let out of the inflatable
spare wheel, it does not assume its fold
ed shape for severa l hours. Until then, it
cannot be placed back in the spare wheel
well and stowed secu rely.
- Never drive with more than one inflata
ble spare tire.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the inf latable spare tire is not
permitted .
If it is necessary to d rive w it h
t ir e cha ins, the inflatable spare whee l
must be mo unted on the fron t axle in the
event of a fla t in a rea r tire. The new ly
available front wheel must then be in
sta lled in place of the rear whee l with
the flat tire. Installing t he tire chain be
f ore mounting the whee l and tire is rec
ommended.
- loose items in the passenger compart
me nt can cause serious personal in jury
dur ing hard braking or in an acc ident.
Never store the inf latable spare tire o r
jack* and tools in the passenge r com
partment .
CD Note
-The inf latable spare tire has been devel
oped spec ifically for this vehicle model.
What do I d o now ? 271
It must not be exchanged or used for
ot her vehicle models . Sim ila rly, inflata
ble t ires from other vehicle models must
not be used.
- Norma l summer or winte r ti res m ust not
be installed on the inf latable tire rim.
Inflating inflatable spare tire
Applies to vehicles: with inflatable spare tire
Fig. 2 13 Lu ggage compartme nt left s ide: comp ressor
.,. Remove the left tr im panel in the luggage
compa rtment.
.,. Open the Velcro strap and
remove the com
pressor ¢
fig. 213.
.,. Unscrew the valve stem from the spare tire .
.,. Screw the tire f iller hose from the compres
sor firmly onto the va lve of the spare tire .
.,. Insert the pl ug from the comp ressor into a
socket of th e vehicle ¢
page 75.
.,. Switch t he comp ressor on.
.,. let the compressor r un unti l t h e va lue
specif ied on the ti re press ure la bel is
reached
c::> page 2 52, fig . 204 . Switch the
compressor off after r unning for 12 minutes
at the most -danger of overheating!
A WARNING
The compressor and the tire filler hose can
become extreme ly hot while t hey a re run
n ing -da nger of b urns!
CD Note
Switch the compressor off after running
for 12 mi nutes at the most -danger of
ove rheating! Allow the compressor to cool
down for a few m inutes befo re you use it
again .