2013 AUDI Q5 suspension

If them symbol in the disp lay comes on,
there is a malfunction in the electronic igni­
tion lock. P lease go to an authorized Audi
dealer or other qualified workshop to have the
malfunction repaired.
; Adaptive dampers
App lies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
B Suspension: System fault!
If the B symbol in the display comes on, there
is a malfunction in the adapt ive dampers.
Please go to an authorized Aud i dealer or oth­
er qualified workshop to have the malfunction
repaired .
~ Windshield wipers faulty
£-.$ vVindshield wipers defective
When th is symbo l£-.$ nluminates, it means
that the electronics for the w indshield w ipers
are defect ive. Please go to an authorized Aud i
dea ler o r qualified workshop to have the
windshie ld wiper system repaired .
Driver information display 35

120 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
Drive select provides the possib ility to exper i­
e nce diffe ren t types of vehi cle sett ings in o ne
ve hicl e. For ins tance, us ing t he three
Com­
fort , Auto and Dynamic modes, the driver can
switch from a sporty to a comfortab le drivi ng
mode with the press of a b utton.
A ddit ionally, in veh icles wi th MM I*, the vehi ­
cle setup for
Individual* mode can be c us­
tom ized by you. This makes it possib le to
comb ine settings such as a sporty engine tun ­
ing with comfortable steering.
A WARNING
Improper use of the drive select can cause
co llisions, other accide nts and ser ious per­
sonal injury.
Description
App lies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the veh icle's features . However, the engin e,
automa tic t ransmissio n and steeri ng a re a l­
ways involved.
Engine and automatic transmission
Depending on the mode , the e ng ine and the
automatic t ransm ission respond quicke r or i n
a more ba la nced manne r to a cce le rator pedal
move ments. In t he sporty dynam ic mode, the
a ut om at ic t ra nsmissio n shifts at h igher R PMs.
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of stee ring effort
and steering ra tios . Ind irect steer ing that
moves easi ly, l ike the stee rin g in comfort
mode, is best su ite d t o long dr ive s on a high­
way. In co ntr ast, dynam ic mo de p rov ides
sporty, direct steering .
T he fo llow ing applies to vehicles with dynam ic
steer ing*: the stee ring ratio changes based on
ve hicl e spee d in order to maint ain op timum steering effort
for the drive r at all times . This
sets the stee ring to be less sens itive at higher
speeds in order to provide improved vehicle
control. At reduced speeds, however, steer ing
is more d irect in order to keep the steering ef­
fort as minima l as poss ible when the driver is
mane uveri ng the veh icle. At low and ave rage
speeds, dynamic steering addit iona lly pro­
vides more respon sive stee rin g pe rforma nce.
Adaptive dampers*
The adaptive dampers* use se nsors to record
informa tion regard ing steer ing movemen ts,
braking and acceleration o perations by the
drive r, road surfac e, d riv in g speed, and load.
T his makes it poss ible to adapt damp ing to
the driving si tua tion v irtu ally in real t ime.
Dr ive sele ct also makes i t possib le to sa tisfy
t h e desire fo r spo rty suspension ( Dynamic)
and comfortab le suspension (Comfort) with ­
o ut giving up ba lanced tuning (Auto) .
Adaptive cruise control*
The be havior when accelera ting can be adju st­
ed from comforta ble to sporty, depending on
the d rive select mode . Adaptive cr uise contro l
also responds to the driv ing behavior of the
vehicle ahead in a more conservative or spo rty
manner.
(D Tips
- In some mo dels, t he maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto
and Dynamic mo des.
- Selecting the
Dynamic mode resu lts in
sporty shifting cha racte ristics. The S
gear position engages aut omatically.
- In vehicles that have dynamic stee ring *,
operating noise is heard when start ing or
stopping the e ngine. This does not indi­
cate a problem .

172 Airbag system
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­ ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should.
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not.
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
= -
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 170 S ide a irbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests¢
fig. 170 and the rear
backrest* facing the doors. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests and the two airbags* located
in the rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly ..,.

(D Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical
system can be severely damaged by driv­
ing through water.
- Always switch
off the Start-Stop-System*
when driving through water¢
page 93.
@ Tips
-Check the depth of the water before driv­
ing through it.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine
off when driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water because
it can cause corrosion.
Driving off road 211
•
•

258 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
F ig. 20 5 Tire tread: tre ad wea r ind icators (TWI)
F ig. 206 Rotat ing t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigi na l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig . 205 running across the tread. Depend ­
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced .
Different fig ures may apply in o ther countries
c::> & .
Tire p ressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
a nd can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 254.
Driving style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy acce leration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
F or all four tires on your ve hicl e to h ave the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear t ires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Book let .
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufact urer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehi cles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 206.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 278 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal ­
anced, re sulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Un balanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l m ust also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces ­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the veh i­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
All-wheel driv e
Vehicles with q uattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 202 . ..,.