2 76 Chec king and filling
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a pe riod
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer period
<=> page 231.
Take into consideration that when you un lock
your vehicle, some convenience functions, such as the interior lights or the power seat
adjustment, may not be available. The con
venience functions will be available again
when you turn on the ignition and start the
engine .
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop . This
is because more power is also consumed while
starting, and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc., are used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par
ticularly in city traffic or when traveling only
short d istances . Let your authorized Audi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before w inte r sets in
<=> page 277. A well
cha rged battery w ill not only prevent starting
p rob lems when the weather is cold, but will
a lso last longer.
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery should be removed and
stored where it will not freeze . This wi ll
prevent it from being damaged and having
to be replaced.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located under the driver 's seat.
Before you check anyth ing under the driver 's
seat,
read and heed all WARNINGS c:> _&.
Always heed the safety warnings, when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery.
® Always wear eye protection .
b.. Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al
~ ways wear gloves and eye protection.
~ No
\!:!Y -sparks
- flames
- smoking.
A When a battery is charged, it produces
~ hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
Always keep the battery well out of reach of children.
,&. WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery ac id or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes .
Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfu
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection.
-
Do not tilt the battery because acid ~
could leak out of the ventilation open
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
medical attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys tem, disconnect the negative ground ca
ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec
trical system, switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip
ment . The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
fro zen, then it must be replaced. A dis-
Checking and filling 2 77
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 oc).
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al
ways replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories contain lead and lead com pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive problems . Wash hands after han
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven ,
protect the battery from "freezing ", oth
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
batt ery.
Fig. 249 Engin e compart men t: Co nnectors fo r charger
and j umper ca bles ..,_
Battery replacement
The new battery must have th e sam e specifi
cations and dim ensions as the original equip
ment battery.
Intell igent energy management in your vehi
cle is respons ible for d istr ibuting the e lectr i
cal energy throughout your vehicle
c::> page 231. The intel ligent e nergy ma nage
men t system w ill keep the eng ine ba tte ry
ch arged be tte r th en vehicles w ithout t his sys
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en
e rgy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and man u
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi
cations a re listed on the battery hous ing . Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the energy manageme nt system to enable yo u
to use the energy managemen t fu nctions co r
rectly after rep lac ing the b attery .
If it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new battery must have the same ca p aci ty, voltage
(12 volts) , a mpe rage , con
s truc tion and pl ug sea ling.
W hen insta lli ng the battery, make sure the ig
ni tion and all e lectr ical c ons umers a re turned
off.
CD Note
Ma ke s ure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the bat tery is connected, ot he rwise
fumes or ba ttery a cid c an leak out.
@, For the sake of the environment
Because of the probl em of proper d isposa l
of a batte ry, we recommend your autho r
i z e d Au di d ealer change the batt ery f or
you. Batter ies co ntain s ulfu ric ac id and
lead and m ust always be dis posed of prop
erly i n complia nce w ith all environmenta l
reg ulations. D isposin g of vehicle batteries
improper ly is very dangerous to the envi
ronment.
Checkin g and fillin g 2 79
Windshield/headlight
washer container
Fig. 2 50 En gin e compart ment: cover on t he w inds hield
a n d head lig ht* was her fl ui d reservo ir
The washer fluid conta iner is marked w ith the
symbol Won its cap
c::> fig . 250, c::> page 266,
fig . 243 .
.. Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS c::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 264 .
.. Lift t he fi ller cap tongue to add washer flu
id. You can fi ll the containe r to t he top .
.,. Press the cap back o nto the fi lle r ne ck afte r
f illing the container.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in t he table
in
c::> page 32 2.
Clean water should be used when filling up . If
poss ible , use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets. A lways add a glass cleane r
solution (with frost pro te ction in t he winter).
CD Note
Do not mix engine coo lant antifreez e or
a ny other addit ives to f ill up t he win d
sh ield washer rese rvo ir.
•
•
284 Tires and wheels
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
I
4
t>
Fig. 251 Tire pressure label: located on driver's side B ·
pillar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents. Tire pressure is measured in kilopascals (kPa), the interna·
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part on the vehicle's design and load limit
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safely and the tire size. The prop·
er tire pressure is frequently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal friction when it flexes in
use . The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
inflation pressure in a "cold " tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire inflat ion pres
sure" recommendations. The tires would then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly.
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the
most important things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a major cause of sudden tire failure. Keep
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tire pres
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load -carrying capaci
ties approved for your vehicle.
------------------..,;
•(=~: I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
Fig. 252 Tir e pressure label
SU OWNER'S MANUAl FOR AD0"10NAL l10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR Pl.US DE
REHSEKi.\'IEME NTS
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your veh icle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you will be transporting .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv
er's side B-pillar . The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold t ire inflation pressures
for the vehicle at its maximum capac ity
weight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 3 occu
pants), you can adjust tire pressures to those
specified for normal vehicle load. Before op
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
c::> .&,.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system can only monitor the tire pressures
you have stored. The system does not recog
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
T he effectiveness of the tire pressure monitor
ing system will be impaired if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load
c::> .&..
See the ill ustration c::> fig. 251 for the locat ion
of the label on driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual label and exact locat ion on the ve
hicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflatio n pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity we ight a nd the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured . For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load condit ions, please see chap
ter ~
page 284 .
-Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve .
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve.
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold . The
s light ly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced .
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Re insta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure ?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor
tant at high speeds . The pressure sho uld
therefo re be checked at least once a month
and a lways before start ing a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I adju st the tire pre ssures?
Ad just the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition, you must then
store the new tire pressures i n the t ire pres
sure mon itor ing system
~ page 300.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or unde rinfla
tion ca n lead sudden tire failure, loss of
cont ro l, col lision, ser ious persona l inju ry
or even death.
- Whe n the wa rning symbo l
[ti] appears in
the instrume nt cl uster, s top and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfl a
t ion can ca use inc reased t ire wear and
can affect the handling o f the veh icle and
stopp ing ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation ca n also lead to sud den tire fa il-
Tires an d wheel s 287
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, ca using loss of veh icle contro l.
- The driver is responsi ble for the co rrect
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values are locat
ed on a sticker o n the dr iver's s ide B-pil
lar .
- Onl y when all tires on the vehicle are fil
led to the correct pressure, the t ire pres
sure mon itor ing system can work cor
rectly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage .
Therefore it is ess ential that th e drive r
observe t he spec ified t ire p ress ure val ues
for the tires and the cor rect pressures for
the func tion of the t i re p ress ure moni to r
ing system.
- Always in flate tires to the recommen ded
a nd correct t ire p ress ure be fore dr iv ing
off .
- D riving with unde rinf lated tires bend
mo re, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, s udden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat b uild- up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear premat urely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, d rive at
red uced speed to the nearest service sta
tion to check the t ire press ure and add
air as requ ired .
(D Note
Driving w ithout valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure that factory installed
valve s tem caps o n all whee ls are sec urely
mounted o n the valve .
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fuel consumpt ion.
•
•
TPMS malfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure tellta le . When the sys
tem detects a malf unct ion, the te lltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain cont inuously illuminated. This se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction ex ists .
When the malfunct ion indicator is illuminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
sig nal low t ire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installat ion of rep lace
ment or alternate tires o r whee ls on the veh i
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
p roperly. Always check the TPM S malfunct ion
tellta le after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle 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
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fi g. 25 6 Display: under inflat io n warn ing
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure mon i
tori ng system compa res the t ire tread ci rcum
fe rence and vibration characteristics of the in
dividual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instr u
ment cluster with a
IE warning symbol and a
message
c:> fig . 256. The driver message in the
d isplay goes out after 5 seconds. The driver
message can be d isplayed again by pressing
the
! CHECK I button . If only one tire is affect
ed, the display will indicate its pos ition .
Tire s an d wheel s 2 99
The t ire pressure monitoring must be reset via
MMI each time the pressures are adjusted (e.
g. when switching between part ia l and full
l oad pressure) or after changing or replacing a
tire on your vehicle
c:> page 300. The TPMS in
dicator on ly monitors the tire pressure that
you have prev iously stored . You can find the
recommended t ire pressures for you r vehicle
o n the label on driver's s ide 8-pillar
¢ page 284.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the t ire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the t ire has structural damage,
- the t ire press ure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢page 300.
Warni ng symbo ls
IE Loss of pressure in at least one tire ¢ &..
Check the tire or tires and rep lace or repa ir if
necessary. The
Rt] i ndicator light in the instru
ment cluster also illuminates¢
page 14.
Check/correct the p ressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
••NIB (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Tir e
pressure: System malfunct ion!.
If llilW appears
after switching the ignition
on or while driving and the
IE indicator light
in the instrument cluster blinks for approxi
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malfunct ion.
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢
page 300. If the indicator light does not
turn off or if it turns on shortly thereafter, im med iate ly dr ive your vehicle to an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized repair fac ility to
have the malfunct ion corrected.
_&, WARNING
- If the tire pressure ind icator appears in
the ins trument cluster display, one or
mo re of your t ires is significant ly under
inflated . Reduce your speed immediately ..,
•
•
304 What do I do now?
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang
ing a wheel .
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop ¢,& .
• All passengers should
leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢
A-
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally ¢,& .
• Move
selector lever to position P <=> ,&.
• If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trail
er from your vehicle.
• Block the diagonally opposite wheel wi th
the folding chocks or other objects.
• Take the
jack and the inflatable spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
¢page 301.
11. WARNING
=
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a whee l if you do not fol
low these safety precautions :
- If you have a f lat tire,
move a safe dis
tance off the road . Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly 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 ground, plac
ing the Auto mat ic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
-
-Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the inflatable spare tire,
make sure that you replace the flat tire/
wheel in its storage area properly and
tighten the knurled retaining screw se
curely .
' Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow the se
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
¢ page 159.
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also ¢
page 305, Deco
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 305,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 305.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack be low that point
¢ page 306.
5. Lift the car with the jack¢ page 306.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
inflatable spare tire
¢page 307 .
7. Tighten all whee l bolts lightly.
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts¢ page 305.
10. Rep lace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
¢page 159.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
inf ormat ion¢ .&.
in Raising the vehicle on
page
307 and ¢page 308.
_& WARNING
-You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not
follow these safety precautions:
- Position the jack only at the designated
lifting points and align the jack. Other
wise, the 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 firm base for
the jack on the ground. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping .
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe place away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad
just as necessary and then continue to
raise the jack.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position
the jack only at the designated lifting
points on the sill. Otherwise, your vehicle
will be damaged.
What do I do now? 307
Taking the wheel off/installing the inflatable spare tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel
Fig. 267 Chan gin g a w hee l: alignment p in inside the
to p ho le
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows :
Removing the wheel
.. Remove the topmost wheel bolt completely
and set it aside on a
clean surface.
.. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin from the tool kit hand-tight into the
empty bolt hole
~ fig . 267.
.. Th en remove the other wheel bolts as de
scribed above.
.. Take off the wheel leaving the alignment
pin in the bolt hole
~ 0.
Putting on the inflatable spare tire
.. Inflate the inflatable spare tire ~ page 303
and push the wheel over the alignment pin.
.,. Screw in and tighten all wheel bolts
slight
ly.
.. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
like the rest .
.. Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to
lower the vehicle until the jack is fully re
leased .
.,. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bolts firmly ~
page 305. Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.