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 .
@ Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under
neath the cover.
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 content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
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 .
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standa rd "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake f lu id reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that yo u
have the brake f lu id changed by your author
i zed
Audi dea ler . 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
- Br ake fluid is po isonous . It must be s to r
ed only in the closed orig inal con tainer
o ut of the reac h of c hildren!
- Br ake f ailure can resu lt from old or in ap
propr iate b ra ke fluid. Observe these pre
caut ions:
- Use on ly brake fluid that meets SAE
specif ication
J 1 703 and conforms to
Federal Motor V ehicle Sta ndard 116.
A lways check wi th you r auth o riz ed Audi
deale r to ma ke s ure you are using the
correct brake flu id . T he correc t type of
Checkin g and fillin g 275
brake f luid is also ind icated on t he
brake f luid rese rvoir.
- The bra ke fl uid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong. This can seriously affect the effi
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safe ty. This co uld resu lt in an accide nt.
(1) Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because o f the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
required and the necessary expertise, we
recomme nd that you have the brake flu id
changed by you r autho rized Aud i deale r.
Battery
General information
U nder normal operating cond itions, the bat
tery in your Audi does not need any ma inte
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long da ily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte level chec ked by an au thorized
Audi dealer or qualified wo rkshop . The elec
t ro lyte level should also be che cked each time
t h e battery is cha rged
~ page 2 77.
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for se rv ice . You a re well advised to
replace a battery that is o lde r th an 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the ba tte ry is disconnected from the ve hicle elec
t rical sys tem for safety reasons
~ A in Re
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 198.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle fu nctions (power window regu
lators, fo r example) are lost if the battery te r
mina ls are disconn ected . T hese functions have
to be relearned after the bat tery termina ls are
conne cte d ag ain. To p revent t his, the battery .,.
•
•
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.
•
•
282 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means t he sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
( c ) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) P rod uction options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means t he max imum co ld in flation pressu re
to which a tire may be in flate d. Also called
"maxim um inflation p ress ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilog rams) times the
nu mbe r of o ccupants seated in t he vehicle up
to the tot al sea ting capa cit y of yo ur vehicle .
Occupant distribution means dist ribution of occupants in a veh icle .
Outer diameter means t he overa ll diameter of a n inf lated new
tire.
Overall width
means t he linear dis tan ce between the ex ter i
ors o f th e sidewalls of an inflated tire, in cl ud
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
p rotective bands o r ribs.
Ply
mea ns a laye r of r ubber- co ate d parall el c ords.
Production options weight
means t he comb ined we ight of those installed
regular produc tion options weigh ing ove r 5
l bs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of t hose standard items
which t hey repla ce, no t previously considered
in cur b weight o r acc essory weig ht, incl uding
h eavy duty brakes, r ide leve le rs, roof ra ck,
h eavy duty ba ttery, a nd specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic t ire in whic h the p ly co rds
that ex tend to the beads are laid a t sub stan
ti ally 9 0 degrees to the ce nt erline o f the
tread . Recommended inflation pressure
see
~
page 281, C old tire infla tio n pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate a t higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than t he cor
r espondi ng stan da rd tire. Reinforce d tires
may be identifie d as "XL ", "xl ", "EX TRA LOAD",
o r "RF " on t he sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal s upport for a tire or a t ire and
tu be assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purch ase new tires to match th e new r im di
ameter .
Rim size designation
means r im diamete r and width.
Rim width
means nom inal dista nce between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means tha t p ort ion of a t ire betw ee n t he
t read a nd bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
r a ti ngs range from 93 mph ( 150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 292 . Y o u may
not fi nd this informa tio n on all ti res because
it is no t re quir ed by law.
T he speed rating letter code, wh ere applica
ble , is molde d on the tire sidewall a nd indi
c ates the max imu m permi ssibl e road spee ds
~ A in Winter tire s on page 296 .
Tire pressure monitoring system mea ns a system that detects when o ne or
more of a ve hicle 's tires are unde rinf lated an d
i lluminat es a low tir e pr essure w arning t ell-
tal e. ..,_
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 ..,
•
•
It has always been Audi's policy to continu
ously improve its products. Aud i, therefore,
reserves the right to make changes in design
a nd specifications, and to make additions or
improvements in its p roducts, without incur
ring any obl igat ion to insta ll t hem on p rod
uc ts p revio usly man ufact ured .
Text , illustrat ions and specif ications in th is
manual are based on the most up-to-date in
formation available at the time of p rinting.
All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or
translated in whole or in part without the wr
itten consent of AUDI AG. Specifications are
subject to change without notice.
"Audi", "q uattro" and the four r ings emblem
are registered trademarks of AUD I AG.
Editor ial de adlin e: 04 /20 /2012
@ For the sake of the environment
P rinted on environmentally friendly pape r
(b leached without chlorine, recyclable).
Printed in Germany
© 2012 AUDI AG