2013 AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET ESP

162 Child Safety
&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death .
-All vehicle occupants and especially chil ­
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle.
-
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child can be injured or killed by be­
ing thrown against the inside of the ve­
hicle or by being ejected from it during
a sudden maneuver or impact .
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion. The child restraint must not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube -like
frames . They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
-Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu­
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo­
men and neck areas during sudden brak­
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat . -
Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each other in an accident.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­
ger airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety
seat and child against the backrest,
center arm rest, door or roof.
= Always install rearward-facing child
safety seats or infant carriers on the
rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat can in­
terfere with the airbag when it inflates and cause serious injury to the child. Al­
ways install forward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's
safety and well-being require that the
following special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac­
turer's instructions provided with the
child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat
into the rearmost position of the pas-
senger seat's fore and aft adjustment
~

range, and as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible before instal ling the child
restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre­
vents the front passenger's seat from
be ing moved to the rearmost position
i n its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upr ight position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even i f a child is not sitting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a coll is ion .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c:::;,page 129, Safety
belts,
c:::;, page 137, Airbag system and
¢ page 158, Child Safety.
.8, WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure tha t t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child rest raint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate­
ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
F ig. 160 Schematic overview: kee p un used safety be lts
away from chil dren in child safe ty seats. @-oute r rear
safety be lt
.
Child S afety 163
If a child safety seat is used on the rea r bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower ancho­
rages, the unused safety belts
must be se­
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
c:::;, &,.
-Guide the safety belt webbing @behind the
head restra int of the seat where the child re ­
straint is installed¢
fig. 160. When doing
so, do not engage the switchable locking re­
tractor ! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when wind ing up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
.8, WARNING
A child in a chi ld safety seat installed with
the LA TCH lower a nc ho rages or with the
stan dard safety be lt or a child in a boos ter
se at o n the rea r seat co uld play with un­
used rea r seat safety belts and become en ­
tang led . This cou ld cause t he chi ld ser ious
personal injury and even death.
-A lways secure unused rear seat sa fe ty
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by proper ly rout ing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the ch ild restraint is installed.
- Never activate the switchable locking re­
tracto r when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.

It is usually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child 's body in the right places. The
routing of the belt over the child's body is very
important for the child's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's
safety belt alone to restrain any child, regard­ less of how big the child is. Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel­
vic structure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulder belts. The child's safety ab­
solutely req uires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable force. In order
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­ bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the airbag gets in the way of an
inflating airbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she will be struck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in­
jury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especial­
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible. By keeping room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can infla te com-
Child Safety 167
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrectly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possi­ ble and must lie flat and snug on the up­
per body. It must never lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie
across the pelvis and never across the
stomach or abdomen. Make sure the belt
lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary .
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a child's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an accident or other emergency
situation
~page 129.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the vehicle seat .
- Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­
bag inflates .
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat .
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi­
tion in any way during an accident can be
struck by a deploying airbag. This will re­
sult in serious personal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on. •
•
-

168 Child Saf ety
- If the PASS ENGER AIR BAG O FF li ght
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
c:> page 148, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used
c:> page 129, Safety
belts, c:>page
137, Airbag sy st em and
<:?v page 158, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
pas senger 's seat can be locked with the con­
vertible locking retractor to properly secure
child safety seats.
The safe ty belts eme rgency lock ing re tractors
fo r the re ar seats safe ty belts and for the
fro nt passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertible locking retracto r fo r child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that belt
webbing cannot unree l. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety be lt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
during normal driving . A child safety seat can
only be properly installed when the safety belt
i s locked so that the child and child safety
seat will stay in place.
A lways remember: Even thoug h your veh icle is
eq uipped w it h an Advanced A irbag system, all
ch ildren , espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and yo ung­
e r, should always ride in the ba ck seat proper­
l y res traine d for thei r age and weig ht.
_& WARNING
Imprope rly insta lled child sa fe ty seats in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision. -
Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place dur ing no rma l dr iving o r in a
crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it .
A loose child safety seat can fly aroun d
du ring a s udden st op or in a colli sion.
- I f the backrest is not securely la tched,
the child and the child restraint will be
throw n forward toge ther with t he ba ck­
rest and will strike par ts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be se riously in ­
jured or killed.
- Never inst all rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr iers on the front pas­
senger seat . A child will be serious ly in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­
ger airbag i nflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the back rest , center
armrest, doo r or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe­
ty seats or infa nt carriers on the rea r
seat .
- Forwa rd-facing child safety seats or in­
fant car riers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with t he de­
p loyment of t he a irbag and cause serious
i njur y to the child .
-It is safer to ins tall a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WAR NIN GS
whe neve r using a child restrai ned in ave­
h icle i s being u sed
c:> page 158. Special
p reca utions apply when ins tal ling a child
safety seat on the fron t passenger seat
c:> page 138, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
_& WARNING
--
Always take specia l precautions if you
must install a forwa rd or rearward-facing

child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
~ page 148, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
<;hild.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
_&. WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re·
straint up, against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
Child Safety 169
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on .
_&. WARNING
"' Rearward-facing child restraints:
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be seriously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates - even
with an Advanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
-Always be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances.
-A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas­
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and regis­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air­ bag System. The heavier weight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rearward-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer. •
•

ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys ­
tem, anti -slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif­
ferential lock (EDL), dynamic steering* and se­ lective wheel torque control*. ESC is switched
on all the time. In certa in situations when you
need less t raction, you can sw itch off ASR by
p ress ing the button
ij] Q page 178, fig . 169
or ~ page 178, fig. 170. Be sure to sw itch
ASR on again when you no longer need less
traction.
Anti -lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The veh icle can still be steered
even du ring ha rd b raking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake peda l indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle .
Brake ass ist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance.
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal qu ic kl y in eme r­
gency situations . You must p ress and ho ld the
brake peda l until the situation is over. In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control*, the
brake assist system is more sensit ive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti- slip regulati on (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
El ectronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other wheels .
This function is available up to about 60 mph
(100 km/h).
I n extreme cases, ED L automatically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating.
EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
Int ellig ent technolog y 177
Dynamic steering *
On vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC he lps
stabilize the steering in crit ica l sit uations.
Select ive wheel torque control*
The select ive wheel torque control operates
when d riving through curves. The front wheel
on the inside of the curve o r both wheels on
the ins ide of the c urve a re bra ked select ively
as needed. This minimizes sliding in the front
whee ls and allows for more precise driv ing
through curves. The app licable system may
not act ivate when dr iving in wet or snowy con­
ditions.
A WARNING -
- ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL dynam ic steering*
and the select ive wheel torque control*
cannot ove rcome the laws of physics.
This is especially important on slippery
or wet roads.
If t h e systems beg in acting
to stabilize your veh icle, yo u should im­
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traffic conditions . Do not
let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle contro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
a nd weather conditions. The risk of Los-
ing contro l of the vehicle i ncreases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys ­
tem, ASR, ED L dynamic steering * and the
selective whee l torque control * cannot
prevent coll is ions.
- Always accelerate with spec ial care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that can not al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle control.
•
•

178 Intelligent technolog y
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
a ll four wheels are eq uipped w ith identi­
ca l tires . Different tire s iz es can lead to a
r educt io n in engine power .
- You may hear no ises w hen the systems
described are wo rking.
- If the indicato r light
DJ or 11:11 (U SA
models) 1i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malf unct io n ¢
page 19,
c> page 19.
Switching on/off
ESC turns on au toma tically when you s tart
the engine.
Fig . 16 9 Ver sio n A : low er c ente r co nso le,~ OFF bu t·
to n
Fig . 17 0 Ve rsio n B: u ppe r ce nter conso le, ~ OFF but ­
to n
Switching sport mode on
Press the I;; OF F I button ¢ fig. 169 o r
c::> fig. 170 quickly. The act ions taken by the
E SC and ASR stabilize the vehicle a re limited .
T he
IJ ES C in dicator light tu rns on and the
me ssage
Stabilization control (ESC) : Sport .
Warning! Restricted stability
appe ars in the
d river info rmation disp lay
c::> A .
The following e xamp les are unusual situa­
t io ns whe re it may ma ke sense to switch s port
mode on in order to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Ro cking the vehicle to free i t when i t is s tuck
- Dr iv ing in deep snow o r on loose g round
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode can be sw itched on at a ny speed .
Switching ESC/ASR off
Press a nd ho ld the I~ OFF I but ton for three
secon ds. The
lfil•)H and fl indicator lights
turn on and the message
Stabilization con­
trol (ESC) : off. Warni ng! Restricted stability
appears in the driver information display.
AS R is also switched off when ESC is switched
off . The stabilizat ion function is not ava ilable
c> A .
Switching on
Press the !.i, O FF I button ag ain to sw itch the
ESC back on . The
I indicator lig ht tu rns off
and the message
Stabilization control (ESC ):
On appears in the display.
A WARNING ,-
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of t he vehicle mo re eas ily w hen
ASR and ESC are in sport mode , especial­
ly whe n the road is slippe ry .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traffic an d weather condi ­
tions per mit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntrol* is w ork in g.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
D uring the first 250 mi les (400 km), new
brake pad s do not possess the ir full b rak ing
effect, they have to be "broken in" first¢ &.
The break- in period can be considerably lon-
-
ger for ve hicles w ith ceram ic b rake rotors* . ll>

You can compensate for th is sligh tly re duced
brak ing power by push ing harder on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy braking loads d uring the
break-in per iod.
Operating condit ion s and d riv ing hab it s
The brakes on today's automobi les are st ill
subject to wear, depend ing largely on operat ­
ing conditions and driving habits¢.&. . On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop­ and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your author­
i zed Audi dealer more often than specified i n
the
Warranty & Maint enan ce booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced b rake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing
effect of the engine . Th is way, you prevent un­
necessary wea r on the brake system. If you
must use you r brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. P ump the b rakes a t inter ­
va ls.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braki ng force and outside condi­
tions such a s tempe ratu re a nd h umidity .
Due to the nature of the materials used i n ce ­
ramic brake rotors*, nois es may become more
apparent at low speeds.
Effect of w ater and ro ad s alt
In certain situat ions, for example after driving
through water, i n heavy ra in, after over night
condensation or after washing your car, the
b rak ing effect can be reduced by moistu re or
i ce on the bra ke roto rs and b rake pads . The
b ra kes must be dried fi rs t w it h a few caref ul
b ra ke app lications.
At h igher speeds and with the w indshield w ip­
e rs turned on, the brake pads p ress against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs a t reg ular in tervals wi tho ut the
d river noticing and provides for better brake
response time un der wet conditions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehi cle is dr iven o n a salt -cove re d
Int ellig ent technolog y 179
road and the b ra kes are no t used. Likewise ,
you clean off acc umulated salt coating from
brake d iscs and pads with a few cautio us ap ­
plications of the brake
9 ,&. .
Due to the ir sur face character istics, ceramic
brake rotors* absorb moisture i n such condi­
tions. T his can cause a tempo rary reduction in
braking force compared to dry brakes. Yo u can
compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal harder .
Corrosio n
There may be a tendency for dirt to b uild up
on the brake pads and corros ion to form on
the d iscs if the car is not driven regularly or
o nly for short trips w ith litt le use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
ros ion has formed on the discs, i t is adv isable
to clean off the pads a nd d iscs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
9 &. .
Fault s in the brake sy stem
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two b rake
c ircui ts may have failed ¢&. .
Lo w brake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occ ur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he br ake booster inc reases the pressure tha t
yo u gene rate with t he brake peda l. It works
o nl y when t he engine is running .¢
&
Brake lining wear status
B ra ke lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spe ction o f the condition of the bra ke pads
th rough the open ings in the wheel. If neces ­
sary, the wheel may be removed for t his in ­
spection ¢
page 245, Changing a wheel.
•
•