2013 AUDI S4 towing

Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 143
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 14S
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Mon itor ing the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
I mpor tant th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 166
C hi ld safety sea ts ................. 172
I ns tall ing a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . 176
L A T CH Lower anchorages and tether
for children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Addit ional Information
184
Vehi cle operat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 185
Not ice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18S
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 185
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
E lect ro-mechanical power assist ,
dynamic stee ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Driving w ith your qu attro ® . . . . . . . . . 191
E nergy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Driving and environment . . . . . 194
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 194
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 194
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19S
Operate your vehicle econom ically and
minim ize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
allroad: Driv ing offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driving w ith a t ra iler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 1
Table of contents 3
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
202
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 202
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. .. . .............
214
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Fuel tank .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine compartment .............. 221
E ngine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
E ngine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
B rake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Windshie ld/headlight* washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 4
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tire pressure monitoring system 253
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2S6
Space-saving spare tire (compact
spare tir e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Inflatable spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Inflat ing i nflatable spa re tire . . . . . . . 258
Changi ng a wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fuses..... .. .. .. .. . ............. 265
Bul bs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 269
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
St art ing by p ushing or towing . . . . . . . 269
Star ting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 269
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Emergency towing wit h commercia l
tow truck ... .. .. .. .. ........... . 271
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
•
•

The values in the single-trip or the total-trip
memory can a ll be reset to zero at the same
time under
Re set in the menu .
I n addition, you can determine what informa­
tion from the trip computer should be shown in the instrument cluster display. If one of the
p ieces of driver information is turned
Off , that
driver information w ill not be shown in the
display. The information will con tinue to be
calculated by the trip computer and can be
turned back
On at any t ime .
(D Tips
-This function is not avai lab le on all
vehicles.
- The driving information in the efficiency
program is also reset to zero with the
s ingle-trip memory .
Gearshift Indicator
Appl ies to vehicles: with manu al transmis sion a nd gea r·
shi ft indica tor
This indica tor con help conserve fuel.
~~~------------~~ ~.;;-
Fig. 12 Disp lay : Gea rs hi ft indicator
m ~ ~ a, a,
In order to become familiar with the gearshift
indictor, at first just drive the way you are
used to.
If the current gear -and the d riving
situa tion -is not the best one for conse rv ing
fuel, then the indicator will display the recom­
mended gear. The disp lay shows the current
gear and the gear that is recommended
¢ fig. 12.
-Up shifti ng The display will light up to the
right of the gear currently selected if it is
recommending a higher gear .
Driver inform ation di spl ay 2 7
- Down shifting:
The display will light up to
the
left of the gear currently se lected if it is
recommending a lower gear.
Somet imes the indicator will recommend
skipping a gear (3
> 5).
If there is no gearshift recommendation, then
just dr ive in the app rop riate gear for conserv­
ing fuel.
(D Note
This indicator can help you conse rve fuel.
This indica tor is not meant to show you
which gear you sho uld a lways be in in all
driving situations . Sometimes, in situa ­
tions s uch as passing, driving thro ugh
mountains or when towing a trailer, there
won't be any gearshift recommendation.
(D Tips
The display does not light up when the
clutch pedal is be ing depressed .
Efficiency program
Description
Applies to vehic les: wi th trip co mp uter with efficiency
prog ram
Fig . 13 Display : eff icie ncy pro gram
.. Press the I RESE TI button @¢ page 26 ,
fig . 11
repeatedly until the efficiency p ro­
gram appears in the display .
The efficiency program can he lp you to use
less fue l. It evaluates driving information in
reference to f uel consumption and shows oth­
er equipment influencing consumption as well
as shift recommendations . Fuel economy ...,

28 Drive r in form ation d ispl ay
messages ¢ page 29 provide tips for effi­
cient driving .
The effic iency program uses distance and con­
sumption data from tr ip computer
1. If the
data are deleted in the efficiency program,
those values are also reset in trip computer
1.
Enhanced shift indicator
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmission and trip
computer with efficiency program
Fig. 14 Display: enhanced shift indicator
" In the effic iency program, press the func­
t ion select ion switch ¢
page 26, fig. 11 @
repeated ly until the enhanced shift indicato r
appea rs in the display.
The eff ic iency program also has an enhanced
shift indicator . This enhanced shift indicator
follows the same concept as the "standard"
shift indicator¢
page 27. The selected and
the recommended gears are highlighted in
colo rs like a traffic light.
The color of the circle indicates if the most
suitable gear is engaged or if you should sh ift
up or down.
Green circle without No gear or the most
or with a gear suitable gear is en­ gaged
Yellow circle¢
fig. 14 Shift up or down one
gear
Red circle Shift up two gears
(D Note
This enhanced shift ind icator can help you
conserve fuel.
It i s not des igned to recom­
mend the correct gear in all driving situa­
tions. O nly the drive r can decide which gear is correct in certain driving situations
such as when passing another vehicle,
driving on hills or towing a trailer.
(D Tips
- T
he enhanced shift indicator display is
different in vehicles with a monochrome
disp lay.
- The "standard" sh ift indicator* d isap ­
pears when the enhanced shift indicator
is displayed.
Other equipment
Applies to vehicles: with trip computer with efficiency program
F ig. 15 Display: other equipment
" In the efficiency program, press the func­
tion selection switch¢
page 26, fig. 11@
repeatedly until the other equipment ap­
pea rs in the display.
Other equ ipment that is currently affecting
fuel consumpt ion is listed in the eff iciency
program. The disp lay shows up to three other
items of equipment @. T he equipment using
the most fuel is listed first. If more than three
items using fuel are switched on, the equip­
ment that is currently using the most fuel is
displayed.
A scale @also shows the current tota l con­
sumption of all other equipment.

68 Seats and stor age
damage to the load and even the vehicle
itself.
- Make sure that the open rear lid and the
sunroof do not come into contact with
objects on the roof.
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. J\llake sure
anything on the roof rock is securely tied
down.
.. Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
evenly .
.. Always attach items to the roof rack secure-
l y before you drive off.
The maximum permissible roof weight is
200 lb (90 kg). The roof weight is the total of
the we ight of the roof rack, the attachments
and the cargo you are carrying. You must also not exceed the maximum load weight for the
roof rack you are using .
When using a roof rack system which has a
lower load carrying capacity, you must not use
up the total maximum permissible load carry­
ing capacity specified above. Instead, you
should load the roof rack system only to the
maximum capacity specified by the manufac­
turer of the roof rack system.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fail
during hard braking or in a collision and
cause serious personal injury.
- Make sure the roof rack is installed exact­
ly as specified above
~ page 67.
- Always use suitable mounting straps for
securing items to the roof rack to help
prevent items from shifting or flying for­
ward.
- Items on the roof rack must always be
securely mounted.
- The use of a roof rack can negatively af­
fect the way a vehicle handles. Cargo
that is large, heavy, bulky, long or flat
will have a greater negative influence on
.
the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
gravity and overall handling. Always
drive slowly, avoid sudden braking and maneuvers when transporting cargo on
the roof of your vehicle.
- Never exceed the maximum permissible
load carrying capacity of the roof of your
vehicle, the permissible axle weights and
the permissible total weight of your vehi­
cle~
page 2 75, Weights.
(D Note
Make sure that the opened rear lid does
not come in contact with the cargo on the
roof.
@ For the sake of the environment
As a result of the increased wind resist­
ance created by a roof rack, your vehicle is
using fuel unnecessarily. So remove the
roof rack after using it.
Luggage compartment
General information
A WARNING
Read and follow the important safety pre­
cautions on
~ page 133, Stowing lug­
gage.

112 Audi side assist
- Side assist is not active wh ile you are
making the adjus tment.
- Your settings are automatica lly sto red
and ass igned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with Audi side assist
If s ide ass ist switches off by itse lf, t he LED in
the butto n tur ns off a nd a message will ap­
pear in t he instr ume nt cl uster d is p lay:
Audi side assist unavailable : Sensors blocked
T he radar sensors' vision is a ffected. Do not
cover the area in front of the senso rs with bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects . Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c::;,page 110, fig. 124.
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable
Side assist can not be swi tched on tempora ril y
bec ause there is a mal func tio n (for ex am ple,
the ba ttery cha rge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assist : System fault!
The system ca nnot guara ntee that it w ill de­
tec t ve hicles co rrec tly and it is sw itched off .
Th e senso rs have been displaced o r are faulty .
H ave the sys tem che cked by an au thor ized
Au di d eale r or auth oriz e d Au di S ervice Fa cility
soon .
Audi side assist : Unavailable when towing
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a
factory- insta lled trailer hitch is connected to
the elec trical connector on the trailer . There is
no guarantee the system will switc h off when
usi ng a retrofitted t railer hi tch . Do not use
si de assis t when towing a tra iler .

-Always mak e sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwell wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal caus ing a loss of veh icle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All Luggage and other objects must be prop­ erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
partment.
F ig. 1 41 Safe lo ad pos itio nin g: pl ace heavy objects as
l ow a nd a s far forwa rd a s possible .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly , changing vehicle hand ling
characteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment .
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as poss ible
c> fig. 141 .
.,. Secure the load w ith the cargo net* or with
non -elastic straps secured to the tie -downs*
c> page 71 c>page 72 .
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is secu rely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored l uggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle caus ing serious
personal inj ury in the event of hard b rak­
ing or an accident. To help reduce the r isk
of serious personal injury :
Drivin g Sa fely 133
-Always put objects , for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­ partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the t ie-down eyelets
and suitab le straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads wi ll influence the way your ve­
h icle handles . To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
i n jury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle hand ling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat ­
ing or the Gross Vehicle We ight Rating
specif ied on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle different ly .
- Please observe informat ion on safe dr iv­
ing
c> page 127 .
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed w hile driving.
- Never transpo rt objects larger than
those f itting comp lete ly into the luggage
area beca use the rear lid cannot be f ully
closed.
- If you absolutely m ust dr ive with the rea r
lid open, observe the following notes to
red uce the r isk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
- Open all air outlets i n the instrument
panel,
- Swi tc h off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 185
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
JjJ in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations .
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface. If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
•
•

190 Intelligent technology
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
f or a test . B rakes will dry a nd ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few ca re ­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended pe riod of time on
salt -covered roads without using you r
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed . O therwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­ creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to t he near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your ve hicle, or
because the b rake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerab ly harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steer ing adapts electronically based on
the veh icle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Ste ering d efe ct ive ! Do not d rive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
a nd this message appears, the power steering
may have failed .
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance.
'Tij D ynamic steer ing: Sy stem f au lt! You c an
cont inue d riving
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the stee ring may be more diffi­
c ul t to move o r more sensitive than usua l. The
steering wheel may a lso be at an ang le when
driv ing straight.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lf u nction
corrected.
'Tij Dynamic stee rin g: initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel, dynamic steer ing* is being re initia lized . On ce
you start the engine after t his is finished, the
steering wheel will be easy to move . Re-initi­
alizat ion might be necessary if the steering
whee l was moved hard to the left and right
whi le the vehicle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initiali zation is complete.
A WARNING
-Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repa ired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop - r is k of accident!
-