2013 AUDI S4 SEDAN tow

142 Safet y belt s
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
gu ide the belt tongue to its stowed pos ition .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the veh i­
cle is moving. Doing so will increase your
r isk of being injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
-
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust ­
men t, the three point safety belt strap rout­
ing can be fitted to the shoulder area, accord­
ing to body size .
~ 0 0 6
Fig. 139 Safety be lt he ig ht a dju stme nt for t he front
sea ts - loop -a rou nd fit tings
.. (0
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body
c:> .&. in Safety belt
position on page 141 .
• Push
the loop-around fittings up c:> fig . 139
@ , or
• squeeze together the (D button, and push
the loop-around fitt ings down @.
• Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged.
.&, WARNING
Alw ays read and heed all WARNINGS and
other impo rtant informat ion
¢ page 139.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjust­
ment of the seat can also be used to adjus t
the posit ion of the safety be lts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body . Improper seat ing pos itions reduce
the effectiveness of safety be lts and will even
i ncrease the risk of inju ry and death by mov ­
ing the safety be lt to crit ical areas o f the
body. Improper seating positions also in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occu­ pant who is not in the cor rect seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of
all veh icle occupants and especially for chil­
dren . Therefore:
• Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c:> ,&. .
.&, WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
r isk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occ u­
pants are correctly restrained and stay in
a correc t seating position whe never the
veh icle is being used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢ page 139.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear -end collisions above a
particular severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically .
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is act ivated by sen­
sors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great severity. This tightens the belt and takes
u p belt slack
c:> .&. in Service and disposal of .,._

152 Airbag sys te m
- Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
dr iver seat from the veh icle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sens ing ma t and send the
wrong info rmation to the airbag control
uni t.
- Never sto re items under the front pas·
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Ai r­
b ag System under the p assenge r seat
cou ld be damaged, prevent ing them and
the airbag system from wo rking proper ­
ly .
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholste ry that have not been specifical­
ly approved by A udi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the A dvanced
Air bag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from deploy ing prop­
erly.
- Never use c ush ions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The add it iona l padd ing will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accu rately reg iste ring the c hild restra int
or person on the seat and prevent the
Adva nce d Airb ag System from func tion­
ing properly .
-If you mus t use a child restra int on the
front passenger seat and the ch ild re- straint manufacture
r's instructions re­
qu ire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something e lse to properly pos ition the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the ch ild re·
s t raint is installed on the front passen ­
ge r seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on a nd stay on, immed i­
a tely insta ll child restrain t in a rear se at­
ing position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your authorized A udi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
s ide airbags supp lement the protection of­
fered by the front three-poi nt safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters a nd the
adjustable head rest raints to help redu ce the
risk of inj ury in a wide range of accident and
c rash situations. Be s ure to read the impor ­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need A irba g System
and t he activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electron ic control unit. The amount of infla­
tion of the front airbags can a lso be adapted
to the front sea t pos ition, depending on the
distance between the respect ive front seat
and the steer ing w heel or instrument panel as
registered by sensors in the seats. Crash se·
verity depends on speed and decelerat ion as
well as the mass and st iffness of t he vehicle
o r object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the ai rbag w ill be tu rned off if the
we ight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the e lectron ic control
u nit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will a lso be turned off if one of the child safe -
ty seats that has been certified under Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recogni zed on the seat . The
PAS SENGER AIR .,..

178 Child Saf ety
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into the retractor .
.,. Press the red button on the safety be lt
buck le. The belt tongue wi ll pop out of the
buck le .
.. Guide the safety belt all the way back into
its stowed position .
A lways le t the safety belt retract complete ly
into its stowed position . The safety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with ­
out the convertib le locking r etractor for chi ld
restra int s.
I f the convertible locking retractor shou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt m ust
be unfastened and guided completely back in­
to its stowed pos ition to deactivate th is fea­
ture. If the convertible locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will gradually be­
come tighter and u ncomfortable to wear .
A WARNING
Improperly insta lled child safety seats in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision .
- Never unfaste n the safety belt to deacti­
vate the convert ible lock ing retractor for
c hild restrain ts while the veh icle is mov­
ing. You would not be restrained and
cou ld be seriously injured in an accident .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave ­
hicle is being used
¢ page 165. Special
precautions apply when installing a chi ld
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 145, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .

180 Child Safet y
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating .
Fig. 154 Lower a nch orages, covers marke d
Fig. 155 Rear sea ts: towe r an ch orage b racke t locat io n s
Lowe r ancho rages
The lower anchorage atta chment points are
located on the rear end of the rear seatback.
Remove the covers¢
fig. 154 to access the
lower anchorage attachment points .
The lower anchorage attachment points are
visible ¢
fig. 155 .
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle 's safety
belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy­
to-use attachment and m inim ize the possibili­
ty of improper child restraint installation .
All chi ld restraints manufactured after Sep­
tember 1 , 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LATCH system .
Remember that the lower anchorage points
are only intended for installation and attach­ ment of child restraints specifically certified
for use w ith
LATCH lower anchorages. Child
restra ints that are not equipped with the low­
e r ancho rage attachments can still be instal- led in compliance with the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions on using vehicle
safety belts
.
A WARNING
-Improper installat ion of child restra ints
will increase the risk of injury in a crash .
-A lways carefu lly follow the child re -
straints manufacturer's instructions for proper installation of the child restraint
and proper use of the lower anchorages
or safety belts in your vehicle .
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the
LATCH lower ancho­
rages.
- Always read and heed the important in­ formation about child restraints in this
chapter and WARN INGS
¢ page 165,
Child Safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages -
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions.
F ig. 156 Lower a ncho rages : proper mount ing
Mounting
.. Make s ure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright posit ion and securely
latched in place.
.,. Attach both hook-on connectors with the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connecto rs lock i nto pla ce ¢
fig. 156.
.. Pull on the con nector attachments to make
sure they are properly a ttached to the LA T CH
lower ancho rage . ..,.

184 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorde r (EDR), ins talled by some manu­
facture rs fo r the express p urpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or cras h
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restr ict 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.
A ltho ugh yo ur vehicle is not equ ipped wit h an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine f unction, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during norma l vehicle op­
erat ion for diagnostic and repa ir 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 ove r a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a sys tem faul t or o ther
cond ition is sensed by a cont ro l u nit. Some of
the data then stored may re late to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condit ion. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded w ith special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of ve hicle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
o ut of control and he lps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
whee ls, and/or reducing eng ine power and
providing steer ing ass istance to he lp hold the
vehicle o n the dr iver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the inst rument cluster
blinks when ESC is ta king action to help yo u
control the veh icle.
ESC has limitations.
It is importa nt to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under a ll cond it ions you may come up aga inst.
F or example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
s u dden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is sudden ly covered w ith water,
s lush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the ve hicle
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 in terrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring 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.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESC imp roves the
poss ibil ity of keeping the vehi cle under con ­
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu­
vers by using the d river's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
ca uses you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.

188 Intelligent technology
200 kilometers) of normal city driving.
You can compensate for this by pressing
the brake pedal more firmly. This also applies later when new pads are instal­
led .
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lowe r driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- 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 . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near- est authorized Audi dealer or
qualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably 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 steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and 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.
E!"4 Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
ls!'fl Dynamic steering: initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steering* is being reinitialized. Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the ..,..

A WARNING ,~ ~
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full brak ing effect.
([) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
th rough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for you r vehi­
cle to drive th rough safely.
- Avoid dr iving through sa lt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function ­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
11-Always use lead-free gasoline q page 210,
Fuel supply .
"'" Never run the tank down a ll the way to
empty.
11-Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine
q page 220, ~ Adding engine oil .
11-Never try to push -or tow-start your veh icle .
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean­ up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere .
Drivin g and en vironm ent 193
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalytic convert­
er and proper funct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
-
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other mate rial wh ich can
cause a fir e.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or rustp roof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
ve rter or heat shields. During driv ing, the
substance used for undercoating co uld
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fu el w il l already ser iously de­
gra de the performance of the catalytic
c onverte r.
- Do not ex ceed t he cor rect eng ine oil level
qpage 220.
- Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
comple tely empty. The engine co uld m is­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get in to
the exhaust system and th is co uld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat .
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve ­
hicle is moving.
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converte r. T his
cou ld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System:
- H ave you r vehicle maintained prope rly
and in accorda nce w ith the serv ice rec­
ommendat ions in yo ur Warranty &
M ain tenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehi cle w ill impair
the function of the em ission contro l
system and could lead to damage . ..,. •
•

196 Trailer towing
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­
ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system . No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi­
cle be struck from behind
¢ A.
Trailer brakes
If your tra iler is equipped with a braking sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to a ll
regulations . The trailer
hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trai le r.
Trailer lights
T railer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors . It is important
that you
always have clear vis io n to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- If a trailer has electrical brakes please
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory-fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
-
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ A in Driving instructions on page 197.
Engine cooling system
T owing a trailer makes the engine work hard ­
er. It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid . .,..