156 Intellig ent technol ogy
Snow cha in s
Where t ire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll-wheel drive ¢
page 212, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels /t ir es
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must a lways
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t ires
with different tread depths. For details see
page ~
page 207, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off -Ro ad dri ving?
Your Aud i does not have enough ground clear
ance to be used as an off -road veh icle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
¢ page 160.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel dr ive tempt you into
taking extra r isks.
- Although the all-wheel dr ive is very ef
fective, always remember that braking capacity is limited by t ire traction . You
should the refore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road su rfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to s lide on top of the wa ter
(aquaplaning) .
If this should occ ur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in
crease in engine speed as with a front
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con
ditions. -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, the bat
tery is discharged by idling current consumers (e .g. immobilize r). In certa in circumstances it
can resu lt in the re be ing insufficient energy
available to start the engine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi
cl e handles the distribution of e lectr ica l ene r
gy . Start ing ability is ma rkedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy management consists of
b att ery diag nosis, idlin g curre nt manage
m ent
and dynamic en erg y manag em ent .
Battery di agnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current state o f charge and the power of the battery .
Idling current managem ent
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing .
With the ig nition sw itched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electri ca l compo
nents. Da ta from ba ttery diagnos is is cons id
ered.
Depend ing on the batte ry's state of cha rge,
individual cons ume rs a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and th us maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energ y manag ement
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en
ergy ma nagement distr ibutes the energy gen
era ted accord ing to t he needs of the individ u-
al components .
It regula tes consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used ..,.
than is being generated and ensures an optimal state of charge for the battery.
@ Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits o f physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
li mited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, you are
i nformed by a warning
¢ page 157,
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the co ld time
of year. Abundant e lectrica l energy is re
quired, but only a litt le is generated. It is also
cr itical if the engine is not run ning and electri
cal components are turned on. In th is in
stance energy is being consumed but non e is
be ing gene rated.
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat
in g the distribution of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and mai n
tains sta rting capab ility over a longer per iod.
Take into consideration that when you un lock
your ve hicle, some co nvenience functions,
such as the remote key or power seat adjust
ment, may not be available . The convenience
f u nctions w ill be ava ilable again whe n you
turn on the igni tion and star t the eng ine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the eng ine turned off, the battery is being dis
charged .
Intellig ent technolog y 157
If starting capability is jeo pardi zed d ue to en
ergy consumption, a message appears in the
drive r information d isplay .
You have to start t he engine to charge the
batte ry .
With the engine running
Although e lectrical energy is generated when
the ve hicl e is being driven, t he battery can be
c ome disc harged. This happe ns mostly when
li ttle energy is being generated and a g reat
deal consumed and t he battery's sta te of
c h arge is not optimal.
T o b ring the energy b alance b ack into equili
br ium, consumers which requ ire espe cially
la rge amounts of energy a re temporari ly cut
back or switched off . Heating systems in pa r
ticu lar require a great deal of energy. If yo u
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or sw itched
off . These systems w ill be available again as
soon as the ene rgy balance has been restored.
You w ill also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . T hi s is normal and not
a cause for conce rn . By i ncreas ing eng ine id le
speed the additional energy r equired is gene r
ated and the battery is charged.
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ability of the engine to start, this
is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
T his no tificat ion reminds yo u that the star ting
capability of the engine may be lim ited . As
soon as you sta rt dr iving again, the battery
will be recharged and the not ificat ion w ill go
out. •
•
158 Intelligent technology
Driver notification appears and goes out
again
If t his driver notification a ppears after the ig
n ition is turned on or while driv ing and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately rec harged.
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig
ni tion is turned on or while dr iv ing and does
not go out again , the battery's state of charge
i s not i n the optimal rang e. Sta rting abi lity is
r estricte d. Have the bat tery checked as soon
as po ssible by an aut hor ized Audi dealer or
qualif ied wor kshop.
-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic trans-
mission to "P" (Park); put manual trans
mission in Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down . Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool
ant system is pressurized and hot cool ant could spray out .
-Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
-If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
Checking and filling 181
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of automatic trans
mission to "P" (Park); put manual
transmission in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V -belts
or other moving parts, or from contact ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and wear no clothing that will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~,& .
.8, WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- 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 harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam
age to vehicle systems w ill occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu
id s, have your vehicle inspected by an au
thorized Audi dealer . •
•
190 Checking and filling
If the brake fluid level falls considerably b e
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/ indi
cator light (U .S . mode ls:
1111 , Canad ian
model s:. ) will come on
c> page 14 . Do not
continue to ope ra te the vehicle. The comple te
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an author ized Audi dealer or ot her quali
fied fac ility and the cause corrected . If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the b rake war ning/
i ndicator ligh t w ill illuminate. Contact an a u
thor ized A udi dealer
immediatel y.
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by on experi
enced technician.
Brake fl uid abso rbs moist ure from the a ir. If
the wate r content in the b ra ke fluid is too
h igh, cor ros ion in the br ake sys tem may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling point of the
brake fluid wi ll also decrease considerab ly and
decrease braking performanc e.
Therefore, the brake fl uid mus t be changed
every tw o year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DOT 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r can be difficul t to
r each, therefo re , we recommend that yo u
have the brake f luid changed by yo ur autho r
ized
Audi dealer. Your dea ler has the correct
too ls , the right brake f luid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poiso nous . It must be stor
ed only i n the closed orig inal container
o ut o f the reac h of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old o r inap
propriate b rake fluid . Observe these pre
caut ions :
- Use only bra ke fluid that meets SAE
specif ication
J 1 703 and co nforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116 .
Always check with your a uthori zed Audi
dealer to ma ke sure you are using the
correct brake flu id. The correct type of brake flu
id is also ind icate d on the
brake f lu id rese rvoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long. This can seriously affect the effi
c iency of t he brakes as well as your
safety . T his co uld resu lt in a n accide nt.
([) 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 yo ur autho rize d Aud i deale r.
Battery
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with a specia l bat
tery, an
ACM battery. This battery is located
in the luggage compartment and must be re
placed with an origina l equipment battery .
U nder normal opera ting condit ions, the bat
te ry is
maintenance-fr ee .
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for serv ice . You a re well advised to
replace a battery that is o lde r th an 5 years .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window reg u
lators, for example) are lost if the battery te r
mina ls are disconnected . T hese functions have
to be relearned after the battery termina ls are
connected again . T o p revent t his, t he battery
shou ld only be disconne cted from the veh icle
elect ric a l sys tem when abso lutely ne cessary
f or rep air s.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle ove r a period
of seve ral days o r weeks , e lectr ica l compo-
nents a re g radually cut back or switched off.
Ill-
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capability over a longer period
c::>
page 156. Some of the convenience func
tions may not operate, such as the interior
lights or power seat adjustment. The conven
ience functions will be ava ilable again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en
g ine .
Winte r oper ati on
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop. This
i s because more power is also consumed while
start ing, 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 distances . Let your authorized Audi
dealer check the capac ity of the vehicle bat
tery before winte r sets inc::>
page 193. A we ll
charged ba tte ry w ill no t only prevent starting
prob lems when the weathe r is cold, but will
a lso last longer .
Replacing battery
The new battery must have the same capaci
ty, vo ltage ( 12 volts), amperage, cons truction
and p lug sealing, as the origina l ba tte ry. Spec
if ications are listed on the batte ry housing.
Batteries specially developed by A udi fulfill
the maintenance, output, and safety require
ments.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the ig
nition and all electrica l cons umers are switch
ed off c::>
(i).
We recommen d that yo u use ma intenance
free or
cy cle- re sis tant /leak-pr oof batteries
according to the standards TL 825 06 (from
April 2008) and VW 7 SO 73 (from Apri l
2010).
Replacing the batte ry should be carried by a
q ua lified workshop. P lease follow the instruc
tions on the battery cover.
Checkin g and fillin g 191
@ Note
-All work on the battery requires techni
cal know ledge. Please contact an Audi
dealership or another authorized fac ility
for questions about the battery - danger
of ac id burns and exp losion hazard!
- The battery must not be opened! Do not
try to change the battery 's liquid level,
otherwise detonating gas will escape
from the battery - explosion hazard!
- The AGM battery in the luggage com
partment cannot leak, because the elec
t ro lyte for this batte ry is abso rbed into a
special glass mat. This lea k-proof battery
must not be replace with a convent iona l
bat tery.
- Make su re the ventilation hose on t he
side of the ba ttery is connected, othe r
w ise fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
- Batte ry holder and termin als always
have to be sec ured correc tly.
- Before all work on the batte ry follow the
warning s below c::> .&. in Working on the
battery on page
192 .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of proper disposal
of a ba ttery, we recommend your author
i zed Audi dealer change the bat tery fo r
you. Batteries contain sulfuric acid and l ead and must always be disposed of prop
erly in comp liance with a ll environmental
regulat ions. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dangerous to the envi
ro nment. Make sure that the removed bat
tery cannot overbalance, othe rwise sulfu
r ic acid might escape!
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery shou ld be removed and
stored w here it w ill not freeze. This will
p revent it from be ing dam aged and h aving
to be replaced .
•
•
192 Checking and filling
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery!
The battery is located in the luggage compart
ment under the floor. Before you work on or
near the battery,
read and heed all WARN
INGS ~.&. -
Always heed the safety warnings, when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec
tr ical 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
@ -sparks
-flames
-smoking.
When a battery is charged , it produces
hyd rogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
I ~ Always keep the battery well out of
V;!J/ reach of children .
A 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 acid or any lead particles get on
your sk in or cloth ing. Sh ield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury .
- Battery acid contains sulfur ic acid. Sulfu
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
-
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
med ical attention.
- If you shou ld ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, e lectr ic 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
too ls or othe r 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 negat ive ground ca
ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec
tr ical system, switch off the engine and
ignit ion 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 cab le .
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electr ica l 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 exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A
llll-
dischar ged battery can freeze over at
32 °F (0 °C).
- Make sure the vent hose is alw ays attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged .
Danger of explosion! A lways rep lace a
damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Propos ition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories contain lead and lead com pounds , chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer and reproduc
t ive p roblems. Wash ha nds after han
dling .
CD Note
-Do not d isconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
t h e engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage e lectronic components in the
ele ctr ical sy stem.
-If your vehicle is goi ng to stand for a
l ong pe riod of time wit ho ut being d riven,
p rotec t the battery from "freezing ", o th
erwise it will be d amaged and w ill t hen
h ave to be replaced.
Checking the battery acid level on magic
eye batteries*
Th e battery acid level in the batt ery can be
checked through the clear inspection window.
F ig. 140 Lu ggag e co mpart ment : Bat te ry w it h m agi c
eye.
Checkin g and fillin g 193
On top o f the battery , there is a round "win
dow" . This window (magic eye) changes co lor
as the battery charge and ac id leve l change .
.. Read and heed all WARN INGS
c::> .&_ in
Working on the battery on page 192
.. Read the acid level from the window on the
battery c:>fig .140.
Air bubb les in the window can cause an inac
cu rate reading. Carefu lly tap on the s ide of
t h e window .
- If the window is green , the batte ry acid level
is cor rect .
- If the w indow h as
no color or is bright yel
low ,
the batte ry a cid level is too low. Have
the ba ttery tested by your authori zed Audi
dea ler or a qua lified workshop .
- If the window is black , then the ba ttery is
insufficiently charged. Recharge the battery
as soon as possib le
c::> page 193.
CD Note
Do not overfill the bat tery, otherwise b at
tery ac id will ove rflow through the vent
ope ning . This ca n damage the paint and
cause corrosion .
Charging of battery
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
.. Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS be
low
c::> .&. and c::> .&. in Working on the bat
tery on page 192 .
.. Switch off the ignition and a ll electr ical con
sumers .
.. Make sure the area is well ven tilated when
you cha rge the battery .
.. Connect charger cables.
ALWAYS conne ct
charger cable s POSITIVE
G) to POSITIVE
G) ; NEGATIVE Oto NEGATIVE Q .
.. Swit ch o n the charge r .
.. Tu rn off the charger
c::> .&_ .
.. Disconnect the charger cab les.
.. Connect both battery cab les to the battery
if necessary -
first plus, then minus. II>-