Mirrors
Adjusting the exterior mirrors
Fig. 48 Forw ar d section of driver's armrest: powe r m ir
r or co nt rols
Turn the knob to the desi red position :
Q/P -In th is position, you can adjust the
driver's and front passenger's exter ior mir rors
by turn ing the knob in t he des ired direction .
® -The m irrors are heated depending on the
out side temperature .
8 -The exterior mirrors fold in *
You are well-advised to fold the exterior m ir
r ors in when maneuveri ng in tight spaces or
when leaving the car parked close to other
ve hicles .
A WARNING
- Curved ( i.e. convex) mirror s urfaces in
crease your field of view. Remember that
vehicles or other objects will appear
smaller and fa rther away than when seen
in a flat m irror .
If you use this mirro r to
est imate distances of following vehicles
whe n changing lanes, you cou ld es tim ate
incorrectly and cause an accident.
(D Note
- If the mirro r hous ing is moved un inten
tiona lly (fo r example, while park ing your
vehicle), then you must firs t fold t he mir
ror electrica lly. Do not readjus t the m ir
ror ho using manua lly. You could damage
the motor which controls the mirror.
- If you wash the ve hicle in an au tomati c
ca r wash, yo u m ust fold the exterior mir-
-
Clear vi sion 4 7
rors in to reduce the risk of damage to
the mirro rs . Never fo ld powe r fo lding ex
terior m irrors* by hand. Only fo ld them
in and o ut using the power controls.
@ Tips
If there sho uld be a ma lf u nction in the
e lectr ica l system, you can sti ll adjust the
exterior mirrors by pressing the edge of
the m irror.
Dimming the mirrors
Fi g. 4 9 Auto matic dimming re arv iew m irro r*
Manual anti -glare adjustment
.,. Move the small leve r (located on the bot
tom edge o f the mirror) to the rear .
Automatically dimming mirrors*
"' To dim the rearview m irror and both exteri
or m irrors, press the@ button . The diode
@ turns on. The rearview and ex terior m ir
rors dim automatically when light shines on
them, for examp le from headlights on ave
hicle to the rear .
A WARNING
= -
Electrolyte fluid can leak from automatic
d imm ing mirrors if the glass is broken.
Electro lyte fluid can irr itate skin , eyes and
respira to ry system .
- Repeated or prolonged exposure to e lec
trolyte can cause irritation to the respira
to ry system, especially among people
wit h asthma or other resp irato ry condi
t ions. Get fresh air immediately by leav
ing the vehicle o r, if th at is no t possib le,
open w indows and doors a ll the way.
~
come back a while later and drive off, the rain
sensor will reactivate itself after the vehicle
speed has exceeded 4 mph (6 km/h).
The rain sensor* is only activated with the
wiper lever set to position(!). When it starts
to rain, the rain sensor will automatically acti
vate the intermittent wiping mode.
To reduce the sensitivity of the sensor, move
switch @ down. To increase the sensitivity,
move the switch up. The higher you adjust the
sensitivity, the faster the sensor will react
when it senses moisture on the windshield. The pauses between wiper turns depend not
only on the sensitivity setting, but on the ve
hicle speed as well.
During brief stops, e.g . at a red light, wiper
motion will automatically be reduced to the
next lower speed . Wipers already turning at
low speed change to intermittent wiping.
When the ignition is turned on, the washer
jets are heated .
A WARNING
-Wiper blades are crucial for safe driving!
Only when they are in good condition are
they able to clear the windows properly
to provide uncompromising visibility.
Worn or damaged wiper blades are a
safety hazard
r=;, page 51, Replacing
windshield wiper blades!
- The light/rain sensor* is only designed to
assist and support the driver.
It remains
entirely the driver's responsibility to
monitor outside weather conditions and
to manually activate the wipers as soon
as rain or drizzle reduces visibility
through the windshield.
- The windshield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can in
crease glare under poor visibility condi
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon. In addi
tion, they can cause the windshield wip
ers to chatter.
Clear vision 49
@ Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
- Always check that the wiper blades are
not frozen to the glass before you turn
the wipers on. Loosen a wiper blade
which is frozen in place before operating
the wipers to prevent damage to the
wiper blade or the wiper motor.
- Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted
window. Using the wipers as a conven ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades .
- Before you take your vehicle to an auto
matic car wash, make sure you have the
windshield wiper system switched off (lever in position
0), otherwise the wind
shield wiper system could get damaged
in the car wash if it should suddenly
come on.
@ Tips
-The windshield wipers are switched off
when the ignition is turned off. Activate
the windshield wipers after the ignition
is switched back on by moving the wind
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades
cause smearing, which can affect the op
eration of the light/rain sensor*. Check
the condition of your windshield wiper
blades regularly.
-The rain sensor is part of the interval
wiping system. Turning off the ignition
will also deactivate the rain sensor. To re
activate the sensor, switch off the inter
val wiping function, then switch it back
on again.
-Applies to vehicles with light/rain sen
sor: When the wipers are switched on
manually and in rain conditions, the au
tomatic headlights* turn on
r=;, page 42,
Switching the headlights on and off
or
off during the day when the wipers are
no longer operating. The automatic
headlights* function is available in this
case only when the light switch is in the
"AUTO" position¢
page 42, fig. 39.
72 On the road
you leave your veh icle . This makes a vehicle
theft even more difficult ¢ .&. .
Ignition ke y saf ety lock
After swi tching off the ignition, the ig nit ion
key can on ly be removed from the ign it ion
lock when the se lector lever is in the "P"
(Park) position . After you have removed the
key, the selector lever is locked and cannot be
moved.
Ignition on @
If it is diffic ult to turn the key after you have
inserted it into the ignition lock, turn the
steering wheel back and forth. This will take
the load
off the steering lock mechanism and
you will be able to turn the key freely and
start the engine.
Starting the engine @
In this position the engine starts . While the
engine is starting, the power supply to the headlights and other e lectrica l consumers is
temporari ly interrupted to conserve battery
power. After the engine has started, release
the key and it will return to posit ion
(D .
Before the starter can be operated again the
key must be turned back to position @. The
non -repeat loc k prevents you from damaging
the starter when the engine is runn ing .
A WARNING
-Never remove the key from the ign ition
lock whi le the vehicle is moving. The
steeri ng wheel will lock causing loss of
c ontrol.
- If you have to leave your vehicle -even
for just a m inute -always remove t he ig
nition key and take it with you. This is es
pecially important if you a re going to
leave ch ildren behind in the vehicle. The
children co uld start the engine or use
other vehicle controls. Unsupervised use
of vehicle controls (for examp le, power
windows) can cause serious personal in
jur ies .
(!) Tips
If the vehicle battery has been disconnect
ed and then reconnected, then you must
l eave the key in position
(D for about 5
seconds before you can start the engine.
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with an origi
nal Audi key.
.,. Set the park ing brake.
.,. Move the se lector lever to the neutral posi
tion (automatic transmission): selector lever
in
P or N) ¢ .&_ .
.,. On vehicles with manua l transmission, fully
depress the clutch pedal.
.,. Turn the ignition key to pos it ion @
¢ page 71, fig . 71 -do not depress the gas
pedal when starting the engine!
.,. Let go of the key as soon as the engine
starts.
A cold engine may at first be loud after it has
been sta rted. This is due to the hydrau lic
valves bu ild ing up the oil pressure. This nor
mal and no need for co nce rn .
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
trying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the engine abou t 30 seconds late r.
A WARNING
Neve r star t or let the eng ine run in a con
f ined or enclosed area . Exhaust fumes
from the engine contain carbon monoxide,
a colorless and odor less gas . Ca rbon mon
oxide can be fatal if inhaled.
- Never leave the engine id ling unattend
ed. An unattended veh icle w ith a runn ing
engine poses a danger of personal injury
or theft.
The park lock must only be engaged with the
vehicle
stationary c::> &.
To engage P and to remove the lever from th is
position, you must depress the release b utton
(button in the selector lever handle)
and si
multaneously you must step on the brake
pedal.
R · re verse
I n th is position, reverse is engaged.
Reverse gear must only be engaged with the
veh icle
stationary and the eng ine runn ing at
id le speed
c::> ,&. .
To engage R, you have to depress the release
button
and s imultaneously step on the brake
pedal. In the R position, the back-up lights il
lum inate with the ign ition on.
N • N eutra l
The transmission is in neutral in this position .
D -Norm al p osi tion f or d riving forwa rd
In this position, the forward gears are auto matica lly shifted up and down, depending on
engine load and vehicle speed.
To engage D from N, the brake peda l must be
depressed at speeds be low 5 km/h or when
the vehicle is stationary
c::> & .
In certain circumstances (driving in the moun
tains for examp le) it can be beneficial to
switch temporarily to the manua l shift pro
gram
c::> page 84 in order to adjust the gear
ratios to driving cond itions
manually.
S -Sport setting
The 5 se tt ing shou ld be selected for spor ty
d riving . The power reserves of the engine can
be fu lly exp loited through later upshifts.
To engage S from N, the brake pedal must be depressed at speeds be low 5 km/h or when
the vehicle is stationary
c::> & .
Tra n sm iss io n 81
A WARNING
- Never p lace the selector lever in the R or
P posit ion while the veh icle is moving -
risk of an accident!
- With the engine running, it is necessary
to hold the vehicle with the foot brake in all selector lever positions (except P and N), because even at idle speed the trans
fe r of power is never completely inter
rupted -the vehicle " creeps". If the vehi
cle is stationary and the transmission is
engaged, the engine should never be
speeded up unintentionally (e .g. manual
ly from under the hood). Otherwise the
veh icle w ill immediately start to move -
sometimes even if the park ing brake is
firmly applied - risk of an accident!
- Before you or other persons open the
hood and work on a running engine, the
selecto r lever must be moved to P and
the park ing brake applied f irmly - risk of
an accident! Follow the wa rning sticke rs
c::> page 174, Engine compartment.
(D Tips
If yo u have inadvertently shifted into N
while the vehicle is moving, you shou ld re
move you r foot from the accelerator and
wait unt il the engine speed has dropped to
idle before shifting back to Dor 5 .
Selector lever lock
Applies to veh icl es: w ith S tronic
The selector lever lock prevents a gear from
being engaged accidentally and unintention
ally setting the vehicle in mo tion.
F ig. 81 Selector lever locks
The warning light. in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is switched on as a
reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi
tion, you w ill hear a warning tone for a certain
period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belts.
A WARNING
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to reduce the risk of se
rious injury and death in automob ile acci
dents. For your protect ion and that of
yo ur passengers, always correctly wear
sa fety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Failure to pay attention to the warning
ligh t that come on, could lead to person
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles.
Fig. 95 Unb elted occupa nts in a vehicle head ing for a
wall
Fig. 96 T he ve hicle crashes into the wall.
Safety belts 101
The physical principles are simple . Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which var ies with vehicle speed and body
weight. Engineers call this energy "kinetic en
ergy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's we ight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the occupants in this vehicl e are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 95, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving just before the crash, until someth ing
stops them - here, the wall¢
fig. 96.
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal coll ision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or
more . At higher speeds, these forces are even
greater.
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle . In a frontal colli
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was travell ing just before
the crash . Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col
lisions .
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near est Aud i dealer or qualified 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 brake 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
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
The degree of power assist is electronically
matched to vehicle speed.
The power steer ing system ass ists the driver
so that he can stee r the veh icle w ith red uced
phys ica l effort.
Power steering w ill not work if the engine is
off. As a result, the steering wheel w ill be hard
to turn.
& WARNING
If the system develops a prob lem, you
must seek qualified professional assis
tance.
(D Note
-
If there is an electronic malfunct ion, ser
votronic
wi ll sti ll function like a conven
tional power steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
longer proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeable when turning the
steer ing wheel at low speeds (for example
when parking), -more effort will be re
quired than usual.
Int ellig ent technolog y 155
-Be aware of the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set right
by an authorized Audi dea ler as soon as
possible.
- If a steering malfunction occurs, this is
signaled with the,~ , or .• indicator
lights and a warn ing tone, see.
(D Tips
- If the power steering system sho uld fail,
or if the engine is not running (for exam
ple, while being towed), you will still be
able to steer the vehicle. However, more
effort will be required to do so.
- If the power steering system is not func
tioning properly, contact your authorized
Audi dealer immediately.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles : wit h all -w hee l d rive
With oil -wheel drive, oil four wheels ore driv
en.
General information
With a ll-wheel drive, power is distr ibuted to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depend ing on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time. See also
c::> page 1 SO.
The all-whee l dr ive concept is des igned for
high eng ine power. Your veh icle is except ion
ally powerfu l and has excellent driving charac
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions
c::> &. .
Winter tires
When dr iving in the winter, your vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea
son tires) for improved driveability and brak
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all fou r
wheels. See also c::> page 211, Winter tires. ..,_
•
•
162 Driving and en vironm ent
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driv
ing the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il
road crossings, or at traff ic lights that have
l ong wa its on red . Turning the engine off fo r
just 30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned starti ng the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . However , wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high RPMs whi le the engine
is sti ll warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights shou ld come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
... Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi dealer helps to ensure that it runs prop
erly and economica lly. The cond it ion of yo ur
vehicle not only affects its safety and ab ility to
hold its value, it also affects
fuel con sump
tion .
Check you r oil ea ch time you fill you r tan k.
The amount o f oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It i s normal fo r the oil consump tion of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been d riven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometres) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en
gine o utput.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in acco rdance with the service rec
ommendations in your Wa rranty
& Main
t enance boo klet . Lack of p roper ma inte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
emission contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved
by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat sh ie lds, switches, ignit ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driv ing short distances w ith a
cold engine .
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal
operat ing temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and nox ious emis
s ions effectively .
- Ju st after starting, a cold engine in a mid
size car burns the fue l at a poor rate of 6-8
m iles per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). Half a
m ile down the road, the mileage improves
to 12 MPG (20 l/100 km). It w ill take the
ll>
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash. However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de
sig n of the fac ility, the filtering of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
If the paint has a dull appearance afte r go ing
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a ca r wash, be s ure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows. Remove antenna if applicable .
If you have installed additional accessories on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, e tc. -it is best to
ask the car wash operator i f these should be
removed .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information ¢
page 164.
(D Note
- Fold the exterior mirrors -flat the re is a
risk of damaging the exterio r mirrors .
Power folding exterior mi rrors must not
be fo lded in or out by hand. Use the pow
er function!
- Compare the track of your vehicle w ith
the d istance between the guide ra ils of
the facility- there is a risk of damage to
the wheels and tires .
- Compare the width of your vehicle wit h
the width of the tu nnel at the fac ility.
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi
cle by hand.
~ Befo re you start washing, make sure you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
¢ A in General informa tion on page 164 .
Cleaning and protec tion 165
~ First soak all dried d irt unt il it is soft, then
rinse it off.
~ As you clean yo ur vehicle, start w it h the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge g love or a clean
brush .
~ Rinse the sponge o r the sponge glove often,
flushi ng it clean each time.
~ Use spec ia l car shampoo only fo r very per
sisten t dirt.
~ Rinse the car thoroughly wit h water.
~ Use a chamois leather to gent ly wipe the ex -
terior dry .
U se a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls, door s ills and other regions exposed
to road dirt. In this way, yo u wi ll not scratch
the paint wit h coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car.
A WARNING
- Wash your vehicle only when the ignition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
crash .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 164.
(D Note
-Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the veh icle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, s ince this
cou ld scratch your vehicle's paint or win
dows .
- Never wash your car in bright sun light.
Drops of wate r act as mag nifying lenses
and may damage yo ur paint .
- Whe n you wash your car in the winter: if
you rinse yo ur vehicle with a hose, be
c ar efu l not to aim the stream of water
directly at locks, or at doo r or hatch
openi ngs -they can free ze sh ut.
- Never use sponges designed to
remove
insec ts, or any k itche n sco uring sponges
or s imil ar p rod ucts. They can damage
your paint finish .
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths o r
•
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