When should the roof rack be removed?
-Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice).
- When not in use, to reduce fuel consump
tion, wind noise and to guard against theft.
_& WARNING
- Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor
rect mounting of an approved roof rack
can cause the roof rack or the items at
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the road .
- Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and personal injury .
- Only mount the system between the
markings shown in
¢ page 61, fig. 62.
- The roof rack system must be installed
exactly according to the instructions pro
vided.
(D Note
- Your vehicle warranty does not cover any
damages to the vehicle caused by using
roof racks or mounting structures not
approved by Audi for your vehicle. The
same applies to damage resulting from
i ncorrect roof rack installation.
- Always check the roof rack mountings
and hardware before each trip and dur
ing a trip to make sure everything is se
curely tightened.
If necessary, retighten
the mount ings and check the entire sys
tem from time to time.
- After mounting a roof rack system, or
whe n you transport objects on the roof
of your vehicle, the height of the vehicle
is naturally increased. Be careful when
driving under low br idges or in parking
garages for example. This could cause
damage to the load and even the vehicle
i tself .
Seats and storage 61
Mounting locations
The roof rack must be attached only at the
positioning bolts.
Fig. 62 Mounting locat ions for roof rac k
Installation
When installing the feet make sure that they
are pos itioned exact ly on the positioning bolts
provided @ between the side panel and the
upper roof frame ¢
fig. 62. The positioning
bolt is visib le as soon as the lip of the sealing
strip is pushed back from the roof frame with
the tool provided.
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute the loads evenly. Make sure anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down.
.,. Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
evenly.
.,. Always attach items to the roof rack secure-
ly before you drive off .
The maximum permissible roof weight is
165 lb (75 kg). The roof weight is made up of
the weight of the roof rack system and the
weight of the object being transported.
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 spec ified by the manufac-
turer of the roof rack system . ..,.
62 Seats and storage
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fa il
during hard braking or in a collision and
cause se rious personal injury .
- Make sure the roof rack is installed exact
ly as specified above
c> page 61 .
-Always use suitable mounting straps for
sec uring items to the roof rack to help
preve nt items from shift ing o r fly ing for
wa rd.
- Items on the roof rack must always be
se cu rely mo unted.
- The use of a roof rack can negat ive ly af
fect the way a vehicle handles. Ca rgo
that is large, heavy, b ulk y, long o r flat
wi ll h ave a g reater neg ative inf luence on
t he vehicle 's aerodynamics, cen ter of
gravity and overall handling . Always
dr ive slow ly, avoid sudden braking and
maneuvers when transporting cargo on
the roof of your vehicle.
- Never e xceed the maximum permissib le
load carrying capacity of the roof o f your
vehicle, the perm issib le a xle weights and
the permiss ible total weight of your veh i
cle
c> page 238, Weights .
@) For the sake of the environment
As a result of the increased wind resist
ance created by a roof rack , your veh icle is
using fue l unnecessar ily. So remove the
roof rack after using it .
Cup holder
Fig. 63 Cup ho ld er
A WARNING
-Spilled hot liquid can cause an accident
and personal injury .
- Never carry any beverage conta iners with
hot liquids , such as hot coffee o r hot tea,
i n the vehicle while it is moving. In case
of an acc ident, sudden braking or othe r
veh icle movement, hot liquid could spill,
c a using scalding burns. Spilled hot liquid
can also cause an acci dent and personal
i njur y.
- Use o nly soft c ups in the cupholder . H ard
cups and glasses can cause injury in an
accident.
- Never use the cup hol der or adapter as an
ashtray -ris k of fire.
(D Note
Only d rink conta iners with lids should be
ca rr ied in the cuph older. Liquid could spill
out and damage you r vehicles elec tronic
equipmen t or s tain t he upho lstery, etc.
Ashtray
Fig . 64 Center co nsole : a shtr ay
Opening the ashtray
.,. Slide the cover open.
Removing ashtray insert
.,. Press t he re lease b utton c> fig. 64 .
.,. Pull the ashtray insert up and o ut.
To reinstall ashtray
.,. Press the as htray insert back into its ho lder . ..,.
A WARNING ,~
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve
hicle handles. To help reduce the r isk of a
loss of control leading to ser ious personal
injury:
-Always keep in m ind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen
ter of g ravity can also cause changes in
vehicle handling:
- Always distribute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Ax le Weight Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per missible we ight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driv
ing
i:> page 90.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from be ing drawn into the veh icle, always
keep the rear lid closed while dr iving.
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
cl osed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the follow ing notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Sw itch off the air recircu lation,
- Set the fresh ai r fan to the h ighes t
speed .
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows and the rear lid are securely closed
and locked to reduce the risk of injury
when the veh icle is not being used.
Dr iving S afel y 97
-After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get o ut. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let ch ildren play i n or around the
veh icle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be prope rly restra ined in one of
the vehicle 's seating pos it ions .
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale a ir escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel, on the
left side of the luggage compartment. Be sure to keep these s lots free and
open.
- The tire pressure m ust correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom
mended co ld tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
we ight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the t ime it was manufactured .
For recommended tire pressures for nor
ma l load cond itions, please see chapter
i=>page 200.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the t ie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly
c> page 96, Loading the luggage com
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi-
cle w ill become heavy missiles that can cause .,.
•
•
150 Intelligent technology
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 fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "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.
A lthough 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, eng ine function, 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 normal 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 pe riod 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
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, 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 assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in
dicator light
G) 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 wi ll 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 wou ld 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 as at lower
speeds.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to
road , traffi<;: and weather conditions. ESC can
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in
crease the available tract ion, 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
t rol and on the road during 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.
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti- lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys-
tem and anti-slip regu lation (ASR). ESC is .,..
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam
age .
(D Note
Please note that summe r and wi nte r tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic transmission, power steer ing ,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory-installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the rat io o f the height to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re
sponse and better overa ll handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the part of the t ire t hat is made o f
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Tire s an d wheel s 197
typica l in those seasons . Aud i recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
dec rease the e lasticity of summer t ires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer t ires are used i n very co ld tem
peratures, cracks ca n form o n the tread
bars , res ulting in perma nen t tire damage
that can cause loud driving noise and un
bala nced ti re s. Audi i s not respon sible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ress ure recommended by t he
vehicle manufacture r fo r a tire o f a des ignated
s ize t hat has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire press ure
is m easured or adjusted.
Curb weight
me ans the we ight of a motor ve hicle with
st andard equipmen t incl ud ing the max imum
capacity of fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weig ht of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire designed to operate a t higher
loads and at higher inflat ion p ress ures than
the corresponding standar d tire. Extra load
ti res may be ident ified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
me ans the lo ad-ca rry ing capa city of a si ngle
axle system, measured a t the tire -ground in
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicl e. .,.. •
•
198 Tires and wheels
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. You
may not find this informat ion on all tires be
cause it is not req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle .
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diameter of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ
ing elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands o r ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those insta lled
regular production options weighing over 5
lb s. (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory we ight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and special tr im .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumat ic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan
t ia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see <=> page 19 7, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflation pressures than
the cor responding standard tire. Reinf orced
ti res may be identified as "XL" , "xl", "E XTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ich a tire is des igned to
be driven for extended periods of t ime . The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h) ¢
page 208 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi
cates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 212.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects when one or
more of a vehicle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warn ing te ll
tale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the princ ipal
grooves designed to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢
page 206, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
more informat ion on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Admin istration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires . Th e U TQG is not a safety rating and not a
g ua ran tee that a tir e will las t for a prescribed
number of mi les or per form in a certain way.
It simply gives tire buyers additional informa
tion to combine with other considerations,
Tires and wheels 199
such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recom
mendations . Under UTQG, tires are graded by
the tire manufact urers in three areas: tread
wear, traction and temperature resistance .
The UTQG informat ion on the tires, molded in
to the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federa l standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example,
DOT ... 2211 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2011. The other numbers are market
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
tire manufacturer. This information is used to
contact consumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs . (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to
tal seating capacity as listed on the label lo
cated on the driver's side B -pillar .
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (distr ibuted in
accordance with table below¢
page 200)
and dividing by two.
•
•
200 Tires and wheels
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity,
number of occupants Vehicle normal load
, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
of occupants _____ mally loaded vehicle
4 2 2 in fro nt
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling , p erformance and safe ty of a vehicle.
Fi g. 14 2 T ire p ress ure la b el: loca ted on driver's side B·
p ill ar
Tire pressure genera lly refers to the amount
of air in a t ire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the i nterna·
tional measur ing unit and in pou nds pe r
squa re inc h (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
par t on the vehicle's desig n and load limit -
the greatest amoun t of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size . The prop·
er tire pressure is freq uently referred to as the
" recommended cold tire inf lation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire p ressu re is higher when the tire
h as wa rmed up tha n when it is "cold ." It is the
in flat io n pressu re i n a "cold" tire that counts.
Th erefore, you shou ld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tire inflat ion pres
sure" recommendations . The t ires wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail su ddenly .
M ain taining p roper t ire pr essu re is one of the
most im po rt an t th ings you ca n d o to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underin fla ted t ires
a re a ma jo r cause of s udden tire failure. Keep·
i n g tires at the right pressure is also impor
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
-U'>
-
---------------------- ,;
•(=~= I: I::... 1)§ :l!: n-...,....,....,~ ...... ~-...,..., ..... _ ... U ........ ~-·~N.-..-.we..... .... lllt-
-AVANT ...,.
-...... .. _
-KPA. a PSI
- KPA. a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
Fig. 14 3 Tire pr essure labe l
SEE OWNEJICS MANUA1 FOA A,DOITl<>N.IU. INfORMATlON
VOIR L£ MANUll DUPR0ftlET""" P"OUR i-t.US DE RENSEIGMEMENfS
traction, braking and load carrying. Tire pres
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load-carrying capaci
ties approved for your vehicle .
The recommended tire pressures f or y our Audi
depe nd on the kind of tires o n your ve hicle
and the numbe r of passe ngers and/o r amount
of luggage you w ill be t ransporti ng .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv
er 's side B-pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n press ures
for the vehicle at its maximum capac ity
weig ht an d tires t hat were o n your veh icle at
t h e time it was m anufactur ed .
If you wish to improve comfort wh en operat
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 2 occu
pant s), you can ad just tire pre ssure s to tho se
specified for normal vehicle load . Before op
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
mu st increase the ti re pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
~ ,&. .
Bear in min d that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system ca n only moni to r the tire pressures .,.