2014 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET battery

154 Airbag system
-Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system .
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace- ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version . Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­ rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for

The all-wheel drive concept is designed fo r
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception ­
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iving charac­
ter istics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice . Always read and follow
safety precautions
c> & .
Winte r tires
When driving in the winter, your ve hicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular t ires. In winter road conditions it may
be adv isable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son t ires) for imp roved driveability and brak­
i ng: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
w heel s.
See also c> page 23 7, Winter tires.
Tire chain s
Where tire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive
c> page 238, Snow
chains.
R eplacing wheel s/tire s
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must a lways
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t ires
with d ifferent tread depths . For details see
page ~
page 233, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Ro ad dri ving ?
Your Audi 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
c> page 187.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions . Do not let the ext ra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-whee l dr ive is very ef­
fective, a lways remember that b raking
capacity is limited by tire traction. Yo u
sho uld therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
Int ellig ent technolog y 185
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If th is should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­ crease in engine speed as w it h a front­
wheel drive veh icle . Always drive at
speeds which are su ited 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 conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers (e .g. immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can resu lt in there being insuffic ient energy
available to start the eng ine .
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of e lectr ica l ener­
gy. Start ing ability is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic ene rgy management .
Batte ry diagnos is
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the batte ry . Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ign ition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­
nents. Data from battery d iagnos is is cons id­
ered .
Depend ing on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned
off .,_ •
•

186 Intelligent technology
to prevent excessive disc harge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic en ergy management
While the vehicle is be ing dr iven , dynamic en­
e rgy management distributes the energy gen­
erated accordi ng to the needs of the individu­
a l components . It reg ulates cons umption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti ­
mal 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, the indi­
cator light(•) appears
¢ page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capabili ty.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
d riving, in city traffic and during the co ld time
of year. Abundant e lectr ica l energy is re ­
qu ired, but only a little is generated. It is also
cr itical if the engine is not run ning and electri­
cal components a re turned on . In th is in ­
stance energy is being consumed but none is be ing generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat ­
ing the distr ib ution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period If yo u do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back o r switched off .
This reduces energy cons umption and mai n­
tains sta rting capab ility over a longer period .
Some of t he conve nien ce f unctions may no t
ope rate, su ch as the in ter io r l ights o r the
power seat ad justment. The convenience
f u nctions will be avai lable again when you
switch on the ignition and start the engine . With the engine turned off
If you
listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
t h e engine t urned off or use other M MI func ­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If s tarti ng capab il ity is jeopardi zed d ue to en­
ergy consumptio n, the following warning ap­
pears in the MM I display:
Pl ea se start the engine soon or the syst em
will be turned off .
The warning indicates that the system will be
tu rned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, yo u
have to sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine running
Althoug h electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being dr iven, the battery can be ­
come discharged. This happe ns mostly when
li ttle energy is being ge ne rated and a g reat
deal consumed and t he ba ttery's state of
c harge is no t opt imal.
To b ring the energy bala nce back into equ ili­
br ium, consumers wh ich requ ire espec ially
lar ge amounts of ene rgy a re temporar ily cut
ba ck or sw itched off. Heat ing systems in p ar­
t icu lar require a great deal of energy . If you
notice, for examp le, that the heated seats * or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off . These systems w ill be available again as
soon as the e nergy 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 concern. By increasing engine id le
speed the additional energy required is ge ner ­
ated and the battery is charged .

-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair
the function of the emission control
system and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free super
grade gaso line.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wou ld like your veh icle to remain inop­
erat ive for a longer period of time, contact an
Aud i or other specialized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e .g. corro­
sion prevention, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to add itional information con­
cerning the battery. Refer to¢
page 217.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle , as well as ex­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your persona l driving style
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can eas ily cut your
fuel cons umption by 10 -15 percent. This sec-
Driving and environment 189
tion wi ll give you some tips on how you can
help the environment and your pocketbook.
(0 Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating .
.,. Avo id unnecessary accelerating and brak ing.
Vehicles use the most fue l when they are ac­
ce lerating. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, accelerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage .
.,. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fue l consump­
tion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed l imit and weather con­
ditions perm it.
•
•

-To reduce the r isk 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 ca re­
fully opening the hood .
- Keep children away from the engine com ­
partment.
- Never spill flu ids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The aux ili­
ary e lectr ic fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the eng ine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressur ized and hot coo l­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot eng ine coolant by placing a
thic k rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any c ircumstances. Th is increases the
risk of bu rns.
- If wo rk on the fuel system or the electri­
cal sys tem is ne cessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames . Fluids in the engine com­
partment co uld start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately ava ilable.
- To avoid electrical s hock and persona l 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 repa ir
with the engine running:
- Fir st, fully apply the parking brake,
move se lector lever of a utomatic trans­
mission to "P" (Park).
Checkin g and fillin g 207
-Always use extreme caut ion to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-be lts
or other moving parts, or from contact­
i ng hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang o r droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to em ission and
chemical hazards
9 .&, .
&_ WARNING
Califo rnia Proposition 65 Wa rni ng:
- Engi ne exhaust, some of its const ituents,
and certa in vehicle components contain
or emit chemi cals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproduc tive harm. In addition,
certain fl uids con tained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemica ls known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com ­
pounds, c hemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc ­
tive harms. Wash hands afte r handling .
(D Note
When adding flu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper conta iner
or f iller 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
i ds, have you r vehicle inspected by an au­
thori zed Audi dealer. •
•

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the pr oblem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop . The elec­
trolyte leve l should also be checked each time
the battery is charged ¢
page 219.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re ­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 1 53.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo­
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢ page 185.
Some o f the conven ience f unctions m ay not
ope rate, su ch as the in ter ior lig hts or t he
Checkin g and fillin g 217
power seat adjus tment. The convenience
funct io ns w ill be available again when yo u
turn o n the ign ition and start the engine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the w inte r mon ths, bat tery capa city
tends to dec rease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogge r, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consumpt ion, pa r­
ticular ly in city traffic or when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur autho rized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before w inter sets in
¢ page 219. A well
charged battery will no t on ly prevent star tin g
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
stored where it will not freeze . This will
p revent it from be ing damaged and having
to be repla ced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t­
ment under the floor . B efo re you che ck any­
thi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,&. .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle batte ry or t he vehicle e lec­
t rical sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BO LS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection.
•
•

218 Check ing and filling
&
Batter y acid contain s sulfuric acid . Al ·
wa ys wear glo ves and eye prote ction .
@
No
- spar ks
- flames
- smoking .
~
When a b attery i s ch arged , it p roduce s
h y d rogen ga s whi ch i s ex plosi ve and
c ould cau se per sonal inju ry.
®
Alwa ys keep the battery well out of
r ea ch of children .
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury , acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
-Always wear eye protection. Do not let battery acid or any lead part icles 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 vent ilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in yo ur eyes or
on your sk in, immediately rinse with
cold water for severa l minutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg -
ative cab les.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
wh ich could lead to damage or explosion
and personal in jury.
-
- 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
trica l system, switch off the engine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
m ust be disconnected .
If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
e nough to swi tc h off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, f irst
d isconnect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive c ab le.
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch­
ed off . Re conne ct the pos it ive cab le first
and then the negative cable. Never inter ­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never cha rge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32°F
(QOC).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the s ide of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways rep lace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chem icals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems . Wash hands after han-
dling.
~

(D Note
-Do not disconnect the ve hicle battery
when the ignition is sw itched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, yo u will
damage e lectronic components in the
electrica l system .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
l ong period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it w ill be damaged and w ill then
have to be replaced .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
batt ery.
F ig. 180 Engin e comp artm ent: Conn ecto rs for char ger
an d jumper cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
c::, &. and c::, &. in Working on the battery on
page
218 .
.,. Turn off t he ignit io n and all electrical con­
s umer s .
.,. Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the bat tery .
.,. Open the engi ne hood
c::, page 2 06.
.,. Open the cove r on the pos it ive pole
¢ fig . 180 .
.,. Co nnect the charger connectors according to
the instructions to the
jump start bolts.
(Bolts under t he cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head = "negative").
.,. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
i ng equipment into the wall outlet a nd turn
i t on
c::, &_ .
.,. Make sure the charging rate i s not over
30 amp s/14 .8 Volt .
Checkin g and fillin g 219
.,. When the bat tery is fully cha rged : Tu rn the
charging equ ipment off and
remove the
mains lead from the wa ll out let .
.,. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equ ipment.
.,. Close the cover on the positive pole .
.,. Close the hood
c::, pag e 206 .
A discha rged bat tery can freeze at tempera­
tures of only 32 °F (0 °C) . Allow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw comp letely before attempting to
cha rge it
c::, .&. . However, we r ecommend not
u sing a thawed batte ry aga in beca use the b at­
te ry casing can be cr acked due to i ce fo rma­
tion an d ca n leak b attery a cid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps/14.8 Volt )
When charging at low vo ltages (e.g. wi th a
trickle charger) , the ba tte ry cables do no t
have to be disco nne cte d fir st. T he bat tery
caps should
not be opened when charg ing a
batte ry .
It is no t necessa ry to remove the b attery from
the luggage compartmen t.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14 .8 Volts)
Fo r tec hni cal re asons do not use a bat tery
c h arger th at uses voltage g reater than
1 4 .8
Volts to c harge yo ur veh icle's battery.
A WARNING
C harging a battery can be dangero us.
-A lways follow t he operati ng instr uctions
provided by the battery charger manu ­
facturer when charging your battery .
- Never cha rge a fro zen battery. It may ex ­
p lode because of gas trapped in the ice .
A llow a frozen battery to thaw out f irst.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ic h were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened w hen the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well venti lated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas
generated by t he battery is explos ive . ..,