156 Airbag system
-in rol lovers.
I n s ome types of acc idents the front a irbags,
side curtain a irbags and side ai rbags may be
tr iggered together.
A WARNING
- Sa fety belts and the airbag system will
only prov ide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢ page 156 .
-If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your autho rized Aud i dea ler . It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not i nflate
when it should.
How supplemental s ide airbags work
-
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 139 Infla ted side a irbags o n left side of ve hicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
fi lled wit h propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG". It exp ands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In order to help prov ide
this additional protection, the side a irbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
ve ry hig h speed and with great fo rce . The sup
p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
se ating position is no t proper or upr ight or if
item s are located in the area where the sup
p lemental side a irbag expands. This app lies
especia lly to childre n
¢ page 161, Child Safe
ty.
Supplementa l side airbags inflate betw een the occ
upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col
lis ion ¢
fig. 139.
Although they are not a soft pi llow , they can
"cushion" the im pact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part o f the body .
A fine d ust may deve lop when the ai rbag de
ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al
ways properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a
proper seating posi tion .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro
vide supplementa l protect ion.
A WARNING
An i nflat ing s ide a irbag can cause serious
or fata l injury . Improperly wearing safety
be lts and imp roper seating pos itions in
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and dea th whenever a vehicle is being
use d.
- In order to red uce the risk of i njury when
the supplemental side airbag infla tes:
- Always sit in an upright posit ion and
never lean aga inst the a rea whe re the
suppleme nta l side airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where the supplementa l
s ide airbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety be lts a re
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
- Always make sure that the s ide airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence .
@ Tips
It may take longer to start the engine
when the outside temperature is very cold.
If possible, use winterized fuel if tempera
tures are below freezing.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIE R
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the officia l
website (www.toptiergas .com) .
Afte r an extended pe riod of using inadequate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CD Note
- Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel additive
products to your fuel tank.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the r ight rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can sti ll open the flap manually - for detailed
instructions see
c:> page 205.
You can find the fue l tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
c:> page262.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 203
The label on the inside of the fuel fi lier f lap
te lls you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c:> page 201.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refue l
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
proper ly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con
tainers, fu ll or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al
ways observe local and state laws regard
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 - 86).
CD Note
Never drive your veh icle until the fuel tank
i s completely empty. The irregu la r supply
of fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline cou ld
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter.
•
•
222 Tire s and wheel s
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-impo rtant contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls includ ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the ti res .
Inspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on r ims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims. New tire
s
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar
rows on the s id ewa ll, that po int in the direc
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified d irection of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 249.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
also be broken-in. To reduce t he risk of
losing control, a collision and se rious
pe rsonal injuries, drive w it h specia l care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de
fl ation, c rashes and seriou s personal in
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re
p laced immediate ly .
- T ires age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
All wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
~page 185 .
.8_ WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and toss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you 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.
Tires and wheels 233
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 172 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
@ Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
0 U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specialty matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.