
238 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as we ll as the special tools
required and the necessary expertise, 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 drives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa
cility . The electrolyte level should also be
checked each time the battery is charged
<=:> page 240.
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service . You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec
tr ical system for safety reasons
c::> & in Re
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 165.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regu
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this , the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrica l system when absolutely necessary
for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capability over a longer period
c::> page 202. Some of the convenience func
tions may not operate, such as the interior
lights or power seat adjustment. The conven- ience
functions will be available again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en gine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capac ity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop. This
is because more power is a lso consumed whi le
starting, 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
deale r check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winter sets in
c::> page 240 . A well
charged battery will no t only prevent star ting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery should be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
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 check any
thing in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
c::> .&,.
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec
trical 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.

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
tively small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll- important 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 safely han
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspect ing t ires for damage i nclud
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.
A voidin g damage
If you have to d rive over a curb or similar ob
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re
i nstall them .
When removed, the wheels or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 243
New tires
New ti res have to be broken in¢& .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
patte rn.
H idden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified di rection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 271.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in. To reduce the r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles ( 560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
fl ation, cras hes and se riou s personal in
juries . Have worn or damaged t ires re
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

254 Tires and wheels
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed .
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 201.
A 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 loss of control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- 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
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.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 204 Tire specificat ion codes on the s idewall of a
tire
No. Description
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® L oad index and speed rating
(J) 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 spec ially matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..

-Always make sure the transm ission se
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in P (Park position) and the park brake is
applied.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad
versely affect em ission levels. This is det
rimental to the environment and increas
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula
tions when d isposing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo
rate Material -specia l hand ling may ap
ply, see www.dts c.ca .gov/hazardous
waste/perch lorate. When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
a uthorized Audi dea ler is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dea ler perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac
tive and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non-ap proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason,
if parts have to be replaced, please observe
the following points when install ing addition
a l accessories:
Con sumer In formation 287
Approved Audi accesso ries and genuine Audi
parts are available from authorized Audi deal
ers.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly.
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and serious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genu ine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve
hicle .
- Never install accessories such as tele
phone cradles or beverage holders on air
bag covers or within the airbag deploy
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
page 22 7.
(D Note
- If items other than genuine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to spe cified meth
ods, this can result in severe damage to
yo ur vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect your vehi
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
•

_______________________________ I~ n~ d:::: e~x 291
AUTO
automatic climate control ... ... .. .. ..
73
Automatic headlights ............... 44
climate control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Auto Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Automatic belt retractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Automatic climate control
Air vents ... ............. .... .. ....
73
Automatic recirculation ...... .. .. .. .. 74
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Setup . .. ... ...... ............. ... 74
synchron izing ......... ...... .... ... 73
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) .. .. .. .. .. . 110
Automatic transmission ....... .. .. .. . 109
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) .......... 110
Driving .... ................ ... ... 111
Emergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Emergency release ........ .. .. .. .. . 115
Kick-down .. ............. .... .. ... 113
Manual shift program ....... .. .. .. . 113
Selector lever ............... ... ... 109
Automatic wipers .................... 48
Auto Safety Hotline .......... .. .. .. . 138
Average consumption ....... .. .. .. .. .. 25
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
25
Avoid damaging the vehicle .. .. .. .. .. . 206
B
Bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Battery ..... .. ................ .... 238
Charging ... ................ ... ... 240
Important warnings ...... .. .. .. .. . 238
Jump starting ............ .... .. ... 276
Location . .. ............. .... .. ... 238
low ..... ... ...... ............. .. 202
Replacing the battery ....... .. .. .. . 241
State of charge ........... .... .. .. . 202
w· t · 1n er operation ......... .. .. .. .. .
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. .
Before driving .............. ... ... . .
Blended gasoline 238
238
130
218
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 73
Blower (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Booster seats ................ ... ... 184
Brake fluid
Changing the brake fluid ............
237
Checking the brake fluid level ........ 237
What is the correct brake fluid level? .. 237
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? . .............. .
237
Brake system
Anti- lock braking system .............
20
Brake assist system .............. .. 196
Brake booster .. .. ................. 200
Brake fluid ...... .. ..... .......... 237
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re-
placement ...... .. ...............
237
Brake light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Brake pads .. .. .. .... ........... .. 204
Electromechanical parking brake ..... . 79
Fluid reservoir ..... ............... 237
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? . .. .. .. .. .. ...............
200
Warning/indicator lights ........ .. .. . 15
Worn brake pads symbol ............ . 21
braking guard
Settings ... ..... .. ................
93
Braking guard ... .. .... ........... .. . 86
Messages . .. .. .. .. ............... . 93
Break-in period .. .. ... ... ...... ..... 204
Brake pads ...... .. ............... 204
Tires
Bu lbs
C
...... .. .. .. .................
204
275
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 228
Battery specific .. .. .............. . 239
Capacities .... .. .. .... ............. 283
Engine oil ... .. .. ................. 229
Carbon parts
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
215,216
Car carrier
Transporting your vehicle ......... ..
280
Care ....... .. .. .. ... ............ .. 213
Cargo area ........ .. ............... 136
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Catalytic converter . ............. .. .. 205
Center armrest
Cockpit ... .. .. .. .. . .. .... ........ .
56
Central locking . ..... ................ 34
Emergency locking .... ......... .. .. . 38
•
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