
196 Child Safety
cir cumstances and the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on and
stay on, immediately install the rear-fac
ing child safety seat in a rear seating po
sit ion and have the airbag system in
spected by your Aud i dealer .
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional
information about ch ild restraint select ion, in
stallat io n and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat
is the one that fits your child and fits in your
vehicle, and that you w ill use correctly and
consistently.
Try before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin
istration
Te l.: 1-888 -327-4236 (TTY : 1-800-424-9153)
http ://www.nhtsa.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
http ://www.safekids.org
Safety BeltSafe U .S.A
Tel.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
http ://www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or call
1-613-998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa area
http ://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
menu .htm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 822 -2834

202 Intelligent technology
iT-ij Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
cont inue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering may also be at an angle when driving
straight.
Drive slow ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
iT-ij Dynamic steering: Initializing
Audi drive select*: if the indicator light blinks
and the driver message appears, the dynamic
steer ing* is reinitialized. Once you sta rt the
engine after this is finished, the steering
wheel will be easy to move. Re-ini tialization
might be necessary if the steering wheel was
moved hard to the left and right while the ve
h icle was not moving . The display turns off if
the initiali zation was successful.
- If the . or
tTij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short time, you may continue
driving.
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
¢
page 197 are not available in the event
of a system malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering* ¢
page 120.
Driving with your
quattro
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
General information
W ith all-wheel dr ive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving sty le and the road
conditions at the time . See also ¢
page 197.
A center different ial distr ibutes the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle . It
works together with se lective wheel torque control, which activates when driving through
curves
r=:>
page 198.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed 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 precaut ions r=;,
,&.
Winter tires
When driving 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 four
wheels.
See also r=;, page 262, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this norma lly also app lies to veh icles
with all-wheel driver=;,
page 263, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths. For deta ils see
page
r=;, page 2 SB, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
A WARNING
-Always adjust your dr iv ing to road and traf-
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in crease in eng ine speed as w ith a front
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at

204 Intelligent technology
If starting capability is jeopa rdized due to en
ergy consumption, the following warning ap
pears in the radio or MMI* display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will
switch off in 3 minutes.
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes. If
you wish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the engine .
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is be ing driven, the battery can be
come discharged . Thi s happens mostly when
little ene rgy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state o f
charge is not optima l.
To bring the energy balance back into equili
brium, consumers which require especially
l arge amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par
ticular require a great dea l of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy balance has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has been increased slightly. This is normal and not
a cause for concern . By increas ing engine idle
speed the add it iona l energy required is gener
ated and the battery is charged.

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not only places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita
ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb
ing bumper system. No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi
cle be struck from behind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking sys
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations .
Trailer towing 213
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations . Be
sure to check with your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, switches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors.
It is important
that you always have clear vision to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trailer has electrical brakes please
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory-fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
- Never install a "weight distributing" or
"load equalizing" trailer hitch on your ve
hicle. The vehicle was not designed for
these kinds of trailer hitches . The hitch
attachment can fail, causing the trailer
to tear loose from the vehicle .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
vehicle, found on the safety compliance
label on the driver's side B-pillar, must
never be exceeded under any circumstan
ces. Exceeding the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating of your vehicle is likely to damage
your vehicle, and such damage will not
be covered by your Limited New Vehicle
Warranty. Exceeding the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating will also change the per
formance and handling characteristics of
your vehicle, which could cause a crash resulting in serious injury or death.
-
•
•

Vehicle care and clean ing
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
vehicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when submitting warranty claims for corro
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care products can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dealer
or a qualified workshop . Read and follow the
instructions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
-Us ing clean ing and care products incor
rectly can be dangerous to your hea lth.
- Always store cleaning and care products
out of reach of children to reduce the risk
of poisoning.
@) For the sake of the environment
-Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
care products with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer that deposits such as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road salt remain on the
vehicle, the more the surface can be dam aged. High temperatures such as those
caused by sunlight increase the corrosive ef
fect.
Before washing, wet heavy deposits w ith plen
ty of water.
Also, wash the underside of your vehicle once road salt stops be ing used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your vehicles with a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instruc
tions provided w ith the pressure washer . Th is
is especially important in regard to the pres
sure and spraying distance. Do not aim the
spray directly at seals on side w indows, doors,
Vehicle care and cleaning 217
the hood, the rear lid or the sunroof* or at
tires, rubber hoses, insulating material, sen sors* or camera lenses* . Keep a distance of at
least 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz
zles.
The water temperature must not be above
140 °F (60 °C) .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the vehicle before washing.
Make sure that the windows and roof* are
closed and the windshield wipers are
off. Fol
low instructions from the car wash operator,
especially if there are accessories attached to
your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the vehicle starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and finger prints are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint.
Apply the product using a microfiber cloth. To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi
crof iber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry . Remove any water residue using a
shammy.
Stubborn deposits such as bi rd droppings or
tree sap are best removed with plenty of wa-
ter and a microfiber cloth.
Ill-
•
•

-Never use abrasive cleaning materials
or alcohol to clean the camera lens.
Th is could cause scratches and cracks .
-Window s
-Remove snow and ice on w indows and
exterior mirrors with a plastic scraper.
To avoid scratches, move the scraper only in one direction and not back and
forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from w in
dows and m irrors using wa rm or hot
wate r because this cou ld cause crac ks
to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any stickers on
the heating wires on the inside of the
w indow .
-Dec or ati ve p arts /trim
-Never use chrome care or cleaning
products.
-Paint
-To reduce the risk of scratches, the ve-
hicle must be free of dirt and dust be
fore polishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish
or wax the veh icle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do
no t polish away rust film .
-Di splay s
-To avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays .
-Controls
- Make sure that no flu ids enter the con-
trols, because this cou ld cause dam
age .
-Safet y belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
t hem.
- Never clean safety belts or their com
ponents chemically or with cor ros ive
fluids or solvents and never a llow
sharp objects to come into contact
with the safety belts . This cou ld cause
damage to the belt webbing.
- If the re is damage to the webb ing, the
connections, the retractors or the buck
les, have them rep laced by an author-
V ehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 221
ized A udi dealer or a qualified work
shop.
- Te xtile s/Vin yl/ Alcant ara
- Never treat Vinyl/Alcantara w ith leath-
er care products, solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or s imilar
p rod ucts.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an authorized Aud i deale r
or a qualif ied workshop.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Objects w ith sharp edges such as zip
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fastene rs, for ex
ample on cloth ing, can damage seat
covers. Make sure hook and loop fas
tene rs a re closed.
- Natural leather
- Neve r treat leather w ith solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
similar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zip·
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- To help prevent the leather from fad
ing, do not leave the vehicle in d irect
sunlight for long per iods of t ime. If
leaving the vehicle parked for long pe
riods of time, you should cover the
leather to protect it from d irect sun
light.
(D Tips
- Insects are easier to remove from paint
that has been freshly waxed.
- Regular waxing can prevent rust film
from forming.
•
•

Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
N
N
;:;;
" 03
"'
Fi g. 202 Eng ine compartment: cover on the brake flu id
reservoir
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lwa ys read and heed all WARN
ING S c:> .&.. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 231 .
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c:> fig. 202, <=> page 233,
fig . 198 .
The brake flu id level must be be
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the
left side
c::> page 2 33 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light (U.S. models:~, Canadian
models: .) will come on
c> page 18 and
c::> page 29 . Do not continue to operate the ve
h icle. The complete brake system should be
thoroughly checked by an authorized Aud i
dealer o r qualified workshop and the cause
corrected.
If the brake fluid level is too low,
the brake warning/indicator light will illum i
nate . Contact an authorized Audi dealer
im
m ediatel y.
Checkin g and fillin g 241
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by on experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also dec rease considerably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservo ir can be d iff icult to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author
i zed
Audi d ealer. Your dealer has t he correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and the know-how
to do this for you .
A WARNING -.
-Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap
propriate brake f luid. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spe cificat ion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 116.
Always check with yo ur authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct bra ke fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake f luid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. Th is cou ld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .

242 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
Be cause of the problem of proper disposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Unde r normal operating conditions, the bat
tery in your A udi does not need any mainte
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the elect ro lyte level checked by an authorized
Aud i dea ler o r qualified workshop . The elec
trolyte leve l sho uld a lso be c hecked each t ime
the battery is c harged ¢
page 244.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a bat tery that is older tha n 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec
tr ica l system fo r safety reasons ¢
& in Re
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 171.
Hybr id d rive *: you can find important i nforma
tion about the high voltage battery under
¢ page 97.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle functions (power w indow regu
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals a re discon nected. These functions have
to be re learned after the ba tte ry term inals a re
connect ed aga in. To prevent this , the battery
should only be d isconnected from the vehicle
e lec tric al sys te m whe n absolu tely necessa ry
for rep airs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If yo u do not dr ive you r vehicle over a pe riod
of severa l days or w eeks, ele ct rical com po
n e nt s are gr adually cu t ba ck o r swi tched off .
T his redu ce s energy consu mp tion and mai n- ta
ins s tart ing c apability over a longer pe riod
¢ page 203.
Take i nto consi deratio n that whe n you unl ock
yo ur vehicle, some conven ien ce f un ctions ,
s u ch as the inte rior ligh ts or the powe r sea t
adjustment, may not be availab le. T he con
venience functions will be avai lab le aga in
when you tu rn on the ign ition and start t he
engine.
Winter operation
Du ring the winte r mon ths, bat tery ca pac ity
tends to dec rease as tem peratures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear wi ndow de
fogger, etc ., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consum ption, pa r
t icu lar ly in city traffic or when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let your authori zed Aud i
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
te ry before winter sets in ¢
page 244. A well
c h arged battery will not on ly preven t starti ng
problems when the wea ther is cold, but w ill
also last lo nger.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the ba ttery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart
me nt under the floor . B efo re you c hec k any
t hi ng in the luggage compartmen t,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ & -
Hybrid dr ive* : yo u can find impo rtant informa
t io n about the h igh vol tage ba tte ry unde r
¢page 97 .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
ing on the v ehicle ba tte ry or the vehicle e lec
t rical sys tem to preven t inju ry .