268 Check ing and filling
If the brake fluid level falls considerably be
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light (U .S . mode ls:
1111 , Canadian
models: .) will come on
<::> page 19 and
<::> page 32. Do not continue to operate the ve
h icle . The complete brake system should be
thoroughly checked by an authorized Aud i
dea ler or 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 Aud i dealer
im
m ediatel y.
@ Tips
The brake fluid rese rvoir is located unde r
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by on experi
enced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh , corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime. The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid wi ll also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ver y tw o year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DO T 4".
The brake flu id reservo ir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that yo u
have the brake f luid changed by you r author
ized
Audi dea ler. Your dea ler has the correct
too ls, the right brake fluid and the know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor
ed only i n the closed orig inal container
o ut of the reach of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old or inap
propriate b rake fluid. Observe these pre
caut ions: -
Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid . The correct type of
brake f lu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id reservoir.
- T he brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the bra kes ca n cau se a vapo r lock if
the b rake 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. This co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Bra ke fluid will damage the paint of you r
vehicle .
(® For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of p roper disposal
of b ra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
re commend that yo u have the brake fluid
changed by yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler.
Battery
General information
U nder normal ope rat ing cond itions, the bat
tery in yo ur Audi does not need any ma inte
nance. With
high o utside tempe ra tur es or
l ong dai ly drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte level checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop. The elec
trolyte level should also be checked each time
the battery is charged
<::> page 2 70.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your
vehicle in for service. You are well advised to replace a battery that is o lder than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the batte ry is disconnected from the veh icle elec
trical system for safety reasons¢.&
in Re
pair , core and disposal of the airbags on
page 197.
~
Disconne cting the batt ery t erminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicle s not driven fo r lo ng period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer per iod
¢ page 229 .
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your vehicle, some convenience functions,
such as the inter ior lights or the power seat
adjustment, may not be available . The con
ve nience funct ions w ill be available again
when yo u turn on the ignition and start the
engine.
Winter op eration
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as tempe ratures d rop . This
i s because more powe r is also consumed while
start ing, and the headl ights, rea r window de
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, par
ticularly in c ity t raffic or when t rave ling on ly
short d istances. Let you r autho rized Aud i
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winter sets in ¢
page 270. A we ll
charged battery wi ll not only prevent starting
prob lems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
If your vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low temperat ures, the
veh icle battery should be removed and
stored where it will not freeze. This will
prevent it from bei ng damaged and hav ing
to be replaced.
Checkin g and fillin g 269
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located under the driver 's seat.
Before you check anyth ing under the dr iver's
seat,
read and h eed all WARNINGS G &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec
trical system to prevent injury .
The following WARNINGS are ver y
important when working on the batter y:
Alway s heed the following WARN IN G SY M-
BOLS a nd safety p re caution s when working
on the battery .
®
Alway s wear e ye prote ction.
&
Bat te ry acid contains s ulfuric acid. Al-
ways w ear glov es and ey e prot ect ion .
@
No
-spar ks
- flames
- smo kin g.
A
When a batt ery i s charged , it produ ce s
hydro gen g as whi ch i s explo sive and
c o uld cau se pe rsonal injur y.
®
Alw ays k eep th e batt ery w ell out of
reac h of chi ldr en .
.8, WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery ac id or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing . Shield you r eyes .
Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfu
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection.
-
Do no t tilt the ba ttery because acid .,. •
•
2 70 Checking and filling
could leak out of the ventilation
openings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several 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 cables.
- 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,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- 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 negative ground ca
ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec
trical system, switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable .
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis- charged battery can freeze over at 32
°F
(0 oc).
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al
ways replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
-
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories contain lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive problems. Wash hands after han
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of ti me without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fig. 247 E ngin e compart men t: Co nnectors fo r charger
and j umper cab les
Ill>
Always read and heed all WARNING S below
¢ A. and
¢A. in Working on the battery on
page 269.
.,. Turn off the ignit ion and a ll electrical con
s u mers .
.,. Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the battery.
.,. Open the hood¢
page 257.
.,. Open the red cover on the posit ive pole
¢ fig . 247.
.,. Connect the charger connectors accord ing to
the instructions to the
jump start bolt s.
(Bolts unde r the red cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head= "negative") .
.,. Only now pl ug the mains lead for the charg
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on ¢
A_.
.,. Make su re the charging rate i s not o ver
30 arnp s/14.8 Volt.
.,. When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equ ipment
off and remove the
mai ns lead from the wa ll outlet.
.,. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
.,. Close the red cove r on the pos it ive po le.
.,. Close the hood¢
page 257.
A discharged batte ry can fr eez e at tempera
t ures of only O
0C. Allow a frozen batte ry to
thaw comp letely before a ttempting to charge
it ¢& . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery again because the battery cas
ing can be cracked due to ice formation and
can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Ma ximum charging rate
o f 30 amp s/14 .8 Volt)
When charging at low voltages (e.g . w ith a
tric kle charger ), the battery cables do not
h ave to be disconnected first. The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment.
Checkin g and fillin g 2 71
Fast charging the battery (cha rging rate
ab ove 14 .8 V olt s)
For technical reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
~ -
Charging a battery can be dangerous .
-Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu
facturer when charg ing your battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery.
It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen batte ry to thaw out f irst.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ic h were fro
zen. The battery hous ing may have
cracked and weakened when t he battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from open flame or elec
tr ica l spar k. Do not smoke. Hyd rogen gas
genera ted by the battery is explos ive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect c harger cab les
while the charger i s ope rat ing .
- Fast cha rging a batte ry is dange rous and
should only be a ttempted by a compe
tent techn ic ian wi th the p rope r equip
men t.
- Battery acid tha t may spi ll dur ing cha rg
ing should be washe d
off with a solu tion
of wa rm water and baking soda to neu
tralize the acid.
([) Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
star t the engine. This w ill seriously dam
age sens it ive e lectronic com ponen ts, s uch
as contro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the batte ry charger. •
•
272 Ch eck ing and filling
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi
cations and dimensions as the original equip
ment battery.
Intelligen t energy management in your veh i
cle is respons ible for d istributing the e lectr i
cal en ergy throughout your vehicle
¢
page 229. T he intell igent e nergy manage
ment system w ill keep the eng ine battery
cha rged better then vehicles w ithout this sys
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en
ergy is availab le once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi
cations are listed on the battery hous ing . Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the ene rgy management system to enable you
to use the energy management f unct ions co r
rectly after replac ing the battery.
If it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new battery must have the same ca
pac ity, voltage (12 volts), amperage , con
struction and plug seal ing.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the ig
n it ion and all e lectr ica l consumers a re turned
off.
Q;) Note
Make sure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak o ut.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of a battery, we recommend your autho r
i z ed Audi dealer change the ba tte ry for
you. Bat teries con tain s ulfu ric ac id and
lead and m ust always be disposed of prop
erly in compliance with all environmental
reg ulations. Disposing of vehicle batteries
improper ly is very dangerous to the envi
ronment.
Windshield/headlight
washer container
F ig . 24 8 Eng in e compar tment : cover on t he wi nds hield
and headl ig ht* washe r flu id reservoi r
The washer fluid co nta iner is marked w ith the
symbol Won its cap ¢
fig. 248, ¢ page 259,
fig. 241 .
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
alwa ys read and he ed all
W ARNING S
¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 257 .
.. Lift the fille r cap tongue to add washer flu
id. You can fi ll the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the fi ller neck afte r
fi lling the container.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in the table
in
¢ page 315.
Clean water should be used when filling up . If
poss ible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets. A lways add a glass clea ne r
so lution (with frost prote ction in the winter).
0 Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze o r
any other additives to fill up the wind
s hi eld washer rese rvoir.
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 information on all tires be
cause it is no t 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 weight, 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 diamete r of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ
in g elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Tires and wheels 275
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production options we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and spec ial tr im .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan
tia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see ¢ page 2 7 4, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor
re sp onding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire 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.
•
•
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer
gency crews and working personnel who have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Your v ehicl e is e quipped w ith an automatic
tra nsm iss io n. Cons eque ntly, the e ngine
cann ot be started by pus hing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi
cle.
If th e engine shou ld fail to start because of a
d ischarged o r weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another veh icle,
usi ng a
pair of jumper cables to start the en
gine .
Jumper c ables
Use only jumper cab les of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter cur rent safe
l y. Refer to the man ufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated te rm i
na l clamps w hich are d istinctly mar ked:
plus(+ ) cable in mos t ca ses co lore d red
minus(-) cable
i n most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries con tai n elec trici ty, a cid, and gas.
Any o f these c an caus e ve ry ser ious or f atal
injury . Follow the instruc tions below fo r
safe han dling of your veh icle's battery .
- Alw ays s hield y our eyes and a void le an
ing over the batte ry w henever possib le .
Emergency situations 307
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem
pe rat ures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before
connecting a jumpe r cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery c omp lete ly, ot h
e rwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to co ntact eyes
or skin . Fl ush any con tacted area wi th
wat er immediately .
- Imp roper use of a booster battery to
s tart a vehicle may cause an ex plosion.
- Vehicle batter ies generate expl osive gas
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted c iga
rettes away from ba tte ries.
- Do not t ry to jump start a ny ve hicle w it h
a low ac id leve l in the battery.
- The voltage of the booste r battery m ust
also have a 12-Vo lt rat ing. T he capac ity
(Ah) of the booste r batt ery sho uld not b e
lowe r than that of th e discharged bat
t ery. Use o f batt eries of d iffe ren t vol tage
or su bstan tia lly differen t "Ah" rat ing
may cause an exp losion and pers onal in
jury .
- N ever ch arge a fr ozen batt ery. Gas t ra p
pe d in the ice may c ause an ex plosion .
- N ev e r ch arge o r use a batt ery th at h as
been fro zen . Th e batte ry case may have
be weake ned.
- U se o f batter ies of di ffere nt vol tage or
substantially differen t ca pa city (Ah) rat
i ng may cause an exp losion and injury .
T he ca pa c ity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read an d heed a ll
WARNINGS
c::;,page 257.
(D Note
-App lyi ng a hi gher vo ltage booste r ba t
t ery wi ll cause expens ive damage to sen
sit ive e lectronic components, such as
cont ro l units, relays, rad io , etc.
- There must be no electrical c ontact be
tween the vehicles as otherw ise current
co uld already start to f low as soon as t he
posi tive(+) terminals a re con nect ed. ..,. •
•
308 Emergen cy si tuation s
@ Tips
- The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's electrical sys
tem. When jump starting or charging the
battery, never connect the negative
ground cable to the battery negative post because the battery manager sys
tem must be ab le to detect the battery 's
state of cha rge. A lways connect the neg
at ive g round c able to the neg ative
ground post o f the battery manager co n
trol uni t.
Use of jumper cables
Make sure to connect the jumper coble
clomps in exactly the order described below!
Fig. 271 Eng ine compartme nt: Co nnecto rs fo r jumper
cab les and c harger
®
Fi g. 272 Jump starting with the battery of another ve
hicle: A - booste r battery, B - discha rged vehicle battery
The procedure described below for connecting
jumper cables is intended to provide a jump
start for your veh icle.
Vehicle with discharged b attery :
.. Turn
off lights and accessories, move lever
of automatic transmission to N (Neutral) or
P (Park) and set parking brake. Connect POSITIVE(+) to POSITIVE(+
)
(red )
.. Open the red cover on the positive pole
¢fig. 271.
1. Connect one end of the red positive cable
on the
jump start bolt c::;, fig. 2 72 @
(Bolts under red cover = "positive") of the
vehicle to be started @.
2. Connect th e othe r end to the positive ter-
mi na l@ of the booster batte ry @ .
Connect NEGATIVE (-) to NEGATIVE (-)
(black )
3. Connect one end of the b lack negative ca
ble to the negat ive termi na l@ of the
booster ba ttery @.
4 . Connect the othe r end of the black nega
tive cab le to the
jump start bolt@ (Bolts
with hex head= "negative") of the vehicle
to be started @.
Sta rting the engine
.. Start t he engine o f the veh icle w ith the
booste r ba ttery @. Run the engine at a
moderate speed .
.. Start engine with discharged vehicle battery
@ in the usual manner.
.. If the engine fails to start: do not keep the
starter crank ing for lo nger than 10 seconds.
Wait for about 30 seconds an d the n try
again.
"" With engine running, remove j umpe r cab les
from both vehicles in the exact
reverse o r·
de r .
.. Close the red cover on the positive pole .
T he battery is vente d to the outside to p reven t
gases from entering the veh icle inter ior. M ake
s u re that the j umper clamps are well connec t
ed with their
metal ports in full contact with
the battery term inals.
A WARNING
-
To avoid serious persona l injury and dam-
age to the veh icle, h eed all warnings and
i nstructions of the jumper cable ma nufac-
turer. If in doubt , call for road service. ,..