
186 Child Saf ety
Re le asin g th e tethe r str ap
.. Loosen the tension following the child re
stra int manufacturer's instructions .
.. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re
lease it from the anchorage .
([) Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly insta lled for several
days, this cou ld leave a mark on the up
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in
stalled . The upholstery wou ld a lso be per
manently stretched around the tethe r
strap. Th is applies especially to leather
seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint sys
tems come with a tether. P lease read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the fron t airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag wi ll hit the child
sa fety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating posit ion and
have t he a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
T he re a re a number o f sources of add itiona l
information about child rest raint selection, in
sta llation and use:
N HT SA advises that the best ch ild safety seat
is the one that fits your chi ld and fits in you r
vehicle, and that yo u will use correct ly and
consistently .
T ry before yo u buy!
U.S Nationa l Highw ay Traffic Safet y Admin
i s tration
T el.: 1-888-3 27-4236 (TIY: 1-800-424-91S3)
www.nhtsa.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campa ign
T el.: (202) 662-0600
www.safe kids.o rg
Saf ety Belt Saf e U.S .A
Tel.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
T el.: (800) 747-SANO (Span ish)
www.carseat .org
Transport Canad a In formation C entre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or call
1-613-998-86 16 if you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/ roadsafety/
men u.h tm
Audi Cu stom er R elation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834

Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
App lies to veh icles: with Audi p re se nse
Audi pre sense can initiate steps to help pro
tect vehicle occupants in certain situations.
The funct ions descr ibed depend on equipment
installed in your vehicle:
Audi pre sense basic*
The following functions can be triggered in
certain driving situations:
- Tightening of the safety belts (for example,
during heavy braking) : the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensioners. If a colli
sion does not occur, the safety belts loosen
slightly and are ready to be tightened again.
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* : the
windows and the sunroof* close leaving a
small open gap .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be trig
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Vehicles with Audi drive select*: the deploy
ment time is adapted in Dynamic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with
adaptive cruise control*)
Audi pre sense front includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, within the limits of the system, the likelihood of a colli
sion with the vehicle immediately ahead is al
so calculated . If the system senses an immi
nent collision the following functions can be
tr iggered:
- Braking guard
¢ page 87
-Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* ( leav-
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with Audi
side assist*)
Audi pre sense rear includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, the likeli
hood of a rear-end col lision with the vehicle
coming from behind is also calculated. If the
Audi pre sense 187
risk of a collision is detected, the following
functions can be triggered:
- Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav-
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense plus*
Audi pre sense plus includes the functions in
Audi pre sense front and Aud i pre sense rear .
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not avail
able. See your authorized Audi dealer immedi
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
-=
Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws
of physics. It cannot prevent a collision. Do
not let the increased safety provided
tempt you to take risks . This will increase
the risk of a coll is ion and serious personal
injuries .
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob jects. This increases the risk of a colli
s10n .
- Aud i pre sense does not detect people or
an imals or objects that are crossing the
veh icle's path
¢page 81.
-The radar sensor's v is ion can be reduced
by heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road spray
and reflections from guard rails, tunnel
entrances, etc. These and similar condi
tions can prevent vehicles from being ac
curately detected and in some cases they may not be detected at all.
Q) Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. This can affect the function of
the Audi pre sense system. Have your au
thorized Audi dealer check to make sure
that the system is working properly.
•
•

-You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the indicator ligh t
DJ or flB (USA
models) @ (Canada models) appears,
Switching on and off
Intelligen t technolog y 191
there may be a malfunc tion c> page 19,
c> page 18 .
ESC turns on automatically when you s tart the engine .
Fig. 180 Cente r con sole,.$ OFF b utto n
The ESC is des igned to function in levels . De
pend ing on the leve l that is selected, the sta-
ESC l evels
bilization funct ion of the ESC is lim ited or
swi tched off . The amoun t of s tabilization con
tro l will d iffer depending on the level.
T he following situat ions are exceptions where
it may be usefu l to switch on sport mode to
allow the w heels to spi n:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow chains
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASRon
Behavior
T he ESC and ASR stabili za- The stabili zation function The fu ll stabili zation f unc -
tion funct ions are lim ited is not ava ilable
c> & . ESC tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ & . and ASR are sw itched off. available agai n.
Operati on Press the I~ O FF I button Press and hold the 1-~ O FFI Press the 1-~ O FF I button
briefly. button longer than 3 sec-again .
o nds.
Ind ic a to r I turns on . I and ifil•)H turn on . II turns off or II and
light s If i4•)ii turn off.
Dr iver mes- Stab ilization control Stabilization control Stabilization control
s ages (
ESC ): Spo rt. Warning! (ESC ): Off. Warning! Re· (ESC) : On
Reduced stabil ity duc ed stab ility
A WARNING
.
You should only sw itch sport mode on o r
switch ESC/ASR off if your drivi ng ab il ities
and road condi tions perm it. -
There is no vehicle stabilization when
ESC/ASR are switched off .
@ Tips
-The s tabilization func tion is limited
w he n spor t mode is sw itched on . The
dr iv ing whee ls cou ld spin and the vehicle
cou ld swe rve, especially on slick or slip
pery road surfaces. -
ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or sport
mode cannot be switched on when adap·
tive cruise control* is switched on .
-If the rear spoiler system malfunctions,
sport mode may not switch on o r it may
switch off again automatically .

192 Intelligent technology
Rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling
and enhances driver control.
Fig. 181 Center console: Switch for rear spo iler
The rear spoiler deploys and retracts. Spoiler
operation can be set for automatic or manual
operat ion.
Automatic mode (normal operation)
-Automatic deployment: At a speed of about
80 mph (130 km/h), the rear spoiler deploys
automatically.
- Automatic retraction: When speed drops be
low about SO mph (80 km/h), the rear spoil
er retracts automatically.
Manual mode
- Manual deployment: Tapping briefly on the
switch
c:> fig. 181 deploys the rear spoiler .
- Manual retraction: At speeds up to about
10 mph (20 km/h), retract the rear spoiler
by pressing and holding the switch
c:> fig. 181 . At speeds between 10 mph (20
km/h) and 80 mph (130 km/h), retract the
rear spoiler by tapping on the switch
<=?fig. 181.
Indicator lights
I§!/. Rear spoiler: system malfunction!
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to
a malfunction. This could change the vehicle's
driving characteristics at high speeds. Do not
exceed 85 mph (140 km/h). Drive to your au
thorized Audi dealer immed iately to have the
malfunction corrected . The co lor of the indica
tor light depends on the veh icle speed.
A WARNING
-Driving at higher speeds without the rear
spoiler deployed can impair handling char
acteristics, making the vehicle harder to
control.
-Always make sure that the spo iler is de
p loyed when driving at speeds over
85 mph (140 km/h) . If the rear spoiler
warn ing/ indicator light in the instru
ment cluster comes on, the rear spoiler
may not have deployed.
- Never drive at speeds higher than
85 mph (140 km/h) if the spoiler is not
deployed. Have the spoiler inspected as
soon as possible by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
- Always obey speed limits and other traf
fic laws.
A WARNING
Improper operation of the rear spoi ler can
cause crushing injuries.
- Always make sure that nobody, especially
children, is in the way when the rear
spoiler is deployed or retracted.
(D Note
- Never push the vehicle or apply force to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
- Only operate the rear spoiler manua lly
when the rear lid is closed . Otherwise,
damage could occur.
(I} Tips
Clean the spoiler compartment every 2 to
3 months. The spoiler compartment must
always be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.

194 Intelligent technology
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice ca n
accumulate on the brake pads, linings ,
discs and d rums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test . B rakes wi ll dry a nd ice coat
ings will be cleaned off after a few c are
f ul brake app lications .
- Driv ing fo r an ex tende d pe riod of time on
salt-covere d roads w ithout us ing yo ur
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system .
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability res ulting in an in
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to t he near
est Au di dea le r o r q ualified w ork sh o p.
- Never let the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
the e ngine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
bra ke pedal must be p ressed conside ra
bly harder to make up for the la ck of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Stop the vehicle
If this indicato r light turns on and stays on
and t his message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
D o
not con tinue dr iv ing . See your author ized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
'I-lj Steering: Sy stem fault You can continue
driving
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes
sage appea rs, the stee ring may be more diffi
cul t to move o r more sens itive th an usua l. The
stee ring wheel may a lso be at an ang le when
driving straight .
D rive slowly to you r authorized Aud i dea le r or
qualified wo rkshop to have the ma lf u nct ion
corre cted.
(:rij Dynamic st eering: Initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica
tor light is f lashing on the instrument panel,
dynam ic steer ing* is being rei nitia lized . Afte r
sta rting the engine, the stee ring wheel will
move s ligh tly. Re- ini tiali zation mig ht be ne c
essa ry if the stee ring wheel w as moved h ard
to the left and r ight wh ile the vehicle was not
moving . The display goes out as soon as initi
alization is complete.
D rive slowly to you r authorized Audi de aler or
qualified wo rkshop to have the ma lf u nct ion
corrected.
_& WARNING
Have t he dynamic stee ring * system mal
f u nction repa ired as soon as possible by an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or qua lified wor k
shop - risk of acc ident !
(D Tips
If the . or (:rij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short time, yo u may continue driv
i ng.
- The dynamic steering * stab ility systems
are not avai lab le in the event of a system
ma lf u nction.
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steering *, refer to
c> page 96.

196 Intelligent technology
Basically, energy management consists o f
battery diagnosis, idling current manage
ment
and dynamic energy man agement.
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously dete rm ines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
I dling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy s upply to the various e lectrica l compo
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid
ered.
D epending on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excess ive discharge of the battery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being dr iven, dynamic en
ergy management distributes the energy gen
erated according to the needs of the individu
a l components. It regu lates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti mal state of charge for the battery.
(D) Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited .
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi
cator light (•) appears ¢
page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the co ld time
of year. Abu ndant electrical energy is re- quired, but on
ly a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engine is not running and electri
ca l components are turned on. In this in
stance energy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precise ly these situations that you will
notice energy management active ly regu lat
ing the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectrica l compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior l ights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
funct ions will be available again when you
switch on the ignition and start the eng ine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
the engine turned off or use other MMI func
tions, the battery is be ing discharged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en
ergy consumption, the following warning ap
pears in the MMI display:
Please start the engine soon or the system
will be turned off.
The warning indicates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the eng ine.
With the engine running
Although e lectrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be
come discharged. This happens mostly when
little energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not opt imal.
To bring the energy ba lance back into equili
brium, consumers which requ ire espec ially
large amounts of energy are temporar ily cut
back or sw itched off. Heating systems in .,.

Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam
aged.
T his is especially true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis) * and fully load
ed veh icles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any h igher than the
bottom of the veh icle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
..&, WARNING
After driving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
- Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectrical
system can be severely damaged by driv ing through water.
- Check the depth o f the water before driv
ing through it.
- Do not s top the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh sa lt water because
it can ca use corrosion.
-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 199
Warming up and
cooling down
By carefully warming up and cooling down
your vehicle, you can help ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessar ily during sporty dr iv
ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is dr iven at a
maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM in order
to raise the engine o il temperature to a mini
mum of 140
°F (60 °() . The t ires a lso on ly
reach the ir full road holdi ng capabi lity once
they have warmed up.
The cooli ng fan can cont inue to run in your ve
hicle after the engine is switched off . Howev
er, driving the veh icle to coo l it down is pa rti c
ul arly important. Dur ing spo rty driving , the
engine and b rakes, the exhaust system, and
the transmission a ll become extremely hot.
Before you park the vehicle, you should drive
it for a few miles/kilometers at light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to cool down .
Catalytic converter
App lies to vehicles: wi th gaso line e ngi ne
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
"' Always use lead-free gasoline c:> page 208,
Fuel supply .
"' Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
"' Never put too much mo to r o il in yo ur eng ine
c:> page 218, Adding engine oil "t:::r..
"' Never try to push -or tow -start you r vehicle .
T he catalytic co nve rter is an efficient "clean
u p" dev ice bui lt into t he exhaus t system of
the ve hicle . The cata lytic converter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be
fore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclus ive use of unleaded fuel is c ritical ly
i mportant for the life of the catalyt ic convert -
er and proper functioning of the engine .
Iii>
•
•

@ 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, wh ich will vary depend ing upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
ditions, tr ip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating.
~ Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
h appen next, you will need to b rake less and,
thus, accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
wheneve r poss ible -fo r example when you see
that the nex t tr affic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
~ T ry and keep well below your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gent ly reduces fuel consump
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en
g ine no ise increase d ispropo rtionately at high
speeds. If you dr ive at approxima tely three
q uarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be red uced by one ha lf. Never dr ive faste r
than the posted speed limit and wea ther con
d itions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
E ven when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
~ S hu t the engine off when you a re not dr iv ing
t h e vehi cle.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 201
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the
engine run at id le .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffi c
jams, when wa it ing fo r tra ins to pass at rail
road crossings, or at traffic lig hts that have
long waits on red. T urning the engine off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is burned start ing the e ngine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is runn ing at id le. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especia lly high
when the engine is warm ing up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engi ne idling unattended a f
ter start ing . If warning lights sho uld come
on to i ndicate improper operat ion, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling a lso
p rodu ces hea t, w hich could re sul t in ove r
hea ting or othe r dam age to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
~ Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ula r i nter-
vals.
By having your veh icle regula rly serviced by an
Audi deal er he lps to ensure that it runs prop
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affec ts its sa fe ty and ability to
hold its value, it also affects
fuel con sump
tion .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amou nt of oi l used is re lated to eng ine
load and speed.
It is normal fo r th e oil consumption of a new
engine to reac h its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven .
IIJ,,
•
•