140 Safety belts
ICAR !function button> (Car )* sys tem s> Ve
hicle setting s > Seats > Driver 's seat or Pas
senger 's se at > Automatic belt ten sioner
>
Off .
-In certain driving situations, the safety be lts
may tighten with a reversib le tensioning
function
c:> page 187.
- The safety belts may also tighten with this
revers ible tensioning f unction in m inor colli
s ions.
Pyrotechnic safety belt preten sioner s
The sa fety belts are equipped with safety be lt
pretensioners. The system is activated by sen
sors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great severity and in a rollover. Th is tightens
the belt and takes up be lt slack
c:> &. in Service
and disposal of safety belt pretensioner on
page 140 .
Taking up the slack helps to reduce
forward occupant movement during a co lli
sion.
,& WARNING
- It is possib le for the pre tensioners to de
ploy incorrect ly .
- T he py rotechnic system can only pr ovide
pro te ction for one co llision.
If t he pyro
techni c pretensioners dep loy, the p reten
sioning system must be replaced .
@ Tips
The pyrotechnic safety belt p retens ioners
can only deploy once .
- The safety belt pretens ione rs do no t de
ploy in mi no r frontal an d side col lisions,
i n rear -end collisions, in rollove rs and in
collisions invo lving very litt le impact
fo rce.
- A f ine d ust is released when the pyro
technic safety belt pretensioners deploy.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire
i n the veh icle.
- The relevant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo
nents of the system are scrapped. A
qualified dea lership is familiar with
these regulations and w ill be pleased to
pass on the informat io n to you . - Be sure to observe all safety, env
iron
menta l and other regu lations if the ve hi
cle or individual parts of the system, par
ticu larly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this service fo r you.
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
T he safety belt pretens ioners are parts o f the
safety belts on your Audi . Insta lling, remov
ing, servicing or repairing of be lt pretension
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent it from working correctly in a co lli
s ion.
There are some important t hings you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system w ill not be impaired and that dis
carded components do no t cause injury or pol
l u te the environment .
A WARNING
-Improper care, serv ic ing and repair p roce-
d ur es can increase the risk of pe rsonal in
j u ry and death by prevent ing a safety belt
p retensioner from activ ating w hen neede d
or activa ting it unexpectedly:
- T he belt pretensione r system can be a ct i
vated only once. If be lt pretensioners
have been activated , the system m ust be
replaced .
- Never repair, adjus t, or change any parts
of the safety be lt system .
- Safety belt systems incl uding safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired. Spe
cial procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposa l of th is system.
- For any wo rk on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend t hat you see
your author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
technician who has an Audi approved re pa ir manua l, train ing and special equ ip
ment necessary.
158 Airb ag sys te m
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
If the capacitive passenger detection sys
tem determines that the front passenger seat is empty, the frontal airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
P ASS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light w ill stay
on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at
many different pla ces on your Audi . Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis
carded components do not cause injury or po l
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal in
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploy ing when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel ho rn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument pane l or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag uni ts.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
pane l, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened w ith plain water. Solvents or
cleaners co uld damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de
ploy and protect properly. -
Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the a irbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru
ment panel, front seats or e lectr ica l sys
tem (including the installation of audio
equ ipment, cellu lar telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technic ian who has the training
and specia l equipment necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that yo u see your
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the s ide airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence:
- Never install seat covers or rep lace
ment upholstery over the front seat
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags
inflate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side a ir
bag module must a lways be repaired
immediately by an author ized Audi
dealer .
- The airbag system can deploy on ly once .
After an a irbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced w ith new replacement
pa rts des igned and app roved es pecially
for your Aud i mo del ve rsion. Replace
ment of comple te airbag systems or air
bag components must be performed by
qualified wor kshops only . Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE
CORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter a re sepa rated
from the veh icle battery with a pyrotech
n ic circuit inte rrupte r.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified technicians who have the
llll-
200 Driving and en vir onm ent
_& WARNING
The temperature o f the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result in burns .
- Do not park or operate the veh icle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold , exhaust p ipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shie lds. D uri ng d riving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
over heat and cause a fire .
(I) Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
l eaded fuel will already seriously de
grade the perfo rmance of the cata lytic
conve rter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 218.
- Do not d rive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis
fire. Unburned f uel could a lso ge t in to
t h e exhaus t sys tem and this could cause
the ca talyt ic converte r to ove rheat.
- Do no t switch off the ign ition wh ile the
vehicle is moving.
- Do no t continue to operate yo ur vehicle
u nder these condi tions, as otherw ise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the co n
verter, req uiring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
sion Control System :
- Have your veh icle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir the function of the em
ission cont ro l
system and could lead to damage .
~ For the sake of the env ironment
Even when the Emiss ion Con trol Sys tem is
operat ing proper ly, the exha ust gas can
have a sulfur-li ke ex haust gas smell under
some operat ing states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or filling the tank with lead -free super
grade gasoline .
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like you r vehicle to remain inop
erative for a longer per iod of t ime, contact an
Audi o r other spec ia lized dealer. They can ad
v ise you on ne cessa ry precautions e .g. co rro
s io n preven tion , maintena nce and s to rage.
Pay a ttent ion to addi tional in fo rmat ion con
cerning the battery. Refer to ¢
page 223 .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your p ersonal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle , as well as ex
haust and nois e le ve ls .
Fu el economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine , brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal d riving style
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you an tic ip ate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt io n by 10 -15 percent . This sec
t ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the e nvir onment and your pocketbook .
@ 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,,
•
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202 Driving and en vir onm ent
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess o il consumption.
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en
gine output.
0 Note
- Have yo ur vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the funct ion of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emi ssion Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do not alter or remove any dev ice, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, wh ich are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emiss ion Control System
and othe r important veh icle compo
nen ts.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.. Try to avo id driving short d istances with a
co ld eng ine .
The engine and ca talytic conver ter have to
reach their optimal
op erating temp eratur e to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis
sions effect ively.
Jus t after s tarting, a cold engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6 -8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km) . After about a
ha lf a m ile, fue l economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). Afte r abo ut
2 .5 m iles (4 km),
the eng ine is at its proper ope rat ing tempera
ture and fue l economy has reached a norma l
l eve l. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possib le . T
he
ou tsid e tempe rature is also critical in this
regard . Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the summer.
-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
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 supply and filling your fuel tank 209
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more info rmation on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for deta iled
instruct ions see
c::;, page 211 .
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
c::;,page271.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c::;, page 208.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on board refuel
li ng 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
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow 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 f uel can be dangero us. Such con
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
•
•
and adve rsely affect you r New V ehicle
Wa rrant y.
@) For the sake of the environment
-Under no ci rc u mstances can the o il come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lways rea d and he ed all WARN
INGS
~ &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 213.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera
tures remain below freezing for extended pe
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
n ing for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposa l,
along with the special tools and necessary ex
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oi l changed by an authorized
Au di de ale r or a qual ified servi ce station.
If y ou c hoose to c ha ng e y our o il yo urse lf,
please note the following important informa
tion :
Checkin g and fillin g 219
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help p revent hot oil from run
ning down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of oi l in
your eng ine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact wit h used eng ine o il
is harmful to your s kin. A lways protect
your skin by washing oil off tho ro ughly
with soap and water.
@ Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en
g ine and adversely affec t your Aud i Lim it
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you can properly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains .
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collect ion facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
•
•
224 Check ing and filling
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service. You are well advised to replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec
trica l system for safety reasons¢
& in Re
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 158.
Disconn ecting the battery terminal s
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
e lectrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for l ong 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 il ity over a longer period
¢
page 195. Some of the convenience func
tions may not operate, s uch as the inte rior
lights or power seat adjus tment. The conven
ience f unctions will be available again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en gine.
Winter operation
D uring the winter months, ba tte ry capaci ty
tends to decrease as tempe rat ures d rop . This
is because more powe r is also consumed while
starting , and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par
ticular ly in c ity traffic or when t raveling on ly
short distances. Let you r authorized Audi
dea ler check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winter sets in
¢ page 226. A we ll
charged battery w ill not only prevent starting
prob lems when the weather is cold , but w ill
also last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery sho uld 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
t hi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,& .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec
trical system to prevent inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery :
Al ways heed the follo wing WARNING SYM -
BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye prote cti on.
&
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid.
Always wear glove s and eye protec-
tion.
@
No
- spa rks
- flames
- smoking.
£
When a battery i s charged, it produ-
ce s hydrogen gas which is e xplosi ve
and could cau se personal injury.
@
Alwa ys k eep the battery well out of
rea ch of children .
_&. WARNING ~
Whenever working on t he battery o r on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
i njury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
-