Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating condit ions and d riv ing hab it s
The brakes on today's automobi les are sti ll
subject to wear, depending largely on operat
ing conditions and dr iving habits
c:> A . On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your author
i zed Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warr ant y & Maint enan ce bookle t. Failure
to have your b rake pads inspected can res ult
i n red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing
effect of the engine. This way, you p revent un
necessa ry wea r on the brake system.
If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not ho ld the brakes
down continuously. Pump the brakes at in ter
va ls.
Moistu re or road salt
Unde r ce rtain conditions, for example, when
driving through wate r or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced d ue to moisture (or in
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads . A
few careful brake app lications should dry
off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the windshield wipers on, the brake pads will
briefly touch the brake discs in regular inter
vals so as to improve reaction t ime when brak
ing on wet surfaces . You the driver w ill not no
tice anything .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Here too,
you should clean
off accumulated salt coat ing
from b rake discs and pads with a few careful
applications of the brake
c:> ,&. .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
Int ellig ent technolog y 193
the d iscs if the car is not driven regu larly or
only for short trips with litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes a re not used frequently, o r if cor
rosion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
c:> ,&. .
Fault s in the brak e syste m
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
circuits may have fai led ¢
A.
Low brake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occu r in the bra ke system if
the b rake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored elec tronica lly.
Brake booster
The brake booster works with vacuum pres
su re which is created only whe n the engine is
runn ing ¢,&. .
Brake lining we ar s tatus
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the w heel. If neces
sary, the wheel may be removed fo r thi s in
spe ction ¢
page 2 54, Changing a wheel.
_& WARNING
-You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not " ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake. This may cause the brakes to
•
•
278 Index
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
synchronizing ............. ... .... .. 71
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) .......... . 105
Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . .. .. .. .. . 105
Driving .... .. ........ .... ... .. .. . 106
Emergency mode ........... .. .. ... 108
E mergency release ........ .. .. .. .. . 109
Kick -down ............... .... .... . 108
Manual shift program ......... .. .. . 108
Selector lever ............. ... .... . 104
Automatic wipers . .. ........ ... .. .. .. 48
Auto Safety Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Average consumption ....... .. .. .. .. . . 24
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Avoid damaging the vehicle ........ .. . 199
B
Bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Battery ... .. .. .. ............ ... .. . 223
Charging ... .. .. .. .......... ... .. . 226
I mportant warnings ...... .. .. .. .. . 224
Jump starting .. ........ .. .. .. .. .. . 264
L ocat ion ..... ........... ........ . 224
l ow ... .... ................ ..... . 195
Rep lacing the battery ...... ... .. .. . 227
State of charge ............ ... .. .. . 195
Winter operation ......... .... .... . 223
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 224
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Blended gasoline .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 208
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 71
Boost display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Booster seats ... .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 177
Boost pressure indicator .......... .. .. 28
Brake fluid Changing the brake fl uid ... .... .. .. . 223
Check ing the brake fluid level . .. .. .. . 222
What is the correct brake fluid leve l? .. 222
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? ........ .... ... . 222
Brake system Anti-lock braking system ..... .. ...... 19
Brake assist system ........ ... .. .. . 189
Brake booster ............. ... .... . 193
Brake fluid ............... ... .... . 222 Brake fluid specifications for refill and re
placement
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Brake light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Brake pads ...... ............. .... 198
Electromechanical parking brake . .... . 77
Fluid reservoir . .. ................ . 222
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? ....... .. .. ........ ... ... . 193
Warning/ind icator lights ...... .. .. .. . 14
Worn b rake pads symbo l ........ .. .. . 20
braking guard
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Braking guard ..... ............. ... .. 81
Messages . .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 88
Break-in per iod .... ............. .... 198
Brake pads .... .. ................ . 198
Tires .... ..... .. .. .............. . 198
Bu lbs .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... ... .. .. 263
C
California Proposition 65 Warn ing .... . 214
Battery specific .. ..... ......... ... 225
Capacities .. .... .. ................. 271
Engine oil ....... ............. .... 215
Carbon parts Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205, 206
Car carrier Transporting your vehicle ....... .. .. 268
Care ... .. .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. 203
Cargo area . ..... .. ............. ... . 129
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Catalytic converter .............. .. .. 199
Center armrest Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Central locking .. .. .......... ...... .. 34
Emergency locking ... ....... ...... .. 38
Certification ..................... .. 276
Changi ng a wheel .. ... .......... .. .. 254
Changing engine oil .......... ...... . 219
Checking Engine coolant level ............ .... 220
Tire pressure ... .. ... .......... .. .. 234