At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the
Automatic Shift Lock is automatically deact i
vated in the N position .
A time de lay element prevents the se lector
l ever from locking when it is moved through
the N position (go ing from R to D/S). The lock
ing e lement will lock the selecto r lever if the
l ever is left in N (Neutral) for more than ap
proximately 2 second, without the brake ped
al being pressed .
Relea se butt on
The release button on the selector lever pre
vents the lever from being accidentally shifted
into certain positions . Depending on the direc
tion of the shift, the se lector lever locks at d if
ferent positions. The positions are h ighlighted
i n the illustration
c:> fig . 117 .
Driving the automatic transmission
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
Fig . 1 18 Sh ift gate on the center conso le: se lector lev
er w it h relea se button
Startin g the engin e
• The selector leve r must be in P or N .
Starting off
• Press and hold the brake pedal.
• Press and hold the release button in these
lector lever handle, select the desired se lec
tor lever pos ition such as D/S and release
the button .
• Wait br iefly until the transmission has shift
ed (you will feel a slight movement).
• Remove your foot from the b rake pedal and
acce le rate .
Automatic Tra nsmi ssi on 11 1
Stopping t emporaril y
• Keep the veh icle stationary using the brak
ing pedal , for example at traffic lights .
• Do not press the accelerator peda l when do
ing this .
• To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
start driv ing, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines
c:> .&_ .
• The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the veh icle
could roll. The message
Tran smi ssion: Car
ma y roll! Shift to park!
appears .
• Press and hold the brake pedal until the ve-
hicle has come to a comp lete stop .
• Apply the parking brake
c:> page 80, Parking .
• Select the P selector lever posit ion c:> .&_ .
Stopping on an incline
• Always press the brake pedal to ho ld the ve
hicle in place and preven t it from "rolling
back"
c:> .&_ . Do not try to prevent the vehi
cle from "rolling back " when a gear is en
gaged by increasing the engine speed
c:> 0.
Starting on an incline
• Activate the parking brake.
• With the driving gear selected, press the ac
celerator pedal carefully . The parking brake
w ill release automatically if your seat belt is
fastened.
Under certa in circumstances, such as driving
in the mounta ins, it may be usefu l to sw itch
temporar ily to the manual sh ift p rogram in or
der to adj ust the gears to the driving cond i
ti ons by hand
<:? _&. .
On slopes, activate the parki ng b rake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position.
T his prevents too much st ress from being
placed on the locking mechanism.
114 Automatic Transmission
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with S tro nic
The Launch Control Program provides the
best acceleration possible when starting from
a stop .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
.. Press the
I~ O FFI button 9 page 198 while
the engine is running. The
II indicator light
illuminates in the instrument cluster and
Stabilization control (ESC): Off Warning!
Reduced stability
appears in the driver in
formation system display.
.. Move the selector lever to position D/S to
select sport mode (5) or select
Dynamic
mode in Audi drive select ¢page 103.
.. Press the brake peda l strongly with your left
foot and hold it down for at least
1 second.
.. At the same t ime, press the accelera tor ped
al down completely w ith your r ight foot un
t il the engine reaches and maintains a high
RPM.
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal
within S seconds ¢
Li)..
.&_ WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic
flow .
- Only use the Launch Control Program
when road and traffic conditions allow it
and other drivers will not be endangered
or annoyed by yo ur driving and the vehi
cle's acce lerat ion.
- Please note that the driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when sport mode is sw itched on, espe
c ially when the road is slippery .
- Once yo u have accelerated, you should
switch sport mode off by pressing the
j .i, OFF I button.
- The transmission temperat ure may in
crease significantly after using the
Launch Control Program . If that hap- pens,
the program may not be available
for a few minutes . It will be available
again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the Launch
Contro l Program, a ll vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads. This can result in
increased wear.
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: wit h S tronic/tiptro nic
[O] Transmission: Press brake pedal and se
lect gear again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can then continue driving .
[O] Transmission overheating: Please drive
conservatively
The transmission temperature has increased
s ignificantly due to the sporty driving manner .
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con
tinue driving
T he re is a system mal function in the transmis
sion . You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dea ler or qualified repair fa
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] [O] Transmission malfunction: You can
continue driving with limited functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis
s ion. The transmission is switching to emer
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer
tain gears or will no longer shift at all. The en
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Iii Transmission malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driving
S tronic transmission: There is a system mal
fu nct ion in the transm ission. The transmis
sion is switching to emergency mode . This
mode only shifts into certain gears or will no
l onger shift at a ll. The engine may stall. You .,..
128 Homelink
Homelink
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Homelink u nive rsal remote con
tro l
The HomeLink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand-held transmitters
from existing equipment.
With Homelink, you can control devices such
as the garage door, security systems, house
lights, etc. comfortably from the inside of you
vehicle.
Homelink makes it possible for you to replace
three different remote controls from devices in your home with one universal remote . Th is
feature works for most garage door and exte
rior door motor signals. Programming the in
d iv idual remo te control fo r your remote con
trol takes p lace near the center of the radiator
grille. There is a control module attached at
this location .
A one-t ime programm ing of the sensor mus t
be performed before you are able to use sys
tems w ith Homelink.
A WARNING
- Never use the Homelink transmitter
with any garage door opener that does
have not the safety stop and reverse fea
ture as requ ired by federal safety stand
ards. Th is includes any garage door open
er model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder
al safety standards . Us ing a garage doo r
opener witho ut these fea tures increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the Homelink remote control is being pro
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac
tivated, this can overstrain motor and
damage its electrical components -an
overheated motor is a fire hazard!
- To avo id possible injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certa in that no persons or objects are lo
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated.
(0 Tips
- If you would like additional information
on the Homelink Un iversal Transceiver,
Homelink compatible products, or to
purchase other accessories su ch as the
Homelink Lighting Package, please con
tact Homelink at 1 -800-355-3515 or on
the Internet at www.homelink.com.
- For Declara tion of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Ind ustry Canada reg ula
tions¢
page 288 .
-For security reasons, we recommend that
you clear the programmed b uttons be
fore selling the ve hicle .
Operation
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h Ho melink
Fig . 14 6 Headliner: controls
M 0
9 (!)
~
Requirement: The buttons must be program
med ¢
page 129 .
"'To open the garage door , press the program
med b utton . The LED @ will light up o r
flash.
"' To close the garage door, press the button
again .
Ill>
196 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine function, em is
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in
dicator light
G) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather condit ions. ESC can
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi
ence the benefits of ESC.
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa
ter, driving in heavy rain or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat ings will be cleaned off after a few ca re
f ul brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout using your
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 resulting in an in
c reased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near
est Aud i dea ler o r q ualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed conside ra
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Powe r steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and message s
• Steerin g defective! Stop th e vehicle
Int ellig ent technolog y 201
If this indicato r light turns on and stays on
and t his message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
Do
not con tinue dr iv ing . See your au thor ized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
'I-Y Steering: System malfun ction! You may
c ontinue dri ving
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes
sage appea rs, the stee ring may be more diffi
c ult to move o r more sens itive than usual.
Drive slowly to your authorized Aud i dealer or
qualified workshop to have the ma lfunction
corre cted.
0) Tips
If the . or 1:z;lj indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, yo u may continue dr iv
i ng.
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to veh icl es: w ith all-w hee l drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
General information
Wi th a ll W heel Drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See also
~ page 196.
With the sport different ia l* , power distribu
tion to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjusted with Audi dr ive select*
~ page 102.
Always read and follow safety precautions
~ .&. .
Winter tires
When dr iving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even wit h
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 moun ted o n
all four
wh eel s.
See also~ page 258, Winter tires. ..,.
•
•
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
ac tivate the trailer operation mode
c::> page 209, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weig ht-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on t he ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trail er
hi tch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check wi th t he tra ile r hi tch man ufa ctur er to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
h itch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch .
The hitch m ust be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfe re with the impac t-absorb
i ng bumper syst em. No mod ificat ions should
b e made to the vehi cle e xhaus t and br ake sys
tems . From t ime to time, check th at a ll hitc h
mo unt ing bo lts rem ain securely fas tened.
When you are not towing a trail er, remove the
tra ile r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi
cle be str uck from behind~ .&.
Trailer towin g 209
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a bra king sys
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
regulations .
T he trailer hyd ra u lic bra ke sys tem mus t not be
d irec tly connec ted to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all reg ulations. Be
su re to c heck with your Audi dea ler for correct
wir ing, switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mir rors. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
_&. WARNING
-
Afte r removi ng the trailer hitch , do no t
s tor e i t in yo ur v ehicl e. In case of sudden
b raki ng, the hi tch co uld fly forwar d and in
j ur e you o r yo ur pass enge rs.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehi cle is l imited to a typi cal
cla ss 1 o r class 2 tr ailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the tra ile r is held secure ly
in place to p revent it from shift ing fo rward,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c::> .& in Driving instructions on page 211 .
Engine cooling sy stem
Towing a t railer ma kes the engine wor k hard
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
•
•
210 Trailer towing
Make sure that the cooling system has eno ugh
fluid .
Tire p res sure
When tow ing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehi cle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open) .
Inflate trailer t ires to trai ler and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Lights
Chec k to make s ure both veh icle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
h icle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per
mit turn ing corners . When you install safety
cha ins, make su re they wi ll not drag on the
road when yo u are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the tra iler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level su rface be
for e
hitching up the tra ile r and b efor e adjust
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort dr iving mode and no t raised
qpage 102, q(D _
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info
tainment , se lect:
ICARI f u nction button> Low
e r
control b utton .
I f you m ust dr ive under poor road co ndit ions,
you can raise the veh icle
aft er coup ling the
tra iler or
after adjusting the tong ue weig ht
q page 104.
-Changes in tempe ratu re or load can af
fect the heig ht of the veh icle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load spec ified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llow ing:
.,. Do not tow a loaded t railer when yo ur car it
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
veh icles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not dr ive at the max imum permissib le
speed.
.,. Always app ly brakes early .
.,. Mon itor the tempe ratu re ga uge.
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car re
su lts in a highly unstable distribution of
we ight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds on ly to avoid t he risk of losing
steering con tro l.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to ope rate and con
t ro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble , while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi
ble under the c ircumstances . Whenever poss i
ble , transfer some cargo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficu lt it be
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissib le speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
whe n going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the s way ing b y accele rating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular veh icles . .,.
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem
perature can increase if you drive on long in
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
c> page 17 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wearing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and backing up in an area
away from traffic . Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is diff icult and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
Trailer towing 211
trailer, you wi ll need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(0 Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load¢
page 285.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer . If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol
lowing:
When parking:
"' App ly the foot brake .
.,. Have someone place chocks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
"' With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.,. Apply the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Start the engine.
.,. Select the D/S selector lever position .
.,. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
111>
•
•