The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le an d
should fit well on the body¢
A in Saf ety belt
position on page 149.
Power safety belt h eight adjustment*
You can ad just the height of the safety belts
using the mu lti function b utton on the driver
or fro nt passenge r seat ¢
page 60.
&_ WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion¢
page 148.
You can also a djust the height of the front
seats to change the position of the safety
be lts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries.
Wear ing sa fe ty be lts imprope rly can cause se
rio us in jury or death. Safety be lts can only
wo rk when they are correct ly positioned on
the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effect iveness of safety belts and w ill eve n
increase the r isk of injury and death by mov
in g the safety belt to cr itical a reas of the
body. Imprope r seat ing pos itions also in
crease the risk of serio us in jury and death
when an air bag deploys and strikes an occu
p a nt who is not in the cor re ct seating posi
tion. A driver is responsib le for the sa fe ty of
all vehicle occupants and especially for chi l
dren . Therefore:
""N ever permit anyone to ass ume an inco rrec t
s itting position in the veh icle w hile traveling
¢.&, .
&_ WARNING
Imprope rly worn safety belts increase the
r isk of se rious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used .
Safety belts 151
- Always ma ke s ure that all ve hicle occu
pants are co rrectly restrained and stay in
a co rrect seating position whenever the
veh icle is being used .
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS and
o ther impo rtant inf ormation
¢page 148.
Safety belt preten
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
Reversible safety belt tensioners
T he s afety belts o n the fro nt seats ar e eq uip
ped with powe r reversi ble tensioners. The fo l
l ow ing functions a re ava ila bl e when the driv
er 's/fro nt passenge r's safety belts are fas
tened :
- Au tomatic tens ioners : at the star t of a drive,
the safety be lts automat ica lly adjust to the
passenger afte r a certain time period or ve
hicle speed. To switch the automatic ten
sioners off, select the following in t he M MI:
!CARI fu nction button > Car systems > Vehi
cle settings > Seats > Driver's seat or Pas
senger's seat > Automatic belt tensioner
>
Off .
-In ce rtain dr iv ing s ituations , the safety b elts
may tight en with a reve rs ible tens ion ing
fu nction
¢ page 197.
-The safety be lts m ay a lso tighten with th is
reve rsible te nsion ing functio n in m inor co ll i
s ion s.
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with safety be lt
pre tensioners . The system is act ivated by se n
so rs in front, s id e and r ear-end co llisions of
great seve rity and in a rollover. T his tig hte ns
t he be lt and t akes up belt slack ¢.&.
in Service
and disposal of s afe ty belt pretensioner on
page 152.
Tak in g up the s lack helps to reduce .,. •
•
152 Safety belts
forward occupant movement during a co lli
sion.
A WARNING
- It is possible for the pretensioners to de
ploy incorrectly.
- The pyrotechnic system can only provide
protection for one co llision. If the pyro
technic pretensioners deploy, the preten
sioning system must be replaced.
(D Tips
The pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
can only deploy once.
- The safety belt pretensioners do not de
ploy in minor frontal and side collisions,
in rear-end collisions, in rollovers and in
collisions invo lving very litt le impact
force .
- A fine dust is released when the pyro
techn ic safety belt pretens ioners deploy.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire i n the veh icle.
- The relevant safety requirements must
be obse rved when the vehicle or compo
nents of the system are scrapped . A
qualified dea le rship is familiar with
these regulations and w ill be pleased to
pass on the informat ion to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ
mental and other regulations if the vehi
cle or indiv id ual parts of the system, par
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your a uthorized Audi dea ler perform this
serv ice for you .
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretension er
The safety belt pretensione rs are parts of the
safety bel ts on your Audi . Installing, remov
ing, servicing or repa iring of belt pretens ion
e rs can damage the safety be lt system and
prevent it from working correct ly in a colli
sion.
There are some important th ings you have to
know to make sure that the effect iveness of the system wi
ll not be impaired and that dis
carded components do not cause injury or pol
l ute the environment .
A WARNING ,.__
Improper care, servic ing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal in
jury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretensioner from activating when needed
or activating it unexpectedly :
- The belt pretensioner system can be act i
vated only once. If belt pretensioners have been activated, the system must be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety be lt system.
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretens ioners 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 that you see
your author ized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has an Audi approved re
pair manua l, training and special equip
ment necessary.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Materia l -special handling may app ly, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per
ch lorate. When the veh icle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modu les
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed . Your author ized Audi
dealer is familia r with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you .
168 Airbag system
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, al l applicable laws and regula·
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dea ler is familiar with these require·
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you .
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the spring s, suspen
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit . Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should.
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe
ty belt is not being used . Therefore, in a par
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used . It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per-formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
--
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed .
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system con provide supple
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 169 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig . 169, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up
per and lowe r th igh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts. ..,.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
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
cr eased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near est Aud i dea ler or q ualified wor kshop .
- Never let the vehicle rol l to a stop w ith
t he 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.
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works w ith vacuum pres
sure which is created only when the engine is
ru nning
9 ,&. .
,&. WARNING
-Never le t the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
t he engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, fo r
ex ample when towing your ve hicl e, or
because the b rake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerab ly harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Servotronic - advanced
power steering system
-
The power steering systems use the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic power steering sys
tem senses the road speed and electron ically
ad ju sts powe r ass istance to provide comfor ta-
Int ellig ent technolog y 203
ble and safe steering response exactly match
ed to th e vehicle speed .
Power steer ing will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be h ard
to tu rn.
T he powe r stee ring fluid level is checked d ur
i ng t he sched uled maintena nce services.
(D Note
If there is an e lectronic malfunction, ser
votronic
will s till fu nction like a conven
tiona l powe r steering system, providing a
constant steering s upport force tha t is no
l onge r proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeab le when t urni ng the
steering wheel at low speeds (for example
when parking), -more effort w ill be re
quired than usual.
- Be aware of the different than usual steering response and adjust your steer
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set right by an Audi dealer as soon as possible.
(D Tips
-When the engine is running, never hold
the steering wheel turned all the way to
the right or to the left for longer than 15
seconds . The power steering pump will
overheat the hydraulic fluid if yo u keep
holding the stee ring wheel turned all the
way. This is likely to damage the power
steering sys tem.
- If the powe r stee ring system should fa il
entire ly, o r if t he engine is not runn ing
(for example, wh ile be ing towed), you
w ill still be able to steer the veh icle .
However,
considerably more effort will
be required to do so .
- If the powe r steering system sho uld
have a leak, or is not functioning proper
ly, contact your author ized Audi dealer
immediately.
- The power steering system req uires a
specially formu lated hydraulic fluid. The
power steering fluid reservoir is located
in the engine compartment
9 page 233. IJJ,,
•
•
208 Driving and en vir onm ent
Catalytic converter
Appl ies to vehicles: with gasoline e ngin e
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 i=> page 222,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp-
ty .
.. Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 23 7, Adding engine oil
The catalytic converter is an eff ic ient "clean
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalyti c converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclus ive use of unleaded fuel is cr itically
important for the l ife of the cata lytic convert
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
T he temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle 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 shields . During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
@) Note
- Be aware that just one tank f illing with
leaded fuel will already seriously de
grade the performance of the cata lytic
conve rter. -
Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
i=>page 237.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine co uld mis
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
cou ld result in overheating of the con
verter, requir ing its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
sion Control System:
- Have you r vehicle maintained p roperly
and in accordance w ith the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty & Maintenance book let.
- Lack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehicle wi ll impair
the function of the em ission contro l
system and could lead to damage.
@) For the sa ke of the en vironment
Even when the Emission Control System is
ope rat ing properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operat ing states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or f illing the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diese l eng ine
The diesel part icu late filter filters nearly all of
the soot pa rticles out of the exhaust . T he fil
ter cleans itself automat ica lly unde r no rma l
dr iv ing cond itions . If the filte r cannot clean it
self (for example, because you are on ly driving
short distances), the filter becomes clogged
with soot and the
II symbol for the diesel
particulate filter i lluminates
i=> page 21. ..,.
210 Driving and environment
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
ditions, trip 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 mo st fuel when they are ac
celerating. If you anticipate what is going to happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus , accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
• Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con
ditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
• Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle. •
Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle.
The idling phase is automatically reduced for
vehicles with the Start/Stop system. It is effi
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles with
out the Start-Stop-System when stopped at
railroad crossings and long red lights. Turning
the engine off for jus t 30-40 seconds saves
more fuel than is burned by starting the en-
. . gme again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up . So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
W Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could result in over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
• Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi dealer helps to ensure that it runs prop
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
hold its value, it also affects
fuel consump
tion.
Check your oil each time you
fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven . ..,.
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess o il consumption.
This also applies to fuel consumption and en
gine output.
(D 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 Em ission 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 Emission Control System
and other important veh icle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avo id driving short distances with a
cold engine .
The engine and catalyt ic converter have to
reach their optimal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis
sions effect ively.
Just after starting, 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
half a mile, fuel 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 operating tempera
ture and fue l economy has reached a normal
l eve l. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possible.
Driving and environment 211
The outside temperature 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 1S%
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
Applies to vehicles : wit h gasoli ne e ng in e
A majo r concern among many auto manufac
ture rs 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 g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 223
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
webs ite (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended per iod of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
(D Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Ve
hicle Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) sul
fur content 15 ppm or less.
The ULSD (U ltra Low Sulfur Diesel) meets the
ASTM-D-97S (grade 2).
Die sel fuel with a higher concentration than
ULSD-Die sel No. 2 ASTM D975 and Bio-die
sel with a higher concentration than 5
% like
Bl 1 , B20 or B100 are strictly prohibited.
Service station fue l pumps are labeled with
the correct fuel information for easy recogni
tion by the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fuel is
being dispensed before filling up your vehicle.
Serv ice stations offering Diesel fuel are gener
ally located on truck routes or major high
ways . Directories of Diesel fuel stations are
usually available at Diese l fuel stations.
Some states in the USA require permits to
purchase Diesel fuel. Check with your State
Motor Vehicle Department .
Diesel fuel may not be available outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav-
eling to other countries .
Ill-
•
•