2014 AUDI TT ROADSTER sensor

124 Airbag system
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electron ic control unit.
,&. 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 suspens ion components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi­
nally insta lled on your vehicle.
- Never use ti re-rim combinat ions that
have not been approved by Audi.
,&. 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 electronic con­
trol modu le and prevent the Advanced A ir ­
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 can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 116 Driver's airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
~ fig. 116, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment .
T he knee airbag offe rs addi tional p rotec tion
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection by the safety belts.
If t he front a irbags dep loy, the k nee a irbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
~ page 118, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addition to their normal sa fety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a fronta l collision so that
the a irbags can provide supplemental protec­
t ion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc ­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. A l­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only he lp to protect you if you are wearing
you r safety belt and wea ring it properly. This
is why you should a lways wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requi res you to
do so~
page 101, General notes.
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the air­
bag control module if the safety bel t is being
u sed or not .
If the safety belt is be ing used,
t h e knee a irbag w ill deploy at a s light ly h igher
rate of dece leration than if the belt is not be ­
ing used. Therefore, in a particular co llision, it
is possib le that an airbag will not dep loy 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 .
Remember too, airbags will deploy on ly once
and only in certa in kinds of accidents - your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy o r whe n they have al­
ready dep loyed, for example when your vehi­
cl e s trikes or is st ru ck by ano ther after the
first collision . ..,.

126 Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety bel ts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passenger
must know and do to help the safety belts and
a irbags to provide supp lemental protection.
.&_ WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious
injury. Wearing safety belts inco rrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
-
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
just ing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the fo llowing min imum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and t he steering wheel/ instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the
seat is imp roperly posit ioned and you are
not wearing your safety belt. The r isk in­
creases even more should the airbag de­
ploy.
- Always make sure that the knee a irbag
c an in flate without interference. Obje cts
between you and the airb ag can increase
the risk of inju ry in an acc iden t by inter ­
f ering with the way the airbag dep loys or
by being pushed into you as t he a irbag
dep loys .
- Never let anybody, especially ch ild ren
or an imals ride in the footwe ll in front
of the passenger seat.
If the airbag de- ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injur
ies.
- Never ca rry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger 's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the a irbag. Small objects can be
th rown thro ugh the ve hicle if th e air­
bag deploys and injure yo u or your pas­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scr atc hes or o ther dam age in the area of
the ins trumen t panel where the knee a ir­
bags are lo cated .
- If chi ld ren are incorrectly se ated, their
ris k of injury increases in a co llision
~page 130, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig . 11 8 Side airb ag locat ion in th e drive r's seat
The side airbags are loca ted in the sides of t he
fron t seat b ackrests
q fig. 118 fa cing the
doo rs . They are identif ied by the word "A IR­
BAG".
Th e side airbag sy stem ba sic ally consi st s of:
- the electron ic contro l module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster .

The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supp lements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in ­
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up­ per torso on the side of the veh icle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys in
side impacts and only whe n the vehicle accel­
erat ion reg istered by the contro l unit is hig h
e nough. If t his rate is below the reference val­
ue programmed into the control u nit, the s ide
airbags w ill not be triggered, even tho ugh the
car may be badly damaged as a res ult of the
col lision . It is not possible to define an airbag
tr igger ing range that will cover every poss ible
angle of impact, since the circumstances w ill
vary cons iderably between one coll is ion and
another. Important factors include, fo r exam ­
ple, the natu re ( hard o r soft) of the impacting
object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. Q page 128, Important safety instruc­
tions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the d river or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a side
coll is ion so th at the s ide airb ags can provide
p rotec tion.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc­
cup ant res traint system in your veh icle. Al­
ways remember tha t the side airbag system
can only he lp to protect you if yo u are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you sho uld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
qu ires you to do so
Q page 101, General
notes .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental s ide a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other i njuries, for example, swel ling, b ruising,
and minor abras io ns can also be assoc iated
with deployed side a irbags . Remember too,
side ai rbags will deploy on ly on ce and on ly in
A irbag system 127
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are a lways the re to offer p rotection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even t he lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessa rily an in di­
cation o f ove r-sensitive or failed airbag activa ­
tion . In some collisions, both fro nt and side
airbags may inflate . Remember too, t hat air ­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in certain
k inds of col lis ions -yo ur safety belts are al­
ways the re to offer p rotection in those acc i­
dents in which a irbags a re not supposed to
deploy or wh en they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ignit ion is turned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollove rs .
In some types of accidents the front airbags
and s ide airbag s may be triggered toge ther.
.&_ WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide pro tection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
Qpage 128.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the ve hicle ac­
c e leration in a side collis ion is high
e nough to activate t he a irbag .
-
•
•

-Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders, tel­
ephone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat
backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position.
-Always prevent the side airbags from be­ ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
c> page 130, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rectly measure increasing air pressure in­
side the doors when air escapes through
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
Airbag system 129
the openings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers
or other equipment is installed in the inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
•
•

A WARNING
-=
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk " re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system
Child Safety 131
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, a child should al­
ways ride in the seat properly restrained for
its age and size . The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dan­
gerous place for a child to ride. The front seat
is not the safest place for a child in a forward­
facing child safety seat .
It can be a very dan­
gerous place for an infant or a larger child in a
rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re­
straints and for the different models of the
same kind of child restraint offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a
ll-
•
•

148 Intelligent technology
Battery diagnosi s
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery voltage, 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 controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­
nents. Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en ­
ergy management distributes the energy gen­
erated according to the needs of the individu­
al components. It regulates 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 ability is threatened, you are informed by a warning
~page 149,
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display.
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 cold time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re­
quired, but only a little is generated.
It is also
critical if the engine is not running and electri- cal components are turned on.
In this in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is
being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management actively regulat­
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 , electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capability over a longer period.
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your vehicle, some convenience functions ,
such as the remote key or power seat adjust ­
ment, may not be available. The convenience
functions will be available again when you
turn on the ignition and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned off, the battery is being dis­
charged.
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en­
ergy consumption, a message appears in the
driver information display.
You have to start the engine to charge the
battery.
With the engine running
Although electrical 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 optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equili­
brium, consumers which require especially
large amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off . Heating systems in par­
ticular require a great deal of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched .,.

Vehicle care and clean ing
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
vehicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when submitting warranty claims for corro ­
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care products can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dealer
or a qualified workshop . Read and follow the
instructions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
-Us ing clean ing and care products incor­
rectly can be dangerous to your hea lth.
- Always store cleaning and care products
out of reach of children to reduce the risk
of poisoning.
@) For the sake of the environment
-Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
care products with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer that deposits such as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road salt remain on the
vehicle, the more the surface can be dam­ aged. High temperatures such as those
caused by sunlight increase the corrosive ef­
fect.
Before washing, wet heavy deposits w ith plen­
ty of water.
Also, wash the underside of your vehicle once road salt stops be ing used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your vehicles with a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instruc­
tions provided w ith the pressure washer . Th is
is especially important in regard to the pres ­
sure and spraying distance. Do not aim the
spray directly at seals on side w indows, doors,
Vehicle care and cleaning 155
the hood, the rear lid or the convertible top or
at tires, rubber hoses, insulating material
orsensors*. Keep a distance of at least 16 in­
ches (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles.
The water temperature must not be above
140 °F (60 °C) .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the vehicle before washing.
Make sure that the windows are closed and
the windshie ld wipers are off. Follow instruc­
tions from the car wash operator, especially if
there are accessories attached to your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the veh icle starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and finger­
prints are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply the product using a microfiber cloth. To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi­
crofiber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry . Remove any water residue using a
shammy.
Stubborn deposits such as bird droppings or
tree sap are best removed with p lenty of wa-
ter and a microfiber cloth. .,..
•
•

156 Vehicle care and cleaning
_& WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
washing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be delayed due to moisture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications .
@ Note
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fold the exterior mir­
rors in to reduce the risk of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior mir­ rors* must only be folded in and out us­
ing the power folding function.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of damage, do not
wash the power top with a pressure
washer. -
To reduce the risk of damage, do not
wash decorative decals* with a pressure
washer.
- To reduc e the risk of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or
hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte finish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte finish paint. The paint could be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities specially
designed for that purpose. This will reduce
the risk of dirty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehi­
cle components, refer to the following table.
The information contained there is simply rec­
ommendations. For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed,
refer to an author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Also
follow the information found in~.&. .
Cleaning exterior Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades Dirty
~ page 56, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap solutional
tail lights
Sensors Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent-free cleaning product
Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special
cleaning solution