92 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as for that of your passengers.
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures desc ribed in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Make certain that you follow the instruc
t ions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the
interest of your passengers .
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r
mation will a lways be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a lis ting o f just a
few of the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- safety belt pre-tensione rs,
- fro nt airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- ad justab le steering column .
T hese ind iv idual safety features can wor k to
ge ther as a sys tem to he lp p rotec t you and
you r passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot wo rk as a system if
they are not always p roper ly adjusted and
properly used!
Safet y is everyb ody's re spon sibilit y!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For yo ur safety and the safety of you r passen
gers,
befor e driving alwa ys:
"' Make s ure that all lights and signa ls are op
erati ng correctly .
"' Ma ke su re t hat the t ire p ressu re is co rrec t.
"' Mak e su re that all windows are clean and a f
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide.
"' Sec ure all luggage and other items caref ully
I:!) page 66.
"'Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
"' Adjust front seat, head res traint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
"' Inst ruct passe ngers to adjust the head re
st raints accord ing to the ir height .
"' Ma ke sur e to use the r igh t chi ld restraint
correc tly to protect c hild ren
¢ page 130,
Child Safety .
"'Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
I:!) page 60,
General recommendations. .,_
-Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the veh icle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment upho lstery ove r the front seat
backs that have not been spec ifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use add itiona l seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate .
- Damage to the o rigina l seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air
bag module must always be repa ired
immediate ly by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an author ized Audi
dealer or qualif ied technic ian who has
the techn ica l information, tra ining and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an a irbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced w ith new replace
ment parts designed and approved espe
c ially for your Aud i model version. Re
placeme nt of complete ai rbag systems
or airbag componen ts m ust be per
f ormed by qualified workshops only.
Make su re that any airbag service act ion
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE
MENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the a lternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech
nic circuit interrupter.
- Wo rk on the pyrote chnic cir cu it inter
rupter must on ly be per formed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the veh icle or the ci rcuit interrupter
is sc rapped, all applicable safety pre
cautions must be followed .
Airbag system 123
@:) For the sake of the environment
Un deployed airbag modules and p reten
sione rs might be classified as Perchlorate
Materia l -special handling may apply, see
www. dtsc. ca.gov/hazard o u swa ste/ per-
ch lo rate. When the veh icle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety be lts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicab le laws and regu la
tions mus t be obse rved. Your authori zed
A udi dealer is familia r wi th these require
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service fo r you .
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the veh icle's suspens io n system can
c h ange the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem perfo rms in a crash. For examp le, using
tir e-rim combi nat ions not approved by A udi,
l ower ing the veh icle, chang ing the st iffness of
the suspens ion, including the spr ings, suspen
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic contro l
u nit. Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, i ncrease the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in c rashes in which it wou ld not deploy if the
c h anges had not been made. Other kinds of
c h anges may reduce the fo rce leve ls meas
ur ed by the sensors and preven t the airbag
from dep loying when i t should.
T he sensors in the safety be lt b uck le for the
d rive r and fr on t p assenger seat te ll the e lec
tron ic cont ro l modu le if the s afety be lt is
l atche d or no t. If the safety be lt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high er rate of veh icle deceleration t han i f th e safe
ty belt is not be ing used. Therefore, in a par
ticular coll is ion, it is possible t hat an airbag
will not deploy at a seat ing pos ition where the
safety belt is be ing used b ut w il l inflate at the
pos ition wher e th e safety be lt is not be ing
u sed. It is impo rtant that noth ing in terfere
Ill>
•
•
132 Child Saf ety
typical 1 year -old chi ld, the Advanced Airbag
Syst em compares the weight meas ured by the
weight sensing mat with the in format ion stor
ed in the electron ic contro l unit.
The electron ic contro l unit a lso registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt.
The tens ion on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d ifferent for an adult
who is properly using the safety belt as com pared to the tension on t he be lt whe n it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat .
The senso r below the latch fo r the safety be lt
fo r the front seat passenger measu res the
tension on the be lt. T he inp ut from this sen
sor is then used with the we igh t to "decide",
whether there is a chi ld restraint with a typica l
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whether or not the airbag must be turned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure tha t it has been ce rtified to meet
Un ited States Fede ral Motor Vehicle Safety
S tanda rds a nd has been cer tified by its manu
facture r fo r u se wit h an air bag. If i n excep
tional circumstances yo u m ust use it on the
front passenge r seat, caref ully read all of the
info rmation on c hild safety an d Advanced Air
bags and heed a ll of the app licable WARN
INGS. Make certai n that t he child restraint is
correctly recogni zed by the weig ht-sensing
mat i nside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenge r airbag is tur ned off and that
the airbag status is a lways correctly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restra ints
have been ava ilable over the years, new mod
e ls ar e introduced regularly incorporat ing new
a nd improved designs a nd older models are
taken out of p ro du ction. Child res traints are
not stan dardized . Ch ild restra ints o f the same
type typically have different weights and s izes
a nd d ifferent 'footprints,' the s ize and s hape
of the bottom o f the child restraint that sits
on the seat, when they are installed on a veh i
cle seat. These differences make it virtually impossible to certify compliance wi
th t he re
quirements for a dvanced airbags with eac h
and every ch ild restra int that has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For t his reason, the United States National
Hig hway Traffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has
published a list of spec ific type, ma kes and
m odels of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle w ith the su ppr ession
r equirem ents of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These chi ld restraints a re :
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard A ngel September 25, 2007
Ri de AA 2403FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury Smart Fit December 1, 1999
454 3
Cosco Ar riva September 2S, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
E venflo Discove ry Ad -December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E ven flo First Ch oic e De ce m be r 1, 1999
2 04
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
G raco Sn ug ride September 25
, 2007
Peg Perego Pr imo Vi -September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMU NOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and
convertible child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
B rit a x Round about S
eptember 2 5, 2007
E 9 L02xx
Cosco To uriva 02519 December 1, 1999
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.
Fu el consumption, exhaust emissions and en
g ine 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 .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il
road crossings, or at traffic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off for
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned starting the engine 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 whi le the engine
is sti ll warming up .
(D 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-
Driving and environment 153
'
heating or othe r damage to the vehicle or
other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
""H ave your veh icle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regu larly serviced by an
Audi dealer helps to ensu re 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 o il 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 kilometres) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en
gine output.
(U) Note
- Have your 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 function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo
nents .
•
•
172 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil , first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine o il collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re
q uir es little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture of spec ia lly condi tioned water and the
manuf acturer 's glyco l-b asedcoolan t addi -
tive G l3 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els). This mixture both assures the nec es
sary frost protection and p rotects metal com
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil
ing point of the coo lant .
Do not red uce the concentration o f the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add itive must be at
l e a st 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main
tain antifreez e protection and cooling efficien
cy . If the coolant frost prote ct ion is too low,
the coo lant cou ld free ze and damage the veh i
cle hea ting and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round d riving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for temperatures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada. If
you must add coolant, use a mixture o f wa
ter and coolant additive . Mixing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
-
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WAR NINGS
c::, & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 165.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli m ate conditions . This is especia lly impor
tan t if you live in a reg io n wher e the win
t er is ex treme ly col d. If ne cessa ry, i n
crease the proportion of coo lant add itive
t o 60%.
- Whe n adding coolant additive to yo ur
c oolin g sys tem, remembe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad
d itive Gl2++ or Gl3 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is avai lab le at au
thor ized Audi dealers . Other types of
ant ifre eze can s ignificant ly reduce cor
rosion prote ctio n. T he resulti ng cor ro
sion can ca use a lo ss o f coolan t and se
rio us en gine d amage.
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal
a n t t o y our vehicle 's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator rep air fl uid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
yo ur cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by yo ur New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
-
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
always r ead and heed all WARN
ING S
~ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 165.
.. Read the brake flu id level from the brake
fluid reservoir
9 page 167, fig. 130 . The
brake f lu id leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The brake f luid reservoir is located behind the
rear partition of the engine compartment on
the left side
9 page 167.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake fluid level falls considerably be
l ow the "M IN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi
cator light (U .S . mode ls:
1111 , Canadian
models: .) will come on ¢
page 14 . Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali
f ied fac ility and the cause corrected . If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
i ndicator light w ill illuminate . Co ntact an au
thor ized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid abso rbs moistu re from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
hi gh, cor ros ion in the b rake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of t he
b ra ke fluid w ill also decrease considerab ly and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e very two year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DO T 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r ca n be difficult to
r each, therefo re , we recommend that yo u
h ave the brake fl uid changed by you r autho r
i zed
Audi dealer . Your deale r has the correct
Checkin g and fillin g 175
tools, the right brake fl uid and t he know -how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
-Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor
ed only in the closed or iginal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can res ult from o ld or inap
propriate brake f lu id. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only b rake fluid th at mee ts SA E
spe cificat ion
J 17 03 and conforms to
Federa l Mo to r Ve hicl e Standard 1 16.
Always check with yo ur authorized Au di
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The cor rect type of
brake f luid is also ind icated on the
brake f luid reservoir .
- The bra ke fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes ca n cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left i n the system too
long. This can se riously affect the effi
c iency of the b rakes as well as your
safety , T his could result in an accide nt.
(!) Note
Brake fluid will damage the pai nt of your
vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the nec essary expertise, we
r ecommend that yo u have th e brake flu id
c hanged by you r aut ho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with a specia l bat
tery, an
ACM battery. This battery is located
in the luggage compartment and must be re
placed with an origina l equipment batte ry .
Un der normal ope rat ing condit io ns, t he bat-
te ry is
maintenanc e-free . .,.
•
•
186 Tire s and wheel s
you have stored . The system does not
recognize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressu re monito r
ing system w ill be impaired if yo u store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load¢.&..
See the il lustration¢
fig. 138 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side 8-pillar (color of
the actua l labe l and exact location on the ve
hicle wi ll vary slightly).
Note that the followi ng tab le is accurate a t
the time o f go ing to press and is subject to change. In the
event of discrepancies, the t ire
pressure label (on driver's side 8-pi llar) a lways
takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressu res for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal
l ed on the respective models as original
equipment, or as a factory option.
Model/ Tire designation
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
Engine full load full load
no rmal load
condition normal load
condition
condition (2 occupants condition
(2 occu-
( up to 2 oc-
plus lug- (up to 2 oc-
pants plus
cupants)
gage) cupants)
luggage)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
TT /TTS : 22 5/50 Rl 7 94H All Sea -
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 2.0 liter son
4-c ylin-225 /50 Rl 7 94W XL High
d er
Perf orm ance
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200
2
45 /4 5 Rl 7 95 H All Sea-
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 son
245 /45 Rl7 95YX L High
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 Perf ormance
245 /40 R1 8 93H All S ea-
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 son
2 45 /40 Rl8 9 3Y XL High
32 220 33 230 29 200 30 210 Perform ance
25 5/35 Rl 9 96Y XL Hi gh
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 Perf or mance
X L= r ein for ce d or e xtra lo ad tire . It m ay also a ppear as xl, EX TRA LO AD, or RF on th e tire side-
w all.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
l ocated on a label on the driver's side 8-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, al
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle. Ma ke sure that the tire
size information on the vehicle label is the same
as the size of the tires on the veh icle.
T his is espec ially important if the veh icle be
longs to someone e lse or you boug ht the vehi
cle w ith different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned veh icle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas-
sengers also depends on making sure that
II>-
198 Tire s and wheel s
snow cha ins a re suitab ly covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary. Follow the instr uctions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
{O) Tips
Where snow cha ins are mandatory oncer
tain roads, this norma lly also applies to
veh icles with all-wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correc t torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims . If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolt s with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bol t heads mus t
be used . This ensures that wheel s are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a d iffe rent vehicle -even if it
i s the same model
Q page 228.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious person al in
jury .
- Always keep the w heel bol ts and the
t h reads in t he wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can t urn easily and be p rop
er ly t ightened .
- N ever grease or oil the wheel bo lt s an d
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
oi led, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use whee l bolts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always mai ntai n the co rrect tighte ning
torq ue for the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor- que of the whee
l bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cle is mov ing. If the tig hte ning torq ue is
too high, the w heel bolts a nd threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for t he whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts diago
nally . After changing a whee l, the to rq ue
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque w rench - prefe rably by an author
iz ed A udi dealer or quali fied workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-eq uipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have b een tho ro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their supe rb performance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of driving condi
t ions . Ask your author ized Audi dealer for
more de tails .
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire 's s ize
designation . The numera l rep resents the ratio
of the tire 's s idewa ll height in relation to its
t read width exp ressed in percentage. Conven
tiona l tire s have a he igh t/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The p erformance of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitiv e to improper inflation
pre ssure. It i s ther efore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pre ssure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s
sures should be checked at least once a month and always before a long trip
Q page 187, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avo id tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w ith po tholes, curbs, gul lies ..,.