Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
system ma lfunction warning/indicator light
c> ,&. .
The ligh t 1111 (USA)/ . (Canada) illumi
nates when the ignit ion is tu rned on. I t goes
out after the engine has been started and the
parking brake is fully released. This indicates
that the brake warning lig ht is funct ion ing
properly.
If the brake warn ing light doe s not light up
w hen the engin e is cr anking o r the p arking
br ak e is applied, th ere m ay be a malfun ction
in th e electrical syste m. In thi s cas e, conta ct
y ou r A udi dealer .
If the ABS fails, the ABS warning/indicator
light
E (USA mode ls)! EIJ (Canada models)
f lashes together with the brake system warn
ing/indicator light
c> ,&. .
(USA models): If the warning light 1111 and
the warning light
EiJ illum inate together, im
mediately contact your author ized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have all brake pads
inspected
c> page 19.
When the light comes on, an audible warning
signa l is also given.
Parking brake set
The parking brake warning light_ /_
(Canada models) illuminates when the park
ing brake is set. In addition, a warning tone
will sound after you have driven for longer
than 3 seconds and faster than 3 mph (5 km/
h).
Park ing brak e set
The 1111 warning/indicator light illuminates
when the parking brake is set
c> &..
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
c> page 165, Working in the engine
compartment, before opening the en
gine hood and check ing the bra ke fluid.
- Driv ing with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard! Stop the car and get professional
assistance. -
USA models: If both, the
1111 warning
light and the
E warn ing light come
on at the same time, the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard braking.
Lock-up of the rear wheel brakes can
cause loss of vehicle contro l and an acci
dent. Have your veh icle repa ired immedi
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop . Drive s low ly and
avoid sudden, hard brake application.
- Canada models:
If both, the b rake warn
ing light . and the ABS warning light
EiJ come on at the same time, the rear
wheels could lock up f irst under hard
brak ing. Lock-up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause loss of veh icle control and an
accident. Have your vehicle repaired im
mediately by your author ized Audi dealer
or a qualified wo rkshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake application.
- If the b rake warning/ind icator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
pa rking brake is re leased, or lights up
while you are dr iving, the flu id leve l in
the brake fl uid reservo ir is too low . If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediate ly at low speed to the nea rest
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied work
shop and have the brake system inspect
ed.
-Always keep in mind that after severa l
brake applications, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
veh icle. Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond with maximum stopping powe r
i n critical s ituations. You must allow for
increased b raking dis tances. The extra
distance used up by fading bra kes could
lead to an accident.
tli1 !.!r Safety systems
The I ( U SA models) . (Canada mode ls) in
dicator light monitors the safety systems e.g.
(airbags, pretensioners) and i lluminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignitio n
o n.
18 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-The light illuminates when the convertib le
top is opened or closed incompletely.
nlfJ Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the Ji) indicator lamp blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Ant i-Slip Regulation) is active
l y regulating .
If the
Ji) indicator lamp illuminates, the sys
tem has switched the ESC off. In this case, you
can switch the ignition
off and then on to
switch the ESC on again . The system is func
tioning comp letely whe n the indicator lamp
switches off.
If the
i indicator lamp illuminates, the ESC
was switched
off with the [ru button .
Stabiliz ation prog ram and ABS fault! See
own er's manu al
If the J;.J indicator lamp and the El ABS indi
cator lamp illuminate and the dr iver message
appears, the ABS or e lec tronic differential lock
is ma lfunctioning . This also interrupts the
ESC. The brakes st ill function with the ir nor
mal power, but ABS is not active .
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler immedi
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
For more information about the ESC
c:::;,page 142.
ABS/ (8 ) Anti-lock brake system
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL).
The warning/indicator light
E (USA mod
e ls)
;riJ (Canada mode ls) will come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is sw itched on .
The light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is comple ted.
The re i s a malfuncti on in the ABS when :
-The warning/indicator light does not ill umi
nate when you switch the ign ition on.
- The warning/indicator light does not go out
after a few seconds . - The warning/
indica tor light i lluminates
while driving .
T he ESC indi cator lig ht also illum inates if
there is a ma lf u nction in the ABS. The mes
sage
Stabiliz ation program and ABS : fa ult!
Se e owne r's ma nual
also appears in the in
strument cluster d isp lay and a warning tone
sounds.
The brake system will still re spond e ven
without the a ssistan ce of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi de aler as soon as
possible to re store full b raking perfo rmance.
For more info rmation regard ing the ABS
c:::;, page 142.
Malfunction in the br ake sy stem
If the brake warning light c:::;, page 14 and the
ABS warning illuminate together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS, and there may also
be a malfunction in the brake system itself
c:::;,
&. . The AB S will not wo rk and you will no
ti ce a change in braking re spon se and p er
formanc e.
In the even t of a mal func tion in the brake
sy stem
the warning/ind icator light 1111
( U SA models)/ . (Canada models) in the in
strument cluster flashes c:::;, page 14.
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL )
The EDL works together w ith the ABS . The
ABS warning light wi ll come on if there is a
malfunction in the EDL sys tem
c:::;, page 142 .
See your author ized Audi dealer as soon as
possible .
A WARNING ,-=
-If the E (USA mode ls)/ Ei] (Canada
models) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on whi le driving, the ABS
system is not work ing properly. The vehi·
cle ca n then be stopped only wit h the
standard brakes (without ABS) . You w ill
not have the protect ion ABS prov ides .
Contact your Audi dea le r as soon as pos
sib le.
-
.__ _______________ _J ~
Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
-USA models: If the la warning light,
the
G1 warning light and the m:IJ warn
ing light come on together, t he rear
wheels could lock up first under hard
braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle control and an accident .
Have your vehicle repai red immediately
by you r autho rized Aud i dea ler or a qua li
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications .
-Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light ., the
&J warn ing light and the
ABS warning light
[IJ come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci
dent . Have you r vehicle repaired immed i
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified wo rkshop . Dr ive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
( 0) Worn brake pads
riJ Che ck brake pad s!
If the warn ing light illum inates, immediately
contact your authorized A udi dealer or quali
f ied workshop to have all brake pads inspect
ed. O n USA models the wa rning lig ht
riJ
comes on togethe r wi th the warn ing light
la . Both sets of b ra ke pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time .
A WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the warning light riJ and the warning
light
lai1 ) w it h the message Brake
pads !
comes on in the instr ument cluster
display, immediately contact your au
tho rized Aud i dea le r or qualified work
shop to have a ll brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary .
1) - : USA mod els on ly
-
EPC Electronic pow er control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warning/indicator light (Electronic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
on the ignition as a function check .
@ Tips
If this warning/ indicato r light illum inates
while you are driving, then there is a mal
funct ion in the engine electronics . Have
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos
sible by your authori zed A udi dealer or
q ualified works hop .
~ Malfunction Indicator lamp (MIL )
The Ma lfun ction Indicator Lamp ( MIL) is par t
of the On -Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The symbo l
fl lights up when the ignition is
turned on and will turn off after the eng ine
has started and has settled at constant idle
speed . This indicates that the MIL is work ing
proper ly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfu nction in the eng ine electron ic system .
Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler and have
the malfunction corrected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL l ight to illum inate
c::> page 163.
For more information c::> page 30 .
!?) Engine speed limitation
App lies to vehicles : wi th engine speed limitatio n
(m Do not e xceed ma x. engine speed of
XXXX rpm
The (Ill symbol illuminates when there is an
engine contro l ma lf u nction . The indicator
li ght ~ in the instrument cl uster a lso illumi-
nates. The engine speed is limited to the .,.
66 Seats and st o rage
A WARNING
The outlet p lus any appliances plugged in
to it rema in functional even if the ignition
is switched off or the ignition key is re
moved. N ever leave children inside the ve
hicle withou t supe rvision.
@ Note
To avo id damag ing the socket, only use
plugs that fit properly .
(i) Tips
When the engine is off and accessor ies are
still plugged in and are on, the vehicle bat
tery can still be dra ined .
Storage
General
A WARNING
- Always remove objects from the instru
ment panel. Any items not put away
cou ld slide around inside the vehicle
wh ile driving or when accelerating or
when applying the brakes or when driv ing around a corner.
- When you are drivi ng make sure tha t
anything you may have placed in the cen
ter console or other storage locations cannot fa ll out into the footwells. In case
of sudden braking you would not be able
to brake or accelerate.
-
Glove compartment
The glove compartment is illuminated and
can be locked .
§
___ .;.;._ _______ i
Fig . 77 G love compartme nt
To open glove compartment
• Pull the handle~ fig. 77 in the direct ion of
t he ar row push down lid to the fully open
position .
To close gl ove compartment
• Push the glove compartment lid upward un-
til the lock engages .
CD changer *
The CD changer for the Sound System is locat
ed in the glove compartment.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal i njury in an
accident or sudden stop, always keep the
g love compartment closed while driving.
Storage compartment in the front seats
Applies to vehicles: w ith storage compartment in the
front seats
There is a fold-out storage compartment in
the front of the seats.
Op ening
• Lift the handle and pull the drawer o ut.
Clo sin g
-
.. Push the drawer in completely until it latch
es .
@ For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary engine wear and to reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up. Be ready to
drive off immediately after start ing your
veh icle. Mainta in moderate speed until the
engine is completely warm . Remember,
the engine performs best at operating
temperature .
Stopping the engine
.,. Turn the ignition key to position @
¢page 73, fig. 82.
_& WARNING
-Never turn off the engine before the ve
hicle has come to a complete stop. The
full function of the brake booster and the
power steering is not guaranteed. You
must use more force to turn or brake if
necessary . Because you cannot steer and
brake as you usually would, this could
lead to crashes and serious injur ies.
- The radiator fan can continue to run for
up to 10 minutes even after you have
turned off the eng ine and removed the
ignition key. The radiator fan can also
turn on again if the engine coolant heats
up because of intense sunlight or heat
build-up in the engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not stop the engine immediately after
hard or extended driving. Keep the engine
r un ning for approximately two minutes to
prevent excessive heat build-up.
On the road 75
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally .
Fig. 83 Center console: Parki ng b rake set
Setting the parking brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever all the way up.
Releasing the parking brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever up slightly and
press the release button at the same time
¢ fig. 83 -arrow-.
.,. Keep the re lease button pressed and lower
the parking brake¢&_ .
If you should drive off with the parking brake
still set, a warning tone will sound and the
follow ing will appear in the instrument clus
ter to rem ind you to release the parking
brake:
Parking brake set
The parking brake warning comes on only af
ter you have driven for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than 5 mph (5 km/h) .
The parking brake warning light_
(USA)/ . (CON) illuminates when the park
ing brake is set and you switch on the ignition .
A WARNING
Always re lease the park ing brake com -
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce their ef
fectiveness and cause excessive wear. This
could lead to brake failure and an accident. .,.
because if the vehicle starts to roll
backward, you could cause an accident. If
the clutch should start to slip, you will
feel the vehicle "jerk" and the selector lever display will start blink ing.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re
duce your speed and shift into a lower gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or apply the brake
pedal too often or too long . Constant
braking causes the brakes to overheat
and substantially reduces braking per
formance, increases braking distance or
causes complete failure of the brake sys
tem.
Hill Descent Assist
Applies to vehicles: with S tro nic
Hill Descent Assist helps the driver when driv
ing down inclines .
Hill Descent Ass ist is activated by pressing the
b rake wh ile descending when the selector lev
er is in D/S. The S tronic transmission auto
mat ically shifts down to a gear suitab le for
the incline. Hill Descent Assist attempts to
maintain the current vehicle speed when the
brak ing occurs, as far as phys ical and techni
cal limits allow. It may be necessary to adjust
the speed using the brakes.
Hill Descent Assist switches off when the in
cline levels out or when the gas pedal is press
ed.
On vehicles w ith cruise control*~
page 78,
Hill Descent Assist is also activated when the
speed is set.
_&. WARNING
Hill Descent Assist cannot overcome phys i
cal limitations, so it may not be possible to
ma intain a constant vehicle speed under
all circumstances . Always be ready to ap
ply the brakes .
Transmission 85
tiptronic operation
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
Tiptronic allows the driver to shift gears man
ually.
Fig. 93 Center console: Ma nua l sh ift in g (t iptronic)
Fig . 94 D isplay : Manual sh ift ing (t iptron ic)
Switching to manual
"' Move the selector lever to the right out of
the D position . Th e display changes once the
transmission has switched to manual mode.
For examp le,
M4 indicates that 4th gear is
engaged.
Upshifting
"' Tap the selector lever forward (in the tip
tronic setting)
~ fig. 93 0 -
Downshifting
"'Tap the selector lever backward (in the tip-
tronic setting)
0 -
Switching to manual can be carried out with
the vehicle stationary as well as moving .
When accelerating, the transmission shifts in
to the next gear in gears 1, 2, 3, 4 and S
shortly before the maximum permissible en- gine speed is reached . ..,.
switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less traction, you can switch
off ESC by pressing the button
lru. Be sure to
switch ESC on again when you no longer need
less traction.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking . The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard braking . Apply steady pres
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer
gency si tuations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating. EDL w ill switch on again au
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
..&, WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and EDL cannot overcome
th e laws of physics. This is especially im
portant on slippery or wet roads.
If the
systems begin acting to stabilize your ve
hicle, you should immediately change
your speed to match the road and traffic
condit ions. Do not let the increased safe
ty provided by these systems tempt you
Intelligent technology 143
to take risks. Doing so will increase the
risk of a lo ss of vehicle control, co llision
and serious personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys
tem, EDL and ASR cannot prevent colli
sions.
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al
ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve
hicle control.
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correct ly when
all four whee ls are equipped with identi
cal tires. D ifferent tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the ind icator lightD] orE (USA
models)/ [iJ (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction¢
page 18,
¢ page 18.
Switching on and off
ESC turns on au tomatically when you start
the engine.
Fig . 123 Ce nter conso le: ESC OFF butto n
(D Note
Never push the vehicle or apply force to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
@ Tips
Clean the spoiler compartment every 2 to
3 months . The spoiler compartment must
always be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Oper ating condit ions and d riving hab it s
T he brakes on today's automobi les are st ill
s ubject to wear, depending largely on opera t
ing conditions and dr iv ing habi ts
c> & . On
vehicles that are e ither driven mostly in stop
and-go city traffic or are d riven hard , the
b rake pads should be checked by you r author
i zed Audi dealer more often than specified i n
the
Warr ant y & Maint enan ce booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can res ult
in red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the brak ing
effect of the eng ine. This way, you p revent un
necessa ry wear on the brake system . If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. Pump th e brakes at inter
vals.
Noises may occur when braking d epending on
the speed, braki ng force and outside condi
tions such as temperature and humidity.
Moistu re or road salt
Unde r certain conditions, for example, w hen
driving through water or ve ry heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced d ue to moisture (or in
fre ezing conditions ice) on the brake pads . A
few ca utious brake applicat ions should dry off
the b rake pads or remove any ice coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when th e vehicle is driven on a salt-covered
Int ellig ent technolog y 145
road and the b rakes are no t used. Likewise ,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads with a few cautious ap
plications of the brake
c> & .
Cor ro sion
T here may be a tendency for dir t to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regu larly or
on ly fo r short trips with litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
c> & .
Faults in the brak e syst em
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have fai led
c> & .
Low brake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the b rake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he brake booster inc reases the pressure that
you generate with the brake peda l. It works
o nl y when the engine is running
.c> &
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If neces
sary, the wheel may be removed for t his in
spection
c> page 209, What should I be
aware of when changing a tire? .
A WARNING
--=
-You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
~
•
•