16 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the I (USA models) JII (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi
nates wh ile you are driv ing, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a ma lfunction somewhere
in the system . If the light does not illuminate
when you switch on the ignition, this also
means there is a malfunction .
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer
immediate ly. Otherwise the safety sys
tems may not wo rk properly in an acci
dent.
4 Safety belt warning light
Applies to vehicles: with safety belt warning light
The warning light is a reminder to fasten
safety belts.
The warning light . comes on for a few sec
onds after the ignit ion is switched on as a re
m inder to fasten your safety belt.
Addit ional information on safety belts
Q page 101.
0 Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system.
The. warning/ind icator light illuminates
when you sw itch on the ignit ion a nd must go
out after the engine has started.
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the
generator or vehicle electr ical system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali
fied workshop immediately . Because the vehi
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec
essary electrical equipment such as the radio.
Seek professional ass istance if the battery
charge level is too low.
(•) Low battery: battery will be charged
while driving
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability.
If this message turns off after a litt le while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
authorized Aud i dealer or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.
requires immediate service or repair.
If the . symbol appears in the disp lay and
flashes, the oil pressure is too low. In add ition
to the symbol, the following message also ap
pears in the display:
Switch off engine! Oil pressure is too low
.,. Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
• Shut the eng ine down.
.,. Check the engine oil level¢ page 170.
.,. Contact your authorized Aud i dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
Engine oil level too low
If the engine oil leve l is too low, top off oil to
the proper level¢
page 170.
Engine oil level OK
If the . symbo l starts flashing again even
though the engine oi l level checks OK on the
dipstick,
do not start driving again and do
not let the engine run at idle.
Instead, con
tact your authori zed Aud i dealer for ass is
tance.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
164 Fuel suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank
fuel container in your vehicle . The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a po rtable fuel conta iner
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the tr unk). Static electrici
ty can bui ld up while filling and can ig
n ite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a po rtable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the f iller nozzle complete
l y inside the portable container before
and d uring fi lling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
he lp prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fi re .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
h ighly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provi n
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transporta tion of fuel conta iners.
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F8S2 -86) .
d) Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint .
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add more fue l because fuel may spill out. In
add it ion, the expans ion space in the fuel
tank will be fi lled -causing the fue l to
overflow whe n it becomes warm and pol
lute the env ironment.
(D Tips
- Running your engine whi le refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even fuel
to spill out of the tank. This would then
shut off the fuel nozz le before the tank
is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may otherwise not ind icate the correct fue l
level after ref uelling .
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
F ig . 12 7 Luggage compartment: Cover in the rig ht
side interio r trim
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still ope n the flap ma nually:
.. Open the rear lid .
.. Open the round cover in the right-side interi
or trim.
.. Remove the red plastic knob from its retain
er .
.. Pull the p lastic cord in the d irect ion of the
arrow to unlock the fuel fi ller flap
qfig. 127.
Charging of battery
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery.
11-Al way s read and heed all WARNING S be
low¢
A and ¢ A in Working on the bat
tery on page 177.
11-Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con
sumers.
11-Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the bat tery.
11-Connect charger cables. ALWAY S co nnect
charge r cables POSITI VE
G) to POSITIVE
G) ; NEGATIVE Qto NEGA TIV E Q .
11-Switch on the charger.
11-Turn off the charger¢ &_.
11-Disconnect the charger cables.
11-Connect both battery cables to the battery if
necessary -
first plus, then m inus.
When charging at
low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle charg er), the battery cables do not
h ave to be d isconnected first. Before charging
at
high voltages, i.e. " fas t charging ", you
must disconnect both cables. In e ithe r case,
follow the instru ctions from the man ufactu rer
of the charger .
Fastcharging a battery is
dan gerou s¢ & in
Working on the battery on page 177.
It r e
q ui res specia l charg ing equipment and the
know ledge to go with it. We recommend hav
ing your battery fast charged on ly by a quali
f ied workshop .
A discharged battery can
freeze at tempera
tures of on ly 32 °F (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat
tery to thaw completely befo re attempting to
charge it¢ & . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat
tery cas ing can be cracked due to ice forma
tion and can leak battery acid.
Do not open the battery caps when charging
the battery.
A WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
Checkin g and fillin g 179
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were fro
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect c harger cab les
while the charger is ope rat ing.
- Fast cha rging a batte ry is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe
tent techn ic ian with the prope r equip
men t.
- Battery acid that may spi ll dur ing cha rg
i n g should be washed off wi th a solu tion
of wa rm w ater and baking soda to neu
trali ze the ac id.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast cha rg er as a boost er to
star t the engi ne. This w ill ser iously dam
age sens it ive e lectronic componen ts, su ch
as cont ro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the batte ry charger.
(D Tips
T he vehicle ba tte ry mu st not be charged
wi th a standa rd small charger that plugs
into t he cigarette lighter or outlet . •
•