2015 AUDI A4 Owners Manual

'"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
&
Battery acid contain s sulfuric acid. Al ·
wa ys wear glove s and e ye protection .
@
No
· sparks
- flame s
- smoking .
~
When a battery i s ch arged, it p roduce s
. hy drogen g as whi ch i s exp losive and
could cau se per sonal inju ry.
®
Always keep the batt ery well out of
re ach of children .
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the r isk of
injury, acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS :
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your sk in or cloth ing. Sh ield your eyes .
Explosive gases can cause blindness o r
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blind ness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye p rotection.
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could leak out of the vent ilation open ­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in yo ur eyes or
on your sk in, immed iately r inse with
cold water for severa l m inutes and get
medical attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek med ica l attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cab les .
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
wh ich could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
-
Checkin g and fillin g
-When a battery is charged, it produces
hyd rogen gas which is explos ive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the elect rical sys ­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec­
trical system, switch
off the eng ine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If yo u are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switc h
off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you wi ll set
off the al arm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
discon nect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l cons umers are sw itch ­
ed off . Re connect the pos it ive cable first
and then the negative cable. Neve r in ter ­
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never cha rge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery.
It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32°F
(QOC).
- Make s ure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! A l­
ways rep lace a damaged batte ry.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
Ca lifornia to cause cance r and reproduc­
tive problems. Wash hands after han- dling.
~
223
•
•

224 Checking and filling
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage e lectronic components i n the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect t he battery from "freezing", oth­
e rwise it w ill be damaged and w ill then
have t o be repla ced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
batt ery.
Fig. 187 Eng ine compartment: Connectors for charger
a nd jumper cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
c::> & and c::> & in Working on the battery on
page 223 .
•Turnoff th e ignit ion and all electrical con­
sumers.
• Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
yo u cha rge the battery .
• Ope n the engi ne hood
i=!.> page 2 12.
• Open the cove r o n the pos it ive pole
e!.>fig. 187.
• Connect the charger connectors according to
t h e instr uctions to the
jump start bolts.
(Bo lts under the cover = "positive", Bolts
with hex head= "negative").
• Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
i ng equipment into the wall outlet and turn
i t on
c::> .&,. .
• Make sure the charging rate i s not over
30 amps /14.8 Volt .
• When the battery is fully cha rged: Turn the
charging equipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wall out let.
• Now remove the clamps for the charging
equ ipment.
.,. Close the cover on the positive pole .
.,. Close the hood
c::> page 212.
A discha rged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures of only 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw comp letely before attempting to
charge i t
c::> .&.. However, we recommend not
u sing a thawed batte ry aga in because the ba t­
te ry casing can be c racked due to ic e f orma­
t io n an d can leak ba ttery a cid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of
30 amps/14.8 Volt)
When ch arg ing at low vo lta ges (e.g. wi th a
trickle charger ), the ba tte ry cables do not
have to be disconnected f irs t. T he bat tery
caps should
not be opened when charg ing a
battery .
It is no t necessa ry to remove the b att ery from
t h e luggage com partmen t.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14.8 Volts)
F or te chnica l re asons do not u se a batt ery
ch arger that uses voltage greater than
14 .8
Volts to c harge yo ur vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
.------
C harging a battery can be dan gero us.
-A lways follow t he operati ng inst ru ctions
p rovi ded by the battery charger manu ­
facturer when charg ing your battery.
- Never charge a frozen batte ry . I t may ex­
p lode because of gas trap ped in the ice.
A llow a frozen battery to thaw out f irst.
- Do not reuse batteries w hich were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened w hen the battery
froze .
- Charge the battery in a we ll ventilated
area. Keep away from o pen flame or elec­
tr ica l spark. Do not s moke. Hyd rogen gas
ge nera ted by t he battery is explos ive .

"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-To r educe the danger of explosion, never
connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charg ing a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent technician w ith the proper equip­
ment .
- Battery acid that may spill during charg­
ing should be washed
off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu ­
t ralize the acid .
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine . This will seriously dam­
age sensitive elect ronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc. , as we ll
as t he battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intell igent energy management in your veh i­
cle is respons ible for d istr ibuting the e lectr i­
cal energy throughout you r vehicle
¢ page 191. T he inte lligen t en ergy ma nage­
men t system w ill keep the engine b attery
charged be tter then vehicles w ithout this sys­
tem . To make sure t he additional e lectrica l e n­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed t he battery, we recommend that you
install ba tteries of the same type and man u­
facture only (the same as t hose installed at
the t ime your vehicle was delivered) . Specifi­
cations a re listed on the battery hous ing . You r
author ized Audi dealer must code the bat tery
in the energy management system to enable
you to use the energy management functions
correctly after rep lac ing the battery .
I f it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new bat tery mus t have the s ame ca­
pacity, vo ltage ( 12-volts), ampe rage, con­
struction and pl ug sea ling.
Checkin g and fillin g 225
When installing the battery, make su re the ig ­
nition and a ll electrical consume rs a re turned
off.
Q) Note
M ake sure the ven tilat ion hose on the side
of the batte ry is connecte d, otherwise
fumes o r batte ry acid can leak out .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the p rob lem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommen d your author­
i zed A udi dealer change the battery for
you. Batteries contain sulfur ic acid and
l ead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in comp liance with a ll environmental
r egula tions . Dispos ing of vehicle batter ies
i mprope rly is v ery dange rous to th e envi­
r o nmen t.
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fi g. 18 8 Eng in e co mpartm en t: Cove r o n th e w ind­
s h iel d a nd headlig ht• was her fluid conta in er
T he was her fluid conta iner is mar ked w ith the
symbol
O on its cap ¢ fig . 188, ¢page 214,
fig . 182.
.. Before yo u check any thing in t he engine
compa rtment,
alwa ys re ad and heed all
WARNINGS ¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 212 .
.. Lift the fi ller cap tongue to add washer flu ­
id. You can f ill the container to t he top.
.. Press the cap back o nto the fi lle r neck after
filling the co nta iner .
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in the table
in ¢
page 281. 111>
•
•

226 Checking and filling
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets. Always add a glass cleaner
solut ion (with frost protection in the winter) .
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shie ld washer reservoir.

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreci­
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreci­
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle. Tires are, how­
ever, one of the most important
parts of a vehicle, particularly
considering the comparatively
small patch of rubber on each
tire that assures that all-impor­
tant contact between you, your
vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire
pressure, making sure that your
vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more weight than they can safely handle, avoiding
damage from road hazards and
regularly inspecting tires for
damage including cuts, slashes
irregular wear and overall con­
dition are the most important
things that you can do to help avoid sudden tire failure includ­
ing tread separation and blow-
~ outs.
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Tires and wheels 22 7
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb
or similar obstacle , drive very
slowly and as close as possible
at a right angle to the curb.
Always keep chemicals includ­ ing grease, oil, gasoline and
brake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the t ires regularly for
damage (cuts, cracks or blis­
ters, etc.). Remove any foreign bodies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove
them to indicate the direction
of rotation. This ensures you to be able to mount them correct­
ly when you reinstall them.
When removed, the wheels or
tires should be stored in a cool, dry and preferably dark place.
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounted on
rims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims.
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢ _&..
The tread depth of new tires
may vary , according to the type .,.
•
•
'

228 Tires an d whee ls
and make of tire and the tread
pattern.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is of­
ten not readily visible. If you
notice unusua l vibration or the
vehicle pulls to one side, this may indicate that one of the
t ires has been damaged . The
tires must be checked immedi ­
ately by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop .
Unidirectional tires
A unidirectional tire can be
identified by arrows on the
sidewall, that point in the direc­
tion the tire is designed to ro­
tate. You must follow the speci­
fied direction of rotation. This is
necessary so that these tires
can develop their optimum
characteristics regarding grip,
road noise, wear and hydro­
planing resistance. For more in­
formation
c:> page 267 .
&_ WAR NIN G
New tires or tires that are
old, worn or damaged cannot provide maximum control
and braking ability. -
New tires tend to be slip­
pery and must also be bro­
ken-in. To reduce the risk of losing control, a collision
and serious personal inju­
ries, drive with special care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
-Driving with worn or dam ­
aged tires can lead to loss of
control, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and
sudden deflation, crashes
and serious personal inju ­
ries. Have worn or damaged
tires replaced immediately.
- Tires age even if they are
not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and at low speed.
-Never mount used tires on
your vehicle if you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
failure and loss of vehic le
control.
...

-If you notice unusual vibra­tion or if the vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the
wheels and tires for dam­ age.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de­
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea­
sons. Audi recommends us­ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem­ peratures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability.
Tires and wheels 229
If summer tires are used in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in perma­
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi­
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi­
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma­
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
•
•
'
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac­
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indi­
cate a low sidewall for im­ proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.

230 Tires a nd whee ls
Bead Extra load tire
means the part of the tire that means a tire design to operate
is made of steel wires, wrapped at higher loads and at higher
or reinforced by p ly cords and inflation pressures than the
that is shaped to fit the rim . corresponding standard tire .
Bead separation Extra load tires may be identi-
fied as "XL", "xl", " EXTRA
means a breakdown of the bond LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
between components in the
bead .
Gross A xle Weight Rating
(" GAWR ")
Cord
means the load-carrying capaci-
means the strands forming the ty of a single axle system,
p lies in the tire .
measured at the tire-ground in-
Cold tire inflation pressure terfaces.
means the tire pressure recom-
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
mended by the vehicle manu-( "GVWR ")
facturer for a t ire of a designat-
means the maximum total
ed size that has not been driven loaded weight of the vehicle.
for more than a couple of miles
Groove
(kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before means the space between two
the tire pressure is measured or adjacent tread ribs.
adjusted.
Load rating (code )
Curb weight
means the max imum load that
means the weight of a motor a tire
is rated to carry for a giv-
vehicle with standard equip -en inflation pressure
. You may
ment including the maximum not find th
is information on all
capacity of fuel, oil, and cool- tires because it is not required
ant, air condit ioning and addi- by law.
...
tional weight of optional equip-
ment.