M N
ci u.. co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
on necessary precautions e.g. corrosion preven
tion, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to
addit ional information concern ing the battery.
Refer to
c> page 204.
Economical and environ
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
Fu el economy, environmental impact , and wear
on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend
on three factors:
- your persona l dr iving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fuel
consumption by 10-15 percen t. This sec tion will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi
ronment and your pocketbook .
(!) Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
and Transport Canada may not correspond to
your actual consumption on the road, which
w ill vary depending upon vehicle load and
speed, road and weather conditions, trip
length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler
ating.
" Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler
ating . If you anticipate what is going to happen
next, you will need to brake less and, thus, accel
e rate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possi
ble - for example when yo u see that the next traf
fic light is red .
Driving and the environment
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im
proves your mileage .
"Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerat ing gently reduces fue l consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ
ment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximate ly three quarters of
top speed, fuel consump tion will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed l imit and weather cond itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is jus t idling it burns up fuel.
" Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
" Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the en-
gine run at idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when wa iting for tra ins to pass a t railroad
crossings, or at traffic lights that have long waits
on red . Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 sec
onds saves more fue l than is burned starting the
. . engine again.
It takes a long t ime 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 sta rt the engine and avoid
running at high rpms wh ile the engine is st ill
warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unatt ended afte r
starting .
If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
un heeded . Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or oth
er damage to the vehicle or other property.
179
M N
ci u.. co ,...., \!) ..,.,
N ..,., ,....,
corrosion protection, maintenance and storage proced ures . Also follow the information about
the battery
c:::> page 204.
Care and cleaning
189
Checking and Filling
compartment. Wait until no steam or cool
ant can be seen or heard before carefully
opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm . The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances . This increases the risk of
burns .
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary :
= Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme
diately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
while the engine is running or being started,
never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever of automatic transmission
to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from getting
196
caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or other
moving parts, or from contacting hot
parts. Tie back hair before starting, and do
not wear clothing that will hang or droop
into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi
cal hazards
¢ A .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Wash hands after handling.
([) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If you
see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi dealer .
Checking and F ill in g
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on t he left
side ¢
page 197.
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 b ra ke fluid level fal ls considerably below
the "MIN" mark, the brake warn ing/indi cator
light (U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian models: . )
will come on ¢
page 15. Do not contin ue to oper
ate the vehicle . The complete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an author iz ed
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/ind icator light w ill illuminate .
Contact an authorized Audi dealer
i mmed iately .
{D) Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moist ure from the a ir. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor rosion in the brake system may result after a peri
od of time . The boiling point of the brake flu id
w ill also decrease conside rably and dec rease
b rak ing perfo rmance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ve ry
two year s.
Always use new brake fluid w hich con
forms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle Standard "FMVSS
1 16 DOT 4".
The brake fluid rese rvoir can be difficult to reach,
therefo re , we recommend that you have the
b rake fluid changed by your author ized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has the correct too ls , the
right brake fluid and the know-how to do t his for
you.
A WARNING
- B rake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
on ly in the closed original container out of
the reach of children!
204
- Brake fail ure can resu lt from o ld or inappro
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau
tions:
- Use only b rake fluid that meets SAE spec i
f ica tion
J 170 3 and conform s to Federa l
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with yo ur autho rized Audi dea le r to make
su re you are using the correct brake fl uid.
The correct type of brake flu id is also ind i
cated on the brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fl uid must be new. Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake f luid is left in the system too long.
This can seriously affect the efficiency of
the brakes as well as your safety. This
could result in an acc ident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehi
cle.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
Because of the prob lem of prope r disposal of
brake fluid as well as the special tools re
qu ired and the necessary expert ise, we rec
omme nd that you have the brake flu id
changed by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
, General information
U nder normal operating conditions, the battery
i n your Audi does not need any maintenance.
Wi th
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the e lectro
lyte level checked by an a uth orized Aud i deale r o r
qualified workshop . The electrolyte leve l should
a lso be checked each time the batte ry is c ha rged
~ page 206.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your ve
hicle in for service . You a re well adv ised to re
pla ce a battery that is older tha n 5 years.
With certain types of airbag deployment, the bat
te ry is disconnected from the veh icle elect rical
system for safety reasons
¢ & in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 1 45.
M N
ci u.. co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regula
tors , for example) are lost if the battery termi
nals are disconnected. These functions have to be
re learned after th e battery terminals are con
nected again. To prevent this, the batte ry should
only be disconnected from the ve hicle electrical
system when absolutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, e lectrica l components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca pability over a longer period
c:> page 175 .
Some of the conven ience functions may not oper
ate, such as the interior lights or the power seat
adjustment. The convenience functions will be
available aga in when you turn on the ignition and
start the engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop. This is because
more power is also consumed while s tart ing, and
the headlights, rear window defogger, etc ., are
used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, part icu
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
d istances . Let your authorized Aud i dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before w inter
sets in ¢
page 206 . A well charged battery will
not only prevent starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the ve
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it will not freeze. This will prevent it
from being damaged and having to be re placed.
Checking and Filling
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart
men t under the floor. Before you check anything
in the luggage compartment ,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> .&_ .
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle electr ical
system to prevent injury .
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery :
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking.
~
When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children.
A WARNING
= -
Whenever working on the battery or on the
e lectr ical system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even f ire. Read and heed the fol
lowing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection . Do not let bat
tery ac id or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Exp losive
gases can cause blindness or other in jury.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid . Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings. ...,
205
Checking and Filling
-If you get battery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa
ter for several minutes and get medical at
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical 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 nega-
tive cables.
- When working on the battery , be sure not to
short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth
er metal objects . This would cause the bat
tery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury .
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy
drogen gas which is explosive and could
cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys
tem, disconnect the negative ground cable .
- Before performing any work on the electri cal system, switch off the engine and igni
tion as well as any electrical equipment. The negative cable on the battery must be dis
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off. Re
connect the positive cable first and then the
negative cable. Never interchange the ca
bles -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat
tery. It could explode! If a battery has fro ·
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32°F (0°C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery .
206
-Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems .
Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is switched on or when the en
gine is running, otherwise, you will damage
electronic components in the electrical sys
tem .
-If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re
placed .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat
tery.
Fig. 177 E n g in e compar tmen t: C on nectors fo r charger and
jump er cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
9 A and ¢ A in Working on the battery on
page 205.
.,. Turn off the ignition and all electrical consum
ers.
.,. Make sure the area is well ventilated when you
charge the battery.
Iii>-
M N
ci u.. co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
~ Open the engine hood ¢page 195 .
~ Open the cover on the positive pole ~ fig. 177.
~ Connect the charger connectors accord ing to
the instructions to the
j ump sta rt bolts . (Bolts
under the cover= "positive", Bo lts with hex
head = "negat ive") .
~ Only now plug the mains lead for the charg ing
equipment into the wall outlet and turn it on
~ & -
~ Ma ke s ure th e char gin g rate is not ov er
3 0 amp s/14 .8 Volt .
~ When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipment
off and remove the mains
l ead from the wall outlet.
~ Now remove the clamps for the charging equip-
ment.
~ Close the cover on the positive pole .
~ Close the hood 9 page 195.
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempting to charge it
9 & . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery again because the batte ry casing
can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak
battery ac id.
Battery charg ing (Ma ximum charging rate of
30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at low voltages (e.g. w ith a tri ckl e
c h arge r),
the battery cables do not have to be
disconnected first. The battery caps shou ld
not
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the batte ry from
the luggage compartment.
F a st charging th e battery (charg ing r ate
above 14.8 Vo lts )
For technical reasons do no t use a battery charg
e r that uses voltage greater than 14.8 Volts to
charge your vehicle's battery .
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur
er when charging your battery.
Checking and Fillin g
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were frozen.
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 electrical
spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas generat
ed by the batte ry is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cables wh ile
the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
technician w ith the proper equipment.
- Battery acid that may sp ill dur ing charging
should be washed
off with a solut ion of
warm water and baking soda to neutralize the acid .
@ Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This w ill ser iously damage sensi
tive electronic components, suc h as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as we ll as the battery
charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica
tions and dimensions as the original equipment
battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
responsible for distributing the elect rical energy
throughout your vehicle
9 page 175. T he intelli
gent energy management system w ill keep the
engine battery charged better then vehicles with
out this system. To make sure the additional elec
trical energy is avai lab le once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu
facture only (the same as those installed at the
t ime your vehicle was delivered) . Specifications
are listed on the battery housing . Your autho r
ized Audi dealer must code the battery in the en-
ergy management system to enab le you to use .,,.
207
Checking and Fill in g
th e e nergy management functions correctly after
replacing the battery.
If i t is not poss ible to use a battery of this type,
the new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-vo lts), amperage, construct ion and
p lug sealing.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the igni
tion and all elec trical consumers are t urned off.
CD Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the s ide of
t he batte ry is connected, otherwise fumes or
bat tery ac id can leak out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l of
a battery, we recommend your author ized
Audi dea le r change the battery for yo u. Ba t
teries contain su lfuric acid and lead and must
always be disposed of properly in compliance
w ith all environmenta l reg ulations. D isposing
of vehicle batteries improperly is very danger
ous to the environment.
Windshield/headlight* washer container
Fig. 178 Engine co mpa rtment : Cove r on th e w in d shiel d
an d h ead ligh t• was her fl uid container
The washer fluid containe r is marked with the
symbol
O on its cap ¢ fig . 178 , ¢page 197,
fig . 172 .
.,. Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partment , alw ays re ad and he ed all WARN·
I NGS
¢ ,& in Working in the engine comport
ment on page 195 .
208
.,. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer fluid.
Yo u can fill the container to the top.
.,. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after fill-
ing the container .
You can find the reservoir ca p acit y in the table in
~ page 246.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on the
washer jets . Always add a g lass cleaner solution
(with frost protection in the winter) .
CD Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or any
other additives to fill up the windsh ield wash
er reservoir.