110 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
multitronic transmission : Your vehicle is
equipped with
hill hold assist allowing you to
start while on an incline. The system is acti
vated when the brake pedal is pressed down
and held
f o r a few s econds . The brake pres
sure will hold for
a moment after the brake
pedal loosens to prevent the veh icle from roll
ing backwards whi le starting up .
A WARNING
- The veh icle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Unintended veh icle movement can cause
serious injury .
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running wh ile in gea r. If you must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is running,
act ivate the park ing brake and move the
selector lever to P .
- Power is st ill transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle . To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat io nary and the
engine is running .
- Never shift into R or P wh ile driving .
- Before driv ing down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when dr iving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substant ially re
duces b raking performance, inc reases
braking distance or causes comp lete fail
ure of the brake system.
- T o prevent the veh icle from rolling back
when stoppi ng on incl ines, always hold it
in place with the brake peda l or parking
brake.
- Never hold the veh icle on an incl ine with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto
matically when it becomes too hot from the overload. An indicato
r lamp
ml illu
minates and a driver message appears
¢ page 112 when the clutch is overload
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving posit io n engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in P w it h the park ing brake set
¢ page 222 . Otherwise, any increase in
eng ine speed may set the vehicle in mo
tion, even with the parking brake ap plied .
(D Note
-S tronic- and tiptronic transmission :
When stopping on an incl ine , do not try
t o hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the acce lerator pedal while a driving gear
is se lected. This can cause the transmis
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti
vate the parking brake or press the brake
peda l to prevent the vehicle from roll ing.
- S tronic- and tiptronic transmission : A l
lowing the vehicle to ro ll when the en
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be
cause it is not l ubricated unde r those cir
cumstances.
{!) Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
l eased automatically only when the d riv
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill descent contro l is activated when these
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is su itable fo r the incline. H ill de
scent contro l tries to ma inta in the speed ach
ieved at the time o f braking, within phys ica l
and technical limitations. If may sti ll be nec -
essary to adj ust the speed with the brakes . ..,..
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Hill descent control switches off once the de
cline levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
¢ page 82, hill descent control is also activat
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the
brakes .
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
Fig. 117 Center console; shift ing the gears manually
Fig. 118 Steering wheel: Shift paddles•
Gear selection with selector lever
The tipt ron ic mode can be selected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
.,. Push the selector lever to the right from 0/
5. An M appears in the instrument cluster
display as soon as the transmission has
shifted.
Automatic Transmission 111
.,. To upshift, push the se lector lever forwa rd
to the plus position
0 ¢ fig . 117.
.,. To downshift, push the lever to the minus
position
0 .
Gear selection with shift paddles*
The shift paddles are activated when these
lector lever is in 0/S or the tiptronic manual
shift program.
.,. To upshift, touch the shift paddle on the
right 0¢fig.118 .
.,. To downshift, touch the shift paddle on the
left
0 .
.,. If you do not press a shift paddle within a
short time while in the 0/S position, the
transm iss ion will return to automatic mode.
To keep shifting using the shift paddles,
move the selector lever to the r ight out of
the 0/S position.
The transmission automatically shifts up or
down before critical engine speed is reached.
The transm ission only allows manual sh ifting
when the engine speed is with in the permit
ted range.
@ Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear,
the transmission will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev
ving the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will shift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- Tiptronic is inoperative when the trans
mission is in the fai l-safe mode.
, Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
Applies to vehicles with a multitronic
transmission
When you depress the accelerator pedal be
yond the resistance point, the transmission
downshifts into a lower gear ratio depend ing
on the vehicle speed and engine speed. As .,.
112 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
long as the accelerator peda l is depressed, the
engine speed is automatica lly regulated for
maximum acceleration.
Appli es to v ehicl es with a S tronic -/,
tip tronic t ransmis sion
When you depress the acce lerator pedal be
yond the resistance point, the automatic transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de
pending on vehicle speed and engine speed.
The upshift into the next higher gear takes
place once the maximum specified eng ine
speed is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the d rive wheels can spin
if kick-down is used on a smooth slippery
road - there is a risk of skidding .
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with 5 tronic
The Launch Control Program provides the
best acceleration possible when starting from
a stop .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat
i ng temperature and the steering wheel must
not be tu rned.
,,. Press the
I" O FFI button ¢ page 195 while
the engine is running. The
II ind icator light
illuminates in the instrument cluster and
Sta bilizati on co ntrol (E SC): Off W arning!
Redu ced st a bilit y
appears in the driver in
f ormation system display.
,,. Move the selector lever to position D/S to
select sport mode (S) or select
Dynam ic
mode in Audi dr ive select ¢ page 101.
,,. Press the brake pedal strongly with your left
foot and hold it down for at least 1 second.
,,. At the same t ime, press the accelerator ped
al down complete ly w ith your r ight foot un
t il the engine reaches and maintains a h igh
RPM.
,,. Remove your foot from the brake pedal
within S seconds¢ .&_.
A WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic
flow .
- Only use the Launch Control Program
when road and traff ic conditions allow it
and other drivers w ill not be endangered
or annoyed by your driving and the vehi
cle's acceleration.
- Please note that the driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when sport mode is switched on, espe
cially when the road is slippe ry.
- Once you have accelerated, you shou ld
sw itch sport mode off by pressing the
I J'J OFF I button.
(D Tips
'
-The tra nsmission temperature may in
crease significantly after using the
Launch Control P rogram. If that hap
pens, the p rogram may not be avai lab le
for a few minutes . It w ill be ava ilable
again after a cool-down period .
- When accelerating using the La unch
Contro l Program, a ll vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads. This can result in
increased wear.
Transmission malfunction
ID T ransm ission: Pre ss bra ke pedal and se
l e ct ge ar a gai n
Press the brake peda l and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can then continue driving.
[O] Transmi ssion o verh eatin g: Plea se dri ve
con ser va tivel y
-
The transm iss ion temperat ure has inc reased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner .
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
ID T ra nsmis sion malfun ction : Y o u can con-
tinue dri ving ..,
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There is a system malfunction in the transmis
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
rm Transmission malfunction: You can con
tinue driving with limited functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis
sion. The transmission is switching to emer
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer
tain gears or will no longer shift at a ll. The en
g ine may stall. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
rm ffl Transmission malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driving
S tronic transmission: There is a system ma l
function in the transmission. The transmis
sion is switching to emergency mode. This mode on ly shifts into certain gears or will no
longer shift at all. The engine may sta ll. You
cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to your
author ized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa
cility immed iately to have the malfunction
corrected .
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle
and shift to P
Do not cont inue driving. Select the P se lector
lever position and see your authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis
tance.
(D Note
If the transmiss ion switches to emergency
mode, you should take the vehicle to an
author ized Audi dealersh ip as soon as pos
sible to have the cond ition corrected .
Automatic Transmission 113
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle 's power supply fails, the selec
tor lever can be released in an emergency.
F ig . 1 19 Front center co nsole: selector lever emerge n
cy rele ase
.,. To reach the emergency release mechanism,
remove the ashtray insert*.
.,. Loosen and remove the small cap in the ash
tray mount
q fig. 119 .
.,. You now have access to a bolt. Using a
screwd river or similar, press the bolt down
and hold it down .
.,. Now press the interlock and move the se lec-
tor lever to the N position .
T he selector lever can only be moved from the
P position if the ignit ion is turned on. If the
power supply fai ls (for example, the battery is
discharged) and the vehicle must be pushed
or towed, move the selector lever to the N po
s ition first using the emergency release.
196 Intellig ent technolog y
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the windshield wipers on, the brake pads will
briefly touch the brake d iscs in regular inter
vals so as to improve reaction t ime when brak
ing on wet surfaces. You the driver will not no
tice anything .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used. Here too,
you should clean
off accumulated salt coat ing
from brake d iscs and pads with a few careful
applications of the brake¢.&. .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with l ittle 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
firm ly a few times from a mode rately high
speed ¢.& .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed¢.&. .
Low brake fluid le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronically .
Brake boost er
The brake booster works with vacuum pres
sure which is created only when the engine is
running ¢ .&. .
Brake lining w ear status
Brake lining wea r may be checked by vis ual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces
sary, the whee l may be removed for this in
spection
¢ page 272, Changing a wheel.
_& WARNING
- You shou ld 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 ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear o r lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the br akes or ho ld the pedal down too
long o r too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing through wa
ter , dr iving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the b rakes can be reduced . In winte r, ice can
accumu late on the bra ke pads, lin ings,
d iscs and drum s. Carefully app ly bra kes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coa t
ings wi ll be cleaned
off after a few care
fu l brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt -covered roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean
off accum ulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the a ir
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effective ness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impa ir
the braking capab ility result ing in an in
creased stopping distance . Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it to wed to the near
est A udi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
- Never let the vehi cle roll to a s top with
the eng ine shut
off.
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Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis) * and fully load
ed veh icles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any h igher than the
bottom of the veh icle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
..&, WARNING
After driving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
- Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectrical
system can be severely damaged by driv
ing thro ugh water.
- Always switch
off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water¢
page 79 .
@ Tips
-Check the depth o f the wate r before driv
ing through it.
- Do not s top the veh icle, dr ive i n reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncom ing vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
l eve l and make it too deep for you r vehi
cle to drive through safely .
-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 201
- Avo id driving through salt wate r because
it can cause corrosion .
Catalytic converter
Applies to vehicles: w ith gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
... Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 214,
Fuel supply.
... Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
.,. Never put too much motor o il in your engine
¢ page 226, Adding engine oil~-
... Never try to push- or tow-sta rt your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean
up" dev ice bui lt into the exhaust system of
the ve hicle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be
fore they are re leased into the atmosphere .
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is c ritically
important for the life of the ca talyt ic convert
er and proper f unct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after s topping
the engine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot . This cou ld result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shields . Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
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-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 239
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.
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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.
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A WARNING 1=
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac
ing the Automatic Transmission in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
¢ page 132.
{!) Tips
Before changing the wheel, you must acti
vate the jacking mode, so that the auto matic controls for the Adaptive Air Sus
pension* do not make it more difficult to
lift the vehicle with the jack¢
page 2 75.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the se
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode*
c::;. page 275.
-
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also
¢page 274, Deco
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 2 7 4,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 274.
What do I do now? 273
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢page 275.
Raise the car with the jack ¢page 275.
Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare <=> page 2 76.
Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts¢ page 274 .
10. Replace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode* in the
MMI:
ICARI function button > (Car)* sys
tems
control button > Servicing & checks
> Air susp.: jack mode > Off .
The vehicle jack mode* switches off automati
cally at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/h).
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and information<=>
A in Raising the vehicle on
page 275
and <=> page 277.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
c::;. page 132.
.,. Check the tire pressure on the spare wheel
immediately after mounting it.
.,. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor
que is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) .
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked.
ll>
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