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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 196.
Take into consideration that when you un lock
your veh icle, some convenience functions, such
as the interior lights or the power seat adjust
ment, may not be available . The convenience
functions will be ava ilable again 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 starting, 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
c:> page 232. A well charged battery will
not only prevent s tarting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart
ment under the floor. Before you check anything
in the lug gage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> ,&. .
Hybr id drive*: you can find important informat ion
about the high vo ltage battery u nder
c:> page 98.
Checking and Filling
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lectrica l
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.
~
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 lectrica l system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire . Read and heed the fol
lo w ing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat
tery acid or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield yo ur eyes. Exp losive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
- Battery acid contains 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.
-If you get battery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immed iately r ins e with cold wa
ter for several minutes and get medical at
tent ion.
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
med ical attention immediate ly .
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
elec tric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
~
231
Checking and F ill in g
management system to enable you to use the en
ergy management functions correctly after re p lacing 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, construction and
p lug sealing .
When insta lling the ba ttery, make sure the igni
tion and all electrical consumers are t urned
off .
(D Note
- M ake sure the ven tilat ion hose on the side
of the ba tte ry is co nne cte d, o therw ise
fumes o r batte ry acid can lea k out .
- Vehicles wi th the Start-Stop-System* are
equipped with a special cycle-proof AG M
b attery. Installing a different type of bat
tery can cause prob lems in the vehicle elec
trica l system. When replacing the vehicle
battery, always install one with the same
spec ificat ions as the or iginal battery.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposa l of
a battery, we recommend your author ized
Aud i dea ler change the battery for you. Bat
teries conta in su lfuric ac id and lead and must
always be disposed of properly in compliance
w it h all environmental reg ulations. Disposing
of vehicle batte ries imprope rly is very dange r
ous to the e nvironme nt.
Windshield/headlight
washer container
F ig . 20 3 En gin e compart ment: cover o n the w inds hield
and headlig ht* w ash er flui d reservo ir
234
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The washer fluid conta iner is mar ked w ith the
symbol
O on its cap ¢ fig . 203, ¢page 223,
fig . 197 .
.. Before yo u check any thing in the engine com
partment,
always re ad and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 221 .
.. Lift the f iller cap tongue to add washer fluid.
You can fill the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back o nto the f iller neck afte r fill -
ing the conta iner.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in the table in
<=> page 2 78.
Clean water should be used when fi lling up . If
possib le, use soft water to prevent scaling on the
washer jets . Always add a g lass cleaner solution
(with frost protection in the winter).
(D Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze o r any
other additives to fill up the winds hield wash
e r reservo ir .
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Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec
essary tools and equipment to perform these
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con
necting it to the battery of another vehicle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a dis
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated terminal
clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black.
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in
jury . Follow the instructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery.
-Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
-A discharged battery can freeze at tempera
tures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before con
necting a jumper cable, you must thaw the
Emergency situations
frozen battery completely, otherwise it
could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin. Flush any contacted area with water immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery.
- The voltage of the booster battery must al
so have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity (Ah)
of the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batteries of different voltage or substantial
ly different" Ah" rating may cause an explo
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen. The battery case may have be weak
ened ,
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an explosion and injury. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
q page 221.
(D Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected.
(D Tips
- The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's electrical system. .,..
271