226 Intellig ent technol ogy
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 peda l travel, t hen one of the two bra ke
circ uits may have failed ¢.&. .
Low brak e flu id le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low . T he brake fluid
l eve l is monitored electronically .
Bra ke boo ster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate w ith the brake pedal. It only op
erates while the eng ine is running ¢,&. .
Brake lining we ar sta tu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If neces
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in
spection ¢
page 307, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
- You should perfo rm bra king maneuve rs
for the p urpose of clean ing the b rake
system on ly if road condit ions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Be fore descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and dimin ish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and inc reased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can accumu
late on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat ings w ill be cleaned off after a few care
ful brake applicat ions .
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
b rake discs and pads with a few ca reful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
i n stall a diffe rent spoiler, be s ure the a ir
f low to the front brakes is not obs truct
ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system .
- Fai lure of one brake circuit will impai r
the braking capability resulting in an in
creased stopping distance . Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near
est authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
workshop .
- Never let the ve hicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake peda l must be pressed cons idera
b ly harder to make up for the lack of
booster assistance.
Servotronic - advanced power steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with Little effort.
T he advanced Servotronic power steer ing sys
tem senses the road speed and electronica lly
adjusts power assistance to provide comforta
ble and safe steering response exactly match
ed to the vehicle speed.
Power s teer ing will not work if the engine is
off. As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn.
T he powe r steering fluid level is checked d ur-
ing the sched uled maintenance services . ..,.
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,...., ..,., ,....,
(D Note
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser
votronic
w ill still function like a conven
tional power steer ing system, providing a
constant steer ing support force that is no
longer proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeable when turning the
steer ing whee l at low speeds (for examp le
when parking), -more effo rt will be re
qui red than usual.
- Be awa re of the different than usual
stee ring response and adjust your stee r
i ng force accord ingly .
- Have the problem checked and set right
by an Aud i dealer as soon as possible .
(D Tips
-When the engine is runn ing, never hold
the steer ing whee l turned a ll the way to
the right or to the left for longer than 15
seconds. The power s teer ing p ump w ill
overheat the hydraulic fluid if you keep ho lding the steering whee l turned a ll the
way . This is likely to damage the power
steering system .
- If the power steer ing system should fai l
entirely, or if the engine is not running
(for example, while being towed), you
will still be ab le to steer the vehicle .
However,
considerably more effort will
be required to do so .
- If the power steering system should
have a leak, or is not functioning proper
l y, contact your authorized Aud i dealer
i mmediately.
- The power steering system requires a
spec ially formulated hydraulic fluid . T he
power steer ing reservo ir is the one locat
ed farthest to the rear on the left side o f
the engine compartment
~ page 258.
The correct fluid leve l in the reservoir is
important for proper functioning of the
power steer ing .
Int ellig ent technolog y 22 7
Driving with your
quattro
With all-wheel drive , all four wheels are driv
en .
Gener al info rmation
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens au toma tically
depending on your driving style and the road
cond it ions at the time . See also
~ page 223.
Winter t i res
When d riving in the winter, your vehicle with
a ll-wheel drive has an advan tage, even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea
son tires) for improved driveability and brak
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
wh eels. See also ~ page 298, Winter tires.
Tire ch ains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to veh icles
with all-wheel drive~
page 299, Snow
chains .
Replacing whee ls/tire s
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same s ize . Also avoid tires
with different tread depths . For deta ils see
page ~
page 291, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
.8, WARNING
A lways adj ust yo ur dr iv ing to road and t ra f
fic conditions . Do not let the extra sa fety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Altho ugh the a ll-wheel drive is very ef
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is limited by tire traction . You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If th is should occur, you •
•
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when you turn on the ignition and start the
engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned off or use other MMI func
tions, the battery is being d ischa rged.
I f starting capability is jeopardized due to en
e rgy consumpt ion, the following warning ap
pears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will
switch off in 3 minutes.
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes. If
you wish to cont inue using the functions, you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is be ing driven, the battery can be
come discharged . Th is happens mostly when
little energy is be ing generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
To br ing the energy balance back into equili
brium, consumers which require especially
l arge amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or swit ched off. Heating systems in par
t icular requ ire a great deal of energy.
If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporari ly cut back or switched
off. These systems will be avai lab le again as
soon as the energy balance has been restored.
You will a lso notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly . This is norma l and not
a cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the add itiona l energy required is gener
ated and the battery is charged.
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ability of the engine to start, this
Intelligent technology 229
is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) I.ow battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
T h is not ificat ion reminds you that the start ing
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driv in g again, the battery
will be recharged and the not ific at ion w ill go
out.
Driver notification appears and goes out
again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig
nition is tu rned on or whi le driving and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately recharged.
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If this driver notification appears after the ig
nition is turned on or whi le driving and does
not go out again, the battery's state of charge
is not in the optimal range. Starting ab ility is
restricted . Have the battery checked as soon
as possible by an authorized Aud i dealer or
qualified workshop.
•
•
232 Driving and en vironm ent
,8. WARNING
-Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel par
t icu late filter could start a fire .
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the exhaust system area or a fire could start.
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 especia lly true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis)* and fully load
ed vehicles.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inop
erative for a longer period of time, contact an
Audi or other specialized dealer . They can ad
vise you on necessary precautions e.g . corro
sion prevention, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to additional information con
cerning the battery. Refer to
c::> page 266 .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal driving 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 percent . This sec
tion will give you some tips on how you can help the environment and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the road, which will vary depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
dit ions, trip length, etc.
· Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they ore ac
celerating.
., Avo id unnecessary accelerating and brak ing .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating . If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, acce lerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
., Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the environment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con
ditions permit.
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Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
11-Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
11-Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at rail
road cross ings, or at traffic lights that have
long waits on red. Turning the engine
off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is
burned starting the engine again.
It takes a long time 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 start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting. If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel .
11-Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
authorized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects fuel
consumption.
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
Driving and environment 233
The amount of oil used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles
(S,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main
t enance booklet. Lack of prop er mainte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
emission cont ro l system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
11-Try to avoid driving short distances w ith a
cold engine.
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their optimal operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and noxious emis
s ions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). After about
2.5 miles (4 km), liJI,
•
•
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Driving off road
Driving in difficult road
conditions and offroad
General information
The operation of the E lectronic Stabilization
Control (ESC) is expanded fo r operation away
from paved roads. In situations where slip or a
differential lock ing funct ion is required, the
offroad mode can be activated
c::;, page 223.
H ill descent control is a lso ava ilable in the off
road mode, which automat ically brakes the
ve hicl e and thereby keeps speed consta nt
when differe nt w heel speeds a re detected
when descending a hill
¢page 2 2 5. Your A ud i
a lso has permanent a ll-wheel drive in addi
tion.
H oweve r, your Aud i is no t a pure off road ve hi
cle. I t was not built for d riving unde r extreme
conditions, e.g. fo r trips that are in the nat ure
of an expedition .
Drive only on road s and offro ad sections
which match the de sign of y our vehicl e and
you r abilitie s as a dri ver. Ne ver t ake ri sks!
Before driving offroad
- Check the eng ine oi l level, t ire pressu re,
coolant level, and the fluid level in the w ind
shield washe r reservo ir.
- Stow luggage items a nd other objects in the
l uggage compartment, and sec ure t hem
against s lid ing aro und.
After driving offroad
- After trips off road, remove any twigs and
othe r foreign objects from the grill, the un
derbody and the wheels. Pay spec ia l atten
t ion to fore ign ob jects (stones) which have
become lodged in t he tire tre ad.
- Clean t he body and the vehicle unders ide,
and inspect the veh icle for possible damage.
- Clean dirty w indows, headlamp lenses, rear
li gh ts, and license plates .
- Perfo rm a brake check (particularly after
t ravell ing throug h water).
Driving off road 235
A WARNING
- Drive especially attentively and plan
ahead in diff icu lt road conditions and
when off road. Excessive speed o r inco r
rect maneuve rs can cause injuries and
damage to the vehicle.
-
- Always adapt your speed and driving
style to road, offroad, t raff ic, and weath
e r condition s. D rive e spe cially slowly off
road when yo ur view is restricted.
- Please be aware that in offroad mode,
pa rti cularly on a smoo th and s lippery
road, the whee ls may have an increased
tendency to spin and the vehicle may
break away -danger of skidding!
- Stability is limited in the offroad mode .
@ For the sake of the environment
Avoid damage to the environment and re
spect na ture.
@ Tips
Only d rive where it is permitted and stay
on marked roads and paths.
Explanation of some technical terms
T he following data refer to ideal cond itions .
Depend ing on ve hicle load and gro und condi
tions and the environment, the numbers may
vary .
It is the driver's responsibility to decide
whether a veh icle can overcome a specific s it
uat ion
c::;, &, .
Gradient angle
The number o f meters in altitude ga ined over
a distance of 109.4 ya rds or 100 meters
(grade) are given as a percentage o r degrees.
Information about the grad ient the vehicle
can climb under its own power (depends in
part on the road surface and engine power).
Max imum perm itted grade : 31
°
Gr ound cle arance
The distance between the road s urface and
the lowest point of the vehicle underbody.
•
•
24 0 Trailer towing
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving .
The cha ins shou ld cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
0 Note
If you are going to tow a tra ile r, you must
activa te the trailer operation mode
~ page 161, Towing a trailer.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
cor e and consid eration.
To obta in the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and tra ile r, p le ase no te the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especia lly careful when pass ing othe r
vehicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not driv e at the maximum p ermissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stributio n
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty ca r re
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
l ow speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and con
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permiss i
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi
b le under the circumstances. Whenever possi
b le, transfer some cargo to the luggage com
pa rtment of the tow veh icle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed . Re- duce your speed even more i
f load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable - particularly
when going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
t ry to stop the swa ying by acceleratin g.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds
f or vehicles tow ing tra ile rs are lower than for
r egular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down hill, shift into a lowe r gear to use the en
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle . U se o f
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he coo lant tempe ratu re gauge ~ page 10
must be observed caref ully. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warn ing light in
the instr ume nt cluster starts flashing., pull
off the road , stop and let the engine
idle for
about two min utes to prevent heat build -up .
A WARNING "--
Anyone not proper ly restrained in a mov-
i ng vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
p rov ided by Audi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
-
a trai ler because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibut ion. Safety, perform
ance and economy will great ly depend on how
ca refully you load your tra iler and operate
yo ur rig .
Before you act ua lly tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep pract ic ing unt il you
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have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficu lt and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler genera lly requires
steering action opposite to that when backing up your vehicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your ve
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop . To compensate for the
trai ler, you will need a larger than norma l
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac
celerate as fast as you normally would be
cause of the added load . Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your tra iler before chang
ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 326.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol
lowing:
When parking:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trai ler wheels .
.. With chocks in place, slowly re lease the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake.
.. Move the selector lever to P.
When restarting after parking:
.. Apply the foot brake.
Trailer towing 241
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the selector lever to D.
.. Release the parking brake and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto
matic transmission to P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
l ater to move the lever out of the
P posi
tion.
•
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