26 6 Ch eck ing and filling
If the brake fluid level falls considerably be
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light (U .S . mode ls:
11111 , Canadian
models: .) will come on
<=> page 19 and
<=> page 32. Do not continue to operate the ve
h icle . The complete brake system should be
thoroughly checked by an authorized Aud i
dea ler or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low,
the brake warning/indicator light will illum i
nate . Contact an authorized Aud i dealer
im
m ediatel y.
@ Tips
The brake fluid rese rvoir is located unde r
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by on experi
enced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh , corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime. The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid wi ll also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ver y tw o year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DO T 4".
The brake flu id reservo ir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake f luid changed by you r author
ized
Audi dea ler. Your dea ler has the correct
too ls, the right brake fluid and the know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor
ed only i n the closed orig inal container
o ut of the reach of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old or inap
propriate b rake fluid. Observe these pre
caut ions: -
Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid . The correct type of
brake f lu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id reservoir.
- T he brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the bra kes ca n cause a vapo r lock if
the b rake fluid is left in the system too
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Bra ke fluid will damage the paint of you r
vehicle .
(® For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of p roper disposal
of b ra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
re commend that yo u have the brake fluid
changed by yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler.
Battery
General information
U nder normal ope rat ing cond itions , the bat
tery in yo ur Audi does not need any ma inte
nance. With
high o utside tempe ra tur es or
l ong dai ly drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte level checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop. The elec
trolyte level should also be checked each time
the battery is charged
<=> page 268.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your
vehicle in for service. You are well advised to replace a battery that is o lder than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the veh icle elec
trical system for safety reasons<=>.&
in Re
pair , core and disposal of the airbags on
page 196.
~
M N
0 ...J
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Disconne cting the batt ery t erminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicle s not driven fo r lo ng period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer per iod
¢ page 228 .
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your vehicle, some convenience functions,
such as the inter ior lights or the power seat
adjustment, may not be available . The con
ve nience funct ions w ill be available again
when yo u turn on the ignition and start the
engine.
Winter op eration
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as tempe ratures d rop . This
i s because more powe r is also consumed while
start ing, and the headl ights, rea r window de
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, par
ticularly in c ity t raffic or when t rave ling on ly
short d istances. Let you r autho rized Aud i
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winter sets in ¢
page 268. A well
charged battery wi ll not only prevent starting
prob lems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
If your vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low temperat ures, the
veh icle battery should be removed and
stored where it will not freeze. This will
prevent it from bei ng damaged and hav ing
to be replaced.
Checkin g and fillin g 267
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located under the driver 's seat.
Before you check anyth ing under the dr iver's
seat,
read and h eed all WARNINGS G &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec
trical system to prevent injury .
The following WARNINGS are ver y
important when working on the batter y:
Alway s heed the following WARN IN G SY M-
BOLS a nd safety p re caution s when working
on the battery .
®
Alway s wear e ye prote ction.
~
Batt ery acid contain s sulfuric acid. Al -
w ay s we ar gloves and eye prot ection.
@
No
-spa rk s
- flam es
- smoking .
~
When a b atter y is ch arged , it produces
h y drogen g as w hic h is e xplosi ve and
could cause pe rsonal injur y.
®
Alw ays keep the batt ery well out of
r e a ch of childr en.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery ac id or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes.
Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other inju ry.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfu
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
bu rns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
~
•
•
268 Check ing and filling
could leak out of the venti lation
open ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several m inutes and get
medical attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
see k 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 neg-
ative cab les .
- When wo rking 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,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen 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 ca
ble .
- Before perform ing any work on the elec
trical system, sw itch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go
ing to rep lace a ligh t bu lb, then it is
enough to sw itch off the lights.
- Before dis connect ing the battery, switc h
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other
wise you will set off the alarm.
- Whe n disconnecting the batte ry, first
disconnec t the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnect ing the battery, make
s u re al l electrical consumers are switch
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable . Never inter
change the cables -this co uld start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery . It co uld explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis- charged batte
ry can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 oc).
-Make sure the vent hose is a lways attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery .
- Never use batteries wh ich are damaged .
There is the danger of an explosion! Al
ways replace a damaged battery.
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
California to cause cance r and reproduc
tive problems. Wash hands after han
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disco nnect the vehicle battery
when the ignit ion is switched on or when
the engine is runn ing, otherwise, you will
damage electron ic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of ti me without be ing driven,
pro te ct the ba ttery from "freezing", o th
erw ise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery .
Fig. 24 8 Eng ine compart men t: Co nnectors for ch arger
and jumper cables
Ill>
2 70 Ch eck ing and filling
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi
cations and dimensions as the original equip
ment battery.
Intelligen t energy management in your veh i
cle is respons ible for d istributing the e lectr i
cal en ergy throughout your vehicle
¢ page 228. The intell igent e nergy manage
ment system w ill keep the eng ine battery
cha rged better then vehicles w ithout this sys
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en
ergy is availab 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 time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi
cations are listed on the battery hous ing . Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the ene rgy management system to enable you
to use the energy management funct ions cor
rectly after replac ing the battery.
If it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new battery must have the same ca
pac ity, voltage (12 volts), amperage , con
struction and plug seal ing.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the ig
n it ion and all e lectr ica l consumers a re turned
off.
Q;) Note
Make sure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak o ut.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of a battery, we recommend your autho r
i z ed Audi dealer change the ba tte ry for
you. Bat teries contain s ulfu ric ac id and
lead and must always be disposed of prop
erly in compliance with all environmental
reg ulations. Disposing of vehicle batteries
improper ly is very dangerous to the envi
ronment.
Windshield/headlight
washer container
F ig . 24 9 Eng in e compart ment : cover on t he wi nds hield
and headl ig ht* washe r fluid reservoi r
The washer fluid co nta iner is marked w ith the
symbol Won its cap
¢ fig . 249, ¢page 258,
fig. 242 .
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
alwa ys read and he ed all
W ARNING S
¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 256 .
.. Lift the fille r cap tongue to add washer flu
id. You can fi ll the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the fi ller neck afte r
fi lling the container.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity i n the table
in
¢ page 325.
Clean water should be used when filling up . If
poss ible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets. A lways add a glass clea ne r
solution (with frost prote ction in the winter).
0 Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze o r
any other additives to fill up the wind
s hi eld washer rese rvoir.
280 Tires and wheels
If you wish to improve comfort See the illustration ¢ fig. 250
when operating the vehicle at for the location of the label on
normal load (up to 3 occu-driver's side B-pillar (color of
pants), you can adjust tire the actual label and exact loca-
pressures to those specified tion on the vehicle will vary
for normal vehicle load. Before slightly).
operating the vehicle at maxi-Note that the following table is
mum load, you must increase accurate at the time of going to
the tire pressures to those press and is subject to change .
specified for maximum vehicle In the event of discrepancies,
load¢&. the tire pressure label located
Bear in mind that the tire pres- on the driver's side B-pillar al-
sure monitoring system can on- ways takes precedence.
ly monitor the tire pressures
The table below lists the rec-
you have stored . The system
ommended cold tire inflation
does not recognize the load
pressures for the Audi model
condition of your vehicle. covered by your Owner's Litera-
The effectiveness of the tire ture at the vehicle's capacity
pressure monitoring system weight and the tire sizes instal-
will be impaired if you store led on the respective models as
normal load pressures but then original equipment, or as a fac-
operate the vehicle at its maxi-tory option.
...
mum load¢&.
284 Tires and whee ls
If the pressure in any tire is too were on your vehicle at the
low, note the difference be- time it was manufactured . For
tween the pressure in the cold recommended tire pressures
tire and the pressure you need for normal load conditions, and add the air that you need to please see chapter
reach the correct pressure for
¢ page 278 .
the vehicle load (passengers
-Turn the valve stem cap coun-
and luggage) for the tires on ter-clockwise to remove it
your veh icle as listed on the on
from the tire valve.
your veh icle and in this manual
-Place the air pressure gauge
and the kind of driving you p lan
on the valve.
to do .
-The tire pressures should only
Never e xceed the maximum in -be checked and adjusted when
flation pressure listed on the the tires are cold . The slightly
ti re sidewall for any reason. raised pressures of warm tires
must not be reduced .
Remember that the vehicle
-Adjust the tire pressure to the
manufacturer, not the t ire man-
load you are carrying .
ufacturer, determines the car- -Reinstall the valve stem cap
rect t ire pressure for the tires
on the valve.
on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire
When should I check the tire
pressure?
p ressure when the tires are
cold . The correct tire pressure is es-
-Read the required tire pres- pecially important at
high
speeds . The pressure should
sure from the tire pressure la- therefore be checked at least
bel. The tire pressure label is once a month and always be-
located on the driver's side B -
fore starting a journey . Do not
pi llar . The tire pressure label
forget to check the tire pres -
lists the recommended co ld
sure for the spare wheel.
..
tire inflation pressures for the
vehicle at its max imum capaci-
ty weight and the tires that
302 Tire s and whee ls
Tire pressure indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
F ig . 255 D isp lay: underinflation warn ing
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the tire tread circum
ference and vibration characteristics of the in
d iv idual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru ment cluster with a
RE warning symbol and a
message ¢
fig. 255 . The dr iver message in the
d isplay goes out after 5 seconds . The dr iver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
! CHECK I button. If only one tire is affect
ed, the display will indica te its pos ition.
The tire pressure monitoring must be reset via MMI each time the pressures are adjusted (e.
g. when switch ing between partial and full
l oad pressure) or after changing or replac ing a
tire on your vehicle¢
page 303. The TPMS in
dicator only monitors the tire pressure that
you have previously stored. You can find the
recommended tire pressures for your vehicle
on the label on dr iver's side 8-pillar
¢page 278.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warn ing if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
l ow,
- the tire has st ructural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, whee ls rotat-
ed o r replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 303,
-the sp are tire* is mounted.
Warn ing symbo ls
RE Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢,&..
Check the tire or tires and rep lace or repa ir if
necessary . The
RE indicator light in the instru
ment cluster also illuminates
¢ page 14.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
[m'El (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pre ssure: System m alfunction!. If [m'El ap
pears after switching the ignition on or while
driving and the
RE i ndicator light in the in
strument cluster bli nks for approx imately one
minute and then stays on, there is a system
malfunction . Attempt to store the correct tire
pressure
¢ page 303. If the indicator light
does not tu rn off or if it t urn s on sho rtly
thereafte r, immediately d rive yo ur vehicle to
an a uthorized Audi dea ler or a uthorized repair
facility to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING ......_
- If the tire pressure ind icator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is sign ificant ly under
inflated . Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or b raking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressu res. In
flate the ti re p ressu re to the proper pres
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure labe l
r=:>page 278. Driving on a
sign ificantly under-inflated tire causes
the t ire to overheat and can lead to tire
fa ilure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handl ing and stop
p ing ability .
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regu larly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor
ty driv ing style, winter conditions or un
paved roads), the pressure monitor indi
cator may be delayed .
-Ask you r aut horized Aud i dea ler if run
flat t ires may be used on you r vehicle.
M N
0 ..J
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang
ing a wheel .
.,. After you experience a tire fa ilure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level gro und before you stop¢.&_ .
.. All passengers should
leav e the car and
move to a safe location (fo r instan ce, be hind
the guardra il)¢ .&_.
.,. Engage the
parkin g brake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling unintentionally¢ .&_.
.. Move
selecto r le ver to p osition P ¢ .&_ .
1> Ifyou are towing a trai ler: unhitch the trail
er from your veh icle.
.,. Block the diagonally opposite wheel with
the folding chocks or other objects.
.. Take the
jack and the inflatab le spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
¢page 304.
& WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if yo u do not fol
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat t ire, move a safe dis
tance off the road . Turn off the eng ine,
t ur n the emergency flashers o n 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 he lp prevent the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking b rake
and block the whee l diagonally opposite
the wheel being cha nged with the fo ld
ing chocks or othe r objects. When one
front whee l is lifted off the g ro und, plac
ing the A utomat ic Transm iss ion in P
(Park) wi ll
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
-
What do I do now? 307
-Before you change a whee l, 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 169 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air S uspension)
¢ page 161 .
2. Remove the decorati ve wheel co ver* . For
more details see also <=:>
page 308, Deco
rative wheel covers
or <=:> page 308,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wh eel bolt s¢ page 308 .
4. Loca te the p roper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack be low that point
¢ page 309.
5. Lift the car with the jack Q page 309 .
6. Remove the wheel with the flat ti re and
then install the
inflatable spare tire
¢ page 310.
7. Tig hte n all wheel bolts lightly.
8.
L owe r the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
t ighten all wheel bolts¢ page 308.
10. Replace the decora tive whe el co ver* .
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode (on ly
vehicles with Adaptive Air S uspension)
¢ page 161 .
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
informat ion<=:>
& in Raising the vehicle on
page 310
and <=:> page 311.
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