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>
M N
0 ...J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Always read and heed all WARNING S below
¢ A. and
¢A. in Working on the battery on
page
267.
.,. Turn off the ignit ion and a ll electrical con
sumers .
.,. Make sure the area is well venti lated when
you charge the battery.
.,. Open the hood ¢
page 256.
.,. Open the red cover on the positive pole
¢ fig . 248 .
.,. Connect the charger connectors accord ing to
the instructions to the
j ump start bolt s.
(Bolts under the red cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head= "negative") .
.,. Only now pl ug the mains lead for the charg
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on ¢
A_.
.,. Make su re the charging rate i s not o ver
30 amp s/14.8 Volt.
.,. When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equ ipment
off and remove the
mai ns lead from the wa ll outlet.
.,. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
.,. Close the red cove r on the pos it ive po le.
.,. Close the hood¢
page 256.
A discharged battery can freez e at tempera
t ures of only O
0C. Allow a frozen batte ry to
thaw comp letely before a ttempting to charge
it ¢& . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery again because the battery cas
ing can be cracked due to ice formation and
can leak battery acid .
Battery charging (Ma ximum charging rate
o f 30 amp s/14 .8 Volt)
When charging at low voltages (e.g . w ith a
tric kle ch arger ), the battery cables do not
h ave to be d isconnected first. The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment.
Checkin g and fillin g 269
Fast charging th e battery (cha rging rate
ab ove 14 .8 V olt s)
For technical reasons do not use a battery
charger 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 manu
facturer when charg ing your battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery.
It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out f irst.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ic h were fro
zen. The battery hous ing may have
cracked and weakened when t he battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from open flame or elec
tr ica l spar k. Do not smoke. Hyd rogen gas
genera ted by the battery is explos ive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect c harger cab les
while the charger i s ope rat ing .
- Fast cha rging a batte ry is dange rous and
should only be a ttempted by a compe
tent techn ic ian wi th the p rope r equip
men t.
- Battery acid tha t may spi ll dur ing cha rg
ing should be washe d
off with a solu tion
of wa rm water and baking soda to neu
tralize the acid.
([) Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
star t the engine. This w ill seriously dam
age sens it ive e lectronic com ponen ts, s uch
as contro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the batte ry charger. •
•
276 Tires a nd whee ls
Recommended inflation Sidewall
pressure
means that portion of a tire be -
see
c:::> page 2 7 4, Cold tire infla-tween the tread and bead.
tion pressure.
Speed rating (letter code )
Reinforced tire
means the speed at which a tire
means a tire design to operate is designed to be driven for ex-
at higher loads and at higher tended periods of time. The rat-
inflation pressures than the ings range from 93 mph (150
corresponding standard tire .
km/h) to 186 mph (298 km/h)
Reinforced tires may be identi -
c:::> page 294. You may not find
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
this information on all tires be-
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
cause it is not required by law.
Rim The speed rating letter code,
means a metal support for a where applicable, is molded on
tire or a tire and tube assembly the tire sidewall and indicates
upon which the tire beads are the maximum permissible
road
seated . speeds
c:::> A in Winter tires on
Rim d
iameter
page 298.
means nominal diameter of the
T ir e pressure mon itoring
system
bead seat. If you change your means a system that detects
wheel size, you will have to pur-
chase new tires to match the when one or more of a vehicle's
new rim diameter . tires are underinflated and illu-
Rim
size de signation
m inates a low tire pressure
warning telltale.
means rim diameter and width.
Tread
R im width
means that portion of a tire
means nominal distance be- that comes into contact with
tween rim flanges. the road.
...
282 Tires and wheels
all of the occupants and lug
gage or other cargo that the ve
hicle can carry. For the location
of the tire pressure label
¢fig. 250.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se
rious personal injury, and
even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed
to carry will prevent the ve
hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of a loss of vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may
not be able to stop the vehi
cle within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail
suddenly causing loss of
control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the
total load being transported
- including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing.
A WARNING -
-Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can
lead to a ser ious or fatal ac
cident .
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the
vehicle.
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can
also lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus ing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the
tires originally installed on
your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driv
er's side 8-pillar.
The recommended tire pres
sures are on the tire pressure
label and in the table
c;, page 2 78, Cold tire inflation
pressure.This
means that the
pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not .,.
M N
0 ...J
"': ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
When should I adjust the
tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are carrying. After
changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the
tire pressures on all wheels. In addition, you must then store
the new tire pressures in the
tire pressure monitoring sys
tem
c> page 303.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/
or underinflation can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, serious per
sonal injury or even death .
-When the warning symbol
II] appears in the instru
ment cluster, stop and in
spect the tires.
-Incorrect tire pressure and/ or underinflation can cause
increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the
vehicle and stopping ability.
- Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can
also lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus ing loss of vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 285
-The driver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle. The
applicable pressure values
are located on a sticker on
the driver's side 8-pillar.
-Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the correct pressure, the tire pres
sure monitoring system can
work correctly.
-The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to
accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that
the driver observe the speci
fied tire pressure values for
the tires and the correct
pressures for the function of
the tire pressure monitoring
system.
-Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct
tire pressure before driving
off.
-Driving with underinflated tires bend more, letting
them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden
tire failure and loss of con
trol.
-Excessive speed and/over loading can cause heat •
•
'
Tires and wheels 287
you tow a trailer, the weight of the total weight of whatever is •
the trailer hitch and the tongue being carried in the vehicle (in-• '
weight of the loaded trailer eluding the weight of a trailer must be included as part of the hitch and the tongue weight of
vehicle load. the loaded trailer) is limited.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating The more passengers in the ve- hicle or passengers who are
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of heavier than the standard
weights assumed mean that
the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat- less weight can be carried as
luggage
.
ing and the Gross Axle Weight
The tire pressure label on your
Rating are listed on the safety
Audi also lists the maximum
compliance sticker label locat-
ed on the driver's side B-pillar. combined weight of all of the
Your Audi has 5 seating posi- occupants and luggage or other
cargo that the vehicle can carry.
tions, 2 in the front and 3 in the
rear for total seating capacity For the location of the label
¢
page 278, fig. 250. of 5. On vehicles with six
seats* , your vehicle has two
A WARNING
-~
front seats, two seats in the
Overloading a vehicle can
second row seating and two cause loss of vehicle control,
seats in the third row seating. a crash or other accident, se-
On vehicles with seven seats*, rious personal injury, and
your vehicle has two front even death.
seats, three seats in the second -Carrying more weight than
row seating and two seats in your vehicle was designed
the third row seating . Each
to carry will prevent the ve-
seating position has a seat belt hicle from handling properly
¢ page 173, Safety belts . and increase the risk of the
The fact that there is an upper loss of vehicle control.
M N limit to your vehicle's Gross Ve-0 ...J
'SI:
hicle Weight Rating means that ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
M
"' 0 ..J
"". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
,&_ WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead
to loss of control, a crash and
serious personal injury!
-Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
-
-Worn tires are a safety haz
ard, they do not grip well on
wet roads and increase your
risk of "hydroplaning" and
loss of control.
-Always keep chemicals that
can cause tire damage, such
as grease, oil, gasoline and
brake fluid away from tires.
-Tires age even if they are
not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and
at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on
your vehicle if you are not
sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
Tires and wheels 291
failure and loss of vehicle
control.
New tires and replacing
tires and wheels
New tires and wheels hove to
be broken in.
Fig. 254 Tire specification codes on
the sidewall of a tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where
applicable)
0 Nominal width of tire in
millimeters
® Ratio of height to width
(aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
M N
0 ...J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
recommend using only these
tires because they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving characteris
tics when used correctly. Your
authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you with more
information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies indicates
the number of layers of rubber
coated fabric in the tire. In gen
eral, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire
can support. Tire manufactur
ers also must indicate the ma
terials in the tire, which include steel, nylon, polyester, and oth
ers .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the max
imum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for
treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear , traction and tem
perature grades ¢
page 297.
Tires and wheels 295
Maximum Permissible
Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest
amount of air pressure that
should ever be put in the tire under normal driving condi
tions.
A WARNING
- Using incorrect or unmatch
ed tires and/ or wheels or
improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to
loss of control, collision and
serious personal injury.
-Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the specifications of original
factory-installed tires or
other combinations that have been specifically ap
proved by the vehicle manu
facturer.
-Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not
•
•
'