Page 209 of 284

"' N
a: LL co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
(D Note
-Do not disconnect the ve hicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage e lectronic components in the
electrica l system .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
l ong period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth
erwise it w ill be damaged and w ill then
have to be replaced .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fi g. 1 80 Engin e comp artm ent: Conn ecto rs for char ger
an d jumper cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS be low
c::, &. and c::, &. in Working on the battery on
page
206 .
.,. Turn off the ignit io n and all electrical con
s umer s .
.,. Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the bat tery .
.,. Open the engi ne hood
c::, page 195.
.,. Open the cover on the posit ive pole
¢ fig . 180 .
.,. Connect the charger connectors according to
the instructions to the
jump start bolts.
(Bolts under the cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head = "negative").
.,. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg
i ng equipment into the wall outlet a nd turn
it on
c::, &_ .
.,. Make sure the charging rate i s not over
30 amp s/14 .8 Volt .
Checkin g and fillin g 207
.,. When the battery is fully cha rged : T urn the
charging equ ipment off and
remove the
mains lead from the wa ll out let .
.,. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equ ipment.
.,. Close the cover on the positive pole .
.,. Close the hood
c::, page 195.
A d ischarged bat tery can freeze at tempera
tures of only 32 °F (0 °C) . Allow a frozen bat
tery to thaw completely before attempting to cha rge it
c::, .&. . However, we recommend not
u sing a thawed batte ry aga in because the bat
tery casing can be cracked due to i ce fo rma
tion an d can leak b attery a cid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charg ing at low vo ltages (e.g. wi th a
t rickle charger ), the ba tte ry cables do no t
have to be disconne cte d firs t. T he bat tery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
batte ry .
It is no t necessa ry to remove the b attery from
the luggage compartment.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14 .8 Volts)
Fo r tec hni cal re asons do not use a bat tery
c h arger that uses voltage g reater than
1 4 .8
Volts to c harge yo ur veh icle's battery.
A WARNING
C harging a battery can be dangero us.
-A lways follow the operati ng instr uctions
provided by the battery charger manu
facturer when charging your battery .
- Never charge a fro zen battery. It may ex
p lode because of gas trapped in the ice .
A llow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ic h were fro
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened w hen the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well venti lated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec
trical spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive . ..,
Page 210 of 284

208 Check ing and filling
- To r educe the danger of explosion, never
co nnect or disconn ect cha rger cables
wh ile the c harger is operating.
- Fast char ging a battery is dangerous and
shou ld on ly be attempted by a compe
tent technician w ith the proper equip
ment .
- Battery acid that may spill during charg
ing should be washed
off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu
tralize the acid.
(Q) Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine . This will seriously dam
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, rad io, etc., as we ll
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specif/·
cations and dimensions as the original equip
ment battery.
Intell igent energy management in your veh i
cle is respons ible for d istributing the e lectr i
cal energy throughout you r vehicle
q page 177. The intell igen t energy m anage
men t system w ill keep the engine ba tte ry
charged better then vehicles w ithout this sys
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries o f the same type and ma nu
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 Audi dealer must code the battery
in the ene rgy management system to enable
you to use the energy management functions
correctly after replac ing the battery.
I f it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new bat tery m ust h ave the s ame ca
pac ity, voltage ( 12-volts), amperage, con
struction and plug sea ling. When installing the battery, make su
re the ig
nition and a ll electrical consumers are turned
off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the side
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery acid can leak out .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the p rob lem of p roper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author
i zed Audi dealer change the battery for
you. Batteries contain sulfur ic acid and
l ead and must always be disposed of prop
erly in comp liance with all environmental
regulations. Dispos ing of vehicle batter ies
i mprope rly is very dange rous to the envi
r o nment .
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig. 181 En gin e compa rt m en t: Cove r on the w ind·
s h iel d a nd h eadligh t• was her fluid conta in er
.., N
-~ (X) a,
The washer fluid conta iner is marked w ith the
symbol
O on its cap q fig . 181, qpage 197,
fig . 174 .
.. Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compa rtment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS q A in Working in the engine
compartm ent on page 195 .
.. Lift the fi ller cap tongue to add washer flu
id. You can f ill the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after
fi lling the conta iner .
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in the table
in
q page 262. .,.
Page 211 of 284
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Clean water sho uld be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets. Always add a glass cleaner
solut ion (with frost protection in the w inter).
(D Note
Do not mix engine coo lant antifreeze or
any other add itives to fi ll u p the w ind
shie ld washer reservoir.
Checkin g and fillin g 209
•
•
Page 212 of 284

210 Tires an d whee ls
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreci
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle.
Ti res may be the least appreci
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle. Tires are, how
ever, one of the most important
parts of a vehicle, particularly
considering the comparatively
small patch of r ubber on each
tire that assures that all-impor
tant contact between you, your
vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the co rrect tire
p ressure, making sure that your
vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more we ight than they
can safe ly handle, avoiding
damage from road hazards and
regularly inspecting tires for
damage including cuts, s lashes
irregular wear and overall con
d ition are the most important
things that you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure inc lud
ing tread separation and blow
outs.
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb
or similar obstacle, drive very
slowly and as close as possible
at a right angle to the curb.
Always keep chemicals includ
ing grease, oil, gasoline and
brake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the tires regularly for
damage (cuts, cracks or blis
ters, etc.). Remove any foreign
bodies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove
them to indicate the direction
of rotation. This ensures you to be able to mount them correct
ly when you reinstall them.
When removed, the wheels or
tires should be stored in a cool,
dry and preferably dark p lace.
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounted on
rims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims.
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢ &.
The tread depth of new tires
may vary, according to the type .,.
Page 213 of 284

Tires and wheels 211
and make of tire and the tread -New tires tend to be slip-•
pattern.
pery and must also be bro-• '
Hidden damage ken-in. To reduce the risk of
Damage to tires and rims is of -losing control, a collision
and serious personal inju-
ten not readily visible. If you ries, drive with special care
notice unusual vibration or the for the first 350 miles
vehicle pulls to one side, this (560 km).
may indicate that one of the -Driving with worn or dam-
tires has been damaged . The
aged tires can lead to loss of
tires must be checked immedi-
ately by an authorized Audi control
, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and
dealer or qualified workshop.
sudden deflation, crashes
Unidirectional tires and serious personal inju-
A unidirectional tire can be ries. Have worn or damaged
identified by arrows on the tires replaced immediately.
sidewall, that point in the di rec- -Tires age even if they are
tion the tire is designed to ro- not being used and can fail
tate. You must follow the speci- suddenly, especially at high
fied direction of rotation. This is speeds. Tires that are more
necessary so that these tires than 6 years old can only be
can develop their optimum used in an emergency and
characteristics regarding grip, then with special care and
road noise, wear and hydro- at low speed.
planing resistance. For more in- -Never mount used tires on
formation
¢ page 249. your vehicle if you are not sure of their "previous histo-
A WARNING
ry." Old used tires may have -
New tires or tires that are been damaged even though
old, worn or damaged cannot the damage cannot be seen
provide maximum control that can lead to sudden tire
M
and braking ability. N
er failure and loss of vehicle u.. co ,...., \!) control. 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Page 214 of 284

212 Tires and wheels
-If you notice unusual vibra
tion 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.
0 Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea
sons. Audi recommends us
ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem peratures significantly de
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability. 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.
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.
...
Page 215 of 284

M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Bead
means the part of the tire that
is made of steel wires, wrapped
or reinforced by ply cords and
that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the
bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom
mended by the vehicle manu
facturer for a tire of a designat
ed size that has not been driven
for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before
the tire pressure is measured or
adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor
vehicle with standard equip
ment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and cool
ant, air conditioning and addi
tional weight of optional equip
ment.
Tires and wheels 213
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard tire. Extra load tires may be identi
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capaci
ty of a single axle system,
measured at the tire-ground in
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total
loaded weight of the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two
adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that
a tire is rated to carry for a giv
en inflation pressure. You may
not find this information on all
tires because it is not required by law.
•
•
'
Page 216 of 284

214 Tires and whee ls
Ma ximum load r ating Overall width
means the load rating for a tire means the linear distance be-
at the maximum permissible in- tween the exteriors of the side-
flation pressure for that tire. walls of an inflated tire, includ -
Max imum lo ad ed vehicle ing elevations due to labeling,
weight decorations, or protective
means the sum of: bands or ribs
.
(a) Curb weight
Ply
(b) Accessory weight means a layer of rubber
-coated
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and parallel cords
.
(d) Production options weight
Production options weight
Ma ximum (permissible )
means the combined we ight of
inflation pressure those installed regular produc-
means the maximum cold infla- tion options weighing over 5
tion pressure to which a tire lbs
. (2 .3 kg) in excess of those
may be inflated. Also called standard
items which they re-
"maximum inflation pressure." place, no
t previously consid-
Normal occupant weight
ered in curb weight or accessory
weight, including heavy duty
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) brakes, ride levelers, heavy duty
times the number of occupants battery, and special trim.
seated in the vehicle up to the
Radial ply tire total seating capac ity of your
vehicle . means a pneumatic tire in
Occupant distribution
which the p
ly cords that extend
to the beads are laid at s ub-
means distribution of occu -
stantially 90 degrees to the
pants in a vehicle .
centerline of the tread.
Outer diameter
Recommended inflation
means the overall diameter of pressure
an inflated new tire.
see c::> page 213, Cold tire infla-
tion pressure .
~