84 Transmi ssion
In the no rm al m ode D, the transmission auto
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio. It de
pends on eng ine load, veh icle speed and driv
ing style.
Select the
s p or t mode S for spo rty driving.
The vehicle makes full use of the eng ine 's
power. Shifting may become noticeab le when
accelerating.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the foot brake before and while mov ing the
lever to D/S out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS c> .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 85 .
(D Note
-
Coasting downh ill with the transmission in
N and the engine not running w ill result in
damage to the automatic transmiss ion
and possibly t he catalyt ic converter .
(D Tips
-On vehicles with drive select*, you can
adjust the sporty shift characteristics in
the
Dynamic d riving mode.Swill appear
i n the instrum ent cluster disp lay instead
ofD.
- If you accidentally select N whil e driv ing ,
take your foot off the acce le rator pedal
i mmedia tely and wait fo r the engine to
s low down to idle be fore se lecting D/S.
- If there is a power failure, the se lector
l ever will not move out of t he P posi tion.
The eme rgency release can be used if
th is happens<=>
page 89.
Automatic Shift Lock {ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or
the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
Fi g. 9 7 Shi ft ga te : se lecto r le ver lock pos itio ns and re
lease b utto n hig h lighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
.. Turn the ignition on .
.. Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on the
side of the gear selector knob<=>
fig. 97 with
your thumb until you have moved the selec
to r lever to the desired position.
Automatic selector leve r lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po
s itions w hen the ign ition is turned on . You
must p ress the brake pedal and t he release
button to select anothe r position . As a re
minde r to the drive r, the following wa rni ng
appea rs in the in strumen t clus ter di splay
when the sele ctor is in P and N:
When stationar y apply brak e pedal while se
lecting gear
The Automatic Shift Lock only funct ions when
t h e veh icle is stationary or at speeds be low
1 mph (2 km/h) .
At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the
Automat ic Shift Lock is automatically deact i
vated in the N position .
A time delay element prevents the selector lever from locking when it is moved through
the N pos it ion (go ing from R to D/S) . The lock
ing element w ill lock the selecto r leve r if t he
Ill>
86 Transmission
-Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury .
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running,
activate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P .
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position
while the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never shift into
R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases
braking distance or causes complete fail
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload . An indicator lamp
l'§J illu
minates and a driver message appears
Q page 88 when the clutch is overload
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake set
Q page 195. Otherwise, any increase in
engine speed may set the vehicle in mo- tion
, even with the parking brake ap
plied.
@ Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator pedal while a driving gear is selected. This can cause the transmis
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti
vate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling .
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the en
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be
cause it is not lubricated under those cir
cumstances.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driv
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when these
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is suitable for the incline. Hill de
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach
ieved at the time of braking, within physical
and technical limitations. It may st ill be nec
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the de
cline levels out or you press the accelerator
pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
Q page 81 , hill descent control is also activat
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING -
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
88 Transmi ssion
Launch Control Program
Th e Launch Cont rol Program provides the
best accel eration possible when starting from
a st op .
R equirement : The engine must be at operat
i n g t emp eratur e and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
.,. Press the
I~ O FFI button c:> page 173 while
the engine is running. The
II ind icator light
i lluminates in the instrument cluster and
Stabilization control (ESC ): Sport . Warn
ing! Re stricted sta bility
appea rs in the dr iv
er information system d isplay.
.,. Move the selec tor lever to the D/S pos ition
to select sport mode (S) or select the
dy
nami c
driving mode in drive select*
c:> page 103.
... Press the brake peda l strongly with your left
foot and hold it down for at least 1 second.
.,. At the same t ime, press the accelerator ped
al down complete ly w ith your r ight foot un
t il t he engine reaches and maintains a h igh
RPM .
.,. Remove you r foot from the brake pedal
withi n S seconds
c:> &, .
&_ WARNING
-Always adapt you r driving to the traffic
flow .
- O nly use the Launch Control Program
when road and traffic con dit ions allow it
and other dr ivers will not be endangered
o r annoyed by yo ur dr iv ing and t he vehi
cle's acce lerat ion.
- Please note that the driving wheels can spin and the vehicle can break away
w hen sport mode is sw itched on, espe
c ially when the road is slippery .
- Once yo u have accelerated, yo u should
switch sport mode off by pressing the
I~ O FF I but ton .
(D Tips
- The transm ission temperat ure may in
crease significantly after using the Launch Control Program . If that hap- pens, the p
rog ram may not be availab le
for a few minutes . It will be available
again after a cool-down period .
- When accelerating using the La unch
Cont ro l program, a ll vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads. Th is can result in
increased wear.
Transmission malfunction
['1 Transmission: Pre ss brake pedal and se
lect gear again .
Press the bra ke peda l and select the desired
selector lever position again. You ca n then
co ntinue driving .
['1 Transmission overheating: Please drive
conservatively.
T he transmiss ion temperat ure has inc reased
s ignificantly due to the sporty d riving manner .
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
ID T ransmission malfunction: You can con
tinue driving
T he re is a sys tem malfunc tion in the transm is
sion . You may continue driving .
Drive to yo ur
autho rized Audi deale r or qualified repair fa
c ility soon to have the ma lfunction corrected.
['1 Transmis sion malfun ction : Limited driv
ing functionality
T he re is a system malfunction in the t ransm is
s io n. The transm ission is swi tching to emer
gency mode. This mo de on ly shifts in to cer
ta in gears o r will no longer shift at al l. The en
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have t he malfunction corrected.
('1 ffl Transmi ssion malfunction: No reverse
You can continue driving
T he re is a sys tem mal func tion in the t ransm is
s io n. The transm iss ion is swi tch ing to eme r
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer -
tain gears o r will no longer shift at all . The en
gine may sta ll. You cannot engage the
reverse liJJ,
"' N
a: LL co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard 95
~--- ~-Di stance 3: This setting corre
sponds to a distance of 164 feet/SO meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interva l of 1.8 seconds .
~---- ~ Distance 4: This setting corre
sponds to a distance of 210 feet/64 meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interva l of 2.3 seconds .
A WARNING
Following other vehicles too closely in
creases the risk of collisions and serious
personal injury.
- Setting short distances to the traffic
ahead reduces the time and distance
available to br ing your vehicle to a safe
stop and ma kes it
even more necessary
to pay close attention to traffic.
- Always obey applicable traffic laws, use
good judgment, and select a safe follow
ing distance for the traffic, road and
weather conditions .
¢j) Tips
- Distance 3
is set automatically each time
you switch the ignition on.
- Your standa rd settings are automatically
stored and assigned to the remote con
trol key being used.
Setting the driving program
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Depending on the se lected driv ing program
and distance, driving behavior when accelerat
ing will
vary from dynamic to comfortab le .
Setting the driving program for vehicles
without Audi drive select*
~ In the radio/MMI*, select: !CAR !funct ion
button >
Adaptive cruise control > Driving
prog .
> comfort, standard or dynamic. Or
~ Select: !CARI function button> Car systems*
control button > Driver assist > Adaptive
cruise control
> Driving program* > Com
fort, Standard
or Dynamic. Setting the driving mode for
vehicles with
Audi drive select*
Refer to ¢ page 103.
(D Tips
Your settings are automatica lly stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used.
Request for driver intervention
Applies to vehicles : with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 112 Instrument d uste r: request for drive r inte r
ve ntion
In certain situations, the system will p rompt
you to take action. This could happen, for ex
amp le, if braking by the adaptive cruise con
trol system is not enough to maintain enough
distance to the vehicle ahead.
The instrument cluster will warn you about
the danger ¢
fig. 112:
-A red vehicle is pictured in the display.
- The text
DISTANCE! appears in the status
bar.
- The red indicator light . blinks.
- In addition, a warning tone sounds .
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-Never attach any objects such as cu
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instru
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment , cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment upholstery over the front seat backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace-
Airbag system 145
ment parts designed and approved espe
cially for your Audi model version . Re
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per-
ch lorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi ,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control unit. Some suspension changes can, for
•
•
154 Child Saf ety
same kind of child rest raint offered by child
restraint manufact urers.
The weight ranges fo r the ind ividual types,
makes and mode ls o f chi ld restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem compa res the we ight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the informat io n sto r
ed i n the ele ct ron ic cont ro l uni t.
The electron ic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe ren t for an ad ult
who is prope rly using the safety belt as com
pared to the tension on the be lt whe n it is
used to attach a chi ld restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger meas ures the
tension on the be lt. The input from this sen
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restraint w ith a typ ical
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whe ther or not the ai rbag must be tu rned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless o f the child restraint t hat you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu
f acturer for use with a n airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly instal led at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger sea t, caref ully read all of the
i n format ion on c hild safety and Advanced A ir
bags and heed a ll of the app licab le WAR N
I NGS . Ma ke certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenger airbag is turned off and that the a
irbag sta tus is always cor rect ly signa led
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child res traints
h ave been available over the yea rs, new mod
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r mode ls are
ta ken out o f product ion . Ch ild restra ints are
not standard iz ed . Child restraints of the same
type typically have different weights and sizes
and different 'footpr ints,' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they are insta lled on a vehi
cl e seat. These d iffe rences make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify compl ian ce wi th t he re
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with eac h
and every chi ld restraint that has eve r been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
F or t his reason, the United S tates National
Highway T raffic Safety Adm inist ration has
published a list of specific type, ma kes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These ch ild restraints a re :
Subpart A - Car bed child re straints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard A ngel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury Smart Fit December 1, 1999
4 543
Cosco Arriva September 2S, 2007
22-013PAW and base 22 -999WHO
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E venflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
172 Intelligent technology
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
smal l.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the d rive powe r to the other wheels.
This f unct ion is available up to abo ut 60 mph
(100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from ove rheating. EDL wi ll switch on aga in a u
tomatically when conditions have returned to
norma l.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by
changing the steering to rque.
In vehicles with dynam ic steeri ng*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the stee ring in critical s itua
tions.
Select ive wheel torque control
Selective whee l torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
This a llows mo re prec ise d riving in curves. The
appl icable system may no t activate when d riv
i ng in wet or snowy condi tions.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems can
not overcome the laws of physics. This is especia
lly important on slippery o r wet
roads. If the systems begin acting to sta
bilize your veh icle, you should immedi
ately change your speed to match the
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let
the increased safety provided by these
systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing
so will in crease the r is k of a loss of vehi
cle control, collision and serious person al
in juries.
- Always adap t your speed to road, traffi c
and weather conditions . The risk of los
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. The ESC and its integrated sys
tems cannot a lways p revent collisions -
there is still a risk of acc idents!
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
T he drive w heels can spin even w ith
these assistance sys tems that cannot al
ways he lp to re duce the risk of loss of ve
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR o nly wo rk correctly when
a ll four wheels are equipped wi th iden ti
c al tires. D ifferen t tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine powe r.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are workin g.
-If the ind icator light DJ or Ea (USA
mode ls)/ lCOj
~ page 18,
<=>page 19.
174 Intelligent technology
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pad s
Du ring the first 2 50 miles (400 k m), new
b ra ke pads do not possess their fu ll braking
effect , they have to be "broken in" first¢.&. .
The break-in period can be considerably lon
ger for vehicles with ceramic brake rotors*.
You can compensate for this slightly reduced br aking power by push ing harder on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy braking loads during the
b reak-in per iod.
Operating conditions and d riving h abits
The brakes on today's automobi les are st ill
subject to wear, depend ing largely on operat
ing conditions and dr iv ing habits ¢.&. . On
vehicles that are e ithe r dr iven mostly in stop
and-go city traffic o r are driven ha rd, the
b rake pads should be checked by you r aut hor
iz ed A udi de aler more often than specified in
the
Warrant y & Maintenan ce booklet . Fail ure
to have your b ra ke pads inspected can resu lt
in red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, yo u sh ou ld use t he b ra ki ng
effect of the eng ine. Th is w ay, you preven t un
necessa ry wear on the brake system . If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not ho ld the brakes
down continuously. P ump the brakes at inter
va ls.
Operating noise
N oises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking fo rce and outside condi
tions s uch as temperature a nd h umidity.
Due to the na ture of the mate rials used i n ce
ramic brake rotors*, noises may become more
apparent at low speeds.
Effect of water and road salt
I n ce rtain situat ions, for exampl e after d riving
throug h wate r, in heavy ra in, after overn igh t
conde nsation or afte r washi ng your c ar, the
b ra ki ng effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the bra ke rotors and b rake pads. The brakes must be dr
ied first with a few careful
brake applications .
At highe r speeds and with the winds hield wip
ers t urned on, the b ra ke pads press against
the b rake roto rs fo r a short amount o f time .
This occurs at regular intervals without the drive r not icing and p rov ides for better brake
response time under wet conditions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be red uced
whe n the vehicle is driven on a sa lt -covered
road and the brakes are not used . Likewise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads with a few cautious ap
plicat ions of the bra ke
¢ .&. .
D ue to the ir s urface characteristics, ceramic
brake rotors* absorb moisture in such condi
tions . T his can cause a temporary reduction in
braking force compared to dry brakes . You can
compensate for th is by pressi ng the brake
p eda l harde r.
Corrosion
There may be a tende ncy for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corros ion to form on
the d iscs if the car is not driven regu larly or
only for short trips w it h litt le use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor
ros io n has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately h igh
speed ¢.&. .
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ir cuits may have fa iled
c::> .&. .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
t h e brake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored electro nically .
Brake boo ster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
yo u generate with the brake peda l. It works
on ly when the engine is running
. ¢ .&. .,.