14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
TPMS
Electronic Stabilization Control
( ES C) ./
¢page 18
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
¢ page 171
USA models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ./
¢ page 19
Canada models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ./
¢ page 19
USA models:
Safety systems ./
¢page 19
Canada models:
Safety systems ./
¢ page 19
Worn brake pads
¢ page 20
E lectromechanical parking brake
¢ page 16
T ire pressu re monitoring
system ./
¢ page240
Tire pressure mon itoring system
¢page240
Electronic power control./
¢ page20
Malfunction indicator Lamp
(MIL) ./
¢ page 20
Engine speed limitation
¢ page20
Engine oil leve l
¢ page 17
Engine oil sensor
¢page 21
Battery
¢ page 16
Tank system
¢ page 21 Windshield
washer fluid level
¢ page21
Windshield wipers
¢page21 Remote control key
¢page
76
Battery in remote control key
¢page32
Defective light bulb warning
¢page21
Rear fog light(s)*
¢page21
Headlight range control
¢page 21
Adapt ive light*
¢page21
Light-/rain sensor*
¢page22
Sport differentia l*
¢page22
Ignition lock
¢ page22
Steering column lock
¢page 18
Electromechanical steering,
dynamic steering*./
¢ page 175
Transm ission ¢page 88
Transm ission ¢page 88
Other indicator lights
-------------
Turn signals
¢page22
USA models : Cru ise control
¢page 81
Canada models : Cruise control
¢ page81
Adapt ive cru ise control*
¢page92
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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
Adaptive cruise contro l*
~ page 92
High beam
~page 52
BRAKE /((J)) Brake system
The light i llum inates when the ignition is
switched on. It goes out after the engine has been started . Th is indicates that the brake
warn ing light is functioning properly .
If the brake wa rning light doe s not light up
w hen t he engine i s cr an ki ng , th ere ma y be a
malf unct ion in the ele ctric a l s ystem. In th is
c as e, c ont act your author ize d Audi dealer .
If the brake system warning/ind icator light
turns on, there is a brake system malfunction.
1111 ( USA mod els)/ . (Canada m odel s)
Stop veh icle and che ck brake f luid le vel
If the indicator light t urns on and the mes
sage appears, proceed as follows :
i.. Pull off the road .
1> Stop the vehicle.
1> Turn off the engine.
1> Check the brake flu id level ~ page 204.
1> Contact your nearest authorized repair fa-
ci lity if necessary.
W arning! Fault in br ake sy ste m . Conta ct
de aler
If the ABS indicator light rJl1 (USA mode ls)/
ii] (Ca nada models), the ESC ind icator light
GJ and the b rake system indicator ligh t
1111 (USA models);II (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears , the ABS, ESC
and braking distribution are not working
~ & .
Ca re fully drive to yo ur au thorized A ud i dealer
immed iately to have the malfunction correct
ed ~& -
1111 (USA m odels)/ . (Canada m odel s)
Parkin g brake sy ste m f ault! See own er' s
ma nual
- If the indicator light and the message ap
pear
when stati onary o r aft er swit ching the ignition on
,
check if you can release the
parking brake. After releasing the parking
brake, carefully drive to your authorized
Audi dea ler immediately to have the ma l
function correc ted. If you cannot release the
parking brake, seek professional assistance.
- If the ind icator light and the message ap
pear
w hile d riving , the emergency brak ing
function may not be available. It may not be
possible to set the park ing b rake or release
it once it has been set . Seek profess ional as
sistance .
(USA models): If the warn ing light
1111 and
the warn ing light
Ei'J appear together, imme
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have a ll brake pads in
spe cted
~ page 20.
When the light comes on, an aud ible warning
s ignal is also g iven .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ings in
Q page 195, before openi ng the hood
and checking the brake flu id.
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
ha zard . Stop the car and get professiona l
assis tance.
- I f the
1111 (USA models) ;II (Canada
models) brake system ind icator light
turns on together with the ABS and ESC
indicator lights, the ABS/ESC regulating
function may have failed. Functions that
stabilize the vehicle are no longer avai la
ble. This could cause the vehicle to
swerve and increase the r isk of slid ing .
Drive carefully to the nearest authorized
Aud i deale r or other q ualified workshop
and have the malfunction corrected .
- If the brake warning/ind icator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
pa rking brake is re leased, or lights up
while you are dr iving, t he f lu id leve l in
the brake fl uid reservo ir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediate ly at low speed to the nearest
Ill-
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
. ¢ .&. .,.
"' N
a: LL co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig . 172 Dr iver's side footwell: eng ine hood release
lever
F ig . 173 Re lease lever un der the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield w ipers are flat against the
windshield. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
q fig. 172.
.. Raise the hood slightly q &.
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up
ward
c::> fig . 173 . This re leases the catch .
.,. Open the hood.
& WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To redu ce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if yo u see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
Checkin g and fillin g 195
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fully opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in place .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
q &, .
_&. WARNING
-
A hood that is not comple tely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, chec k it
to make sure the safety catch has p ro pe r
ly engaged . The hood sho uld be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts .
-If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured prope rly, stop at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the engine compartment .
Whenever yo u mu st p erform an y w or k in th e
eng in e compa rtment, for example checking
and filling differ ent fluid s, there i s a ri sk of
injury , burns and accidents. To prevent per
sonal injury always obser ve the following
WARNINGS . The eng ine compa rtment of an y
v ehicle is a hazardous are a
q A.
_&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake .
- Move selector lever of automatic trans -
mission to "P" (Park).
- Always le t the engine cool down . Hot
components wi ll bur n skin on contact .
196 Checking and filling
-To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fully opening the hood .
- Keep children away from the engine com
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool
ant system is pressurized and hot cool
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of automatic trans
mission to "P" (Park). -
Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~& .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories contain lead and lead com·
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive harms . Wash hands after handling .
(I) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@) For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu
ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au
thorized Audi dealer.
204 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance .
N N ~ N
" (X) (0
Fig. 179 Engine compartme nt: Cover on the brake flu ·
id reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lwa ys re ad and heed all WARN·
ING S ¢.&._ in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 195 .
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
¢ fig . 179 , ¢page 197,
fig . 174.
The brake fluid level must be be
tween the "MIN" and
"MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the
left side
¢ page 197.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light (U.S. models:
11111 , Canadian
models :. ) will come on
¢page 15. Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop and the cause corrected .
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
indicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an au
thorized Audi dealer
immedi atel y.
@ Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under
neath the cover.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also decrease conside rably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two year s. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author
ized
Audi d ealer . Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and the know -how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap
propriate brake flu id. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SA E
specifica tion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicle Standard 1 16.
Always check with yo ur authorized Aud i
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake f lu id is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake 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 cou ld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .
M N
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@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the pr oblem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop . The elec
trolyte leve l should also be checked each time
the battery is charged c>
page 207.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec
tr ica l system for safety reasons c>
.&. in Re
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 144.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this, the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
c> page 177.
Some o f the conven ience f unctions m ay not
ope rate, su ch as the in ter ior lig hts or t he
Checkin g and fillin g 205
power seat adjus tment. The convenience
funct io ns w ill be available again when yo u
turn o n the ign ition and start the engine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the w inte r mon ths, bat tery capa city
tends to dec rease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consumpt ion, pa r
ticular ly in city traffic or when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur authorized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before w inter sets inc>
page 207. A well
charged battery will not on ly prevent starti ng
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer.
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
stored where it will not freeze . This will
p revent it from be ing damaged and having
to be repla ced.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t
ment under the floor . B efo re you che ck any
thi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
c> ,&. .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
i ng on the veh icle batte ry or t he vehicle e lec
t rical sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BO LS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection.
•
•
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 .,.