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
. ¢ .&. .,.
180 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi
cle to dr ive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Warming up and
cooling down
-
By carefully warming up and cooling down
your ve hicle, you can he lp ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessarily dur ing sporty driv
ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is d riven at a
maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM in order
to raise the engine oi l temperature to a mini
mum of 140
°F (60 °(). The tires also only
reach their full road holding capability once
they have warmed up .
The cooling fan can contin ue to run in your ve
h icle after the engine is switched off. Howev
er, driving the vehicle to cool it down is part ic
ularly important. During sporty driving, the
engine and brakes, the ex ha ust system, and
the transm ission all become extremely hot.
B efore you park the vehicle, you shou ld drive it for a few miles/kilometers at
light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to cool down.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline c:> page 190,
Fuel supply.
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty .
.. Never put too much moto r oil in your engine
c:> page 199, 't::71 Adding engine oil .
.. Never try to p ush- or tow -sta rt yo ur vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean
up" device bu ilt into the exhaust system of
t h e vehi cle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollu tan ts i n t he exh aust gas be
f ore they are re lease d into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r fu nct ion ing of the engi ne.
8_ WARNING
- T he temperature of the exhaus t system
is high, both when driving and after stop
p ing the engine.
- Never touch the exhaus t tail pipes once
they have become hot . This cou ld result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle i n
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
ver ter or heat shields . Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 18 5
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi
crofiber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle tho roughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy .
A WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk of accidents .
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings .
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef
fect may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat ions.
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir
rors in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior m ir
rors* must only be folded in and out us
i ng the power folding function. -
To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- T o reduce the r isk o f damage, do not
wash the power top with a pressure
washer.
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur
face, do not use insect removing spong
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the surface, do not use polishing agents or hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax. It can destroy the
matte fin ish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fin ish paint. The paint cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehi cle in facilities spec ial ly
designed for that purpose. This will red uce
the risk of dirty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clean ing and caring for individua l vehi
cle components, refer to the fo llowing tab les.
The information contained there is simply rec ommendations . For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed, re
fer to an author
ized Audi dea ler or qualified workshop . A lso
follow the information found in
Q & .
Cle anin g ext erio r
Component Situation Solution
Wipe r bl ade s
Dirty <=> page 5 7, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Hea dli ght s/ Dir ty Soft sponge with a m
ild soap solutional
tail li ghts
S en so rs /
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a so lvent-free cleaning product
c a mera l ense s Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol -free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/so
lvent-free de-icing spray
•
•
248 What do I do now?
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position
the vehicle jack only at the designated lift
ing points on the sill. Otherwise, your vehi
cle will be damaged.
Taking the wheel off/installing a wheel
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel.
Fig. 195 Changing a wheel: using the screwdrive r han·
dle (with t he bl ade removed) to turn the bolts
Fig. 196 Changing a wheel: a lignment pin insid e t he
to p hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
raised the veh icle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
.,. Remove the topmost wheel bolt completely
with the
he xa gonal socket in the screwdriv
er handle (vehicle tool kit)
c> fig. 195 and
set it as ide on a
clean surface.
.,. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tig ht into the
empty bolt hole
<='>fig. 196.
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as de
scribed above. .,.
Take off the wheel leaving the a lignment pin
in the bo lt hole
c::> (D .
Putting on the other wheel
.,. Push the whee l over the alignment pin.
.,. Screw on the wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly using the hexagonal socket .
.,. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the rema ining wheel bolt slightly
like the rest.
.,._ Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to
lower the vehicle until the jack is fully re
leased .
.,. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bo lts firm ly
c::> page 246. Ti ghten
them
in a crisscross pattern, from one bolt
to the (approximately) opposite one, to keep
the wheel centered .
.,._ Perform the steps required after changing
the wheel
c::> page 245, After changing a
wheel.
The hexagonal socket makes it easier to re
move the wheel bolts from the rim. Care
shou ld be taken when removing the reversible
blade.
(D Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim cou ld hit the brake rotor/ceramic
brake rotor* and damage the rotor. Work
carefully and have a second person to help
you.
@ Tips
- When mounting tires w ith unidirectional
tread design
make sure the tread pat
tern is po inted the right way
c::> page 249.
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy
to turn. Check for dirt and corrosion on
the mating surfaces of both the wheel
and the hub. Remove all d irt from these
surfaces before remounting the wheel.
- Do not use the hexagonal socket in the
sc rewdriver handle to loosen or tighten
the whee l bolts.
270 Index
Automatic climate control Air vents ... ............... .. .... .. 71
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Setup . .. ............... .. .. .... .. 72
Automatic power top ....... .. .. .... .. 43
Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Removal lock (ignition key) . .. .. .. .. . . 73
also refer to S tron ic transmission ..... 83
Au tomatic wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Auto Safety Hotline ................ . 120
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Avoid damaging the vehicle .. .. .. .. .. . 179
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 205
Battery location inside the luggage com-
partment .. .. . .......... .. .. .... . 205
Charging . .. ............... .. .... . 207
Important warnings when working on
the battery .... ... ... .... .. .. .. .. . 205
Jump starting ............. ... .. ... 255
L ow . .. .. .... ........... .... .... . 177
Rep lacing the battery ..... .. .. .... . 208
State of charge ............ ... .... . 177
Winter operation .......... ... .... . 205
Working on the battery ..... ... .... . 205
Before driving ............. .. .. .. .. . 112
Belt posi tioner ............ .. .. .. .. . 126
Blended gasoline .............. .... . 190
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 71
Booster seats ............. .. .. .. .. . 160
Brake fluid Changing the brake fluid ......... .. . 204
Checking the brake fluid level ..... ... 204
Reservoir . ................. ..... . 204
What is the correct brake fluid level? . . 204
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? ......... .. .... . 204
Brake system ............... ... .... . 204
Anti-lock braking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Brake assist system ....... .. .. .... . 171
Brake fluid ................ .. .... . 204
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re
placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Brake light defective .......... .. .... 21
Brake power assist unit .. .. .. .. .. .. . 174 Brakes ...
..... .. ............. .... 174
Ceramic brakes ... ................ . 174
Electromechanical parking brake ...... 78
Warning/indicator lights ........ .... . lS
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Braking Emergency braking function ....... .. . 79
braking guard . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 90
Messages . .... .. ............. .... . 97
Settings .. .. .. . .............. .. .. . 97
Break-in per iod .. .. .......... ...... . 179
Tires . ........ .. .. ........ ...... . 179
Bulbs .. .... .... ................... 253
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 196
Battery specific . ................. . 206
Capacities .. .. .. . .............. .. .. 262
Carbon parts Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186, 187
Care ........... .. .. .............. . 184
Cargo area
refer to L uggage compartment. . . 66, 118
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Center armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Central locking .. .. ................ .. 30
Central lock ing switch .......... .... . 34
Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Remote control key ................. 33
Ceramic brake rotors New brake pads .. ................ . 17 4
Certification .... .. ............. .... 267
Changing a flat tir e . ... .......... .. .. 244
Changing a wheel .. ................ . 244
Changing engine oil ............. .... 200
Checking Engine coolant level ............ .. .. 202
Checking tire pressure ..... ...... .. .. 221
Child restraints Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat . .... ... .............. .. 132
Where can I get addi tional information
about child restraints and their use? .. 169
Child restraint system anchors ..... ... 166