Audi side assist
(D Tips
-Side assist is not active while you are mak
ing the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used.
Driver messages
Applies to veh icles: w ith Aud i side ass ist
If side assist switches off by itself, the LED in the
button turns
off and a message will appear in the
instrument cluster display:
Audi side assist unavailable: Sensors blocked
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not cover
the area in front of the sensors with bike wheels,
stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean the area in
front of the sensors, if necessary ¢
page 98,
fig. 104.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be switched on temporarily be
cause there is a malfunction (for example, the
battery charge level may be too low).
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will detect
vehicles correctly and it is switched off . The sen
sors have been displaced or are faulty. Have the
system checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility soon.
100
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@ Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov ing , servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and prevent that system from working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in
strument panel or modify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the airbag units .
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois
tened 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 deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airbag system
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- 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 replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi
ately 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 replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag components must be performed by qualified work
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the vehicle electrical sys tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt
er must only be performed by a qualified
dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
141
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Winter tires
When driving in the w inter, your vehicle w ith all
wheel drive has an advantage, even with regular
tires. In winter road conditions it may be advisa
ble to mount winter tires (or all-season tires) for
improved driveability and braking: these tires
must be mounted on
all four wheels. See also
c:> page 211, Winter tires .
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally also applies to vehicles with
all-wheel drive
c:> page 211, Snow chains.
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must a lways have
tires of the same size . Also avoid tires with differ
ent tread depths. For details see page
c:> page 203, New tires or wheels.
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is there
fore best to avoid rough tracks and uneven ter
rain as much as possible . Also refer to
c:>page 177.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic
conditions. Do not let the extra safety afford
ed by all-wheel drive tempt you into tak ing
extra risks .
- Although the all-wheel drive is very effec
tive, always remember that braking capac ity
is limited by tire traction. You should there
fore not drive at excessive speeds on icy or
slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive
too fast because the front wheels could be
gin to slide on top of the water (aquaplan
ing). If this should occur, you will have no
warning from a sudden increase in engine speed as with a front-whee l drive vehicle .
Always drive at speeds which are suited to
the road conditions -risk of crash .
Smart Technology
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution of
electrical energy and thus optimizes the availa
bility of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system is
not driven for a long period of time, the battery
is d ischarged by idling current consumers (e.g .
immobilizer). In certain circumstances it can re
su lt in there being insufficient energy available to
sta rt the eng ine .
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle
hand les the distribution of electrical energy .
Starting ability is markedly improved and the life
of the battery is extended.
Basically, energy management consists of
bat
tery diagnosis , idling current management
and
dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines the
state of the battery . Sensors determine battery
voltage, battery current and battery tempera
ture . T his determines the current state of charge
and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy con
sumption while the vehicle is standing . With the
ignition switched off, it controls the energy sup
ply to the various electrical components. Data
from battery d iagnosis is considered.
Depend ing on the battery's state of charge, indi
vidual consumers are gradually turned off to pre
vent excessive discha rge of the batte ry and thus
mainta in starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic energy
manageme nt distr ibutes the energy gene rated
accord ing to the needs of the individual compo
nents.
It regu lates consumption, so that more
elect rical energy is not being used than is be ing
generated and ensures an optima l state of
charge for the battery. ..,.
175
Smart Technolog y
(D Tips
-But even energy management cannot neg
ate the limits of physics. Consider that the power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica
tor light (•)appears
Qpage 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start
ing capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the co ld time of
year . Ab undant electrical energy is required, but
only a little is generated. It is also critical if the
engine is not runn ing and electrical components
are turned on. In this instance energy is being
consumed but none is being generated.
It is in precisely these situat ions that you wi ll no
tice energy management actively regulating the
d istr ibut io n of energy.
Vehicle s tand s for an exte nded p eriod
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, e lectrica l components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca
pability over a longer period. Some of the con
ven ience funct ions may not operate, such as the
interior lights or the powe r seat adjustment. The
conven ience functions will be ava ilable again
when you sw itch on the ign it io n and start the en
g ine.
With th e engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the
engine turned off or use other MMI funct ions,
the battery is being discha rged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy
consumption, a message appears in the MMI dis p lay . The message ind icates that the system will
be sw itched off automat ica lly in a moment. If
you wish to cont inue using the functions , you
have to start the engine .
176 With the en
gine running
Although elec trical energy is generated when the
vehicle is being d riven, the battery can become
discharged . This happens mostly when litt le en
ergy is being generated and a great deal con
sumed and the battery's state of charge is not
optimal.
T o bring the energy ba lance back into equilibri
u m, consumers whic h req uire especially large
amounts of energy are temporari ly cut back or
switched off. Heating systems in part icular re
quire a great deal of energy. If you notice, for ex
ample, that the heated seats* o r the heated rear
window are not heating, they have been tempo
r ari ly cut back o r switched off . Th ese systems w ill
be ava ilable again as soon as the ene rgy ba lance
has been res tored.
You w ill also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . Thi s is normal and not a
ca use for concer n. By increasing eng ine idle
speed the addi tional energy required is gene rated
and the battery is charged.
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-Have your veh icle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
book let.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as im
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op
erating states. This depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used . Using a differ
ent brand of fuel may help, or filling the tank
w ith lead-free super grade gasoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wou ld like your vehicle to remain inopera
tive for a longer period of time, contact an Audi
or other specialized dealer. T hey can advise you
on necessary precautions e.g. corrosion preven
tion, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to
additional information concerning the battery. Refer to
c:;, page 196.
Economical and environ
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
Fu el economy, environmental impact , and wear
on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend
on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fue l
consumption by 10-15 percent. This sect ion will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi
ronment and your pocketbook .
Driving and the environment
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
and Transport Canada may not correspond to
your actual consumption on the road, which
will vary depending upon vehicle load and
speed, road and weather conditions, tr ip
l ength, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler
ating .
.. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler
ating. If you anticipate what is going to happen next, you will need to brake less and , thus, accel
erate less. Let the veh icle coast whenever possi
ble -for example when you see that the next traf
fic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im
proves your mileage .
.. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fue l consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ
ment .
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust emiss ions and engine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximate ly three quarters of
top speed, fue l consump tion will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed l imit and weather cond itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
.. Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
.. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
ll>
179
Checking and Filling
compartment. Wait until no steam or cool
ant can be seen or heard before carefully
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 auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm . The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant 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 electrical
system is necessary :
= Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme
diately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
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 transmission
to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from getting
188
caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or other
moving parts, or from contacting 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 chemi
cal hazards
¢ A .
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 Cali
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Wash hands after handling.
([) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage 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 fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi dealer .
Checking and F ill in g
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor
rosion in the brake system may result after a peri
od of time. The boiling point of the brake fluid
will also dec rease conside rably and dec rease
b ra ki ng perfo rman ce.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ve ry
two y ear s.
Always use new b rake fluid wh ic h con
forms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle Standard " FMVSS
1 16 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach,
therefo re , we recommend that yo u have the
b rake fluid changed by your authori zed
Audi
dealer . Your dealer has the cor re ct too ls , the
righ t brake fluid an d the know-how to do t his for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is po isonous. It must be stored
only in the closed orig inal container out of
the reach of children!
- Brake fai lure can result from old o r inappro
pr iate bra ke fluid . Observe these p recau
t ions:
- Use on ly bra ke fluid t hat meets SA E speci
fication
J 17 03 and confo rms to Fede ral
M otor Vehicle S tand ard 116 . Always check
wit h your author ized Audi dea ler to make
sure yo u are using the correct brake f lui d.
The cor rect type of b rake fluid is a lso indi
cated on the bra ke fluid reservo ir.
- The brake fluid m ust be new. Heavy use of
the bra kes can cause a va por l ock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long.
This ca n ser iously affect the effic iency of
the brakes as we ll as your safety . This
co uld res ult in an accident.
@ Note
Brake f lu id will damage the paint of y our vehi
cle.
196
® For the sake of the environment
Because of t he prob lem of prope r disposal of
brake fluid as well as the special tools re
q uired and the necessary expert ise, we rec
ommend that yo u have the brake f lu id
changed by your autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery
i n your A ud i does not need any maintenance .
With
high outside temperatures or long dai ly
drives we recommend that you have the e lectro
l yte level checked by an aut horized Aud i dea ler or
qualified workshop . The e lectrolyte leve l should
also be chec ked each time the batte ry is cha rged
¢ page 198.
Have the battery checked when you take your ve
hicle i n for service . You are well adv ised to re
place a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the bat
tery is disco nnected from the ve hicle elect rical
system for safety reasons
¢ A in Repair , care
and disposal of the airbags on page 141 .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window reg ula
tors, for example) are lost if the battery te rm i
nals are d isconnected . These funct ions have to be
r elearned after the battery t ermina ls are con
nected again . To prevent t his, the battery sho uld
o nl y be disconnected from the ve hicle e lectr ica l
system when absolute ly necessary fo r rep airs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle ove r a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are gradua lly cut back or sw itched off . T his reduces
energy cons umption and mainta ins start ing ca
pabili ty ove r a longer period¢
page 175.
Some of the convenience funct ions may not ope r
ate, such as the inter ior lights or the power s eat
adjus tment . The conve nien ce f unct io ns w ill be
ava ila ble again when you tu rn on the ig nition an d
star t the eng ine. ..,..
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Winter ope rati on
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop. This is because
more power is also cons umed w hile starting, and
the headlights, rear window defogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, particu l arly in city traffic or when traveling only short
distances. Let your authorized Audi dea ler check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter sets inc:>
page 198. A well charged battery will
not only prevent starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the ve
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it will not freeze. This will prevent it
from being damaged and having to be re
placed.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart
ment under the floor. Before you check anything
in the luggage compa rtme nt,
re ad and heed all
WARN ING S
c:> .&_.
Always heed the saf ety warn ing s, when work ing
on the vehicle battery or the veh icle electrical
system to prevent injury.
The following WARNIN GS are v ery i mport ant
when working on the battery:
Alw ays heed the follow ing W ARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety pr ecaution s when work ing on
th e batt ery .
®
Alw ay s we ar eye p rotectio n.
A
Batter y acid conta in s s ulfu ric acid . Al-
ways wear gl oves and e ye prote cti on.
Checking and Fillin g
@
No
- sp ark s
- fl ame s
- smoking .
~
When a battery is charged, it produ ce s
. hydrogen ga s which is e xplo sive and
could cause p ersonal in jury.
®
Alw ay s ke ep the b attery well out of r each
of child ren .
_& WARNING
--
Whenever working on the battery or on the
electr ica l system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even f ire. Read and heed the fol
low ing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat
tery ac id or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield you r eyes . Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns .
- Always wear g loves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immediate ly rinse with cold wa
ter for several minutes and get medical at
tent ion.
- If you shou ld ingest any battery acid, seek
medica l attent ion immed iate ly.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke .
- Do not interchange the positive and nega-
tive cables .
- When working on the battery, be s ure not to
short-circuit the terminals wi th tools or oth
er metal objects . This would cause the bat
tery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or exp losion and personal
injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy
drogen gas which is explos ive and could
cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
197