
26 Instruments and indicator lamps
For safety reasons , the low beams are turned
on permanent ly with the switch in
AUTO. You
can cont inue to turn the lights on and off us
ing the light switch. You can still control all
wiper functions that are independent of the
ra in sensor .
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or author
i z ed Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected .
Q Adaptive dampers
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
B Suspension: system fault!
There is an adaptive damper ma lfunction .
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or author
ized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the malfunction corrected.
¢i Q Turn signals
If the B or R indicator light b links, a turn
signal is turned on. If both indicator lights are
blink ing, the emergency flashers are on .
In an indicator light blinks twice as fast as
usual then a blinker bu lb has failed. Carefully
drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
@ Tips
For more informat ion on the turn signals,
refer to
c:::> page 48.

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www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system includ ing airbag modules
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familiar with these require
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this serv ice 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-r im 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 electron ic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi
nally insta lled on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system 161
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 133 Driver's kn ee airbag
The dr iver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢
fig. 133, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met¢
page 154, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so¢
page 135, General notes. ..,_

198 Driving and the environment
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water or mud, the
braking effect can be reduced due to mois
ture on the brake discs and brake pads. A
few careful brake applications should dry off the brakes.
@) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine, transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Determ ine the depth before driving
through water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water (corro
s ion).
Catalytic converter
App lies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
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 gaso line r=;, page 210,
Fuel supply .
> Never run the tank down all the way to emp-
ty.
> Never put too much motor o il in your engine
r=;, page 223, Adding engine oil
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The cata lytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critica lly
important for the life of the catalytic convert
er and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
-
The temperature of the exhaust system is high, both when driv ing and after stopping
the eng ine .
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot . This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust 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
verter or heat shields . Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously de
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
r=;, page 223.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The engine could mis
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
IIJ,,

-The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle,
the more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recom
mend that you follow the tire
manufacturer's suggested tire
rotation intervals.
-Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread
wear on the front wheels com pared to all-wheel drive (quat
tro).
-Please rotate tires as shown
¢ fig. 171.
-Extra care must be taken when
rotating direction-specific
tires
Q page 2 74.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various sit
uations during everyday driving
can cause them to become un
balanced, resulting in vibra
tions you can usually feel
through the steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be re
balanced to avoid excessive
wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be
rebalanced when a new tire is
M N
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M 1.1"1 ,....,
Tires and wheels 253
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excessive
wear, have the wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must al
ways have tires of the same size, construction and tread
type. For details see
¢ page 193 .
.8, WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead
to loss of control, a crash and serious personal injury!
-Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
-Worn tires are a safety haz ard, they do not grip well on
wet roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and
loss of control.
-Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such
-
as grease, oil, gasoline and
brake fluid away from tires.
~
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Te chn ic a l da ta 28 7
designated seating position) and luggage
weight ~&. .
Gros s Axle W eight Rating
The G ross Axle Weight Rating is the maximum
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle ~.&. .
Vehicle capacit y weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max. load) is list
ed either on the dr iver's side B-pillar or inside
the fuel filler flap.
_& WARNING
- T he actual Gross Axle Weight Rat ing at
the front and rear axles shou ld not ex
ceed the permissible weights, and their
combination must not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating .
Dimensions
The dimensions can vary depend ing on the
model and equipment.
-
When driving on poor roads, by curbs and on
steep ramps, make sure that low-ly ing compo-
A3 Sed an
Length
Width
Width (across mir rors)
He ight (unloaded)a) -
Exceeding perm iss ible weight ratings can
result in vehicle damage, acc idents and
personal injury.
([) Note
-The vehicle capacity weight figures apply
when the load is d istr ibuted evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage). When
transport ing a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, carry the load as near to
the rear axle as poss ible so that the vehi
cle's handling is not impaired.
- Do not exceed the maximum permissible axle loads or the maximum gross veh icle
we ight. Always remember that the vehi
cle's handling w ill be affected by the ex
tra load. Therefore, ad just yo ur speed ac
co rdingly.
- Always observe local regulat ions.
nents such as the spoiler and exhaust system
do not come i nto contact with these or they
could be damaged. This applies espec ially
when the vehicle is fu lly loaded.
in (mm)
175.3 (4456)
in (mm) 70.7 (1796)
in (mm) 77.1 (1960)
in (mm) 55.7 (1416)
al The height of the vehicle depends on the tires and suspension.
53 Sed an
Length in (mm) 175.8 (4469)
Width in (mm) 70
.7 (1796)
Width (across mirrors) in (mm) 77.1 (1960)
Height (unloaded)a) in (mm) 54.8 (1392)
a l The height of the vehicle depends on the tires and suspension.
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