
122 Airbag sys te m
- Never modify t he front bumper or parts
of the veh icle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment upholstery ove r the front seat
backs that have not been spec ifi cally
approved by A udi.
- Never use add itiona l seat cushions that
cover the areas whe re the side airbags
inflate .
- D amage to the o rigina l 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 . Afte r an airbag has inf lated, it
must be replaced by an author ized Audi
dealer or qualified technic ian who has
the techn ica l information, tra ining and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an a irbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced w ith new replace
ment parts designed and approved espe
cially for your Aud i model version. Re
placement of complete a irbag systems
or airbag componen ts must be per
formed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service act ion
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE
MENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the a lternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic cir cuit inter
rupter must on ly be performed by a
qua lified dealer - risk of an accident !
- If the vehicle or the c ircuit interrupter
is sc rapped, all applicable safety pre
cautions must be followed.
{® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten
s ioners might be classif ied as Perchlorate
Materia l -special handling may app ly, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per
ch lorate . When the veh icle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modu les
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scra pped, all applicab le laws and regu la
tions must be obse rved. Your authorized
A udi dealer is familia r with these require
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service fo r you .
· Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the veh icle's suspens io n system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem perfo rms in a c rash. For examp le, using
t ir e- rim combinat ions not approved by A udi ,
lower ing the veh icle, c hanging the st iffness of
the suspens ion, including the spr ings, suspen
sio n struts, shock absorbers etc . can change
the forces that ar e measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic contro l
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
senso rs and make the airbag system deploy in
c rashes in which it wou ld no t deploy if the
c h anges had not been made. Other kinds of
c h anges may reduce the fo rce leve ls meas
u red by the sensors and p reven t the airbag
from dep loying when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ
i ng use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
fo rmance and increase the r isk of serious
personal injury in a crash .
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characterist ics as the components origi
na lly installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have no t been approved by Audi.

146 Intellig ent technolog y
-If the power steering system should fail,
or if the eng ine is not running (for exam
ple, while being towed), yo u wi ll st ill be
able to steer the veh icle. However, more
effort will be requ ired to do so .
- If the power steering system is not func
tioning properly, contact your authorized
Audi dealer immediately .
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
General information
W ith all-whee l drive , power is distributed to
a ll four wheels . This happens automa tica lly
depending on your dr iv ing sty le and the road
conditions at the time. See also ~
page 141.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
high engine powe r. You r vehicle is exception
ally powerful and has ex ce ll ent dr iving charac
teristics bot h under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and fo llow
safety precautions ¢
.&..
Winter ti re s
When dr iving in the w inte r, your ve hicle w ith
a ll-wheel d rive has an advantage, even with
regular tires . In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea
son tir es) for improv ed driveability and brak
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll fo ur
wheels . See also ¢ page 195, Win ter tires.
Snow cha in s
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll-wheel drive¢
page 196, Snow
chains.
Replacing whe els /t ires
Vehicles wit h all-wheel drive mus t always
have tires of the same size . Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see page
q page 191, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving ?
Your Aud i does no t have enough g round clear
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is
therefore bes t to avoid rough tracks and un
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 150 .
A WARNING
-Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and traf-
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef
fective, always remember that braking capacity is lim ited by tire t raction . You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
d rive too fast because the front whee ls
could begin to slide o n top of the water
(aquaplan ing). If th is should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in
crease in eng ine speed as wit h a front
wheel drive vehicle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con
d itions. -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, the bat
te ry is discharged by idling cur rent consume rs
(e .g. immobili zer) . In cert ain circumstances it
can resu lt in the re being insufficient energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intelligent energy management in you r vehi
cle h andles the dis trib ution of e lectr ica l ene r
gy. Start ing ability is ma rkedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended . .,._

Basically, energy management consists of
batter y di agno sis, idling cur rent man age
ment
and d yn ami c en ergy m anagement.
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously dete rmines
the state of the battery. Senso rs determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling curre nt management
Idling c urrent management red uces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various electrica l compo
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
individua l consumers are grad ually turned off
to prevent excess ive d ischarge of the battery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Dynam ic energ y manag em ent
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en
ergy management distributes the energy gen
erated according to the needs of the individu
a l components. It regu lates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge for the battery .
(D Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are l imited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, you are
i nformed by a warn ing
c!;> page 148,
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display.
Int ellig ent technolog y 147
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year . Abundant electrical energy is re
quired, but only a l ittle is generated .
It is also
c ritical if the engi ne is not running and electri
ca l components are turned on . In this in
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated.
It i s in precise ly these situations that you will
notice ene rgy management act ive ly regu lat
ing the d istribu tion of ene rgy.
V ehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks , e lectr ica l compo
nents a re g radually cut back or switched off.
T his reduces energy consumption and ma in
ta ins s tart ing capability over a longer pe riod .
Take into considerat ion that when you unlock
you r vehicle, some convenience functions,
s u ch as the remo te key o r power seat adjust
ment, may not be available. The convenience
f unct ions wi ll be available again when you
turn on the ignition and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
the engine tu rned o ff, the battery is being dis
charged .
If starting capabi lity is jeopardized due to en
ergy consumption , a message appears in the
driver in formation d isplay.
You have to start t he engine to charge the
battery.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be come discharged . This happens mostly when
little energy is being gene rated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
c h arge is not opt imal.
•
•

148 Intelligent technology
To bring the energy balance back into equilibrium, consumers which require especia lly
l arge amo unts of energy are temporari ly c ut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par
ticular requ ire a great dea l of energy. If you
n otice, for example, that the heated seats * or
the heated rea r window a re not heating, they
have been temporar ily cut back o r switched
off. These sys tems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has bee n restored.
You will also not ice that engine idle speed has
been inc reased slightly. This is no rma l and not
a cause fo r concern . By increas ing engine idle
spee d the add itiona l ene rgy required is gener
ated and the ba ttery is charged .
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ability of the engine to start, th is
i s shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) Low battery charge : battery will be
cha rged while dri ving
This notification reminds you that the starti ng
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driving aga in, the battery
will be recharged and the notification will go
out .
Driv er notificat ion appears and goes out
again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig
ni tion is turned on or while driv ing and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately rec harged.
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig
n ition is turn ed on or while driv ing and does
n ot go ou t aga in, t he battery's s tate of charge
is not i n the opt imal range. St arting ability is
restricte d. Have the bat tery checked as soon
as possible by a n authorized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop.

the exhaust system and this could cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve
hicle is moving .
- Do not continue to operate yo ur vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the cata lytic converter. This
could result in overheating of the con
verter, requ iring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
sion Control System:
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in acco rdance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Ma intenan ce booklet.
- Lac k of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
t he funct ion of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating p roperly, the exhaust gas can
have a s ulfu r- like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the s ulfur content of the fue l being used.
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your veh icle to remain inop
erat ive for a longer period of time, contact an
Aud i or other specialized deale r. T hey can ad
vise you on necessary precautions e.g . corro
sion prevention, ma intenance and storage.
Pay attention to add itiona l information con
cerning the battery . Re fer to~
page 175.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 151
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your eng ine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal d riving s tyle
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut you r
fuel consumpt io n by 1O-lS percent . T his sec
tion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your po cketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONME NTAL PROT ECTI ON AGENCY
( E PA) a nd Tra nsp o rt Canada may no t corre
spond to your actual consump tion on the
r oad, which will va ry depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating.
Avoid unnecessary acce lerating and braking .
Vehicles use the most f ue l when they are ac
ce le rat ing. If you ant icipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, acce lerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible - for examp le when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
•
•

-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to "P" (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wa it 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:
Checking and filling 165
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever 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 wear no 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.
Q) 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. •
•

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposa 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
Your vehicle is equipped with a special bat
tery, an
ACM battery. This battery is located
in the luggage compartment and must be re
p laced w ith an original equipment battery .
Under normal operati ng conditions, the bat
tery is
maint enan ce -fre e.
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 years.
Di sconn ect ing the battery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power window regu
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals are d isconnected. These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again . To prevent this, the battery
should only be d isconnected from the vehicle
e lectr ica l system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for l ong period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back o r switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains sta rting capab ility over a longer per iod
c::> page 146. Some of the convenience func
tions may not operate, s uch as the interior
lights or power seat adjustment. The conven
ience functions will be avai lab le again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en g ine.
Winter operation
D uring the winter months, ba tte ry capaci ty
tends to decrease as temperatures d rop. This
is because more powe r is also consumed while
Checkin g and fillin g 175
starting, and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc ., are used more often .
Avoid unnecess ary powe r consumpt io n, p ar
t icu lar ly in city traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let your authorized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winter sets in
c::> page 178. A well
charged battery will not on ly prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
Replacing battery
The new battery must ha ve the same capaci
ty, voltage (12 volts), amperage, construction
and plug sea ling, as the original battery. Spec
ifications are listed o n the battery housing.
Batter ies spec ia lly developed by Audi fulfill
the maintenance, outp ut, and safety require
ments.
When installing the battery, make sure the ig nition and a ll electrical consumers are switch
ed off
c::> (D .
We recommend that you use maintenance
free or
cycle -res istant /leak-proof batter ies
accord ing to the standards TL 825 06 (from
Apr il 2008) and VW 7 50 73 (from Ap ril
2010).
Rep lacing the battery should be carried by a
qualified workshop. Please fo llow the instruc
tions on the battery cover.
([) Note
-All work on the battery requ ires techn i
cal know ledge. P lease contact an Audi
deale rship o r anot her au tho rized fac ility
for questions abo ut the batte ry -dang er
of a cid b urns and exp losion ha zard!
- T he battery must not be opened! Do not
try to cha nge the battery 's liquid level,
ot herwise de tona ting gas will esc ape
from the ba ttery -explosion ha zard!
- T he AGM battery in the l uggage com
p artment cannot leak, because the elec
tro lyte for this battery is abso rbed into a
special glass mat. This lea k-p roof battery
Iii>
•
•

176 Check ing and filling
must not be replace with a conventional
battery .
- Make sure the ventilat ion hose on the
side of the battery is connected, other
wise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
- Battery ho lder and terminals a lways
have to be secured cor rectly.
- Befo re a ll work on the battery fo llow the
warning s below c::, & in Working on the
battery on page 176.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of a battery, we recommend your author
ized Au di dealer change the battery for
you. Batter ies contain su lf u ric ac id and
lead and m ust always be disposed of prop
erly in compliance w ith all environmental
regulations . D isposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to the envi
ronment. Make sure that the removed bat
t ery cannot overbalan ce, o therw ise sulfu
r ic acid mig ht escape!
Q Tips
If you r vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low tempe rat ures, t he
veh icle b attery should be remove d and
sto red whe re it will not freeze . This w ill
prevent it from being damage d and hav ing
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery!
T he ba tte ry is loca ted in the luggage compart
men t under the floor . Before yo u work on or
near the battery,
read and heed all WARN
INGS
c::, ,& .
Always heed the sa fet y warning s, when wor k
ing on the vehicle battery o r the ve hicle elec
trica l system to preve nt injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
i mportant when working on the battery :
Alway s heed the followin g WARNING SYM·
BOLS and safety precaution s when working
on the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection .
~
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al-
ways w ear glov es and eye prot ection.
@
No
- spa rks
- flames
- smo king.
~
When a batter y is charged, it produ ce s
hydrogen gas which is ex plosive and
could cau se pe rsonal injury.
®
Always keep the batt ery well out of
reach of childr en.
& WARNING ~ -
Wheneve r working on t he battery o r on
the electrical system, there is t he risk of
injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery ac id or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield you r eyes.
Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfu
ric acid can ca use blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye prote ction.
Do no t tilt the ba ttery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open
ings .
- If you get battery ac id in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
med ica l attent ion.
- If you shou ld ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, e lectr ic sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke .