
152 Driving and en vironm ent
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage .
"'Try and keep well below your car 's maximum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment. F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en
gine no ise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half. Never dr ive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"'Shut the engine off when you are not driv ing
the vehicle .
"'Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the e ngine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il
road crossings , or at traff ic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned s tarting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . Howeve r, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high RPMs while the engine
is sti ll warming up.
([) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over- heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"' Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ular in ter -
vals.
By having your veh icle regu la rly serviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it runs p rop
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its sa fety and ability to
hold its val ue, it also affects
fuel con sum p
tion .
Check your oil e ach time you fill your t ank .
The amount of o il used is related to engine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometres) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l cons umption and en
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained proper ly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet. Lack of proper ma inte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control Sys tem unless ap
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alte r or remove any device, such
a s hea t sh ie lds, switches, ig nition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other impo rtant vehicle compo
nents .

Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especia lly we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over , we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stations where the sea sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
Q;) Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
spec ified criter ia in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
spec ificat ions, ask your service station or
i ts fuel supplier .
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy
or driveability and performance prob l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have cer tain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 161
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www .toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, built -up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CJ) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Ve
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
s ide panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the unlocking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manually -for detailed in
structions see
~ page 163.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
~page 223 .
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
tells you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
~ page 160 .
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refuel
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and pollut ing the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful
ly.
A WARNING ~
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision . If you must
transpo rt fuel to use for your lawn mower, ..,.
•
•

170 Checking and filling
-The oil filler cap must be properly se
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
(D Note
-The oil level must not be above range G)
-danger of converter or engine damage!
Contact an authorized Audi dealer to
draw off oil, if necessary.
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv
ice station .
Before you check any thing in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ~ .& in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164 .
The engine oil mus t be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di
minish gradually during normal vehicle use .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis
tances , operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con
ditions , or have your vehicle where tempera- tu
res remain below freezing for extended pe
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following important informa
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground to help prevent hot oil from run
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off thoroughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit
ed New Vehicle Warranty.

@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changing your oil, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re
q uir es lit tle atten tion .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a pe rmanent coo lant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ial ly conditioned water and the
manuf acturer 's glyco l-basedcoolan t addi -
tiv e G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els) . This mixture both assures the neces
sary
frost protection and p rotects metal com
ponents in the engine's coo ling system from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil
i ng point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration o f the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add it ive must be at
l e a st 50 % but not mor e than 60 %
to main
tain antifreeze protection and coo ling efficien
cy .
If the coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coolant cou ld free ze and dam age the veh i
cle heating and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for tempera tures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
Checkin g and fillin g 171
If you must add coo lant, use a mixture of wa
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c> .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 164.
Q) Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli mate condi tions. This is especi ally impor
tan t if you live i n a region wher e th e win
ter is ex treme ly co ld . If necessary, i n
crease t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n ad ding coolant additive t o yo ur
c ooling sys tem, reme mbe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad
d itive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is availab le at au
thor ized Audi dealers . O ther types of
a ntifreeze can s ignifica ntly reduc e cor
rosion prote ction. The result ing cor ro
sion can cau se a loss o f coolan t and se
rio us engine d amage .
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal
a nt to yo ur vehicle 's engine c oolant .
A dd ing radia tor repair fl uid may adverse
ly affect the f unction and pe rformance of
your coolin g system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Ve hicle
L imited Warranty.
-
•
•

@ 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>
•
•

188 Tire s and wheel s
-If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well.
- If the t ire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immed iately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves. To prevent this ,
always make sure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels a re securely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinf lated tires will a lso increase t he
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can c arry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not h andle
well and is more difficult to s top. Over load ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and eve ryth ing in and on the vehicle . These
l oad limits a re tech nica lly refe rred to as the
ve hicl e's
Gross V ehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle , all factory insta lled accesso ries , a fu ll
tank of f uel, oi l, coo lant and othe r fluids pl us
maximum load. The maxim um load includes
the number o f passenge rs that t he vehi cle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weig ht of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position and the total weight of any luggage
in the ve
hicle .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" G AWR") is
the max imum load th at ca n be applied at e ach
of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weight Ra ting are listed on the
sa fety comp liance s ticke r label lo cated on the
driver's side B-pillar. Yo ur Audi has 2 seat ing
positions . Each seating position has a safety
belt
~ page 100, Safety belts.
T he fac t th at there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
t h at the total weight of whatever is being car
ried in the vehicle is lim ited . T he more passen
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be carried as lug
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Aud i also lists
the maximum combined weig ht of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo t hat
the vehicle can ca rry . For t he loca tion of the
label
~ page 184, fig . 136 .
.&, WARNING
Overloadi ng a veh icle can cause loss of ve
hicl e co ntr ol, a crash or o the r ac cident, se
rious personal injury, and even dea th .
- Ca rrying more we igh t tha n your ve hicle
was des igned to carry wi ll preve nt the
veh icle from handling proper ly an d in
crease the risk of the loss of ve hicle con
trol.
- The brakes on a ve hicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle t hat has been over load
ed can fail s udden ly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .

190 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv
ing style.
Fig. 138 Tire tread: tre ad wea r ind icators (TWI)
f ~----~
~ ..__ ____ __,
Fig. 139 Rotating t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig . 138 running across the tread. Depend
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 186.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota
tion intervals. Please remember the follow
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service interva ls outlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend 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
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro) .
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 139.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 211 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal
anced, re sulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the veh i
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
all-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 146 . ..,.

(D Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the bra ke rotor and dam
age the rotor . Wor k carefully and have a
second person help you.
N ever use the hexa gonal s ocket in the ha n
d le of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts.
- Pull the reversib le blade from the screw
drive r before yo u use the hexagonal
socket in t he handle to t urn the whee l
bo lts .
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make s ure the tread pat
te rn is poi nte d the r ight way
¢pag e 211.
- The wheel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn . Ch eck for dirt and corros ion on
the mat ing su rfaces of both the whee l
a nd th e hu b. Remove a ll dir t fro m these
s ur fa ces before remo unting the wheel.
Notes on wheel change
Pl ease rea d the information ¢ page 191, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels,
i f you are
going to use a spare t ire which is different
from the tires on your ve hicle.
Afte r you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spare imme
diately after mounting .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
che cked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualified service station.
- With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm) .
- If you notice while changing a tire that the
wheel bolt s are co rroded and diffi cult to
turn , then they should be replaced before
you check the t ightening torque.
What do I do now? 211
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover .
Until then , drive with extra care and at re
duced speeds.
A WARNING
-
- If you are go ing to e quip your ve hicl e
wit h tires o r rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, t hen be
sure to read the information¢
page 191,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels .
-Always sto re the tools secu rely in lug
gage compartment. Othe rwise, in a n ac
cident o r su dd en maneuv er they cou ld fly
forwa rd, causi ng injury to passe ngers in
the vehicle.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tr ead design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed the
right dire ction.
A u nidirectional tire can be identified by ar
rows on the sidewall,
which point in the direc
tion of t he rota tion. Yo u m ust follow the
s p ecifie d direction of rot ation. This i s nece ssa
r y in order fo r these tires to develop t heir op
timum charac ter istics regard ing grip, road
no ise, wear, and hydrop la ning.
•
•