
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.

Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometre s):
.,. Do not use full throttle .
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imimum permitted
RPM .
.,. Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometres):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum pe rm iss ib le road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
.. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds
when it is cold . T hi s applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) o r in gear.
After the break- in period
.. Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next hig her gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach
ometer scale
<::;> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en
g ine 's inter na l friction is higher than later
when all the moving pa rts have been broken
i n. How well this break-in p rocess is done de
pends to a considerable ex tent on the way t he
ve hicl e is driven d uring the first 1,000 miles
(1, 500 kilome tres) .
(D Note
Extremely high engine speeds a re auto
mat ic al ly reduced. However, t hese RPM-
Driving and environment 149
limits were programmed for an eng ine
well run-in, not a new eng ine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not d rive wi th unnecessar ily h igh en
gine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
r educes noise and protects the environ
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
particularly carefu l for the first 350 miles
(500 ki lometres) after fitting .
A WARNING
-New tires tend to be s lippery and must a l-
so be "b roken-in". Be s ure to remembe r
this dur ing t he firs t 35 0 m iles (500 kilo
me tres) . Brake gent ly . Avo id following
closely behind other vehicles or other sit uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking.
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full brak ing effect during the first 250 miles
(400 kilometres) after they are installed.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be
fore they have optima l grab¢ .&..
D uring the break-in period, yo u should avoid
putting seve re loads on the brakes . Severe
l oads include, for example, su dden hard brak
ing, in particular at very h igh speeds or, for
example, on mou nta in passes.
A WARNING
Until t hey develop the maximum "bite" fo r
best stopping power, the s urfaces on new
b rake pads requ ire some "brea king- in" dur
in g the initial 10 0 to 150 miles (15 0 to
20 0 kilome tres) of normal c ity dr iv ing. Yo u
can compensate for this by press ing the
b rake peda l more f irm ly . This applies
whenever new pads are installed.
•
•

150 Driving and en vironm ent
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc ., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis) and fully loaded
vehicles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any highe r tha n the
bottom of the vehi cle body.
- Do no t drive faster than wa lking speed.
_& WARNING
After d riving through water, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake ro tors and pads . Dry
the brakes fi rst by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(]) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth o f the water before driv
ing through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine
off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep for your vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh salt water because
it can ca use corrosion.
-
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¢ page 160,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
.. Never put too much moto r o il in yo ur eng ine
¢ page 169, Adding engine oil ~-
.. Never try to push- or tow-st art you r vehicle.
The catalytic co nverter is an efficient "clean
u p" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
t h e vehi cle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutan ts in the exha ust gas be
f ore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r funct ion ing of the engi ne.
A WARNING
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry g rass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additiona l undercoating or
r u stproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat sh ields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already ser iously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
converte r.
- Do not exceed the correct engi ne oil level
¢page 169.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine co uld mis-
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into ..,.

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 .

Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips.
11-Try to avoid driving short distances with a
cold eng ine.
The engine and catalyt ic converte r have to
reac h their optimal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis
sions effective ly .
- Just after starting, a co ld eng ine in a mid
s iz e car burns the fuel at a poor rate of 6-8
miles per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). Half a
mile dow n the road, the m ileage improves
to 12 MPG (20 l/100 km) .
It will take the
engine no less than
two and a half mil es
(4 km) of d riving to warm up to its proper
oper ating tempe ra tu re and ope ra te at an
eco nomic mileage. This explains why taking
the car for shor t tr ips is a rather wastef ul
convenience.
- T he
outside temperature is also cr it ica l in
t hi s re gard . You r car cons umes more fuel in
the winter than in t he summer .
Trailer towing
General information
Your Audi TT Roadster is not designed to tow
a trailer.
Towing a tra iler with yo ur Audi TI Roadster is
n ot recommended and can cause damage to
the car . Damaged caused by towing a trailer is
n ot covered by your Aud i War ranty .
Driving and environment 153
•
•

160 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ
ment clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is un
leaded premium
grade gasoline . Audi recom
mends using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
with a minimum octane rating of 91 AKI (95
RON) . For more information on TOP TIER De
tergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label locat
ed on the inside of the fuel filler flap. This rat
ing may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using un leaded regular gasoline with a minimum oc
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON. However, using
87 AKl/91 RON octane fuel will slightly re
duce engine performance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso
line is available throughout the USA, Canada,
and in most European countries. We recom mend that you do not take your vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehi
cle, see ¢
page 161.
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to
resist engine damaging "knock" caused by
premature ignition and detonation. Therefore,
buying the correct grade of gasoline is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane ratings that can usually be found on the filler
pump : -
Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI= Anti Knock Index= (R+M)/2 = (RON
+MON)/2
RON= Research Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number .
@ Note
-Do not use any fuel with octane ratings
lower than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise
expensive engine damage will occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline! The use of
leaded gasoline will severely damage
your vehicle's catalytic converter and its
ability to control exhaust emissions.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with
alcohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blended mixture meets the
following criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not contain more than 10%
ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline

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, ..,.
•
•

162 Fuel suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al
ways observe local and state laws regard ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers . Make certain the con
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle unt il the fuel tank
is completely dry . The irregular supply of
fuel can ca use misfir ing . Gasoline could
enter into the exhaust system and damage
the cata lytic conve rter.
Refuelling
Fig. 123 D rive r's doo r: Unl ocking fuel filler flap
Fig. 124 Fu el cap hooke d on the opened fuel fill er fla p
When adding fuel, the igni tion and any cellu
lar phones in the vehicle must be swi tched
off .
Tak ing the fu el cap off
• To open the fuel fill er flap , pu ll the b utton
r=> fig . 123.
• Unscrew fuel filler cap counte r-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filler flap
c> fig . 124.
Refuelling proc edur e
• Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel fi ller neck as far as it wi ll
go .
• Select a med ium r efuelling rate so that the
no zzle switches off automatically when the
tank i s full.
Putting th e fu el cap bac k on
• After f illing your tank, twist the fuel filler
cap clockwise until you hear a definite click.
• Close the fue l fill er flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap properly and completely. An improperly closed fuel fi ll
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp
c> page 30
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries .
- Fai lure to shut the engine off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to ove r
f low. F ue l spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a ce llular telephone whil e re
fue ling . T he electromagnet ic rad iat io n
can cause spa rks that can igni te fuel va
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle whi le re
fue ling.
If in exceptio nal circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
ref ueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again . Static e lectricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
re leased d uring refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open f lame any
where in or near your veh icle when refu
eling or filling a portable fue l conta iner .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable