
142 Intelligent technology
switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less traction, you can switch
off ESC by pressing the button
l!l . Be sure to
switch ESC on again when you no longer need
less traction.
Anti -toc k brak ing system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from lock ing up
when braking . The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard brak ing . Apply steady pres
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal ind icates that
the system is he lp ing you to brake the vehicle .
Brake assist sy stem
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presse s the brake pedal quickly in emer
gency si tuations. You must press and hold the
brake peda l until the situation is over .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to the road conditions . This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
E lectronic differential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, EDL a utomatica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL will switch on aga in au
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and ED L can not ove rcome
t h e laws of phy sics. This is espe cial ly im
por tant on slip pery or wet ro ads .
If th e
sys tems begin a ct in g to stab ilize your ve
hicle, you shou ld imme diately change
yo ur speed to match the road and traffic
condit ions. Do not let the inc reased safe
ty provided by these systems tempt you to take risks. Do
ing so w ill increase the
risk of a loss of veh icle control, co llision
and serious pe rsonal injuries .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los
ing control of t he vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippe ry or wet roads, and
wh en dr iv ing too clos e to vehicl es u p
ahead. ESC, A BS, the brake ass ist sys
tem, ED L and ASR cannot p reven t coll i
si ons .
- Always acceler ate wi th sp ecial c are on
even, smoo th s urfaces such as those th at
are wet or covered with ice and snow .
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve
h icle co ntrol.
(D Tips
- ABS an d ASR only wo rk correct ly when
all four whee ls are equipped with identi
cal tires . D ifferent tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine powe r.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working.
- If the ind icator light Ii) or II (USA
mode ls)/ Ei] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 18,
¢ page 17.
Switching on and off
£SC turns on automatically when you start
the engine.
Fig . 12 1 Ce nte r conso le: ESC OFF b utto n

144 Intelligent technology
-Never push the ve hicle or app ly force to
the rea r spo ile r - i t co uld be damaged .
- To prevent damage to the rear spoiler do
not lean o r place a nyth ing o n it.
- Only ope rate the rear spoi ler manually
when the rear lid is closed and t he rear
spo ile r moving parts are not blocked.
Otherwise, damage could occur.
C lean the spoi le r compartment every 2 to
3 months . The spoiler compartment must
always be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and d riving habit s
The brakes on today's automob iles are st ill
subject to wea r, depend ing largely on operat
i ng cond itions and dr iv ing habits
c:> & . On
ve hicles that a re e ithe r dr iven mostly in stop
and-go city traffic o r a re driven ha rd , the
b rake pads should be checked by yo ur auth or
iz ed A udi dealer more often th an specifie d in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Fail ure
to have your b ra ke pads inspected can res ult
in red uced b rake performance.
O n steep slopes, yo u sh ou ld use t he b ra ki ng
effect of the engine . This way, yo u preven t un
necessa ry wear on the brake system . If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not ho ld the bra kes
down continuously . P u mp the brakes at inter
va ls.
N oises may occur w hen braking depending on
the speed, bra king force and outside condi
tions s uch as temperature and h umidity.
Moisture or road salt
Unde r cert a in co ndi tions, for examp le, w hen
d riving through wate r or ve ry heavy rain , or
even after washing yo ur vehicle , the braking effect can be
reduced due to mois ture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
f ew cautio us brake applications s hou ld dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
T he effec tiveness of the brakes can be red uce d
whe n the vehicle is d riven on a sa lt -covered
road and the b rakes are not used . Likewise,
yo u clean off acc umulated salt coat ing from
brake d iscs and pads with a few cautio us ap
plicat ions o f th e b rake
c:> & .
Corrosion
The re may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corros ion to form on
t h e d iscs if the car is not driven regu larly or
o n ly for short trips w ith litt le use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor
ros ion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean off t he pads a nd d iscs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately h igh
s p eed
c:> & .
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase i n
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have fa iled
c:> & .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions ca n occ ur in the bra ke system if
t h e b rake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he br ake boos ter inc reases the pressure tha t
yo u genera te with the b ra ke peda l. It works
o nl y when t he engine is runnin g
.c:> .&
Brake lining wear status
Br ake lining wear may be che cked by visual in
spe ct io n of th e condition o f the br ake pa ds
t h ro ugh the open ing s in the wheel. If neces
sa ry, the w heel may be removed fo r thi s i n
spect ion
c:> page 208, What should I be
aware of when changing a tire?.

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.
•
•

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

fuel container in your vehicle. The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and co uld
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, yo u
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fi ll a po rtable fue l container
while it is anywhe re in or on the vehicle
(for examp le, in the luggage compar t
ment, or on the tr unk). Static electrici
ty can bui ld up while fi lling and can ig
n ite fue l vapors causing a fire .
- Always p lace a portable fuel container
on the gro und before filling.
- Always keep the fi ller nozzle comp lete
ly inside the portable conta iner before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
he lp prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fire .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fue l vapors are
h ighly flammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and tra nsportation of fuel co ntainers .
- Make certai n the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852 -86) .
(D Note
If any f uel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
~ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle sw itches off automatically fo r the fi rst
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add more fue l because fue l may spill out . In
add it ion, th e expans ion space in the fuel
t ank will be fi lled -causing the fue l to
overflow whe n it be come s w arm and pol
lute the env iro nment.
Fu el suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank 163
@ Tips
- Running your eng ine whi le refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even fuel
to spill out of the tank. This would then
shut off t he fue l nozz le before the tank
is f ull.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the ign i
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
ot herwise not ind icate the correct fue l
level after ref uell ing .
Unlocking the fuel filler flap by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power loc king system should fail .
Fig. 12 5 Lu ggage co mpar tme nt: Cove r in the rig ht
si de interio r tri m
If the power lock ing system should fa il, you
can still ope n the flap ma nually:
.,. Open the rear lid .
.,. Open the round cover in the right-side interi
or trim.
.,. Remove the red plastic knob from its retain
er .
"' Pull the plastic cord in the d irect ion of the
ar row to unloc k the f uel f iller flap
~ fig. 12 5 .

164 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 126 Driver' s side footwe ll: e ngin e hood release
lever
.. Open the driver's door .
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
c> fig . 126 in the direction
of the arrow .
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
Fig . 127 Re lease lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshie ld wipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they cou ld damage the
pain t on the hood.
.. Lift the hood slight ly
c> .&, .
.. Pull up on the release under the hood
c> fig . 12 7. This releases the catch .
.. Open the hood all the way.
A WARNING
-Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo lant escaping from the eng ine
compartment . Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fu lly opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
c> .&, .
A WARNING
--
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv
i ng.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper
ly engaged . The hood should be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv ing that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment!
Whene ve r y ou must pe rform any wo rk in th e
eng ine compartment, for e xample chec king
and filling the diff ere nt fluids, ther e is a risk
of injury , burn s and accident s. To prevent
p ers onal injury alwa ys obs erv e the follo win g
WARNING S. Th e engin e c ompartm ent of an y
v e hicl e is a hazardou s area!
c> .&.
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any
thing under the hood:
- Sw itch off the engine .
- Remove the ignition key.

172 Checking and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
F ig. 132 Eng ine compartme nt: cover on the coo lant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lway s read and he ed a ll WARN
ING S o .A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164.
., Park your vehicle on a level surface.
., Switch the ign ition
off .
., Read the coolant level at the coolant expan
sion tank
opage 166, fig . 128. With a cold
engi ne, it must be above the "min" mark.
With a hot engine, it can be a l ittle above
the indicated range.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration
o page 166.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be sw itched
off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
opage 17will
illum inate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even thoug h
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to t ime.
Coolant lo ss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool
ing system should be inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dea
ler .
It is not
enough merely to add coo lant .
In a
seal ed system, losses can occu r on ly if
the boi ling po int o f the coo lan t is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
(D Note
Do n ot add any type o f radiator leak se al
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
i ng radiator repa ir fl uid may adverse ly af
fect the functio n and performance of you r
cooling system and could result in damage
not cove red by your New Veh icle l imited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
a lways read and heed all WARN
INGS o .A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164.
Req uirement: There m ust be a res idual
amount of coo lant in the expansio n tank
o (D .
., Tur n off the engi ne .
., le t t he eng ine cool down.
., Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank
o page 172, fig. 132 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise o _A .
., Add coolant m ixed in the correct ratio
o page 171, Coolant up to the MAX mark
ing.
.. Make sure that the flu id level remains sta-
b le. Add more coo lant if necessary.
., Twi st the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
o page 171, Coolant .
We recommend using only coolant addit ive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2+. Do
not
use a different add itive . In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the co rrect addi
t ive and can resto re the correct ratio. This
sho uld be done as soon as poss ib le.