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 .
178 Checking and filling
Ai r bubbles in the window can cause an inac
curate reading. Carefully tap on the side of
the w indow.
- If the window is gr ee n, the battery ac id leve l
is correct.
- If the window has no c olo r or is brigh t yel
low ,
the battery acid leve l is too low . Have
the battery tested by your authorized A udi
dealer or a qualified workshop .
- If the window is
black , then the batte ry is
insufficiently charged. Recharge the battery
as soon as possible ¢
page 178.
@ Note
Do not overfill the battery, otherwise bat
tery acid will overflow through the vent
opening. This can damage the paint and
cause corros ion.
Charging of battery
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
• Alw ay s rea d and heed all WARNING S be
low ¢
A and ¢ A in Working on the bat
tery on page 176.
• Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con
sumers.
• Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the battery .
• Connect charger cables.
ALW AYS conn ect
c harg er cab les POSITIVE
G) to POSITIVE
G) ; NEGATIVE Qto NEGATIVE Q.
• Switch on the charger .
•T urnoff the charger ¢,& .
• Disconnect the charger cables.
• Connect both battery cables to the battery if
necessary-
first plus, then m inus.
When charging at
low voltages (e.g . with a
tri ckle char ger), the battery cables do not
have to be d isconnected first. Before charging
at
high voltages, i.e. "fa st charg ing ", you
must disconnect both cables. In e ither case,
follow the instruct ions from the manufacturer
of the charger. Fastcharging a battery is
dangerou
s ¢.&. in
Working on the battery on page 176 .
It re
quires special charging equipment and the
knowledge to go with it. We recommend hav
ing your battery fast charged only by a quali
fied workshop .
A d ischarged battery can
freeze at tempera
tures of only
32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it¢,&.. However, we recommend not
us ing a thawed battery aga in because the bat
tery casing can be cracked due to ice fo rma
t ion and can leak battery acid.
Do not open the battery caps when charging
the battery .
A WARNING ,..__ -
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Never charge a frozen battery . It may ex
p lode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were fro
zen. The battery hous ing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
fro ze.
- Cha rge t he battery in a well venti lated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec
tr ica l spar k. Do not smo ke. Hyd rogen gas
genera ted by the battery is explos ive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a ba ttery is dange rous and
should only be at tempted by a compe
tent technician with the proper equip
ment.
- Battery acid tha t may sp ill dur ing cha rg
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu
tralize the ac id.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This wi ll seriously dam
age sensit ive e lectronic components, such
as contro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.