Checking and Filling
Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior.
M ~
-...::;:;======== -d ~
Fi g. 159 Sect ion from th e driver's side footwell: release
l ever
F ig. 160 Rocker switc h under the hood
Read and foll ow the WARNING S before check
ing anything in the engine compartment
r::;, page 188, Working in the engine comport
ment .
m
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the w indshield . Otherwise the paint could be
damaged .
.,. With the driver's door open, pull the lever be
low the instrument panel in the direct ion of the
arrow
r::;, fig. 159 .
190
.,. Raise the hood slightly r::;, .&, .
.,. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
r::;, fig. 160. This releases the catch .
.,. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Never open the hood when you see that steam
or coolant drips from the engine compart ment- there is a danger of bu rns! Wait unt il
no steam or coolant flows out.
Closing the hood
.,. Push the hood down u ntil the fo rce of the strut
is ove rcome .
.,. Let the hood fall lightly into the latch .
Do not
press it in.
r::;, .&, .
A WARNING
If the hood is not latched complete ly, it could
fly up wh ile you are dr iving and obstruct your
vision.
- For safety reasons, the hood must always be
closed securely while driv ing. Because of
this, always check the hood after closing it
to make sure it is latched correctly . The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you notice that the hood is not latched
while you are driving, stop immed iate ly and
close it, because this increases the risk of an
accident .
Emerg ency assis ta nce
Emergency assistance
Trunk escape latch
Applies to: vehicles with trunk escape latch (A3 sedan)
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk escape
latch.
Fig. 172 luggage compartment: t runk escape latch
.,. Push the latch in the direction of the arrow un
til the lock releases .
The trunk escape latch inside the rear lid is made of fluo rescent mater ial to glow in the dark.
_& WARNING
The trunk escape latch is to be used only in an
emergency .
General information
.,. Park the vehicle as far as poss ible from moving
traff ic in the event of a flat tire. In the event of
a flat t ire, park the vehicle on a level surface. It
you are on a steep incline, be especia lly careful.
.,. Set the park ing brake.
.,. Place the selector lever in the P position.
.,. Switch the emergency flashers on.
.,. Put on a reflective vest, if available .
.,. Set up the warning triangle, if available .
.,. Have the passengers exit the vehicle . They
should move to a safe place, for example be
hind a guard rail.
_& WARNING
Pay attention to the steps above. They are for
your protection and the for the safety of other
drivers.
2 30
Equipment
Vehicle tool kit
Applies to: vehicles with vehicle tool kit
Fig. 173 lu gg age compartmen t: cargo floor cove r fo lded
upward (example)
The vehicle tool kit, t ire repa ir set* and compres
sor* are stored in the luggage compartment un
der the floor cover~
fig. 173 .
.,. Hook the p lastic hook@ into the luggage com
partment seal.
.,. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the lug
gage compartment lid.
_& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause se
rious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts cannot
attain the necessary tightening torque if you
use the hex head, potentially causing an ac
cident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended only
for your veh icle model. Under no circum
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you risk injuring
yourself .
- Never start the engine when the veh icle is
raised, which co uld cause an accident .
- Support the vehicle securely with a ppropri
ate stands if work is to be pe rformed under
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po
tential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly on a heavier
one. The jack is only su itable for use on the
vehicle it came with. ..,.
Emerg enc y assis ta nc e
-If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex
treme caution and careful dr iving .
- The spare tire is intended on ly for tempora
ry and short-term use. It should be replaced
as soon as possible with the normal wheel and t ire .
- After mounting the compact spare t ire, the
t ire pressure must be checked as soon as
poss ible . The tire pressure of the compact
spare tire must be
61 psi (420 kPA); other
wise, you risk hav ing an accident.
- Do not drive faster than
50 mph (80 km/h).
You risk hav ing an accident.
- Avoid full -throttle accelerat ion, heavy brak
ing, and fast cornering. You risk having an
acc ident.
- Never dr ive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acc ident .
- Normal summer or winter tires must not be mounted on the compact spare wheel rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire chains
on the spare tire is not perm itted. If it is
necessary to drive with t ire chains, the spare
wheel must be mounted on the front axle in
the event of a flat in a rear tire. The new ly
available front wheel m ust then be insta lled
in place of the rear wheel with the flat tire.
Installing the tire chain before mounting
the wheel and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compartment
can cause serious personal injury during
hard braking or in an accident. Never store
the inflatable spare t ire or jack and too ls in
the passenger compartment.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not be
mounted on the compact spare wheel rim.
Replacing wheels
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own
and your passenger's safety when changing a
wheel.
.,. After you experience a tire failure, pull the car
well away from moving traff ic and try to reach
le vel ground before you stop¢_& .
234
.. All passengers should lea ve th e car and move
to a safe location (for instance, behind the
guardrail) ¢ _& .
.. Engage the
par king br ake to prevent your vehi
cle from rolling unintentionally¢_& .
.. Move
selec tor le ve r to p osition P ¢ _& .
.. If you are towing a tra iler , u nhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
.. Ta ke the
jac k¢ page 230 and the spar e tir e
¢ page 233 out of the luggage compa rtment.
A WARNING
-
You or your passengers could be injured while
changing a whee l if you do not follow these
safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance off the road. Turn off the engine, turn the
emergency f lashers on and use other warn
ing dev ices to alert other motorists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traff ic.
- To help prevent the veh icle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the jack,
always fully set the parking brake and block
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel be
ing cha nged . When one front wheel is lifted
off the ground, placing the Automat ic
T ransmiss ion in P (Park) will
not prevent the
veh icle from moving.
- Before you change a whee l, be sure the
gro und is level and firm . If necessary, use a
sturdy board under the jack.
- Always sto re the vehicle too l kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
par tment
¢page 130.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the sequence
described below step-by-step and in exactly that
order.
1. Remove the decorati ve wh eel co ver* . For
more detai ls see also ¢
page 235, Decora
tive wheel covers
or ¢ page 235, Wheels
with wheel bolt caps .
2. Loosen the wh ee l bolt s ¢page 236.
<( co .... N ,.__
N .... 0 ,.__
> co
~ Align the jack so that its arm@¢ fig. 183 en
gages in the designated lifting point in the door
s ill and the movable base ® lies flat on the
ground. The base ® must be
vertical under the
lifting po int @ .
~ Wind the jack up further until the flat tire
comes off the ground ¢
,&.
Position the veh icle jack on ly under the designat
ed lifting points on the sill¢
fig. 182 . There is ex
actly
one locat ion for each wheel. The jack must
not be positioned at any other location ¢ _8. ¢(D .
An
u nstable surface under the jack can cause the
ve hicle to slip off the jack . Always provide a firm
base for the jack on the ground. If necessary
place a sturdy boa rd or sim ilar support under the
jack . On
hard, sli ppery surfac es (such as tiles)
use a rubbe r mat o r similar to prevent the j ack
from sli pping ¢.&. .
& WARNING
-
-Yo u or your passengers could be injured
whi le changing a wheel if you do not follow
these safety precautions :
- Position the veh icle jack only at the desig
nated lifting points and align the jack .
Othe rw ise, the vehicle jac k c ou ld slip and
cause an injury if it does no t have suffi
cient hold on the vehicle.
- A soft or unstable s urface unde r the jack
may cause the vehicle to slip off the jac k.
Always p rovide a firm base for the jack on
the ground . If necessary, use a sturdy
board under the jack .
- On hard, s lippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent the
jack from slipp ing.
- On ly raise your vehicle with the vehicle
jack provided by the factory. If you use a veh icle jack for another vehicle, your vehi
cle can slide and cause injury.
- Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the veh icle.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle is
raised, which co uld cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro
p riate stands if work is to be performed
Em ergenc y ass is tanc e
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
- To help prevent injury to yourse lf and your
passengers:
- Do not raise t he vehicle until you are sure
the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers m ust not remain in the vehicle
when it is jacked up .
- Make sure that passengers wa it in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, adjust
as necessary and then continue to raise
t h e jack.
- Changes in temperatu re or load can affect
the height of the veh icle.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the s ill. Pos it ion the
vehicle jack only at the des ignated lift ing
po ints on the sill. Ot herw ise, your veh icle w ill
be damaged.
237
<( co .... N ,.__
N .... 0 ,.__
> co
distr ibut ion an d ba lance . This might hap
pen, for exam ple, when heavy compo
nents such as the engine b lock or trans
miss io n are removed.
- When removing heavy components like
th ese, anc hor vehicle t o hoist o r add corr e
sponding weights to maintain the center of
grav ity. Oth erwise, the ve hicle might ti lt or
s li p off the hois t, causing s eriou s perso na l
lnJUry.
(D Note
- Be awar e of the fo llowing poi nts before lift
i ng t he vehicle:
- The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine oil pan , the transmission housing, the front
or rear axle or the body side members .
This could lead to serious damage.
- To avoid damage to the unde rbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be in
serted between the floor jack and the lift
points.
- Before driv ing over a workshop hoist,
check that the vehicle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity of
the hoist .
- Before driving over a workshop hoist, en
sure that there is sufficient clearance be
tween the hoist and low parts of the ve
hicle.
Emergency situations
249