Check ing and F illing
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of
brake fluid as we ll as the special tools re
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec
ommend that you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery
in your Audi does not need any maintenance.
W ith
high outside temperat ures or long da ily
drives we recommend that you have the electro
lyte level checked by a service fac ility . The elec
trolyte level should also be chec ked eac h time
the battery is charged ¢
page 228 .
Have the battery checked when you take your ve
h icle in for service. You a re well advised to re
p lace a battery t hat is o lder than S years .
W ith certain types of a irbag dep loyment, the
battery is disconnected from the vehicle electr i
cal system for safety reasons
¢ &. in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 157 .
Disconnecting the battery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power window reg ula
tors, for example) are lost i f th e battery termi
na ls are disconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery termina ls are con
nected aga in. To prevent th is , the batte ry shou ld
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectr ica l
sys te m when abso lutely ne cessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
seve ral days or weeks, electrical components a re
gradua lly cut back or sw itched off . T hi s reduces
e n ergy cons umption and ma inta ins starti ng ca
pab il ity over a longer pe riod
¢ page 192. Some
of the conve nience f unct io ns may not o pera te,
such as the inter io r lig hts or powe r seat a dju st
ment . The convenience funct ions wi ll be avai lab le
again when you switch on the ignition and start
the engine.
226
Winter operation
Dur ing the winte r mon ths, ba ttery c apacity tends
to decrease as tempe ra tu res drop . This is be
ca use mo re power is also consume d while start
i ng, and the headlights, rear window defogger,
etc., are used more often.
Avo id unne cessary powe r consum ption, pa rticu
l arly in city traffic or when traveling on ly short
distances . Let your author ized Audi dealer check
t h e capacity of the vehicle battery before winter
sets in~
page 228. A we ll charged battery will
not only p reve nt sta rting prob lems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
(D Tips
If yo ur vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extreme ly low temperatu res, the ve
hicl e battery should be re m oved a nd stor ed
where it will not freeze. This w ill preven t it
fro m bei ng damaged and hav ing to be re
p lac ed .
Working on the battery
Be e specially car eful when working on or near
t he bat tery.
The battery is loca ted in the luggage com part
ment under the floo r. Befo re yo u check anything
i n the luggage compa rtment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢
.cl·
Always heed the safety warnings , when working
o n the vehicle ba tte ry o r the veh icle elect rical
system to p reve nt injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM·
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
• sp ark s
• fl ame s
· sm oki ng .
&
Wh en a battery is charg ed , it produces
h yd rogen ga s which i s ex plosi ve and
c o uld c au se p ers onal injury .
®
Always keep the b atter y well out of
rea ch of child ren.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the
electrical system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire. Read and heed the fol
lowing WARN INGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat
tery a cid or any lead pa rticles get on your
sk in or cloth ing. Sh ield your eyes. Exp losive
gases can cause blindness or other injury .
- Battery acid contains su lf ur ic ac id. Sulfur ic
acid can cause blindness and severe b urns.
-Always wear gloves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilat ion open ings.
- If you get battery ac id in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with co ld wa
ter for seve ral minutes and get medical at·
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and nega -
tive cab les.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to
short-c ircuit the terminals with tools or oth
er meta l objects. Th is wou ld cause the bat
tery to heat up very quickly, which could
lead to damage or explosion and persona l
injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy
drogen gas which is explosive and could
cause pe rsonal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reac h of ch ildren .
-
Check ing and Filling
-Before work is done on the electrical sys
tem, disconnect the negat ive ground cable.
- Before performing any work on the electri
cal system, switch off the engine and igni
tion as well as any electrical equ ipment. The
negat ive cable on the battery must be dis
connected . If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before d isconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft a larm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis
connect the negat ive cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnect ing the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers a re switched off.
Reconnect the positive cable first and then
the negative cable. Never in terchange the
cables -this could start a fire !
- Never cha rge a froze n or a thawed-out bat
t ery . It co uld explode! If a battery has fro
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32 °F (0 °C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached to the opening on the side of the battery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an exp losion! Always
replace a damaged battery .
A WARNING ,_____
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Ba ttery posts, term inals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive prob lems.
Was h hands after handling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is on or when the engine is run ning, otherwise, you w ill damage electronic
components in the electrical system.
- If your ve hicle is go ing to stand for a long
period of time w ithout being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it .,..
227
Checking and Filling
will be d amage d and will then have to be re
placed.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a w ell charged bat
tery.
F ig. 191 Eng ine co mpartmen t: connecto rs for a cha rge r
and jump start cab les
Alwa ys re ad and h eed all WARNINGS below
¢ A and ¢ A in Working on the battery on
page 227.
• Switc h off the ignition and all elec trical con
sumers .
• Make sure the area is well venti lated when you
charge the battery .
• Open the engine hood
c> page 216.
• Open the red cover on the positive pole
¢ fig. 191.
• Connect the charger connectors according to
the instructions to the
j um p sta rt bo lt s . (Bolts
u nder the red cover= "positive" , Bolts w ith hex
head = "negative ") .
• Only now pl ug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall outlet and tur n it on
¢£ .
• Make sure the charg ing rate is not o ver
30 a mps/14 .8 Volt .
• When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet .
• Now remove the clamps for the charging equ ip-
ment .
• Close the red cover on the positive pole.
• Close the hood
c> page 217 .
A discharged battery can free ze at temperatures
of only 32 F
0 (0 °C). A llow a frozen battery to
228
thaw completely before attempting to charge it
c> & . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery aga in because the battery cas ing
can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak
battery ac id.
Batte ry cha rging (M ax imum charg ing rate of
30 amps /14 .8 V olt)
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a tric k
le ch arger ),
the battery cables do not have to be
disconnected first . The battery caps should
not
be opened when charging a battery .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not nec
essary to disconnect the cables.
Fa st cha rging the batt ery (charg ing rat e
above 14 .8 Volt s)
For techn ical reasons do not use a battery charg
er that uses voltage greater than 14.8 Volts to
charge your veh icle's battery.
&_ WARNING
Charg ing a battery can be dangerous .
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery cha rger manufactur
er when charging your ba tte ry .
- Never charge a frozen battery . It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al
low a froze n battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batter ies which were frozen.
The battery hous ing may have c racked and
weakened when the battery fro ze.
- Cha rge the batte ry in a well ventilated area .
Keep away from open flame or elect rical
sp ark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas generat
ed by the batte ry is e xplosive.
- To red uce the da nger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect c harger c ables while
the charger is ope ra ting.
- Fa st c harg ing a bat tery is dange rous and
should o nly be atte mpted by a compe ten t
technician w ith the proper equipment .
- Ba tte ry a cid that may spill d uring charging
should be washed off w it h a so lution of
warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid.
Wheels
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" I I I
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wheel size, you w ill have to p ur
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nomina l distance between
rim flanges.
S idewall
means that portion of a tire be
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend
ed periods of time. The rat ings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 232.
You may not find
this information on all tires be
cause it is not requ ired by law.
23 6
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and ind icates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on
page 246.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects
when one or mo re of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illum i
na tes a low tire pressure warning
te lltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact w ith the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away o f the tread
from the t ire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visua l indication of the deg rees
of wear of the tread. Se e
¢ page 240, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur
ing tire wear.
different tire speeds. For this reason, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
&_ WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you
select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen
simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif
ferent construction can differ
greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
Wheels
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve
hicle damage or accidents.
- If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 194 Ti re profi le: T readwear indica
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves,
rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear. .,.
239
Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair facility
check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear .
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
The original tires on your vehicle
have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high
"wear indicators"¢
fig. 194 run
ning across the tread. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols) indicate
the positions of the tread wear in
dicators.
The tires have reached the mini
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones ¢Ai..
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate wheels, in
stall the wheels from the rear
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
240
axle on the front axle and vice
versa. This will allow the tires to
have approximately the same
length of service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord
ing to the running direction indi
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 258.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of
ten occur in locations that are
hidden. Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage .
Reduce your speed immediately .
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal
er or authorized repair facility to
have the vehicle inspected.
A WARNING ~
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega
tive effect on handling, on the
risk aquaplaning when driving .,.
....
through water, when driving
through curves and when braking, which increases the risk of
an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 195 Driver's side B -pillar : tire pres
sure label
;;; ~
,---------------.,. ,,
- KPA. -PSI
- KPA. -PSI
Fig. 196 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la
bel. The label is located on the 8-
pillar
c:> fig. 195, c:> fig. 196.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded
c:> table
~ on page 243. If driving the vehi
~
~ cle when fully loaded, you must Ln
"' \0 ....
Wheels
increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified pressure
c:> &. -
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,,.Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive .
.,,.Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas
es when the tires are warm .
... check the label
c:> fig. 196 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
.,,.Correct the tire pressure if nec
essary .
... vehicles with Tire Pressure Mon
itoring System*: store the modi
fied tire pressure in the Infotain
ment system
c:> page 250.
.,,.Check the pressure in the emer
gency tire*/spare t ire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper
ature that is specified for the
tire .
_& WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle
load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of an accident. Read
241
Wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine Normal load Maximum load
(up to 3 people)a)
front rear front rear
PSI
A6: 225/55 Rl 7 97H 2.0L All Season
32
4 cylinders 245/45 Rl8 l00H XL
All Season
33
255/40 Rl9 l00H XL
All Season 33
255/40 Rl9 l00Y XL
High Performance
32
255/35 R20 97V XL
High Performance
35
A6: 225/55 Rl 7 97H
3.0L All Season
35
6 cylinders 245/45 Rl8 l00H XL
All Season
35
255/40 Rl9 l00H XL
All Season
35
255/40 R19 l00Y XL
High Performance
36
255/35 R20 97V XL
High Performance
39
56: 255/40 Rl9 l00Y XL
4.0L High Performance 39
8 cylinders
255/35 R20 97V XL
High Performance
44
a) 2 people in the front, 1 person in the rear
A WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire pressure
c::> page 241 and load
limits
c::>page 243.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehicle
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
220 29 200 35 240
38 260
230 32 220 35 240 38 260
230 32 220 35 240 38 260
220 32 220 33 230 36 250
240 32 220 38 260 41 280
240 32 220 38 260
41 280
240 32 220 38 260 41 280
240 32 220 38 260 41 280
250 33 230 39 270 42
290
270 36 250 44
300 46 320
270 35 240 42 290 44 300
300 39 270
46
320 48
330
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can al
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
243