Wheels
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.
196 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 t ires have reached the mini
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones ¢&..
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly. To rotate wheels, in
stall the wheels from the rear
axle on the front axle and vice ver
sa. This will allow the tires to
1> Obey any applicable regulatio ns in you r
country .
242
have approximately the same
length of service life.
For unidirectional tires, make sure
the tires are installed according to
the running direction indicated on
the tire sidewall¢
page 259.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of
ten occur in locations that are hid
den . Unusual vibrations in the ve
hicle 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.
&_ 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
M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
"' N I.O rl
Emergency assistance
Warning triangle
A pp lies to vehicles: Wi th wa rning tri angl e
D
\,-------:----- 11
Fig. 200 Luggage co mpa rtment l id : wa rnin g t ria n gle
The warning triangle p laced in the vehicle at the
factory is located in the luggage compartment .
• To open the cover, turn the locking mechanism
and pull the cover downward .
• Remove the warn ing triangle from its holder .
The luggage compartmen t lid is only designed to
hold the warning triangle offered by the original
accessories program .
Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 201 Lugg age co mpartment : ca rgo f loo r cover folded
up ward/ spa r e ti re
Em erg en cy ass is tan ce
Fig. 202 Trun k lid: Vehicl e too l kit
• Fold the floor to the seatback with the help of
t he hand le.
• Tu rn the handwheel counter-clockwise
r=;, fig. 201 and remove the spare tire to reach
the vehicle tool kit.
T he onboard tool kit includes :
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bol t covers"
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversib le b lade
- Tow ing eye
- Jack
Before storing the jack , make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go .
A WARNING
'"' -Im proper use of the vehicle jack can cause se
rious pe rsonal injuries .
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts cannot attain the necessary tightening torque if yo u
use the hex head, po ten tially causing an ac
cident.
- The fa ctory-supplied jack is intended only
for your ve hicle model. Unde r no circum
stances shou ld it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you risk injuring
yourse lf.
- Never start the engi ne when the vehicle is
raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appropri
ate stands if work is to be pe rformed under
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po
tential risk for injury.
253
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Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow these instructions step-by-step for chang
ing the wheel.
Fig. 209 Changing a wheel: using the screwdriver handle
(wi th the blade removed) to turn the bolts
Fig. 210 Changing a wheel: alignment pin inside the top
hole
After you have loosened a ll wheel bolts and
raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and re
p lace the whee l as fo llows:
Removing the wheel
.. Use the hexagonal so cket in the screwdriver
handle
to completely remove the topmost
whee l bolt and set it aside on a
clean surface
¢fig. 209.
.. Screw the threaded end of the alignment pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the empty bolt
hole
¢fig. 210.
.. The n remove the other wheel bo lts as descr ibed
above .
.. Take off the wheel leav ing the alignment pin in
the bo lt hole
¢0.
Putting on the spare wheel
.. Lift the spare wheel and carefully slide it over
the alignment pin to guide it in place
¢0 .
Emergen cy assistance
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all whee l bolts
slightly.
.. Remove the alignment pin and insert and tight
en the remaining wheel bolt slightly like the
rest .
.. Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to lower
the vehicle until the jack is fully re leased .
.. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all wheel
bolts firmly
c;, page 256. Tighten them cross
wise,
from one bolt to the (approximate ly) op
posite one, to keep the whee l centered.
(D Note
When removing or installing the wheel, the
rim could hit the brake roto r and damage the
rotor. Work carefully and have a second per
son help you .
@ Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle
of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten the
whee l bolts.
- Pull the reversible blade from the screwdriv
er before you use the hexagonal socket in
the handle to turn the whee l bolts.
- When mount ing tires w ith
unidirectional
tread design
make sure the tread pattern is
pointed the right way
c;, page 259.
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy to
turn. Check for dirt and corrosion on the
mating surfaces of both the wheel and the
hub. Remove all dirt from these surfaces be
fore remounting the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the
right direction .
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a spare tir e with a tread pattern in
tended for use in a specific direction, please note
the following:
- The direction of rotation is marked by an arrow
on the side of the tire . .,.
259