
Child safety
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible before installing the for
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi er weight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier weight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer .
182
· Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer 's
instructions when installing a child restrain t in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path
~ .& .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re
tractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a crash.

,....,
N
co
er::
co
,....,
variab ly to the front and rear axle.
It works to
gether with selective wheel torque control, which
ac tivates when driving through curves
¢page 190.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power. Your ve hicle is exceptionally pow
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under norma l dr iving condit ions and on
snow and ice. Always read and follow safety pre
cautions ¢.&. .
Winter tires
When driving in the w inter, your vehicle with a ll
wheel drive has an advantage, even with regular
tires. In winter road conditions it may be adv isa
b le to mount w inter t ires (or all-season tires) for
i mproved driveab ility and brak ing : these tires
must be mounted on
all four wheel s. See a lso
¢ page 249, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are manda tory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles w ith
a ll-wheel drive¢ page 249 , Snow chains.
Replacing wheel s/tires
Veh icles with all -whee l dr ive must always have
tires of the same s ize. A lso avo id tires with differ
ent tread depths . For detai ls see page
¢ page 241, New tires or wheels.
A WARNING
Always adjust you r driving to road and t raff ic
conditions. Do not let the extra safety affo rd
ed by all-wheel drive te mpt you into tak ing
extra risks.
- Alt hough the all-whee l dr ive is very effec
t ive, always remember th at br akin g ca pac ity
is limited by tire traction. Yo u should t here
fore not d rive at excess ive speeds on icy or
slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be caref ul not to drive
too fast because the front wheels co uld be
gin to slide on top of the water (a quaplan
ing). If this shou ld occu r, you w ill have no
warning from a sudden increase in eng ine
speed as with a front -whee l dr ive vehicle.
Intellig ent Technology
Always d rive at speeds which are suited to
the road conditions -risk of c rash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
E nergy management controls the distribution of
electrical energy and thus optimizes the availa
bility of electrical energy for starting the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system is
not dr iven fo r a long pe riod of time, the ba ttery is
discharged by id ling curre nt cons umers (e.g. im
mobili ze r). In ce rtain circumstances i t can resu lt
i n t he re being insuffi cient energy av ailabl e to
st ar t the eng ine.
Intellige nt ene rgy manageme nt in yo ur vehicle
hand les the d ist ribution of electrical e nergy.
St art ing abil ity is m arkedly improved and the life
of the ba ttery is ex tende d.
Bas ica lly, energy management co nsists of
bat
tery diagnosis , idling current management
and
dynami c energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously determ ines the
state of the battery . Sensors de termine battery
vo ltage, battery curren t and batte ry tempera
tu re . This determines t he cur rent state of c harge
and the power of t he ba ttery.
Idling current management
Idli ng cur rent management reduces energy con
s u mption wh ile the vehicle is standing . With the
ignition switched off , it contro ls the energy sup
ply to the vario us elec trical componen ts. Data
fr om b attery diagnosis is co nsidere d.
Depend ing on the ba tte ry's s ta te of charge, indi
v idual consumers are gradually turned off to pre
ven t ex cess ive disc ha rge of t he battery and thus
m ain ta in starting c ap abili ty.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynam ic e nergy
manageme nt dis trib utes the energy generated
according to the needs of the ind ividual compo-
nents.
It regula tes consu mption, so that more ..,.
195

Intelligent Technology
electrical energy is not being used than is being
generated and ensures an optimal state of
charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot neg ate the limits of physics . Consider that the
power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica
tor light (•) appears
r=:; page 33.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start
ing capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time of
year. Abundant electrical energy is required, but only a little is generated. It is also critical if the
engine is not running and electrical components
are turned on. In this instance energy is being
consumed but none is being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you will no
tice energy management actively regulating the
distribution of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca pability over a longer period. Some of the con
venience functions may not operate, such as the interior lights or the power seat adjustment . The
convenience functions will be available again
when you switch on the ignition and start the en
gine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the
engine turned off or use other MMI" functions,
the battery is being discharged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy
consumption, a message appears in the radio or MMI* display . The message indicates that the
system will be switched off automat ical ly in a
196
moment. If you wish to continue using the func
tions, you have to start the engine .
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when the
vehicle is being driven, the battery can become
discharged. This happens mostly when little en
ergy is being generated and a great deal con
sumed and the battery's state of charge is not
optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equilibri
um, consumers which require especially large
amounts of energy are temporarily cut back or
switched off. Heating systems in particular re
quire a great deal of energy. If you notice, for ex
ample, that the heated seats* or the heated rear
window are not heating, they have been tempo
rarily cut back or switched off . These systems will
be available again as soon as the energy balance
has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly . This is normal and not a
cause for concern. By increasing engine idle
speed the additional energy required is generat
ed and the battery is charged.

Driving and th e en vironm ent
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or heat sh ields . During dr iv ing, the substance
used for undercoating could overheat and
cause a fire .
{U) Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic co nverter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
c:>page224 .
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converte r to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the vehicle
. . 1s moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un
der these cond itions, as otherwise fuel can
r each the catalytic converte r. This could re
su lt in overheating of the converter, requir
i ng its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
s ion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with the service recommen
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet .
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as im
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the em ission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op
erat ing properly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op
erat ing states . This depends on the su lfur
content of the fuel be ing used. Using a differ
ent brand of fue l may he lp, or filling the tank
with lead-free super grade gasoline.
198
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
The diese l particulate filter filters near ly all of
the soot particles out of th e exhaust. The filter
cleans itself automat ically under normal d riving
conditions. If the filter cannot clean itself (for ex
ample, because you are only driving shor t distan
ces), the filter becomes clogged with soot and
the
II symbol for the diesel part iculate filter il
luminates
c:> page 34 .
&_ WARNING
-Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel particu
late filter could start a fire.
-
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that low
lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do no t bottom out and ge t damaged.
This is espec ially true for vehicles with low-s lung
chassis (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles.
Economical and environ
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and wear
on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend
on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cu t your fuel

Driving and th e en vironm ent
It is normal for the oil consumption o f a new en
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mile
age has been driven .
You must drive yo ur vehicle about 3,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly as
sess oi l consumption.
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and engine
outpu t.
@ Note
- Have yo ur vehicle maintained properly and
i n accordance with the serv ice recommenda
tions in yo ur Warranty
& Maintenance book
l et. Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair the
funct ion of the emission control system and
could lead to damage.
- Do not a lter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Cont rol System and other
i mportant vehicle components.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold
engine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach
their optimal
oper ating temp eratur e to reduce
fuel consumption and noxious emissions effec tively .
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size car
only achieves a fue l economy of 6-8 miles per
gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a half a mile, fuel economy cl imbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100
km). After about
2 .5 miles (4 km), the engine is
at its proper operating temperature and fuel
economy has reached a normal level. So you can
see that you sho uld avoid short t rips whenever
possible.
200
The out side t empe rature is also critica l in this re
gard . Your car consumes more fuel in the winter
than in the summer.

Care and cleaning
& WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition is
off and follow the instructions from the car
wash operator to reduce the risk of acci dents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself from sha rp metal components when wash
ing the underbody or the inside of t he wheel
hous ings.
- After was hing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to mo isture on the
bra ke rotors o r ice i n the winte r. The bra kes
mus t be d ried first w ith a few care ful brake
applications .
@ Note
-If you wash the ve hicle in an automa tic car
wash, you m ust fold the exte rior m irrors i n
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors.
Power folding exterior m irrors * must on ly
be fo lded in and out using the power folding
funct ion.
- To reduce the risk of damage to the rims
and tires, compare the width between the
whee ls on your ve hicle w ith the distance be
tween the gu ide rails in the car wash. -
To red uce the risk of damage, compare the
heig ht and width of your vehicle with the
heig ht and w idth of the inside of the car
wash.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash the
vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of damage to the surface,
do not use insect removing sponges, k itchen
sponges or s imilar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle components:
- To reduce the r isk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polish ing agents or hard
wax.
- Never use protective wax. It can destroy
the matte finish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic signs on vehicle parts pain ted with matte
finish paint. The paint could be damaged
when the stickers or magne ts are re
moved.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the veh icle in facilities spe cially de
signed for that pu rpose. This will reduce the
r isk of dirty wate r contamina ted with o il from
entering the sewer system .
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individua l vehicle
components, refer to the following tables. The information conta ined there is s imply recom
mendations . Fo r quest ions or for components that are not
listed, consult an authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility. Also
fo llow the information found in c::> & .
Ex ter io r cleaning
Component S ituation Solution
Wind shield wiper
Deposits c::> page 58, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
blades
Headlights /
Deposits Soft sponge with a mild soap solution a)
Tail lights
Sen sor s/
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth with solvent-free cleaning sol utio n
camera len ses Camera lenses: soft cloth w ith alcoho l-free cleaning so lu-
tion
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent -free de -icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
208

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl .....
,&_ WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never car
ry additiona l fue l containers in your car. Gas
canisters and other containers used to trans
port fuel can be dangerous. Such containers,
full or empty, may leak and could cause a fire
in a collision. If you must transport fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc.,
be very careful and a lways observe local and
state laws regarding the use, transportation
and storage of such fue l conta iners. Make cer
tain the container meets industry standards
(ANSI/ASTM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never d rive your vehicle unt il the fuel tank is
completely empty. The irregu lar supply of
fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline cou ld enter
the exhaust system and damage the catalytic
converter.
Refuelling
Fig . 190 Righ t rear vehicle side: Opening the fuel fille r flap
Fig . 191 Fuel filler flap wit h attac hed fuel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel fill
er flap is automatically unlocked or locked. Re
fuel the vehicle with the ignition turned
off .
Fue l an d Re fuelin g
Taking the fuel c ap off
.,. Press the left side of the f uel filler flap to open
it¢fig.190-arrow-.
.,. Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and hang it
on the fuel filler flap¢
fig. 191 .
.,. Check the label on the inside of the fuel filler
flap to determine if the vehicle must be fueled
w ith gasoline or diesel fuel.
Refu ellin g pr ocedure
.,. Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline pump
into the fuel fill er neck as far as it will go.
.,. Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Pu tting th e fuel cap ba ck on
.,. After filling your tank, twist the fuel cap clock-
wise as far as it will go.
.,. Close the fuel filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the fuel
tank always close fue l cap properly and com
pletely. An improperly closed fuel filler cap may
also cause the MIL lamp ¢
page 26 to come on
(only vehicles with gasoline engine).
A WARNING
-
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns . -
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause se
vere burns and other injuries.
- Fa ilure to shut the engine off while refuel
ing and/or to insert the pump nozzle fully
into the fue l filler neck could cause fuel to
spray out of fi ller ne ck or to overflow. Fue l
spray and overflowing f uel can cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone while refue l
ing. The electromagnetic rad iat ion can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors and
cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle while refu
eling. If in exceptional circumstances you
must get back in your vehicle whi le refuel
ing, make certa in that you close the door
and touch metal to discharge static electric-
ity before touching the filler nozzle again. ..,
215

Fuel and Refueling
Static electricity can cause sparks that can
ignite fuel vapors released during refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open flame any
where in or near your vehicle when refueling
or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable fue l
container in your vehicle. The container, full
or empty may leak and could cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances , you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the follow ing :
- Never fill a portable fuel container while it
is anywhere in or on the vehicle (for exam
ple, in the luggage compartment, or on
the trunk) . Static electricity can build up
while filling and can ignite fuel vapors
causing a fire.
- Always place a portable fuel container on
the ground before filling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle completely
inside the portable container before and
during filling .
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be in
contact w ith the container . This will help
prevent static electric ity from discharg ing
and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or lug
gage compartment . Fuel vapors are highly
f lam mable.
- Always observe local and state/provincial
laws regard ing the use, storage and trans
portation of fuel containers.
- Make certain the fuel conta iner meets in
dustry standards (ANSI/ ASTM F852-86).
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it should
be removed immediately to prevent damage
to the paint .
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle switches off automatically for the first time,
the tank is full. Do not try to add more fuel
216
because fuel may spill out. In addition, the
expansion space in the fuel tank will be filled -
causing the fue l to overf low when it becomes
warm and pollute the environment.
(D Tips
- Running your engine white refuelling may
cause vapors to escape or even cause fuel to
spill out of the tank. This wou ld then shut
off the fuel nozzle before the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the ignition
turned on. The fuel gauge may otherwise not indicate the correct fuel level after refu
elling .
- Diesel vehicles* are equipped with a diesel
misfueling protector. It allows the vehicle
to be fueled only with a diesel fuel pump
nozzle. A worn or damaged nozzle or a noz
zle that is too small may not be able to open
the diesel misfueling protector . If this is the
case, try turning the nozzle before inserting
it in the fuel filler neck, use a different fuel
pump or see your authorized Audi dealer or
authorized repair facility for assistance.
- Th e fue l fi ller f lap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from the
inside.
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
pow er locking syst em should fail .
Fig. 192 Lu ggage compa rt men t: Em ergency open ing of
fu el filler fl ap
Th e emergency open ing mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the luggage
compar tment.
.. Open the right side trim panel.