
Automatic transmissio n
Automatic transmission
tiptronic
Introduction
The automat ic transmission is controlled e lec
tron ically . The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depending on wh ich dr ive
p rogram is selected. The powe r is transferred by
a torque converter .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission se lects the most economical d riving
mode .
It will then change up early and de lay the
downshifts to give better fuel economy .
The transm ission switches to a spo rty mode afte r
a kick-down or when the drive r uses a
sport y
d riv ing sty le
charac ter ized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acce leration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
If desired, the dr iver can a lso select the gears
manually ( tiptronic mod e) ¢ page 126.
Selector lever positions
0 ;:t 0 ct CX) a,
Fig. 1 34 Disp lay in the instrument cl uster: selector lever in
position P
The selector lever position engaged appears next
to the selector lever as well as in the instrument
cluster display .
P -Pa rk
In this selector lever position the transmission is
mechanically locked. Engage P only when the ve
h icle is
completely stopped¢.& in Driving the
automatic transmission on page 124 .
122
To shift in or out of pos ition P, you m ust first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the release button in the selector lever hand le
while moving the selector lever to or from P. You can sh ift out of this position on ly w ith the igni
tion on .
R -Reve rse
Se lect R only when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed c> .& in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 124.
Befo re yo u move the selector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le of the se lector lev
er
and the brake peda l at the same time.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights i llumi
nate when the se lector lever is moved into R .
N -Neutral
The t ra nsmission is in neutra l in this position .
S hi ft to this pos it ion for s tand ing wi th the brakes
applied
¢ .&. in Driving the automatic transmis
sion on page 124 .
The vehicle can also ro ll when
the engine is stopped .
When the vehicle is stationa ry o r at speeds be low
1 mph (2 km/h), you must a lways apply the foot
brake before and whi le moving the lever out of N .
D/S -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/5 position, the transmission can be op
erated either in the normal mode Dor in the
spo rt mode 5. To se lect the sport mode 5, p ull
t h e se lecto r lever back briefly. Pulling the leve r
back again will select the normal mode D . The in
strument cluster d isplay shows the se lected driv
i ng mode.
In the
normal mode D, t he transmission auto
matically selects the suitable gear ratio . It de
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and d riving
style.
Se lect t he
sport mode 5 for sporty drivi ng . The
vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine 's power.
Shifting may become noticeable when accelerat
i ng . Hybrid drive* : electric driving is not possible .
When the vehicle is stationary o r at speeds be low
1 mph (2 km/h), you must a lways apply the foot ..,.

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl ..... brake before and wh
ile moving th e le ver to D/S
out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS¢ & in Driv
ing the automatic transmission on
page 124.
(D Note
Coasting downhill with the transmission in N
and the engine not running will result in dam
age to the automatic transmission and possi
bly the catalytic converter .
(D Tips
-On vehicles with Audi drive select*, you can
adjust the sporty shift characteristics in the
Dynamic driving mode .Swill appear in the
i nstrument cluster display instead of 0.
- If you accidentally select N while driving ,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal im
mediately and wa it for the engine to slow
down to idle before selecting D/S .
- Hybrid drive*: if the
l-,,sv ! button r::::;, page 100
is pressed while in sport mode S, the trans
mission switches automatically to the nor
mal mode D.
- If there is a power failure, the selector lever
will not move out of the P posit ion. The
eme rgency release can be used if this hap
pens
¢ page 127.
'
Automatic transmission
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you again st
accidentally shifting into a forward or the re
verse gear and causing the vehicle to move unin
tentionally .
Fig. 13S Shi ft gat e: se lec tor le ver loc i< po sition s and re
lea se butto n highlighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows :
.,. Turn the ignition on.
"" Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on the side of
the gear selector knob
r::::;, fig. 135 with your
thumb until you have moved the selector lever
to the desired position .
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po si
tions when the ignit ion is turned on . You must
press the brake peda l and the release button to
select another position. As a reminder to the
driver , the following warn ing appears in the in
strument cluster d isplay when the se lector is in P
and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while select
ing gear
The Automatic Shift Lock only functions when the
vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds be low 1 mph
(2 km/h) .
At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the Auto ·
matic Shift Lock is automatically deact ivated in
the N pos it ion .
A time delay element preven ts the selec tor lever
from locking when it is moved through the N po
sition (going from R to D/S). The locking element
will lock the selector lever if the lever is left in N .,..
123

Automatic transmissio n
(N eu tra l) for more than approx imately 1 second,
w ithout th e brake peda l being pressed.
Release button
The release button on the se lec to r lever preven ts
the lever from being accidentally sh ifted into cer
tain posit ions . Press ing t his but ton deactivates
the selector lever lock . Depending on the direc
tion of the shift, the selector lever locks at differ
ent positions. The positions are high lighted in
the illustrat ion ¢
fig. 135 .
Ignition key safety int erlock
The key cannot be removed from the igni tion un
less the selector lever is in the P park pos ition .
When the ignition key is removed, the selector lever will be locked in the P pos ition.
Driving the automatic transmission
F ig. 1 36 Shi ft gat e on t he c en te r co nsole : se lecto r lev er
w ith release b utto n
Starting the engine
~ The selector lever must be in P or N.
Starting off
~ Press and hold the brake pedal.
~ Press and hold the release button in the selec
tor lever handle, se lect the des ired selector lev
er posit ion such as D/S and release the button.
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted
(you w ill feel a slight movement) .
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and ac
cele rate .
Stopp ing temporarily
~ Keep the veh icle stationary us ing the braking
pedal, for example at traffic lights .
124
~ Do not press the acce lerato r pedal when doing
this.
~ To prevent the veh icle from ro lling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop
ping on steep incl ines¢ &_.
The parking brake wi ll re lease automatically and
the ve hicle w ill start moving once you press the
acce lerator pedal.
Stopping /par king
If the se lector lever is not in the P position whe n
you open the driver's door, the vehicle cou ld roll.
The message
Tr ansmis sion: Car may roll! Shift
to park!
appears.
~ Press and hold the brake peda l un til the vehicle
has come to a comp lete stop .
~ Apply the parking brake¢ page 90, Parking .
~ Select the P selector lever posit ion ¢ &_ .
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the brake pedal to ho ld the vehi
cle in p lace and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢ &_ . D o
not try to prevent the vehicle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in
creas ing the engine speed ¢(D .
Starting on an incline
~ Ac tivate the pa rk ing br ake.
~ With the d riving gear selected, press the accel
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake will
release a utomatica lly if your seat belt is fas
tened.
Under certain circumstances, such as driving in
the mounta ins, it may be useful to switch tempo
rarily to the manual sh ift program in order to ad
j ust the gears to the dr iv ing cond it ions by hand
¢ page 126.
On slopes, activate the parking b rake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position.
This prevents too m uch stress from being placed
on the locking mechanism.
A WARNING
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se
rious injury .

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running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, ac tivate the parking brake and move the selec
tor lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the brake when the en
gine is running and the selector lever is in D/
5 or R or "tiptronic" mode is selected .
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with "tiptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases brak
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system .
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it in
place with the brake pedal or parking brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . An indicator lamp
[ijJ illuminates
and a driver message appears
c> page 126
when the clutch is overloaded .
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood.
Make sure these
lector lever has securely engaged and is
locked in P with the parking brake set
c> page 220. Otherwise, any increase in en
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se-
Automatic transmission
lected. This can cause the transmission to
overheat and can damage it. Activate the
parking brake or press the brake pedal to
prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped and the selector lever is in N will
damage the transmission because it is not
lubricated under those circumstances.
(!) Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down decline s.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec
to r lever is in D/S and you press the brake pedal.
The transmission automatically selects a gear
tha t is suitable for the incline. Hill descent con
trol tries to maintain the speed achieved at the
time of braking, within physical and technical
limitations. It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
When the speed is set in the cruise control sys
tem
c> page 95 , hill descen t control is also ac ti
vated .
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions . Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
125

Automatic transmission
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can man
ually select gears .
Fig. 137 Center console: shifting the gears man ually
Fig. 138 Stee rin g whee l: S hift paddles •
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected eith er with
the vehicle stationary or on the
move.
• Push the selector lever to the right from D/S.
u, N
N
N
" ll1
An M appears in the instrument cluster displa y
as soon as the transmission has shifted.
• To upshift, push the selector lever forward to
the plus position
G) ¢ fig. 137 .
• To downshift, push the lever to the minus posi-
tion
0 .
Gear selection with shift paddles*
The shift paddles are activated when the selector
lever is in D/S or the tiptronic manual shift pro
gram.
• To upshift , touch the button on the right
G)
¢fig. 138.
• To downshift, touch the button on the left 0-
• If you do not press a shift paddle within a short
time while in the D/S position, the transmission
will return to automatic mode. To keep shifting
126
using the shift paddles, move the selector lever
to the right out of the D/S position .
The transmissron automatically shifts up or down
before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is within the permit ted
range.
(D Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear, the
t ransm ission will downshift only when there
is no possibili ty of
over-revving the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the trans
mission will shift down to a lower gear, de
pending on vehicle and engine speeds.
- Tiptr onic is inoperat ive when the transmis
sion is in the fail-safe mode.
- Hybrid drive*: elect ric driving is not possible
in t iptronic mode .
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the resistance point, the automat ic transmission
downshifts into a lower gear, depending on vehi
cle speed and engine speed. T he upsh ift into the
next higher gear takes place once the maximum
specified eng ine speed is reached.
A.::!!. ARNING
-Please note that the drive wheels can spin if
kick-down is used on a smooth slippery road -
there is a risk of skidd ing.
Transmission malfunction
ml Transmission: Press brake pedal and select
gear again.
Press the brake pedal and select the desired se
lector lever position again. You can then continue
driving.
ml Transmission overheating: Please drive con-
servatively . .,,.

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl ..... The transmission temperature has increased sig
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re
turns to the normal range and the indicator light
switches of .
rm Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving
There is a system malfunct ion in the transmis
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility
soon to have the malfunction corrected.
rm Transmission malfunction: Limited driving
functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis
sion . T he transmission is sw itching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certain gears or
will no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
repair facility immediately to have the malfunc
tion corrected .
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
shift to park.
Do not continue driving. Select the P selector lev
e r position and see your a uthorized Aud i dea ler
or qualified repair facility for assistance .
(D Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you sho uld take the vehicl e to an au
thorized Audi dealership as soon as possible
to have the condition corrected.
Automatic transmission
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle 's power supply fails, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 139 Front center conso le: Removing the ashtray insert
Fig. 140 Selector lever emergency release
.,. To access the emergency re lease mechanism,
remove the ashtray insert@ using the release
switch @Qfig.139.
.,. Loosen and remove the cap in the ashtray
mount
Q fig. 140.
.,. You now have access to a pin . Using a screw
driver or sim ilar object, press the pin down and
hold it in that position .
.,. Now press the release button and move these-
lector lever to the N position.
The selector lever can only be moved from the P
pos ition if the key is in the lock and the ignition is
switched on. If the power supply fails (for exam
ple, the battery is discharged) and the vehicle
must be pushed or towed, move the selector lev
er to the N position f irst using the emergency re
lease .
127

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ponents will burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully opening the
hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm. The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme
diately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
while the engine is running or being started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system .
- If you must perform a check or repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever of automatic transmission
to P (Park).
Checking and Filling
-Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other moving parts, or from contacting hot parts. Tie back hair before starting,
and do not wear clothing that will hang or
droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi
cal hazards
~ .&, .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust , some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands after handling .
(I) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
@) For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If you
see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi dealer.
221

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Special care is required if you are repairing
the tire on a steep incline.
@ Tips
- Do not operate the compressor for more
than 12 minutes continuously, otherwise it
can overheat. Once the compressor has
cooled, you can continue to use it.
- If sealant has spi lled out, let it dry and then
you can remove it by peeling it away like a
foil.
- Remember to obtain a new bott le of sealant
from your authorized Audi dealer after re
pair ing a tire. After this, the functionality of
the tire repair set is restored .
- Obey all laws.
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
level ground before you stop¢_& .
.. All passengers sho uld
leave the car and move
to a safe location (fo r instance, behind the
guardrai l) ¢ .&_ .
.. Engage the
par king b rake to prevent yo ur vehi
cle from roll ing unintentionally ¢&_ .
.. Move
selecto r le ver to po sitio n P ¢ &_ .
"" If you are towing a trailer: unh itch the trailer
from your veh icle.
"" Block the diagonally opposite wheel with the
folding chocks o r other objects .
""T ake the
jac k* and the inflatable spa re tir e*
out of the luggage compartment ¢ page 254 .
A WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be inj ured while
changing a wheel 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
Em ergenc y ass is tanc e
emergency flashers on and use other wa rn
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 possib ly slipping off the jack*,
always fully set the parking brake and block
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel be i n g changed with the fold ing c hocks or oth
er objects . When one front whee l is lifted
off the ground, placing the Automatic
Transmission in P (Park) w ill
not prevent the
veh icle from moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
gro und is leve l and firm.
If necessary, use a
sturdy board under the jack*.
- Always s tore the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the lugg age com
partment
¢ page 139.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the sequence
described below s tep-by -step and in exactly that
order.
1. Remove the de corative wheel cover* . For
more detai ls see also¢
page 260, Decaro-
tive wheel covers
o r¢ page 260, Wheels
with wheel bolt cops .
2. Loosen the w
heel bolt s ¢ page 260.
3 . Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack* and align the jack* below that point
¢ page 261.
4. Li ft the car with the jack*¢ page 261 .
s. Remove the wheel with th e flat tire and then
insta ll the
inflatable spar e tir e *
¢ page 262.
6. Tighte n all whee l bolts lightly.
7 .
Lo wer the vehicle wi th the jack *.
8 . Use the whee
l bolt wrench and
firml y tighten
all wheel bo lts ¢
page 260 .
9. Replace the decorat ive wheel co ver* .
259
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