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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.
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one direction and not back and forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from door win
dows and mirrors using warm or hot water
because this could cause cracks to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window de
fogger, do not apply any stickers on the
heating wires on the inside of the window.
- Decorative parts/trim
- Never use chrome care or cleaning prod-
ucts.
-Paint
- To reduce the risk of scratches, the vehicle
must be free of dirt and dust before pol
ishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish or
wax the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do not
polish away rust spots.
- Remove cosmetics and sunscreen immedi
ately- these could damage the paint.
-Displays
-To avoid scratches, do not use dry cleaning
methods on displays.
-Controls
- Make sure that no fluids enter the con-
trols, because this could cause damage.
- Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts or their compo
nents chemically or with corrosive fluids
or solvents and never allow sharp objects
to come into contact with the safety belts.
This could cause damage to the belt web
bing.
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connections, the retractors or the buckles,
have them replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
- Textiles/artificial leather/ Alcantara
- Never treat artificial leather/ Alcantara
with leather care products, solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, spot remove or similar
products.
- Have a specialist remove stubborn stains
to prevent damage.
Care and cleaning
-Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard
sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the
seat.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zippers,
rivets on clothing or belts can cause dam
age to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for exam
ple on clothing, can damage seat covers.
Make sure hook and loop fasteners are
closed.
- Natural leather
- Never treat leather with solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, spot remover or simi
lar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zippers, rivets on clothing or belts can cause dam
age to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard
sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the
seat.
- To help prevent the leather from fading,
do not leave the vehicle in direct sunlight
for long periods of time. If leaving the ve
hicle parked for long periods of time, you
should cover the leather to protect it from
direct sunlight.
(D Tips
-Insects are easier to remove from paint that
has been freshly waxed.
- Regular waxing can prevent rust spots from
forming.
Placing your vehicle out
of service
If you would like to take your vehicle out of serv
ice for a longer time, contact your authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
They will advise you of important measures, such
as corros ion protection, maintenance and stor
age procedures . Also follow the information
about the battery ¢
page 229.
211
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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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partition of the engine compartment on the left
side ¢
page 222.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for alarm.
I f the b rake fl uid level fa lls
considerably be low
the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/ind icator
light (U .S. mode ls:
1111 , Canadian models:.)
will come on¢
page 18 and ¢ page 28 . Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thoroughly checked by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop and
the cause corrected . If the brake fluid level is too
low, the brake warning/ind icator light will illumi
nate. Contact an authorized Audi dealer
immedi
a te ly.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs mo isture from the air. If the
water conte nt in the brake fluid is too h igh, cor
ros ion in the brake system may resu lt after ape
riod of time. The boiling poi nt of the brake flu id
will also dec rease cons iderably and decrease
braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the b rake fluid must be changed
e ve ry
two year s.
Always use new b rake fluid wh ich con
forms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle St andard "FMVSS
116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to reach,
therefore, we re commend that yo u have the
b rake fl uid changed by yo ur autho rized
Audi
deal er.
Your dealer has the cor rect too ls, the
right brake fluid and the know -how to do this for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed original container out of
the reach of chi ldren!
- B rake failure can resu lt from old or inappro
pr iate brake flu id. Observe these precau
t io ns:
Ch eck ing and Filling
-Use only brake fluid that meets SAE speci
ficat ion
J 1703 and conforms to Federal
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with your authorized Aud i dealer to make
sure you are us ing the correct brake fluid .
The co rrect type of brake flu id is also i ndi
cated on the b rake fluid reservoir.
- The brake flu id must be new. Heavy use of
the b rakes can cause a vapo r lock if the
bra ke fluid is left in the system too long.
T his can se riously affe ct the efficiency of
t h e b rakes as we ll as you r safety . This
could resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
B rake flu id will damage the paint of your ve h i
cle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because of the p roblem of proper d isposa l of
brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls re
q uire d and the necessary expertise, we rec
ommend that yo u have the bra ke fluid
c hanged by yo ur authorize d Au di dealer.
Battery
General information
Under normal ope rat ing condit ions, the batte ry
in you r A udi does not need any mainte nance.
Wi th
high o utside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that yo u have the elec tro
lyte level checked by an authorized A udi dealer or
qualified workshop . The electro lyte level should
also be checked each time the battery is charged
~ page 231.
Have the batte ry checked when you take your ve
hicle in for service. You are we ll advised to re
place a battery that is older than S years.
Wi th certain types of airbag deployment, the
battery is d isconnected from the veh icle electri
ca l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 164.
Hyb rid dr ive *: yo u can find impo rtant informat ion
about the high voltage battery under ¢
page 97. .,.
229
Checking and Filling
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regula
tors, for example) are lost if the battery termi
na ls are disconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery terminals are con
nected again. To prevent this, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectrical
system when absolutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or sw itched off. This reduces
energy consumption and ma intains starting ca
pab ility over a longer period
c::> page 195 .
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your veh icle, some convenience functions, such
as the interior lights or the power seat adjust
ment, may not be available. The convenience
functions will be available again when you turn
on the ignition and start the engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop. This is be
cause more power is also consumed while start
ing, and the head lights, rear window defogger,
etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, particu
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
d istances . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery befo re winter
sets inc::>
page 231. A well cha rged battery w ill
not only preven t starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The batte ry is located in the luggage compart
ment under the floor. Before you check anything
in the luggage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> & .
Hybr id drive*: you can find important information
about the high volta ge battery unde r
c::> page 97.
230
Always heed the safety warnings , when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle electrical system to prevent 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
• sparks
• flames
- smoking.
~
When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children .
.b WARNING
-
Whenever working on the battery or on the
e lectrica l system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire. Read and heed the fol
lowing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection . Do not let bat
tery acid or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns.
-A lways wear glo ves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings.
- If you get battery acid in yo ur eyes or on
you r skin, immediate ly rinse with cold wa
ter for several minutes and get medical at
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid , seek
medical attention immediate ly.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
elec tric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
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-Do not interchange the positive a nd nega
tive cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to
short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth
er metal objects. This would cause the bat
tery to heat up very quickly, which could
lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy
drogen gas which is explosive and could
cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys
tem, disconnect the negative ground cable.
- Before performing any work on the electri
cal system, switch off the engine and igni
tion as well as any electrical equipment. The
negative cable on the battery must be dis
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light b ulb, then it is enough to sw itch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the ant i-theft alarm system! Otherw ise you
will set off the a larm.
- When disconnecting the batte ry, first dis
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all e lectrical consumers are switched off .
Reconnect the posit ive cable first and then
the negative cable . Never interchange the
cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat
tery. It could exp lode! 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 a lways attached
to the opening on the side of the battery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Always replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warn ing:
- Battery posts, termina ls and re lated acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
C hecki ng an d Fill in g
chemicals known to the State of Californ ia
to cause cancer and reproductive prob lems.
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is sw itched on or when the en
gine is running, otherwise, you will damage
electronic components in the electrical sys
tem .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time w ithout being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
w ill be damaged and will then have to be re
placed .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat
tery .
Fig . 202 E ngine compar tmen t: Co nn ectors fo r charg er and
j umpe r cables
Alw ays re ad and heed a ll WARN IN GS below
c;, ,& and r=;, .& in Working on the battery on
page 230 .
., Hybrid drive*: read the important information
concern ing a dead high voltage battery under
¢ page 104 .
., Turn off the ignition and a ll electrical consum
ers.
... Make sure the area is we ll ven tilated when you
charge the battery .
... Open the eng ine hood
r=;, page 220 .
... Remove the cover (D by pressing on the arrow
¢ fig. 202 .
... Open the cover @on the pos itive terminal. ..,_
231
Check ing and F illing
"' Connect the charger connectors according to
the instr uctions to the
jump start bolts . (Bolts
u nder the cover = "posit ive", Bo lts with hex
head = "negative") .
"' Only now plug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall outlet and tur n it on
¢& .
"' Make sure the charging rate is not over
30 amp s/14 .8 Volt.
"' When the batte ry is fu lly charged: T urn the
charg ing equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet .
"' Now remove the clamps for the charg ing equip
ment .
"' Close the cover @on the positive term inal and
re-install the cover@.
"' Close the hood
c:::;, page 220 .
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempt ing to charge it
c:::;, ,& . However, we recommend not us ing a
thawed batte ry again because the battery casi ng
can be cracked due to ice fo rmation and can leak
b attery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps/14.8 Volt)
W hen cha rging at low vo ltages (e .g . with a trick
le charger ),
the ba tte ry cables do not h ave to be
d isconnected first. The b att ery caps sho uld
no t
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the batte ry from
the l uggage comp artme nt.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14.8 Volts)
F or techn ica l reaso ns do not use a battery charg
er that uses vol tage greate r th an 14.8 Volts to
charge yo ur vehicle's bat tery.
A WARNING
Charging a ba ttery can be dangerous .
- Alw ays foll ow the operat ing instru ctions
p rovi ded by the bat tery char ger m anuf actur
er when c harging your battery .
232
-Never cha rge a frozen battery . It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batter ies which were f rozen.
The battery housing may have cracked and
weakened w hen the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area.
Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas generat
ed by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the da nger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect c harger cables while
the charge r is ope ra ting .
- Fast c harg ing a battery is dange rous and
should o nly be attempted by a compe ten t
t echnicia n w ith the prope r equipment .
- Battery acid that may spill duri ng charging
should be washed off w it h a so lution o f
warm water and baking soda to neutra lize
t he a cid.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast c harge r as a booster to start
the eng ine . This will seriously damage se nsi
tive electronic components, such as cont rol
units, re la ys, ra d io, e tc., as well as the batte ry
c h ar ger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica
tions and dimensions as the original equipmen t
battery.
Intelligent energy manageme nt in yo ur vehicle is
r esponsib le for d istr ib uting t he e lec trica l energy
t hr oughou t your ve hicl e
c:::;, page 195 . The intelli
gen t energy management system w ill keep the
engine battery charged bette r then vehicles with
out this system . To make sure the additional
e lectrica l ene rgy is available once aga in after you
have changed the batte ry, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu
facture only (the same as those installed at the
time yo ur vehicle was delivered) . Specifications
a re listed on the ba tte ry ho using . Your a uth or-
iz ed dealer m ust code the battery in the energy
9"'