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The brakes on today 's au tomobiles a re still s ub
ject to wea r, depend ing la rgely on ope rating con
ditions and driving habits¢.&. . On vehicles that
ar e e ither driv en most ly in stop-and -go city traf
f ic or are driven ha rd, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Aud i dealer more of
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte
n ance boo klet .
Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can resu lt in reduced brake perform
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the braking ef
fect of the eng ine . This way, you prevent unnec
essary wear on the brake system . If you must use
your b rakes , do not ho ld the brakes down con tin
uously. Pump t he b rakes at intervals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depend ing on the
speed , braking force and outs ide cond itions such
as tempe rature and humidity .
Effect of water and road sa lt
In certain situations, for example a fter driving
t hrough water, in heavy ra in , after overnight con
densat ion or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
b rake rotors and b rake pads . T he brakes must be
d ried first w ith a few careful b rake applica tions.
At highe r speeds and with the windsh ie ld w ipers
turned on, the bra ke pads press aga inst the brake
rotors for a short amount of time . Thi s occ urs at
r egular intervals wit hout the d river noticing and
p rovides for be tter br ak e response time u nder
wet conditions.
The eff ectiv eness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehi cle is dr iven on a salt-covered road
and the brakes are not used. L ikewise, you clean
off acc umu la ted salt coat ing from b rake discs
and pads with a few ca utious applications of the
b rake ¢.&. .
Corrosion
There may be a tende ncy for d irt to b uild up on
the brake pads an d cor ros io n t o fo rm on the discs
if the ca r is not driven regular ly or only fo r sho rt
trips with little use of the brakes .
Intelligent Technology
If
the brakes are not used frequent ly, or i f co rro
sio n has formed on the discs , it is advisable to
clean off the pads and discs by braking firmly a
few times from a moderately high speed ¢ .&, .
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden inc rease in brake
peda l travel, t hen one of t he two brake circ uits
may have fai led ¢
&..
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions ca n occur i n the b rake system if the
br ak e fluid level is too low . T he brake f lu id leve l
is moni tored elect ronically .
Brake booster
The brake booster increases the press ure that
yo u generate with the b rake peda l.
It only oper
ates while the eng ine is r unning or w it h t he igni
tio n sw itched on (hybr id drive*) ¢.&, .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be chec ked by visual in
spect io n of t he condition of the brake pads
t hr ough the openings in the wheel.
If necessary,
t h e wheel may be removed fo r th is i nspe ction
¢ page 259, Replacing wheels .
.&_ WARNING
--
-New brake pads don't have the bes t stop
p ing power an d m ust be " broken-in" d uring
the initial 250 miles (400 km). You can compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal more firmly. This also applies later
when new pads are insta lled.
- You sho uld perform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning t he brake system
only if road condit io n s pe rmit . O ther road
users m ust not be put at r is k - you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep g rade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gea r or l ower dr iv ing ra nge. Do not r ide the
b rakes or hold the ped al down too long or
too often. This co uld cause t he b rakes to ge t
hot and dimi nish braking eff ic ien cy .
- Do no t "ride the br akes" by res ting you r foot
on the pedal when you do no t intend to ...,
193
Offroad dri ving
- Ideal conditions do not prevai l offroad . Nev
er utilize the maximum readings to their
fullest, always leave a safety reserve.
Driving tips
On poor rood ond offroad, there is always only
one motto: Plan ahead and drive slowly!
Pl ease observe the following when driv ing away
from paved roads:
.,. Drive only on roads and off road sections which
ma tch the des ign of your vehicle and yo ur abili
ties as a driver . Neve r take risks!
... Drive slowly and p lan ahead!
... Take into consideratio n the
ground clearan ce
of your veh icle.
.,. Activate the
offro ad mode Q page 190 as need
ed .
.,. Use the
hill desc ent a ssis t Q page 192 when
driv ing down steep sections on hills .
Unpaved roads and offroad
Drive s low ly on unfam iliar roads and unknown
offroad sections, and look out for unexpected ob
stacles (e .g. potholes, rocks, tree stumps, etc .) .
To prevent the veh icle from bottoming and avoid
damage to the underbody, you should d rive
stra ight across severe bumps in the ground with
only one side of the vehicle so that only two of
your wheels cross the b umps.
Drive briskly through sandy or marshy offroad
sections and do not stop , if at all possible .
Driving through water
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage when
driving throug h water, fo r example on flooded
roads:
- T he wate r must no t be any higher than the bot-
tom of the vehicle body .
- Do no t drive fas ter than wa lking spee d.
Driving on a slope
If you ever find yo urself not able to cl imb a s lope,
do not try to turn around, d rive back down in
re
verse .
Otherw ise, you run the risk of tipping over.
202 If the vehicle thre
atens to tip o ver when dr iving
across a slope, you must immediately stee r
downhill in the direction of the slope.
Do no t pa rk you r vehi cle on steep s lopes or
grades .
To reduce the risk of tipping over, drive on slopes
i n the d irect io n of the downwa rd slope (fa ll line) -
not cros swi se .
& WARNING
After driving thro ugh water, mud, slush, etc.,
the brakes may be slow to take effect beca use
of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry the brakes
f irst by braking carefu lly to restore the full
braking effect .
(D Note
- Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be seve rely damaged by driving
throug h water.
-Always switch off the Start-Stop-System *
when driving through water Qpage 93.
(D Tips
-Check the de pth of the water before driving
through it.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine of f whe n driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncom ing vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep fo r your vehicle to drive
t h roug h safe ly.
-Avoid driv ing through salt water beca use it
can cause corrosion.
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
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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 low
er the vehicle until the jack* is fully released .
~ Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all wheel
bolts firmly
Q page 260. Tighten them cross
wise,
from one bolt to the (approximately) op
posite one, to keep the wheel centered .
Q) Note
When removing or installing the whee l, the
rim could hit the brake rotor and damage the
rotor. Work carefu lly and have a second per
son help you.
(D Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle
of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten the
wheel bolts.
- Pull the reversible blade from the screwdriv
er before you use the hexagonal socket in
the handle to turn the wheel bolts.
- When mounting tires w ith
unidirectional
tread design
make sure the tread pattern is
pointed the right way
Q page 263.
- The wheel bolts should be clean and easy to
turn. Check for d irt and corrosion on the
mating surfaces of both the wheel and the
hub. Remove all dirt from these surfaces be
fore remount ing 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 t ire with a tread pattern in
tended for use in a specific direction, please note
the following:
- The direct ion of rotat ion is marked by an arrow
on the side of the tire.
Emergency assistance
- If the spare tire has to be installed in the incor
rect direction, use the spare tire on ly tempora
r il y since the tire will not be able to ac hieve its
optimum performance characterist ics with re
gard to aquap lan ing, no ise and wear.
- We recommend that you pay part icu lar atten
tion to th is fact during wet weather and that
you adjust your speed to match road cond i
tions.
- Rep lace the flat tire w ith a new one and have it
installed on your veh icle as soon as possible to
restore the handling advantages of a un id irec
tional tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information Q page 241, New
tires or wheels
if you are going to use a spare tire
which is different from the tir es on your veh icle.
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spare immedi
ately after installation.
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as pos
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop.
- With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
105
ft lb (140 Nm).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are corroded
and difficult to turn while changing a tire,
they should be replaced before you check the
tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and have
it installed on your vehicle as soon as possi
ble. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then, drive with extra care and at reduced
speeds.
.&_ WARNING
- If you are going to equip your vehicle with
tires or rims which differ from those which
were fac tory installed, then be sure to read
the information
Q page 241, New tires or
wheels.
-
263