Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer wear evenly. To rotate wheels, in-
or authorized Audi Service Facili- stall the wheels from the rear
ty check the wheel alignment if axle on the front axle and vice
there is unusual wear. versa. This will allow the tires to
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an have approximately the same
imbalance is causing noticeable length of service life.
vibration in the steering wheel. For unidirectional tires, make
If you do not, the tires and other sure the tires are installed accord-
vehicle components could wear ing to the running direction indi-
more quickly. cated on the tire sidewall
Treadwear indicator ¢page 263.
Original equipment tires contain Hidden damage
treadwear indicators in the tread
Damage to tires and rims can of-
pattern, which are bars that are ten occur in locations that are
1/16 inch (1 .6 mm) high and are
hidden. Unusual vibrations in the
spaced evenly around the tire per- vehicle or pulling to one side
may
pendicular to the running di rec-indicate that there is tire damage.
tion ¢
fig. 205. The letters "TWI"
Reduce your speed immediately .
or triangles on the tire sidewall Check the tires for damage. If no
indicate the location of the tread- damage is visible from the out-
wear indicators. side, drive slowly and carefully to
The tires have reached the mini- the nearest authorized Audi deal-
mum tread depth
l) when they er or authorized Audi Service Fa-
have worn down to the treadwear cility to have the vehicle inspect-
indicators . Replace the tires with ed.
new ones¢ &.
& WARNING
-
Wheel rotation Tread that has worn too low or
Rotating the wheels regularly is different tread depths on the
recommended to ensure the tires tires can reduce driving safety
.
..
.... N a:i er ~ ... l) Obey any applicable regu lat ions in your '° "? .... country . '° ...
243
Emerg ency assis ta nce
Emergency assistance
Vehicle jack, vehicle tool kit and collapsible spare
tire
Onboard tool kit and vehicle jack
The vehicle tools and vehicle jock* ore stored in
the luggage comportment under the floor cover.
Fig. 209 Luggage compartment: on board tool kit and vehi
cle jack
The vehicle jack* is stored under the onboard tool
kit ¢ fig. 209.
Hybr id d rive*: the storage location of the on
board tool kit varies ¢ page 104.
The onboard tool k it includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to
remove wheel bolt covers*
-Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Folding chocks
- Screwdriver with revers ible blade
- Socket (removable Torx socket)*
- 10 x 13 open ended wrench (for disconnecting
the battery cables)
- Towing eye
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack* can cause
ser ious personal injuries.
- Never use the jack* supplied with your Aud i
on another vehicle, particularly on a heavier
one. The jack* is only su itable for use on the
vehicle it came w ith.
254 -
Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle will
damage the bumper system. The jack may
slip, caus ing injury.
- Never support your vehicle on cinder blocks,
bricks or other objects. These may not be
able to support the load and could cause in
jury when they fail.
- Never start or run the engine while the vehi
cle is supported by the jack* .
- If you must work under the vehicle, always
use safety stands specifically designed for
this purpose .
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the han
dle of the screwdr iver to loosen or tighten
the wheel bolts .
- Always make sure the inflatable spare tire*
and
even a flat tire are secu red in place and
not loose, otherwise they could fly forward,
causing personal inj ury to passenge rs in the
vehi cle in an a cc ident or sudden maneuve r.
@ Tips
The vehicle jack in your vehicle is mainte
nance-free.
Folding chocks
The folding chocks ore port of the on board tool
kit .
---
Fig . 210 Open ing fo lding chocks
To use the chocks, you fi rst have to raise the sup
port plate
¢ fig. 210 (D and then insert the lock
ing plate with the two "tabs" into the elongated
holes in the base plate
@ c> &.. .,,_
Emergency assistance
-Position the jack* only at the designated
lifting points and align the jack *. Other
wise, the jack* could slip and cause an in
jury if it does not have sufficient hold on
the vehicle .
- A soft or unstable surface under the jack*
may cause the vehicle to slip off the jack*.
Always provide a firm base for the jack* on
the ground. If necessary, use a sturdy
board under the jack*.
- On hard, s lippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent the
jack* from slipping.
- To help pre vent injury to you rself and yo ur
passenge rs:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are sure
the jack * is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the vehicle
when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, adjust
as necessary and then continue to raise
the jack *.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position the
jack * only at the designated lifting points on
the sill. Otherwise, your vehicle will be dam
aged.
262
Taking the wheel off/installing the inflatable spare tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for chang
ing the wheel
Fig. 221 Changing a wheel: usin g the screwdriver handle
(w ith the blade removed) to turn the bolts
Fig. 222 Changi ng a w heel: alignment pin inside the top
h ole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and re
place the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle
to comp letely remove the topmost
wheel bolt and set it aside on a
clean surface
qfig. 221 .
.. Screw the threaded end of the alignment pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the empty bolt
hole
q fig. 222 .
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as described
above .
.,. Take off the whee l leaving the alignment p in in
the bolt hole
q(D.
Putting on the inflatable spare tire*
.,. Inflate the inflatable spare tire* q page 256
and push the whee l over the alignmen t pin.
,....,
N
co
er::
co
,....,
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