Smart Technology
Switching on and off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 186 Center console w it h ESC O FF but ton
ESC level s
Sport mode on
The following situations are exceptions where it
may be useful to switch on sport mode to allow
the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The full stabilization function of the ESC
are limited ¢
A:,.. and ASR is ava ilable again .
Operation Press the 00 button. Press
the[!] button again.
Indicator II turns on. II turns off .
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC): Sport Warn- Stabilization control (ESC): On
sages ing! Reduced stability
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on if your
dr iv ing abilities and road condit ions perm it .
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is sw itched on. The driving
wheels cou ld spin and the vehicle could
swerve, espec ially on s lick o r sli ppery road
s urfac es.
Sport mode cannot be sw itched on if t he
cruise cont rol system* or the adaptive cru ise
cont rol* is switched on.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first ¢
.1:,.. The break-in pe
riod can be considerably longe r fo r vehicles with
192
ceramic brake rotors*. You can compensate for
this slightly reduced braking power by push ing
harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy braking
lo ads during the break-in period.
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still sub
j ect to wear, depending large ly on operating con
ditions and driving habits¢,& . On vehicles that
are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traf
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Audi dealer more of
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte
nance booklet .
Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can result in reduced brake perform
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing ef
fect of the engine. T his way, you prevent unnec
essary wea r on the brake system. If you mus t use
your brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin-
u ously. Pump th e brakes at intervals. ..,.
Operating noi se
Noises may occur when braki ng depend ing on the
speed, braking force and outside cond itions s uch
as temperature and humidity.
Due to the na ture of t he mate ria ls used in ce ram
ic bra ke rotors*, noises m ay become mo re appa
ren t at low speeds.
Effect of wat er and road salt
In ce rtain situat ions, for example after driving
through water, in heavy ra in, afte r ove rnig ht con
densat ion or after washing your car, the braking
effe ct can be red uced by moisture or ice on the
b rake rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
dried first w ith a few careful brake applications .
At highe r speeds and with t he windsh ie ld wipers
turned o n, the bra ke pads p ress against the bra ke
rotors for a short amount of time . This occ urs at
regular intervals without the driver noticing and
provides for better bra ke response time under
wet conditions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered road
and the brakes are not used. L ikewise, you clean
off accumu lated salt coat ing from brake discs
and pads with a few cautious applications of the
brake
c::> ,& .
Due to their sur face characteristics, ceramic
brake rotors* absorb mo isture in such condit ions.
This can cause a temporary reduction in braking
force compared to dry brakes. You can compen
sate for this by pressing the brake peda l harder.
Cor rosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to b uild up on
the brake pads and corros ion to form on the discs
if the car is not driven regularly or only for short
tr ips with little use of the brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corro
sion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable to
clean off the pads and discs by brak ing firmly a
few t imes from a moderately high speed
c::> ,& .
Sma rt Technology
Faults in the brake system
If you s hou ld notice a sudden increase in br ake
peda l travel, then one of the two bra ke circu its
may have fai led
c::> ,& .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions ca n occu r in the brake system if the
brake fluid level is too low . T he brake flu id leve l
is monitored elect ronically.
Brake boost er
The brake booster works w ith vacuum pressure
wh ich is created only when the engine is runn ing
c::> ,& .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visua l in
spect ion of the cond ition of the brake pads
t hr ough the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for t his inspection
c::> page 259, Replacing wheels .
.8_ WARNING
-New b rake p ads don't h ave the bes t stop
p ing power an d must be "broken-in" during
the initial 250 miles (400 km) . The break-in
pe riod can be considerably longer for
veh icles with ceramic brake rotors*. You can
compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal more firmly. This also applies late r
when new pads are installed.
- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system only i f road co ndit ions pe rmit . Other road
users m ust not be put at r is k -you may
cause an ac cident!
- Before descending a steep g rade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear o r lower dr iving range. Do not r ide the
b ra kes or hold the pe dal down too long or
too often. This cou ld cause the b rakes to ge t
hot and dimin ish b raking effic iency .
- Do not " ride the bra kes" by rest ing you r foot
on the pedal when you do no t intend to
brake. This may cause the brakes to over
heat, premature wear and increased stop
p ing distance.
193
Driving through water on
roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage when
driving through water, for example on flooded
roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot
tom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush, etc.,
the brakes may be slow to take effect because
of wet brake rotors and pads . Dry the brakes
first by brak ing carefully to restore the full
brak ing effect.
([) Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transm ission, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
th rough water.
- Always switch off the Sta rt-Stop-System*
whe n driving through water¢
page 85 .
(D Tips
-Check the depth of the water before driving
through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse or
switch the eng ine off when dr iving through
wa ter .
- Keep in mind that oncoming ve hicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
th rough safely.
- Avo id driving through salt water because it
can cause corrosion.
Driving and the envir onment
Economical and environ
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
nois e levels .
Fuel economy, e nv ir onmental impact, and wear
o n your eng ine, brakes and tires large ly depend
on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operat ing cond itions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fuel
consumption by 10-15 percent. Th is section will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi
ronment and your pocketbook .
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the
r oad, which w ill vary depending upon vehicle
l oad and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length , etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler
ating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerat ing and braking .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler at ing . If you anticipate what is going to happen
next, you w ill need to brake less and, thus, accel
erate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possi
ble - for example when you see that the next traf
fic lig ht is red.
199
& 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 sharp metal components when wash
ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings.
-After washing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to moisture on the
brake rotors or ice in the winter . The brakes
must be dried first with a few careful brake
applications.
{[) Note
-If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash, you must fold the exterior mirrors in
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors.
Power folding exterior mirrors* must only
be folded in and out using the power folding
function.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash the
vehicle in direct sunlight.
-
Care and cleaning
-To reduce the risk of damage to the surface,
do not use insect removing sponges, kitchen
sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle components:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polishing agents or hard
wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply pro
tective wax. It can destroy the matte fin
ish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte
finish paint. The paint could be damaged
when the stickers or magnets are re
moved .
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities specially de
signed for that purpose. This will reduce the
risk of dirty water contaminated with oil from
entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehicle
components, refer to the following table. The in
formation contained there is simply recommen
dations. For questions or for components that are not
listed, refer to an authorized Audi dealer
or a qualified workshop. Also follow the informa
tion found in
~ ,&. .
Cleaning exterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades
Dirty ~ page 55, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap solution a>
tail lights
Sensors/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent-free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning sol-
ution
Snow/ice Hand
brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road salt
Water, cleaning solution suitable for stainless steel, if nee-
pipes essary
207
Emergency assistance
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 completely remove the topmost
wheel bolt and set it aside on a
clean surface
.::!> fig. 223.
.,. Screw the threaded end of the alignment pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the empty bolt
hole¢
fig. 224 1> .
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as described
above.
.,. Take off the wheel leaving the alignment pin in
the bolt hole ¢0 .
Putting on the spare wheel
.,. Lift the spare wheel and carefully slide it over
the alignment pin to guide it in place ¢0 .
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel 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 lower
the vehicle until the jack is fully released.
.,. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all wheel
bolts firmly ¢
page 260 . Tighten them cross
wise,
from one bolt to the (approximately) op
posite one, to keep the wheel centered.
0 Note
When removing or installing the wheel, the
rim could hit the brake rotor/ceramic brake
rotor* and damage the rotor . Work carefully
and have a second person help you.
Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle
of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten the
wheel bolts.
1
> A pp lies to vehicles with cer amic brake rotors*: Use a sec
o n d alignment p in* (sto re d in th e s pare w hee l well mold
in g) fo r the lower hole , fol low ing the descrip tion for the
fir st a lig nme nt pin .
264
-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 with
unidirectional
tread design
make sure the tread pattern is
pointed the right way¢
page 264.
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy to
turn. Check for dirt and corrosion on the
mating surfaces of both the wheel and the
hub. Remove all dirt from these surfaces be
fore remounting the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design mus t 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 tire with a tread pattern in
tended for use in a specific direction, please note
the following:
- The direction of rotation is marked by an arrow
on the side of the tire.
- If the spare tire has to be installed in the incor
rect direction, use the spare tire only tempora
rily since the tire will not be able to achieve its
optimum performance characteristics with re
gard to aquaplaning, noise and wear.
- We recommend that you pay particular atten
tion to this fact during wet weather and that
you adjust your speed to match road condi tions.
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and have it
installed on your vehicle as soon as possible to
restore the handling advantages of a unidirec
tional tire.
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information¢ page 243 if you
are going to use a spare tire which is different
from the tires on your vehicle.