2017 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET service

Airbag system
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretens ioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regulat ions must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
cha nge the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preven t the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally insta l­
led on your veh icle .
- Never use tire-rim comb inations that have
not been approved by Audi.
144
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic control module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from working
properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inte rfe re
w ith the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 150 Driver's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering whee l~
fig. 150, the
knee airbag for the passenger is at about the
same height in the instrument panel underneath
the g love compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas and supp lements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collis ion s when the deployment
th reshold stored in the control unit is met
~ page 138, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety funct ion, safe-
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
IJJ>

Intelligent Technology
These electronic control modules record data
dur ing normal vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and
repair purposes. The recording capability of these
modules is l imited to data (no sound is record­
ed). Only a small amount of data is actually re ­
corded over a very limited per iod of time, or stor­
ed when a system fau lt is detected by a control
mod ule. Some of the data stored may re late to
ve hicl e speed, dire ct ion, or brak ing, as well as re­
stra int system use and performance in the event
of a crash. Stored data can also only be read and
downloaded with special equipment that is di­ rectly connected to the veh icle.
@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi con­
nect. Your use of certain Audi connect fea­
tures requires wireless services that are pro­
vided by a third party wire less te lecommuni­
cations provider. For detai ls regarding how in­
formation obtained through Audi connect is collected, processed, t ransmitted, used, and
shared, please see your contract with the
w ireless te lecommunica tions p rovider and the
"About Aud i connec t" tab in your vehi cle's
M M I:
!MENUI b utton> Audi connect > About
Audi conne ct.
Braking
What affects broking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the fi rs t 250 miles (400 km), new b rake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first ¢.& . You can com­
pensate for this s light ly reduced bra king power
by pushing harde r on the brake pedal. Avoid
heavy braking loads during the break-in period .
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles a re st ill s ub­
ject to wea r, depending la rgely on ope rating con ­
ditions and driving habits¢.&, . On vehicles that
are either dr iven most ly in stop-and-go city traf ­
f ic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Aud i dea ler more of­
ten than specified in the
War ranty & Mainte-
170
nance booklet . Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can result in reduced brake perform ­
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the bra king ef ­
fect o f the engine. This way, you prevent unnec­
essary wear on the brake system. If you must use
your brakes, do not ho ld the brakes down contin ­
uously. Pump the brakes at intervals.
Ope rating nois e
Noises may occu r when braking depen ding on the
speed, braking force and outside conditions such
as temperature and h umidity.
Effect of water and road salt
In certain si tuations, for examp le after d riving
t hr ough water, in heavy rain, after over nigh t con­
densa tion or after washing your car, the brak ing
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads . The brakes must be
dried f irst with a few careful brake app lications.
At higher speeds and w ith the windshield wipe rs
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake rotors for a short amount of time . This occurs at
regu lar intervals without the dr iver not icing and
provides for better brake response t ime under
wet cond itions .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road
and the brakes are not used. Likewise, you clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake discs
and pads with a few caut ious applications of the
brake ¢.& .
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up on
the brake pads and corrosion to form on the discs
i f the car is not driven regularly or only for short
trips with little use of the brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corro ­
s io 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 ¢ .& .

Driving and th e en vironm ent
(D Tips
- Check the depth of the water before driving
through it .
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine
off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your veh icle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water because it
can cause corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop­ erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner .
~ Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 188,
Fuel supply .
~ Never run the tank down a ll the way to empty .
~ Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 19 7, 9::?l Adding engine oil .
~ Never try to push- or tow-start you r vehicle.
The cata lytic converter is an efficient "clean-up"
dev ice bu ilt into the exha ust system of the vehi­
cle. The cata lytic conve rter burns many of the
pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re ­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly im­
portant for the l ife of the catalytic conve rter and
p roper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING ,..____ -
- The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or ope rate t he vehicle in areas
where the hot exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, br ush, fue l spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani-
176
fold, exha ust pipes, cata lytic conve rter or
heat shields. D uring driving, the substance
used for undercoat ing could overheat and
cause a f ire.
Cl) Note
- Be aware that just one tank f illing wit h
leaded fu e l w ill already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 197.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty. The engine could mis­
fire. Unbu rned fue l cou ld also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ign ition while the vehicle
is moving .
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherw ise fuel can
reac h the catalytic converter. T his could re­
sult in overheat ing of the converter, requir­
ing its replacement.
- T o ass ure eff icient operat ion of the Emis­
sion Contro l System:
- Have you r vehicle maintained properly and
i n accordance wit h the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Ma intenance
booklet.
- Lack of proper ma intenance as well as im­
p roper use of the veh icle will impa ir the
function of the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
(® For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is op­
erating properly, t he exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erating states. Th is depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help, or fi lli ng the tank
wi th lead-free super g rade gasoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wo uld like yo ur vehicle to remain inopera­
tive for a longer pe riod of time, con tact an Audi
o r other spec ia liz ed dealer. They can adv ise you ..,.

Driving and th e en vironm ent
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot
of fuel.
.,. Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals.
By having your vehicle regu larly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it
runs properly and econom ically . The condition of
your veh icle not only affects its safety and ability
to hold its value, it also affects
fu el consump­
tion .
C he ck your oil e ach t ime you fill you r ta nk .
The amount of oil used is re lated to engine load
and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumpt ion of a new en­
g ine to reach its lowest val ue afte r a certa in mile­
age has been driven .
You must d rive you r vehicle about 3 ,000 miles
(5,000 k ilome ters) before you can p roperly as ­
sess o il cons umption .
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and engine
outpu t.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in you r Warranty
& Maintenance book ­
l et . La ck of p roper main tenance as well as
i mproper use of the vehicle will impa ir the
f u nct ion of the emission control system and
could lead to damage.
- Do not al ter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­ proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not a lter or remove any device, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other i mportant vehicle components.
178 ·
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold
eng ine .
T he eng ine and catalytic converter have to reac h
their opt imal
operating temper atu re to reduce
fuel consumpt ion and noxious emiss ions effec­
tively .
Just after start ing, a cold engine in a mid-size car
on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles per
gallon (30-40 l/100 km) . After about a half a
mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100
km) . After about
2 .5 m iles (4 km), the engine is
at its proper operating temperatu re and fuel
economy has reached a no rma l level. So you can
see that you should avoid sho rt tr ips wheneve r
possible .
The
out sid e temperatur e is also cr it ica l in th is re­
gard. Your car cons umes more fue l in the winter
than in the summer.

Care and cleaning
Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, prope r care helps to maintain your vehi ­
cle's value.
It can a lso be a requirement when
submitting war ranty claims for cor rosion damage
and pa int defects on the body.
The necessary care prod ucts can be obtained
from an autho rized Audi deale r or authorized
Aud i Service Facility. Read and follow the instruc­
tions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
- Using clean ing and care products incorrectly
can be dangero us to your hea lth .
- Always store clean ing and care products out
of reach of children to reduce the r isk of po i­
so ning.
@ For the sake of the environment
- P referab ly purchase env ironmenta lly-friend­
l y cleaning products.
- Do not dispose of leftove r clean ing and care
products wit h household t rash.
Car washes
The longer that deposits remain on the veh icle,
the more the surface may be damaged. High
temperatures such as those caused by sunlight
increase the damaging effect.
Before washing, rinse
off heavy depos its with
p lenty of water.
Stubborn deposits s uch as bird d roppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water and a mic rofibe r cloth.
A lso, wash the und erside of yo ur vehicle o nce
road sa lt stops being used for the season .
Pressure washers
When washing your veh icle w ith a pressure wash­
er, always follow the operating instructions pro ­
vided wi th the press ure washer. This is espe cially
impor tant i n rega rd to the pressure and spraying
d istance. Do not direct the stream of water di­
rectly onto seals for the side windows, doors,
182
lu ggage compartment lid or hood or onto the
tires, rubber hoses, insulating material, the pow­
er top, sensors* or camera lenses* . Keep a dis­
tance of at least 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Neve r use cone nozzles or high press ure nozzles.
The wate r temperatu re must not be above 140 °F
(60 °() .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the vehicle before washing.
Make sure that the win dows and power top are
closed and the windsh ield wipers are off. Follow
i nst ruct ions from the car wash operator, espe­
c ia lly if there are accessories attached to yo ur ve­
hicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes.
Washing by hand
Clean th e ve hicle star ting from the top and work­
i ng down using a soft sponge or clea ning brus h.
Use solvent -free cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint by
hand
To avo id damaging the paint when washing, fi rst
remove dust and large pa rticles from your vehi­
cle. Insects, grease spots and f ingerprints are
best removed w ith a special cleaner for matte
finish paint.
Apply t he product using a microf iber cloth. To
avo id damaging the paint surface, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly with wate r. Then
clean using a neutra l shampoo and a soft micro ­
fiber clot h.
Rinse the vehicl e thorough ly again and le t i t air
d ry. Remove any water residue using a chamois.
A WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition is
off and follow the instr uctions from the car
-

Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Power top
Deposits Clean water, power top cleaning product , if necessary .
C lean with the grain of the fabric using a soft brush and al-
low to air dry.
Wind deflector Deposits Water, mild soap solution,
if necessaryal
Decorative parts/ Deposits Mild soap solution a>, a cleaning solution suitable for stain-
Trim less stee l, if necessary
Carbon parts Deposits clean the same way as
painted parts~ page 182, Car
washes
Paint Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the vehicle data label, repair
with touch up paint~
page 243
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately
Surface rust Rust remover, then protect with hard wax; for questions,
consult an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Se rv-
ice Facility .
Corros ion Have it removed by an authorized Aud i dealer or author -
ized Audi Service Fac ility .
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No shine even though Treat wit h suitable polish; then apply paint protectant if
paint has been pro- the polish that was used does not contain any protectant
tected/paint looks
poor
Deposits such as in- Dampen with water immediately and remove with a micro-
sects, bird droppings, fiber cloth
t ree sap and road salt
Grease-based con- Remove immediately with a mild soap solution a) and a
taminants such as soft cloth
cosmetics or sunb lock
a) M ild soap so lution: maxim um two ta bles poo ns o f neu tral soap in 1 quar t (l liter) of wat er
Interior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Deposits Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative parts/ Deposits Mild soap solutiona >
trim
Plastic parts
Deposits Damp cloth
Heavier deposits Mild soap solution a>, detergent-free plastic clean ing solu-
tion, if necessary
Displays Deposits
Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Deposits Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutiona >
Safety belts Deposits Mild soap so lution a>, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
184

Care and cleaning
- Never use gasoline, spot remover, ben­
zene, paint thinner or other solvents to
remove.
- Door window s
- Remove snow and ice on windows and ex-
terior mirrors with a p lastic scraper . To
avoid sc ratches, move the scrape r only in
one direction and not back and forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from door win­
dows and m irrors using warm or hot water
because this could cause cracks to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear w indow de­
fogge r, do not apply any stickers on the
heating w ires on the inside of the window.
- Decorati ve 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 pa int damage, do not polish or
wax the veh icle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of pa int 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 tha t no fluids enter the con-
trols, because this could ca use damage .
- Safet y belt s
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean them.
- Never clean safety belts or their compo­ nents chemically or with corrosive fl uids
or so lvents and never allow sharp objects
to come into contact w ith the safety belts .
Th is could cause damage to the belt web­
bing.
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connect ions, the retractors or the buckles,
have them replaced by an author ized Audi
dealer or author ized Audi Service Facility.
- Textiles /artificial leather / Alcantara
186
- Never treat art ificial leathe r/ A lcantara
with leather ca re products, solvents, f loor
polish, shoe polish, spot remove o r similar
products.
- Have a specialist remove stubborn stains
to prevent damage.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard
sponges, etc . when cleaning .
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the seat.
- Objects w ith sharp edges, such as zippers
or rivets on clothing or belts, can cause
damage 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 le ather
- Never treat leather with solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, spot remover or sim i­
lar p roducts.
- Objects w ith sharp edges, such as zippe rs
or rivets on clothing or belts, can cause
damage 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 fad ing,
do not leave the vehicle in d irect sunlight
for long periods of time.
If leav ing the ve­
h icl e parked fo r long pe riods of time, you
should cover the lea the r to pro te ct it from
d irec t 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 period of time, contact an author­
i zed Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service Facili-
ty. They will adv ise you of important measures, ..,.

fill up at busy gas st ations where the season al
adjustment is more likely to be made in time .
(D Note
-Fu els con taining a high pe rcentage of etha­
no l such as ESQ and EBS may only be used in
vehicles with flexible fuel engines. Using high ethanol f uel in veh icles not equ ipped
with flexib le fue l engines can cause severe
engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­ quirements may ca use corros ion and dam­
age to plast ic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the spec i­
fied criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether or
not a particular fuel blend meets the spec i­
fications, ask your service station o r its fuel
supplier.
- Do not use fue l for wh ich the contents can­
not be identif ied.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems result ing from the use of fuels differ­
ent from t hose specif ied a re not the respon­
s ibility of Audi and are not covered under
t h e New Veh icle o r the Emiss io n Control
System Wa rra nt ies.
- If yo u experience a loss of fue l economy o r
driveability an d pe rform ance prob le m s du e
to t he use of one of these fuel blends we
,
recommend that you switch to unb lended
fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
Applies to: ve hicles with flex ible fuel engine
You can recognize vehicles wi th a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the label on the inside of the fuel filler flap.
Ve hicl es w ith flex ible f uel engines may be oper­
ated w ith b io -e thanol fuels such as EBS (85%
ethano l and 15% gasoline) or with un leaded gas­
oline (91 AKI/ROZ 95) . The ve hicle may a lso be
a:, operated with a mixture of these fuels. a:, ...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
Fuel and R efueling
Your fuel consumpt ion w ill increase when using
bio-ethano l fue ls due to the lower amount of en­
ergy conta ined per un it vol ume in ethanol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in low
temperature s
Due to the chemica l composition of b io -ethanol,
a certa in amount of fue l ends up in the engine o il
when driving short distances in very low temper­
atures. This fuel evaporates again when the en­
gine is warmed up.
II Please warm up eng ine .
If the drive r message appears in the instr ume nt
cluster disp lay, drive with a warm engine to re ­
duce the oil leve l.
(D Note
- N ever fill wi th metha no l o r with a higher
percentage of b io -ethanol than 85% (E85).
A highe r percentage of bio-ethanol in the
fuel can cause damage to the engine or to the fuel system.
- If you use on ly E85, it is recommende d to
fill the fue l tank complete ly w ith unleaded
premium g rade gasoline every 5,000 mi les.
- If you expe rience starting, rough id le or hes ­
itat ion d riveab ility prob lems, f ill the fuel
tank complete ly w ith unleaded p remium
grade gaso line and drive it norma lly until
t he gaso line is used. See your author ized
Audi dea ler if the problem persists.
- Inform your author ized Audi dealer that you
are ope rating o r have operate d the vehicle
w ith EBS.
- Read and follow the i nformat ion and tips
abou t gasoli ne
r::;, page 188.
(D Tips
It may take longer to start the engine when
the outs ide temperat ure is very cold. If possi­
ble, use w inte rize d fue l if tempe ratures are
below free zing.
189