2017 AUDI A7 sensor

Airbag syste m
switched on and turns the airbag indicator light
on when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is detected ¢
page 160. Because
the front passenger seat contains important
parts of the Advanced Airbag System, you must
take care to prevent it from being damaged .
Damage to the seat may prevent the Advanced
A irbag System for the front passenger seat from
doi ng its job in a c rash.
The front Ad vanced Airb ag Sy stem con sis ts
of the following:
- Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/decelerat ion to
provide info rmation to the Advanced Airbag
System about t he severity of the crash.
- An electron ic control un it, with integrated
c rash sensors fo r front and side impacts. The
contro l unit "decides" whethe r to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors . The control unit a lso "de ­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
shou ld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver ins ide the steer ing
wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas gene rator and
control valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A capacitive passenger detect ion system under­
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the electrical capac itance of the
person in the seat . T he information registe red
is sent continuous ly to the e lectron ic cont rol
unit to regula te deployment of the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenge r si de.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
l igh t in the inst rumen t cluster¢
page 160.
- A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respect ive seat and the
stee ring wheel or instr ume nt pane l. The infor­
ma tion reg istered is sent contin uously to the
electronic control un it to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Ai rbags.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel ¢
page 160, fig. 158 and tells you when
156
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger
side has been turned
off.
-A sensor in the safety be lt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and transmits this information to the electronic
control un it.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from work ing properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced A irbag Sys tem from f unction ing
proper ly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and prope rly train ed
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger sea t.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from
it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat . The capacit ive pas ­
senger de tect io n mat in the front passenger
seat will not function p roperly if it is punc­
tured.
- Never car ry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenge r seat. Such ob­
jects ca n influen ce the capaci tan ce regis­
t ered by the capaci tive passenger detection
sys tem, so tha t incorrect in format ion is pro ­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store i tems under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working properly.
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­ proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from recogni zing child re­
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying prope rly .

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\.J ' -If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional layers prevent the capacitive
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the ca pacita nee of the child safe­
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working properly.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection system, so that incorrect information is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit .
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
.&_ WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im­
mediately.
- If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work­
ing properly and may, for instance, deacti­
vate the passenger frontal airbag.
If this
happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the airbag indicator light
fl (USA models) I
Airbag system
E,I (Canada models) in the instrument clus­
ter.
- If liquid is pooled on the seat, but has not
soaked in, this may also keep the airbag sys­
tem from working properly and cause the
passenger frontal airbag to be enabled
(turned on), even though there is a properly
installed child restraint system on the seat.
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect.
If the
front passenger frontal airbag is turned on,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light light
will go out.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners
and load limiters and the adjustable head re­
straints* to help reduce the risk of injury in a
wide range of accident and crash situations. Be
sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt
use, the front passenger frontal airbag will be
turned off if the electrical capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount
programmed in the electronic control unit . The
front passenger frontal airbag will also be turned off if the capacitance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant of about one year of age in one of the child seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag System on the passenger side has been turned
offc::;,page 160 . Ill>-
157

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\.J ' A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal­
led on the front passenger seat will be seri ­
ously injured and can be killed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the backrest , center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear­
facing child seat in a rear seating position and have the a irbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat . Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets , large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself . These objects
could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat to
transport objects . Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air-
-
Airbag system
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu ­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the front
passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is . The
change in electric capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should be
off, or can cause the airbag to work in a way
that is different from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not , or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob ­
ject could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
A WARNING
-The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water .
159

Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
:~ (USA models ) /!f (Canada model s)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni ­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System as we ll as the side
airbags and side c urtain airbags with ejection
mitigation features (including the e lectroni c con­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are funct ioning prope rly whenever the ignition is
on . Eve ry t ime yo u tur n on the igni tion, the air­
bag sys tem ind icator light
II (USA models) ; fll
(Ca nada models) will come on for a few seconds
(func tion chec k).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
ffl (USA models) tfll
( Canada model s):
- does not come on w hen the ignition is switched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, or
- comes on wh ile driving .
I f an a irbag system ma lf u nction is detected, the
indicator light wi ll come o n to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
a tely.
I f a malfunc tion occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the igni tion is on .
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light
¢page 17
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Aud i dealer . It is possible that
160
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 158 Sect io n fro m t he inst rume nt panel : PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PAS SENG ER AI R BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel~
fig. 158 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic contro l unit . If the b ulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light b urns out, the
a irbag indicato r light
II (USA models) a (Ca n­
ada models) will come on to signal a malfunc tion
i n the Advanced A irbag Sys tem. Alt hough the
bur ned -out bulb will not change the way the
front passenger's fronta l airbag works , it wi ll no
longer be poss ible to use the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht to make sure that the a irbag on/
off status is correct for the occupant on the front passenger seat . Have the airbag system inspect ­
ed immediately by your author ized Audi dealer .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
- the ignition is switched on and
- the ca pacit ive passenger detec tion system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron ­
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the airbag
status (on or off) as shown by the
PASS EN G ER
AIR BAG OFF
light is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying .,..

Airbag syste m
must be performed by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Aud i Warranty
&
Maintena nce booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
in terrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicab le safety precautions
must be followed .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate . When the veh icle o r parts of the re­
stra int system including airbag modules and
safety belts w it h pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regu lations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom ­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For e xamp le, using t ire -r im
comb inations no t approved by Audi, lowering t he
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness o f the suspe nsio n,
i n cluding the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic contro l unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in c rashes in w hich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
164
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
i ng when it should .
_& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim comb inations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the r isk of serious personal injury in a
crash .
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly instal­
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-r im combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
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 . 15 9 Driver 's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
u nderneath the s teer ing whee l¢
fig. 159, the
airbag fo r the passenger is at about the same
height in the i nstr ument panel underneath the
glove compa rtment.
The knee airbag offers add itiona l protect ion to
the d river's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas a nd sup plements the p rotec­
t ion prov ided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fron tal coll is ions when t he deployment ..,_

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\.J ' The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests¢
fig. 161 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors. They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
he lp reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inf late, particularly when
the occupant sitt ing next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The s ide airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
stra ints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and wa rnings whenever using a child
r est raint in a ve hicle: Safety belts¢
page 140 ,
Airbag system .!>page 148, Child safety
r::!> page 17 2.
Th e s ide airbag system basicall y con sists of :
-the e lectron ic control module and external side
i mpact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rea r backrest
- the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument cl us-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
a irbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diag nostics).
The s ide airbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, fron t and rear passenger's upper to r­
so on the side of the veh icle t hat is struck in a
side coll is ion. The a irbag dep loys only i n side im­
pa cts and o nly when the vehi cle acceleration reg­
i stered by the cont rol un it is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control unit, the side airbags wi ll not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le of impact, s ince
the circumstances w ill vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important fac to rs in­
clude, for example, t he nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
Airb ag sys tem
speed, etc. r::!> page 168, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from the ir no rm al safety funct io n, safety
belts work to he lp keep the dr iver o r front pas­
senger in posi tion in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags can provide protectio n.
T he airbag system is
not a substi tute for you r
sa fe ty belt. Ra ther, i t is par t of the ove rall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re ­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wear ing it properly. This is another rea ­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so ¢
page 140, General information.
It is important to remembe r that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other i nju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and m ino r abras ions can also be assoc iated
wi th deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents - yo ur safety belts are always
there to offe r protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necess aril y an ind ic a tion
of over-sens it ive or fa iled airbag ac tiva tion . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
only once and only in certain kinds of collisions -
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy :
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side
cu rtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
togethe r. .,..
167

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<.,;) 'SI"
-Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de­ ploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this position.
-Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
Q page 172, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
Airbag system
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
othe r equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants.
"' 0 0
6
"' a,
Fig . 163 Sid e cu rtain airbags, driver's side: s ide cur tai n air­
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win ­
dows ~
fig. 163. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame.
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi ­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle
interior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll-
overs .
111>
169

Airbag system
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso. The side curtain airbag inflates in side impacts and
only when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the control unit is high enough . If this rate is be ­
low the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the side curtain airbag will not be
triggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It is not pos­
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
¢ page 170, How side curtain air­
bags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 140, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts are
always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically consists of:
- The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
170
-The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea­
tures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is switched off,
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions .
.&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 48,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicator light¢ page 17
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­ posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
Fig. 164 Illustration of principle: Inflated side curtain a ir·
bags o n the left s ide ..,_