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compensate for the slightly reduced bra king
force by pressing firmly on the brake peda l. Avoid
heavy braking during the break -in period .
Operating condit ion s and dr iving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles a re sti ll s ub
ject to wear, depend ing largely on ope rating con
ditions and driving habits¢& . On vehicles that
are either driven most ly in stop-and -go city traf
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Aud i dealer more of
ten than specified in the
Warran ty & Mainte
n anc e boo kle t .
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 brakes, do not hold the b rakes down cont in
uously. P ump t he b rakes at intervals.
Operating no ise
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 or road salt
In certain situations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy ra in, after overnight con
densat ion or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be reduced by mo isture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads . The brakes must be
"dr ied" fi rst w it h a few careful brake applica
tions .
At highe r speeds and with the windsh ield w ipers
turned on, the brake pads press aga inst the brake
rotors for a short amount of time. This action,
which is not felt by the d river, happens a t regular
i nte rvals and ens ures a better reaction time fo r
the brakes in wet weather.
The bra king effect can also be redu ced if you are
d riving on salted roads and you do not apply t he
b ra kes fo r long pe riods of time. The layer of sa lt
on the brake rotors and brake pads m ust be worn
off first when the b rakes are applied¢& .
Intellig ent Technology
Corrosion
Leaving t he vehicle pa rked fo r lo ng periods of
t ime, low mileage and avoiding heavy braking
can contrib ute to corrosion on the brake rotors
and to dirty brake pads .
If you usua lly avoid heavy bra king or if there is
corrosion present, occasiona l heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
rotors and pads¢& .
Brake system malfunction
if you no tice that the b rake peda l t ravel has sud
denly
gotten larger, then a b rake c ircuit may have
f ailed ¢ & .
Low brake fluid level
When the brake fluid level is low, malfu nctions in
the b rake system may occur. The b rake fl uid level
is e lec tron ically moni tored.
Brake booster
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you ap
ply to the brake pedal.
It only works when the en
gine is running~ &.
Brake lining wear statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
t h rough the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this i nspection
¢ page 198, Replacing wheels .
,&. WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the bes t stop
ping power and m ust be "broken-in" during
the initial 250 mi (400 km) . You
can com
pensate for this by pressing the brake pedal
more firmly . This a lso applies later when
new pads are installed.
- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system
only if road condit ions permit. Other road
users must not be put at r isk - you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed a nd sh ift transmission into a lower
95
