Intelligent Technology
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hyd roplane" if d riving at speeds that
are too high. Unlike front whee l drive
vehicles, the eng ine does not rev highe r sud
denly when the vehicle begins hyd roplaning.
Fo r this reason, adap t your speed to the
road co nditio ns to reduce t he risk of an acc i
dent.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a ve hicle w ith a conventional e nergy sys
tem is not driven for a long time, the vehicle bat
tery is dra ined by equipment (for example, the
immobilizer) . In certain circumstances, there
could may not be enough energy to start the en
gine .
Your veh icle is equipped with a n intelligent ene r
gy management system for d istr ibut ing electric i
ty . This s ignificantly improves the sta rting ability
a nd increases t he ve hicle battery life .
The energy management system Is made up of
battery diagnosis , idling current management ,
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
The batte ry diagnos is determines the ve hicle bat
tery charge level. The sensors dete rm ine the bat
tery voltage, the battery cur rent, and the battery
temperature. The c urrent charge level and the
pe rformance of the veh icle battery are deter
m ined based on th is .
Idling current management
The idling cu rrent management dec reases the
e n ergy used wh ile parked . With the eng ine
sw itched off, it manages the energy distribution
to the differe nt elect rical components. Data from
t he batte ry diagnos is is taken into account fo r
this.
94
De pend ing on the vehicle batte ry c harge level,
e lectrica l eq uip ment is switched off one item af
te r the other to p revent t he vehicle battery from
dra ining and to ma inta in the starting ab ility.
Dynamic energy management
W hile driv ing , d ynam ic ene rgy man ageme nt di s
tribu tes the ap propr iate amo unt of energy to t he
electrica l eq uip ment . It contro ls t he battery
c h arge level so that the amount o f energy is not
greater than the amount being generated in or
der to maintain an opt imal vehicle battery charge
l evel.
(D Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome the
laws of physics. Not e that the charge level
and length of the veh icl e bat tery life a re
limited .
- Wh en the sta rting ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light t urns o n
c::> page 13.
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority .
A lot of st ress is placed on the veh icle battery
whe n driving short distances, d uring city d riving,
and at cold times of t he year. A lot of ene rgy is
u sed but li tt le is generated .
It is also critical
whe n the engi ne is no t ru nning but electrical
equipmen t is sw it c hed on . In t his ca se, energy is
u sed but none i s generate d.
In si tuati ons like t his, energy management w ill
ac tiv el y regulate the d is tr ibution of energy .
Long periods without use
If you do not drive yo ur vehicle for severa l days o r
wee ks, electrica l equ ipment is g radua lly sca led
bac k or sw itched off . Th is reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be ab le to s tart a fter long
p er iods o f time . Some conven ience f unct ions,
s uch as in terior lig htin g, m ay not be available un
d er cert ain circu m sta nces. These c onve nien ce
f unct ions w ill be avail able ag ain once yo u sw itch
t h e ignit io n on and sta rt the eng ine. .,.
Airbag syste m
If the front passenger airbag deploys , the Feder
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined in the electronic control unit . ~
page 124
Alway s rem ember: Even though you r veh icle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat. Please be sure to read the important infor
mat io n in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARN INGS .
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of inj ury when an airbag in
flates, a lways wear safety belts properly .
-If you are unrestrained, leaning forwa rd, s it
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of injury is much higher .
- Yo u will also receive serious injur ies and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag r:!> page 114.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rea rward-facing child re
straint has been insta lled on the front pas
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran
tee that deployment is impossible in all con
ceivable s ituations that may happen during
the useful life o f you r vehicle .
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld re
straints in the back seat.
120
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SS EN GER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your authori zed Aud i dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional ci rcums tances , you must in
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-facing sea t
has been des igned and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward -facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down ad
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the a ir
bag as poss ible, before installing the for
ward-facing chi ld restrain t.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the child rest raint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi
tioned.
- Always move the passenge r seat into its
rearmost posit ion i n the seat's fo re and aft
ad justmen t range, as far away from the a ir
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for
ward-facing chi ld restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ign it ion is switched on.
' Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot
of very impo rtant parts of the Advanced A irbag
System in it . These parts include the weight-
sensing mat, sensors , wir ing, brackets, and .,.
more. The function of the system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electronic con
trol unit when the ignition is on . The control unit
monitors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the airbag indicator light on when a malfunct ion
i n the system components is detected . The func
tion of the airbag indicator light is descr ibed in
greater detail below . Because the front passen
ge r seat contains important parts of the Ad
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to p re
vent it from being damage d. Damage to the seat
may prevent the Advanced Airbag for the front
passenger seat from doing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists
of the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle t hat
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System a bout the severity of the crash.
- An electronic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
contro l unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit a lso "de
c ides " whether the safety be lt pretens ione rs
sho uld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the d river ins ide the s teer ing
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pa ne l for
the fron t passenger.
- A weig ht-sensing mat unde r the upho lstery
padding of the front passenge r seat c ushion
that meas ures the to tal weight on the sea t. The
informa tion registered is sen t continuously to
the e lectronic cont ro l unit to reg ulate dep loy
ment of the front Adv a need Ai rbag on the pas
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
¢ page 124.
-A sensor in each front seat reg isters the dis
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument pane l. The infor
o co mation reg istered is sent continuously to the ......
~ electronic control unit to regulate deployment N
8 of the fro nt Advanced A irbags . 0
:::,
00
Airb ag sys tem
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l¢
page 125, fig . 115 and te lls yo u when
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off.
- A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on the safety belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the we igh t registered by the weight -sens
ing mat help the contro l unit "decide" whethe r
the front airbag fo r th e fron t passe nger seat
should be tu rned off o r not ¢
page 115, Child
restrain ts on the front seat -some impor tant
things to know.
- A sensor in the s afety be lt latch for the drive r
an d for the front seat passenger that senses
whether tha t safety be lt is la tched o r not and
transmits this information to the e lectronic
control un it.
A WARNING ,-
Damage to the front passenge r seat can pre-
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unct ion ing
properly .
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and p roper ly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or d river
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
p lace them on the seat . If the weight-sens
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work p roper ly .
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob
jects on the passenge r seat . S uch items can
increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and s end the wrong in
formation to the a irbag control unit.
- Never store i tems unde r the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
un der t he passenger se at could be
~
121
Airbag syste m
damaged, preventing them and the airbag
system from working properly.
- Never place seat covers or rep lacement up
holstery that have not been specifically ap
proved by Audi on the front seats .
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air
bag System from recognizing child re
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side a irbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cush ions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The add it ional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from acc u
rately reg istering the ch ild restraint or per
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from funct ioning properly.
- If you must use a child rest raint on the front
passenge r seat and the child restraint man
ufacturer 's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the ch ild restraint, make
certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat.
- If the
PASSEN GER AIR B AG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately in
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur autho rized Aud i deale r.
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-po int safety belts and the adjustable
head restraints to help reduce the risk of injury in
a w ide range of acc ident and crash s ituations . Be
sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in th is chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the act ivat ion of the safety belt pretensioners de
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
un it. Crash severity depends on speed and de cel-
122
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt
u se, the airbag will be turned off if the weight on
the passenger seat is less than the amount pro
grammed in the electronic control unit . The front
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the child safety seats that has been
certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recogn ized on the seat .
The
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
and stays on to te ll you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
q page 115, Child restraints on the front seat
some important things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in
f lates, always wea r safety belts properly.
- If you are un restrained, leaning forward, sit
ting sideways or out of position i n any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will a lso receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
q page 114.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 114 Inflated front a irbags
Safety be lts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and prov ide sup-
plemental protection in a fronta l collision . ..,.
Airbag syste m
-Never h old things i n your hands or on your
lap whe n 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 brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
ca use serious personal injury if the a irbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or nea r the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a c rash, 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 a ir
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing p roblems for people w ith a
his to ry of asthma or o ther b reathing condi
tions .
- T o reduce the risk of brea thing problems,
those w ith asthma or o ther respiratory con
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or o pening 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 eat ing.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the resid ue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water .
124
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
!f 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 Adva nced A irbag System as well as the side
airbags and s ide curta in a irbags w ith ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con
tro l unit, sensors and system wiring) a re all
monitored cont inuo usly to make sure that they
are functioning properly whenever the ignition is on. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the airbag
monitoring i ndicator light
m w ill come on for a
few seconds (self d iagnostics) .
The system mu st be inspected when the
indicator light
E,I:
- does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
sw itched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driv ing.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
i ndicato r light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi
ate ly.
If a ma lfunction 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 ignition is on.
A WARNING
A n airbag system that is not functioning prop
erly cannot provide sup plemental pro tect ion
i n a fro nta l crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light ¢
page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
t he air bag will i nflate when i t is no t sup
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should .
a
co
...... N r--. N
'"' 0 0 ::, co
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 115 Sect ion from the instrument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF ligh t is located i n
the center of the instrument panel¢
fig. 115 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger sea t is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a small child or child re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go ou t if the front passenge r seat is occu
pied by an adul t as reg istered by the weight
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come
on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on t he front seat,
o r
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Sta ndard 208 w ith w hic h the Adva nced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front a irbag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
Airb ag sys tem
AIR BAG OFF light wi ll stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas
senger seat, the safest place for a ch ild in any
k ind of child restraint is at one of the seating po
sitions on the rear seat¢
page 115, Child re
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 134, Child safety.
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be su re to check the light regularly to make cer
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not appear and not s tay o n all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignit ion
off and then t urning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the child restraint . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly insta l
led and tha t the safety belt for the fro nt pa s
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed around
the child res traint as desc ribed in the c hild re
stra int man ufactu rer's instructions;
- make sure that the convert ible lo ck ing retrac
t or on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight. The belt m ust not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latc h on the seat can do
its job¢
page 144 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passe nger seat;
- make sure that the safety be lt tens ion sensor is
not blocked . Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passe nger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sens ing mat to measu re more weight
t han is actually on the seat.
If th e PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switc hed on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it properly at one of the rear
Iii--
125
Airbag system
service action is entered in your Audi War
ranty
& Maintenance book let under AIRBAG
REPLACEMENT RECORD.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules 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, al l
applicable laws and regulat ions must be ob
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requ irements 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
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For examp le, using t ire-rim
combinations not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs , suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent 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 Airbag performance and in
crease the risk of serious personal in jury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac
teristics as the components originally instal
led on your veh icle .
128
.
-Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center conso le 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 wo rking
p roperly.
-Always make sure that nothing can interfere
w ith the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 116 Sid e a irbag locatio n in the dr ive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests
~ fig . 116 facing the doors .
They are identified by the word "AIRBAG ".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is mon itored electron ically to
make certain that it is functioni ng properly at a ll
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics). .,,_
The side airbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can h elp to reduc e th e risk of injury to
the dr iver's and front passenge r's upper torso on
t he side of the vehicle th at is struck in a side col
lis ion . The airbag deploys on ly in side impac ts
and only when the vehicle acceleration reg istered
by the control unit is h igh enough. If this rate is
be low the reference va lue programmed into the
control unit, the s ide airbags will not be tr ig
gered, even though the car may be badly dam
aged as a result of the collision.
It i s not possib le
to define an airbag triggering range that wi ll cov
er ev ery possible angl e of impact, since th e cir
cumstances will vary conside rably between one
coll is ion and another . Important factors include ,
for example , the nature (hard or soft) of the im
pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed , etc .
r::;;, page 130 , Important safety in
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas
senger in pos it ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide p rotection .
The airbag sys tem is
no t a substitu te for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system i n your veh icle . Always re
member that the s ide airbag system can only
he lp to p rotect yo u if you a re wea ring your safety
be lt and wea ring it properly. This is another rea
son why you shou ld always wear your saf ety
be lts, not just because the law requi res you to do
so
r::;;, page 106 , General information.
It is important to remember that while the s up
p lemental side ai rbag system is designed to re
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, oth er inju
ri es, for example, sw elling , bru is ing, and minor
abrasions can a lso be associated with deployed
side airbags. Remember too , side airbags will de
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of a cci
dents -your safety belts are always t here to offer
p rotection .
Vehicle damage , repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
~ of over -sensitive o r failed airbag activation . In
~ some coll is io ns, both front and s ide a irbags may r--.
~ in flate. Remember too, that airbags will deploy 0
g only once and only in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions -(X)
Airb ag sys tem
your safety belts are always there to offer protec
tion in those accidents in which a irbags are not
s u pposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system w ill n ot deploy:
- when t he ignit io n i s t urned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end coll is io ns
- in rear-end col lisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
--Safety belts and the airbag system will only
p rov ide protect ion when occupants are i n
the prope r seat ing pos ition
r::;;, page 130 .
- If the ai rbag ind icator light r::;:, page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
a uthor ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le th at
t he airbag will inflate when i t is not sup
posed to, or w ill not inf late w hen it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy ins tan tly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who ore properly restrained.
F ig. 117 In fla ted s ide airba gs on lef t side of ve hicl e
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with prope llant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat s urface area marked "AIRBAG" .
It ex-
pands between the side trim panel a nd the .,.
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