80B012721BA
Checking and Filling
Multiple batteries with different technologies
may be installed in your vehicle:
— Vehicle battery (for example, for starting the
engine, basic power supply) > page 257, 12
Volt vehicle battery or > page 258, Other bat-
tery types
— Auxiliary battery (for example, for recuperation
or optional equipment) > page 258, Other bat-
tery types
— Plug-in hybrid drive: High-voltage battery (for
example, for electric driving) > page 122, In-
troduction.
Not running the vehicle for long periods of
time
The battery will gradually drain if the vehicle
does not run for long periods of time. To ensure
that the vehicle can still be started, the electrical
equipment will be limited or switched off. Some
convenience functions, such as interior lighting
or power seat adjustment, may not be available
under certain circumstances. The convenience
functions will be available again when you start
the
engine.
Even when electrical equipment is switched off,
the equipment can still drain the battery if the
vehicle is not driven for long periods of time.
Deep draining results in a chemical reaction that
destroys the inside of the battery. The battery
must be charged every month to prevent this
= page 258. Contact an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility for more infor-
mation.
Winter operation
Cold weather places an especially high load on
the 12 Volt vehicle battery. Have the battery
checked by an authorized Audi dealer or author-
ized Audi Service Facility before cold weather be-
gins.
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
— Never connect a charging cable or jump
start cable directly to the 12 Volt vehicle
battery. Only use the connections in the en-
gine compartment > page 258.
Z\ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
— Battery posts, terminals and related acces-
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Wash hands after handling.
@) Note
— If the vehicle will be parked for long periods
of time, protect the battery against the cold
so that it will not be destroyed by “freezing”
=> page 258, Charging the 12 Volt vehicle
battery.
— There are electrical components under the
cargo floor behind a trim panel that warm
up during operation. To reduce the risk of
the components overheating, do not store
objects such as blankets under the cargo
floor. If the components overheat, they will
switch off temporarily. This will be indicated
by a message that will be displayed in the
instrument cluster until the temperature re-
turns to normal.
12 Volt vehicle battery
Explanation of warnings:
Always wear eye protection.
ZA\ WARNING
— All work on the battery or electrical system
in your vehicle can result in injuries, chemi-
cal burns, accidents, or burns. Because of
this, all work must be performed only by an
Fire, sparks, open flame, and smoking are
forbidden.
Battery acid is highly corrosive. Always
wear protective gloves and eye protection.
A highly explosive mixture of gases can
form when charging batteries. >
257
Emergency assistance
Snow chains
Using snow chains on the collapsible spare tire is
not permitted for technical reasons.
If you need to drive with snow chains and your
vehicle has a flat tire, install the collapsible spare
tire on the axle where snow chains are not per-
mitted > page 277. Install the snow chains on
the tire that you removed, and install that in
place of the flat tire.
ZA WARNING
— Only use the collapsible spare tire in emer-
gencies and drive very carefully, especially if
it is
more than six years old.
— The compressor and the hose can become
very hot during operation which increases
the risk of burn injuries.
— After installing a collapsible spare tire, the
tire pressure must be checked as quickly as
possible to reduce the risk of an accident.
— Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h)
with the collapsible spare tire. Driving faster
than that increases the risk of an accident.
—To reduce the risk of an accident, avoid hard
acceleration or braking and driving fast
around curves with the collapsible spare
tire.
— Never drive using more than one collapsible
spare tire, because this increases the risk of
an accident.
— Normal tires or winter tires must not be
mounted on the collapsible spare tire rim.
@ Note
The compressor must be switched off after six
minutes at the most to reduce the risk of
overheating. Let the compressor cool down
for several minutes before using it again.
294
Jump starting
You should only perform the steps that follow if
you have the necessary tools and technical ex-
pertise.
If the engine does not start because the vehicle
battery is drained, you can jump start your vehi-
cle using another vehicle. Jump start cables are
needed to do this.
Both vehicle batteries must have 12 V nominal
voltage. The voltage capacity (Ah) of the vehicle
battery that is giving power must not be less
than the capacity of the drained vehicle battery.
Jump start cable
Only use a jump start cable with a large enough
diameter. Note the manufacturer's specifica-
tions.
Only use a jump start cable with insulated termi-
nal clamps.
Positive cable - usually red.
Negative cable - usually black.
ZA WARNING
— A drained battery can freeze at tempera-
tures around 32 °F (0 °C). If the vehicle bat-
tery is frozen, it must be thawed before con-
necting the jump start cables. If it is not,
the risk of an explosion and chemical burns
increases. After jump starting the vehicle,
drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author-
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
— Read the warnings when working in the en-
gine compartment > page 246.
— Handling the jump start cables incorrectly
may cause the vehicle battery to explode
and lead to serious injuries.
() Note
— Jump start cables can cause considerable
damage to the vehicle electrical system if
they are connected incorrectly.
