warning AUDI A4 2016 Owners Manual

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Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle func tion s (p ower w indow reg ula­
tors, for example) are lost i f th e battery termi ­
na ls are d isconnected. These functions have to be
relearned afte r the battery termina ls are con­
nected aga in. To prevent th is, the batte ry shou ld
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectr ica l
system w hen abso lute ly necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If yo u do not drive you r vehicle over a period of
seve ral days or weeks, e lectrical components a re
g radually c ut back or sw itched off. This reduces
e nergy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca ­
pability over a longer pe riod
c> page 182.
Some o f the conven ience f unctions may not ope r­
ate, s uch as the inte rior lights or the power seat
ad justment. The convenience functions will be
ava ila ble aga in whe n you tu rn o n the ignition and
start the engine .
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to dec rease as temperatu res dr op. This is be­
cause more power is also consumed wh ile start ­
in g, and the head lights , rear wi ndow defogge r,
etc., are used more of ten .
Avoid un necessa ry power consumption, part icu­
l arly in city traffic or when t rave ling on ly short
d ista nces . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capaci ty of the vehicle battery be fore w inte r
sets in
r=;, pag e 214. A well cha rged batt ery w ill
n o t onl y preven t st arti ng p roble ms w hen the
wea ther is cold, but will also last l on ger .
(D Tips
If your v ehicle is left stand ing fo r se ve ral
wee ks at extre mely low tem per at ures, the ve­
hicle b attery sh ould be re moved and stor ed
w here it will not free ze . Th is will preve nt i t
from being dama ged and hav ing to be re ­
placed .
Checking and Filling
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart ­
ment under the floor. Befo re you check anything
i n the luggage compart ment ,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c> &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when working
o n the veh icle batte ry or t he ve hicle elec trical
system to prevent in jury .
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery :
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when wo rking on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking.
~
When a battery is charged , it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children.
A WARNING
= -
Whenever working on t he battery or on the
e lectr ica l system, the re is the r isk of injury,
accide nt a nd eve n fire. Read and he ed the fol­
l ow ing W AR NIN GS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat­
tery acid or any l ead particles ge t on you r
skin o r clothing. Shield yo ur eyes. E xplosiv e
g ases can ca use b lindne ss or other in jury.
- Ba tte ry acid contai ns sulfur ic acid. Sulfu ric
acid can ca use blindness and s evere burns.
- Always wea r gloves and eye protection . Do
n ot tilt t he batte ry because aci d could lea k
out of the ventilation openings. ""
213

Checking and Filling
-If you get batt ery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa ­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame, electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and nega-
tive cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth­
er metal objects. This would cause the bat ­
tery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy­
drogen gas which is explosive and could
cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the nega tive ground cable .
- Before performing any work on the electri­ cal system, switch off the engine and igni­
tion as well as any electrical equipment. The negative cable on the battery must be dis­
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, sw itch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off.
Reconnect the positive cable first and then
the negative cable. Never interchange the
cabl es - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat­
tery . It could explode! If a battery has fro­
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32°F (0°C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery.
214
- Never use batteries which are damaged .
There is the danger of an explosion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
A 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 problems.
Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is switched on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise, you will damage
electronic components in the electrical sys­
tem .
-If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing" , otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re­
placed.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­ tery .
Fig. 186 En g in e compar tment : Co nnectors for charger and
jumper cab les
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
9 A and ¢ A in Working on the battery on
page 213.
.,. Turn off the ignition and all electrical consum­
ers.
.,. Make sure the area is well ventilated when you
charge the battery.
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~ Open the engine hood¢ page 203.
~ Open the cover on the positive pole~ fig. 186 .
~ Connect the charger connectors accord ing to
the instructions to the
ju mp st a rt b olts . (Bolts
under the cover= "positive", Bo lts with hex
head = "negative") .
~ Only now plug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall outlet and turn it on
~ & -
~ Ma ke s ure t he c harging rate i s not ov er
30 amp s/14 .8 Vo lt.
~ When the battery is fu lly charged: Turn the
charging equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet.
~ Now remove the clamps for the charging equip-
ment.
~ Close the cover on the posit ive pole .
~ Close the hood ~ page 203.
A discharged battery can freez e at temperatures
of only 32 °F (0 °C) . Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempt ing to charge it
~ _& . However, we recommend not us ing a
thawed batte ry again because the battery casing
can be cracked due to ice format ion and can leak
battery acid.
Battery charg ing (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When cha rging at low vo ltages (e .g . with a tric k­
l e char ger ),
the battery cables do not have to be
disconnected first. The battery caps should
not
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the batte ry from
the luggage compartme nt.
F a st cha rging the battery (charg ing rate
above 14.8 Volt s)
For techn ical reasons do not use a battery charg­
e r that uses voltage greate r than 14 .8 Volts to
charge your vehicle 's battery.
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous .
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur­
er when charging your battery .
Check ing and Filling
-Never charge a frozen battery . It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al­
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were frozen.
The battery hous ing may have cracked and
weakened when the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas generat­
ed by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or disconnect charger cables while
the charger is operating .
- Fast charg ing a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
technician w ith the proper equipment.
- Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed off w ith a solution of
warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid .
@ Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This will seriously damage sensi­
tive electronic components, such as control units, re lays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
cha rge r.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica­
tions and dimensions as the original equipment
battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
r esponsib le for distr ibut ing the e lectrical energy
t hr oughou t your vehicle ~
page 182. The intelli­
gent energy management system will keep the
engine battery charged better then vehicles with ­
out this system. To make sure the additional
electrical energy is available once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at the
t ime your vehicle was delivered) . Specifications
are listed on the battery housing . Your author­
ized Audi dealer must code the battery in the en-
ergy managemen t system to enable you to use
ll>
215

Wheels
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" I I I
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wheel size, you w ill have to p ur­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nomina l distance between
rim flanges.
S idewall
means that portion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend ­
ed periods of time. The rat ings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 218.
You may not find
this information on all tires be ­
cause it is not requ ired by law.
222
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and ind icates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on
page 232 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or mo re of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illum i­
na tes a low tire pressure warning
te lltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact w ith the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away o f the tread
from the t ire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visua l indication of the deg rees
of wear of the tread. Se e
¢ page 226, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur-
ing tire wear. .,.

different tire speeds. For this rea­son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
&_ WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­ tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you
select have enough clearance
to the vehicle . Replacement
tires should not be chosen
simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ
greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
Wheels
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso­ lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 189 Tire profile : treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear .
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear .
-Have an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear. ..
225

Wheels
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel.
If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear
more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread
pattern, which are bars that are
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the tire per­ pendicular to the running direc­
tion¢
fig . 189 . The letters "TWI"
or triangles on the tire sidewall indicate the location of the tread­
wear indicators.
The tires have reached the mini­ mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators . Replace the tires with
new ones ¢A.
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly. To rotate wheels, in­
stall the wheels from the rear
axle on the front axle and vice
versa. This will allow the tires to
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
226
have approximately the same
length of service life.
For unidirect ional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 244.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hidden. Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately.
Check the tires for damage . If no
damage is visible from the out­
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­ er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed.
8_ WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega­
tive effect on handling, on the risk aquaplaning when driving
through water, when driving ,..

....
through curves and when brak­ing, which increases the risk of
an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 190 Driver 's sid e B-pillar : tir e pres­
sure label
"' -
-~-------------------,£
<l e::=.~: I =: I :,,. I)@ g: n,.,_,......._.___. ... _.,._.. _ __. .... _ ...
leooodl__._.,_,.d:.,~w._;.,.-~ •• ._
tM£. IIZl COLO tlllf fllllESSt.lW. PNfU Nl:4fN$IOM$ "IIISaoN OE$ PMEU$ A FROID
-AYIJff -KPA, a PSI
Fig. 191 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare t ire* is indicated on a la­
bel. The label is located on the B­
pillar
¢ fig . 190, ¢fig. 191.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded
¢
page 228. If driving the vehicle
g when fully loaded, you must in-
oo .... \D Ln .... \D ....
Wheels
crease the tire pressure to the
maximum specified pressure¢&.-
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,,.Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive .
.,,.Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm .
... check the label ¢
fig. 191 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
.,,.Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary.
... vehicles with Tire Pressure Mon­
itoring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain­
ment system
¢ page 236.
.,,.Check the pressure in the emer­
gency tire*/spare t ire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper ­
ature that is specified for the
tire .
_& WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle
load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase ...
227

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Wheels
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
( up to 3 occupants)a >
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A4 Sedan: 225 /55 Rl6 95H
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240 2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 Rl 7 95H
32 220 29 2 00 33 230 35 240 All Sea son
245/40 Rl8 93V
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240 High Performance
225 /50 Rl 7 94H
33 230 30 210 35 240
36 250 All 5ea son
245/40 Rl8 93H
33 230 3 2 220 36 250 38 260 All Season
255/35 Rl9 96V XL
32 220 30 210
35 240
35 240
High Performance
allroad / 225/55 Rl 7 97H
30 210 30 210 33 230 36 250 A4 allroad: All Sea son
2 .0 liter
245/45 Rl8 lOOH
3 2 22 0 32 220 33 230 36 250 4-cylinder
All Season
245 /45 R18 96Y
30 210 30 210 33 230 36 250 High Performance
245 /40 Rl9 98V XL
32 220 2 9 200 35 240 38 26 0 High Performance
S4 Sedan : 245/40 Rl8 93H
36 250 32
220 41 280 41 280
3.0 liter All Season
6 -cylinder
245/40 Rl8 93Y
39 270
35 240
41 280 41
280 High Performance
255/35 Rl9 96V XL
39 270 33 230 41 280 4 1 280 High Performance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire . Jt may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
a) 2 peo ple in the f ront, 1 p erson in t he rea r
A WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire pressure ¢
page 22 7 and load
limits ¢
page 229 .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
a nd any tire c an carry . A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and i s more difficult to stop .
O verloading can not only lead to ..
229

Wheels
loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR ") .
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any
luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
230
The Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 22 7,
fig. 190.
! WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and

Wheels
Th at w eight ma y not safel y ex­
ce ed th e av a il a bl e c argo and
lugga ge loa d capa city c alcul at­
ed in St ep 4.
6 . If yo ur vehicle will b e to wing a
tr aile r, lo ad fr om your tr ailer
w ill b e tran sferred to your ve ­
h ic le . Con sult thi s manual to
dete rmin e how this re du ce s
the a vailable carg o and lug­
g age load capa cit y o f your vehi ­
cle .
.,.Ch eck th e tire s idewall
(¢pag e 217 J fig . 188) to deter­
min e the d esign ated load r ating
for a specifi c tire .
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
W heel bol ts must be clean and loosen/t ighten
eas ily.
Rims
R ims with a bolted rim r ing * or w it h bolted whee l
covers * consist of mu ltiple pieces . These compo ­
nents were bolted together using specia l bolts
a nd a special procedu re. You must not repair o r
d isassemble th em¢ ,&..
_& WARNING
Whee l bolts tha t are t ightened o r repa ire d in­
correctly can become loose and resul t in loss
of vehicle control, which increases the risk of
an acc ident. For the correct t ightening specif i­
cat ion, refer to¢
page 241, After changing a
wheel.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the whee l hub clean and free of
grease.
- Only use wheel bolts that fit the rim.
232
- Always have damaged rims repaired by an
author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility. Neve r repa ir or disassemb le
r ims you rself, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
Winter tires
Win ter tires significantly improve the vehicle's
handling when dr iv ing in winter conditions. Be­
ca use of their const ru ct ion (w idth, compou nd,
t read pat te rn), summer t ires provide less t rac­
tion on ice and snow .
.,. Use winter tires on all four wheels.
.,. Onl y use winter tires that a re approved fo r yo ur
veh icle.
.,. Please note that t he maximum permit ted
speed may be lower with winter tires¢.&_ . An
authorized A udi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv­
ice Facility can inform you about the maximum
permitted speed for your tires .
.,. Check the tire pressure after insta lling wheels
¢ page 227.
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great­
l y when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 in (4 mm). The characteristics of winter
tires also decrease g reatly as the tire ages, re­
gard less of the rema ining t read .
_& WARNING
-
-Never d rive fas ter than the max imum pe r­
m itted speed for your tires. This could c ause
the t ires to hea t up too m uch. T his increases
the risk of an accident because it can cause the t ire to burst.
- Always ada pt your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Drive carefu lly and reduce
your speed on icy or slippery roads. Even
winter t ires can lose tract ion on black ice.
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinsta ll summer tires a t the appropriate
time, beca use they provide better handling
when roads are free o f snow and ice. Summer
tires cause less road no ise, tire wear and fuel
consumpt ion.