AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2014 Owners Manual

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 179
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
B.J in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations .
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficu lt driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
possibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
•
•

180 Intelligent technology
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys ­
tem, anti-slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif­
ferential lock (EDL), dynamic steering" and
e lectronic interaxle differentia l lock* /selective
wheel torque control* . ESC is switched on all
the t ime. I n certa in s ituations whe n you need
l ess t raction, you can switch
off ASR by p ress­
i ng the bu tto n
[ru ¢ page 181, fig. 167 or
¢page 181, fig. 168. Be sure to sw itch ASR
on aga in when yo u no longer need less t rac­
tion .
Anti -lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braki ng. The veh icle can still be steered
even d uring h ard br aking. Apply ste ady p res ­
sure to the brake pedal. Do no t pump the ped­
a l. A pulsing in the brake peda l indicates t hat
the system is he lping yo u to b rake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assis t system can decrease b ra ki ng
d ista nce. It incre ases braking power w hen the
d river p resses the brake pedal q uic kl y in eme r­
gency situations . You must p ress and hold the
b rake peda l until the situation is over. In
vehicles w ith adapt ive cru ise contro l", the
brake assist system is more sensit ive if the
d ista nce detected to t he vehicle a head is too
small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start , accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic differenti al lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if t he vehicle is equipped with
all-w heel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h).
In extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the bra ke on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL wi ll switch on again au-tomat
ica lly when conditions have ret urned to
no rma l.
Dynamic steering*
On vehicles wi th dynam ic steering*, ESC he lps
st abi liz e the steer ing in cr itical situ ations.
Electronic interaxle differential lock* /
selective wheel torque control*
T he elec troni c int eraxle differentia l lock (front
whee l dr ive) o r th e se lec tive whee l torque
control (all-whee l dr ive) oper ates when dr iv ­
ing t hro ugh curves. The front wheel on the in ­
side of the c urve or both whee ls on the inside
of the c urve are b raked se lectively as needed.
This m inimizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more precise driving through
curves . The applicable system may not acti­
vate when dr iving in wet o r snowy cond itions.
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL dynam ic steering*
a nd the ele ct roni c interaxle d ifferential
lo ck* /se lective whee l torque con trol *
cannot ove rcome the laws of physics .
This is especially important on sli ppery
or wet roads.
If the systems beg in acting
to stabilize your veh icle, yo u should im­
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traffic conditions . Do not
let the increased safety prov ided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle cont ro l, col lision and ser ious pe r­
sonal injur ies.
- Always ada pt your speed to road, traffi c
a nd wea ther conditions. The r isk of los-
ing con trol of the vehicle i ncreases when
d riving too fast, es pec ia lly through
curves and o n slippe ry or wet roads, an d
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys­
tem, ASR, EDL dynam ic steer ing* and the
e lectronic inte raxle differentia l lock*/se­
lec tive whee l to rque control* cannot p re-
-
vent co llisi ons. ~

-Always acce lerate with specia l care on
even, smooth surfaces s uch as t hose that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can s pin even with
the se assistance systems that cannot al­
ways help to reduce the risk of loss of ve­ hicle control.
(0 Tips
- ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equ ipped w ith ident i-
Switching on /off
Intelligen t technolog y 181
cal tires. D iffe rent tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
described are working .
- I f the ind ica to r light
$1 or ml (USA
mode ls)/ [i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 18,
¢ page 19.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 16 7 Versio n A: lower ce nter console,~ OFF but­
to n
The ESC is designed to function in levels. De­
pending on the leve l that is selected, the sta­
b ili zation function of the ESC is limited or
switched off . The amount of stab ilizat ion con­
trol will diffe r depend ing on the level.
The follow ing s ituations are exceptions where
it may be useful to switc h on sport mode to
allow the whee ls to spin:
~ • _j ---------' -~ _.,.,
Fig. 168 Ve rsio n 8: uppe r ce nte r console,~ OFF bu t­
to n
-Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow o r on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains

182 Intelligent technology
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASR on
Behav ior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization function The full stabilization func-
tion functions are limited is not ava ilable
c> .&. . ESC tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ _&.. and ASR are sw itched off. available again.
Operation Press the l.i; OFF ! button P ress and hold the 1.i; OFFI Press the l.i; OFF ! button
briefly. button
longer than 3 sec-
again.
onds.
Indicator II turns on. II and Ill turn on. II turns off or II and II
lights tur n off.
Driver mes- Stabilization control Stabilization control Stabilization control
sages (ESC): Sport. Warning! (ESC): off. Warning! Re- (ESC): On
Restricted stability stricted stability
It is only possible to turn off the ASR up to 30
mph (SO km/h) for vehicles with front wheel
drive . At about
45 mph (70 km/h) it automat i­
cally turns on aga in . It is poss ible to turn off
the ASR at any speed for veh icles with all
wheel dr ive.
.&, WARNING
Yo u should only switch sport mode on or
switch ESC/ASR off if your driving abilities
and road conditions permit.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is switched on. The
driving whee ls cou ld spin and the vehicle
cou ld swerve, especially on slick or slip ­
pery road surfaces.
- There is no vehicle stabilization when
ESC/ASR are switched off.
(D Tips
ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or sport
mode cannot be switched on when adap­
tive cruise control* is switched on.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new
brake pads do not possess their fu ll braking
effect, they have to be "broken in" first
c> .&. .
You can compensate for this slightly reduced
braking power by push ing harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak
ing loads dur ing the
break -in period.
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing condit ions and driving hab its
c> .&. . On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop­ and-go city traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dea ler more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have you r brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the braking
effect of the engine . This way, you prevent un ­
necessary wear on the brake system.
If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuous ly . Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, b rak ing force and outside cond i­
t ions such as temperature and humidity .
Effect of water and road salt
In certain situations, for example after driv in g
t hr ough water, in heavy rain, after overnight
condensation or after washing you r car, the
braking effec t can be reduced by mois ture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads. The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake applications .

At higher speeds and with the windshield wip ­
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regular intervals without the
driver noticing and provides for better brake
response time under wet conditions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Likewise,
you clean
off accumulated sa lt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious ap­
plications of the brake~&. .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by brak ing
firm ly a few times from a moderately h igh
speed
¢ .Li). .
Fa ults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed~&,. .
Low brake flu id le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low . T he brake fluid
level is monitored electronically .
Brake boo ste r
The brake booster increases the pressure th at
you generate w ith the bra ke pedal. It works
only when the engine is running
. ¢ &.
Brake lining w ear statu s
Brake lining wea r may be c hecked by vis ual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces ­
sary, the whee l may be removed for this in­
spection
¢ page 244, Changing a wheel.
Int ellig ent technolog y 183
A WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "b roken-in" dur­
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal c ity dr iving .
You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly. This also
applies la ter when new pads are instal­
led.
- You should perform braking m aneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gea r or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, p remature wear and increased
s topping distance.
- Unde r ce rtain cl imatic and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa ­
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes w ill dry and ice coat­
ings w ill be cleaned
off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions .
- Driving for an extended period of time o n
salt-cove red roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency.
C lean
off accum ulated salt coa ting from
bra ke disc s and pad s wi th a few ca reful
bra ke applica tions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a diffe rent spoiler, be sure the air
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed . Otherw ise the bra ke system could
•
•

184 Intelligent technology
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­ est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed conside ra ­
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power as sist helps
the driver when steering.
Powe r stee ring adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this ind icator lig ht tu rns on and stays on
an d th is message appears, t he power steer ing
may have f ailed.
D o
not cont in ue d riving. See yo ur autho rized
Aud i deale r or a q ua lifi ed r epa ir facility for as­
sistance.
'II Dynamic steering : System fault! You can
cont inue driv ing
If the indic ator light t urns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi­
cul t to move or more se nsitive than usual. The
steer ing wheel may also be at an angle whe n
d riving straight .
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop to have the malfunction
cor rected .
'y.ij Dynamic steering: initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica ­
tor light is f lashing on the instrument panel,
dynam ic steer ing * is being re in it ia lized. After
starting the engine, the steering wheel will move s light ly. Re- initiali zation might be nec­
essary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and right wh ile the vehicle was not
moving . Th e display goes out as soon as ini ti­
ali za tion is complete.
_& WARNING
Ha ve the dy namic stee ring * system m al­
f u nction repa ired as soon as possible by an
a uthorized Au di dea ler or qua lified work ­
shop -risk of acc ident !
(D Tips
-If the . or 'II indic ator li ght only s tays
on fo r a shor t time, you m ay continue
dr iving.
- The dynamic s teerin g* stabi lit y syste ms
are no t av ail ab le in the even t of a system
ma lf u nction .
- F or ad di tion al information on dynamic
steering *, refe r to ¢ page 106 .
-
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to vehicles: wi th all-w hee l drive
With a/I-wheel drive , all four wheels are driv­
en .
General information
With a ll-wheel d rive, power is distr ib uted to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
co ndit ions at the time . See also ¢ page 179 .
A center d ifferential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear axle. It
wor ks together with selective w heel torque
co ntrol, wh ich activates when dr iving t hro ugh
c ur ves ¢page 180. With the sport differe n­
t ia l* , pow er d istr ibut ion to the rea r wheels is
variable a nd can be adjusted w ith drive se lect
Q page 106. .,..

The all-wheel drive concept is designed fo r
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception ­
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iving charac­
ter istics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice . Always read and follow
safety precautions
c> & .
Winte r tires
When driving in the winter, your ve hicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular t ires. In winter road conditions it may
be adv isable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son t ires) for imp roved driveability and brak­
i ng: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
w heel s.
See also c> page 23 7, Winter tires.
Tire chain s
Where tire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive
c> page 238, Snow
chains.
R eplacing wheel s/tire s
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must a lways
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t ires
with d ifferent tread depths . For details see
page ~
page 233, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Ro ad dri ving ?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road veh icle. It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
c> page 187.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions . Do not let the ext ra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-whee l dr ive is very ef­
fective, a lways remember that b raking
capacity is limited by tire traction. Yo u
sho uld therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
Int ellig ent technolog y 185
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If th is should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­ crease in engine speed as w it h a front­
wheel drive veh icle . Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con­
ditions - risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers (e .g. immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can resu lt in there being insuffic ient energy
available to start the eng ine .
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of e lectr ica l ener­
gy. Start ing ability is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic ene rgy management .
Batte ry diagnos is
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the batte ry . Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ign ition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­
nents. Data from battery d iagnos is is cons id­
ered .
Depend ing on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned
off .,_ •
•

186 Intelligent technology
to prevent excessive disc harge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic en ergy management
While the vehicle is be ing dr iven , dynamic en­
e rgy management distributes the energy gen­
erated accordi ng to the needs of the individu­
a l components . It reg ulates cons umption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti ­
mal state of charge for the battery.
@ Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits o f physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are li mited .
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi­
cator light(•) appears
¢ page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capabili ty.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
d riving, in city traffic and during the co ld time
of year. Abundant e lectr ica l energy is re ­
qu ired, but only a little is generated. It is also
cr itical if the engine is not run ning and electri­
cal components a re turned on . In th is in ­
stance energy is being consumed but none is be ing generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat ­
ing the distr ib ution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period If yo u do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back o r switched off .
This reduces energy cons umption and mai n­
tains sta rting capab ility over a longer period .
Some of t he conve nien ce f unctions may no t
ope rate, su ch as the in ter io r l ights o r the
power seat ad justment. The convenience
f u nctions will be avai lable again when you
switch on the ignition and start the engine . With the engine turned off
If you
listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
t h e engine t urned off or use other M MI func ­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If s tarti ng capab il ity is jeopardi zed d ue to en­
ergy consumptio n, the following warning ap­
pears in the MM I display:
Pl ea se start the engine soon or the syst em
will be turned off .
The warning indicates that the system will be
tu rned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, yo u
have to sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine running
Althoug h electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being dr iven, the battery can be ­
come discharged. This happe ns mostly when
li ttle energy is being ge ne rated and a g reat
deal consumed and t he ba ttery's state of
c harge is no t opt imal.
To b ring the energy bala nce back into equ ili­
br ium, consumers wh ich requ ire espec ially
lar ge amounts of ene rgy a re temporar ily cut
ba ck or sw itched off. Heat ing systems in p ar­
t icu lar require a great deal of energy . If you
notice, for examp le, that the heated seats * or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off . These systems w ill be available again as
soon as the e nergy balance has been restored.
You w ill also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . T hi s is normal and not
a cause for concern. By increasing engine id le
speed the additional energy required is ge ner ­
ated and the battery is charged .

Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers ):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum perm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after br eak-in period
.. Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
After the break- in peri od
.. Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un­
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next higher gear before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale c.>page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's internal friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
in . How well this break -in process is done de ­
pends to a considerable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 k ilome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduc ed. However, t hese rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine.
Driving and environment 187
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
reduces noise and protects the environ­
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 ki lo­
meters) after fitting.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be sure to remember
this dur ing the f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llowing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are d rivi ng on poo r roads, or over
cu rbs, steep ramps, etc., make certa in that
low- ly in g parts s uch as spo ile rs and ex ha ust
system parts do not bottom o ut and get dam ­
aged.
Th is is espec ially true for veh icles with low­
s lung chassis (spo rts chas sis)* and fully load ­
ed vehicles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid ve hicle damage
when driving through water, for e xamp le on
flooded roads:
- The wa ter must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body .
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
•
•

188 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it .
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi­
cle to dr ive through safely.
-
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic conv ert er) is function ­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in on env ironm entally sound manner.
,,. Always use lead-free gaso line Q page 201,
Fuel supply .
,,. Never run the tank down a ll th e way to emp ­
ty.
,,. Never put too much moto r oil in your engine
Q page 211 , ~ Adding engine oil .
,,. Never try to push -or tow -start your ve hicle .
T he cata lytic converter is an eff ic ient "clean­
up" device built in to the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the polluta nts in the exhaust gas be ­
fore they are released into the atmosphe re . The exclus
ive use of unleaded f uel is critica lly
important for the life of the catalytic conv ert­
er and p roper funct ion ing of the eng ine .
A WARNING
=
-The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driving and after stop­
p ing the eng ine .
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle i n
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con­
ver ter or he at s hields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
CI) Note
- Be aware tha t just o ne tank filling with
leaded fu el w ill alre ady ser io usly de ­
grade the performance of the cata lytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the cor rect engine oil level
Q poge 211.
-Do not drive until the fuel t ank becomes
comple tely empty . The engine cou ld mis ­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and th is co uld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve­
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not contin ue to ope rate your veh icle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
co uld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis -
sion Control System: .,..