warning AUDI S4 2013 Owners Manual

182 Child Safet y
• Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage.
• Pull straps tight following the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions.
Re leasin g
• Loosen the tension on the straps following
the chi ld restraint manufacturer 's instruc ­
tions .
• Depress the spring catche s to release the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag­
es .
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restrain t firmly in place.
A WARNING ,.
Improper use of the LATCH system can in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in an acc ident .
- T hese anchors were developed only for
child safety seats us ing the "LATCH" sys­
tem .
- Never attach other child safety seats,
belts or ot her objects to these anchors .
-Always make sure that you hear a click when latching the seat in place . If you do
not hear a click the seat is not secure and
cou ld fly forward and h it the interior of
t he vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi­
cle .
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
wi ll increase the risk of injury in an acc i­
dent.
- Always follow the child restraint system manufacturer's instructions for proper
installation of the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as we ll as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your vehicle .
- Always read and heed the important in­
format ion and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re­
st raint systems ¢ page 166, Child Safe­
ty.
-
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 170 Se dan Tet her an ch or s: r ecess flaps behind th e
rear sea tback s
Fig. 171 all road Tether a nch o rs: attachmen t hook lo ­
ca tions beh ind t he rear s eatb acks
Sedan: The tether ancho rs for the rea r seat ing
positions are located in recesses in the rear
windowshelf ¢fig.170.
allroad: The tether anchors for the rear seat­
ing pos it ions are located on the backside of
the rear seatbacks
¢ fig. 171 .
A tether is a stra ight or V-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a child restraint to
special anchorage points in th e vehicle.
T he purpose of the tethe r is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child restraint in a
crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that cou ld be caused by striking t he ve­
hicle interior .
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S .
federal regu lations to comply with c hild head
movement performance requirements. These
new perfo rmance requirements make a tether
neces sary on mos t new child safety sea ts.
IIIJ.

_& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
will increase the risk of injury and death in a crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided
by the manufacturer of the child re­
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a collision. The anchors are de­
signed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether ancho­ rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at­
tach a child restraint to the front passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight , that it causes the weight-sensing
mat to measure more weight than is ac­
tually on the seat.
- The heavier weight registered can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­ ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
Child Safety 183
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig . 172 Sedan Tether strap: proper routing and
mou nting
Fig. 173 allroad Tether strap: proper routing and
mo unting
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions .
.,. Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint ~
fig. 172 or¢ fig. 173 (raise
the head restraint if necessary).
.,. Sedan: Tilt the recess flap up to expose the
anchor bracket.
.,. Sedan: Attach the tether strap anchorage
hook into th e opening of the tether anchor­
age .
.,. allroad: Slide the tether strap hook over the
anchor bracket.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly following
the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
t ions.
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension following the child re -
straint manufacturer's instructions.
1J1-

184 Child Saf ety
• Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it from the anchorage .
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly insta lled for several
days, this cou ld leave a mark on the up­
holstery on the seat c ushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in­
stalled. The upholstery would a lso be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap. Th is applies especially to leather
seats.
Using tether straps on rea rward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child rest raint
systems come with a tether . P lease read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur­
er's instructions carefully to determine how to properly instal l the tether.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rea rward-facing child sa fety
s e at insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be killed if
t he fron t air bag infl ates -even wit h an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflati ng a irbag wi ll hit the child
sa fety sea t or infan t carrier w it h grea t
f orce and w ill smash the c hild safety sea t
and child against the backrest, cente r
armrest, or door.
- A tight tet her or ot her st rap on a rear ­
wa rd-facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-mat i n the
seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heav ie r
we ight registe red can make the system
wor k as though a n adu lt were on the seat
and dep loy the A dvan ced Airbag when i t
mus t be suppres sed c ausing seriou s or
eve n fa tal injury to the child.
- If you mus t install a rea rw ard fa ci ng
ch ild s afety se at on the front passenge r
sea t beca use of excep tional circ ums tan - ces and t
he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rearward-fac ing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi·
tion and have t he ai rbag system inspec t­
e d by your authorized A udi dealer .
Additional Information
'
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of add itiona l
information about child restra int selection, in­
sta llation and use:
NHTSA advises that the best ch ild safety seat
is the one that fits your ch ild and fits in your
vehicle, and that you will use correct ly and
cons istently .
Try before yo u buy!
U .S National Highway Traffi c Safet y Admin­
istration
Tel.: 1 -888-327- 4236 (TIY: 1-800-424-9153)
www.n htsa.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662 -0600
www.safek ids.org
Safet y BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
T el.: (800) 7 47-SANO (Spanis h)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
T el.: 1 -800 -33 3-0371 o r ca ll
1-6 13-998-86 16 if yo u are i n the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
menu. htm
Audi Cu stomer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 822 -2834

186 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 188, fig. 176 or
¢ page 188, fig. 177. 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 increases braking power w hen the
d river p resses the brake pedal quic kly in eme r­
gency situations . You must p ress and hold the
brake 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 those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these 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
ca l tires. Different tire s izes can lead to a
reduct ion i n eng ine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are wo rking .
- If the indicator light D] or m!S (USA
models) ;tiJ (Canada models) appears,
the re may be a malfunct ion
c:> page 19,
~ page 19.
Sedan : Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start
the engine .
Fig . 174 Vers io n A: low er c en te r co nsol e, 1', O FF bu t­
to n
Fig. 175 Ve rsio n B: upper ce nte r console,~ OFF bu t­
to n
Intelligen t technolog y 187
Turning off ASR
In some sit uatio ns, it may be useful to switch
ASR
off to a llow the wheels to spin . For exam­
ple:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when i t is st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Qu ick ly press the
I~ O FF I button c:> fig. 174 or
c:>
fig . 175. The fil indica tor light turn s on and
t he me ssage
T rac tion control (A SR ): Off.
War ning! R estrict ed stability
appears in the
display .
It i s only possible to turn
off the ASR up to
30 mph (SO km/h) for vehicles wi th front
wheel drive . At about 45 mph (70 km/h) it au ­
tomat ically turns on again .
It is possible to
turn
off the ASR at any speed fo r vehicles with
all wheel drive .
Turning off ESC
Press and hold the I;; OFFI button for three
seconds . The
fl ESC indicator light turns on
and the message
Stabil ization cont rol (ESC ):
o ff . Warni ng ! Re str icted stab ilit y
appea rs in
the d isplay. ASR is also sw itched
off when ESC
i s sw itched off.
Switching on
Press the j ;; O FFI button again . The fi indica­
tor light t urns on and the message
St abi liz a­
t ion control (ESC ): On
appears in the disp lay.
_&. WARNING
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
contro l of the vehicle more eas ily when
ASR and ESC are switched off, especia lly
when the road is s lippery .
- Switch ASR/ESC
off only when yo ur driv ­
ing skills, traffic and weather conditions
permit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch ASR and ESC off when
adaptive cruise control* is working .
-

188 Intelligent technology
allroad: Switching on /off
ESC turns on automatically when you start
the engine .
Fig. 176 Version A: lower ce nter console,~ OFF but­
to n
...... [ I I n-I _,,. .,., -------' -"~ __..,
Fig. 177 Versio n B: upper ce nter conso le,~ OFF but­
to n
ESC Offroad mode
In order to maintain maximum traction and
optima l brak ing when driving offroad , the
conditions for the ESC to work are reduced to
such a degree, tha t the vehicle whee ls co uld
start to spin . The stabilizing effects start to
work later wh ich results in limited vehicle sta­
b ili ty.
The ESC Offroad mode should on ly be used in
the following situations:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving on rough terra in when much of the
car's weight is lifted off the wheels (axle ar­
t icu lation)
- Driving with snow cha ins
- Driving downhill while braking on loose
ground
F or your safety, switch off the ESC Offroad
mode in advance.
Switching on th e ES C Offroad mode
Press the In OF FI button ¢ fig. 176 or
¢ fig. 177 . The I indicator light turns on and
the message
St abilization cont ro l ( ES C): Off­
ro ad. Wa rning! Rest ricted stability
appears
in the disp lay.
Swit ching off th e ESC Offroad mode
Press the !.$ O FF I button again to sw itch the
ESC back on . The
IJ indicator light turns off
and the message
Stabil ization contro l (ESC ):
On
appears in the display.
_& WARNING
- You shou ld only turn on the ESC Offroad
mode when driving offroad or with snow
chains.
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of the vehicle more easi ly when
ASR and ESC are in Offroad mode, espe ­
cially whe n the road is slippery.
- Switch to Offroad mode only whe n your
driving skills, traff ic and weather condi­
tions permit .
(D Tips
You cannot sw itch Offroad mode on when
adaptive cruise control* is working.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pad s
During the first 250 mi les (400 km), new
brake pads do not possess the ir full brak ing
effect, they have to be "broken in" first¢ .&,.
You can compensate for this slightly reduced
braking power by p ushing harde r on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy brak ing loads dur ing the
break-in pe riod.
Oper ating cond ition s and driving habit s
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat ­
ing co nd it ions and driving hab its
¢ .&, . On
vehicles that are either driven most ly in stop-
and-go city traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
lilJ,,

brake pads should be checked by your a uthor ­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
War ranty & M aint enance booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can res ult
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld 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 continuously . Pump the brakes at inter ­
vals.
Operating no ise
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi­
tions such as temperature and humidity.
Effect of w ater and ro ad salt
In certain sit uations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, after overnight
condensation or after washing your car, the brak ing effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads. The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake app lications.
At h igher speeds and with the w indshield w ip­
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regula r intervals without the
d river noticing and provides for better brake
response time under wet condit ions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes a re not used . L ikew ise,
you clean off a ccumulated sa lt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few ca utious ap­
p lications of the brake
c:> .&. .
Cor rosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to bu ild up
on the brake pads a nd corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regular ly or
only for short t rips with little use of the
b rakes.
I f the b rakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
r osion has formed on the discs, it is advisab le
t o clean off the pads and discs by brak ing
Int ellig ent technolog y 189
firmly a few times from a moderately h igh
speed
c:> .&. .
Faults in the brake s yst em
If you shou ld notice a sudden in crease in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have fai led
c:> .&. .
Lo w brake fluid l ev el
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low . The brake flu id
level is monitored elect ro nica lly.
Brake booster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate with the brake peda l. It works
only when the engine is running
.c:> .&
Brake lining wear statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If neces­
sa ry, the wheel may be removed for th is in ­
spect ion
c:> page 259, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
- New brake pads don' t have the best stop­
ping power and m ust be "bro ken-in" dur­
ing the initial
100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal c ity driving.
You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly. Th is also
applies later when new pads are instal­
led.
- You should perform braking maneuvers for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road use rs 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 l ower dr iving range . Do not ride
the brakes or hold t he 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 res ting you r
foo t on the pedal when you do not intend .,..
•
•

190 Intelligent technology
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
f or a test . B rakes will dry a nd ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few ca re ­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended pe riod of time on
salt -covered roads without using you r
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed . O therwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­ creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to t he near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your ve hicle, or
because the b rake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerab ly harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steer ing adapts electronically based on
the veh icle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Ste ering d efe ct ive ! Do not d rive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
a nd this message appears, the power steering
may have failed .
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance.
'Tij D ynamic steer ing: Sy stem f au lt! You c an
cont inue d riving
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the stee ring may be more diffi­
c ul t to move o r more sensitive than usua l. The
steering wheel may a lso be at an ang le when
driv ing straight.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lf u nction
corrected.
'Tij Dynamic stee rin g: initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel, dynamic steer ing* is being re initia lized . On ce
you start the engine after t his is finished, the
steering wheel will be easy to move . Re-initi­
alizat ion might be necessary if the steering
whee l was moved hard to the left and right
whi le the vehicle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initiali zation is complete.
A WARNING
-Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repa ired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop - r is k of accident!
-

@ Tips
- If the . or
fT j indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, you may continue
driving.
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering*, refer to
c:> page 113.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles: with a ll-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
Gener al inform ati on
W ith all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your dr iving style and the road
conditions at the t ime. See also
c:> page 185.
A center different ial distr ibutes the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle . It
works together with selective wheel torque
control, which activates when driving throug h
curves
c:> page 186. With the spo rt d ifferen ­
tial*, power dist ribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with drive select
c:> page 113.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power. Yo ur vehicle is exception ­
ally powerful and has exce llent driving charac ­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and fo llow
safety precautions
c:> A .
Winter t ir e s
When driv ing in the w inter, your veh icle w ith
all-wheel drive has an advantage,
even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
w heels . See also c:> page 250, Winter tires .
Intellig ent technolog y 191
Tire chain s
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this no rma lly also applies to veh icles
with all-wheel drive
c:> page 251, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of t he same s ize. A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths . For detai ls see
page
c:> page 246, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
You r A udi does no t have enough ground clear ­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle .
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
c:> page 194.
A WARNING
Always adjust your dr iving to road and traf­
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire traction. You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road surfa ces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
co uld begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If this should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in ­
crease in engine speed as w ith a front­
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
•
•

192 Intelligent technology
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 conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
tery is d ischarged by idling current consumers
(e.g. immobilizer). In ce rtain circumstances it
can result i n there bei ng insuff ic ient ene rgy
avai lab le to start the engine .
Intell igent energy management in your vehi­
cle hand les the d ist ribu tion of elect rical ener­
gy. Starting ab ility is mar ked ly imp roved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically , energy management consists of
batt ery diagno sis , idling curr ent manag e­
ment
a nd dynami c energy man agement .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously determ ines
the state of the battery . Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This dete rm ines the current
sta te of charge and the power of the ba ttery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption wh ile the vehicle is stand ing .
W ith the ignition switched off, it cont ro ls the
ene rgy s upply to the va rio us e lectrica l compo­
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
e red.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
i nd ividua l consumers are grad ually t urned off
to p revent ex cess ive d isc harge of the ba ttery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is be ing dr iven , dynamic en­
e rgy management dist ributes t he energy gen­
e rated accordi ng to the needs of the individu­
a l componen ts.
It reg ulates consump tion, so
that more electrical ene rgy is not being used than
is being generated and ensures an opti ­
mal state of charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy man ageme nt canno t
negate the limi ts of physics . Conside r
that the powe r and life of a battery are
limited .
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi ­
cator light (•) appears ~
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability .
The b attery is severe ly taxed in short -d istance
driv ing, in ci ty traff ic and during t he cold time
of yea r. Ab undant electrical energy is re­
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engine is not r unning and electri­
ca l components are turned on . In this in­
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precisely these s ituations that you will
notice energy management active ly reg ulat­
ing the d istribution of energy.
Vehicle stand s for an e xtended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectrica l compo ­
nents are gradually cut back or sw itched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in­
ta ins start ing capability over a longer pe riod .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior lights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
f unc tions wi ll be available again when yo u
swi tch on the igni tion and sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w it h
the engine t urned off or use other MMI func­
t ions, t he battery is be ing discharged.
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en ­
ergy consump tion, the following warning ap-
pears in the MM I display: .,,.