ESP AUDI S8 2011 Repair Manual

172 Child Safety
Subpart C - Forward-facing and
convertible child r estra in ts
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundab out September 25, 2007
E 9 L02xx
Cos co Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
Evenflo Tribu te V Sep tember 25 , 200 7
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport
Graco Toddler Safety
Seat Step 2 September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Graco Platinum Cargo September 2S, 2007
8_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is sw itched
on .
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at o ne
of the rea r seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur autho riz ed Aud i dealer immediat e­
ly.
The c hild seats listed in catego ries A to C
have been tested by A udi on ly for th e Ad­
vanced Ai rbag function .
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, yo u are respons ib le for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il­
dren:
.,. Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
~ page 174.
.,. Always carefu lly fo llow the child sa fe ty seat
manufac turer's inst ruct ions on how to ro ute
t he sa fe ty belt properly through the child
safety seat .
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from mov ing
r=> page 178.
.,. Push the c hild safety seat down with you r
full weight to get t he safety be lt really tight
s o that t he seat ca n no t move fo rward o r
sideways more th an one inch
(2 .5 cm) .
.,. If a s trap o r tet her 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-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat .
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young­
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper­
ly restra ined fo r the ir age and size .
A WARNING
-Not usi ng a child safety seat, using t he
wrong child safety s eat o r imprope rly in­
stalling a c hild res tra int increases the risk
of ser ious perso na l in ju ry an d de ath.
- All vehicle oc cupants and espe cially chil­
d ren mu st always be res tra ine d pr operly
wheneve r rid ing in a vehicle.
-

Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall.
Fig. 161 Rear seat: child prope rly restrained in a boos­
ter seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil­
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop­
erly over the stronger parts of their bodies
and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re­
strain a child on a booster seat .
.. Always position the shou lder portion of the
safety belt midway over the child's shoulder.
If you must transport an older child in a
booster seat on the front passenger seat,
you can use the safety belt he ight adjust­
ment to help adjust the shoulder portion
properly .
.. Always make sure that the shoulder portion
of the safety belt never rests against or
across the child's neck .
.. Always make sure that the child can properly
wear the lap portion of the be lt low across
the thighs or pelvis and
never over the
stomach or abdomen.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety
seats designed for their age and weight. Ex­ pe rts say that the ske letal structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these ch ildren is not fully
Child Safety 17 7
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a suitable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these child ren in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standa rds.
Booster seats raise the seat ing posit ion of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right p laces. The
routing of the belt over the child's body is very
important for the child's protect ion, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle 's three point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's
safety belt alone to restrain any child, regard ­
less of how big the ch ild is. Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel­
vic structure required for the pro per function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulde r belts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requires that a lap belt portion o f the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable force. In order
to do its job, the a irbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air ­
bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the a irbag gets in the way of an
inflating airbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she will be st ruck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in­
Jury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
im portant that all veh icle occupants, espec ial-
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
be cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible. By keeping room between ..,_

178 Child Safety
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com­p lete ly and provide supp lemental protection
in certain fronta l collisions .
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrect ly install ing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a col lision
or other eme rgency s ituation. To help re­
duce the risk of ser ious persona l injury
and/or death:
- Always make su re to position the should­
er portion of the three -point belt over
the midd le of child's sho ulder.
- Never le t the shoulder port ion of the belt
rest against or across the neck, face,
chin, or throat of the child.
- Always make su re the lap belt portion of
the three-po int be lt is worn sn ug and
passes as low as possib le across the
child's pelvis. Never let the belt pass over
the soft abdomen.
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a ch ild's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an acc ident or other emergency
situation
c;,page 137.
-Children on the front seat of any car,
even w ith Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat, for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing s ideways or out of posi­
t ion i n any way during an acc ident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sult in serious personal injury o r death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is sw itch ­
ed on .
-
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
c;, page 156, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PA SSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever us ing a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢ page 137, Safety
belts,
c;, page 145, Airbag system and
c;, page 169, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
· Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger can be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety be lt have a con­
vertib le locking retractor for child restraints .
The safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webbing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
during normal dr iving . A child safety seat can
o n ly be properly instal led when the safety belt
is locked so that the chi ld and child safety
seat w ill stay in place .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
child ren, especially those 12 years and young­
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat prope r­
ly restrained for the ir age and size.
A WARNING
Improperly installed chi ld safety seats in ­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a co llision. -

180 Child Safety
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
A WARNING , _
Rearward-fac ing ch ild restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenge r
seat will be ser iously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof .
- Always be especially caref ul if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenge r seat in exception ·
al circumstances .
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas­
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and reg is­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced A ir­
bag System. The heav ier we ight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­ ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be s uppressed causing ser ious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rea r-facing chi ld safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
Act ivating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re­
st ra int in your vehicle. To activate the conve r­
t ible lock ing ret ractor:
.,. Place the ch ild restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear seat .
.,. Slowly pu ll the belt
all the wa y out .
.,. Route it around or through the child re­
straint belt path
¢ _& .
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with yo ur
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buck le for
that seating position.
.,. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until t he belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
be lt winds back into the inertia ree l. Test the
convert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on
the belt . You shou ld no longer be able to
pull the be lt out of the retractor. The con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated .
.. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled quickly.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways mo re
than one inch (2.5 cm).
A WARNING
-
Using the wrong child restraint or an im­
p roperly installed chi ld restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat . An un locked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place dur ing norma l dr iving or in a
crash.

184 Child Safet y
• Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visib le.
• Pull
off the guidance fixtures from the lower
anchorages.
• Always remove the guidance fixtures and
keep them in a safe place when not in use.
You may find it easier to install child re­
straints equipped with hooks attached to
straps without the guidance fixtures in place.
If this is the case, remove the guidance fix­
tures by pull ing them
off the anchorages .
H oweve r, the guidance fixtu res can he lp you
to locate the
LATCH ancho rages.
.&_ WARNING
Imprope r use of tether anchorages or low­
er anchorages ca n cause serious persona l
injury in a crash .
- Always carefully fo llow the child re­
straint manufacturer 's instructions for
proper insta llation and use of child re­
straint systems .
- Never use the
LATCH or tethe r anchorag­
es to attach safety belts or other kinds of
occupant restraints.
- Child restraint tether attachments and
lower attachments are only des igned to
secure a child restraint t hat has been
equipped to use these anchorages.
- Tether anchorages and lower anchorages
are designed to withstand only those
loads imposed by correctly fitted ch ild
restraints. Under no circumsta nces can
they be used safely for adu lt or chi ld
safety belts o r harnesses.
- Never mou nt more than one ch ild re­
stra in t to a sing le tether or to a low er an­
c ho rage poin t. Attac hing two chi ld re­
st rain ts to a sing le anchor age poi nt can
cause the anchorage to fail and cause se­
rious persona l injury in a crash .
0 Note
- Remove the guidan ce fixt ures before
fo ld ing t he rear sea tba ck t o preven t
dam aging the seat c ushion . -
To attach the ch ild restraint sec urely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear
posit ion, the seat height set to the low ­
est position and t he head restraint must
be adjusted to the vertical position
¢page 57.
-If you leave the guidance f ixtures instal­
led for several days , they could leave a
mark on the upholstery on the seat cush­
ion and back rest in the area that the
guidance fixtures were installed . T he up­
holste ry wou ld al so be pe rmanen tly
stretched aro und the gui dance fix tures.
Th is ap plies especia lly to lea ther seats .
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in ­
structions.
F ig. 167 Lowe r a nchorages: proper mount ing
Mounting
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright posit ion and securely
latched in place .
• Attach bo th hook-on connectors with the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
on to the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connecto rs lock into place
¢ fig. 167.
•Pullon the connector attachments to make
sure they are proper ly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
• Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer's instruct io ns. .,,.

in the area where the tether strap was in­
stalled. The upholstery wo uld a lso be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap. This applies especially to leather
seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Curren tly , few rear-facing child res traint sys ­
tems come with a tethe r. P lease re ad an d
heed the child res traint system manufactur­
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly insta ll the tethe r.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith g reat
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, ce nte r
armrest, or door.
- A tight tether or other st rap on a rear­
wa rd-fa cing child restra int attached to
the fro nt p assenger se at can put too
much pressure on the weight -ma t in the
seat and register a heavier we ight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier
we ight registered can make the system
work as though an ad ult were on the seat
and dep loy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed caus ing se rious or
ev en fatal injury to the child.
- If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat o n the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­ ces a nd the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t d oes no t come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have t he a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Child Sa fet y 187
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number o f sources of additiona l
information abo ut child restraint se lection, in ­
stallation and use :
N HT SA advises t hat the bes t ch ild safety seat
is the one that fi ts your chi ld and fits in your
vehicle, and that yo u will use correct ly and
consistently.
T ry before yo u buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration
Tel.: 1 -888 -3 27-42 36 (TIY: 1-800-4 24-9153)
www. n hts a .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 66 2-0600
www.safe kids.o rg
Safety BeltSafe U .S .A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
Te l.: (800) 7 47-SANO (Span ish)
www.carseat .org
Transpo rt Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1 (800) 333-037 1 or call
1 (613) 998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa
area
www.tc.gc. ca/ ro ad safe ty
Audi Cu stomer CARE
T el.: (800) 82 2-2834 •
•

(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or damage to the bumper, whee l housing and
underbody. This can affect the function of
the Audi pre sense system. Have your au­
thor ized Audi dealer check to make sure
that the system is working properly .
(D Tips
-Certain Audi pre sense functions are not
available when ASR is sw itched off (sport
mode) or when driving in reverse .
- The Audi pre sense functions may not be
ava ilable if there is a malfunction in the
ESP system or the airbag control mod­
u le.
- The Audi pre sense front/plus functions
are not available if there is a ma lfunction
i n the adapt ive cru ise control* system
¢ page 93.
-The Audi pre sense rear/plus functions
are no t available if there is a ma lfunction
i n the Audi side assis t* system
¢ page 93 .
-The reversible safety be lt t ightening on
the front passenger's side deactivates
when the Advanced front passenge r air ­
bag has been s uppressed or the seat is
not occup ied.
Audi pr e sense 189
•
•

190 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facture rs for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "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.
A lthough 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 example, eng ine function, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal 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 ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
cond ition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may re late 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
program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESP detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, 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 steer ing assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
liJ in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESP has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESP 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, ESP 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 w ith water,
slush or snow, ESP cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESP 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, ESP cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP 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 condit ions. ESP can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESP improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle unde r con­
trol and on the road during 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 ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .

ESP includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake assist system (ABS), brake as­
sist system, anti -slip regulation (ASR), elec­
tronic differential lock (EDL), dynamic steer­
ing* and electronic interaxle differential lock*.
ESP is switched on all the t ime . In certa in sit­
uations when you need less traction, you can
sw itch
off ASR by pressing the button above
the selector lever. Be sure to switch ASR on
again when you no longer need less traction.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered even during hard braking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
distance.
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over. In vehi­
cles with adaptive cruise control*, the brake
assist system is more sensitive if the distance
detected to the vehicle ahead is too small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
a ll whee l drive *. This function is available up
to about 75 mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases, EDL automatically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating . EDL will switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Intelligent technology 191
Dynamic steering*
On vehicles with dynamic steering, ESP helps
stabilize the steering in certain situations.
Electronic interaxle differential lock
function*
T he electronic interaxle differential lock func­
tion activates when driving th ro ug h curves.
Braking is targeted toward the wheels on the
inside of the curve as needed. This he lps to
minimize front whee l skid, improves traction
and allows for more precise driving through
curves .
A WARNING
- ESP, ABS, ASR, EDL, dynamic steering*
a nd the electronic interaxle differential
loc k fu nction* cannot overcome the laws
of physics. This is especially impo rtant
on slippery or wet roads.
If the systems
begin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you
should immediately change yo ur speed
to match the road and traffic conditions .
Do not let the increased safety provided
by these systems tempt you to take risks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle contro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los­
ing con trol of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espe cially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESP, ABS, the brake assist system,
EDL, ASR, dynam ic steer ing* and the
electronic interaxle differentia l lock func­
tion* cannot prevent collisions.
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such 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 he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle contro l.
-
•
•

192 Intelligent technology
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
a ll four wh eels are eq uipped w ith ident i­
ca l tires. Different tire s iz es can lead to a
reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear no ises when the systems
described are working.
- If the indicator light
DJ or m (USA
models) ;tl] (Canada models) appea rs,
there may be a malfunct ion
c::;, page 19,
c::;, page
18 .
Switching on and off
ESP turns on au toma tically when you s tar t
the engine .
Fig . 170 Cen ter con sole w it h ESP OF F button
Switching ASR off (sport mode)
In ce rtain situat io ns, yo u can switch ASR and
E SP into sport mode by pressing the button
l!I
c::;, fig. 170. The indicato r light fl comes on
and the mess age
C aution! Limit ed driving
s tability
appears . ASR deact ivates comp lete ly
and the assistance prov ided by the ESP sys ­
tem is limited. Switch to sport mod e onl y
when your d riv ing sk ills, traffic and weather
conditions permit.
In some situations, it may be useful to switc h
ASR off to let the wh eels slip. Example:
- Rocking the vehicle bac k and forth when it is
stuck
- Driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow cha ins
Sw itching ASR on
Press the button I!] aga in. The message ESP /
ASR: on appears .
A WARNING
-Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of the vehicle more eas ily when
ASR and ESP are in sport mode, especial­
ly whe n the road is slippery .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
d riving skills, traff ic and weather condi­
tions perm it.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntrol* is worki ng.
Braking
General information
Wha t affe cts braking effi cien cy?
-
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes o n today's automobiles are still
s u bjec t to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing cond it ions and driving hab its
c::;, &. . On ve­
hicles that a re e it h er dr iven most ly in stop­
and-go city t ra ffi c or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by yo ur au thor­
ized Audi dea ler mo re often than specified in
t h e
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes , you sho uld use the braking
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system . If you
must use your b rakes, do not hold t he brakes
down continuous ly. Pump the brakes at in ter­
vals .
Moisture or road salt
U nd er certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your veh icle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads . A
few caref ul brake applicat ions should dry off
t h e b rake pads or remove a ny ice coatings .
The effectiveness of the brakes ca n be reduced
when the vehicle is d riven on a sa lt-covered
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