AUDI TT ROADSTER 2014 Owners Manual

in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a col lision
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof.
- Forward -fac ing ch ild safety seats or in ­
fant ca rr iers installed on the front pas­
senger 's seat may inte rfe re with the de­
ployment of the airbag and cause se rious
injury to the ch ild.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever u sing a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used~
page 130 . Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat
~ page 110, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
A WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in except ional situat ions :
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenge r seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
~page 119, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and s tay on whenever
the ignition is switched on the inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or in­
fant carr ier with great force and wi ll
smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, door or roof. Have
the a irbag system inspected immediately
by your Audi dealer .
Child Safet y 139
-Improper installation of chi ld restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion .
- An improperly installed ch ild restra int
can interfere with the airbag as it de­ ploys and seriously injure or even k ill the
child.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er 's instructions prov ided with the child
safety seat or carrier .
- Never p lace add itiona l items on the seat
that can increase the total weight reg is­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacture r for use on a front seat
with a passenger fron t and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the fo rward-facing child re­
s traint up, against o r ve ry nea r the in­
strument panel.
- Always move the passenge r seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat's fore and
aft adj ustment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild restraint . The
backrest must be ad justed to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignit ion is switched
on.
A WARNING
Rearward -facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger
seat will be seriously in ju red and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced A irbag System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smas h the child safety seat .,. •
•

140 Child Saf ety
and child against the backrest, door or
ro of.
- Always be especially careful if you mu st
ins tall a rearward facing c hild safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstanc es.
- Make sure that the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime w henever the ignition is switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on h ave the airbag sys­
tem inspec ted immediately by your Aud i
dealer .
Activating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
A lways heed the child sa fety seat man ufactur­
er's instructions when ins talling a chi ld re­
straint in your vehicle . To activate the conver ­
tib le locking retractor:
., Place the child restrain t on a seat .
., Slow ly pull the be lt
all the wa y out.
., Route it around or through the chi ld re ­
stra int be lt path
c:> ,&. .
., Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly t ight.
., In sert the be lt tongue into the buckle fo r
t h at seating posi tion.
., Gu ide the safety be lt back into the retracto r
u nt il the belt lies flat a nd snug on the chi ld
sa fe ty seat.
., You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
belt winds bac k into the ine rtia reel. Test the
conve rtible locking retractor by pull ing on
the be lt . You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con­
vertib le lock ing retractor is now act ivated. .,
Ma ke s ure that the red release button is fac ­
ing away from the child rest raint so that it
can be unbuckled q uick ly .
., Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat ca nnot move forward or sideways more
t han one inch (2.5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong child res traint o r an i m­
pr operly ins talled chi ld restraint can cause
se rious pe rsonal injury or death in a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safety belt re-
trac to r i s lo cked when insta lling a child
safety seat . An un locked safety bel t re­
tracto r cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing no rma l dr iving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright pos ition. Otherw ise, the seat­
back with the ch ild safety seat attached
to it could fly forward in the event of an
accident o r othe r emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a child res trained in ave­
h icle is being used
c:> page 130. Special
p re ca utions apply when insta lling a child
safe ty se at on the fron t passenger seat
<=> page 110, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
-
The convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into
the retractor.
., Press the red b utton on the safety belt buck­
le . The belt tong ue will pop out of the b uck­
le .
., Guide the safety be lt all the way back into
its stowed position .

Always let the safety belt retract completely
into its stowed position . The safety belt can
now be used as an ord inary safety belt with ­
out the convert ible locking retractor for child
restra ints.
If the convertible locking retractor shou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt m ust
be unfastened and guided completely back in­
to its stowed position to deactivate th is fea­
ture .
If the convertible locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will g radually be­
come tighter and uncomfo rtab le to wear .
.8, WARNING
Improperly insta lled child safety seats in­
cre ase the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deac ti­
va te the convert ib le lo ck ing ret ra ctor for
child restrain ts while the veh icle is mov ­
ing. You would not be restrained and
cou ld be seriously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used¢
page 130. Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 110, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
.
There are a number of sources of additional
i n formation about ch ild restraint select ion, in­
stallat ion and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat
is the one that fits your child and fits in your
ve hicle, and that you will use correctly and
consistently .
Try before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
i s tration
Te l.: 1-888-327 -4236 ( TTY: 1-800-424-9 153)
www.nhtsa.gov
Child Sa fet y 141
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www.safek ids.org
Safet y BeltSafe U.S .A
T el.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747 -SANO (Spanish)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
T el.: 1 (800) 333 -037 1 or call
1 (613) 998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa
area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
menu.htm
Audi Customer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
•
•

142 Intelligent technology
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 fo r 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 examp le, 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 very limited pe riod 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
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC 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 steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) 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 wi ll 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 wou ld 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 difficult driving situations as at lower
speeds.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to
road , traffic §&and weather conditions. ESC
cannot override the vehicle's physical limits,
increase the available traction, or keep a vehi­
cle on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention . Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
t rol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle go ing 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.
ESC includes and/or works togethe r with the
anti- lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys-
tem and anti-slip regu lation (ASR). ESC is .,..

switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less traction, you can switch
off ESC by pressing the button
lru. Be sure to
switch ESC 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 pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer­
gency si tuations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. 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
all-wheel 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 brake on the braked wheel
from overheating. EDL w ill switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
..&, WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and EDL cannot overcome
th e laws of physics. This is especially im ­
portant on slippery or wet roads.
If the
systems begin acting to stabilize your ve­
hicle, you should immediately change
your speed to match the road and traffic
condit ions. Do not let the increased safe­
ty provided by these systems tempt you
Intelligent technology 143
to take risks. Doing so will increase the
risk of a lo ss of vehicle control, co llision
and serious personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys­
tem, EDL and ASR cannot prevent colli­
sions.
- 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 control.
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correct ly when
all four whee ls are equipped with identi­
cal tires. D ifferent tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the ind icator lightD] orE (USA
models)/ [iJ (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction¢
page 18,
¢ page 18.
Switching on and off
ESC turns on au tomatically when you start
the engine.
Fig . 123 Ce nter conso le: ESC OFF butto n

144 Intelligent technology
Switching ESC off (sport mode )
In certain situat ions, it m ight make sense to
allow some sl ip. For example :
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow chains
Press the~ button . The ESC ind icator light
II
turns on and Stabilization prog ram off ap­
pears in the d isplay. ASR deactivates com­
p letely and the stabi lizat ion effects from the
ESC system are limited .
Switch ing on
Press the~ button again. The message Stabi­
li zation p rogram on
appears briefly in the dis­
p lay.
A WARNING
Only switch ESC sport mode on when your
driving abilities and the traffic s ituation
permit. Please note that the dr iv ing
wheels can spin and the vehicle can break a w ay in ESC sport mode, especia lly when
the road is slippe ry.
(D Tips
If the re are faults in the rea r spo ile r sys­
tem or in Audi magnet ic r ide, it may not be
possible to a ct ivate ESC spor t mode or
normal m ode may a ct ivate aga in a utomat­
ically.
Rear spoiler
A ppl ies to vehicles: with ret ractab le rear spoil er
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling
and enhances driver control.
F ig. 124 Sw itch fo r rear spo ile r
The rear spoi le r deploys and retracts . Spoiler
operation can be set for a utomatic or man ua l
operation.
Automatic mode (normal operation )
-Automatic deployme nt: At a speed of about
75 mph (120 km/h), t he rear spo ile r deploys
automatically.
- Au tomatic retraction: When speed drops be­
low about SO mph (80 km/h), the rear spoil­
er retracts automat ica lly.
Manual mode
- Manual deployment: Tapp ing briefly on the
sw itch
¢fig. 124 deploys the rear spoiler.
- Manual retraction: At sp eeds up to about
10 mph ( 20 km/h), retract the rear spoiler
by pressing a nd ho ldi ng the sw itch
¢ fig . 124. At speeds be twee n 10 mph ( 20
km/h) a nd 75 mph ( 120 km/h), retract the
rear spoi ler by tapping on the switch
¢fig. 124.
A WARNING
-
Driving at higher speeds witho ut the rear
spoiler deployed ca n impair handling char­
acter istics, making the vehicle harder to
control.
- Always ma ke sure that the spo ile r is de­
p loyed when driving at speeds over
85 mph (140 km/h) .
If the rear spoiler
war ning/ indicato r light in the inst ru­
men t clu ster comes on, the rear sp oiler
may not have deployed.
- N ever d rive a t speeds h igher than
85 mph (140 km/h) i f the spoiler is no t
deploye d. Have the spoiler inspected as
soon as possible by an a uthorized Audi
deale r or q ualified workshop.
- Always obey speed limits and othe r tra f­
fic laws .
A WARNING
-Improper operation of the rear spoi ler can
cause crushing injuries.
- Always make sure that nobody, especially
chi ldren, is in t he way when the rear
spoiler is deployed or retracted.

(D Note
Never push the vehicle or apply force to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
@ Tips
Clean the spoiler compartment every 2 to
3 months . The spoiler compartment must
always be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Oper ating condit ions and d riving hab it s
T he brakes on today's automobi les are st ill
s ubject to wear, depending largely on opera t­
ing conditions and dr iv ing habi ts
c> & . On
vehicles that are e ither driven mostly in stop ­
and-go city traffic or are d riven hard , the
b rake pads should be checked by you r author­
i zed Audi dealer more often than specified i n
the
Warr ant y & Maint enan ce booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can res ult
in red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the brak ing
effect of the eng ine. This way, you p revent un­
necessa ry wear on the brake system . If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. Pump th e brakes at inter­
vals.
Noises may occur when braking d epending on
the speed, braki ng force and outside condi­
tions such as temperature and humidity.
Moistu re or road salt
Unde r certain conditions, for example, w hen
driving through water or ve ry heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced d ue to moisture (or in
fre ezing conditions ice) on the brake pads . A
few ca utious brake applicat ions should dry off
the b rake pads or remove any ice coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when th e vehicle is driven on a salt-covered
Int ellig ent technolog y 145
road and the b rakes are no t used. Likewise ,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads with a few cautious ap ­
plications of the brake
c> & .
Cor ro sion
T here may be a tendency for dir t to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regu larly or
on ly fo r short trips with litt le 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 braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
c> & .
Faults in the brak e syst em
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have fai led
c> & .
Low brake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the b rake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he brake booster inc reases the pressure that
you generate with the brake peda l. It works
o nl y when the engine is running
.c> &
Brake lining wear status
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
sary, the wheel may be removed for t his in­
spection
c> page 209, What should I be
aware of when changing a tire? .
A WARNING
--=
-You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
~
•
•

146 Intellig ent technolog y
gear or lower driving range. Do no t ride
t h e brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This cou ld cause the
bra kes to get hot and dimin ish braking
efficiency .
- Do no t "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, prematu re wear and inc reased
stopp ing distan ce.
- Under certain climat ic and operating
c ondit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving i n heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be red uced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and d rums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout us ing your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake d iscs and pads w it h a few cautious
brake appli cat ions.
- If you damage the fro nt spo iler, or if you
ins tall a different spoiler, be su re the air
flow to the fron t bra kes is not o bstr uct­
ed. O therwise the brake system co uld
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- F ailure o f one bra ke c ircuit will impair
the b raking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance . Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est Aud i dea le r o r qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, t he
brake pedal must be pressed considera­
bly harder to make up for the lack of
booster assistance . Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
The degree of power assi st is electronically
matched to vehicle speed .
T he power steering system assists the driver
so that he can steer the vehicle with reduced
physical effor t.
Power steering will not work if t he engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn.
A WARNING
If the system develops a problem , you
must seek qualified profess iona l assis ­
tance .
(D Note
-
If there is an e lectronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
will still function like a conven­
tiona l power steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
l onge r proportionate to the vehicle speed .
This is most not icea ble whe n tu rni ng the
s tee ring w heel a t low speeds (fo r example
when pa rking), -more effort w ill be re­
q uired than us ua l.
- Be aware o f the diffe rent than usual
steering response and adjust your steer ­
ing force acco rdingly.
- Have the problem checked and set right
by an autho rize d Aud i dealer as soon as
possible.
- If a s teer ing mal func tion occurs, this is
signa led wit h the
,'Zr~ or .• indicato r
lights and a warning tone, see.
(D Tips
- If the powe r stee ring system sho uld fai l,
or if the engine is not ru nning (fo r exam­
ple, whi le being towed), you will still be
able to steer the vehicle. However, more
effort will be required to do so.
11-

-If the power steering system is not fu nc ­
tioni ng properly, contact your a uthorized
Audi dealer immediate ly.
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to vehicles: with a ll-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
Gene ral inform ati on
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your dr iving sty le and the road
conditions at the t ime. See a lso
r=;, page 142.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerful and has excellent dr iving charac­
ter istics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions
c::;, ,&. .
Winter t ire s
When drivi ng in the w inter, your ve hicle w ith
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular t ires. In winter road conditions it may
be adv isable to mount winter t ires (or all-sea­
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll f our
w heel s.
See also c::;, page 196, Winter tires.
Snow chains
Where t ire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally a lso applies to vehicles
w ith a ll-wheel d rive
c::;, page 19 7, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels /tire s
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t i res
with d iffe ren t tread depths. For details see
page
c::;, page 192 , New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road veh icle.
It is
Int ellig ent technolog y 147
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
r=;, page 151.
_& WARNING
Always adjust your dr iv ing to road and traf­
fic 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 tract ion. You
should t herefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road s urfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If th is should occur, yo u
wi ll have no warning from a s udden in ­
crease in engine speed as with 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 d rive n for a long per iod of t ime, the bat­
te ry is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g . immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can res ult in there being insufficient energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intellige nt energy managemen t in your vehi­
cle handles the dis tribution o f electrica l ene r­
gy. Starting ability is marked ly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy managemen t consis ts of
batt ery diagno sis, idling cur rent man age­
ment
and dyn amic energ y management .
•
•

148 Intelligent technology
Battery diagnosi s
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. 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
I dling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ignition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­
nents. Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en ­
ergy management distributes the energy gen­
erated according to the needs of the individu­
al components. It regulates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti ­
mal state of charge for the battery .
(D Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited .
- If starting ability is threatened, you are informed by a warning
~page 149,
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability .
The battery is severely taxed in short -distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re­
quired, but only a little is generated.
It is also
critical if the engine is not running and electri- cal components are turned on.
In this in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is
being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management actively regulat­
ing the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks , electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capability over a longer period.
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your vehicle, some convenience functions ,
such as the remote key or power seat adjust ­
ment, may not be available. The convenience
functions will be available again when you
turn on the ignition and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned off, the battery is being dis­
charged.
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en­
ergy consumption, a message appears in the
driver information display.
You have to start the engine to charge the
battery.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be­
come discharged. This happens mostly when
little energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equili­
brium, consumers which require especially
large amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off . Heating systems in par­
ticular require a great deal of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched .,.