tires AUDI A4 2013 Owners Manual

Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 143
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 14S
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Mon itor ing the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
I mpor tant th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 166
C hi ld safety sea ts ................. 172
I ns tall ing a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . 176
L A T CH Lower anchorages and tether
for children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Addit ional Information
184
Vehi cle operat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 185
Not ice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18S
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 185
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
E lect ro-mechanical power assist ,
dynamic stee ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Driving w ith your qu attro ® . . . . . . . . . 191
E nergy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Driving and environment . . . . . 194
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 194
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 194
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19S
Operate your vehicle econom ically and
minim ize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
allroad: Driv ing offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driving w ith a t ra iler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 1
Table of contents 3
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
202
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 202
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. .. . .............
214
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Fuel tank .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine compartment .............. 221
E ngine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
E ngine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
B rake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Windshie ld/headlight* washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 4
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tire pressure monitoring system 253
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2S6
Space-saving spare tire (compact
spare tir e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Inflatable spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Inflat ing i nflatable spa re tire . . . . . . . 258
Changi ng a wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fuses..... .. .. .. .. . ............. 265
Bul bs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 269
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
St art ing by p ushing or towing . . . . . . . 269
Star ting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 269
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Emergency towing wit h commercia l
tow truck ... .. .. .. .. ........... . 271
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
•
•

In o rder to connect the special diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (DLC) . The DLC is located to the
right of the hood release ¢
fig. 18.
Your authorized A udi dealer or qualified work­
shop can interpret the code and perform the necessary repa ir.
A WARNING
Do not use the diagnostic connector for
personal use. Incorrect usage can cause
malfunctions, which can increase the risk
of a coll is ion!
Electronic speed limiter
-
Your veh icle may be factory equipped with
tires that are rated for a maximum speed of 130 mph (210 km/ h). Thi s is may be less than
the maximum speed of your ve hicle. To red uce
the risk of sudden ti re failure and loss of con ­
trol if the vehicle is operated at excessive
speeds, your vehicle has an e lectronic speed
limiter. The electronic speed limiter prevents
your veh icle from going faster than the t ire
speed rat ing . For more informat ion
¢ page 246 .
If the engine control unit rece ives fa ulty vehi ­
cle roadspeed signa ls, the Ma lfunction Indica­
tor Light (MIL)
¢..ij w ill illuminate . If this oc­
curs, contact the nearest authorized Audi
deale r for assistance.
A WARNING
-
Always observe the posted speed limits
and ad just yo ur speed to suit p revail ing
road, t raff ic and weather conditions . Never
drive your vehicle faster than the maxi ­
mum speed rating of the tires insta lled .
Dri ver information di spla y 31

88 On the road
vehicle speed exceeds the set speed by about
3 mph (3 km/h). At the same time, a warning
symbol appears in the d isp lay . The symbol's
appeara nce m ight be d ifferent in some mod­
els.
The speed warning system has one or two*
warn ing thresholds that f unct ion independ ­
ently of each other and that have somewhat
d ifferent purposes:
Speed warn ing 1
You can use speed warning 1 to set the maxi­
m um speed w hile you are driv ing. T his setting
will remain in effect until you turn
off the igni­
tion, assuming that you have not changed or
reset the setting.
The . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
speed warning symbol in the warning 1 dis­
p lay appears whe n you exceed the maximum
speed. It goes out when the speed fa lls below
the stored max imum speed .
The speed warning symbo l w ill also go out if
the speed
exceeds the stored max imum speed
by more than about 25 mph (40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds. The stored maximum speed
is deleted .
Sett ing speed warning 1
c::> page 88.
Speed warning 2*
Sto ring warning 2 is recommended if you al­
ways
want to be reminded of a certain speed,
for example when yo u are traveling in a coun­
try that has a general maximum speed limit,
or if you do not want to exceed a specified
speed for winter tires.
The . (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls)
speed warning 2 symbo l appears in the dis­
play when you exceed the stored speed lim it.
Unlike warning 1, it will not go out until the
vehicle speed drops below the stored speed
lim it.
Sett ing speed warning 2
c::> page 88.
(D Tips
Even tho ugh your vehicle is equipped with
a speed warning system, you should st ill watch the speedome
ter to ma ke s ure you
are not dr iving faster than the speed limit .
Speed warning 1: setting a speed limit
Warning threshold 1 is set by the ISETI but­
ton.
F ig . 99 SET bu tton in the instr ume nt cluste r
Storing the max imum speed
.. Drive at the desired maximum speed .
.,. Press t he
ISE TI button in the instrument
panel disp lay
c::> fig . 99 for 1 second .
Resetting the maximum speed
.. Drive the vehicle at a speed of at least
3 mph (5 km/h)
.. Press the
ISET I button for more than 2 sec-
onds.
T he . (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls)
speed warning symbo l w ill appear briefly in
the display when you release the
I SE TI button
to indicate that the maximum speed has been
stored successfully.
The maximum speed remains stored until it is changed by pressing the
I SET ! button again
briefly or until it is deleted by a lengthy push
on the button.
Speed warning 2: setting a speed limit
App lies to vehicles: wi th trip co mp uter
The radio or MMI* control unit is used to set,
change or delete warning threshold 2.
.. Select: !CAR ! function b utton > In st rument
cluster > Speed warning .
Or

134 Driving Safely
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the sunroof and the rear lid are se ­
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk
of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment . Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
c:>page238.
-
Tie-downs
Applies to vehicles: with tie -downs
The luggage comportment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo p rop­
erly
c:> page 133, Loading the luggage com ­
portment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller i tems that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas­
senger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether
strap to a tie-down .

-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 .
-

@ 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.
•
•

194 Driving and environment
Driving and
environment
The first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the fir st 600 miles (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
max imum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in per iod
... Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
After the break- in period
... 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¢
page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's inter na l friction is higher tha n later
when alt the moving parts have been broken
i n. How welt this break- in process is done de­
pends to a conside rable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1, 500 kilome ters).
(D Note
E xtremely high engi ne speeds are auto­
mat ica lly re duced. However, these rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine welt
r u n- in, not a new eng ine.
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves fuel,
reduces no ise and protects the environ­
ment.
, New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 kilo­ meters) after fitting.
_& WARNING
N ew tires tend to be slip pery a nd mus t al­
so be "broken -in" . Be s ure to remembe r
this dur ing the fi rst 350 mi les (500 kilo ­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
braking.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you a re d rivi ng on poo r roads, or over
cu rbs, ste ep ramps, etc., ma ke certai n that
low- ly ing parts s uch as spoile rs and ex ha ust
s ystem parts do not bot tom o ut and get dam ­
aged.
T his is espec ially true for veh icles with low­
s lu ng chassis (s por ts chassis)* and fully load­
ed vehicles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note th e following to avoid vehicle damage
whe n driving through water, for examp le on
flooded roads:
- The wa ter must not be any hig he r th an the
bottom of the vehicle body .
- Do not dr ive faste r than walk ing speed.

200 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the tir es of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it ­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced'' rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rticularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
in the in strument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
in g vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not p roperly wea ring the restraints
provided by Audi.
-

204 Cleaning and protec tio n
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water .
- You should remove debris (such as in­
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regular basis, for example when refuel­
ing your vehicle. Never use a dry cloth or
sponge to clean the head lights. Only use
we t cloths or sponges to prevent
scratches . It is best to use soapy water .
@) For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilit ies specially
designed for that purpose. Th is w ill reduce
the risk of d irty water contaminated w ith
oil from entering the sewer system . In
some areas, wash ing vehicles outs ide of
these facilities is prohib ited.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a f ew simple rules.
• Before using the power w asher , make sure
yo u have read and understood the WARN­
INGS
q A in General information on
page 202.
• Always fo llow the operating instructions for
the power washer.
• Make sure that the jet o n the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray" .
• Do
not hold the spray nozzle too close to
soft materia ls .
Keep a d is tance from soft materials such as
rubber hoses o r insulat ing mater ial as we ll as
sensors and camera lenses .
When cleaning t he vehicle wit h a power wash­
er
always fo llow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the operating pres­
sure and the spraying distance . Do not po int
the spray direc tly at the sea ls around the s ide
windows, aro und t he doors, on the re ar lid or
on the sunroof* . Likew ise, do not point it di­
rectly at tires, r ubber hoses, ins ulation mate­
rial or sensors
q page 205. Hold the spray nozzle at least 1.3 ft (0.4 m) away from the
vehicl e.
Do no t use a high-pressu re power was her to
remove snow and ice .
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a d irect
st ream o r one that has a rotating je t.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F
(60 °() .
A WARNING ,..__
Neve r wash t ires with a jet that sprays wa­
ter in a direct stream . Thi s could cause in­
v is ible d amage to the t ires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a relative ly
l ong distance and for a short time . Dam ­
aged and wea kened tires can fail a nd cause
accidents and personal in jury.
(D Note
To avoid damaging yo ur vehicle, a lw ays
make sure tha t the re is sufficien t distance
betwee n the spray head and soft materia ls
lik e rubbe r hoses, plast ic parts and sound ­
deaden ing mater ia ls as well as sensors
and camera lenses. Never a im the spray
head at the same point fo r a long time.
This also app lies to cleaning headlights
and paint ed bumpers . Remembe r: t he
closer the no zzle is to the surfa ce of the
m at erial , the gre ater t he s tress on the ma ­
terial.
Caring for vehicles with matte finish
paint
Applies to vehicles: wit h matte finish paint
Vehicles with matt e finish paint require spe ­
cial care due to the characteristics of the
paint.
Washing by hand
T o avoid damaging the pain t when was hing,
fi rst remove dust and la rge particles from
yo ur vehicle . Insects, grease spots and finger­
prints are best removed with a
special cleaner
for matte finish pa int .
1111>

234 Tire s and wheel s
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-impo rtant contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls includ ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the ti res .
Inspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on r ims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims. New tire
s
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au ­
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the s id ewa ll, that po int in the direc­
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified d irection of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 263.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
also be broken-in. To reduce t he risk of
losing control, a collision and se rious
pe rsonal injuries, drive w it h specia l care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
fl ation, c rashes and seriou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
p laced immediate ly .
- T ires age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.