brake light AUDI A4 SEDAN 2013 Owner's Manual

92 Transmi ssion
• Wait a moment until the transm ission
shifts . You wi ll notice a slight movement
when the gear engages.
• Re lease the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal
c::> .&, .
Stopping t empora ril y
• Press the brake peda l to prevent the vehicle
from moving, for example at traffic lights .
• Do not press the accelerator pedal when do -
ing this.
P a rk ing
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could ro ll. The message
T ran smi ssio n: Car
m ay roll! Shift to p ark!
appears.
• Press and ho ld the brake pedal
c::> .&, .
• Activate the parking brake .
• Hold t he interlock button down, place the
selector lever in the
P position and release
the interlock button.
Stopping on an inclin e
• Always press the b rake peda l to hold the ve ­
hicle in p lace and prevent it from "rolling
back" c::>
.&,. Do not try to prevent the ve hicle
from "ro lling back" when a gear is engaged
by increasing the engine speed
c::> (D.
Starting on an incline
• Activate the parking brake .
• With the driving gear se lected, press the ac­
celerator pedal carefully. The parking brake
will release automat ically if your seat be lt is
fastened.
Dr ivin g on an incline: Under certain circum­
stances, such as driving in the mountains, it may be useful to sw itch temporarily to the
manual shift program in order to adjust the
gears to the driving conditions by hand
c::> & .
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P posit ion.
This prevents the lock ing mechanism from be­
ing loaded too heav ily and w ill make it easier
to move the selector leve r out of P .
A WARNING
-Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
activate the pa rking brake and move the
selecto r lever to P .
- Powe r is still transmitted to the w heels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
p revent the vehicle from "c reeping", you
m ust keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "t iptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when changing the se lector lever position
while the veh icle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never sh ift into R or
P while driving .
- Before driving down a steep s lope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes o r press the bra ke
pedal too often or too long. Constant
brak ing ca uses the brakes to overheat
and substantially reduces braking per­
formance, increases braking d istance or
causes complete failure of the brake sys­
tem.
- To preve nt the vehicle from ro lling back
when stopp ing on inclines, always hold it
in place with the b rake pedal or parking
b rake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutc h. T he clutch opens auto­
mat ica lly when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indica tor l amp
mJ ill u­
minates and a driver message appears
c::>
page 95 when the clutc h is overload­
ed .
(D Note
-When s topping on an incl ine, do no t try
to hold t he vehicle in place by pressing
the acce lerator pedal while a driving gear
is se lected. This can cause the S t ron ic
transm ission to overheat and can dam­
age it. Activate t he parking brake or

94 Transmi ssion
When acce lerating, the transmiss ion will au­
tomatically shift into the next gear before the
engine reaches its maximum RPM.
I f you apply a ligh t throttle when accelerat­
ing, tiptronic will automatically shift from 1st
to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you app ly a heavy
thrott le, the transmission will stay in 1st gear
unti l near maximum RPM is reached, or unt il
the dr iver shifts into 2nd gear.
If you take your foot off the accelerator peda l
when dr iving down a steep incline, tiptronic
will downshift from the selected gear into the next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear,
based on road speed and eng ine RPM . Auto ­
mat ic downshifti ng is interrupted as soon as
you apply the th rottle aga in .
(D} Tips
- When you sh ift into the next lower gear,
the transmiss ion will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
v ing the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will sh ift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- Tiptronic is inope rat ive when the t rans­
mission is in the fail-sa fe mode.
Kick-down
A pp lies to vehicles: with S tro nic tr ansmiss ion
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the acce lerator pedal down
beyond the resistance po int, the automatic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­
pending on vehicle speed and engine RP M.
It
shifts up into the next h igher ge ar once the
max imum specified engine RPM is reached.
& WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is
active.
Launch Control Program
App lies to vehicles : wit h S tronic tra nsmi ssio n
The Launch Control Program provides the
best acceleration possible when starting from
a stop .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be t urned .
.. Press the
I~ OF F! button c::;, page 186 while
the engine is running. The
fl ind icator light
illuminates in the instrument cluster and
Traction control (ASR ): Off . Warning! Re­
stricted stability
appea rs in the driver infor­
mat io n system display .
.. Move the se lector lever to the D/S posit ion
or select the
d ynamic dr iv ing mode in Audi
drive select*
c::;, page 112 .
.. Press the brake peda l strongly with your left
foot and ho ld it down for at least one sec­
ond.
.. At the same time, press the accelerator
pedal down complete ly w ith your r ight foot
until t he e ngine reaches and mainta ins a
h igh RP M.
.. Remove yo ur foot from the brake pedal
w ith in S seconds
c::;, A, .
& WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic
f low .
- On ly use the Launch Cont ro l Program
when road and traffic conditions a llow it
and other drivers w ill not be endangered
or annoyed by your driving and the vehi­
cle's acceleration.
- Please note that the d riving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when ASR is switched off , especially
when the road is slippery .
- Once you have accelerated, you shou ld
sw itch the ASR back on by pressing the
lfl O FF ! button . .__ _____________ _J ...

@ Tips
-The t ransm ission tempe rat ure may in­
crease significantly after using the l a unch control prog ram. If that happens,
the program may not be availab le for a
few m inutes . It will be ava ilab le aga in af­
te r a coo l-down period .
- When accelerating us ing t he Launch
Control program, all vehicle parts a re
subjec t to heavy loads. This can res ult in
i n cre ased wea r.
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
[O] Transmission: Press brake pedal and se­
lect gear again.
P ress th e brake pedal and se lect t he des ired
selec to r lever posi tion aga in. You can then
c o ntinue dr iv ing .
[O] Transmission overheating: Please drive
con servatively.
The transmission temperature has increased
sign ificantly due to the sporty dr iving manner .
Drive in a less spo rty manner unt il the tem­
pe rat ure retu rns to the norma l range and the
i nd icator light switches of.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con­
tinue driving
There is a system ma lf u nction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
author ized Audi dealer or qua lified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunc tion cor rected .
[O] Transmission malfunct ion: Limited driv ­
ing funct ionality
There is a system ma lf u nction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is sw itching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer ­
tain gears or will no longer shift at a ll. The en­
g ine may stall. Drive to your authorized A udi
dealer o r qualified repair facility immediately
to have the ma lfunction co rrected .
[O] lij Transmission malfunction: No reverse
You can continue driving
Transm ission 95
T he re is a system mal func tion in the t ransmis ­
sion . The transm ission is switching to eme r­
gency mode . This mode on ly shifts into cer ­
ta in gears or will no longer shift at al l. The en ­
gine may sta ll. You cannot engage t he reverse
gear. Drive to your author ized Audi dealer or
qualified repa ir facili ty immed iately to have
the malfunction cor rected.
[O] Transmission malfunction : Stop vehicle
and shift to park.
Do not continue dr iv ing. Se lect the P selector
lever posit io n and see your authori zed A udi
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis­
tance.
(D Note
If the transmission switches t o emergency
mode, you should take t he ve hicle to an
a uth orized Audi d ea lership as soon as pos­
sible to have the con dit ion corrected .
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
If the vehicle's power supply fails , the selec ­
tor lever can be released in an emergency.
Fig . 94 Fro nt cente r co nso le : Remov ing t he as htray in ·
sert
Fi g. 9 5 Selecto r lever e merge ncy release

100 Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise co ntrol
Fig. 100 Selec tor lever: switching o n/off
Fig. 101 Instrument clus te r: adap tive cru ise control
You can set any speed between 20 mph and
95 mph (30 and 150 km/h).
Indicator lamps and messages in the instru­
ment cluster display inform you about the cur­
r ent system status and settings.
Switching adaptive cruise control on
.. Pull the lever toward you into posit ion @
-:>fig . 100 . ACC standby appears in the in­
strument cluster d isplay .
Setting the speed and activating
regulation
.. To set the current speed , press the ISET !
button ¢ page 11 , fig. 4. The set speed is shown in the tachometer
@and is also
shown briefly in the display@r:::>fig.
101.
Switching adaptive cruise control off
.. Push the lever away from you into positio n
@ until it clicks into place. The message
ACC off appears.
@ Indicator lights
II-Adaptive cruise control is switched on. No
vehicles are detected up ahead. The stored
speed is maintained.
I -A moving vehicle is detected up ahead .
T he adaptive cru ise control system regulates
the speed and distance to the moving vehicle
ahead and accelerates/brakes automatically.
I -When automatic braking is not able to
keep e nough d istance to a prev iously detected
moving veh icle up ahead, you must take con­
trol and brake ~
page 103, Request for driver
intervention.
© Display
If adapt ive cru ise control is not shown in the
display, you can call it up w ith the
I RESET I
button ¢ page 24.
Based on the symbols in the display, you can
determine if the system is maintain ing a d is ­
tance to the vehicle ahead and what that dis­
tance is.
No vehicle -No vehicle ahead was de tected .
White vehicle -A vehicle ahead was detected .
Red vehicle -Prompt for the driver to take ac­
tion
~ page 103.
Both arrows on the scale© indicate the dis­
tance to the vehicle ahead. No arrow appears
when the vehicle is on an open road and there
is no object ahead. If an object is detected
ahead, the arrow moves on the scale .
T he green zone on the scale shows the stored
distance. For information on changing the
stored distance, refer to~
page 102 . If the
distance se lected is too close or may soon be ­
com e too close , the arrows move into the re d
z one on the sca le.

Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard 103
Setting the driving mode for vehicles with
Audi drive select*
Refer to r=;,poge 112 .
(D Tips
Yo ur setti ngs a re automatically store d an d
assig ned to the remote contro l key be in g
used.
Request for driver intervention
A pp lies to vehicles: w ith Audi a daptive cruise control
Fig. 105 Inst rumen t cl uster: reques t fo r drive r in te r·
ve ntio n
In ce rtain si tuations, t he sys tem w ill prom pt
you to take actio n. This cou ld ha ppen, for ex­
ample, if braking by the adaptive cruise con ­
trol system is not enough to maintain enough
d istance to the vehicle ahead.
The inst rument cluste r will war n you about
the danger
r=;, fig. 105:
- A red ve hicle is pic tured in the d is pla y.
- The text
DISTANCE! appea rs in the s ta tus
b ar.
- T he r ed in dicator lig ht
I blinks .
- In add it ion, a warning tone sounds.
Audi braking guard
Description
App lies to vehicles: wi th Audi ada ptive c ruise con tro l
Fig. 106 In str um ent clus ter: approach warnin g
Audi braking guard uses a radar sensor . It also
funct ions wit hin the lim its of the system
whe n adapt ive cruise control is switched off.
What can Audi braking guard do?
When detected in time, the system can assess
situations when a veh icle ahead brakes s ud­
denly or if your own vehicle is traveling at a
high speed and approac hing a ve hicle up
ahead that is movi ng mo re sl ow ly. Audi brak­
ing guard does not react if it canno t detect
the si tua tion.
The system advis es yo u of various s ituations:
- The
distance wa rning is given if yo u are too
close to the vehicle ahead for a long time. If
the vehicle ahead bra kes sharply , yo u will
not be ab le to avoid a collision . The ind icator
light
I in the d isp lay comes o n.
- The
approach warning is given when a de­
tected vehicle up ahead i n your lane is mov­
ing m uch mo re sl owly than you are or if i t
brake s sh arp ly. W hen t his war ning is g iven,
it may on ly be poss ible to avoi d a co llision
by swe rving or b ra kin g sharp ly. The indic ator
light
I a nd indic ator in t he di spl ay w ill war n
you abo ut the d ange r¢
fig . 1 06. You will a l­
so hear an aco ustic s ignal.
If y o u do no t rea ct fas t eno ugh o r do not r eact
at all to the si tuat ion, A udi brak ing g uard w ill
i nt ervene by braking and the message
braking
guard intervention
w ill appea r. ~

Homelink®
Universal remote
control
Description
Appl ies to vehicles: with Horne Link
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with the remo te control for
devices that are already present.
With Home Link, you can control devices such
as the garage door, security systems, house
l ights , etc. comfortab ly from the inside of you
veh icle .
H ome Link ma kes it possible for you to rep lace
three differen t remote controls from dev ices
in your home with one universal remote. This
feature works for most garage door and exte­
rior door motor signals. Programming the in­
dividual remote control for your remote con ­
trol takes p lace near the center of the radiator
grille. There is a control module attached at
this location .
A one-t ime programming of the sensor must
be perfo rmed before you are able to use sys­
t ems w ith Homelink. If the system does not
activate after performing the one-t ime pro­
gramming, check whether the system uses a rolling codec:>
page 124 for veh icles without
the M MI*.
_& WARNING
- Never use the Homelink ® transmi tte r
with any garage door opener that does have not the sa fety stop and reverse fea ­
tu re as req uired by federa l safety stand­
ards. Th is includes any garage door open­
er mode l manufact ured before April 1,
1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards . Us ing a ga rage door
opener without these features increases
risk of serious in ju ry or death.
Homelink ® 121
-For safety reasons never re lease the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle.
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in mot ion when the
Homelink ® remote control is being pro­
grammed . If the device is repeatedly ac ­
tivated, th is can overstrain motor and
damage its e lectrical components -an
overhea ted mo to r i s a fire hazard !
- To avo id possib le injuries or p roperty
damage, please always make abso lutely
certain that no persons o r ob je cts are lo­
ca ted in the range of mo tion of any
equi pment being ope rated .
(D Tips
- If you would li ke more information on
H ome link ®, where to purchase the
Home link ® compa tib le produc ts, or
would like to purchase the Homelink ®
Home Lighting Package, please call to ll­
free: 1-800-355-3515.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Ind ustry Canada reg ula­
tions c:>
page 275.

184 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorde r (EDR), ins talled by some manu­
facture rs fo r the express p urpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or cras h
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restr ict 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 ltho ugh yo ur vehicle is not equ ipped wit h an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine f unction, 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 norma l vehicle op­
erat ion for diagnostic and repa ir 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 ove r a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a sys tem faul t or o ther
cond ition is sensed by a cont ro l u nit. 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 condit ion. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded w ith 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 ve hicle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
o ut of control and he lps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
whee ls, and/or reducing eng ine power and
providing steer ing ass istance to he lp hold the
vehicle o n the dr iver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the inst rument cluster
blinks when ESC is ta king action to help yo u
control the veh icle.
ESC has limitations.
It is importa nt to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under a ll cond it ions you may come up aga inst.
F or example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
s u dden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is sudden ly covered w ith water,
s lush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the ve hicle
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 in terrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESC imp roves the
poss ibil ity of keeping the vehi cle under con ­
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu­
vers by using the d river's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
ca uses you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.

Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new
brake pads do not possess their full braking
effect, they have to be "broken in" first¢& .
You can compensate for this slightly reduced braking power by pushing harder on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy braking loads during the
break-in per iod.
Operating conditions and driv ing habits
The brakes on today's automobi les are sti ll
subject to wear, depending largely on operat ­
ing conditions and driving habits¢.&. . On
vehicles that are e ither driven mostly in stop­
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure
to have your b rake pads inspected can result
in red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the brak ing
effect of the engine. This way, you p revent un­
necessary wear on the brake system.
If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. Pump the brakes at inter­
va ls.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi­
tions such as temperature and humidity.
Effect of water and road salt
In certain situat ions, for example after driving
through water, in heavy ra in, after overnight
condensation or after washing your car, the
braking effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the brake roto rs and brake pads . The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake applications .
A t hi gher speeds and with the windshield w ip­
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time .
This occurs at regular intervals without the
Intelligent technology 187
driver noticing and provides for better brake
response time under wet conditions .
T he effectiveness of the brakes can be red uced
when the vehicle is driven on a sa lt-co vered
road and the b rakes are not used. Likewise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious ap­
plications of the brake ¢ & .
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regu larly or
on ly for 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 ¢.&. .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have failed ¢.&. .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate with the brake peda l. It works
only when the engine is runn ing .¢ .&.
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed fo r this in­
spection ¢
page 252, Changing a wheel .
A WARNING
-
- New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken-in" dur-
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
~
•
•

188 Intelligent technology
200 kilometers) of normal city driving.
You can compensate for this by pressing
the brake pedal more firmly. This 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 users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lowe r driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. 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 without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- 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 . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near- est authorized Audi dealer or
qualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably 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 steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and 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.
E!"4 Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
ls!'fl Dynamic steering: initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steering* is being reinitialized. Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the ..,..

194 Driving and en vironm ent
@ For the sa ke of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fue l being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Operate your vehicle
economically and minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
t he economy of your vehicle, as well as ex ­
haust and noise levels.
Fue l economy, environmental impact , and
wear on you r engine, bra kes and t ires la rgely
depend on th ree factors:
= yo ur personal dr iv ing sty le
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
If yo u anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easi ly cut your
fue l consumption by 10-15 percent. This sec ­
tion will give you some t ips on how you ca n
he lp the environmen t and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not co rre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, wh ich will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load an d speed, road and weather con­
ditions, tr ip le ngth, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating .
.,. Avoid unnecessa ry accelerating and braking. Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
ce le rating. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, acce lerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next traff ic light is red .
· Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well below your car's maxi-
m um speed .
Acce lerat ing gently red uces fue l cons ump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
F uel consumpt ion, exhaust emissions a nd en ­
gine noise inc rease disproportionate ly at high
speeds . If yo u drive at approximately th ree
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weathe r con­
ditions pe rm it.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is jus t idling it burns up
fuel.
.. Shut the eng ine off when you are not driv ­
ing the vehicle .
.. Do not warm up the vehicle by letti ng the
eng ine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when wa it ing for tra ins to pass at rail­
r oad crossings, or at traffic lig hts that have
long wai ts on red . Tu rn ing the eng ine off for
j ust 30-40 seconds saves more fuel tha n is
burned start ing t he e ngine aga in.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is ru nning at id le. However, wea r
and noxious emissions a re espec ia lly high
whe n the eng ine is wa rm ing up. So you s hou ld
dr ive away as soon as yo u start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms whi le the engine is
still warming up.
ll-