warning AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2010 Owners Manual

lffll __ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
- When the battery is fully charge d: T urn th e charg ing
equ ipment off an d remove the ma ins lea d from t he wall
ou tle t.
- Now remove the clamps for th e ch ar ging equip men t.
- Close the red cover o n the posit ive po le.
- Close the hood
=:> page 280 .
A discharged battery can freeze at tempe ra tu res of only 3 2 °F ( 0 °C) .
Allow a froze n battery to thaw comp lete ly before attempt ing to
charge it~ & . H owever, we recommend not using a thawed batte ry
again because the battery casing can be c rack ed d ue to ice format ion
and can lea k battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of 30
amps/14.8 Volt)
Wh en charging a t /ow voltages (e.g. with a trickle charger), t h e
battery cables do not have to be disconnected first. The battery caps
should not be opened w hen c ha rging a ba ttery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from the luggage compart ­
me nt.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate above 14.8
Volts)
For technical reasons do not use a battery cha rger that uses voltage
grea ter than 14.8 Vol ts to cha rge yo ur vehicle's batte ry.
& WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous .
• Always follow the operating instructions provided by the
battery charger manufacturer when charging your battery .
• Never charge a frozen battery . It may explode because of gas
trapped in the ice. Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Do not reuse batteries which were frozen. The battery housing
may have cracked and weakened when the battery froze.
• Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from
open flame or electr ical spark . Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas gener­
ated by the battery is explosive .
• To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or disconnect
charger cable s while the charger i s operating.
• Fast charging a battery is dangerous and should only be
attempted by a competent technician with the proper equipment .
• Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solution of warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the ac id.
0 Note
N ever use a fast charger as a booster to start the engine. This w ill seri·
ously d amage sens it ive e lec tronic components, suc h as con trol units,
re lays, rad io, etc., as well as t he battery charger. •
Battery replacement
Th e ne w batt ery m us t hove the s ome speci fic ati ons and
d imensio ns as the origi nal e quip ment battery.
Inte lligent e ne rgy management in yo ur vehicle is respo nsib le for
dis tribu ting the elec trical energy througho ut yo ur vehicle
~ page 247. The intelligent energy management system will keep
t he e ngine bat tery ch arged bette r then vehicles wi thou t this syste m.
T o make sure the addi tional e lectr ica l energy is available once aga in
after you have changed the batte ry, we recommend that yo u inst all
batter ies of the same type a nd m anuf actu re only ( the same as t hose
installed at the time yo ur vehicle was delive red). Specificat ions are
listed o n the batte ry hous ing . You r a utho rized Audi dealer w ill then
code the battery management control unit. .,_

_____________________________________________ C_h _ e_ c_ k_in --= g'-- a_n _d_ f_i _ll _i_n -=g ::;__ ____.lftll
If it is not poss ible to use a ba ttery of this type, the new battery must
h ave the same capacity, voltage (12 volts), amperage, const ruct ion
and plug sealing .
When installing the battery, make sure the ignition and all electrical
consumers are turned off .
0 Note
Make sure the vent ilation hose on the side of the battery is
connected, otherwise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
c£' For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of a battery, we recom­
mend you r author ized Audi dealer change the battery fo r you .
Batteries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be disposed
of properly in compliance with all env ironmenta l regu lations.
Disposing of vehicle batteries improperly is very dangerous to the
environment. •
Windshield/headlight washer
container
Fig. 226 Engin e
c o mpa rt m ent : W in d­
s hiel d an d hea dlight*
wa sh er fl uid containe r
Vehicle OP-eration
The washer fluid container is marked with the symbol¢, on
i t s cap.
- Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS ~ & in "Working
in the engi ne compar tment" on
page 280 .
-Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer fluid. You can fill
the container to the top.
- Press the cap back onto the filler neck after filling the
co ntainer.
You can find the reservoir capacit y in the table in=> page 342.
To prevent lime res idue from build ing up on the sp ray jets, use
distilled water when refilling . Always add a glass cleaner solution
(with frost protection in the winter) .
0 Note
Do not mix engine coo lant antifreeze or any other additives to fill up
the windsh ield washer reservo ir. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least apprec iated and most abused pa rts of a moto r
vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
veh icle, parti cularly conside ring the comparative ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assu res that all- important co ntact between
you , your ve hicle and the road .
Ma inta in ing t he correct t ire pressu re, making s ure that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and reg ula rly inspect ing
tires for damage incl ud ing c uts, s lashes irregular wea r and overall
condi tion are the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoi d
sudden tire fa ilure includ ing t read separation and blowouts .
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or sim ilar obstacle, drive very s lowly
and as close as poss ible at a right angle to the cu rb .
Always keep chemicals including grease, oil , gasoline and bra ke fl uid
o ff the t ires .
Inspect the ti res regularly for damage (cuts, crac ks o r bl ist ers, e tc .).
Remove any foreign bodies embed ded in the trea ds.
Storing tires
M ar k tires when yo u remove t hem to indica te the d irect ion of rota ­
tion . This ens ures yo u to be able to mo unt them co rrectly whe n you
re insta ll them.
Wh en r emoved, t he wheels or tires s hould be sto red in a c ool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace. Sto
re tires in a ver tica l pos it ion if they a re not mounted on rims, in a
hor izonta l position if they are mo unted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be bro ken in~ & .
Th e tread dep th of new tires may v ary, ac cor ding to t he type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern.
Hidden damage
Dama ge to t ires and rims is often not readi ly visible . If yo u notice
unusu al v ib ra tion o r the veh icle pulls to one sid e, t his may i ndicate
that one of the tires has been damaged. The tires must be c hecke d
i m medi ately by an a uthor ized A udi deale r or quali fied w or ksh op .
Unidirectional tires
A u nidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the sidewall, that
point in the d irect io n the tire is des igned to rotate. Yo u m ust follow
t he s peci fied dire ction of ro tation . T his is nece ssary so th at t hese
tires can develop the ir optimum c haracter istics regarding gr ip, road
noise, we ar and hy dropl aning res istance. For more informa tion
~page 326 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must also be broken-in. To
reduce the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal
injuries , drive with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. .,_

________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ l!'II
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Tires age even if they are not be ing used and can fail suddenly ,
e specially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weigh t (in excess of those sta ndard items wh ich
may be replaced) of automatic transmission, power steer ing, power
bra kes, powe r win dows, power sea ts, radio, and heate r, to the exte nt
that these items are available as factory-insta lled equipment
(whet her i ns ta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
means the r atio of t he he ight to t he widt h of the t ire in percent.
N umbers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
res ponse and bet ter over all h andling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part of the t ire that is made of stee l wi res, w rapped or
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the ti re.
Safety first
& W ARNING (co ntinued )
• Never mount u sed tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old u sed tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unusual vibr ation or if the vehicle pulls to one side
when driving, always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire pressu re recom mended by the vehicle manufa ctu rer
for a tire of a desig nate d size that has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree hour per io d
before the tire pressu re is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a moto r vehicle wit h standard equipment
incl uding the max imum ca pac it y of fue l, o il, and coo lan t, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weig ht of optional eq uipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher inflat ion
pressures than t he co rresponding sta ndard t ire. Extra load tires may
be identif ied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the loa d-carrying capac ity of a sing le ax le system, measure d at
the t ire-grou nd interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
mea ns the maximum tota l loaded we ig ht of the vehicle .
Vehicle care Technical data

________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for extended
periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to 186
mph (298 km/h)=>
page 309. You may not find this information on
all tires because it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applicable, is molded on the tire
sidewall and indicates the max imum permissible road speeds=>
& in
"Winter tires" on
page 311.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires are
underinflated and illuminates a low tire pressure warning telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the principal grooves designed to give a
visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See=>
page 306,
"Tread Wear Ind icator (TWI)" for more information on measuring
tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tir e information system developed by the United States National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among tires. The UTQG is not
a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles (kilometers) or perform in a certain way. It simp ly
gives tire buyers additional information to combine with other
considerations, such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommenda­
tions. Under UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three
Safety first
areas: treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance . The UTQG
information on the tires, molded into the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number" . It begins with the letters "DO T" and
indicates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it was manufac tured, and
the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example,
DOT ... 2210 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2010. The
other numbers are ma rket ing codes that may or may not be used by
the tire manufacturer. Th is information is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the vehicle's total seating capacity as listed on the label located
on the driver's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is determined by distrib­
uting to each axle its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is de term ined by distrib­
uting to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and
normal occ upant weight (distr ibuted in accordance with table below
=> page 300) and dividing by two. ..,_
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ls _________________________________________________ _
Vehicle Weight Rating and the G ross Ax le We ig ht Rating a re listed on
t he sa fe ty co mplianc e stick er la bel lo ca ted on t he dr ive r's side B­
pillar. The tire press ure label on your Aud i lists the max imum
combine d weight of a ll of t he occ upants an d lugga ge or other cargo
that the veh icle can car ry . For the locat io n of the t ire pressure label
~ pa ge 300 , fig. 227.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause los s of vehicle control , a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle wa s designed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of a loss of vehicle control.
• The b rakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distan ce.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash.
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle 's Gro ss Vehicle Weight Rating.
& WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation can lead to a
serious or fatal accident.
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation,
c ausing loss of vehicle control. •
Checking tire pressure
The c orrec t t ire pre ssur e fo r th e tires origina lly insta lled
o n yo ur veh icle is listed on th e tir e p res su re l abe l lo cat ed
on driv er's side 8-pi llar.
Th e recommended tire pressures are on the tire p ress ure labe l an d in
t he table~
page 300, "Cold tire infla tion pressure" .This means that
the pressure m ust be chec ked an d ad justed w hen the tire has not
bee n driven for more tha n a co uple of miles (kil om ete rs) at l ow
speeds dur ing the prev io us three hours . A ir in t he tires expan ds when
t he tire he ats up as a res ult of in ter nal fric tion as it flexes in use. The
t ire pressure is higher w hen the tire has warmed up than whe n it is
" ld "
c o .
It is the inflation pressu re in a "cold" tire that counts. Therefore, yo u
should never let air out of a wa rm tire to match "Col d tire inflat ion
pr essu re" recomme ndat ions~
pag e 300 . The t ir e s would t hen be
unde rinflated and co uld fail sudden ly .
Th e tire p ress ure label on your Aud i list s th e recom mended co ld t ire
inflation pressures at maximum capacity fo r the new, o rigina l equip­
ment tires tha t were on yo ur vehicle at the t ime it was man ufactu red.
For the location of the label~
page 300, fig. 227.
M ost tires lose a ir nat urally ove r time. They can a lso lose some a ir if
you drive over a potho le or hit a curb while pa rking.
It is usually not
possible to see whether the rad ia l ti res used today are underinflated
jus t by loo king at them.
T herefore, be sure to check t ire pressures at least once a month and
a lways before going o n a long tri p. M ake sure to take the num be r of
peop le and the amount of luggage i nto account whe n ad justi ng tire
press ure for a t rip -even one tha t you would no t conside r to be
" lo ng." See~
pag e 304, "Tires and vehicle load lim its" for mo re
im po rtant i nformat ion.
Alw ays use an a ccu rat e t ire pres sure g auge whe n checki ng a nd
ad justing i nflat io n pressures. Check all of the tires and be sure not to
f o rge t the s pare tire. If the pre ssu re in any tir e is too h igh when the
t ir e is "co ld," let air out of t he tire slowly with t he edge of the ti re ..,_

________________________________________________ T_i_r _e _s _ a_n _ d_ w_ h_ e _ e_l_s __ _
gauge a nd keep chec king the press ure until you reach t he press ure
th at i s cor rect fo r t he lo ad ( pass en ge rs and l uggage) and kind of
dr iving you plan to do .
If the press ure i n any t ire is too low, note the difference betwee n th e
pressu re in t he cold tire a nd the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for t he ve hicle load
( pass enge rs and lugg age) f or th e tires on yo ur vehicle as l ist ed on t he
on your vehicle and in this manua l and the kind of driving you p lan to
do.
Never exceed the maximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
sidewall for any reason.
Remember that the ve hicle m anufac tur er, no t the tire manufa cture r,
determines t he correct tire press ure for the t ires on your veh icle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when the t ires a re co ld .
• Read the requ ired t ire pr essure from t he t ire pr essure lab el. T he
tire pressure labe l is located on the dr ive r's side B-p illar.
• Turn t he valve stem cap co unter-clockw is e t o remove it from the
tire valve.
• Place th e air press ure gauge on the valve .
• Th e tire p res su res sho uld on ly be che cked and adju sted whe n the
tires are cold . The slightly raised press ures of warm tires must not be
re duc ed .
• Adjust the tire press ure to the load you are carry ing.
• Re install the valve s tem cap o n the valve.
When should I check the tire pressure?
Th e correct tir e press ure is especially import ant a t hi gh s peeds. The
pressu re s ho ul d t herefore be chec ke d at least once a mont h and
a lways before sta rt ing a jou rney. Do not fo rget to check the tire pres­
sure for the spare w heel.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust t he tire pressure to the loa d you are ca rry ing . After ch ang ing a
w hee l
or replac ing wheels yo u have to adjus t th e t ire press ures on all
Safety first
wheels . In add itio n, you m ust t hen store the new tire pressu res in the
tir e press ure m oni torin g sy stem* =>
page 316.
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead sudden tire
failure, loss of control, collision , serious personal injury or even
death.
• When the warning symbol appears in the instrument
cluster, stop and inspect the tires .
• Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinflation can cause
increa sed tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
causing loss of vehicle control.
• The driver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for all
tires on the vehicle. The applicable pressure values are located on
a sticker on the driver's side B·pillar.
• Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the correct pres­
sure , the ti re pressure monitoring system* can work correctly.
• The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to accidents or
other damage. Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the
specified tire pressure values for the tires and the correct pres­
sures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system*.
• Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres­
sure before driving off.
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more, letting them get
too hot resulting in tread separation, sudden tire failure and loss
of control.
• Excessive speed and/overloading can cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure and loss of control.
• If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well.
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• If the tire i s not flat and you do not ha ve to change a wheel
immediately, drive at reduced speed to the nearest service station
to check the tire pressure and add air as required.
0 Note
Driv ing without valve stem caps can cause damage to the tire valves.
T o preven t this, a lways make sure that fac tory ins talle d valve stem
caps on all wheels are securely mo unted on the valve.
<£> For the sake of the environment
Under inflated t ires will also increase the fuel consumption .•
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amo unt of load or weig ht that any vehicle and
any t ire ca n carry. A veh icle th at is overlo ade d w ill n ot handle well and
is more difficult to stop . Overload ing can not on ly lead to loss of
vehicle co ntro l, bu t can also d amage important pa rts of the vehi cle
and can lead to sudden t ire failure, including a b lowo ut and sudden
deflation that can ca use the vehicle to c rash.
Yo ur safety and t hat of your passengers also depends o n mak ing s ure
that load limits are not e xceeded. Vehicle load incl udes eve rybody
and everyth ing in and on the ve hicle. These load limits are tech nically
refer red to as the veh icle's
Gross Vehicle We ight Rating ("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" includes t he weight of the basic vehi cle, all factory
installed accessories, a fu ll tank of fue l, o il, coo la nt and other fluids
plus maxim um load . The maxim um load includes the number of
passenge rs that the vehi cle is intended to car ry ("seating capacity ")
w ith an ass umed we ight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each pa ssenger at a
designat ed seating position and the tota l w eight of any l uggage in
the vehicle. If you tow a trai le r, the weight o f the t railer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra ile r must be included as part of the
veh icle lo ad .
T he
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ") is the max imum load t hat
can be a pplied at each of the ve hicle's two axles .
Th e Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the Gro ss Axle Weight Ra ting
are listed on the safety compliance s ticker label located on the
dr iver 's s ide B-pillar. Audi h as 4 seat ing pos it ions, 2 in t he fro nt and
2 in the rear for total seating capacity of 4 . Each seating pos it io n has
a seat belt =>
page 19 0, "Safety belts" .
Th e fa ct t hat there is an upper lim it to your veh icle 's Gross Vehicle
We ight Rating means that the total weight of whatever is being
c arrie d in t he ve hicle (incl uding t he weight o f a trail er hi tch and the
tongue weig ht of the loaded tra iler) is limited . The more passengers
in the veh icle or p assenge rs who are he avier than the st anda rd
we ights assumed mean that less we ight can be carried as luggage.
Th e tire pressure labe l o n yo ur Audi a lso lists the max imum combine d
we ight of alt of the o ccupants and l uggage or o ther cargo that the
vehicle ca n carry . For t he locat ion of the label=>
page 300, fig. 22 7.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was de signed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe di stan ce.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been o verloaded can fail suddenly ,
including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of control
and a crash .
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
i ncluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a .,_

& WARNING (continued)
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. •
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage
or other things that you plan to transport so
that you can make sure that your vehicle
will not be overloaded.
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1.Locate the statement "THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehicle's placard (tire infla­
tion pressure label) =>
page 300,
fig. 227.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle.
Safety first
Tires and wheels -
3. Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or "XXX" pounds shown on the
sticker =>
page 300, fig. 22 7.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will
be five 150 lbs. passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400- 7
SO (5 x 1 SO) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle. .,_
Vehicle care Technical data

________________________________________________ T_ i_ re _ s_ a_ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l _s _ ....... JIII
Unbalanced wh eels must be rebalanced to avoid e xcessive w ear o n
st eeri ng, sus pens ion and tires. A w heel must a lso be re balan ced
w hen a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect whee l alignm ent can ca use excessive ti re wea r, impairing
th e safe ty o f the vehicle. If tir es show excessive we ar, ha ve the w heel
alignment checked by a n authorized A udi dealer or qualif ied wo rk ­
s hop .
All wheel drive
Vehicle s wi th qu att ro ® mus t alw ay s ha ve tires of the sa m e siz e,
construct ion a nd tread type. For details see~
page 246.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control , a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators.
• Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning " and loss of control.
• Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such as
grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •
Vehicle OP-eration
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and w heel s hav e to b e brok en in .
Fig. 231 Tire specificat ion codes on the sidewall of a tire
No.
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®
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©
©
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Description
Passenger car tire (where app licable)
Nom inal width of ti re in mil lim eters
Ratio of hei9ht to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
jj Rim diameter code
L oa d index and speed rating
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data