fuel AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2013 Owner's Manual

(D Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
flu id, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commercia l cleaning spe­
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, stiff sponges or sim­
ilarly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia­
bly when needed.
.. Keep belts clean .
.. For cleaning, use a mi ld soap and water sol­
ution . Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight.
.,. Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
.,. Check the condition of your safety belts
reg­
ularly .
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly .
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anything that might damage your safety
belts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers wou ld not be adequately pro­
tected in an acc ident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach o r dyes. They have corros ive prop­
erties whi ch weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage.
If you discover dam­
age, see your a uthorized Audi dea ler.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information
Qpage 194.
l) Use o nly the correct cleaning sol utions. Neve r use gas­
oline or d iese l fuel.
Cleaning and protec tion
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
A lw ays switch o ff the ign it ion before cle an ­
i ng the eng ine
c> ,& .
Plenum pan el
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engine hood. This
prevents the water drain holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from enter ing
the vehicle interior through the heating and
vent ilat ion ducts.
Co rro sio n protect ion
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the factory.
Good anti -corrosion treatment is very impor­
tant, partic ularly in the winter.
If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and p lenum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage.
At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
shou ld be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease remov ing solutions
1> , or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­
s ion treatment is almost always removed as
well.
It i s therefo re essentia l to have a long­
lasti ng cor rosion pro tect ion reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before work ing in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
c> page 212.
- Before reaching into the front plenum
panel, a lways remove the ignit ion key.
205
•
•

Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for you r vehicle is un­
leaded premium
g rade gasolin e. See also
¢ page 267, Data . Audi recommends usi ng
TO P TI ER Deterge nt Gaso line wi th a minim um
oc ta ne ra ti ng of 9 1 AK I (9 5 RON). For more
in fo rmation on TO P TI ER De tergent Gaso line,
p lease go to the official website (www.toptier ­
gas.com).
The re commended g asoline octane r ating for
your engine can a lso be fo und o n a label loca t­
e d on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This rat ­
ing may be specif ied as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle m ay also be oper ated using un­
l e aded regular gasoline with a minimum oc ­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON . However, using
87 AKI/9 1 RO N octa ne f ue l w ill sli ghtly re­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso ­
line is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
a nd in most E uropean cou ntries . We recom ­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or count ries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see ¢
page 209.
Octane rating
Octane r ati ng in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
r es ist engine damaging "knock" ca used by
p remature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
i mportant to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most common ly used in the Unite d
States and Canada has the followin g octane
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 207
ra tings that can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
p ump :
- Premium Gr ade: 9 1 -9 6 AKI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock In d ex = (R+M )/2 = (RO N
+M ON)/2
RON= Resear ch O ctane Num ber
MO N= Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use a ny fue l w it h octane rat ings
lower than 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
e xpensive engi ne damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne . The use of
leaded gasolin e w ill severely damage
yo ur vehicl e's cata lytic co nve rter and its
ability to control exh aust em iss ions.
Blended gasoline
U se of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d with
a lcohol o r MTBE (commonly re fer red to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets the
fo llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no mor e than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must co ntain more than 2% co-sol-
vents .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in mo re tha n 10%
ethanol.
- Ve hicl es w ith flex ible f uel engine : blend
m ust not contain more t han 85% ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE ..,_
•
•

208 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE .
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well for winter or summer driving .
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
CD Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only
be used in vehicles with flex ible fuel en­
gines. Using high ethano l fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexib le fue l eng ines
can cause severe engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not mee t these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identif ied.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties .
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveab ility and performance prob­
le ms due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Ethanol fuel (B io-ethanol)
App lies to veh icles : w ith flex ible fue l en g in e
You can recognize vehicles with a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the label on the inside of
the fuel filler flap.
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op­
erated with bio -ethanol fuels such as E85
(85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) or with un­
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95) . The vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption w ill increase when us­
ing bio-ethanol fue ls due to the lower amount
of energy contained per unit volume in etha­
nol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in
low temperatures
Due to the chemical composition of b io-etha­
nol , a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in very
low temperatures. This fue l evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru­
ment cluster display, drive with a warm en­
gine to reduce the o il level.
CD Note
- Never fill with methanol o r with a higher
percentage of b io-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A higher percentage of bio-etha­
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fue l system.
- If you use only E85, it is recommended
to fill the fuel tank complete ly with un­
leaded premium grade gaso line every
5,000 miles.
- If you experience starting, rough id le or
hesitation driveability problems, fill the
fue l tank comp letely with unleaded pre­
m ium grade gasoline and dr ive it nor­
mally until the gasoline is used. See your
authorized Audi dealer if the problem
persists .

-Inform your authorized Audi dealer that
you are operating or have operated the vehicle with E85.
- Read and follow the information and tips
about gasoline
¢ page 207.
(D Tips
It may take longer to start the engine
when the outside temperature is very cold.
If possible, use winterized fuel if tempera­
tures are below freezing.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build -up caused by
the type of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common . All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec­
tive.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For more information on TOP TIE R
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas .com) .
After an extended pe riod of using inadequate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
(D Note
- Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel addit ive
products to your fuel tank.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
T he fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 209
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for detailed
instructions see
¢ page 211.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 267.
The labe l on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fuel for your veh icle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see¢page207.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refuel­
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you
refue l your vehicle. In order to fi ll the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
A WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry addit ional fuel conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow b lower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe loca l and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty. The irregular supply
of fuel can cause m isfiring . Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter .
•
•

210 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Refuelling
Fig. 169 Rig ht rear veh icle s ide: Open ing t he fuel fille r
fl ap
Fig. 170 Fu el fi ller fla p w ith attached fuel c ap
When activating the central lock ing, the fuel
fi ller flap is automatically un locked or loc ked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ig nition turned
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
~ Turn off the ignition .
~ Press the left side of the fuel fil ler flap to
open it~
fig . 169 -arrow- .
~ Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and
hang i t on the fuel filler flap
~ fig . 170.
Refuelling procedure
~ Insert the fuel no zzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler nec k as far as it will
go .
~ Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatical ly when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
~ After filling your tank, tw ist the fuel cap
clockwise as far as it will go .
~ Close the fuel filler flap. T
o avoid fuel spill ing or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
completely .
A WARNING
-Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump no zzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over ­
flow . Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while re­
fueling . The electromagnet ic rad iat ion
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle whi le re­
fue ling.
If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
ref ueling, make ce rtain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill ­
er nozzle again . Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors released during refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open flame any­
where in or near your veh icle when refu­
eling or filling a portable fuel conta iner .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel conta iner in your vehicle . The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash .
- If, u nder exceptional cir cumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel conta iner,
p lease observe the following:
- Never fill a portable f uel container
whi le it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire.
- Always place a portable fue l conta iner
on the ground before filling.

-Always keep the f iller nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable conta iner before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
he lp prevent static electricity from dis­
charg ing and cause a fire .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fue l vapors are
h ighly f lammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin­ cial laws regarding the use, storage
and tra nspo rta tion of fuel containers.
- Make certa in the fuel conta iner meets
industry standards (A NSI
I ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
sw itches off automatically for the fi rs t
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more f ue l because fuel may spill out. In
add it ion , the expans io n s pace in the fuel
t ank will be fi lled -ca using the fue l to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol ­
lute the env iro nment.
@ Tips
- Runn ing yo ur engine while re fuelling
may ca use vapors to escape o r even
ca use fue l to spill out of the tank . This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be­
fo re the tank is fu ll.
- Do not refuel your ve hicle w ith the igni ­
tion t urned on. The fuel gauge may oth­
erwise not ind icate the correct fue l level
after refuel ling.
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not locked when you lock the vehicle from
the i nside.
Fu el suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank 211
Unlocking the fuel filler flap by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power loc king system should fail .
Fig. 1 71 Lu ggage co mpartme nt: ope ning the side trim
Fi g. 172 Lu ggage co mpa rtme nt: Eme rgency ope ning
of fue l fil ler flap
The emergency opening mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug­
gage compartment .
Opening the side trim
... Insert a tool such as a screwdrive r
~ page 248 or the emergency key into the
r ight side of the upper gap
c::> fig. 171 .
... Pry upward to release the trim.
Fuel filler door emergency release
... Loose n the strap from its bracket and p ull
on it
c::> fig. 17 2. Yo u can now open the fuel
filler f lap as usual ~
page 210.

-To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before ca re­
fully opening the hood .
- Keep children away from the engine com ­
partment.
- Never spill flu ids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The aux ili­
ary e lectr ic fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the eng ine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressur ized and hot coo l­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot eng ine coolant by placing a
thic k rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any c ircumstances. Th is increases the
risk of bu rns.
- If wo rk on the fuel system or the electri­
cal sys tem is ne cessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames . Fluids in the engine com­
partment co uld start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately ava ilable.
- To avoid electrical s hock and persona l in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repa ir
with the engine running:
- Fir st, fully apply the parking brake,
move se lector lever of a utomatic trans­
mission to "P" (Park).
Checkin g and fillin g 213
-Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-be lts
or other moving parts, or from contact­
i ng hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang o r droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to em ission and
chemical hazards
9 .&, .
&_ WARNING
Califo rnia Proposition 65 Wa rni ng:
- Engi ne exhaust, some of its const ituents,
and certa in vehicle components contain
or emit chemi cals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproduc tive harm. In addition,
certain fl uids con tained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemica ls known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com ­
pounds, c hemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc ­
tive harms. Wash hands afte r handling .
(D Note
When adding flu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper conta iner
or f iller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu­
i ds, have you r vehicle inspected by an au­
thori zed Audi dealer. •
•

216 Check ing and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am age or m alfunc tions du e to lack of
m ainten ance
It
is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended in tervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re­
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a t imely manner.
Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, a ll in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certa in
amount of oil. O il consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typica lly, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 187) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to wear as mi
leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If
the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
I! in the instrument cluster lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 217. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience ¢
page 217.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 212.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
-The oil pressu re warn ing display . is
not an indic ator of the oil l evel. Do not
r el y on it . In stea d, check th e oil l eve l in
y our engin e at regular inter val s, pref ­
erably ea ch time you r efu el, and alwa ys
before go ing on a long trip .
-If you have t he impression yo ur engine
consumes excessive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt an author­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in m ind that the accurate measu rement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some time. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
-

228 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
(D Note
Please note that summer and winter tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that th ese
items are availab le as factory -installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Audi recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem­
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un­
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ressu re recommended by t he
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des igna ted
s iz e that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
t h e three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicl e w ith
standard equipment including the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
me ans a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the lo ad -c a rry ing c apac ity of a s ingle
axle system , measured a t the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicl e. .,.

th e f unct ion of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driving with under inflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resu lting
in tread separation, sudden t ire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire fail ure
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wea r prematurely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t i re is not flat and you do not have
to change a w heel immed iate ly, dr ive at
reduced speed to the nearest serv ice sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as requi red.
{Q) Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the tire va lves . To preve nt this,
always ma ke s ure t hat facto ry installed
va lve stem caps on all wheels a re secu re ly
mounte d on the va lve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Unde rinflat ed tires will a lso inc reas e the
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are l imits to the amo un t of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry .
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill not handle
w ell and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but c an a lso damage import ant parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the ve hicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are n ot exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . Th ese
Tire s an d wheel s 235
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" incl udes the weight of the basic
vehicle, a ll factory installed accessories, a f ull
tan k of fuel, oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
max imum load. The max imum load incl udes
the n umber of passengers t hat the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seat ing capac ity") with an
ass umed we ight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for eac h
passenger at a designated seating posi tion
and the tota l weight of a ny luggage i n the ve­
hicle. If you tow a tra ile r, the we igh t of the
tra iler hi tch and the tongue we igh t of t he
loaded tra iler mus t be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" G AWR ") is
the max imum load th at can be appl ied a t each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and t he
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are listed on the
sa fe ty comp lian ce sti cke r la bel lo cate d on the
driver's side B-pillar. Audi has
4 seating pos i­
tions, 2 in the front an d 2 in the rear fo r total
seating capacity of 4 . Eac h seati ng position
has a seat belt
q page 132, Safety belts.
T he fac t that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­ ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers w ho are
heavier than the sta ndard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be ca rried as lug­
gage.
T he tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the max imum combined weight of all of the
occupants and l uggage or other cargo that
the ve hicl e can ca rry . Fo r th e lo cat ion of the
la bel
q fig. 182 .
_&. WARNING
--==
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss o f ve -
h icle cont ro l, a crash or other accide nt, se-
rious pe rsonal in ju ry, and even death. ..,
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