battery AUDI A5 COUPE 2016 User Guide

Airbag system
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing , remov­
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and prevent that system from working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust , or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
142
who has the training and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . After an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical
information, training and special equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be performed by qualified work­
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv­
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the vehicle electrical sys­
tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
llll-

.... N
0 I­co .... .... The all-wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power. Your vehicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under normal dr iving condit ions and on
snow and ice. Always read and fo llow safety pre­
cautions <=>
,&.
Winter t ire s
When driving in the winter, your vehicle with a ll­
wheel drive has an advantage, even with regular
tires. In winter road conditions it may be adv isa­
ble to mount w inter tires (or all-season tires) for
i mproved driveab ility and brak ing : these tires
must be mounted on
all four wheels . See also
<=> page 220, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles w it h
all -wheel drive <=>
page 220, Snow chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with all-whee l dr ive must always have
tires of the same size. A lso avoid tires with differ­
ent tread depths. For details see page
<=>
page 212, New tires or wheels.
Off-Road dri ving ?
Your Aud i does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle.
It is there­
fore best to avoid rough tracks and uneven ter­ rain as much as possible . Also refer to
<=> page 177 .
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and t raff ic
conditions. Do not let the extra safety affo rd­
ed by all-wheel drive temp t yo u into ta king
extra risks.
- Although the all-whee l drive is very effec­
t ive, a lways remember th at br akin g capac ity
is limited by tire traction. Yo u should t here­
f ore not drive at excess ive speeds on icy or
slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be caref ul no t to drive
too fast because the front wheels co uld be ­
gin to slide on top of the water (aq uaplan­
ing). If this shou ld occur, you wi ll have no
Intellig ent Technology
warn ing from a s udden increase in engine
speed as w ith a front-wheel drive vehicle.
Always drive at speeds which are suited to the road conditions - risk of crash .
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution of
elec trical energy and thus optimizes the availa­
bility of ele ctrical energy for star ting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system is
not dr iven fo r a long pe riod of time, the batte ry is
discharged by id ling curre nt cons umers (e.g. im ­
mobili ze r). In cer tain circumstances i t can res ult
in the re being insuffi cien t energy ava ilable to
start the engine .
Intellige nt energy manageme nt in yo ur vehicle
hand les the distri bu tion of elec trical energy.
Start ing ability is markedly improved and the life
of the battery is extended .
B as ic all y, energy managemen t cons ists of
bat ­
tery diagn osis , idling current man agement
a nd
d ynamic energy man agement.
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis con tinuously dete rmines the
state of the bat tery. Sensors de termine battery
vo ltage, b attery curren t and batte ry tempera­
tu re. This de termines t he current state of charge
and the power of the battery .
Idling current management
Idling cur rent management reduces ene rgy con­
s u mption wh ile the vehicle is standi ng. With the
ignition swi tched off , it co ntrols the energy sup­
ply to the vario us elec trical components . Data
from battery diagnosis is considered .
Depend ing on the ba tte ry's s ta te of charge, indi­
v idual consumers are g radually turned off to pre­
ven t excess ive d ischarge of the battery and thus
maintain starting capab il ity.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynam ic ene rgy
manageme nt dis trib utes the energy generated ""'
175

Intelligent Technology
according to t he needs of the individua l compo­
nents. It regu lates consumption , so that more
e lectr ical energy is not being used than is being
generated and ensures an optimal state of
charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot neg­
ate the limits of physics . Cons ider that the
power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica­
tor light (•) appears ¢
page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start­
ing capability.
The batte ry is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in c ity traffic and d uring the co ld time of
year. Abundant electrical energy is req uired, but
only a little is generated . It is also c rit ica l if the
engine is not runn ing and electrical components
are turned on . In this instance energy is be ing
consumed but none is be ing generated .
It is in precisely t hese situations that you will no­
tice energy management active ly regulat ing the
d istr ibut ion of energy .
Vehicle stands fo r an e xtended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or sw itched off. T his reduces
energy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca­
pab ility over a longer period . Some of the con­
ve nience funct ions may not ope rate, such as the
i n terio r lights or the powe r seat adjustment. The
conven ience f unc tions w ill be available again
when yo u switch on the ign it io n and s tart the en­
g ine.
With the engine turned off
I f you listen to t he radio, fo r example , with the
engine tu rned off o r use other MMI functions,
the batte ry is being discharged.
If start ing capabili ty is jeopardized due to energy
consumpt ion, a message appears in t he M MI dis­
p lay. The message indicates that the system wi ll
176 b
e switched off a utomat ica lly in a moment . If
you wish to continue using the functions, you have to sta rt the eng ine.
With the engine running
Althoug h elec trica l energy is gene rated w hen t he
vehicle is bei ng drive n, the batte ry can become
discharged. This happens mostly when little en ­
ergy is being generated and a great dea l con­
s u med and the battery 's state of charge is not
optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equilibri ­
u m, consumers whic h require espec ia lly large
amounts of energy are temporar ily cut back or
switched off. Heating systems in particular re­
quire a great dea l of energy. If you notice, for ex­
ample, that the heated seats* o r the heated rear
window are not heati ng, they have bee n tempo­
r arily cut back o r switched off . These systems will
be available again as soon as the ene rgy balance
has been res tored.
You w ill also no tice that eng ine idle speed has
been increased slig htly . T his is no rma l and not a
ca use for concer n. By in cr easi ng engine idle
speed t he ad ditional energy required is gene rat­
ed and the battery is charged.

.... N
0 I­co .... .... on necessary precautions e.g. co rrosion preven­
tion, maintenance and storage . Pay attention to
addit ional information concerning the battery .
Refer to¢
page 200 .
Economical and environ­
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
F ue l economy, environmenta l impact, and we ar
on your engine, brakes and tires la rgely depend
on three factors :
- you r persona l dr iving sty le
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can eas ily cut your fue l
consumption by
10-15 percen t. This section will
g ive you some tips on how you can help the envi ­
ronment and yo ur pocketbook .
(!) Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not cor re­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will va ry depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and wea ther condi tions,
t rip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating.
" Avoid unnecessary accelerating a nd braking .
Veh icles use the most fuel when they are acceler ­
ating . If you anticipate what is going to happen
next , you will need to brake less and, thus, accel­
e rate less . let the vehicle coast wheneve r possi ­
b le -fo r example when yo u see that the next traf­
fic light is red .
Driving and the envir onment
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
"Try and keep well below your car 's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fuel consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­
ment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproport ionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather cond itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is jus t idling it burns up fuel.
" Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
" Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the en-
gine run
at idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at railroad cross ings, or at traff ic lights that have long waits
on red . Turning the engine off for just
30 -40 sec ­
onds saves more f uel than is burned starting the
. . engine again.
It takes a long time for the eng ine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially h igh when
the engine is warming up . So yo u should dr ive
away as soon as you start the eng ine and avoid
runn ing at high rpms w hile the engine is st ill
warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave eng ine idling unattended after
s tart ing. If wa rning lights sho uld come on to
i ndicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded . Extended idling also prod uces
heat, which could resu lt in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty.
179

Checking and Filling
-To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment . Wait until no steam or coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­ partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm. The coolant system is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the coolant reservoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme­
diately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
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 repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever of automatic transmission
192
to "P" (Park); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other moving parts, or from contacting hot parts . Tie back hair before starting,
and do not wear clothing that will hang or
droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi­
cal hazards
c::> /.1. .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm . In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will 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 vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer.

Check ing and F illing
The brake fluid rese rvoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the l eft
side
c!,> pag e 193 .
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for alarm.
If th e b rake fl uid level fa lls considerably be low
the "M IN" mark, the b rake warning/ind icator
lig ht ( U.S. mode ls :
1111 , Canadian models:. )
will come on
c!,> page 15 . Do not contin ue to oper ­
ate the vehicle . T he comp lete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authori zed
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake flu id level is too low, the
b rake warning/indicator light will i llum inate.
Contact a n author ized Audi dealer
immediately .
{D) Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs mo isture from the air. If the
water content in the b rake fluid is too high, cor­
rosion in the brake system may resu lt afte r ape ­
riod of t ime. The boiling poi nt of the brake flu id
will also decrease cons iderably and decrease
b raking perfo rman ce.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every
two year s.
Always use new brake fluid wh ic h con­
forms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle Standard "FMVSS
1 16 DO T 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to reach,
therefore, we recommend that yo u have the
brake fl uid changed by yo ur autho rized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has t he corre ct tools, t he
right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed orig inal container out of
the reach of chi ldren!
200
- Bra ke fa ilure ca n result from old or inapp ro­
priate brake fluid . Observe these precau­
tions:
- Use only brake fluid t hat meets SA E speci­
fi ca ti on
J 170 3 and con forms to Federa l
Motor Ve hicle Standard 116 . Always check
wi th yo ur autho rized Audi dea le r to make
s ur e yo u are using the correct brake fluid .
The correct type of brake flu id is also ind i­
cated on the b rake fluid reservo ir .
- The brake fluid m ust be new . Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long .
This can se riously affect the efficiency of
the b rakes as well as your safety . This
could resu lt in an accident .
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your veh i­
cle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem o f proper d isposa l o f
brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls re­
q ui red a nd the necessary expertise, we rec­
omme nd that you have the bra ke f luid
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
, General information
U nder normal operating condit ions, the battery
i n your Audi does not need any maintenance.
With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the elect ro ­
lyte level c hecked by an au thorized Aud i dealer o r
qualified workshop. The electro lyte level shou ld
a lso be che cked each time the battery is c ha rged
c:!,> page 202.
Have the batte ry chec ked when you take yo ur ve­
hicle in for service. You are we ll adv ised to re­
pla ce a battery tha t is older than 5 yea rs.
With certain types of airbag deployment, t he
batte ry is d iscon nected from the ve hicle electri­
ca l system for safety reasons
c!,> .&. in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 1 42. .,.

.... N
0 I-­co .... .... Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle func tion s (p ower w indow reg ula­
tors, for example) are lost i f th e battery termi ­
na ls are d isconnected. These functions have to be
relearned afte r the battery termina ls are con­
nected aga in. To prevent th is, the batte ry shou ld
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectr ica l
system w hen abso lute ly necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If yo u do not drive you r vehicle over a period of
seve ral days or weeks, e lectrical components a re
g radually c ut back or sw itched off. This reduces
e nergy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca ­
pability over a longer pe riod
c:> page 175 .
Some of the conven ience f unctions may not ope r­
ate, s uch as the inte rior lights or the power seat
ad justment. The convenience functions will be
ava ila ble aga in whe n you tu rn o n the ignition and
start the engine .
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to dec rease as temperatu res dr op. This is be­
cause more power is also consumed wh ile start ­
in g, and the head lights , rear wi ndow defogge r,
etc., are used more of ten .
Avoid un necessa ry power consumption, part icu­
l arly in city traffic or when t rave ling on ly short
d ista nces . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capaci ty of the vehicle battery be fore w inte r
sets in
r=;, pag e 202. A well cha rged batt ery w ill
n o t onl y preven t st arti ng p roble ms w hen the
wea ther is cold, but will also last l on ger .
(D Tips
If your v ehicle is left stand ing fo r se ve ral
wee ks at extre mely low tem per at ures, the ve­
hicle b attery sh ould be re moved and stor ed
w here it will not free ze . Th is will preve nt i t
from being dama ged and hav ing to be re ­
placed .
Checking and Filling
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart ­
ment under the floor. Befo re you check anything
i n the luggage compart ment ,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when working
o n the veh icle batte ry or t he ve hicle elec trical
system to prevent in jury .
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery :
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when wo rking on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking.
~
When a battery is charged , it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children.
A WARNING .....__ -
Wheneve r working on t he battery or on the
e lectr ica l system, the re is the r isk of injury,
accide nt a nd eve n fire. Read and he ed the fol­
l ow ing W AR NIN GS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat­
tery acid or any l ead particles ge t on you r
skin o r clothing. Shield yo ur eyes. E xplosiv e
g ases can ca use b lindne ss or other in jury.
- Ba tte ry acid contai ns sulfur ic acid. Sulfu ric
acid can ca use blindness and s evere burns.
- Always wea r gloves and eye protection . Do
n ot tilt t he batte ry because aci d could lea k
out of the ventilation openings. ""
201

Checking and Filling
-If you get batt ery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa ­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame, electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and nega-
tive cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth­
er metal objects. This would cause the bat ­
tery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy­
drogen gas which is explosive and could
cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the nega tive ground cable .
- Before performing any work on the electri­ cal system, switch off the engine and igni­
tion as well as any electrical equipment. The negative cable on the battery must be dis­
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, sw itch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off.
Reconnect the positive cable first and then
the negative cable. Never interchange the
cabl es - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat­
tery . It could explode! If a battery has fro­
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32°F (0°C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery.
202
- Never use batteries which are damaged .
There is the danger of an explosion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is switched on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise, you will damage
electronic components in the electrical sys­
tem .
-If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing" , otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re­
placed.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­ tery .
Fig. 165 En g in e compar tment : Co nnectors for charger and
jumper cab les
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
9 A and ¢ A in Working on the battery on
page 201.
.,. Turn off the ignition and all electrical consum­
ers.
.,. Make sure the area is well ventilated when you
charge the battery.
Iii>-

.... N
0 I­co .... .... ~ Open the engine hood ¢page 191.
~ Open the cover on the positive pole ~ fig. 165.
~ Connect the charger connectors accord ing to
the instructions to the
jump start bolts. (Bolts
under the cover= "positive", Bo lts with hex
head = "negative") .
~ Only now plug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall outlet and turn it on
~ & -
~ Make sure the charging rate is not over
30 amps/14.8 Volt.
~ When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet.
~ Now remove the clamps for the charging equip-
ment.
~ Close the cover on the posit ive pole .
~ Close the hood ~ page 191.
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 °F (0 °C) . Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempt ing to charge it
~ & . However, we recommend not using a
thawed batte ry again because the battery casing
can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak
battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps/14.8 Volt)
When charging at low voltages (e .g . with a trick­
le charger),
the battery cables do not have to be
disconnected first. The battery caps should
not
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartme nt.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14.8 Volts)
Fo r techn ical reasons do not use a battery charg­
e r that uses voltage greate r than 14.8 Volts to
charge your vehicle 's battery.
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur­
er when charging your battery .
Checking and Filling
-Never charge a frozen battery . It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al­
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- 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 electrical
spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas generat­
ed by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or disconnect charger cables while
the charger is operating .
- Fast charg ing 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 w ith a solution of
warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid .
@ Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This will seriously damage sensi­
tive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
cha rge r.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica­
tions and dimensions as the original equipment
battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
r esponsib le for distr ibut ing the electrical energy
throughout your vehicle ~
page 175. The intelli­
gent energy management system will keep the
engine battery charged better then vehicles with ­
out this system. To make sure the additional
electrical energy is available once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at the
t ime your vehicle was delivered) . Specifications
are listed on the battery housing . Your author­
ized Audi dealer must code the battery in the en-
ergy managemen t system to enable you to use
ll>
203

Checking and Filling
the energy m anag ement functions correctly after
replacing the battery.
I f it is not poss ible to use a battery of th is type,
the new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 -volts), amperage, construction and
p lug sealing .
When insta lling the batte ry, make sure the igni­
tion and all elec trical consumers are turned off.
CD Note
Ma ke sure the ventilation hose on the side of
t he batte ry is connected, othe rw ise f umes or
bat tery acid can lea k out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper dispo sal of
a ba tte ry, we recommen d your author ized
Audi de aler change the battery fo r you . Bat­
teries contain su lf u ric acid and lea d and must
always be disposed of properly in compliance
w ith all environmental regu lations. D ispos ing
of vehicle batteries improperly is very danger­
ous to the env ironment.
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
F ig. 16 6 Engine co mpar tment : Cove r o n th e w ind shie ld
and head lig ht ' was her fluid conta iner
The washer fl uid containe r is m arked with the
symbo l
O on its cap ~ fig. 166 , ¢ page 193 ,
fig . 160 .
.,. Befo re yo u check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢,& in Working in the engine compor t­
ment on page 191.
204
.,. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washe r fl uid.
You ca n fill the conta iner to the top.
.,. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after fill -
ing the container .
You can find the reservoir
capacit y in the table in
~ page 242.
Clean water should be used when filling up . If
possib le , use soft wate r to prevent scaling on the
washer jets. Always add a glass cleaner solution
(with frost p rotection in the winter) .
CD Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or any
other additives to fill up the winds hield wash­
er reservoir.