air suspension AUDI A7 2018 Owners Manual

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \.J ' If one of these indica to r li ghts does no t turn on,
there is a ma lfu nction in t hat system.
Red indicator lights
--------------
US A models:
b rake system .I
c::> page 12
Canada models:
bra ke sys te m .I
c::> page 12
USA models :
elec tromechanical parking brake
c::> page 13
Canada models:
electromechanical pa rking brake
c::> page 13
Cooling sys tem
c::> page 1 4
Eng ine oi l pressu re
c::> page 15
E ng ine oi l level ( MIN )*
c::> pag e 15
A lternator
c::> page 14
Eng ine stop wh ile dr iv ing
c::> page 14
F ront safety belt
c::> page 14
Elect romecha nica l steer ing ./
c::> pag e 124
Steer ing lock
c::> page 1 5
En gine sta rt system
c::> page 15
USA models:
spee d war ning sys­
t em
c::> page 8 4
Canada models :
speed warning
system
c::> page 84
Adapt ive cr uise control *./
c::> page 89
Air suspension
c::> page 15
Instruments and indicator lights
Rear spoil er
c::> page 1 2 5
N ight vision assist *
c::>page 103
Night vision assist*
c::> page 103
C en tra l ind icator light
c::> page 10
Yellow indicator lights
"O~ I I ~ ,.
--------------
El ec tronic Sta biliz ati on Contro l
(ESC)
.I
c::> page 16
El ec tro nic Sta bilizatio n C ontro l
( ES C)
./
c::> page 16
E lectron ic Stab iliza tion Contro l
(ESC)
c::> page 120
USA models:
anti- lock b raking system (ABS) ./
c::> page 16
Canada models:
anti-l ock braking system (ABS )./
c::> page 16
USA models: safe ty systems
c::> page 16
Canada models: sa fety systems
c::> pag e 16
B rake pads
c::> pag e 16
Electromec hanical par king brake
c::> page 13
Tire p ressure
c::> page 222, or c::> page 224
Tire pres sure
c::> page 222, or c::> page 22 4
Engine co ntro l (g aso line eng ine) ./
c::> page 17
Malfunc tion In dicator Lamp (M IL)
.I
c::> p age 19 3
En gine speed limitation
c::> pag e 17
11

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' switched on w hil e the vehicle is rolling and
there is s ufficient batte ry char ge. Ot he rw ise,
you must use greate r fo rce w he n steer ing.
'l=;r: Engine oil pressure
• Turn off engine and check oil level
Sto p the eng ine and do not continue driving .
Chec k the engine oil leve l
q page 197.
-If the engine oi l leve l is too low, add engine oi l
¢page 198. Onl y cont inue driv ing once t he in­
dicato r light tur ns off.
- If the engi ne oil leve l is cor rect an d th e indic a­
tor light s till tur ns on, turn the eng ine off a nd
do not continue d riving . See an a uth o rized Audi
dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Faci lity for as ­
s istance .
(D Tips
The o il press ure war ning i s not an o il level in­
dicator . Always c heck the oi l leve l regul arly .
~ " Engine oil level
Applies to: vehicles with oil level warning
• Please add oil immediately .
Add engine o il imme diate ly ¢page 19 6.
II Add oil max . x qt (I ). You may continue driv­
ing
Add th e disp layed amo unt of oil immed iate ly
¢pag e 196.
@-Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle : Steering defective
There is a malfunction in the elec tronic stee ring
l oc k. You ca nnot turn t he igni tion o n.
Do
not tow your vehicle beca use it ca nnot be
steered. See an author ized A udi dealer or autho r­
i zed A udi Service Fac ility for assis tance.
!Ill Steering lock: System fault Please contact
dealer
There is a malfunction in the elect ronic stee ring
l oc k.
Instruments and indicator lights
Drive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho riz e d
A udi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
A WARNING "---
Do not tow yo ur vehicle when there is a mal­
f u nct ion in the el ectro nic steer ing lock - t his
in creas es t he risk of an acc id ent.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
Do not switch the ignition off because you may
not be able to switch it on again.
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer or aut ho rized
A udi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
II! Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
T he re is a m alfu ncti on i n th e engi ne st art in g sys ­
tem.
Dr ive to a n au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho riz e d
A udi Se rvice Faci lity i mmedia tely to h ave the
m alfu nction corr ecte d .
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: System fault. You can con­
tinue driving slowly (max. speed 35 mph)
T he re is a mal fu n cti on t hat ca n res ult in r estric t­
ed driv ing st abili ty .
Dr ive to an au thor ized A udi d eal er or au tho riz ed
A udi Se rvice Faci lity i mmedia tely a t a m aximum
s p eed o f 35 mph ( 60 k m/h ) to h ave the ma lf u nc­
t io n co rre cte d.
• Air suspension: Service mode. Vehicle can
only be moved with restrictions
Caref ully drive to an aut ho rized Aud i dea le r o r
a ut ho rized Au di Serv ice Facili ty immedia tely to
have t he s ervic e mod e deac tiva ted.
II Air suspension: System fault .
15

Instruments and indicator lights
There is a system malfunction that can result in
restricted driving stability or reduced ground
clearance.
Drive to an autho rized Aud i dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
II Air suspension: Vehicle too low Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a system
malfunct io n. Wait until the air suspens ion sys­
tem has restored normal ground clearance. Ot h­
erw ise, condit ions such as an uneven road s urface
can lead to vehicle damage.
& Brake booster
u Brake servo: limited functionality. You can
continue driving. Contact workshop
There is a malfunction in the brake booster. The
brake booster is available, but its effectiveness is
reduced. Braking behavior may be different from
how it normally functions and the brake pedal
may v ibrate.
Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
f;.l fJ Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
If the bl indicator light blinks wh ile driving, the
ESC or ASR (Anti -Slip Regulation) is actively regu ­
lating .
If
the bl i ndicator light turns on, the system has
sw itched the ESC off. In this case, you can switch
the ignition off and then on to switch the ESC on
aga in . The indicator light turns off when the sys­
tem is funct ion ing fully.
If the
JI i ndicator light turns on, ESC was
sw itched off using the
I,; OFFI button
~ page 120 .
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the bl indicator light and the ABS indicator
light
rJ] (USA models) / Ii] (Canada models)
turn on and this message appears, there is a ma l-
16
function in the ABS system or electronic differen ­
tia l lock. This also causes the ESC to malfunction.
The brakes still function with their normal power,
but ABS is not active.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
If the 1111 (USA models) ;II (Canada mod­
els) brake system indicator light turns on to­
gether with the ABS and ESC ind icator lights,
the ABS and ESC regulating function may
have malfunctioned . Funct ions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer available. This co uld
cause the vehicle to swerve, which increases
the risk that the vehicle will slide. Drive care­
fu lly to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility and have the
malfunction corrected.
(D Tips
For additional information on ESC and ABS,
see
~page 120.
tlit !t Safety systems
The II (USA models)/ m (Canada models) indi ­
cator light monitors the safety systems.
If the
II (USA models)/ m (Canada mode ls) in­
dicator light turns on or blinks, there is a mal­
function in a safety system such as the airbag or
belt tensioner system.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
Have the malfunction in the safety systems
inspected immed iately. Otherwise, there is a
risk that the systems may not activate during
a collision, wh ich increases the risk of serious
injury or death .
(0} Brake pads
liJ Brake pads!
-

Instruments and indicator lights
Drive to an autho rized Aud i dea le r or a uth orized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct io n corrected .
~/0$ Defective light bulb warning
If the S:i indicato r light turns on, a light has
fa iled. The message ind icates the location of the
lig ht. If the
I) ind icator lig ht also turns on, the n
a rea r fog light has fa iled . The position of the in­
d icator light cor responds w it h the location on the
ve hicl e.
Dr ive to an a uthorized Aud i dea le r or a uth orized
Aud i Serv ice Fac ility immediately to have t he
malfunct io n corrected.
Vehicle lights: Malfunction
There is a malfunction in the head lights or t he
light switch .
D rive to an a uth o rized Aud i de aler or auth orized
Au di Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct io n corrected .
i,(D Dynamic headlight range control
App lies to: ve hicles w ith dyn am ic headli ght range co ntr o l
Iii Headlight range control: System fault
There is a mal func tion in the head ligh t range
cont rol system, which may ca use g lare fo r othe r
drivers.
D rive to an a uth o rize d Aud i de aler or auth o riz ed
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have t he
malfunct io n corrected .
~D Light/rain sensor
!I Automatic headlights / automatic wipers:
System fault
The light/rain senso r is malf unct ion ing.
T he low beams remain swit ched on at all times
for s afety reasons w hen t he lig ht swit ch is in the
AUTO posi tion. Howeve r, you can continue to
tur n the lights on and
off using the light sw itch.
You can still control a ll functions that are inde ­
pendent of the ra in sensor thro ugh the w ind­
sh ie ld w iper lever.
18 Drive
to an au thor ized A udi d ealer or au tho riz e d
Audi Se rvice Fac ility immediate ly to have the
malfunction cor rected.
; Adaptive dampers
App lies to : vehicles wit h suspension cont rol
II Suspension: System fault! You can continue
driving
There is a n ada ptive damper malfunction.
Dr ive to an au thor ized A udi d ealer or au thoriz e d
Audi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to h ave the
malfunction corrected.
r I Sport differential
App lies to: vehicles wi th spo rt di ffere ntial
Ill Sport differential: System fault
There is a m alfu nction w ith th e s po rt diff erential.
D rive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
Audi Se rvice Fa cility i mme diately to have the
malfunc tio n cor rec ted .
II Sport differential: Overheating
The t ransmission temperature has increased sig ­
nificantly d ue to the sporty dr iv ing ma nner. Drive
i n a less s porty manner unti l the temperat ure re­
turns to t he norma l range and t he i nd ica tor lig ht
swi tches of .
A WARNING
Con tac t an author ized Audi dealer or author­
i z ed A udi Se rvi ce F acilit y if t he spor t differen­
t ia l is fa ulty or m alfu nct ionin g. Th e rep air
must be per formed by trained personnel us ­
ing the correct oil in or der to ensure safety .
¢ Q Turn signals
If the Ill or R ind icator light blinks, the t urn
s ignals a re activated . If both ind icator lights a re
blink ing, t he emergency flashers are activated .
-
If an indicator light blinks tw ice as fast as us ual,
a turn signal bu lb has fai led . Carefully d rive to an
a uth orized Aud i dea le r o r auth ori zed Audi Serv ice
Facility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunction cor-
r ected .
.,.

Trail er to wing
must attach additiona l exterior mirrors . Adjust
them so you have a sufficient visibility behind
you .
Exterior lighting
Follow the lega l regulat ions regard ing the light ­
ing eq uipment on your trailer . Conta ct an author ­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty for more information.
Before start ing to drive, check a ll l ight ing equip­
men t on the hitc hed trailer.
The headlig ht range contro l adjusts automatical­
ly to the light range of the headl ights.
Safe ty chain s
Make sure the safety chains are correctly applied
when pulling a trailer . The chains should hang
enough so t hat the trailer can dr ive around
curves. However, they must not touch the
g round .
Air su spension
Applies to: vehicles with air suspension
The air suspension must be at the standard vehi­
cle height before you set the tongue weight on
the trailer a nd h itch the trailer ¢@ ,
¢page 107,
Raising/lowering the vehicle.
For ve hicles w ith a factory-installed tra iler hitch,
the air suspension trailer mode will automat ically
sw itch on if you connect the trailer cable to the
socket.
For ve hicles w ith a retrof itted trailer hitch, you
must switch on the air suspension trailer mode
manually . Select in the Infota inment system:
ICARI function button > ( Car )* s yste m s contro l
button
> V ehicle setting s > Air su spen sion : trail ­
e r > On .
Switch it off again after tow ing a tra ile r.
You can also switch off tra iler mode ma nually
while driving, for example, when using a bicycle rac k system .
If you have to drive through difficult road condi­
tions, you can raise the vehicle aga in after hitch­
ing the t rai ler or after adjust ing the tongue
weight .
82
@ Note
Applies to: vehicles with air suspension
-Changes i n temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle .
- Set the air suspension to the standard veh i­
cle he ight, otherwise the applicable tongue
we ight no longer appl ies to your veh icle.
(D Tips
- Use chocks when park ing on inclines if the
trai ler is loaded.
- We recommend also hav ing the vehicle in­
spected between the inspection intervals if
you are towing a trailer frequently.
- Avoid driv ing with a trai ler dur ing the veh i­
cle break-in per iod.
Driving with a trailer
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution.
Sp eed
Adhere to t he lega l speed lim its . Fo llow the legal
regu lations
specific to the country.
As the speed increases, the dr iv ing stab il ity of
t h e tra ile r decreases. Therefore you should not
exceed the max imum lega l speed lim it w hen
t h ere are unfavorab le road, weather and/or wind
conditions. This especia lly applies when driving
downh ill.
Yo u m ust always red uce your speed as soon as
you notice even the slightest swinging motion o f
the trai ler . Never try to "straighten out" the trai l­
er by acce lerating.
The we ight d istr ibution is very poor if the vehicle
is empty and the trai ler is loaded. However if you
must drive under these circumstances, then drive
especially slowly .
Brakes
B rake in a time ly manner. Downs hift befo re dr iv ­
i ng down hill so that the engine can assist with
braking ¢&. .
When using a trailer w it h over run bra kes, fi rst
bra ke gently t hen q uick ly. This red uces the r isk of
j erking while braking if the trailer wheels lock up .
IIJJ,,

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \.J ' Messages
Applies to: vehicles with night vision assist
Night vi sion assist : S ys te m fault
The system cannot guarantee correct function
and is sw itched off . See an author ized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility for ass is­
tance.
Night vision a ssist : Currently una vailabl e
The system cannot guarantee correct function at
this t ime and is switched off.
Night vis ion assi st: Onl y av ailable at night with
light s turned on
Nig ht vision ass ist only wo rks when it is dar k out ­
side and the head lights are on.
Night vision a ssist : Pede strian marking curr ent­
l y unavail abl e
The pedestrian and wild animal marking was
sw itched off by the system .
Audi drive select (drive
settings)
Introduction
Drive select makes it possible to experience dif ­
ferent types of veh icle settings in one vehicle .
The dr iver can se lect
Comf ort , Auto a nd D ynamic
modes in the I nfota inme nt system to switch be­
tween , fo r example , a sporty and a comfo rtable
driving mode .
I n the
Indi vidual mode, the sett ings can be ad­
justed to your perso nal preferences . This makes
it poss ible to comb ine settings such as a sporty
engine setting with light steering.
Description
The fo llowing systems, among other things, are
infl uenc ed by drive select:
Engine and automatic transmission
D epending on the mode, the e ng in e and auto ­
mat ic transmission respond more q uickl y o r in a
more balanced manner to accelerator pedal
A ss istance systems
movements . In the sporty dynamic mode, the
transmission shifts at higher speed ranges .
Adaptive air suspension*
The adapt ive a ir suspens ion* is an e lectron ica lly ­
contro lled air suspens io n and dampi ng sys tem.
T he adjustment depends o n the dr iving mode se ­
l ected, steering movements, the driver's braking
and acce leration, and as the road surface, ve hicle
speed and load.
T he vehi cle ground clearance depends on t he
mode selected and the speed . When you are in
the
a uto mode, the highway setting is activated
when you dr ive above 75 mph (120 km/h) for
more than 30 seconds. The ground clearance is
increased automatically if the speed drops below
44 mph (70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds .
Suspension control*
With the Audi Dynamic Ride Contro l damping
contro l, dampening characteristics of the vehicle
can be individually adjusted us ing drive select.
This makes it possib le to satisfy the des ire for
sporty suspens ion (DYNAMIC) and comfortable
suspension (COMFOR T) without g iv ing up bal­
anced tu ning (AUTO) .
Steering
The power steering adapts. Indirect steering that
moves easily as in comfort mode is espec ially
su ited to long drives on a highway . The dynamic
mode provides sporty, direct steeri ng .
Applies to: vehicles with dynamic steering
The steering ratio changes based on veh icle
speed in order to maintain optimum steering ef­
fort for the driver at all times . Th is sets the steer­
i ng to be less sensitive at h igher speeds i n orde r
to prov ide improved ve hicl e cont rol. At red uced
speeds, stee ring is more d irect in orde r to keep
the steering effort as minimal as possible when
the driver is maneuvering the ve hicle. At low and
average speeds, dynamic steering * additionally
provides more responsive steering performance.
Sport differential *
As a compone nt o f the all whee l dr ive sys tem
(qua ttro)
q page 124, the sport different ia l dis -
tributes the driving power to the rear axle
.,.
105

Ass is tanc e system s
depending on the situation. The distribution of
power varies from balanced (comfort) to sporty
(dynamic) depending on the selected mode. The
goal is a high leve l of agility and ab ility to accel­
erate on curves. The ve hicle is very respons ive to
steer ing .
Co rne ring light *
The cornering light adapts the high beams to the
direction of the curve depending on the speed.
The pivot ing action and the light ing also adapt to
the mode.
Adapti ve c ruise control *
The behavior when acce lerating can be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the
drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control a lso
responds to the driving behavior of the veh icle
ahead in a more conservative or sporty manner.
Engine sound *
The engine sound adapts to the current mode
and can be subtle to sporty .
@ Note
Applies to: vehicles with adaptive air suspension
-Make sure there is enough clearance above
and below t he ve hicle when parking. The
height of the vehicle (ground clearance) can
change once it is parked due to temperature
fl uctuations, changes to t he load condit ions
and c hanges to the d rivi ng modes.
- When transporting the veh icle on a car car­
r ier, tra in, sh ip or by other means, only t ie
the ve hicle dow n at t he ru nning surface of
the tires, w hich is the outer circ umfe rence.
Securing t he vehi cle at t he axle compo ­
nents, suspension struts or towing eyes is
not permitted because the pressu re in t he
a ir s uspension struts can change dur ing
Adjusting the Individual mode
transport . The vehicle may not be secured
sufficiently if this happens.
(D Tips
- In some models, the max imum ve hicle
speed can on ly be reached in t he auto and
dynamic modes.
- Th e S se lector lever position a utomat ica lly
engages if the dynamic mode is selected.
- Applies to: vehicles with dynamic steering:
operating noise is heard when sta rting o r
stopping the engine. This does not indicate
a problem .
Selecting the driving mode
.,. To select the mode, select the follow ing in the
Infotainment:
! CAR ! function button> Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Individual.
.,. Applies to: vehicles with a ti:~ button on the
steering wheel: press the button repeatedly u n­
til the desired mode appea rs in the instrument
cl uste r d isplay.
You
can change the driv ing mode whe n the vehi­
cle is stationary or while d riv in g. If traff ic per­
mits, afte r changing modes, briefly t ake your
foot o ff t he accelerator pedal so t hat the recently
selected mode is also activated for t he engine.
Comfort -provides a comfort-or iented vehicle
setup a nd is s uited fo r long d rives o n highways.
Auto -provides a n overall comfortable yet dy­
nam ic dr iv ing feel and is suited for everyday use .
Dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driving style .
Individu al -¢ page 106 .
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when ope rating the
drive select to reduce the r isk of an accident.
-
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,. Select: the !CAR! function button > S et individ­
ual
control b utton . Once you select the men u,
106
you will a utomatica lly drive in the Indi vidual
mode .

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \.J ' After you have closed the settings, you will a uto ­
matica lly drive in the
Ind ividual mode .
Systems comfort
Engine/transmission
ba lanced
Air suspension* comfortab le
Steering comfortab le
Assistance systems
The equipment in yo ur vehicle will determine
which settings you can adjust . The fo llowing ta­
ble gives a n overview of the characteristics .
auto dynamic
ba
lanced sporty
ba lanced sporty
ba lanced sporty
Dynamic steering
* comfortable/indirect ba lanced/d irect sporty/direct
Suspension control* comfortab le
Sport differential * balanc ed
Adaptive cruise control* comfortable
Engine sound* subtle
a) Subtle in the selector lever posit ion D and sporty in S.
(D Tips
Your Individual mode settings are automati­
cally stored and assigned to the remo te con­
trol key being used .
Raising/lowering the vehicle
Applies to: vehicles with adaptive air suspension
You can raise your vehicle temporarily, for exam ­
ple to drive over a tall curb.
Raising the vehicle
~ Select the following in the In fotainm ent sys­
tem: the
ICARI function button > Raise control
button.
~ Wait for the arrows or segments in the Info ­
ta inment system display to stop blinking and
the vehicle to reach its fina l posit ion.
Lowering the vehicle
~ To lower the vehicle, select the following in the
Infotainment system: the
! CARI function button
> Lower control button.
~ Wait for the arrows or segments in the Info­
ta inment system display to stop blinking and
the vehicle to lower completely .
@ Note
-Remember that your vehicle is not suitable
for driv ing offroad even when it is raised.
There is not enough ground clearance . ba
lanced sporty
ag ile sporty
ba lanced sporty
subtle/sportyal sporty
- If the vehicle is raised, it will lower auto­
matically when driving 62 mph (100 km/h)
or faster.
Messages
Applies to: vehicles with adaptive air suspension
Air suspension : Vehicle is too high . Controlling
level. ..
Air suspension: Vehicle is too low. Controlling
level. ..
Th e driver message switches off when the leve l
control process is complete.
107

Airbag system
must be performed by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE·
PLACEMENT RECORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al
-special handling may apply , see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo ­
rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts w ith pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed . Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
comb inations not approved by Audi, lower ing the
vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the springs, suspension struts , shock
absorb ers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of
162
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
i ng when it should .
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash .
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components origina lly instal­
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig . 157 D river 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel ¢
fig. 157, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers add itional protect ion to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion prov ided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal coll is ions when the deployment
..,.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \.J ' @ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer tires at the appropriate
time, because they provide better handling
when roads are free of snow and ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consumption.
(D Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
winter tires. Please note that in some coun­
tries where winter tires are required, only
winter tires with the
& symbol may be per­
mitted .
Snow chains
Snow chains not only improve the driving in win­
ter road conditions, but also the braking .
.,. Only install snow chains on the front wheels.
This applies also to vehicles with all wheel
drive*.
.,. Check and correct the seating of the snow
chains after driving a few feet, if necessary. Fol­
low the instructions from the manufacturer .
.,. Note the maximum speed of 30 mph (SO km/
h). Note the local regulations.
Use of snow chains is only permitted with certain
rim/tire combinations due to technical reasons.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author­ i zed Audi Service Facility to see if you may use
snow chains.
You must remove the snow chains on roads with­
out snow. Otherwise, you could impair driving
ability and damage the tires.
A WARNING
Using incorrect snow chains or installing snow
chains incorrectly can result in loss of vehicle
control, which increases the risk of an acci­
dent.
@ Note
- Snow chains can damage the rims/wheel
covers* if the chains come into direct con­
tact with them . Remove the wheel covers*
first . Use coated snow chains.
Wheels
- Using snow chains that add more than 0.4
inch (10.5 mm) of height can severely dam­
age the wheel housings and other vehicle
components.
- Do not install and use snow chains if there is
a malfunction in the air suspension*, be­
cause the vehicle height will be very low. If
you drive with snow chains anyway, the
wheel housings and other vehicle compo­
nents can be severely damaged .
(D Tips
When using snow chains, it may be useful to
switch on sport mode
c> page 121.
Low-profile tires
Applies to: vehicles with low-profile tires
Compared to other tire/rim combinations, low­
profile tires offer a wider tread surface and a
larger rim diameter with shorter tire sidewalls.
This results in an agile driving style. However, it
may reduce the level of comfort and increase
road noise when driving on roads in poor condi­
tion.
Low-profile tires can become damaged more
quickly than standard tires when driving over
large bumps, potholes, manhole covers and
curbs. Therefore, it is particularly important to
maintain the correct tire pressure
c>page 215.
To reduce the risk of damage to the tires and
rims, drive very carefully on poor roads.
Check your wheels regularly every 2,000 mi
(3,000 km) for damage. For example, check for
bulges/cracks on the tires or deformations/
cracks on the rims.
After a heavy impact or damage, have the tires
and rims inspected or replaced immediately by
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
Low-profile tires can wear out faster than stand­
ard tires.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
221