air condition AUDI A8 2016 User Guide

Airbag system
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants.
Fig. 163 Location of dr iver airbag: in steering whee l
Fig. 164 Location of front passenger's airbag: in th e in­
strument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System " in compliance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at
the time your vehicle was manufactured. he safe­
ty belts for the seats have "pretensioners" that help to take s lack out of the belt system. The pre­
tensioners are also activated by the electronic
control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety be lts also have load limiters to
help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel
hub<=>
fig . 163 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel
<=>fig. 164. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR­
BAG".
150
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detai led
i nformation about airbags, safety belts and ch ild
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers,
especially infants and small children .
.&_ WARNING -
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supp lemental protection.
- Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained .
.&_ WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small ch ildren, wi ll receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­
ing too close to the airbag when it inf lates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
-
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the "low risk" option under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that is
heav ier than the typical one-year old ch ild is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating pos ition.
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size.

The PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
¢ fig. 166 .
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you
sw itch on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light will flash for a few seconds and :
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a sma ll child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go out if the front passenger seat is occu ­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat.
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light mu st co me
o n and st ay on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat,
o r
- a rearward-facing child restrai nt has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal ­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg istered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-o ld restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced A irbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is no t occupied, the
fron t air bag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Never install a
rearward -fac ing child restraint on the front pas ­
senger seat, the safest p lace for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat
¢page 147, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 168, Child safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF light
stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
Airb ag sys tem
not appear on and does not stay on a ll the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- react ivate the system by sw itch ing the ig nition
off and then switching it on aga in;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restraint. Make
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed through
the child restraint as desc ribed in the c hild re­
straint manufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the seat can do
its job
¢ page 177 .
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild seat are not being
transpo rted o n the front passenge r seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is
not b locked . Shake the safety belt la tch on the
front passenger seatback and fo rth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
seat to the front passenger seat, make su re
t ha t it is not so tight that it causes the weight­
sensing mat to measure more weight than is
ac tually on the seat.
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still doe s
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it p roper ly at one of the rear
seat pos itions . Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by yo ur Audi dealer immed iate ly.
- move the child to a rear seat pos ition and ma ke
sure that t he chi ld is proper ly rest rained in a
child restra int that is appropr iate for its s ize
and age .
T he
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignit io n is on and an adu lt is
s itting in a proper seat ing pos ition on the front
passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds whi le dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan-
ces, make sure that :
Ill-
157

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 139, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, weight, and body struc­
ture. Many countries and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an acc ident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
your child's size¢
page 171, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the impo rtant in­
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are
on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
168 peat it all here.
We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they are
extremely importa nt for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especia lly infants and
small chi ldren.
.&_ WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by striking
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater r isk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inf lating airbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of pro tect ion
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent sit uations.
.&_ WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest , center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat in

Smart Technology Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
E vent Dat a Recorder
This vehicle is equipped wi th an Event Data Re­
corder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa­
tions, such as an a irbag deploym ent or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand­
ing how a veh icle 's systems performed . The EDR
is designed to record data related to veh icle dy­
n amics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
ve hicl e is designed to reco rd such data as :
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
at ing;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far ( if at all) the dr iver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake peda l; and,
- How fast the ve hicle was trave ling.
These data can he lp provide a better understand­
ing of the c ircumstances in which crashes and in ­
juries occur. NOT E: EDR data are recorded by yo ur
veh icle only if a non-triv ia l crash situation occurs;
no da ta are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e .g .,
n ame, gender, age, and crash location) a re re­
corded . H oweve r, other pa rties, such as law en­
fo rcement, cou ld combi ne the EDR data w it h the
t ype of personally iden tifying dat a routine ly ac­
q ui red during a crash invest iga tion .
To read data reco rded by an EDR , specia l equip­
men t is req uired, a nd access to the ve hicle or the
E DR is needed. In add it ion to the vehicle man u­
facturer, other parties, s uch as law enforcement,
that have the specia l equipment, can read the in­
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the E DR .
Some state laws restrict the re trieval or down ­
l oading of data stored by ED Rs insta lled in a vehi ­
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af-
Sma rt Technology
ter an accident or cras h event without the own ­
er 's consent.
Audi will not a ccess the EDR and/or sim ilar data
o r give it to o thers -
- unless the vehicle owne r (o r lessee if the vehi­
cle has been leased) ag rees; o r
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the jud ic ia l
discovery process.
- Aud i may a lso use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
prov ide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identify ing the specific veh i­
cle or info rmat io n about the ident ity of its own­
er or lessee and only afte r th e re co rded veh icle
d ata has been a ccessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equ ipped w ith a number of
electronic control modules for va rious vehicle
systems, such as engine ma nagement, emiss io n
contro l, airbags , and s afety be lts .
These elec tronic control modules record data
dur ing no rma l vehicle operation that may be
neede d by trained tech nicians for diagnost ic and
r e pa ir purposes. The re co rding c apab il ity of these
modules is lim ite d t o dat a (no sound is record­
ed). Only a sma ll amount of data is actua lly re­
corded over a very limited period of time, or stor­
ed when a system fault is detected by a contro l
module . Some of the data stored may relate to
vehicle speed, direction, or braking, as well as re­
straint system use and performance in the eve nt
of a crash . Stored da ta ca n also on ly be read a nd
down loaded w it h specia l equipment that is d i­
r ectly connected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped w ith Aud i con­
nect . Your use of certai n Aud i connec t fea-
tures requi res wire less serv ices tha t are pro-
v ided by a third party wireless telecomm uni­
cations provi der. For de tails regarding how in­
formation obtained through Aud i connect is
collected, p rocessed, transmitted, used, and ..,.
189

In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating. EDL w ill switch on aga in a utomati­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Ste ering recommendat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by chang ing
the s teering torque .
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
h e lps to s tabilize the stee ring in critical s itua­
tions.
Selective wh eel torqu e control
Select ive whee l torque control is used when driv­
in g on curves . T he front wheel on the inside of
the cu rve or both wheels o n the inside of the
curve are br aked selec tively as needed . This al ­
l ows more precise driv ing in curves . The applica­
b le system may not activate when driving in wet
or snowy conditions.
Automatic post-collision braking system
The "Automatic post-co llision bra king system"
can help to reduce the ris k of slid ing and of other
coll is ions after an accident. If the airbag contro l
module detects a col lision above a certain vehicle
speed, the vehicle is b raked by t he ESC.
The vehicle does not b rake automatica lly if :
- the driver p resses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greate r than the brak ing force
that wou ld be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri ­
ca l system are not f unction ing .
Sma rt Technology
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the limits posed by natural physi­
cal laws . This is especia lly important on s lip­
pe ry o r we t roads .
If the systems beg in act­
i n g to stab iliz e your ve hicle, yo u should im­
mediately change yo ur speed to ma tch the
road and traffic con dit ions . Do not let the
increased safety provided by these systems
tempt you to take r isks. Do ing so will in­
crease the r isk of a loss of vehicle contro l,
coll is ion and serious pe rsonal in juries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of losing con­
trol of the vehicle increases when driving too fast, especially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when driving too
close to vehi cles up ahead. The ESC and its
i n teg ra ted systems ca nnot alw ays preven t
coll is io ns -the re is s till a risk of accide nts!
- Always accelerate w ith specia l care on even,
smooth s urfaces su ch as those that are wet
or covere d wi th ice and snow. The d rive
whee ls can spin eve n wit h these assistance
systems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle contro l.
(D Tips
-ABS a nd ASR only wo rk cor rec tly when all
four wheels a re equipped wi th identi cal
tires. Diffe rent tire s izes can lead to a red uc­
tion i n engine power .
- You may hear noises when the systems de ­
scribed are working .
191

Driving and th e en vironm ent
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
.,. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed .
Accelerating gent ly reduces fue l consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­ ment.
Fue l consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase d isproportionately 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 conditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driv ing
the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
The idling phase is automatically reduced for
veh icles with the Start-Stop-System*. It is effi­
cient to switch off the eng ine in vehicles without
the Start -Stop -System when stopped at ra ilroad
crossings and long red lights . Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is bu rned by starting the engine aga in.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . However, wear
and noxio us em iss ions are espec ially high when
the engine is wa rm ing up. So you sho uld drive
away as soon as you start the engine a nd avoid
running at high rpms while the engine is still
warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended a fter
starting . If warn ing lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they wou ld go
unheeded. Extended idling a lso produces
heat, wh ich co uld result in overheat ing or
200
other damage to the vehicle or othe r proper ­
ty.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
.,. Have you r veh icle serviced at regula r interva ls.
By hav ing your veh icle regularly serv iced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it runs p roperly
and e conomi cally. The cond ition of you r vehicle
not only affects its safety and ab ility to hold its
val ue, it also affects
fuel con sumption .
Check your oil each t ime you fill your tank .
The amount of oi l used is related to engine load
and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new en­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mile­
age has been driven .
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 mi les
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly as­
sess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and engine
output .
(D Note
-Have your ve hicle ma intained properly and
in accordance with the se rvice recommenda ­
tions in your Warranty
& M aintenance book­
let. Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the veh icle w ill impair the
function of the em ission control system and
cou ld lead to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Contro l System u nless ap­
proved by the man ufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ign ition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Contro l System and other
impo rtant ve hicle compone nts.

Trailer mod e
conditions are unfavorable - particularly when
going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
imm ediatel y if the tra ile r
shows the s lightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the sway in g b y accele rating .
Observe speed lim its . In some areas, speeds for
ve hicl es towing tra ilers are lower than for reg ula r
veh icles.
A lways apply brakes early . When dr iving down­
h ill , sh ift into a lower gear to use the engine
b raking effect to slow the veh icle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a tra iler, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension . Switch the air sus­
pens ion tra iler mode on when you a re towing a
tra ile r. This will limit the regulat ion by the air
suspens ion while driving . Select in the MM I:
ICARI function button > (Car )* sys tem s control
button >
Vehicle setting s > Air su sp .: to wi ng >
On .
Coolant temperature
The coolan t temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully. The coo lant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed
immed iate ly if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to.
¢page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing a
trai ler because of the additiona l weight and dif­
ferent weight distr ibut ion. Safety, performance
204
-
and economy will g reatly depend on how carefu l­
l y you load your trai ler and operate your rig .
Befo re yo u actually tow yo ur t railer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practicing unti l you have be ­
come complete ly familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds .
Backing up is diff icult and requ ires practice.
Backing up with a trailer genera lly req uires steer ­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle witho ut a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between yo ur vehicle
and the one in front of you. You will need more
room to stop . To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius .
When passing, remember tha t you canno t accel­
erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load . Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer du ring the break-i n pe ri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a tr aile r, your A udi may requi re
more frequent ma intenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 281.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks unde r both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks abso rb the load .
.,. Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.

Checking and Filling
the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢ page 222.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 15 will il­
luminate until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is an
electric coolant level sensor, we still recommend
you check the coolant level from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cooling
system should be inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
It is not enough merely
to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheating.
_& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can
get very hot. Reduce the risk of scalding from
hot coolant by following these steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es­
caping fluid and steam by covering the cap
with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise direction while applying
light, downward pressure on the top of the
cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or
hot engine parts. Under certain conditions,
the ethylene glycol in engine coolant can
catch fire.
228
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding radia­
tor repair fluid may adversely affect the func­
tion and performance of your cooling system
and could result in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢.& in Working in the engine compartment on
page 220 .
.. Requirement: There must be a residual amount
of coolant in the expansion tank ¢(D .
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down .
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 22 7, fig. 201 and carefully twist
the cap counter-clockwise ¢&, .
.,. Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
r::!> page 22 7, Coolant up to the MAX marking.
.. Make sure that the fluid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary .
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to ex­
act specifications ¢
page 22 7, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G13 or in an emergency G12+ . Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain wa­
ter until you can get the correct additive and can
restore the correct ratio. This should be done as
soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifreeze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark . Excess
coolant will be forced out through the pressure
relief valve in the cap when the engine becomes
hot.
~

& WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald ing
from hot coolant by following these steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping flu id and steam by cover ing the
cap w ith a la rge, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise d irection while applying
light, downward p ressure on t he top of
the cap.
- T o avoid bei ng bu rned, do not spill anti­
free ze or coo la nt on the e xhaust sys tem or
hot engi ne parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in eng ine cool ­
ant can catch fire .
- An tifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti­
freeze in its original con tainer and well ou t
of the reach of children.
- If you dra in the coolant, it m ust be ca ught
and safely stored in a proper conta iner
clearly marked "poison" .
(D Note
-Do no t add coolant if the expa nsion tank is
empty. Air cou ld enter the cooling sys tem
and damage the eng ine. If this is the case,
do not continue driving. Seek professional
ass istance.
- Coolant po llutes the environment and could
ca use an eng ine fire . Excess coolant will be
fo rced o ut through the pressure relief valve
i n the cap when the eng ine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only wate r can be add­
ed, the correct ratio between water and an­
tifreeze¢
page 22 7 must be restored as
soon as possib le.
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant sho uld not be reused. Always
dispose of used coolant while observing all
,...,
"' environmental regulat io ns. 0 J:
'SI: ,..., -
Ch eck ing and Filling
Rad iator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self .
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V­
belt. The v iscous clutch regulates t he speed of
the fan accord ing to the temperature of the cool­
ant .
An auxiliary e lectr ic radiator fan* sw itches on and
off depend ing o n coo lant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan
can continue ru nning for up to 10 m inutes -even
with the ignition off. It can even switch on aga in
later by itself¢,& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due
to the heat build-up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up beca use the
veh icle is parked in intense sunlight.
& WARNING
- To reduce the r isk of persona l injury neve r
touch the radia to r fan .
- The auxiliary e lectr ic fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on s uddenly even
when the engine is not ru nning .
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on auto­
mat ically when the eng ine coolant reaches a
certa in temperature a nd will continue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
229

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of
brake fluid as we ll as the special toots re­
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec­
ommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your authorized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery
in your Audi does not need any maint enance.
With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend tha t you have the electro­
lyte level checked by a service facility. The elec­
trolyte level should also be checked each time
the battery is charged ¢
page 233.
Have the battery checked when you take your ve­
hicle in for serv ice. You are well advised to re­
place a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the batte ry is disconnected from the vehicle electri­
cal system for safety reasons¢
& in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 159 .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regu la­
tors, for example) are lost if the battery te rmi ­
nals are disconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery terminals are con­
nected again. To prevent th is, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectr ica l
system when abso lutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
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. This reduces
ene rgy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca­
pability over a longer period ¢
page 195. Some
of the convenience functions may not operate,
such as the interior lights or the power seat ad­
justment. The convenience funct ions will be
ava ilable again when you switch on the ignition
and start the engine.
Checking and Filling
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop . This is be­
cause more power is also consumed while start­
ing, and the headlights, rear window defogger,
etc., are used more often.
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, particu­
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
distances . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter
sets in ¢
page 233. A well charged battery will
not only prevent starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the ve­
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it w ill not freeze . This will prevent it
from be ing damaged and having to be re­
placed.
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 . Before you check anything
in the luggage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢
&-
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the veh icle electrical
system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM·
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
~
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
231