light AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET 2013 Manual Online

166 Child Safety
belts, ¢page 137, Airbag system and
c:> page 158, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's safe ­
ty and well-being require that the follow­ ing special precautions be taken :
- Make sure the forward -facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before installing the child restraint .
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks ¢
page 148, Monitoring the Ad ·
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and
80 lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are
less than 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig. 164 Rea r seat : child p rop erly r estrained in a boo s­
te r se at
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4
ft . 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil­
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop­
erly over the stronger parts of their bodies
and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
.. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re­ strain a child on a booster seat.
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child 's collar bone as possible
and mu st lie flat and snug on the upper
body.
It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug . Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::>page 163.
Children up to about 40 lbs. (18 kg) are best
protected in child safety seats designed for
their age and weight. Experts say that the
skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they must not use the vehicle safety belts without
a suitable child res traint.
...

It is usually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child 's body in the right places. The
routing of the belt over the child's body is very
important for the child's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's
safety belt alone to restrain any child, regard­ less of how big the child is. Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel­
vic structure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulder belts. The child's safety ab­
solutely req uires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable force. In order
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­ bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the airbag gets in the way of an
inflating airbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she will be struck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in­
jury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especial­
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible. By keeping room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can infla te com-
Child Safety 167
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrectly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possi­ ble and must lie flat and snug on the up­
per body. It must never lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie
across the pelvis and never across the
stomach or abdomen. Make sure the belt
lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary .
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a child's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an accident or other emergency
situation
~page 129.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the vehicle seat .
- Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­
bag inflates .
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat .
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi­
tion in any way during an accident can be
struck by a deploying airbag. This will re­
sult in serious personal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on. •
•
-

168 Child Saf ety
- If the PASS ENGER AIR BAG O FF li ght
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
c:> page 148, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used
c:> page 129, Safety
belts, c:>page
137, Airbag sy st em and
<:?v page 158, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
pas senger 's seat can be locked with the con­
vertible locking retractor to properly secure
child safety seats.
The safe ty belts eme rgency lock ing re tractors
fo r the re ar seats safe ty belts and for the
fro nt passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertible locking retracto r fo r child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that belt
webbing cannot unree l. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety be lt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
during normal driving . A child safety seat can
only be properly installed when the safety belt
i s locked so that the child and child safety
seat will stay in place.
A lways remember: Even thoug h your veh icle is
eq uipped w it h an Advanced A irbag system, all
ch ildren , espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and yo ung­
e r, should always ride in the ba ck seat proper­
l y res traine d for thei r age and weig ht.
_& WARNING
Imprope rly insta lled child sa fe ty seats in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision. -
Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place dur ing no rma l dr iving o r in a
crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it .
A loose child safety seat can fly aroun d
du ring a s udden st op or in a colli sion.
- I f the backrest is not securely la tched,
the child and the child restraint will be
throw n forward toge ther with t he ba ck­
rest and will strike par ts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be se riously in ­
jured or killed.
- Never inst all rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr iers on the front pas­
senger seat . A child will be serious ly in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­
ger airbag i nflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the back rest , center
armrest, doo r or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe­
ty seats or infa nt carriers on the rea r
seat .
- Forwa rd-facing child safety seats or in­
fant car riers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with t he de­
p loyment of t he a irbag and cause serious
i njur y to the child .
-It is safer to ins tall a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WAR NIN GS
whe neve r using a child restrai ned in ave­
h icle i s being u sed
c:> page 158. Special
p reca utions apply when ins tal ling a child
safety seat on the fron t passenger seat
c:> page 138, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
_& WARNING
--
Always take specia l precautions if you
must install a forwa rd or rearward-facing

child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
~ page 148, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
<;hild.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
_&. WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re·
straint up, against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
Child Safety 169
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on .
_&. WARNING
"' Rearward-facing child restraints:
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be seriously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates - even
with an Advanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
-Always be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances.
-A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas­
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and regis­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air­ bag System. The heavier weight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rearward-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer. •
•

and child against the backrest, center
armr est, or door .
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing c hild restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-mat in the
seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System . T he heav ie r
we ight registe red can make the system
wor k as though a n adu lt were on t he seat
and dep loy the Advanced Airbag when i t
must be suppressed ca using serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If you mus t inst all a rearwar d facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iate ly install the rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seat ing pos i­
t io n and have the airbag system inspect­
ed by you r a uthorized Audi dea le r.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional
information about ch ild restraint select ion, in­
stallat ion and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat
is the one tha t fits y our child and fits i n your
vehicle, and that you w ill use correctly and
consistently.
Try before you buy !
U.S National Highway T raffic Safety Admin­
istration
T e l. : 1-888-327-4236 (T TY : 1-800-424-9153)
www.nhtsa.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Te l.: (202) 662 -0600
www.safekids.o rg
Child Sa fet y 175
Safet y BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 7 45 -SAFE (English)
T el.: (800) 747-SANO (Span ish)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1 -800-333-0371 or ca ll
1 -6 13-998-86 16 if yo u are in the Ottawa area
http://www .tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
menu.htm
Audi Customer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
•
•

176 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine function, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.

178 Intelligent technolog y
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
a ll four wheels are eq uipped w ith identi­
ca l tires . Different tire s iz es can lead to a
r educt io n in engine power .
- You may hear no ises w hen the systems
described are wo rking.
- If the indicato r light
DJ or 11:11 (U SA
models) 1i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malf unct io n ¢
page 19,
c> page 19.
Switching on/off
ESC turns on au toma tically when you s tart
the engine.
Fig . 16 9 Ver sio n A : low er c ente r co nso le,~ OFF bu t·
to n
Fig . 17 0 Ve rsio n B: u ppe r ce nter conso le, ~ OFF but ­
to n
Switching sport mode on
Press the I;; OF F I button ¢ fig. 169 o r
c::> fig. 170 quickly. The act ions taken by the
E SC and ASR stabilize the vehicle a re limited .
T he
IJ ES C in dicator light tu rns on and the
me ssage
Stabilization control (ESC) : Sport .
Warning! Restricted stability
appe ars in the
d river info rmation disp lay
c::> A .
The following e xamp les are unusual situa­
t io ns whe re it may ma ke sense to switch s port
mode on in order to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Ro cking the vehicle to free i t when i t is s tuck
- Dr iv ing in deep snow o r on loose g round
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode can be sw itched on at a ny speed .
Switching ESC/ASR off
Press a nd ho ld the I~ OFF I but ton for three
secon ds. The
lfil•)H and fl indicator lights
turn on and the message
Stabilization con­
trol (ESC) : off. Warni ng! Restricted stability
appears in the driver information display.
AS R is also switched off when ESC is switched
off . The stabilizat ion function is not ava ilable
c> A .
Switching on
Press the !.i, O FF I button ag ain to sw itch the
ESC back on . The
I indicator lig ht tu rns off
and the message
Stabilization control (ESC ):
On appears in the display.
A WARNING ,-
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of t he vehicle mo re eas ily w hen
ASR and ESC are in sport mode , especial­
ly whe n the road is slippe ry .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traffic an d weather condi ­
tions per mit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntrol* is w ork in g.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
D uring the first 250 mi les (400 km), new
brake pad s do not possess the ir full b rak ing
effect, they have to be "broken in" first¢ &.
The break- in period can be considerably lon-
-
ger for ve hicles w ith ceram ic b rake rotors* . ll>

180 Intelligent technology
8_ WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken -in" dur ­
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal city driving .
The break-in period can be considerably
longer for vehicles with ceramic brake ro­
tors*. You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly.
This also applies later when new pads are
installed.
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned
off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct- ed
. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
Do
not continue driving . See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
''!'Y Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to
move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected. .,..

';'ij Dynamic stee ring : initi alizing
If th is driver message appears and the ind ica­
tor light is flash ing on the inst rument pane l,
dynamic steering* is be ing reinitialized. Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the
steering whee l wi ll be easy to move. Re-initi­
alization m ight be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and r ight
while the veh icle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initialization is complete .
A WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authori zed Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
@ Tips
- If the . or 1~ ij indicator light only stays
on for a short t ime, you may continue
driving.
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional informat ion on dynamic
stee ring*, refer to
c::> page 104.
Driving with your
quattro ®
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
G ene ral inform ation
W ith all -whee l dr ive, power is distributed to
all fo ur wheels. This happens automatica lly
depending on your driving sty le and the road
conditions at the time . See also
c::> page 176.
A center diffe rent ial distr ibutes the dr iv ing
power variably to the front and rear axle.
It
works together with se lective wheel torque
control, which activates when driving through
curves
c::> page 177. W ith the sport d ifferen ­
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with drive select
<=:> page 104 .
Intellig ent technolog y 181
The all -whee l drive concept is designed for
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerfu l and has excellent driving charac­
teristics both under normal driv ing cond itions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precaut ions
c::> ,&. .
Winter t ires
When driving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
a ll-wheel drive has an advantage, even w ith
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak ­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll fou r
wheels. See also c::> page 23 7, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to veh icles
with all -wheel drive
c::> page 238, Snow
chains .
Replacing whee ls / tires
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same s ize. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For deta ils see
page
~ page 233, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
~ page 184.
A WARNING
Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and t raf­
fi c condi tions. Do no t let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive temp t you into
taking extra risks.
- Al tho ugh t he all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking capacity is lim ited by tire traction . You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
•
•

182 Intelligent technology
-On wet road surfaces , be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
c rease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways d rive at
s peeds w hich a re suited to the road con­
di tions -ris k of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availabili ty of elec trical energy for s tarting
t he engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
te ry is d ischarged by idling current consumers
(e.g . immobilizer) . In certain ci rcumstances it
can result i n there bei ng ins ufficient ene rgy
ava ilab le to start th e engi ne .
Intell igen t energy management in y our veh i­
cle hand les the d istribution of electrical ener­
gy. Starting ab ility is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnos is , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic en ergy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously determ ines
the state of the battery. Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, ba tte ry current and battery
temperature . This dete rm ines the current
state of charge and the powe r of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing.
W ith the igni tion switched off, it cont ro ls the
energy s upply to the va rious e lectr ica l compo ­
n ents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
e red. D
epend ing on the ba tte ry's state o f cha rge ,
indivi dual cons umers a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of t he battery
and th us maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehi cle is being d riven, dynami c en ­
ergy management distr ibutes the energy gen ­
erated accord ing to t he needs of the indivi du­
al components . It regulates consumption, so
t h at more electrical energy is not being used
t h an is be ing generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge fo r the battery .
(D Tips
-But even ene rgy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
t ha t the powe r and life of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is t hreatened , the indi­
cator light(•) appears ~
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-d istance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of yea r. Ab undant electrical e nergy is re­
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
c rit ical if th e engi ne is no t ru nning and e lectri­
ca l c ompone nts are t urned on . In this in ­
sta nce ene rgy is be ing consumed but none i s
being gene ra ted .
It is in prec isely these s ituations that you will
not ice ene rgy management a ct ive ly reg ulat­
in g t he di stribu tion of ene rgy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of seve ral days or weeks , e lectr ica l compo­
n ents a re g radually cut bac k or sw itched off.
T h is reduces energy consump tion and ma in­
ta in s start ing c apabili ty over a longer pe riod .
Some of the convenience func tions may not
opera te, such as t he interio r lights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
ll-