AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET 2015 Owners Manual

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co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door .
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-fac ing c hild restra int 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 ca n make th e system
wor k as thoug h an adu lt were on t he seat
and dep loy the A dvanced Airbag when i t
must be suppressed ca using serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If you mus t inst all a rearw ard 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 restrai nt select ion, in­
stallat ion and use:
NHTSA advises that t he best child safety seat
is the one that fits y our child and fits i n your
ve hicle, and that you w ill use correctly and
consis tently.
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 169
Safety 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 a rea
http://www .tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
menu.htm
Audi Customer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
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1 70 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
E ve nt Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data
Recorder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR
is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like
situations, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in
understand ing how a veh icle's systems per­
formed. The EDR is designed to record data
re lated to vehicle dynamics and safety sys­
tems for a short period of time, typically
30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in you r vehicle were
operating;
- Whether or not the d river and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was dep ress ing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better under­
stand ing of the cir cumstances in which crash­
es and injuries occur . NOTE: EDR data are re­
corded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving conditions and
no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) are recorded. However,
other parties, such as law enforcement, cou ld
comb ine the EDR data with the type of per­
sonally identifying data routinely acquired
during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required, and access to the vehi­
cle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the ve­ hicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law
enforcement, that have the special equip­
ment, can read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR. Some state
laws restrict the retrieval or down­
loading of data stored by ED Rs installed in a
vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving
data after an accident or crash event without
the owner's consent .
Audi will not access the EDR and/or simi lar
data or g ive it to others -
- un less the vehicle owner (or lessee if the ve­
hicle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the ord er of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the ju­
d icia l discovery p rocess.
- Aud i may also use the data for research
about vehicle operat ion and safety perform­
ance or provide the data to a third party for
research purposes without identifying the
specif ic vehicle or information about the
identity of its owner or lessee and only after
the recorded vehicle data has been ac­
cessed.
Vehicle control modules
You r vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electron ic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emis­
sion contro l, airbags, and safety belts.
T hese electronic control modules record data
during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic
and repair purposes. The recording capability
of these modu les is limited to data (no sound
is recorded). Only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very lim ited period of
t ime, or stored when a system fault is detect­
ed by a contro l modu le. Some of the data
stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction,
or braking, as well as restraint system use and
performance in the event of a crash. Stored
data can also only be read and downloaded
with special equipment that is directly con-
nected to the vehicle. .,..

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@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Aud i connect
features req uires wireless serv ices that are
provided by a third party wireless telecom­
municat ions provider. For details regard­
ing how information obtained through
Aud i connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contra ct w ith the wire less telecom ­
municat ions provider and the "About A udi
connect" tab in your vehicle's MMI*:
!MENU ! button> Audi connect > About
Audi con nect .
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 veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects
certain difficult driv ing situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of cont ro l and he lps you to get the vehicle
back under control by select ively b rak ing the
wheels, and/or red ucing engine power and
p roviding steering assistance to help hold the
ve hicle on the driver's intended course . The in­
dicator light
DJ 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
phys ics. It will not a lways 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 situat ions where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of fr iction of
the road surface. When there is a sect io n of
d ry road that is s udden ly cove red with water,
slush o r snow, ESC canno t perform the same
way it would on the dry su rface.
If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a c ush ion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because con-
Int ellig ent technolog y 171
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast corner ing, particular ly on wind ing
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult dr iv ing s ituations 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 conditions . ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical lim its, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a veh icle
o n the road if road departu re is a result of
driver ina ttent io n. Instead , ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering i nputs to
help keep the vehicle go ing in the intended di­
rect ion. 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.
ESC is switched on all the time. In certain sit­
uat ions when you need less traction, you can
switch off ASR by pressing the butto n
[ill
~ page 173, fig. 166 or~ page 173,
fig. 167. Be sure to sw itch ASR on aga in when
you no lo nger need less traction.
The following systems are integrated in the
ESC:
Anti-lock bra king sy stem (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking up
when brak ing. T he vehicle can st ill be steered
even dur ing hard braking. App ly steady pres­
su re to the brake peda l. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal ind icates that
the system is helping you to brake the veh icle .
Brake assi st system
The brake ass ist system can decrease braking
distance. It increases brak ing power when the
drive r presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal unti l the s ituation is over. In
vehicles with adaptive c ruise control*, the
brake assis t system is more sensitive if the
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172 Intelligent technology
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
smal l.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the d rive powe r to the other wheels.
This f unct ion is available up to abo ut 60 mph
(100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from ove rheating. EDL wi ll switch on aga in a u­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
norma l.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by
changing the steering to rque.
In vehicles with dynam ic steeri ng*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the stee ring in critical s itua­
tions.
Select ive wheel torque control
Selective whee l torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in­
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
This a llows mo re prec ise d riving in curves. The
appl icable system may no t activate when d riv­
i ng in wet or snowy condi tions.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems can ­
not overcome the laws of physics. This is especia
lly important on slippery o r wet
roads. If the systems begin acting to sta­
bilize your veh icle, you should immedi­
ately change your speed to match the
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let
the increased safety provided by these
systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing
so will in crease the r is k of a loss of vehi­
cle control, collision and serious person al
in juries.
- Always adap t your speed to road, traffi c
and weather conditions . The risk of los ­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. The ESC and its integrated sys­
tems cannot a lways p revent collisions -
there is still a risk of acc idents!
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
T he drive w heels can spin even w ith
these assistance sys tems that cannot al­
ways he lp to re duce the risk of loss of ve ­
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR o nly wo rk correctly when
a ll four wheels are equipped wi th iden ti­
c al tires. D ifferen t tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine powe r.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are workin g.
-If the ind icator light DJ or Ea (USA
mode ls)/ lCOj t here may be a malfunction
~ page 18,
<=>page 19.

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Intelligent technology 173
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
ton
The ESC is designed to function in levels. De­
pending on the level that is selected, the sta­
b ili zat ion function of the ESC is limited or
switched off. The amount of stab ilizat ion con­
trol will differ depend ing on the level.
The following situations are exceptions where
it may be useful to switch on sport mode to
allow the whee ls to spin:
-·-- ; .. _ j __ , ' j ----- -~~ ......... ----
Fig. 167 Version B: upper cente r console,~ OFF bu t­
ton
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow o r on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASR on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization funct ion The full stabilization func-
tion funct ions are lim ited is not ava ilable
c::> .& . ESC tion of the ESC and ASR is
c::> _& . and ASR are switched off. available again.
Operation Press the I.!> OF FI button Press and hold the I~ OF FI Press the I.!> OFF j button
briefly. button longer than 3 sec- again.
onds.
Indicator II turns on. fl and Ifill•];~ turn on. II turns off or II and
lights If il•lH turn off.
Driver mes- Stabilization control Stabilization control Stabilization control
sages (ESC): Sport. Warning! (ESC): off. Warning! Re- (ESC): On
Restricted stability stricted stability
_& WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on o r
switch ESC/ASR off if your driving abilities
and road conditions perm it.
-
- There is no vehicle stabilization when
ESC/ASR are switched off.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is sw itched on. The
driv ing whee ls cou ld spin and the vehicle
could swerve, especially on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces.
@ Tips
ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or spo rt
mode cannot be switched on when cru ise
control or adaptive cruise control* is
switched on.

174 Intelligent technology
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pad s
Du ring the first 2 50 miles (400 k m), new
b ra ke pads do not possess their fu ll braking
effect , they have to be "broken in" first¢.&. .
The break-in period can be considerably lon­
ger for vehicles with ceramic brake rotors*.
You can compensate for this slightly reduced br aking power by push ing harder on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy braking loads during the
b reak-in per iod.
Operating conditions and d riving h abits
The brakes on today's automobi les are st ill
subject to wear, depend ing largely on operat­
ing conditions and dr iv ing habits ¢.&. . On
vehicles that are e ithe r dr iven mostly in stop­
and-go city traffic o r are driven ha rd, the
b rake pads should be checked by you r aut hor­
iz ed A udi de aler more often than specified in
the
Warrant y & Maintenan ce booklet . Fail ure
to have your b ra ke pads inspected can resu lt
in red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, yo u sh ou ld use t he b ra ki ng
effect of the eng ine. Th is w ay, you preven t un­
necessa ry wear on the brake system . If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not ho ld the brakes
down continuously. P ump the brakes at inter ­
va ls.
Operating noise
N oises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking fo rce and outside condi­
tions s uch as temperature a nd h umidity.
Due to the na ture of the mate rials used i n ce­
ramic brake rotors*, noises may become more
apparent at low speeds.
Effect of water and road salt
I n ce rtain situat ions, for exampl e after d riving
throug h wate r, in heavy ra in, after overn igh t
conde nsation or afte r washi ng your c ar, the
b ra ki ng effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the bra ke rotors and b rake pads. The brakes must be dr
ied first with a few careful
brake applications .
At highe r speeds and with the winds hield wip­
ers t urned on, the b ra ke pads press against
the b rake roto rs fo r a short amount o f time .
This occurs at regular intervals without the drive r not icing and p rov ides for better brake
response time under wet conditions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be red uced
whe n the vehicle is driven on a sa lt -covered
road and the brakes are not used . Likewise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads with a few cautious ap­
plicat ions of the bra ke
¢ .&. .
D ue to the ir s urface characteristics, ceramic
brake rotors* absorb moisture in such condi­
tions . T his can cause a temporary reduction in
braking force compared to dry brakes . You can
compensate for th is by pressi ng the brake
p eda l harde r.
Corrosion
There may be a tende ncy for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corros ion to form on
the d iscs if the car is not driven regu larly or
only for short trips w it h litt le use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
ros io n has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately h igh
speed ¢.&. .
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ir cuits may have fa iled
c::> .&. .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
t h e brake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored electro nically .
Brake boo ster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
yo u generate with the brake peda l. It works
on ly when the engine is running
. ¢ .&. .,.

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Brake lining w ear sta tus
Brake lining we ar may be che cked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces ­
sary, the wheel may be remove d for this in­
spection
c> page 244, Changing a wheel.
.&_ WARNING
- New brake pads do n't have the best sto p­
ping power and must be "broken-in" dur­
ing the init ial 100 to 1 50 m iles (150 to
200 k ilometers) of normal city driving.
T he break-in period can be considerably
longer for veh icles with ceram ic br ake ro­
tors*. You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly.
T his also applies later when new pads are
installed .
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system on ly if road condit ions permit.
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
you may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too ofte n. This cou ld cause the
brakes to get hot and d imin ish b raking
efficiency.
- Do not "r ide the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not inte nd
t o brake. Th is may cause the b rakes to
overheat, prema ture wear and inc reased
stopping distance .
- Under certa in climat ic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa ­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after wash ing
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 ca re­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing fo r an extended pe riod of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout using you r
Intellig ent technolog y 175
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accum ulated 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
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherw ise the brake system could
overheat reducing t he effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one b rake circuit will impa ir
the braking capab ility result ing in an in­
creased s topping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est a utho rized Audi dea le r or q ualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehi cle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the b ra ke booste r is no t working, the
brake peda l must be p ressed considera­
b ly 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 steer ing adapts electronically based on
t he ve hicl e speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defect ive! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steer ing
may have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified repair facility for as ­
s istance.
E!'Y D ynamic stee ring: System fault! You can
continue dri ving
If the indica tor ligh t turns on and the mes-
sage appears, the stee ring may be more diffi ­
cu lt to move o r more sensit ive than usual. The ..,.
•
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176 Intellig ent technolog y
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straig ht.
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
l ;:r- ij Dyn am ic s te ering : initi alizing
If th is driver message appears and the ind ica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel ,
dynam ic steering* is be ing reinitialized. After
start ing the engine, the steer ing whee l w ill
move slightly . Re-in itia lizat ion m igh t be nec­
essary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and right while the vehicle was not moving. The disp lay goes out as soon as i niti­
alization is complete .
.&_ WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work ­
shop -risk of accident!
(D Tips
- If the . or@ 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
steering*, refer to
c::> page 102 .
Driving with your
quattro
-
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
W ith all-whee l drive , power is distributed to
a ll four w heels . This happens automatically
depending on your dr iving sty le and the road
conditions at the t ime. See a lso
c::> page 171.
A center different ial d istr ibutes the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle.
It
wo rks together wi th se lective wheel torque control, which activates when driving thro
ugh
c u rves
c::> page 172. With the sport differen­
t ia l*, power distr ibut ion to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted w ith drive se lect
c::> page 102.
The all-whee l drive concept is designed for
high eng ine power. Your veh icle is except ion ­
ally powerful 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 tir es
When d riving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea ­
son tires) for improved dr iveability and brak­
ing : these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
wh eels.
See also c::> page 236, Winter tires.
Tire ch ains
Where tire chains are mandatory on cer tain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive c::> page 23 7, Snow
chains .
Replacing whee ls / tire s
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same s ize . A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths. For deta ils see
page
c::> page 230, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road dr iving ?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle. It is
therefore best to avoid roug h tracks a nd un­
even terra in as much as poss ib le . Also refer to
c::> page 179.
.&_ WARNING
A lways adj ust yo ur dr iv ing to road and t ra f­
f ic conditions . Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Although the a ll-wheel d rive is very ef ­
fective, always remember that braking

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capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- 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
crease in engine speed as with a front·
wheel drive vehicle . A lways d rive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availabili ty of electrical energy for s tarting
the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e .g . immobilizer) . In certain c ircumstances it
can result in there being insufficient energy
avai lab le to start the engine.
Intell igent energy management in your vehi­
cle hand les the d istribution of electrical ener ·
gy. Starting ab il ity is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagno sis, idling current manag e­
m ent
and dynamic en erg y manag ement.
B attery diagnosi s
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This determ 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 s tand ing.
W ith the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various electr ica l compo·
Int ellig ent technolog y 177
nents . Data from batte ry diagnos is is cons id ­
ered.
Depend ing o n the ba ttery's state of cha rge ,
individ ua l cons umers are g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and t hus maintain sta rting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While t he vehi cle is being d riven, dynamic e n­
ergy ma nagement dis trib utes the energy ge n­
era ted accord ing to the needs of the individ u­
al components. It regulates consumption, so
that more e lectrical energy is not bei ng used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge for t he battery.
(D Tips
- But even ene rgy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi­
cator light (•) ::ippears
¢ page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
star ting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year. Ab undant electrica l energy is re­
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engi ne is not running and electri­
ca l components are turned on . In this in ­
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being ge nerated .
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management active ly regu lat ·
ing the d istribut ion of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectr ica l compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in·
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience func tions may not .,.
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178 Intelligent technology
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment. The convenience
functions will be ava ilable again when you
switch on the ignit ion and start the engine.
With th e engine turn ed off
If yo u listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned off or use other MMI fu nc­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
I f sta rting capabi lity is jeopa rdized due to en ­
e rgy consumpt ion, the fo llowing warning ap­
pears in the MMI display:
Please start the eng ine soon or th e syste m
will be turned off .
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 m inutes. If
you wish to con tinue us ing t he functions, you
have to s tart the engi ne.
With the engine running
A lthough electrical energy is generated when
the veh icle is be ing dr iven, the battery can be­
come discharged . T his happens most ly when
little energy is be ing generated a nd a great
deal consumed and the battery 's state o f
charge is no t optima l.
To br ing the energy balance back into equili­
b rium, consumers which require especially
l arge amo unts of energy are tempo rari ly cut
back or switched off. Heating sys tems in par­
ticular require a great dea l of energy . If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has been restored.
You will a lso notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly. This is norma l and not
a cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the add itiona l energy required is gener­
ated and the batte ry is charged .