ignition AUDI RS5 COUPE 2015 Workshop Manual

Airbag system
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 148, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it prope rly. Thi s is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 120, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curta in air bag system is designed to help red uce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and minor abra ­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these a irbags w ill dep loy only
once and only in certa in kinds of acc idents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protect ion.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control modu le and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and rear side w indows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is turned off,
-in sid e collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
148
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
& WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 53,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicator light¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re ­
strained .
E
Fig. 140 Illustra tion of princ ip le: Inflated side curtain a ir­
bags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i­
cle that is struck in a side collision¢
fig. 140.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate w ithin the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The side curtain airbag cou ld injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
mental s ide curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to children
¢ page 150. .,,.

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exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear­
ward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat­
ing position and have the airbag system in­
spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
- Always
move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
Child safety
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the ai rbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the "suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand ­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a
very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight-sensing mat in the seat cushion and the sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight of
the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re ­
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint offered
by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes
and models of child restraints that the NHTSA
has specified in the Safety Standard together
with the weight ranges of typical infants and typ-
ical 1 year-old child have been stored in the ...,
151

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Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
3S2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.&, WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­ ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The ch ild seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi on ly for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right child safe ty seat for each
child and a lways use it properly
¢ page 155 . Child
sa fety
.,. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructio ns on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe ­
ty seat.
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convert ible lock ing retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
r::) page 159 .
.,. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with yo ur full
weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight -sensing mat to measure more we ight
than is actually on the seat .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::)page 155 .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, especially those 12 years and younge r,
shou ld a lways r ide in the back seat prope rly re­
stra ined for their age and size.
A WARNING
=
Not using a child sa fety seat, us ing the wrong
chi ld safety seat or improperly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
must always be restrained properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrest rained or improperly restrained
ch ild can be injured or killed by being
thrown against the ins ide of the vehicle o r
b y being ejected from it du ring a s udden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly res trained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air ­
bag.
- Commercia lly available child safety seats
are req uired to comply with U.S. Federa l Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213). .,_
153

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Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always
be properly restrained in a child safety seat certi­
fied for their si ze and weight¢
fig. 143 and
¢fig. 144 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat.
.8, WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth­
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
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 Ad·
vanced 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 install rearward-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rearward-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif-
Child safety
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place
¢ page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed . Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 120, Safety belts,
¢ page 128, Airbag system and
¢page 150, Important information.
.8, WARNING
= -
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger's seat, the child's safety and well­
being require that the following special pre­
cautions be taken:
- 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 .
-Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­ tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible 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 ad­
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up­
right 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 138, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
157

Child safety
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 ore less than 4 ft .
9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig . 14 5 Rear seat: ch ild p roperly restra ined in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in . (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg) . Booster seats raise these c hildren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronge r pa rts of their bod ies 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 restrain
a chi ld on a booster seat .
• The shoulder be lt must lie as clo se to the cen­
t er of the child's collar bone as poss ible and
must lie flat and sn ug 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 tight­
en if necessary.
• Secu re unused safety belts on the rear seat
~ page 155.
Children up to about 40 lbs. (18 kg) are best pro­
tected in child safety seats designed for their age
and weight . Experts say that the skeletal struc­
ture, part icularly the pelvis, of these ch ildren is
not f ully deve loped, and they must not use the
158
vehicle safety be lts without a suitable child re­
straint.
It i s usually best to put t hese chi ldren in appro­
pr iate booste r seats . Be sure the boos ter seat
meets a ll applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the sea ting pos ition of t he
ch ild an d repos ition bo th the lap and shoulder
parts o f the safety bel t so th at they pass across
the chi ld's body in the right places . The rout ing of
the be lt over the chi ld's body is very important
for t he chi ld's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. C hildren age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft . 9 in . (57 inc hes/
1.45 meters) tall ca n generally use the vehicle's
three po int lap and shoulder be lts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
to rest rain any child, regardless of how b ig the
c hi ld is . A lways remember that ch ild ren do not
have the p ronounced pe lvic st ructure required for
the p roper func tion of lap belt port ion of the ve­
h icle 's th ree po int lap and shoulder be lts. The
ch ild' s sa fety abso lutely requires tha t a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap be lt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force . In order to do
i ts job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occ upant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A ve hicle occupant who is out of pos ition and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck vio lent ly and will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury .
In order for the airbag to
offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be prope rly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keep ing room betw een the ch ild 's ..,

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body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions .
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­ properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se­
rious personal injury and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must 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.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
~ page 120.
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif­
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place
~page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag 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 for­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death .
Child safety
-If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when­
ever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described~
page 138, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 120, Safety belts,
¢ page 128, Airbag system and
¢ page 150, Important information.
Securing child seats
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 convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child safety
seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger 's seat safety belt have a convertible lock­
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt 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 is locked so that the child and child safety seat will stay in place .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re-
strained for their age and weight . ..,_
159

Child safety
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child safe ­
ty seat . An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on the front passen­
ger seat . A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates.
- 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 install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safe ty seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used~
page 150 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 129, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
160
A WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re ­
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward -facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger 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 138, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER 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 protection.
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer 's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash .
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man ­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint up , against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
-

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adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint. The 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 .
A 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 Ad­
vanced 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 in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir­
cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi­ er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy 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, immediately in­
stall the rearward-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
Child safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instruc tions when installing a child restrain t in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a sea t, preferably on
the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path
~ . & .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating posit ion.
.. Guide the saf ety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat .
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con­
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt .
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re­
tractor is now activated .
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp­
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child safe­
ty seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a crash. ..,.
161

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Winter tires
When driving in the w inter, your vehicle w ith all­
wheel drive has an advantage, even with regular
tires. In winter road conditions it may be advisa­
ble to mount winter tires (or all-season tires) for
improved driveability and braking: these tires
must be mounted on
all four wheels. See also
c:> page 211, Winter tires .
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally also applies to vehicles with
all-wheel drive
c:> page 211, Snow chains.
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must a lways have
tires of the same size . Also avoid tires with differ­
ent tread depths. For details see page
c:> page 203, New tires or wheels.
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is there­
fore best to avoid rough tracks and uneven ter­
rain as much as possible . Also refer to
c:>page 177.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic
conditions. Do not let the extra safety afford­
ed by all-wheel drive tempt you into tak ing
extra risks .
- Although the all-wheel drive is very effec­
tive, always remember that braking capac ity
is limited by tire traction. You should there­
fore not drive at excessive speeds on icy or
slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive
too fast because the front wheels could be­
gin to slide on top of the water (aquaplan­
ing). If this should occur, you will have no
warning from a sudden increase in engine speed as with a front-whee l drive vehicle .
Always drive at speeds which are suited to
the road conditions -risk of crash .
Smart Technology
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution of
electrical energy and thus optimizes the availa ­
bility of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system is
not driven for a long period of time, the battery
is d ischarged by idling current consumers (e.g .
immobilizer). In certain circumstances it can re­
su lt in there being insufficient energy available to
sta rt the eng ine .
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle
hand les the distribution of electrical energy .
Starting ability is markedly improved and the life
of the battery is extended.
Basically, energy management consists of
bat­
tery diagnosis , idling current management
and
dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines the
state of the battery . Sensors determine battery
voltage, battery current and battery tempera­
ture . T his determines the current state of charge
and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy con­
sumption while the vehicle is standing . With the
ignition switched off, it controls the energy sup­
ply to the various electrical components. Data
from battery d iagnosis is considered.
Depend ing on the battery's state of charge, indi­
vidual consumers are gradually turned off to pre­
vent excessive discha rge of the batte ry and thus
mainta in starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic energy
manageme nt distr ibutes the energy gene rated
accord ing to the needs of the individual compo­
nents.
It regu lates consumption, so that more
elect rical energy is not being used than is be ing
generated and ensures an optima l state of
charge for the battery. ..,.
175

Driving and th e environment
(D Tips
-Check the depth of the water before driving
through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine
off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to dr ive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through sa lt water because it
can cause corrosion.
Warming up and cooling down
By carefully warming up and cooling down your
veh icle, you can help ensure that it is not over­
stressed unnecessar ily du ring sporty dr iv ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is driven at a max­ imum engine speed of 6000 RPM in order to ra ise
the engine oil temperature to a m inimum of
140 °F (60 °C). T he tires also only reach their full
road holding capab ility once they have wa rmed
up.
The cooling fan can continue to run in your vehi­
cle after the eng ine is switched
off. However,
d riving the vehicle to cool it dow n is part icu larly
important. During sporty d riving, the engine and
brakes , the exhaust system, and the transmission
all become extremely hot. Before you park the
vehicle, you should drive it for a few mi les/kilo ­
meters at light load in the low rpm range to al­
low it to cool down.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop­ erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in on
environmentally sound manner .
.. Always use lead -free gasoline c::> page 183,
Fuel supply.
.. Never ru n the tank down a ll the way to empty.
.. Neve r pu t too m uch motor oil in your engine
c::> page 191, 't:::?: Adding engine oil .
178
.. Never try to push -or tow-start your vehicle .
The catalytic converte r is an effi cient "clean-up"
device b uilt into the exha ust system of the veh i­
cle. The cata lytic conve rter burns many o f the
po llutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
l eased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is c ritically im ­
po rtant for the life of the catalytic conver ter and
proper functioning of the engine .
A WARNING
-The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once they
have become hot. Th is could resu lt in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush, fuel spill or
other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or rustproof ing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or
heat shields. During dr iving, the substance
used for unde rcoat ing could overheat and
cau se a fire.
@ Note
- Be aware that just one tank fill ing with lead­
ed
fuel w ill al ready ser iously degrade the
performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
c::>poge 191.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . T he engine cou ld m isfire .
Unburned fu el could also get into the ex­
haus t sys tem a nd this could cause the cata­
lyt ic converte r to overheat.
- Do not turn
off the ignition while the vehicle
is
moving.
- Do not continue to operate your veh icle un­
der these condi tions, as otherwise f uel can
re ach the cat aly tic converter. This could re ­
s u lt in ove rheat ing of the c onve rter, requ ir­
ing its replacement .
- T o assure efficient oper ation of the Emission
~
Cont ro l System: ..,_