air condition AUDI S3 SEDAN 2015 User Guide

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-Please observe information on safe driving
~page 130.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows,
the power roof* and the rear lid are securely
closed and locked to reduce the risk of injury
when the vehicle is not being used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe ­
cially with the rear lid left open . A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­ hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fog­
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep these slots free and open.
Driving safety
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­ ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap­
ter ~
page 224.
' Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
~page 136, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in­
jury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h) , the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item. This means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col­
lision like this.
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per­
sonal injury .
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan­
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
137

Airbag system
Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop­ er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, befo re driving off, always:
"' Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
Q page 131,
"'Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
Qpage 54,
"'Wear safety be lts properly C? page 142,
"'Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children
Qpage 172.
In a coll is ion, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force. The
supp lemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated
properly . Therefore in order to he lp the airbag to
do its job, it is important, both as a driver and as
a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions
c> page 131, Correct
passenger seating positions.
Fo r details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
c>page54.
It's especially important that children are proper­
ly restrained
Qpage 172.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the individual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system .
Proper seat ing position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a phys ical impairment or condition that
prevents you from sitt ing properly on the dr iver
seat with the safety be lt properly fastened and
148
reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with
regard to the function or operation of the Ad­
vanced Airbag System, please contact your au­
thori zed Audi dea ler or qualified workshop, or
call Audi Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834
for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov­
ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger . The air bags w ill deflate im­
med iate ly after deployment so that the front oc­
cupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
a irbags have deployed. The airbags also inf late
with a grea t deal of force and nothing should be
in their way when they dep loy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts s low
down and limit the occupant's forward move­
ment . Together they he lp to prevent the driver
and front seat passenger from hitting parts of
the inside of the vehicle while reducing the forces
acting on the occupant during the crash . In this
way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and upper body in the crash . Airbags do not
protect the a rms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front a irbags w ill not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system de­
pends on the veh icle deceleration rate caused by
the collis ion and registered by the electronic con ­
trol unit. If th is rate is below the reference val ue
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered , even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision . Vehi ­
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi­
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an a irbag should inflate or not.
Since the circumstances will vary considerably between one co llision and another, it is not possi­
ble to define a range of vehicle speeds that will
cover every possible kind and angle of impact
that w ill always trigger the airbags . Important
factors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the object wh ic h the car hits, the angle of
i mpact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags will .,.

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_& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds and/or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Always make sure nothing is in the front air-
bag deployment zone that could be struck
by the airbag when it inflates.
- Objects in the zone of a deploying airbag
can become projectiles when the airbag de­
ploys and cause serious personal injury.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never place accessories or other objects
(such as cup holders, telephone brackets,
note pads, navigation systems, or things
that are large, heavy, or bulky) on the doors; never attach then to the doors or the wind­
shield; never place them over or near or at­
tach them to the area marked ,,AIRBAG" on
the steering wheel, instrument panel or the
seat backrests; never place them between
these areas and you or any other person in
the vehicle.
- Never attach objects to the windshield
above the passenger front airbag, such as
accessory GPS navigation units or music
players. Such objects could cause serious in­
jury in a collision, especially when the air­
bags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the deployment area of the side airbags or
the front airbag during breaking or in a sud­ den maneuver. Objects near the airbags can
fly dangerously through the passenger com­
partment and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in­
flate.
_& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­ cially infants and small children, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­
ing too close to the airbag when it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
-
Airbag system
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the ,,low risk" option for 3-
and 6-year-old children under the U.S. Fed­
eral Standard if a child with electrical capac­
itance greater than the combined capaci­
tance of a typical one-year old infant re­
strained in one of the forward facing or rear­
ward-facing child seats with which your ve­
hicle was certified is on the front passenger
seat and the other conditions for airbag de­
ployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position .
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 asap­
plicable at the time your vehicle was manufac­
tured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supplements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the driver's and front passenger's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags in­
flate only in frontal impacts when the vehicle de­
celeration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety
belts. Rather, it is part of the overall occupant re­
straint system in your vehicle. Always remember
that the airbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitting upright, wearing your safe-
ty belt and wearing it properly . This is why you ..,.
153

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The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni·
tion is switched on and the airbag indicator
light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance meas­
ured by the capacitive passenger detection sys­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-fac ing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed­
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 wit h
wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle was certified; For a listing of the child re­
stra ints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢page 174.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system.
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on if the ignition is on and ...
- a car bed has been installed on the front pas­
senger seat, or
- a rearward-facing chi ld restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been insta l­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the electr ical capacitance regis tered on
the front passenger seat is equa l to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year ­
o ld infant and one of the rearward -facing or
forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward -facing child restraint on the front pas ·
senger seat , the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restra int is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat ¢
page 149, Child re-
Airbag system
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 172 , Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appea r on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ign ition
off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
aga in;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the chi ld restraint
manufacturer's instru ction s;
- make sure that the convertible locking retractor
on the s,;1fety belt fo r the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the sa fe ty belt has
been pu lled tight.
- make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater fo r child seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the ci garette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit ­
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
seat;
- make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob­
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cush ion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does
not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is sw itched on),
111-
161

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 141, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bod ies are not fully deve loped,
they requ ire restra int systems especially de­
signed for their size, weight, and body structure.
Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir ­
ing the use of approved c hild restraint systems
for infants and small children.
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30 -56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant wi ll be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg). Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate child restra int properly used can reduce
the r isk of serious injury . Ch ild restraints, like
adu lt safety be lts, must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can inc rease the
risk of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is r ight for
your child's size¢
page 175, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about ch ild safety, Ad­
vanced Airbags, and the installation of child re­
straints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad ­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
172
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manua l about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small chi ld ren.
.&_ WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly restrained ch ild could be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve­
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuver or impact .
An unrestra ined or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating posit ions
provides the highest degree of pro tect ion
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent sit uations.
.&_ WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in

Checking and F ill in g
sure you are using the correct brake f luid .
The correct type of brake fluid is also indi­
cated on the brake fluid reservoir .
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long.
This can ser iously affect the effic iency of
the brakes as well as your safety . This
could res ult in an accident.
(D Note
Brake flu id will damage the paint of your vehi­
cle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l of
brake fluid as well as the spec ia l tools re-
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec ­
ommend tha t you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
The battery in yo ur Audi does not need any ma in­
tenance under normal operating conditions. Aud i
recommends having the electro lyte level check by
an author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Service Fac ility when the re a re
high outside tem­
pe ratu res or when dr iv ing a ll day. The electroly te
leve l sho uld also be checked ea ch t ime the bat ­
t ery is charged
9 page 210 .
Have the battery checked when you br ing you r ve­
hicle in fo r an inspec tio n. It is a good idea to re­
p la ce the batte ry if i t is more than 5 ye ars old .
During certai n types of a irbag dep loyments, the
battery is disconnect ed from the vehicle electr i­
cal system fo r safety reasons
9 .&. in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 163.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle functions (such as power windows)
are not ava ilable when the batte ry is disco nnect­
ed. These functions must be programmed after
the ba ttery is reconnec ted. To avoid havi ng to do
t his , on ly disconnect the b attery from the veh icle
208
electrica l sys tem when that is necessa ry to pe r­
form repairs.
To reprogram the func tion s, proceed as fo llows:
Function Reprogramming
P owe r window one-
9 page 41, Correcting
to uch up/down f unc-power window malfunc-
tion tions
Remote control key o r If the vehicle does not
Conve nience key reac t to the key , it must
be synchronized
9 page 35
Digita l clock 9 page 10
ESC indi cato r light The ind icator lig ht goes
o ut afte r driving a few
meters
Not running the vehicle for long periods of
time
If you do not d rive yo ur vehicle for several days or
weeks, e lectr ica l components are gradua lly re­
duced or switched off. Th is red uces energy con­
s u mption and maintains the vehicle's ability to
start over a long per iod of t ime ¢
page 128.
Some conven ience functions , such as inter ior
li ght ing or power seats* may not wo rk . These
convenienc e functions w ill be availabl e agai n
o nce you swi tch the ig nition on and sta rt the en ­
gine.
Winter operation Du ring the winter months , it is common for the
batte ry capaci ty to dec rease as the tempe rat ur es
become lower . This is because more powe r is
needed to start the vehicle and componen ts such
as the he ad lights and the rear window defogger
are used more frequent ly.
Avoid using powe r unnecessar ily, especially in
c ity dr iv ing o r o n short trips . H ave yo ur au thor­
iz ed Audi de aler or author ized A udi Se rv ice Facili­
ty check the ba ttery capacity before the start of
winter ¢
page 210. A well-charged battery will
not only reduce starting problems in co ld weath­
er, but it will a lso last longer .

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be five 150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5
X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
ex­
ceed the available cargo and
luggage load capacity calculat­
ed in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your vehi­
cle. Consult this manual to de­
termine how this reduces the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
.,.Check the tire sidewall
(c> page 214, fig. 168) to deter­
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be clean and loosen/tighten
easily.
Rims
Rims with a bolted rim ring* or with bolted wheel
covers* consis t of mul tiple pieces. These compo­
nents were bolted together using special bolts
and a special procedure . You must not repair or
disassemble them
Q ,& .
Tires and wheels
A WARNING
Wheel bolts that are tightened or repaired in­
correctly can become loose and result in loss
of vehicle control, which increases the risk of
an accident . For the correct tightening specifi­
cation, refer to~
page 242, A~er changing a
wheel.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads
in the wheel hub clean and free of grease.
- Only use wheel bolts that fit the rim.
-Always have damaged rims repaired by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility. Never repair or disassemble
rims yourself, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
Winter tires
Winter tires significantly improve the vehicle's
handling when driving in winter conditions. Be­
cause of their construction (width, compound,
tread pattern), summer tires provide less traction on ice and snow.
.. Use winter tires on all four wheels.
.. Only use winter tires that are approved for your
vehicle .
.. Please note that the maximum permitted
speed may be lower with winter tires
Q _& . An
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility can inform you about the maximum
permitted speed for your tires.
.. Check the tire pressure after installing wheels
Qpage 224.
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great­
ly when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0.157 inch (4 mm). The characteristics of winter
tires also decrease greatly as the tire ages, re­
gardless of the remaining tread.
A WARNING
-Never drive faster than the maximum per­
mitted speed for your tires. This could cause
the tires to heat up too much. This increases
the risk of an accident because it can cause
the tire to burst.
229

Tires and wheel s
-Always adapt your driving to the road and
traff ic conditions. Dr ive carefully and red uce
yo ur speed on icy or slippery roads. Even
winter tires can lose tract io n on black ice .
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer tires at the appropriate
time, because they provide better handling
when roads are free of snow a nd ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consumptio n.
(D Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
w inte r tires. Please note that in some coun­
t ries w here winter tires are requ ired, on ly win­
t er tire s wi th the .& symbol may be pe rm it­
t ed.
Snow chains
Snow chains improve traction in the snow .
.,. Only install snow chains on the front wheels.
Th is applies also to veh icles with all wheel
drive* .
.,. Ch eck and correct the seating of th e snow
c h ains if necessa ry afte r dri ving a few feet. Fo l­
l ow the ins tructions from the manuf acturer.
.,. Note t he max imum permit ted speed w hen driv ­
ing with snow chains . Do not exceed 30 mph
(SO km/h).
Snow chains not only improve the
driving in win ­
ter road conditions, but a lso t he
braking .
Use of s now chai ns is o nly pe rm itted with certa in
r im/t ire comb ina tion s due to techn ica l reason s.
Chec k w ith an au thori zed A udi d ealer or au tho r­
ized A udi Service Facility to see if yo u may use
snow cha ins.
Use
fine -mesh snow chain s. They mus t not add
mo re th an 0 .5 3 inch ( 13.S mm) in height, in clu d­
ing the chain lock.
You must remove the chai ns when dr iv ing on
roads tha t are
free of snow. W hen r oads are free
of snow, snow chains can imp air handling an d
230
'
damage the tires, and the chains wi ll quick ly be
dest royed.
A WARNING
Using incorrect snow chains o r insta lling snow
cha ins incor rectly can res ult in loss of veh icle
c o ntrol, which increases the risk of an acc i­
dent.
(D Note
- Snow chains can damage the rims/wheel
cove rs* if the c hains come into direct c on­
tact with them. Remove the wheel covers*
first . Use coa ted snow cha ins.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is fac to ry-eq uipped w ith low aspect ra­
t io t ires. These t ires have been thoroug hly tes ted
a nd been sele cted specifi ca lly f or your mode l for
the ir su perb pe rformance, r oad fee l and h andlin g
u nder a var iety of dr iv ing con ditions. As k your au ­
t h orized Aud i dea le r fo r more details .
The low aspe ct ratio of these tires is ind icated by
a n umer al of
55 or less in the t ire's s ize design a­
tion . The nume ral represents the ratio of the
ti re's si dewall height in relatio n to its tread width
expressed i n pe rcentage. Conventional tires have
a height/width rat io o f 60 o r more .
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is par­
ticularly sensitive to imprope r inflation pres­
sure. It is therefore important that low aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressures should be checked at least once a month and always
b efor e a long trip
Q page 224 .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect rat io tires can be damaged mo re eas i­
l y by impact w ith potho les, c urbs , g ull ies o r
r idges on t he road, pa rti cularly if th e tire is un ­
der i nflated.

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In o rder to m inim ize the occu rrence o f impac t
damage to the t ires of your vehicle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following precau ­
tions :
- Always maintain recommended in flat ion p res ­
s ur es . Check yo ur tire p ress ure every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary.
- Drive carefu lly on roa ds with potholes, deep
gul lies or ridges. The impact from driving
th ro ugh or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest a u­
thorized Aud i dea ler . Replace a damaged tire as
soon as poss ible .
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3 ,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not always
easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of a ir and
underinflation, which cou ld eventually cause
t ir e fa il ur e.
If yo u be lieve that a ti re may h ave
been d amaged, rep lace the tire as soon as pos­
s ible.
= T hese tires m ay we ar m ore q uic kly than ot hers.
- Please a lso remember that, wh ile thes e tir es
deliver respons ive handling, t hey may ride less
c o m fort ably and m ake more noise t han other
cho ices .
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
conditions
All t ires are des igned for cert ain purposes. The
l ow aspec t ratio, u ltra high per formance tires
originally insta lled on yo ur vehicle a re intended
for maximum dry and wet road perfo rmance an d
h andling. They are not suitable for cold, snowy or
icy weather cond it ions . If you drive under those
circumstances , you should equip your vehicle
w ith a ll-season or winter tires , which offer better
traction under those cond itions . We suggest you
use the re commended snow o r a ll-s eason t ires
specified fo r you r vehicle , or the ir eq uivalent.
Refe r to ¢
page 229 for mo re deta iled informa ­
tion regard ing winter tires .
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
Tires and wheels
- Traction AA A B C
- Temper ature A BC
Quali ty g rades can be found where applicab le on
t h e tire side wa ll between tread shoulder a nd
max imum sec tion wid th
~ page 214, fig . 168.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Tem ­
perature
A.
All passenger car t ires must conform to Federa l
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
u nder contro lled c onditions on a specified gov­
ernment test course.
F or example, a tire gra ded 15 0 wo uld wear one
and one half (1 1/2) times as we ll on the govern­
ment course as a t ire g raded 100.
T he re lative per forman ce of tires depends upon
t h e actual cond itions of thei r use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driv ing habits, service p ract ices and
differences in road c haracteristics and climate.
Traction
T he traction gra des, from highest to lowest, are
AA , A , Ban d
C. Those g rades represent t he tire's
ability to stop on wet pavement as meas ured un­
der contro lled conditions on specified govern­
ment test s urfaces of asphalt a nd c oncrete . A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance
~ A .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the t ire's resistance to the
generation of heat a nd its ability to diss ipate
heat when tested u nder cont ro lled conditions on
a spec ified indoor labora to ry test wheel.
Sustained h igh temperature can cause the mate­
ria l of the tire to degenerate and reduce ti re life,
and excess ive temperature can lead to s udden
t ir e fail ure¢ ,&. . .,,.
231

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If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with t ire p ressure monitoring syste m
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
F ig. 172 Instrument cluster: in dicator light w ith message
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
ing system compares the tire tread circumference
and v ibration characterist ics of the ind ividual
tires.
If the pressure changes in one or mo re
tires, th is is indicated in the instrument cluster
d isp lay w ith an ind icator light
RE and a message
¢
fig. 172. If only o ne tire is affected, the loca ­
tion of that ti re will be indicated . The message
turns off after a few minutes . You can display the
message again
r::;,page 29.
The tire p ressu res m ust be stored in the menu
disp lay aga in each time the pressures change
(switching between partia l and full load pres­
sure) or after changing or replac ing a tire on your
ve hicle¢
page 234. The tire pressure monitor­
ing system only monitors the tire pressure you
have stored. You can find the recommended tire
pressures for your vehicle on the label on the
driver's door pillar¢
page 224.
Tire tread circumference and vibration character­
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn­
in g if:
- If the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- The tire was replaced or the tire pressure
changed and it was not stored again
¢ page 234.
-the spare tire is insta lled .
Tires and wheels
Indicator lights
RE -Loss of pressure in a t least one tire ¢ ,&.
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of all four t ires. Then
store the tire p ressu res in the MMI ¢
page 234.
film (T ire Pressure Mon itor ing Sys tem) Tire pres­
s ure: Sy stem malfunction!. If@m
appears after
switching the ignition on or while driving and the
RE ind icator light in the instr ument cluster
blinks for approximate ly one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction. Try to
store the correct tire pressures ¢
page 234. If
the indicator light does turn off or turns on aga in
after a short period of time, dr ive to an author­
i zed Audi dea ler or author ized Audi Serv ice Facili­
ty immed iate ly to have the malfunction corre ct­
ed.
,&. WARNING
- If the tire pressure warning light RE in the
i n str ument cluster turns on, the pressure in
one or more tires is too low . Reduce the ve­
h icle speed immediate ly and avoid any hard
steer ing or braking maneuvers. Stop as soon
as poss ible, check the tire and inf late the
tire to the correct pressure, which is speci­
fied on the t ire p ress ure label on the vehicle
r::;, page 224. Driv ing with a tire with Low
p ressu re causes the tire to overhea t and c an
resul t in fa il ur e of the tire . Low pressure can
a lso have a negative effect on the driving
and b rak ing behavior of t he vehicle .
- T he drive r is respons ib le for main taining the
correct ti re press ures . You must check the
tire pressures regu larly .
- Under certain conditions (such as a sporty
driving style, winter conditions or unpaved
roads), the pressure monitor indicator may
be de layed.
- Do not use run-flat tires on yo ur vehicle . Us­
ing them when not permitted can lead to
veh icle damage or acc idents.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system can al­
so stop working when t here is an ESC mal-
function. ..,.
233