towing AUDI S4 SEDAN 2013 Owners Manual

Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 142
Airbag system ................ .
Important things to know ......... .
Front airbags ................... .
Mon itor ing the Advanced Airbag
System ........................ .
Side airbags ............. .... .. . .
Side curta in a irbags .............. .
Child Safety ........ .... ... .. . .
Impor tant th ings to know ......... .
C hi ld safety sea ts ................ .
I nstall ing a chi ld safety seat . ... .. . .
L A T CH Lower anchorages and tether
for children ... .... .... ... .. .. .. . .
Addit ional Information
Vehi cle operat ion ..... .. .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. .. . .
Not ice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules .......... .... .. . .
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) .
Braking .. ... ................ ... .
E lect ro-mechanical power assist ,
dynamic stee ring ................ .
Driving w ith your qu attro ® ... .. .. . . 144
144
148
155
1 59
162
165
165
17 1
175
179
183
184
184
184
184
187
188
189
E nergy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Driving and environment . . . . . 192
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 192
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 192
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Operate your vehicle econom ically and
minim ize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Driving w ith a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Table of contents 3
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
199
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 199
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. .. . .............
210
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Fuel tank .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . 212
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 21S
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
E ngine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
E ngine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
B ra ke fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Windshie ld/headlight* washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Tire pressure monitoring system 248
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 251
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Space-saving spare tire (compact
spare tir e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Fuses ... .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . 258
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 262
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . 262
Star ting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 262
U se of jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
E mergency towing with commercia l
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
•
•

The values in the single-t rip or the total-trip
memory can a ll be reset to zero at the same
time under
Reset in the menu .
I n addition, you can determine what informa­
tion from the trip computer should be shown
in the instrument cluster display. If one of the
p ieces of driver information is turned
Off , that
driver information w ill not be shown in the
display. The information will continue to be
calculated by the trip computer and can be
turned back
On at any t ime.
(D Tips
- This function is not avai lab le on all
vehicles.
- The driving information in the efficiency
program is also reset to zero with the
s ingle-trip memory.
Gearshift Indicator
A ppl ies to vehicles: with manu al transmi ssion a nd gea r·
shi ft indica tor
This indicator con help conserve fuel.
~~~------------~~ ~.;;-
Fig. 12 Display: Gea rs hi ft indicator
The radio or MMI* can be used to activate or
deactivate the gearsh ift indicator.
Driving information -fading in and out
.,. Se lect: ICARlfunction button> Instrument
cluster
> Shifting recommendation . Or
m ~ ~ a, a,
.,. Select: ICARI funct ion button> Car systems
control button > Driver assist > Gear recom­
mendation .
In order to become familiar with the gearshift
indictor, at first just drive the way you are
used to.
If the current gear -and the driving
situation -is not th e best one for conserving
Driver information display 2 7
fuel, then the indicator wi ll display the recom­
mended gear. The display shows the current
gear and the gear that is recommended
¢fig. 12.
-Upshifting The disp lay wi ll light up to the
right of the gear currently selected if it is
recommend ing a higher gear .
-Downshifting: The display wi ll lig ht up to
the
left of the gear currently se lected if it is
recommending a lower gear .
Sometimes the indicator will recommend
skipping a gear (3
> 5).
If there is no gearshift recommendation, then
just drive in the appropriate gear for conserv­
ing fuel.
(D Note
This indicator can help you conserve fuel.
This indicator is not meant to show you
which gear you sho uld always be in in all
driving situations . Sometimes, in situa­
tions s uch as passing, dr iv ing through
mountains or when towing a trailer, there
won't be any gearshift recommendation.
(D Tips
The display does not light up when the
clutch pedal is be ing depressed.
Efficiency program
Description
App lies t o vehicles: wi th trip co mp ute r wi th effici ency
prog ram
Fig. 13 D isplay: efficie ncy progra m

28 Driver information d isplay
• Press the I RESET I button @c:::> page 26,
fig. 11 repeatedly until the efficiency pro­
gram appears in the display.
The effic iency program can help you to use
less fuel. It evaluates driving information in
reference to fuel consumption and shows oth­
er equipment influencing consumption as well
as shift recommendations. Fuel economy messages c:::>
page 29 prov ide tips for effi­
cient driving .
The efficiency program uses distance and con­
sumption data from trip computer
1. If the
data are deleted in the eff iciency program,
those values are also reset in trip computer
1.
Enhanced shift indicator
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmission and trip
co mpute r with efficiency program
Fig . 14 D is p lay: e nhance d shi ft ind icato r
• In the efficiency program, press the func­
tion selection switch c:::>
page 26, fig. 11 @
repeated ly until the enhanced shift indicator
appears in the display.
The effic iency program also has an enhanced
shift indicator. This enhanced shift indicator
follows the same concept as the "standard"
shift indicator
c:::> page 27. The selected and
the recommended gears are highlighted in
colors like a traffic light.
The color of the circle indicates if the most
suitable gear is engaged or if you should shift
up or down. Green
circle w ithout No gear or the most
or w ith a gear su itable gear is en­
gaged
Yellow circle
c:::> fig. 14 Shift up or down one
gear
Red circle Shift up two gears
(D Note
This enhanced shift indicator can help you
conserve fuel.
It is not designed to recom­
mend the correct gear in all driving situa­
tions. Only the driver can decide which
gear is correct in certain driving situations
such as when passing another vehicle,
driving on hills or towing a trailer .
(!) Tips
-The enhanced shift indicator display is
different in vehicles with a monochrome
display .
- The "standard" shift indicator* disap­
pears when the-enhanced shift indicator
is displayed .
Other equipment
Applies to vehicles: with trip computer with eff iciency
program
Fig. 15 D isplay : oth er equi pm en t
• In the efficiency program, press the func­
tion selection switch ¢
page 26, fig. 11 @
repeatedly until the other equipment ap­
pears in the display .
Other equipment that is currently affecting
fuel consumption is listed in the efficiency program. The disp lay shows up to three other
items of equipment @. The equipment using
the most fuel is listed first .
If more than three ""

46 Clear vis ion
The lea ving home function i lluminates the
area around the vehicle when unlocking it.
This funct ion can be switched on and
off.
The c o ming ho me and leav ing h ome func­
tions on ly operate when it is dark and the
light switch is in the AUTO position
c::> page 44, fig. 36 .
Auto headlight s*
When the light switch is in the AUTO
c::> page 44 position, the sw itch-on po int of the
lights can be changed in the automatic driving
light function.
Daytime running lights
USA model s: You can switch the day time run­
ni ng lights
on and off .
Canada mod els: The function cannot be
turned off .
It is activated automat ica lly each
time the ign ition is switched o n.
Travel mode*
The headlight beam is asymmetrical. This pro­
vides stronger illum ination on the s ide of the
road on wh ich you are driving . If you a re driv­
ing i n a count ry that d rives on the opposite
side of the road from you r own country, th is
will cause glare for oncoming dr ivers. To pre­
ve nt glare :
- T rave l mode must be selected in vehicles
with Xenon headlights*.
- In vehicles with halogen head lights, certain
areas of the head light lenses must be cov­
ered w ith wate rproof adhesive covers tha t
p revent light from passing through. For
more information, p lease see your author ­
i zed Audi dea ler or author ized repai r fac ility .
@ Tips
When trave l mode is activate d, a display in
the driver information system indicates
this each time you switch t he ignitio n on.
Emergency flashers
Fi g. 38 Center co nsole : em ergency flashe r sw itch
The emergency flashers makes other moto­
rists aware that you or your vehicle are in an
emergency situation .
... Press the switch~
c::> fig. 38 to turn the
emergency flashers on or
off.
When the emergency flas hers are on, all fo ur
turn s ignals b link at the same time. The turn
s ignal indicator lights
H II in the instr ument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch ~ blink likewise.
You can indicate a lane change or a t urn when
the emergency flashers are switched on by us­
ing t he turn signal lever. The emergency flash­
ers stop temporarily .
T he emergency flashers also work when the
ignition is turned off .
T he emergency flashers wi ll turn on automat i­
ca lly if yo u are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D Tips
You sho uld turn on the emer gency flas hers
whe n:
- yo u are the last veh icle standing in a t ra f­
fic jam so that any other vehicles corning can see you, o r whe n
- yo ur vehicle has bro ken down or you are
in an emergency s ituation, o r when
- yo ur vehicle is be ing towed by a tow
tr uck or if you are towing ano ther vehicle
beh ind you .

64 Seats and storage
loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly . Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down.
,. Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
evenly .
,. Always attach items to the roof rack secure-
ly befo re you dr ive off.
The maximum perm iss ible roof we ight is
2 00 lb (90 kg ). The roof weight is the total of
the we ight of the roof rack, the attachments
and the cargo you are car ry ing. You m ust also
not exceed the maximum load weight for the
roof rack you are using.
When us ing a roof rack system which has a
l owe r load carry ing capac ity, you must not use
up the total max imum pe rm issib le load carry ­
i ng capac ity specified
above . Instead, you
should load the roof rack system only to the
maximum capacity specified by the manufac­
turer of the roof rack system.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure items to the roof rack can fail
during hard braking or in a collision and
cause se rious personal injury .
- Make sure the roof rack is insta lled exact­
ly as specified
above ¢ page 63.
- Always use suitable mounting straps for
sec uring items to the roof rack to help
prevent items from shift ing o r fly ing for­
wa rd.
- Items on the roof rack must always be sec urely mounted.
- The use of a roof rack can negative ly af­
fect the way a vehicle handles . Ca rgo
that is larg e, h eavy, bulky, long o r flat
will have a g reater negative influence on
the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
gravity and overal l ha ndling. Always
dr ive slowly, avo id sudden braking and
mane uvers when transporting cargo o n
the roof of your vehicle.
- Never exceed the maxim um permissible
load carrying capacity of the roof of your
veh icle, the permissible axle weights and
the permissible total weight of your vehi­ cle ¢
page 268, Weights.
(D Note
Make sure that the opened rear lid does
not come in contact with the cargo on the
r oof.
@ For the sake of the environment
As a result of the increased wind resist­
ance created by a roof rack, your vehicle is
us ing fuel unnecessarily. So
remove the
r oof rack after using it .
Luggage compartment
, General information
A WARNING
-Read and follow the important safety pre-
cautions on¢
page 132, Stowing lug­
gage.
Enlarging the luggage compartment
Applies to vehicles: with folding rear seatback
The rear seat backrests can be folded forward
either separately or together .
Fig . 65 Back rest : re lease lever , securing knob and latch
Folding the backr est forward
,. Pull the release lever @¢
fig. 65 in the di­
rection of the arrow and fo ld the back rest
forward.
IJ,-

@ Tips
-Never stow the ski sack away when it is
still wet or damp (for example, snow
melting from skis) . A llow it to dry com­
plete ly before stowing it away .
- When transporting skis or snowboards,
tighten the securing strap between the
bindings.
- Position skis in the ski sack w ith the
po inted ends facing the front and ski
poles w ith the pointed ends facing the
rear .
- You can lock or unlock the pass-through
using the mechanical key . This prevents
any access to the luggage compartment
from the vehicle interio r.
Parcel shelf
The parce l shelf behind the rear seatback can
be used to carry light items of cloth ing.
& WARNING
No heavy or hard objects should be placed
on the parcel she lf. They are a hazard to
the vehicle occupants during sudden brak­
ing. The is a r isk of injury .
Please make sure that the heating wires
for the rear window defogger are not dam­
age by abrasive objects.
To ensure problem -free ventilation, the
ventilation s lots between the rear window
and the parce l shelf must not be covered .
Seat s an d sto rage 67

108 Audi side assist
General information
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
®
©
Fig. 109 Driving s it u at ions
AU Dr- l
• •
Fig . 11 0 Rea r of th e ve hicle: pos it io n of t he se nso rs
Side assis t fu nctions at speeds above ap prox i­
ma tely 19 mph (30 km/h).
(D V ehicles that are approaching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itical for a lane change
even if it is still
somewhat far away. The fas ter a vehicle ap­
p ro aches, the sooner the disp lay in the exteri­
or m irror will t urn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling w ith you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as cr it ical
for a lane change. All vehicles detec ted by
side assis t are in dicated by the time they en­
ter your "blind spot", at the latest.
@ Vehicles left behind
If you s low ly pass a ve hicl e tha t sid e ass ist has
dete cted ( the difference in s peed between the
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph ( 15
km/ h), t he display in the exterior mirro r turns
on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind
spot.
The disp lay wi ll not t urn on if you quickly pass
a vehicle that s ide assist has detected (t he d if ­
f erence in speed between the ve hicle and your
vehicle is greater than 9 mph (15 km/h).
Functional limitations
T he radar senso rs are designed to detect the
left and right adjacent lanes whe n the road
l anes a re the normal width. In certain situa­
t ions, the d isp lay in the exterior mirror may
turn on
even though there is no ve hicle locat­
ed in the area that is cr itical fo r a la ne cha nge.
Fo r example:
- if the lanes are narrow or if your are driving on t he edge of your lane. If this is the case,
the system may have detected the vehicle in
another la ne that is
not adjacent to you r
cur rent lane .
- if you a re driving throug h a c urve . Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane
ove r
from the ad jacent lane .
- if side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or d isp laced gua rd rails) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist fu nctions are limited .
Do not
cover the radar sensors c::> fig. 110 with
stickers, depos its, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this will affect the funct ion. Do
not use s ide ass ist when towing a trailer . For
i nforma tion on cleaning, refe r to
c::> page 201 .
&_ WARNING
-Always pay a ttention t o traffic and to th e
ar ea arou nd your vehi cle. Side a ssist c an­
no t repl ace a driver 's atte ntion. The driv ­
er a lone is always res ponsible fo r lane
cha nges a nd similar driving maneuvers.

110 Audi side assist
-Side assist is not active while you are
making the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
If side assist switches off by itself, the LED in
the button turns off and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display:
Audi side assist unavailable: Sensors blocked
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the sensors with bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c:::;,page 108, fig. 110.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be switched on temporarily
because there is a malfunction (for example,
the battery charge level may be too low).
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will de­
tect vehicles correctly and it is switched off .
The sensors have been displaced or are faulty .
Have the system checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
soon .
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing
Side assist switches off automatically when a
factory-installed trailer hitch is connected to
the electrical connector on the trailer . There is
no guarantee the system will switch off when
using a retrofitted trailer hitch. Do not use
side assist when towing a trailer.

132 Driving Safel y
-Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwe ll wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
contro l.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secur ed in the luggage com­
partment.
Fig. 128 S afe load positio nin g: place heavy objects as
l ow a nd a s far forward as pos sible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle hand ling
characteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment .
.,. Always p lace and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as possible
c> fig. 128.
.,. Secure the load with the cargo net* or with
non -elastic straps secured to the tie-downs
<=> page 65.
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly throug h the vehicle ca using serious
personal inj ury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an accident. To help reduce the r isk
of serious personal injury: -
Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com ­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the t ie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
.&_ WARNING
-
Heavy loads w ill influence the way your ve­
hicle handles . To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
in jury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling :
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
miss ible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe dr iv­
ing
c:> page 126.
.&_ 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
a rea because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely m ust dr ive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
red uce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switc h off the ai r rec irc ulat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.

184 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorde r (EDR), ins talled by some manu­
facture rs fo r the express p urpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or cras h
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restr ict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A ltho ugh yo ur vehicle is not equ ipped wit h an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine f unction, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during norma l vehicle op­
erat ion for diagnostic and repa ir purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded ove r a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a sys tem faul t or o ther
cond ition is sensed by a cont ro l u nit. Some of
the data then stored may re late to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condit ion. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded w ith special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of ve hicle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
o ut of control and he lps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
whee ls, and/or reducing eng ine power and
providing steer ing ass istance to he lp hold the
vehicle o n the dr iver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the inst rument cluster
blinks when ESC is ta king action to help yo u
control the veh icle.
ESC has limitations.
It is importa nt to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under a ll cond it ions you may come up aga inst.
F or example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
s u dden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is sudden ly covered w ith water,
s lush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the ve hicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been in terrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESC imp roves the
poss ibil ity of keeping the vehi cle under con ­
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu­
vers by using the d river's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
ca uses you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.