brake AUDI S7 2012 Owner's Guide

104 Automatic Transmission
In the normal mode D , the transmission auto­
matica lly selects the best gear ratio. It de­
pends on eng ine load, veh icle speed and the
dynamic control program (DRP).
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving .
The vehicle makes full use of the engine's
power. Shifting is more not iceable when accel ­
erating.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds
be low 3 mph (5 km/h), you must always apply
the foot brake before and while mov ing the
lever to
D/S out of N.
In certain circumstances it may be advanta­
geous to temporarily switch to the manual
shift program to manually se lect gear ratios
to match specific driving conditions
¢page 105.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS c> .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page
102.
Q) Note
-
Coasting downh ill with the transmission in
N and the engine not running will result in
damage to the automatic transmission
and possibly the catalytic converter.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Applies to vehicles: with tiptronic
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
')
I
Fig. 111 Shift gate: se lector lever lock positions and
interlock button highl ighted
T he selector lever lock is released as follows:
., Tur n the ignition on.
., Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the interlock button on the
side o f the gear selector knob
¢ fig. 111
with your thumb until you have moved the
selector lever to the des ired posit ion .
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po­
s iti ons when the ig nition is turned on. To
move the lever from these positions the driver
must depress the brake peda l. As a reminder
to the driver, the following warning appears in
the instrument cluster disp lay when the selec­
tor is in
P and N :
When stationary apply footbrake while se­
lecting gear
A time delay element prevents the selector
lever from locking when it is moved through
the
N position (going from R to D/S ). The
locking element will lock the se lector lever if
the lever is left in N (Neutral) for more than
approximately 1 second, without the brake
pedal being pressed .
At speeds above about 3 mph (5 km/h) the
Automatic Shift Lock is automatically deacti­
vated in the
N position.
Interlock button
The lock button on the selector lever prevents
the lever from being accidentally shifted into
certain positions. Pressing this button deacti­
vates the selector lever lock. Depending on
the direction of the sh ift, the selector lever
locks at different posit ions . The pos itions are
highlighted i n the illustration
¢fig . 111 .
Kick-down
Applies to veh icles: w ith tiptron ic
The kick-down feature allows the vehicle to
generate maximum acceleration .
When you press the accelerator pedal beyond
the resistance point that is reached at full
throttle, the transm iss ion w ill select a lower
Ill>

gear ratio based on vehicle speed and engine RPM. The engin e RPM will be controll ed to
prod uce maximum vehicle acce leration as
l ong as you continue to press the accelerator
pedal beyond this resistance point.
A WARNING
Be careful when using the k ick-down fea­
ture o n slippe ry roads . Rapid accelerat ion
may cause the veh icle to skid .
Dynamic shift program (DSP}
Applies to vehicles: with tiptronic
The au tomatic transmission is electronically
controlled .
-
The transmission is self adapting and will au­
tomat ically
selec t the best shift progr am suit­
ed to the driving condit ions and driving style .
T he transmission will se lect one of the
econo­
m y
programs when you drive at a steady
speed or a gradually changing speed without heavy acceleration . T his achieves optimum
fuel efficiency, with early upshifting and de­ layed downshifting .
The transmission will automat ically select the
s porty shift programs when you drive at high­
e r speeds, or with heavy acceleration and fre­
quent ly chang ing speeds . Upshifts are de layed
to make fu ll use of eng ine power. Downsh ift­
i ng takes p lace a t higher engine speeds than
i n the e conomy programs.
The selection of the most su itab le shift p ro­
g ram is a cont inuous, automatic p rocess. The
d river can al so make the transmission switch
to a sporty program by
quickl y pressing down
the gas pedal.
This causes the transmission to shift down to
a lower gear to achieve rap id acceler ation, e.g.
fo r q ui ckly passing another veh icle. You do not
need to press the gas peda l into the kick -down
range . After the transmission has upshifted,
the original program is se lected according to
your driving style.
Automatic Tra nsmi ssi on 105
An additional sh ift program allows the auto­
matic transmission to select the p roper gear
for uphill and downhi ll grad ients.
T his keeps the transm ission from shift ing up
and down unnecessarily on hills . The t rans­
m iss ion w ill s hift down to a lower gear when
the driver presses the brake pedal on a down­ hill gradient . Th is makes use of the braking ef­
fect of the engine wi thou t the need to sh ift
down manually .
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: with tiptron ic
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
,
f
F ig. 112 Cente r console : shi fting th e tiptron ic ma nua l­
l y
Fi g. 1 13 Disp lay : man ual shi ft pro gram , s ele cted gear
hi ghlig hted
Switching to m anual shift program
... Push the selector lever to the right from DI
S. As soon as the transmiss ion has sw itched
over, the se lected gear appears in the dis­
p lay .
To upshift
... Push the se lector lever forward to the plus
position
0 q fig . 112 . Ill>-

106 Autom atic Tran smissi on
To d ownsh ift
.,. Push the lever to the m inus position 0 -
When acce lerat ing, the transm iss ion w ill au­
tomatically sh ift into the next gear befo re the
engine reaches its maxim um RPM.
If you apply a light throttle when accelerat­ ing , tiptronic will automatically shift from 1st
to 2nd gea r to save fuel.
If you apply a heavy
thrott le, the transmission will stay in 1st gear
unti l near maximum RPM is reached, or unt il
the driver shifts into 2nd gear .
If you take your foot off the accelerator peda l
when dr iving down a steep i ncl ine, tiptronic
will downshift from the selected gear into the
next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear,
based on road speed and engine RPM. Auto­
matic downshifting is interrupted as soon as
you apply the throttle again.
(D Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear,
the transmiss ion will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
v ing the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the transmission will sh ift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- tiptronic is inoperative when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode .
Steering wheel with tiptronic
Applies to vehicles: with tiptron ic steer ing wheel
The shift buttons on the steering wheel allow
the driver to shift gears manually .
Fig. 1 14 Stee ring wheel: Sh ift butto ns
.,. To downshift, touch the button on the left
0 -
.,. To upshift, touch the button on the r ight
0 -
The shift buttons are activated when the se­
lector lever is in
D /S or in the manual shift
program (tiptronic).
Of course , you can continue to use the manua l
shift program with the selector lever on the
center console.
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with tiptronic
[O] Transm iss ion : pleas e pre ss the br ake ped­
al and select the pos ition again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can then
continue driving.
[O] Tran smi ssio n hot: ple ase m odify dri ving
style
The transm iss io n temperat ure has in cr eased
s ignificantly due to the spor ty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty ma nner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Transmi ssion malfun ction: You can c on­
tinue driv ing
T he re is a system malfunction i n the t ransm is­
s ion. You m ay cont inue drivi ng. Drive to you r
authorized Aud i dea ler o r qualified repa ir fa­
c il ity soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Transmis sion malfun ction: Limited driv­
ing functionality
There is a system malfunction in the t ransm is­
s ion . The transm ission is switching to emer­
gency mode . This mode o nly shifts into ce r­
ta in gears o r will no longer shift at all. The en­
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair faci lity immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmi ssion malfunc tion: St op and shift
~p ~

Homelink®
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Horne Link® universal remote
control
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand -held transmitters
from existing equipment.
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can operate equ ipment such as garage
doors, property gates and house lights from ins ide your vehicle.
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can replace up to three separate hand ­
held transmitters for equipment on your
property with just one universal remote con­
trol. Most of these transmitters a re used to
ope rate ga rage doo rs and p roperty gates. The
individua l transmitters are programmed at
the front bumper. That is where the control
module is located.
The transmitters must be programmed first in
order to operate systems using the Homelink universal remote control.
A WARNING
-
- Never use the Homelink ® transmitter
with any garage door opener that does have not the safety stop and reverse fea­
ture as required by federal safety stand­
ards . Th is includes any garage door open­
er model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards. Us ing a ga rage door
opener without these features increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the
Homelink ® 115
Homelink ® remote control is being pro­
grammed.
If the device is repeatedly ac­
tivated, t his can overstrain motor and
damage its electrical components - an
overheated motor is a fire hazard!
- To avo id possible injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certain that no persons or objects are lo­
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated.
(D Tips
- If you would like additional information
on the Homelink ® Universal Transce iver,
Homel ink compatible products, or to
purchase other accessories such as the
Homel ink ® Lighting Package, please
contact Homelink at 1 -800 -355-3515 o r
on the Internet at www.homelink.com.
- For Declara tion of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada reg ula­
tions ~
page 2 76.

116 Homelink®
Programming transmitters
Appli es to vehicles: with Horne link
You con program the buttons in the Home­
Link universal remote control located in the
vehicle headliner.
Fig. 126 Co ntrol un it in the headliner
Fi g. 127 Left front area of the bumper
Programming a button
"' 0
9 C,
~
.. Make sure your veh icle is within operating
range of the remote controlled garage door
opener.
.. Set the parking brake
~ A in General infor­
mation on page 115 .
.. Switch the ignition on. Do not start the en­
gine!
.. There are two ways to program a button :
press the button that you would like to pro­
gram . The MMI will display instructions to
guide you through the programm ing . Or
.,. Se lect :
ICARI funct ion button > Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Garage
door opener > Program garage door open­
er .
.. Se lect the button that yo u wou ld like to
program.
.. Follow the instructions in the MMI.
.. If the garage door opening must also be
synchronized with the Homel ink module, refer to
the owner's manual for the garage
door opener .
Using the programmed button
.. Press the programmed button q ,& in Gen­
eral information on page 115
to open the
ga rage door. The light @ will blink or turn
on.
.. Press t he button again to close the garage
door
q A in General information on
page 115.
Erasing the button programming
.. Select: I CAR I function button > Car systems
function key > Vehicle settings> Garage
door opener > Clear program settings
>
Yes .
Displaying the version/status/country
code
.. Select: I CAR I function button > Car systems
contro l button > Vehicle settings > Garage
door opener
> Version information .
You can program both fixed code and rolling
code systems using these instructions.
Programming a button
The requ ired distan ce between the handheld
transmitter and the Homelink module in the
bumper depends on the system that you are
programming. You may have to try several
times.
Each of the buttons can be reprogrammed in­
dividua lly . The procedure is the same as fo r in­
itial programming .
qpoge 116, Programming
a button.
Erasing the button programming
Individual buttons can be reprogrammed. Fol­
low the same steps used when first prog ram ­
ming the button .
If you would like to erase all programmed but­
tons at the same time, sele ct Erase button
programming .

-never put you r feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion o r
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwe ll
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imprope r seat ing positions increase the
r is k of se rious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­
pants stay in a proper seating pos it ion
and are properly restra ined whenever the
vehicle is be ing used .
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
App lies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be­
tween yourse lf and the airbag can increase
the risk of in jury in an acc ident by interfer­
ing w ith the way the a irbag deploys or by
being p ushed into you as the airbag de­
ploys.
- No persons (ch ildren) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas­
senger seat. If the airbag deploys, this c an res ult in serious or fat al injuries.
- No objects of any k ind sho uld be car ried
in the footwe ll area in front of the driv­
er's or passenger's seat. Bul ky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham­
per or prevent proper deployment of the
airbag. Small objects can be thrown
thro ugh the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and injure you or your passengers.
-
Dr iving Safel y 123
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
Make sure that a ll peda ls move free ly without
interfe rence and that nothing prevents them
from return ing to their orig inal positions .
Only use floor mats t hat Leave t he pedal area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten­ ers .
If a brake circ uit fai ls, increased brake pedal
trave l is required to b ring the vehicle to a f ull
stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause
Loss of vehicle control and increase the risk
of ser ious injury.
- Never p lace any objects in the driver's
footwell. An ob ject cou ld get into the
pe dal area and inte rfe re with pedal func­
tion. In case of sudden brak ing o r an ac­
cident, yo u wo uld not be able to b rake or
accelerate!
- Always ma ke sure tha t no thing can f all
or move into the driver's footwel l.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor ma t fasteners and do
not in terfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
"' Ma ke s ure that the floor mats are prope rly
secured and cannot move and in terfere with
t he peda ls ¢ ..&_ .
U se only floor mats that leave the peda l area
u nobst ructed and th at are firmly secu re d so
that they c annot slip o ut o f posi tion. You c an
obta in suitab le floor mats from yo ur aut ho r­
ized Audi Dealer.
Floor mat fastene rs a re in stall ed in your Aud i.
1111>
•
•

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
program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESP detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) o ut of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under contro l by se lectively braking the
whee ls, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steer ing ass istance to he lp hold the
vehicle o n the dr ive r's intended cou rse. The in­
dicato r light
G] in the instrument cluste r
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the veh icle.
ESP has l imitations.
It is importa nt to remem­
ber that ESP cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It will not always be able to help out
under a ll cond it ions you may come up aga inst.
F or example, ESP 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, ESP 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), ESP will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle be cause con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESP cannot a lways deal as effectively
with difficult driv ing situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP 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. ESP 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 departu re is a result of
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESP improves the
poss ibil ity of keeping the vehi cle under con ­
trol and on the road during extreme 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 ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .

ESP includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS) , brake assist sys ­
tem, anti -slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif­
ferential lock ( EDL) and e lectronic interax le
d ifferential lock* . ESP is swi tched on all the
time. In certain situat ions when you need less
traction , you can switch off ASR by pressing
the button
[ru <::;> page 186, fig . 161 . Be sure
to switch ASR on again when you no longer
n eed less t raction.
Anti-lock br aking s ystem (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking . The veh icle can still be steered
even during hard braking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped ­
a l. A puls ing in the bra ke peda l indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
d istance.
It increases braking power when the
d river p resses the brake pedal quic kly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and ho ld the
b rake peda l until the situation is over. In vehi­
cles with adaptive cruise control*, the brake
assist system is more sensitive if the distance
detected to the vehicle ahead is too small.
Anti -slip regulati on (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-whee l drive* . This function is available up
to about 75 mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases, ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL will switch on again au ­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Int ellig ent technolog y 185
Electronic intera xle differ ential l ock */
s el ecti ve w heel torque cont rol *
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
whee l drive) or the se lective whee l torque
control (all-wheel dr ive) operates when dr iv­
ing through curves . The front wheel on the in­
s ide of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed .
T his min imizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more p recise d riving through
curves . T he applicable system may no t acti­
vate when driv ing in wet or snowy conditions.
A WARNING
-
- ESP , ABS, ASR, EDL and the e lectronic in­
teraxle diffe rential lock function* cannot
overcome the laws of physics. This is es­
pecially important on slippery or wet
roads . If the systems begin acting to sta­
bilize your veh icle, you shou ld immedi­
ately change you r speed to match the
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let
the increased safety provided by these
systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing
so will increase the risk o f a loss of vehi ­
cle control, collision and serious persona l
inju ries.
-A lways adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions . The risk of los ­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead . ESP, ABS, the brake ass ist system,
EDL, ASR and the e lectronic interax le dif­
fe rential lock fu nction* cannot prevent
coll is ions .
- Always accelerate with spec ial care on
even, smooth su rfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve -
hicle control. .,.
•
•

Manual mode
-Manua l dep loyment: Tapping b riefly on the
switch
¢ fig. 162 dep loys the rear spoiler.
- Manua l retraction: A t speeds up to abo ut
10 mph (20 km/h), ret ract the rear spoiler
by pressing and holding the switch
¢ fig. 162 . At speeds between 10 mph (20
km/h) and 80 mph (130 km/h), retract the
rear spoiler by tapping on the switch
¢ fig. 162.
Ind icat or light s
1,1 /. Rea r spo ile r: sys tem malfunct ion!
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to
a ma lf u nction. This could change the vehicle 's
driving characteristics at high speeds . Do not
exceed 85 mph (140 km/h). Drive to your au­
thorized Audi dealer immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected. The co lor of the indica­
tor light depends on the ve hicle speed.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler dep loyed can impair handling char ­
acteristics, making the veh icle harde r to
cont ro l.
- Always make sure that the spoiler is de­
ployed when driving at speeds over
85 mph (1 40 km/h). If the rear spoiler
warning/ind icator light in the i nstr u­
ment cluster comes on, the rear spoiler
may not have dep loyed .
- Never drive at speeds higher than
85 mph (140 km/h) if the spoiler is not
deployed. Have the spoi ler inspected as
soon as possib le by an authorized A udi
dealer or qualif ied workshop.
- Always obey speed limits and other traf­
fic laws.
A WARNING
Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries.
- Always make sure that nobody, espec ially
children, is in the way when the rear
spoiler is deployed or retracted.
Int ellig ent technolog y 187
@ Note
-Never push the vehicle or apply force to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
- Only operate the rear spoiler manua lly
w hen the rear lid is closed . Otherwise,
damage cou ld occur.
(D Tips
C lean the spoiler compa rtment every 2 to
3 months. The spoiler compartment must
a lways be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Ope rating condition s and dri ving h abit s
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing condit ions and driving habits ¢.&, . On ve­
hicles that are either dr iven mostly in stop­
and-go c ity traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dea ler more often th an specified in
the
Warran ty & Maintenan ce boo klet. Failure
to have yo ur brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you sho uld use the braking
effect o f the engine . This way, you prevent un ­
necessary wear on the b rake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuous ly. Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Mo istur e or road salt
U nder certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
few carefu l brake applications should dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered
Ill-
•
•

188 Intelligent technology
road and the brakes are not used. Here too,
you should clean
off accumulated salt coating
from brake discs and pads with a few careful applications of the brake
i:> ,&. .
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
i:> .&. .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circuits may have failed
i:> ,&. .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronically.
Brake booster
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running
c> .&. .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spection
c> page 254, Changing a wheel.
,8. WARNING
-You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned
off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut
off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .