oil AUDI S7 2014 Owner's Manual

Checking and fillin g 229
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 193 Typical l ayout for conta iners and engine o il filler cap
@ Jump start poin t(-) with hex
head screw .. ....... ... .. .. . 240, 276
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
®
©
®
©
er .. .. ... ..... ...... ...... 240, 276
Brake fl uid reservo ir
((0)) . . . . . 237
Engine oil filler cap
("1:::r.) . . . . . 232
Coolant expansion tank
(-L) .. .
Windshield/headlight washer
t . ('"') con ainer O ...... .... ... .
235
241
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be lo­
cated in a d ifferent a rea depend ing o n the
ver­
sion of the eng ine.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 227.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations. This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can r un
smooth ly and reliably. Choosing the right o il
and changing oil within the t ime and mileage
intervals p rin ted in you r vehicle's Wa rranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has deve loped
a specia l quality sta ndard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion.

230 Check ing and filling
Mo dern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum ­
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi 's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diesel engine) to
he lp keep your vehicle's eng ine running
smoothly and help prevent the fo rmation of
harmf ul depos its , somet imes ca lled "sludge,"
that over t ime can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of printing , engine oils availab le in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifi cations of A udi oi l st andard VW 502 00
(vehicles wi th gasoline engine) or VW 507 00
(vehicles with diesel engine) are synthetic en­
gine oils . This does not mean, however, that
every synthetic engine oil will meet Aud i oil
standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gaso line
engine ) or VW 507 00 (veh icles w it h diese l
engine). So always be sure that you use an ap ­
proved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de­
posi ts use only oi l with the fo llow ing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil containe r:
- Aud i oil standard VW 50 2 00 (ga soline en ­
gine )
- Audi oil sta nd ard VW 50 7 00 (diesel en -
gine )
Oil container labe ls may carry the specif ica ­
tion s ingly or i n comb ination with other desig­
nations and oil q ua lity standards.
Visco sity
Eng ine oi ls are graded according to thei r vis­
cosity. The prope r viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climac tic or seasonal con­
d itions whe re you drive. You can use oi l w ith a
viscosity g rade of SAE 5W40 across all tem ­
perat ure ranges for normal driving conditions .
H oweve r, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade
SAE 5W40 is not av ailable, you can a lso use viscosity grade SAE 5W-30 or SA
E OW-40 as
l ong as it meets Audi oil quality standard
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with d iesel eng ine) spec­
ifications.
Beca use engine oi l that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
that you a lways carry with you an ex tra qua rt
( li ter) of oil that express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles w ith d iese l eng ine) spec­
ifica tion , in case you have to top off the oil
wh ile on t he road.
Applies to vehicle s with gasoline engine on­
l y:
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
min imum ma rk on the o il dipstick - and no oi l
t h at expressly conforms to A udi o il standard
VW 502 00 spec ificat ions is available -may
yo u top off with a high quality engine oi l, pre f­
erab ly synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3
or AP I SM spec ificat ions, but even then, only
in v iscosity grades SAE 5W-40, SAE 5W-30, or
SAE OW-40. However, during the ent ire time
betwee n oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a total of 0 .5 qt/liter engine
o il that does not conform to Audi o il specifica­
t ion VW 502 00.
Applies to vehicle s with die sel engin e only:
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
min imum ma rk on the o il dipstick - and no o il
t h at expressly conforms to Audi o il standard
VW 507 00 spec ificat ions is available -may
you top off with a high quality engine oil, that meets ACEA C3 or API CF specifications, but
even then , on ly in viscosity grades SAE
5W-40, SAE 5W-30, or SA E OW-40 . However,
during the entire time between o il change in­
terva ls, never top off wi th more than a total
of 0 .5 qt/liter engine oil that does not con -
fo rm to Aud i oil spec ification VW 50 7 00 .
For more info rmation about eng ine oi l that
has been approved for your veh icle, please
contact e ither your authorized Aud i dealer o r
Audi C ustome r Re lations at 1 (800) 822-2834
o r vis it our web site at www.audiusa .com or
www.aud icanada .ca. He re you w ill also find a .,.

current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hanging the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilomete rs) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs .
Changing the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­
ized Audi Service Advisor .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for long periods.
Detergent addit ives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine). Your
Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover
damage or malfunctions due to failure to fol­
low recommended maintenance and use re­
quirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover­
age unless you present to the dealer proof in
Checking and filling 231
the form of Service or Repair Orders that all
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specified break-in period (see ¢
page 204) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil , the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary .
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil lev­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol
in the instrument cluster
II! lights up, you
should check the oil level as soon as possible
¢
page 232. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
9 page 232.
.&, WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&.
in Working in the engine
comportment on page 22
7.
-
•
•

232 Checking and filling
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oi l level is like­
ly to ca use seve re damage to the eng ine.
@ Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. i s
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
r ely on it. Instead , check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref ­
erably each t ime you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amo unts of oi l, we
recommend that yo u consult your Audi
dealer to have the ca use of you r co nce rn
prope rly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
t h e accurate measure men t of oil con­
s u mp tion requires gre at ca re and may
ta ke some time. Your Audi dealer h as in ­
str uctions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurate ly .
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 194 Di splay: o il leve l in dicato r
... Pa rk your vehi cle on a leve l surfac e.
... Shu t the engine off when i t is wa rm.
... Swi tch on ly th e igni tion ba ck on.
... Wa it approxima tely two mi nutes .
... Se lect : ICAR !funct io n button>
(Car)* sy s­
tems
control button > Se rvicing & checks >
O il level.
... Check the oil leve l in t he display¢ fig. 194 .
Add engi ne oil if the bar of the oil level indi­
cator is n ear "m in"
¢ page 232.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven
a nd the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion can be u
p to 1/2 quart pe r 60 0 miles (0.5 liter
per 1,000 km) . Con sumption may be hig he r
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) .
(D Tips
The oil level indicator in t he MM I Disp lay is
o nl y an information display . If t he oil level
i s lo w, a min imum oil warn ing appears in
the instr ument cluster. Add oil
¢
page 232 . If the hood has been opened ,
the cur ren t oil leve l is s hown in the instru ­
m ent cluste r th e next t ime the ignit ion is
sw itc hed on.
Adding engine oil 'l:::7:
Fi g. 195 Eng in e compa rtm en t: cove r on t he e ng in e o il
fille r neck
B efo re y ou chec k anyt hing in the engine com­
par tmen t,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine com part ­
ment on page 22
7 .
... Shu t the eng ine off .
... Uns crew the cap
"I".:::?-to the eng ine o il filling
hole
¢ fig . 195, ¢page 229, fig . 193 .
... Carefully top off with 0 . 5 quarts (0 .5 liters)
of the appropr iate oil
¢ page 229 .
... Check the oi l level again after two min utes
¢ page 232, Checking the engine oil level.
... Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
... Screw the cap back on the fi lling hol e .
.&_ WARNING
=
- W hile toppi ng off, t he o il mu st not come
i n cont act wit h hot engi ne part s - fire
h aza rd !

-The oil filler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running - fire hazard!
-If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
@ Note
-Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Please reduce oil level appears,
contact your authorized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop to have excess
oil extracted if necessary .
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you check anything in the engine com ­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
~ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 22
7.
T he engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances , operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions , or have your vehicle where tempera-
Checking and filling 233
tu res remain below freezing for extended pe­
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­ ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex­
pertise requir ed, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself,
please note the following important informa­
tion:
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil
off thoroughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
•
•

234 Check ing and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil , first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q uir es little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac ­
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture of spec ia lly conditioned water and the
manufacturer 's glyco l-b ased coo lant add i-
tive G l3 antifreeze with ant icorrosion addi ­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els). This mixture both assures the nec es­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­ ponents in the engine's cooling sys tem from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil­
ing point of the coolant .
Do not red uce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add itive mu st be at
l e a st 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreez e protection and cooling efficien­
cy . If the coolant frost prote ct ion is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle hea ting and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round d riving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for temperatures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada. If
you must add coolant, use a mixture o f wa ­
ter and coolant additive . Mixing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
-
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WAR NINGS
c::, & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 22
7 .
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate conditions . This is especia lly impor­
tan t if you live in a reg io n where the win­
t er is ex treme ly cold. If ne cessa ry, i n­
crease the pr opo rtion of coo lant add itive
t o 60%.
- Whe n adding coolant additive to yo ur
c oolin g sys tem, remembe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad ­
d itive Gl2++ or Gl3 (check the label)
for your vehicle . This coolant additive is
ava ila ble at autho rized Aud i deale rs.
Other types of antifreeze ca n sig nifi­
ca ntly reduce co rr os io n protection. The
r es ult ing co rrosion c an c ause a los s o f
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
a n t to y our vehicle 's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repai r fl uid may adverse ­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by yo ur New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
-

Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 196 Eng ine compartment: cover on the coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys read and hee d all W ARN­
ING S ¢.&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 22
7 .
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Switch off the ignit ion.
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the cool­
ant expansion tank¢
fig. 196, ¢ page 229 ,
fig. 193 .
With a cold engine, the coolant
level should be between the "min" and
"max" mar kings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration¢
page 229 .
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off.
The expans ion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto -Check System ¢
page 17 will
illum inate u ntil you add coolant a nd the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolan t leve l
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool-
Checkin g and fillin g 235
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
s ea led system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by follow ing these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escap ing f lu id and steam by cover ing the
cap with a la rge, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
plyi ng light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene gly col in engine coo l­
a nt can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea L­
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant . Add­
i ng radiato r repa ir flui d may adverse ly af­
fect the funct io n and performa nce o f your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Before you che ck anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partmen t,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&_ in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
227 .
.,. Tur n off the engi ne.
.,. Let the engine cool down.

continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 197 E ngine co mpartment : cove r on the b rake fluid
r ese rvoir
Before you check anything i n the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays read and heed all W ARN ­
ING S 9 A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page
22 7.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
9 fig . 197, 9 page 229,
fig. 193.
The brake fluid level must be be ­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The location of the brake fl uid reservo ir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustrat ion
9 page229.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adj ustment of the
b rake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
l ow the "MIN " mark, the brake wa rning/indi­
cator ligh t
1111 (U.S. models)/ . (Canadia n
models) will come on~
page 15 . Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
f ied fac ility and the cau se corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate . Contact an au ­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediat ely .
Checkin g and fillin g 237
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs mois ture from the air. If
the wa ter content in the brake fluid is too
high , corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also dec rease considerably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
ev ery two years. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4 ".
The brake fluid reservo ir can be d iff icult to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
i zed
Audi dealer . Your dealer has t he correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
-
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake f luid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spec ificat ion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 116.
Always check with yo ur authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct bra ke fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated 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
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi ­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. Th is cou ld resu lt in an accident .
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .
.

24 4 T ire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
(D Note
Please note that summer and winter tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that th ese
items are availab le as factory -installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Audi recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem­
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un­
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ressu re recommended by t he
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des igna ted
s iz e that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
t h e three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicl e w ith
standard equipment including the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
me ans a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the lo ad -c a rry ing c apac ity of a s ingle
axle system , measured a t the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicl e. .,.

254 Tires and wheels
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed .
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi­
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
~page 201.
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydroplaning" and loss of control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 204 Tire specificat ion codes on the s idewall of a
tire
No. Description
@ Nominal w idth of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® L oad index and speed rating
(J) U.S . DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle 's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..