low oil pressure AUDI TT ROADSTER 2011 Owners Manual

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 13
Warning/indicator lights
Overview
The warning/indicator lights indicate different functions or a possible malfunction .
Fig. 6 In str um ent cl uste r w ith warning/indicator lights
~
Audi magnetic r ide
c:!;>page 14
g
Tire pressure too low
c:!;>page14
rm
El ectronic power con trol
¢page 14
B
Convertible top
¢page 14
JjJ
Electronic Stab ilization Program
(ESP)
c:!;>page 15
•
USA models: Malfunction lndica-
tor Lamp (MIL)
c:!;> page 15
•
Canada models: Ma lfunction lndi-
cator Lamp (MIL)
¢ page 15
H igh beam
¢page 15
II
Rear spoiler
¢page 15
E
Left turn signa l
c:!;>page 15
ti
Right turn s ignal
c:!;>page 15
I
CRUISE
•
-
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP)
c:!;> page 15
USA models: Cr uise control acti ­
vated
¢ page 16
Canada models : Cruise control ac ­
tivated
c:!;> page 16
USA models : Airbag system
c:!;> page 16
Canada models : Airbag system
c:!;> page 16
Generator
c:!;> page 16
Sa fety belt
c:!;> page 16
USA models: B rake system, p ark­
ing b ra ke se t
c:!;> page 16
Canada models : Brake system,
parking brake set
c:!;>page 16
USA model s: anti-lo ck br ake sys­
tem (ABS) defe ct ive
c:!;> page 1 7

If the engine control unit receives fau lty vehi ­
cle roadspeed signa ls , the Ma lfunction Indica­
tor Light (MIL)
Ill will illum inate . If th is oc­
curs, contact the nearest authori zed Audi
dealer for assistance.
S mod els
Your vehicle 's top speed is e lectronically limit­
ed to 155 mph (250 km/h).
If the engine control unit rece ives fa ulty vehi ­
cle roadspeed signa ls , the Ma lfunction Indica­
tor Lamp (MIU ¢• will i lluminate. If this oc­
curs, contact the nearest authorized Audi
dea ler for assistance.
A WARNING
-
Always observe the posted speed limits
and adjust your speed to suit prevailing
road, traff ic and weather conditions. Never
drive your vehicle faster than the maxi­
mum speed rating of the tires insta lled.
Warnings and symbols
Red symbols
A red symbol means DANGER
" Pull of the road and stop the veh icle .
"T urn off the engine.
" Check the ma lf u nction ing system. Contact
your autho rized Audi dea le r o r a qualified
workshop for assistance.
- USA models : Malfunction in the
brake system ¢
page 30
---·--
D
Canada models : Malfunction in the
brake system ¢
page 30
Engine coolant level too low/
engine coolant temperature too
high
r:1;> page 31
Engine oil pressure too low
¢page 31
Clutch is overheat ing
c:1;> page 92
Dr iver in formati on sys tem 29
When a red symbol appears, a warning tone
will sound
three times in succession . The sym­
bo l cont inues to flash unti l the malfunction
has been repaired. If there is
more than one
malfunc tion, the symbo ls appear one after
the other for about two seconds .
(D Tips
- The message for a malfunction can be
shown by pressing on the left knob.
- Dur ing route guidance on vehicles with a
navigation system, the warn ing symbol
is shown in the field above.
Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
Ii
Low fuel leve l
¢page32
- -- Check engine oil level
151!1 ¢page 32
- Engine oil sensor malfunction
l:ill ¢ page 32
Worn brake pads
¢page32
USA models : Speed warning 1
c:1;> page 3 2
Canada models : Speed warning 1
¢page32
USA models: Speed warning 2
c:1;> page 3 3
Canada models: Speed warning 2
c:1;> page 33
Dynamic headlight range contro l*
defective
¢ page 33
-Engine speed limitation *
c:1;> page 33
Windshield washer fl ui d leve l low
c:1;> page 33

30 Driv e r in formation sy stem
Battery voltage too high or too low
¢page33
Defective light bu lb
Qpage 33
USA models: Defective brake light
Qpage33
Canada models: Defective brake
light
Q page 33
Light/rain sensor defective (automat­
ic headlights) * defective
Q page 3 4
Adaptive Light* defective
¢page34
Tire pressure monitoring system
¢page212
When a yellow symbol appears, a warning
tone will sound
once. Check the d isp layed
f u nction as soon as possib le. If
more than one
malfunction is detected, a ll symbols will ap­
pear one after the other for abou t two sec­
onds.
Driver information
In addition to th e warning/indicator lights
a nd the symbols in the inst rument cluster dis­
play, driver information is displayed.
F ig . 2 6 Section of instrument cluster: Set/Check b ut­
ton
Driver information appea rs in the disp lay
when a defec tive l ight bu lb is reported by the
defect ive light bulb warning¢
page 33,
when the brake p ads are wo rn and before you
engage a gear. In add
ition, driver information may appear
whe n a red symbo l flashes in the driver dis­
play .
To display Driver information
As an examp le, the . symbo l appears in the
display. If yo u now p ress the button¢
fig. 26,
the following driver message appears in the display:
Switch off engine and che ck oil level
The driver message in the display goes out af­
te r about 5 seconds. Yo u can display t he drive r
message aga in by briefly pres sing the button.
BRAKE /(©) Brake system
The indicator light flashes if the brake fluid
level is too low, if there is a malfunction in
t he ABS sys tem o r when the parking brake is
engaged.
If the - (USA models),1111 (Canada
model s) symbo l flashes in the d isplay w it h t he
par king brake rele ase d, there is a mal func tion
in the brake system. In ad dition to the sym­
bo l, one o f two messages appears in the dis ­
play :
STOP V ehicle and check brake fluid
ABS fault! See Owner's manual
.,. Pull off the road a nd stop the veh icle .
.,. Obtain profess iona l assistance.
USA models: if t here is a ma lf u nction in the
ABS system, the
mES warning/indicator light
illuminates along with the -system
malfu nction warning/ind icator light
Q .&. .
Canada models: if there is a mal function in
the ABS system, the
ti] warning/ indicator
light illum inates together with the . brake
system mal function warn ing/indicator light
Q .&_ .
Parking brake set
The parking brake war ning light -·
(Canada mode ls) illum inates when the park­
i ng brake is set. In addition, a warn ing tone
will sound after yo u have driven for longer

than 3 seconds and faster than 3 mph (5 km/
h).
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
9 page 172, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the engine hood and check­ ing the brake flu id .
- Driv ing with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard! Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- If the brake system warn ing/ indicator
light illuminates together with the ABS
warning/ind icator light, t hen the ABS
system is malfunct ion ing . The rear
wheels co uld qu ickly lock up when yo u
apply the brakes. This could lead to loss
o f control and your vehi cle could slide!
Drive carefu lly to the nearest a uthorized
Audi dealer and have the ma lfunction
corrected.
_ L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
When the . symbol in the d isp lay flashes,
then either the eng ine coolan t
temperature is
too high, or the coo lant
level is too low. In ad­
dition to the symbol, the fo llowing message
also appears in the display:
Swit ch off engine and check coolant level
"'Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
"'T urn off t he engine.
"' Check coolant leve l
9page 185.
"'Add coolant if ne cessary¢ page 186.
"' Contin ue driving only after the eng ine cool -
ant warn ing/indicato r light goes o ut.
"' Contact your authorized Audi dea ler for as-
s istance if necessary.
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be the cause of the malf unc­
tion .
If the generator wa rning/ind icator light
should also illuminate ¢
page 16, then the
fan belt may be damaged.
Dr iver in formati on sys tem 3 1
A WARNING
-If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, tu rn
off the eng in e and tu rn on the haza rd
warn ing ligh ts ¢
page 56, Emergen cy
flasher ~-
-
-Never ope n the hood if you see o r hear
s team or coola nt es caping from the en ­
gi ne compartmen t -you ris k being sc ald ­
ed . Wait unt il yo u can no longer see o r
hea r steam o r coolant escap ing.
- T he engine compa rtment o f any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Be fore you perform
a ny work i n the engine compartment,
turn off the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow t he warn ing stickers
9 page 172,
Engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not continue driv ing if the . sym bol
ill uminates. There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
~ Engine oil pr essure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair.
If the . symbo l appears in the disp lay and
flashes, the o il pressure is too low . In add ition
to the symbol, the following message a lso ap­
pears in the display:
Switch off engine and check oil le vel
"' Pull off the road an d stop the ve hicle.
"' Shu t the eng ine down.
"' Check the engine oil level¢
page 183 .
"'Contact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
Engine oil level too low
I f the engine oil leve l is too low , top off oil to
the p roper level
¢ page 183. .,.

32 Driver information system
Engine oil level OK
If th e . symbol st arts flashin g ag ain eve n
though the engine oil leve l checks O K on the
dip stick,
do not start driving again and do
not let the engine run at idle .
Instead, con­
tact your author ized Audi dealer for assis­
tance.
@ Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead , check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter ­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning symbol.
starts to flash before you respond to
the low oil level warning
II . By then,
your engine may already have suffered
serious damage.
fl) Fuel supply too low
When the (i1 symbo l ill uminates, this means
there are about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of fue l
left i n the fuel tank . Time to ref uel!
r::;, page 17 5 .
If the symbol lights up, even when t he re is
ample fuel in the tank, and the text
Tank sys ­
tem malfunction! Please contact workshop
a ppears in the d isplay, there is a fault in the
sys tem. Contact a qualified wor ksh op to have
the fau lt rectified.
'l=:11 , Checking the engine oil level
II! Please add max . 1 qt of engine oil!
If th e II sy mbo l comes o n, add 1 quart( ! li­
ter) of o il at t he nex t oppor tunity
<::;,page 183.
1) - : USA mod els onl y
~ Checking the engine oil level
W hen the Ill symbol illum ina tes, check t he
engi ne oil leve l as soon as po ssibl e
r::;, page 183 . Top off t he oil at your ear liest
oppo rtunity
<::;, page 183 .
~.,., Engine oil sensor defective
If the II symbol illum inates, contact yo ur
autho rized Aud i dea le r and have the oil senso r
i nspected .
{0) Worn brake pads
&J Brake pads!
If the warning light i lluminates, immed iate ly
contact your a uthori zed Audi d ealer or quali­
fied works hop to have all b rake pads i nspect­
ed. On USA mode ls t he war ning ligh t
&J
comes on together w ith the warning light
1111 . Bot h set s of bra ke pads o n an ax le
mu st al ways be re place d at th e same time.
A WARNING
Driving w ith bad bra kes ca n ca use a colli­
sion and ser io us perso nal in jury.
- If th e warni ng light
&J an d th e warn ing
lig ht
11111> with t he mess age Brake
pads!
comes o n in the ins trum en t cluste r
d isp lay, immediate ly co ntact you r au­
th orized A udi dealer or qualif ied work­
shop to have all b rake pads checked or
re placed if nec essary.
0 /8 Speed warning 1
If the [i (USA models)l [i) (Canada mode ls)
symbol illum ina tes, this m ea ns you a re d riv­
i ng fas ter than t he set vehicle speed . S low
down!
r::;, page 26.
-

164 Cleaning and protection
regular basis, fo r example when
refuelling your vehicle.
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water.
@J For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the env ironment, the ve ­
hicle sho uld only be washed in special
wash bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you observe a few simple rules .
.. Before us ing the power washer, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN­ INGS
c> & in General information on
page 162.
.. Always fo llow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
.. Make sure that the jet on the spray hose pro ­
duces a "fan shaped spray".
.. Do
not hold the spray nozzle too close to
soft materia ls.
N eve r u se a pow er w asher to clean the power
top itse lf.
When clea ning t he vehicle w it h a powe r wash­
e r
always fo llow the operating instructions.
This applies particularly to the
o pera tin g
p re ssu re
and the s p ra yi ng dist ance. Maintain
a sufficient distance to soft materials such as
rubber hoses and so und/vibration deadening
materia ls (part icularly on the underside of the
engine hood). Do not use a jet wh ich sprays
water in a
dire ct st ream or one that has a ro ­
tat ing
jet .
Water temperature shou ld not exceed 140 °F
(60
°() .
A WARNING
Never wash tires w ith a jet that sprays wa ­
ter in a d irect stream. This could cause in- visible damage to the tires and weaken
them, even
if the spray is from a relative ly
long distance and for a short time. Dam­
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal inju ry.
(D Note
- Never use a power washer to clean the
power top itself.
- To avoid damaging your veh icle, always
make sure that there is sufficient dis­
tance between the spray head and soft
materials like rubber hoses, plast ic parts
and sound-deadening materials. Never
aim the spray head at the same point for
a long time. This also app lies to cleaning
head lights and pa inted b umpe rs. Re­
member: the closer the nozz le is to the
surface of the material, the greate r the
stress on the materia l.
Convertible top care
The convertible top requires special care.
Keeping you r top looking great and mak ing
certain tha t it lasts a long time depend to a
great extent on proper use and care . Remove
bird droppings as soon as possible, since the
corrosive chemicals in them will cause the
rubber impregnation in your top to swell and
poss ibly allow the fabric to leak .
With
normal soiling, all you need to do is
clea r the top with a soft br ush and clear wa­
ter. A lways brush in the direction of the fabric
from front to rear.
If the top is very dirty and has spotted areas
clean it with a brush using a convertible top
cleaner . Always brush in the direction of the
fabric from front to rear. R inse with plenty of
clear water, and allow the top to air-dry.
Chamois are not suitable for drying the top.
Never use gaso line, spot remover, benzene,
paint thinner or solvents to remove spots . We
recommend that you on ly use cleaners espe­
cia lly formulated for use on convertib le tops,
and that you fo llow the produce use directions ...

182 Checking and filling
Deterge nt additives in the o il wi ll make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­
n ing for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
D am ag e o r m alfun ction s due to lack of
m ainten ance
It is essent ial that yo u change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Yo ur Limited New Veh icle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to failure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty& Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage un less you p resen t to
the dea ler proof in the form of Servi ce or Re­
pa ir Orde rs that all schedu led 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 ports.
I n o rder to prov ide effective lubr ication and
cooling of internal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oi l consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the eng ine . Typically, eng ines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
c::;, page 157) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumpt io n depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road cond it io ns. Furthe r fac­
tors are the amo unt of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is s ubject to
wear as mileage bui lds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over t ime until replacement
of worn components may become necessary. Wi
th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tab lished or spec ified. There is no alte rnative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instr ument cluster
m lights up, yo u
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
with the oil dipstick c::;, page 183. Top off the
o il at your earliest conve nience
c::;, page 183 .
A WARNING
-Before you chec k anything in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS
c::;, .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 178.
CI) Note
D riving with an insufficient o il level is like­
l y to cause sever e damage to the engine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
re ly on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at r egular interval s, pr ef­
erably e ach time you refu el, and always
before going on a long trip.
- If you have the impressio n yo ur engine
cons umes ex cessive amoun ts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Aud i
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of o il con­
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime . Your Audi dea ler has in­
struct ions about how to measure oil con­
sumption acc urately.

186 Checking and filling
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys r ea d and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine
comportment on page 178.
• Switch the ignition off .
• Read the coo lant level at the coolant expan­
s ion tank ¢
fig. 141 . With a co ld engine, it
must be above the "min" mark. W ith a hot
engine, it can be a little above the indicated
range.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration .
To obtain an accurate reading , the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto- Check System ¢
page 31 will
blink until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to no rma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sen sor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
@ Note
Do not add any type of ra diator leak seal­
ant to yo ur vehicle's eng ine coolant. Add ­
ing radiator repair f luid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 178 .
•Turnoff the engine.
• Let the eng ine cool down.
• Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 185, fig . 141 and carefully
tw ist the cap counter-clockwise ¢&_ .
• Add coolant.
• Twis t the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
¢ page 185, Coolant.
E ven in a n emerge ncy, if coo lant addi -
t ive G1 2++, G12+ or G12 is not ava ilable , do
not use a d ifferen t addit ive. Use plain water
instead unti l you can get the cor rect additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have los t a considerab le amo unt o f
coolant , then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo la nt whe n refilling .
Do not fill coola nt above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coo la nt wi ll be fo rced o ut through the
pressure relief valve in t he cap w hen the en­
gine becomes hot.
,&. WARNING ~ -
- T he cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by followi ng
these steps.
- T urn
off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect you r face, hands and a rms from
esca ping fluid and steam by covering
the cap w ith a large, t hick rag.
- T urn the cap slowly a nd ve ry carefully
in a counter-clo ckwise direction while
applying light, downward pres sure on
the top o f the cap.

202 Tires and wheels
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important pa rts of the
vehicle and can lead to s udden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
l oad limits are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coo lant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seat ing pos ition
and the total weight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance stick er labe l located on the
driver 's side 8-p illar. Your Audi has 2 seat ing
positions. Each seating pos ition has a safety
be lt ¢
page 107, Safety belts.
The fact that the re is an upper limit to your
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle is limited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are heavier
than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug­
gage.
T he tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry. For the location of the
label ¢
page 198, fig. 146.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ithin a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and 5udden deflation, cau5ing lo55 of
control and a crash.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF QC­
CU PANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX .,..

204 Tires and wheels
c::>fig . 148 running across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> ,& .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 200.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For a ll four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing:
- Tire rotation interva ls may differ from the
vehicle serv ice intervals outlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacture r's suggested
t ir e rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com ­
pared to all-wheel drive (quatt ro ® ).
- Please rotate t ires as shown
c::> fig . 149.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rect ion-specific tires
c::> page 226.
Wheel balancing
The whee ls on new vehicles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steering wheel. Unbalanced
wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires . A whee l must also be reba lanced
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
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see c::>page
154.
A WARNING
-Sudden tire fai lure 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 r isk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- 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 w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.