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Operat ing conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today 's au t omobiles a re still sub-
ject to wea r, depend ing la rgely on ope rating con-
ditions and driving habits ¢ .&.. On vehicles that
ar e eith er driven most ly in stop-and -go city traf-
f ic or are driven ha rd, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Audi dealer more of-
ten than specified in the Warranty & Mainte-
nance booklet . Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can resu lt in reduced brake perform-
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the braking ef-
fect of the eng ine . This way, you prevent unnec -
essary wear on the brake system . If you must use
your brakes , do not ho ld the brakes down con ti n-
uously. Pump t he brakes at intervals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depend ing on the
speed , braking force and outs ide cond itions such
as tempe rature and humidity .
Effect of water and road salt
In certain situations, f or example after driving
t hrough water, in heavy ra in, after overnight con-
densat ion or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads . The brakes must be
d ried first w ith a few careful brake applica ti ons.
At highe r speeds and with the windsh ie ld w ipers
turned on, the bra ke pads press aga inst the brake
rotors for a short amount of time . This occ urs at
regular intervals wit hout the d river noticing and
provides for be tt er brake response time under
wet conditions.
The eff ectiv eness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehi cle is dr iven on a salt-covered road
and the brakes a re not used. Likewise, you clean
off acc umu lat ed salt coat ing from b rake discs
and pads with a few ca utious applications of the
brake ¢ .&..
Corrosion
There may be a t ende ncy for d irt to build up on
the brake pads an d cor ros ion t o fo rm on the discs
if the car is not driven regular ly or only fo r sho rt
trips with little use of the brakes .
Intellig
e nt Technology
If the brakes are not used frequent ly, or if corro-
sio n 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 ¢ .&,.
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a
sudden
increase in brake
peda l travel, t hen one of t he two brake circ uits
may have fai led ¢
&..
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions ca n occur in t he brake system if the
brake fluid level is t oo low . The brake f luid leve l
is moni t ored elect ronically .
Brake booster
The brake booster increases the press ure that
yo u generate with the brake peda l. It only oper-
ates while the eng ine is running or w it h t he igni-
tio n sw itched on (hybr id d rive*) ¢ .&,.
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be chec ked by visual in-
spect io n of t he condition of the brake pads
t hrough t he openings in the wheel.
If
necessary,
t he wheel may be removed fo r t his inspe ction
¢
page 259, Replacing wheels .
.&_
WARNING
-
-
- New brake pads don't have t he bes t st op -
p ing power an d m ust be "broken-in" d uring
the initial 250 miles (400 km). You can
compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal more firmly. This also applies later
when new pads are insta lled.
- You sho uld perform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning t he brake system
only if road condit ions pe rmit . Ot her road
users m ust not be put at risk - you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep g rade, reduce
speed and sh ift t ransmission into a lower
gea r or lower dr iving ra nge. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the ped a l down t oo long or
too often. This could cause t he brakes to ge t
hot and dimi nish braking eff icien cy.
- Do not "ride t he brakes" by res ti ng you r foot
on the pedal when you do not intend to
...,
193
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