Taking The Vehicle Out Of Service; How To Improve Economy And Minimise Pollution - Audi A3 Sportback g-tron Owner's Manual

lamp
II
does not come on. An Increased
idling speed and a certain odour may be no-
ticed while this is happening.
Should the self-cleaning or automatic regen-
eration function of the filter not be able to op-
erate, e.g. when the vehicle is continuously
used only for short trips, the filter becomes
obstructed with soot and the indicator lamp
II
for the diesel particulate filter lights up
~ page23 .
A
WARNING
The exhaust system is very hot when the
vehicle is being driven and after the engine
has been switched off.
- Never touch the tailpipes when they are
hot - you could burn yourself!
-
- Because of the high temperatures which
can occur in the emission control system
(catalytic converter or diesel particulate
filter), do not park the vehicle where the
exhaust can come into contact with
flammable materials under the car (e.g.
on grass or at the forest edge). - Fire haz-
ard!
- Do not apply any underseal agents in the
area around the exhaust system - fire
hazard!
Taking the vehicle out
of service
If you wish to take your vehicle out of service
for a long period of time, contact a qualified
workshop. Here you w ill receive advice on nec-
essary measures, for example regarding corro-
sion protection, maintenance and storage. In
addition, please observe the general notes on
the battery ~ page 218.
How to improve
economy and minimise
pollution
Fuel economy, environmental impact and
wear on the engine, brakes and tyres depend
largely on the way you drive the vehicle. By
Your veh i cle and the environment 191
adopt ing an economical driving style and an-
ticipating the traffic situation ahead, you can
reduce fuel consumption by 10-15%. The fol-
lowing section gives you some tips on lessen-
ing the impact on the environment and reduc-
ing your operating costs at the same time.
Anticipate well in advance
A car uses most fuel when accelerating. If you
anticipate hazards and speed changes well in
advance, you will need to brake less and thus
accelerate less. Wherever possible, let the car
s low down gradually with a gear engaged, for
instance when you can see that the next traf-
fic lights are red. This takes advantage of the
engi ne braki ng effect, reducing wear on the
brakes and tyres. Emissions and fue l con-
sumption will drop to zero due to the overrun
fuel cut-off.
Change gear early to save fuel
An effective way of saving fuel is to change up
quickly through the
gears. Running the engine
at high rpm in the lower gears uses an unnec-
essa ry amount of fuel.
Manual gearbox: Shift up to second gear as
soon as possible. If possible, we recommend
shifting up to the next gear at approx. 2,000
rpm. You can minimise your fuel consumption
by always selecting the highest possible gear
that will allow the engine to run smoothly in a
given driving situation .
Automatic gearbox: Press the accelerator
slowly and avoid using the "kick-down" fea-
ture.
Avoid driving at high speed
Avoid travelling at top speed . Fuel consump-
tion, exhaust emissions and noise levels all in-
crease very rapidly at higher speeds. Driving at
moderate speeds will help to save fuel.
Do not let the engine idle for longer than
necessary
Engine idling periods are automatically re-
duced on vehicles with start/stop system. On
vehicles without a start/stop system, it is
worthwhile switching off the engine at level
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