Get Starting and driving -> Sitting correctly and safely Guide for Audi A4 4 Door Fifth Generation (2016-2025)

Lights and vision

Sun visor

breaths immediately after leaving the vehi-

cle or, if this is not possible, open all of the

doors and windows as wide as possible.

– If electrolyte fluid comes into contact with

the eyes, flush them thoroughly with plenty

of clean water for at least 15 minutes and

then seek medical attention.

The sun visors can be moved out of their brackets

and turned toward the doors 1 .

They can also be moved back and forth length-

wise in this position.

Vanity mirror

– If electrolyte fluid comes into contact with

the skin, flush the affected area with clean

water for at least 15 minutes, and then

clean with soap and water and seek medical

attention. Clean affected clothing and shoes

thoroughly before wearing again.

The mirror lighting* turns on when the cover over

the vanity mirror 2 opens.

Sunshade

Applies to: vehicles with sunshade

– If the fluid was swallowed and the person is

conscious, flush the mouth with water for at

least 15 minutes. Do not induce vomiting

unless this is recommended by medical pro-

fessionals. Seek medical attention immedi-

ately.

Note

Applies to: vehicles with automatic dimming mirrors

Electrolyte fluid can leak out from broken mir-

ror glass. This liquid damages plastic surfaces

and paint. Clean this liquid as quickly as possi-

ble, for example with a wet sponge.

Fig. 52 Rear door: sunshade

Rear door sunshade

►

Pull the sunshade out and attach it to the re-

tainer on the upper door frame ðfig. 52.

Tips

Applies to: vehicles with automatic dimming mirrors

– If the light reaching the rearview mirror is

obstructed, the automatic dimming mirror

will not function correctly,

– The automatic dimming mirrors do not dim

when the interior lighting is turned on or

the reverse gear is selected.

Sun visors

Fig. 51 Roof headliner: sun visor

60

Lights and vision

5 Clean the windshield . The number of wipes

and afterwipes depends on how long the lever is

held in position 5 .

Windshield wipers

Turning on the windshield wipers

The wipers wipe one time after several seconds

while driving to remove water droplets. You can

turn off this function by moving the lever to posi-

tion 5 within ten seconds of the afterwipe. The

afterwipe function is reactivated the next time

you turn on the ignition.

If you hold the lever in position 5 for longer

than half a second, the edge wiping feature will

be activated. This moves the windshield wipers

closer to the edge of the windshield and per-

forms an afterwipe to clean the residue that re-

sults from the wiping process from the edge of

the windshield. The function is available when

driving at speeds up to 75 mph (120 km/h).

Fig. 53 Lever: windshield wipers

The headlight washer system* operates only

when the low beam headlights are on. If you

move the lever into position 5 , the headlights

will be cleaned at regular intervals.

Applies to: vehicles with rear window wiper: 7 -

Wiping the rear window . The number of wipes

depends on the windshield wiper movement.

Fig. 54 Lever: rear window wiper (allroad)

►

Move the lever  to the corresponding posi-

tion:

The rear wiper automatically turns on when the

reverse gear is selected and the front windshield

wipers are on and running.

0 Windshield wipers off

1 Rain sensor/intermittent mode. The wind-

shield wipers turn on once the vehicle speed ex-

ceeds approximately 2 mph (4 km/h) and it is

raining. The higher the sensitivity of the rain sen-

sor that is set (switch 6 to the right), the earlier

the windshield wipers respond to moisture on

the windshield. You can deactivate the rain sen-

sor mode, which turns on intermittent mode. In

intermittent mode, you can adjust the interval

time using the switch 6 .

Applies to: vehicles with rear window wiper: 8 -

Cleaning the rear window . The number of

wipes depends on how long the lever is held in

position 8 .

This may also clean the rearview camera, depend-

ing on the vehicle equipment.

WARNING

– The rain sensor is only intended to assist the

driver. The driver may still need to turn the

wipers on manually depending on visibility

conditions.

►

Applies to: MMI: Select on the home screen:

VEHICLE > Light & Visibility > Rain sensor.

2 Slow wiping

– The windshield must not be treated with

water-repelling windshield coating agents.

Under unfavorable conditions, such as wet-

ness, darkness, and when the sun is low,

these coatings can cause increased glare,

3 Fast wiping

4 Single wipe. If you hold the lever in this posi-

tion longer, the wipers switch from slow wiping

to fast wiping.



61

Lights and vision

Wiper blade replacement position

which increases the risk of an accident. They

can also cause wiper blade chatter.

– Properly functioning windshield wiper

blades are required for a clear view and safe

driving ðpage 62, Cleaning/changing wip-

er blades.

►

Turn off the ignition and hold the windshield

wiper lever in position 4 ðpage 61, fig. 53 un-

til the windshield wiper moves into the wiper

blade replacement position.

►

To bring the windshield wipers into the normal

position, turn on the ignition and hold the lever

in position 4 until the windshield wipers go

back to the original position, or drive faster

than 8 mph (12 km/h).

Note

– If there is frost, make sure the windshield

wiper blades are not frozen to the wind-

shield. Turning on the windshield wipers

when the blades are frozen to the wind-

shield can damage the wiper blades.

You can also turn the wiper blade replacement

position on or off in the MMI:

►

Turn the windshield wipers off (position

0

– Prior to using a car wash, the windshield

wiper system must be turned off (lever in

position 0 ). This prevents the wipers from

turning on unintentionally and causing

damage to the windshield wiper system.

ðpage 61, fig. 53).

►

Applies to MMI: Select on the home screen: VE-

HICLE > Settings & Service > Wiper change po-

sition.

Cleaning the wiper blades

Tips

Requirement: the windshield wipers must be in

the wiper change position.

– The windshield wipers turn off when the ig-

nition is turned off. You can activate the

windshield wipers after the ignition is

turned on again by moving the lever to any

position. The single wipe function (lever in

position 4 ) also functions when the igni-

tion is turned off.

►

Fold the windshield wiper arm away from the

windshield.

►

For information on cleaning, see ðtable on

page 270.

Replacing the wiper blades

– Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades result

in streaking. This can affect the rain sensor

function. Check your windshield wiper

blades regularly.

Requirement: the windshield wipers must be in

the wiper change position.

►

Fold the windshield wiper arm away from the

windshield.

Hold the wiper blade firmly.

Press the locking knob 1 on the wiper blade.

Remove the wiper blade from the windshield

– When stopping temporarily, such as at a

traffic light, the speed of the windshield

wipers automatically reduces by one level.

►

wiper arm mount 2 .

Insert the new wiper blade into the mount on

Cleaning/changing wiper blades

►

the wiper arm until it clicks into place.

►

Place the wiper arm back on the windshield.

►

Exit the wiper change position.

WARNING

– For safety reasons, the windshield wiper

blades should be replaced once or twice

each year.

– Dirty windshield wiper blades can impair vi-

sion, which increases the risk of an accident.

Fig. 55 Windshield wipers: replacing the wiper blades



62

Lights and vision

Note

WARNING

– The windshield wipers must only be lifted

up when in the wiper change position. Oth-

erwise, you risk damaging the paint on the

hood or the windshield wiper motor.

For safety reasons, the windshield wiper

blades should be replaced once or twice each

year.

– You should not move your vehicle or press

the lever when the wiper arms are folded up

from the windshield. The windshield wipers

would move back into their original position

and could damage the hood and windshield.

Messages

The following messages may appear, depending

on the vehicle equipment:



If the

indicator light turns on, then there is a

windshield wiper malfunction. The message that

is also displayed indicates the cause and possible

solutions. If one of the messages does not turn

off, drive immediately to an authorized Audi

dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility to have

the malfunction corrected.

Tips

– You can also use the wiper blade replace-

ment position for other reasons, for exam-

ple if you want to protect the windshield

from icing by using a cover.

– You cannot activate the wiper blade replace-

ment position when the hood is open.



Automatic wipers: malfunction! See owner's

manual

The light/rain sensor is malfunctioning. You can

still control all functions that are not controlled

by the rain sensor using the windshield wiper lev-

er. Drive immediately to an authorized Audi deal-

er or authorized Audi Service Facility to have the

malfunction corrected.

Cleaning or replacing the rear wiper blade

Applies to: vehicles with rear window wiper

Digital compass

Turning the digital compass on or off

Applies to: vehicles with digital compass

Fig. 56 Rear window wiper: installing the wiper blade

Cleaning the wiper blades

►

Fold the wiper arm away from the rear window.

►

For information on cleaning, see ðtable on

page 270.

Removing the wiper blade

►

Fold the wiper arm away from the rear window.

Fig. 57 Rearview mirror: digital compass is turned on

►

Remove the wiper blade from its holder.

►

To turn the digital compass on or off, press a

Installing the wiper blade

suitable object, such as a paper clip, into the

opening at the bottom of the mirror housing

for at least 3 seconds, until the compass dis-

play in the mirror turns off or on.

►

Press the wiper blade mount into the retainer.

Fold the window wiper arm back onto the rear

window.

►



63

Lights and vision

The digital compass only works when the ignition

is turned on. The directions are indicated with ab-

breviations: N (north), NE (northeast), E (east),

SE (southeast), S (south), SW (southwest), W

(west), NW (northwest).

WARNING

To reduce the risk to yourself and other road

users, calibrate the digital compass in an area

where there is no traffic.

Tips

To prevent inaccurate compass readings, do

not bring any remote controls, electrical devi-

ces, or metallic objects near the mirror.

Adjusting the magnetic zone

Applies to: vehicles with digital compass

Fig. 58 Magnetic zone map

The magnetic zone must be adjusted correctly for

the compass to read accurately.

►

Press a suitable object, such as a paper clip, in-

to the opening at the bottom of the mirror

housing for at least 8 seconds ðpage 63,

fig. 57 until the number of the magnetic field

zone that is set appears in the rearview mirror.

►

Set the magnetic field zone by briefly pressing

repeatedly. The selection mode turns off after a

few seconds.

Calibrating the digital compass

Applies to: vehicles with digital compass

If the display is incorrect or inaccurate, the digital

compass must be recalibrated.

►

Press a suitable object, such as a paper clip, in-

to the opening at the bottom of the mirror

housing for at least 10 seconds ðpage 63,

fig. 57 until C appears in the rearview mirror.

►

Drive in a circle at about 6 mph (10 km/h) until

a direction is displayed in the rearview mirror.

64

Sitting correctly and safely

– Never kneel on the seats.

Sitting correctly and

safely

– Never tilt your backrest far back.

– Never lean against the instrument panel.

– Never lie down on the rear bench seat.

– Never sit only on the front section of the seat.

– Never sit sideways on the seat.

Maintaining the correct

seating position

General information

– Never lean against the window.

– Never place your feet out of the window.

– Never place your feet on the instrument panel.

– Never place your feet on the seat cushion.

– Never ride in the footwell.

As the driver, you are responsible for making sure

each person in the vehicle is sitting correctly in

their seat and maintaining this correct seating

position while driving. Make sure that:

– Never sit on the armrests.

– Each person in the vehicle has adjusted their

seat correctly ðpage 65.

– Never drive or ride in a seat without fastening

your safety belt.

– The steering wheel is adjusted correctly

ðpage 68.

– Never ride in the luggage compartment.

– The mirrors are adjusted so that there is a suffi-

cient view of the area around the vehicle

ðpage 58.

WARNING

Incorrect seating positions, failure to wear a

safety belt, or being too close to an airbag in-

crease the risk of serious injury or death to ve-

hicle occupants, especially if the airbags de-

ploy and come into contact with vehicle occu-

pants who are not seated correctly. Note the

important information and warnings in the

chapters for the topics given above.

– Each person in the vehicle has adjusted their

head restraint correctly ðpage 69.

– Each person in the vehicle has adjusted their

safety belt correctly ðpage 70.

– The activation status of the front passenger's

airbag is suitable for the person in the front

passenger's seat ðpage 77.

– Children are secured in suitable child safety

seats that are secured to appropriate vehicle

seats ðpage 79. Read and observe the impor-

tant safety information pertaining to the use of

child safety seats on the front passenger's seat

Tips

If you or other passengers in the vehicle have

physical limitations that prevent sitting in a

correct position, modifications to the vehicle

may be necessary. For more information, con-

tact an authorized Audi dealer or authorized

Audi Service Facility, or call Audi customer

support at 1-800-822-2834.

ð

in General information on page 79.

Examples of incorrect seating positions

Safety belts can only provide optimal protection

when they are routed correctly. Incorrect seating

positions significantly reduce the protective func-

tions of the safety belts and increase the risk of

injury due to incorrect belt routing.

Front seats

General information

Make sure that:

The following list includes examples of seating

positions that could be dangerous for all vehicle

occupants. This is not a complete list. Audi would

simply like to increase your awareness of the top-

ic. The following points apply when the vehicle is

in motion:

– You can press the pedals down completely

while your legs are slightly bent.

– The distance between your upper body and the

steering wheel or instrument panel is at least

10 inches (25 cm).

– The distance between your knees and the in-

strument panel is at least 4 inches (10 cm).

– Never stand inside the vehicle.

– Never stand on the seats.



65

Sitting correctly and safely

– Your thighs are lightly supported by the front

surface of the seat.

window, or on the seat surfaces. This also

applies to persons in the rear seats.

– The backrest is in an upright position and the

back of the person seated is resting against it.

– You have a sufficient view of the area around

the vehicle.

Note

To reduce the risk of damage, be very careful

when adjusting the seat to make sure the

head restraints do not come into contact with

the roof.

– You have a clear view of the instrument cluster,

indicator lights, and the head-up display*.

WARNING

Manual seat adjustment

Applies to: vehicles with manual adjustable seats

– If you are too close to the steering wheel or

instrument panel, the airbag system cannot

provide the optimal protection, which in-

creases the risk of injury and death.

The settings depend on the vehicle equipment.

Adjusting the seat position

– To reduce the risk of injury to the driver in

the event of sudden braking maneuvers or

accidents, never drive with the backrest re-

clined very far. The airbag system and safety

belts can only provide optimal protection

when the backrest is in an upright position

and the driver is wearing the safety belt cor-

rectly. If the backrest is angled back too far,

the safety belt can shift to soft areas of the

body, such as the stomach, which increases

the risk of injury.

►

To adjust the seat forward or back, pull the lev-

er 1 and slide the seat.

To adjust the seat up or down, pull or press the

lever 2 .

►

Adjusting the backrests

►

To adjust the backrest forward or back, turn the

adjusting wheel 3 .

Adjusting the thigh support

►

To increase or decrease the upper thigh sup-

port, lift the handle 4 and move the upper

thigh support.

– To reduce the risk of an accident, only adjust

the seats when the vehicle is stationary.

– Be careful when adjusting the seat. Lack of

control or attention when adjusting can re-

sult in injuries due to pinching for vehicle oc-

cupants both in the front seats and rear

seats.

Adjusting the angle of the seat surface

►

To adjust the angle of the seat surface, pull or

press the lever 5 .

– Never place objects in the driver's footwell.

Objects could shift and enter the area

around the pedals, which could prevent you

from using them. You would then be unable

to use the pedals if sudden driving or brak-

ing maneuvers were needed, which increas-

es the risk of an accident.

Adjusting the lumbar support

►

To adjust the lumbar support, press the button

6 in the desired direction.

WARNING

– To reduce the risk of an accident, only adjust

the driver's seat when the vehicle is station-

ary.

– Make sure that the floor mats are always se-

curely attached.

– Exercise caution when adjusting the seat

height. Adjusting the seat carelessly or with-

out checking can pinch hands and fingers.

– The front seat backrests must not be re-

clined too far back when driving, because

this impairs the effectiveness of the safety

– To reduce the risk of an accident, never place

additional floor mats or other floor covers

over the installed floor mats, because this

reduces the pedal's range of motion and can

impair pedal operation.



– To reduce the risk of injury, never place your

feet on the instrument panel, out of the

66

Sitting correctly and safely

Adjusting the thigh support

belts and airbag system, which increases the

risk of injury.

►

To increase or decrease the upper thigh sup-

port, lift the handle 4 and move the upper

thigh support.

Power seat adjustment

Massage function

►

To turn the massage function on or off, press

the button 5 ðfig. 60.

Adjusting the side supports

You can adjust the side bolsters using the multi-

function button 3 ðfig. 60.

WARNING

Fig. 59 Front seat: adjusting the seat (version A)

– To reduce the risk of an accident, only adjust

the driver's seat when the vehicle is station-

ary.

– The power front seats can also be adjusted

when the ignition is turned off. To reduce

the risk of injury, children should never be

left unattended in the vehicle for this rea-

son.

– Exercise caution when adjusting the seat

height. Unsupervised or careless seat adjust-

ment could cause parts of the body to be

pinched, which increases the risk of injury.

– The front seat backrests must not be re-

clined too far back when driving, because

this impairs the effectiveness of the safety

belts and airbag system, which increases the

risk of injury.

Fig. 60 Front seat: adjusting the seat (version B)

The settings depend on the vehicle equipment.

Adjusting the backrests

►

To move the backrest forward or backward,

press the button 1 forward or backward.

Adjusting the seat position

Adjusting the front seats in the MMI

Applies to: vehicles with seat settings in the MMI

►

To move the seat forward or backward, push

the button 2 forward or backward.

►

To adjust the seat upward or downward, push

the rear section of the button 2 upward or

downward.

►

To adjust the seat surface, press the front part

of the button 2 upward or downward.

Adjusting the lumbar support

►

Fig. 61 Center display: seat settings

To adjust the lumbar support, press the button

3 in the desired direction.

The settings and the number of menus and but-

tons depend on the vehicle equipment.



67

Sitting correctly and safely

Operating

Reset seat position

Applies to: MMI

You can adjust the position of the front passeng-

er’s seat to match the driver's seat.

►

Select on the home screen: VEHICLE > Seats.

►

To access the various menus 1 , swipe to the

Driver seat entry assistance

left or right.

►

To display the various seats, press  or  2 .

Entry assistance makes it easier to enter or exit

the vehicle.

The red coloring of the symbol 3 indicates which

seat is selected.

Front passenger seat adjustment

Massage

You can adjust the front passenger's side with the

driver's seat buttons.

See ðpage 68

Additional seat settings

Front center armrest

Applies to: vehicles with a front center armrest

See ðpage 68

The front center armrest is located between the

front seats.

Front seat massage function

Applies to: vehicles with massage function

Adjusting the center armrest

Selecting the massage function

The settings depend on the vehicle equipment.

►

To open the Massage menu, press the button

►

To adjust the armrest forward or backward,

5 ðpage 67, fig. 60.

move the armrest in the desired direction.

Turning the massage function on or off

Applies to: MMI

►

To adjust the angle, raise the armrest in stages.

To move the armrest back into the original posi-

►

tion, raise it slightly out of the top level and

fold it downward.

To turn the massage function on or off, press

the button 5 ðpage 67, fig. 60.

►

Press Start/Stop on the MMI.

WARNING

Setting the massage type and intensity

In certain positions, the front center armrest

can interfere with arm movement, which in-

creases the risk of injury.

Applies to: MMI

►

To adjust the massage type, press the desired

button on the MMI, for example Wave.

►

To adjust the intensity of the massage, press

Steering wheel

General information

Make sure that:

Intensity on the MMI repeatedly until the de-

sired level is reached.

Tips

The massage function turns off automatically

after approximately 10 minutes.

– The distance between your upper body and the

steering wheel is at least 10 inches (25 cm).

– Your arms are bent slightly at the elbows.

– You have a sufficient view of the area around

the vehicle and you have a clear view of the in-

strument cluster and head-up display*.

Additional settings in the MMI

►

Applies to: MMI: Select on the home screen:

VEHICLE > Seats.

Swipe to the left if necessary.

– You are always holding the steering wheel with

both hands on the outer edge at the sides (9:00

and 3:00 position) when driving.

►



Depending on the vehicle equipment, the follow-

ing options may be available.

68

Sitting correctly and safely

Head restraints

WARNING

– To reduce the risk of an accident, make sure

the steering wheel is adjusted correctly and

cannot be moved out of position before you

start to drive.

General information

Applies to: vehicles with adjustable head restraints

– If you are too close to the steering wheel,

the driver's airbag cannot provide optimal

protection, which increases the risk of injury

or death.

– Never hold the steering wheel in the 12:00

position or in any other way, such as holding

the center of the steering wheel. Otherwise,

your arms, hands, and head could be injured

in the event that the driver's airbag deploys.

Fig. 63 Correctly-adjusted head restraint

Make sure that:

Adjusting the steering wheel position

manually

– The upper edge of the head restraint is as even

as possible with the top of your head.

– The head restraint is as close as possible to the

back of the head.

Applies to: vehicles with manual steering wheel adjustment

– The head restraints in any occupied rear seats

are all the way up.

WARNING

– There is one head restraint for each seat. All

vehicle occupants must adjust the head re-

straints correctly before every trip. Having

head restraints that are not adjusted cor-

rectly or not installed in the vehicle increas-

es the risk of a neck injury during sudden or

unexpected driving or braking maneuvers or

in a collision.

Fig. 62 Steering column: lever for adjusting the steering

wheel position

The steering wheel position can be adjusted up

and down, and forward and back.

– Only remove the rear seat head restraints if

it is necessary to install a child safety seat

ðpage 79. Stow the removed head re-

straints securely, for example in the luggage

compartment. Reinstall the head restraints

immediately once the child safety seat has

been removed. Driving without head re-

straints increases the risk of serious neck in-

juries.

►

Press the lever in the direction of the arrow.

Bring the steering wheel into the desired posi-

tion.

►

Push the lever all the way up until it engages.

WARNING

– To reduce the risk of an accident, only adjust

the steering wheel before you start driving.

– Push the lever upward firmly so that the

steering wheel position does not change un-

intentionally while driving, which would in-

crease the risk of an accident.

69

Starting and driving -> Sitting correctly and safely for Your Audi A4 4 Door Fifth Generation (2016-2025)

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