Audi A6 Typ 4G: Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, removing,
servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair procedures
can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying an
airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steering
wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the instrument
panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces covering
the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one moistened
with plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (including
the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immediately
by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once. After
an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts designed
and approved especially for your
Audi model version. Replacement of complete
airbag systems or airbag components must be performed by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty &
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter
must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, information
and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners
might be classified as Perchlorate Material
- special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
When the vehicle or parts of the restraint
system including airbag modules and
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels measured
by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of changes may reduce the force
levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploying
when it should.
WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance characteristics
as the components originally installed
on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
READ NEXT:
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 157 Driver's knee airba
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area con be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 158 Inflated airbags protecting in a frontal collision
The knee airbag sy
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 159 Side airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in
SEE MORE:
Introduction
This revised information should supplement the knowledge and
experience you already have.
With this information, we want to help you make as clear and
certain a statement as possible concerning tire damage and
complaints.
This chapter contains general information on tires and
wheels
PR Number Allocation - Brakes
The brake system installed in a vehicle is documented on the
vehicle data sticker via the relevant PR number.
Example of a vehicle data label:
A - Front Brakes 1LL
B - Rear Brakes 2EA
Allocation. Refer to the Parts Catalog.
The tables explain the