2008 AUDI A4 AVANT check engine light

Safety belts .................. .
Safety belt tensioner ..... ... .. .
Airbag system ........ .... .. .. .
Important th ings to know .. .... .
Front airbags .. ... .. ... ...... . .
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System ... ..... .... ..... .. ... .
Side airbags .... ... ...... ..... .
Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD™l
Child Safety .. ... ... ..... ... ... .
Important things to know .... .. .
Child safety seats ........ ... .. .
Insta lling a ch ild safety seat .... .
Addit ional Information .... ..... .
Lower anchorages and tether for
chi ldren (LA TCH) .......... ... .. .
t
181
185
187
187
191
198
203 207
210
210
215
220
223
225 Avoid damag
ing the vehicle .....
Operate your vehicle economically
and minimize pollution ......... .
Trailer towing .......... ... .. .. .
Driv ing w it h a trailer ... .... .... .
Trai ler towing t ips ....... ...... .
Vehicle care ........ ... ... .
C lean ing and protection ...... .
Genera l information ........... .
Care of exterior ....... .. .. .. ... .
Care of interior ................ .
Fuel supply and filling your fuel
tank ........ .... .. ... .... ...... .
245
245
248
248
250
253
254
254
254
261
267
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . 235 Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Intelligent technology ... ...... .
Notice about data recorded by
veh icle contro l modules ....... .
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP) ......................... .
Braking .. ... ... ... ... ... .. ... .
Servotronic®
-advanced power
steering system . ......... .. ... . 236
236
236
239
241
Driv ing w ith your quattro® . . . . . . 242
Driving and environment . . . . . . 243
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 kml and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Cata lytic conver ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Engine
hood ......... ......... .
Engine compartmen t .... ... ... .
Engine oil ... ...... ... ....... .. .
Engine cooling system .. .... ... .
Brake fluid . ............... .... .
Ba ttery ...... .......... .... ... .
Windshield/headlight washer
con ta iner .. ........ ... ........ .
Tires and whee ls ..... ......... .
Tires .......... ...... .. .. ..... . 272
2 74
275
280
284
285
291
293
293
Tabl e of cont ents
Do-it-yourself service . . . 3 15
What do I do now? . ......... ... 316
Jack, tools and spare wheel . . . . . . 316
W hee l change ............... ... 318
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Fuses ........ ......... ..... .... 326
Bu lbs .............. ... ... ... ... 328
Eme rgency sit uations . . . . . . . . . . 330
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . 330
Starting with jumper cables . . . . . . 330
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Emergency tow ing with comme rcial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Lif ting the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Technical data
General in for matio n
339
340
E xplanat ion of technical data . . . . 340
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 341
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
irechnical data

® Reset button for Service indicator .... ... .. .... ... .
@ Reset button for trip odometer .... .... .... ...... .
17
18
The instrument cluster illuminates whenever you switch on the ign i­
tion with the
vehicle headlights off. The instrument cluster illumina­
tion dims automatically as the daylight begins to fade away . It goes
out completely when the outside light is very dim . The reason for
this is to remind you to turn on the headlights when the light condi ­
tions become poor.
•
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge 0~ page 12, fig . 2 only works when the
ignition is on. To prevent damage to your engine, please note the
f o llowing important points:
Engine cold
As long as the needle remains at the left end of the gauge, the
engine still has not reached its operating temperature. Avoid high
engine speeds, heavy engine loads and heavy throttle .
Normal temperature
When the engine has reached its operating temperature, the needle
wi ll move into the midd le of the gauge and remain there. If the
engine is working hard at high outside temperatures, the needle
may turn further to the right. This is no cause for concern as long as
the
J_ warning light in the instrument cluster does not illuminate.
When the
_t_ warning light starts to flash, this can mean one of two
th ings : either the coolant
temperature is to o high, or the coolant
level is too low~ page 31 .
& WARNING
• Always observe the warning in ~ page 265, "Engine compart­
ment" before opening the engine hood and checking the engine
c oolant level .
Controls and equip ­
ment
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
& WARNING (continued )
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
see engine coolant dripping from the engine compartment . You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot
hear or see any steam or engine coolant.
0 Note
• Mounting additional lights or accessories in front of the air inlets
reduces the coo ling effect of the radiator . At high outside tempera ­
tures or high engine load, the engine cou ld overheat.
• The front spoi ler has been designed to properly distribute the
cooling air when the vehicle is moving. If the spoiler is damaged,
this could reduce the cooling effect and the engine could then over ­
heat. Ask your author ized Audi dealer for assistance .•
Tachometer {engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revolutions per
minutes).
The tachometer 0 ~ page 12, fig. 2 is the left one of the two large
c lock -type displays.
The engine turns at a speed
1,000 times the sin gle digit in the
display, e .g . if the needle points at the "2", the engine turns at
2,000 RPM.
If the engine RPMs drop below 1,500, you shou ld downshift to the
next lower gear. The red area at the end of the scale indicates
maximum permissible engine RPMs after the break-in period.
Before reaching this area, you should either shift into the next
higher gear or ease your foot off the accelerator pedal.
.,_

Instruments and warning /indi cator lights
M alfun ction message
I f there is a malfunction somewhere in the inst rument cluster, dEF
wi ll appear in the trip odometer and will stay on . Contact your
authorized Audi dealer to have the prob lem corrected. •
Electronic immobilizer SAFE
Trying to start the vehicle with a non -a u thorized or a
defective key will ac tivate the electronic immobilize r.
miles
52YY
Fig. 6 Odom eter
di spl ay in the spe ed ­
o me ter: electroni c
immobilizer activat ed
Each time you swi tch on the igni tion, the data stored in the vehicle
key a re e lectronical ly scanned to verify that key data and vehicle
da ta ma tch .
I f a non-coded or a defective vehicle key is used , the word SAFE will
appear and remain lit in the uppe r (trip) odo meter display . If this
happens, the vehicle cannot be started
=> page 54 . •
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge works only when the ignition is on . When the need
le reaches the red area , the warning light in the
instr ument cl uster will
il lu mi nate ::::> page 34 . This means yo u
have approximate ly 2 .4 ga llons (9 liters) of fue l left in the tank .
Time
to refuel!
The tota l tank capacity of your veh ic le is listed in => page 343,
"Data". Be aware of the different tank capacit ies of front -wheel and
quattro ® all -wheel drive models.
0 Note
Never run the tank completely dry! An i rregular supply of fuel can
cause engine misfir ing and fuel could ent er into th e exhaust
sys tem . The catalytic conver te r could then overheat and be
damaged .•
CHECK button
F ig . 7 CHE CK button i n
the in strument clu ster
The CHECK button performs the fol lowing functions :

Switching on the clock and odometer
With the ignition is switched off, the odometer and digital clock with
date disp lay can be switched on for a few seconds by pressing the
CHECK
button => page 16, fig. 7.
Starting the Auto-Che ck sequence
The Auto -Check
system => page 28 consistently monitors certain
individual functions and components of the vehicle when the igni­
tion is turned on and when the vehicle is moving .
With the ignition switched on, you can start the "Auto-Check
sequence" by pressing the CHECK button. You can perform an Auto ­
Check sequence both when the vehicle is at a standstill and the igni­
tion is switched on or when the vehicle is moving not faster than
3 mph (5 km/h).
Calling up the driver informat ion
When a first priority symbo l starts to
flash => page 28 or when a
defective light
bulb=> page 35, has been detected, you can press
the CHECK button to display the driver information. For example:
SWITCH OFF ENGINE , CHECK OIL LEVEL
The information disappears after approximate ly five seconds .
Setting the speed warning
By pressing the CHECK button you can set speed warning
1
=> page 36, "Speed warning 1: setting a speed limit" while the
vehicle is moving.
Speed warning
2* => page 37, "Speed warning 2 : setting a speed
limit" can only be set with the ignition switched off. •
Controls and equip ­
ment
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when your next
service is due.
Display remaining distance
Fig. 8 Service interval
display in the instru­
ment cluster
With the ignition on, briefly push button G) to disp lay the distance
remaining (miles/kilometers) until the next service is due. You can
recall the service countdown with the engine in idle or while driving
at a slow speed up to
3 mph (5 km/h). The remaining distance will
be upda ted every 300 miles (500 km):
On a new vehicle, or immediately after a service has been
performed, the following message will be displayed:
SERVICE IN---- Ml (KM) ---DAYS
For the first 300 miles (500 km) of driving after a service, the display
will keep showing dashes. This
is NOT a malfunction . Rather, the
system needs the mileage to (re-)adjust to your driving
style. Only
then can it start generating and updating figures for the distance and
days until the next scheduled service .
.,
irechnical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
& WARNING
• Failure to heed warning lights and other important vehicle
information may result in serious personal injury or vehicle
damage .
• Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe
distance off the road, stop the engine, and turn on the emergency
flasher
=> page 79.
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially
hazardous area. Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment, stop the engine and let it cool down . Always exercise
extreme caution when working under the engine hood
=> page 265 , "Engine compartment"
[ i] Tips
Many functions are monitored by the Auto-Check system
=> page 28. Malfunctions or faults will be identified either with a red
symbol (priority 1 - Danger!) or with a yellow symbol (priority 2 -
Warning). •
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
~ (USA models)/ 0 (Canada models)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIU is part of the On-Board Diag ­
nostic (OBD II) system. The
symbol ~ lights up when the ignition is
turned on and will turn off after the engine has started and has
settled at constant idle speed . This indicates that the MIL is working
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a malfunction in the
eng ine electronic system. Contact your authorized Audi dealer and
have the malfunction corrected.
For more information
=> page 27. •
Airbag system ~
This warning/indicator light monitors the airbag and the
tensioner systems.
The I warning light illuminates for a few seconds each time you
switch on the ignition.
If the
~i warning light does not go out, or if it illum inates while you
are driving, or if it starts to flash, then there is a malfunction some ­
where in the system. If the light does not illuminate when you
switch on the ignition, this also means there is a malfunction.
& WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the airbag system, contact your autho­
rized Audi dealer immediately. Otherwise the airbag or the belt
tensioner may not work properly in an accident. •
Tire pressure monitoring system -telltale
indicator lamp
U)
The warning/indicator light appears in the event of a
significant loss of air pressure.
The (1) warning/indicator light illuminates for a few seconds after
the ignition is turned on as function check and then goes out.
If the
(l) symbol appears, pressure is too low in at least one tire.
When the system detects a malfunction, the warning/indicator light
will flash for approximately one minute and then remain continu­
ously illuminated. This sequence will continue upon subsequent
vehicle starts up as long as the malfunction exists. Contact your
authorized Audi dealer and have the malfunction corrected.
For more information
=> page 47. •

Instruments and warnin g/indi cat or li ghts
Safety belts i
This warning/indicator light reminds y ou to put on your
safety belt.
The .ft warning/indicator light i lluminates when the ignition is
switched on to remind the driver and (on USA mode ls only) any front
passenger to put on the safety belt. Additiona lly, an acoustic
warn ing (gong) w ill also sound.
For more
information~ page 176 , "Safety belt warning light 4". •
Turn signals ¢ ¢
The in dicator light flashes when you use either turn
signal.
Whenever you use the left ¢ or the right ¢ turn signal, the indicator
l ight flashes. W hen you use the emerge ncy flasher, both indicator
lights f lash .
I f one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out, the turn signal will
flash twice as fast as normal. •
Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) fJ
The warning/indicator ligh t monit ors the electr onic s tabi ­
lization program.
The ~ warning/indicator light has the fol lowing functions:
• it flashes while you are driving, when the ESP is working .
• it illuminates when you switch on the ignition for approximately
2 seconds as a funct ion check.
• it illuminates when there is a ma lfunction in the ESP.
• it illuminates after the battery has been disconnected .
• it illuminates continuous ly when the ESP is switched off . •
it illuminates if there is a malfunction in the ABS, since the ESP
is part o f the ABS system.
If the ESP warning/indicator light illuminates and stays on after you
have started the engine, this may mean that the control system has
temporar ily switched o ff the ESP . If this is case, you can reactivate
the ESP by switching the ignition off and then on again . The
warning/indicator light should go out to show that the system is
ful ly functional again .
I f the battery terminals were disconnected and re -connected, the
vehic le was jump started or the battery is very weak, the ESP sensor
system goes through a learning p rocess for the firs t few yards.
D uring th is time, t he ind icator l ight i llu minates. It goes out as soo n
as the learning process is comp lete.
For more information about the
ESP ~ page 236. •
Generator 0
T his warning/indicator light detects a malfunction in the
generator or i n t he vehicle's elec trical system.
T he O warning/indicator light i lluminates w hen you switch on the
ignition and must go out after the engine has started .
I f the
O warni ng/ind icator light illum inates while you a re driv ing,
you shou ld contact your authorized Audi dealer . Since the vehicle
battery is dischargi ng, you should sw itch off any unnecessary elec ­
trical consumers (for example, the air conditioner) .
0 Note
If the _JL warning/indicator light (ma lfunction in the engine coo ling
system) i n the instrument cluster shou ld
i llumi nate ~ page 31, stop
the ve hicle and turn o ff the engine . The coo lant pump is not work ing
-this can cause engine damage! •

Tire pressure monitoring system
On-board computer
Audi Navigation System*
Sound system display
~ page45
~ page38
See separate man-
ual •
Fig. 1 1 Center d isp lay:
sound system
If, after switching on the radio, the Auto Check system has detected
no priority 2 malfunctions, then the "OK" will disappear and the
radio station call letters and frequency (plus any othe r additional
information) will appear in the display.
These displays appear in addition to the radio display.•
Controls and equip ­
ment
Dri ver inf orma tio n di spl ay
Outside temperature display
F ig. 12 Ce nter disp lay:
o utside te mperature
The outside temperature wil l be displayed when you switch on the
ignition~ fig . 12. If your vehicle has an Automatic transmission, the
outside temperature will appear in the disp lay only after you have
moved the selector lever into a gear (for example, when you shift
into
" D "l.
The snowflake symbo l also appears when the outside temperature
is between 41 °F (+5 °Cl and 23 °F (-5 °Cl. This is to warn you, the
driver, to be extra cautious because the road surfaces may be
ic y. If
the vehicle is at a standstill, or if you are driving at a very low speed,
the tempe rature shown in the display might be s lightly higher than
the actual outside temperature. This is caused by the heat being
radiated from the engine.
Remember, your vehicle is equipped with air conditioning and if
you change the display from °F (Fahrenheit) to °C (Centigrade), then
the outside temperature will automatically be displayed in °C (Centi -
grade)~ page 128. ...
irechnical data

You can switch off the open-door-or-lid warning display by briefly pressing the On Board computer control
but tons => page 39. The
open door or trunk warn ing will, however, illuminate again as soon
as there is a change in the position of the doors, engine hood or
trunk lid. •
On-Board Diagnostic system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) (USA
models) / (Canada models)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIU in the instrument cluster
=> page 19, fig. 9 is part of the On -Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light il luminates when the ignition is
switched on and goes out after the engine starts and the idle has
stabi lized . This indicates that the MIL is working prope rly.
If the light do es not go out after the engine is started, or illuminates
while you are driving, a malfunction may exist in the engine system.
If the light starts flashing, the catalytic converter could be damaged .
Continue driving
w ith redu ced pow er (avoiding sustained high
speeds and/or rapid accelerations) and have the condition
corrected. Contact your authorized Audi dealer.
If the light illuminates, the e lectronic speed limiter may also be
malfunctioning . For more
information=> page 28, "Electronic speed
limiter".
An impr operly c lo se d fuel filler cap may al so cau se th e MIL l amp to
illumi nate
=> page 269. •
Controls and equip ­
ment
Dri ver inf orma tio n di spl ay
On -Board Diagnostics
F ig. 15 Locatio n of
Da ta Li nk Co nnecto r
( DL Cl
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the components of your emission
control system . Each control led component in your engine system
has been assigned a code. In case of a malfunction, the component
wil l be identified and the fault stored as a code in the control
modu le memory.
The M IL lamp may a lso illuminate if there is a leak in the on-board
fuel vapor recovery system. If the light illuminates after a refuelling,
pull off the road and stop the vehicle, then check that the fuel fi ller
cap is proper ly closed
=> page 269.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the stored data can only be
displayed using special diagnos tic equipment (generic scan tool for
OBD).
In order to connect the special diagnostic equipment, push the plug
into the Data Link Connector (DLC). The DLC is located to the right of
the engine hood release
lever => fig. 15 .
Your author ized Audi dealer or a qua lified service station can inter­
pre t the code and perform the necessary repair. •
irechnical data