2008 AUDI A4 coolant temperature

Driving 118
Note•
If the key should become stuck in the ignition lock, remove the
top part of the key and use it to lock the vehicle.
•
If you open the driver's door while the ignition is switched on, a
warning buzzer will sound, and the message Ignition is on will
appear in the display. In this case, please switch off the ignition.
Switching off the engine– Stop the vehicle.
– Automatic gearbox: Move the selector lever to position P
or N.
–Press in the ignition key to switch off the engine.Emergency Off function
If necessary in an emergency, the engine can be switched off while
the vehicle is still moving. The engine will be switched off if you
press and hold the ignition key.
WARNING
•
Never switch off the engine until the vehicle is stationary.
•
The brake servo and the power steering system work only
when the engine is running. You need more strength to steer and
brake the vehicle when the engine is switched off. This would
mean a greater risk of accidents and serious injury, because you
cannot steer and brake in the normal manner.Caution
If the engine has been working hard for a long time, there is a risk
of heat building up in the engine compartment after the engine has
been switched off; this could cause engine damage. For this reason, you should leave the engine idling for about 2 minutes before
switching it off.
Note
After the engine is stopped the radiator fan may run on for up to
10 minutes, even if the ignition is switched off. The fan may also
start running again after some time if the coolant temperature rises
due to a build-up of heat, or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is heated up further by direct sunlight.Starting and stopping the engine
with the advanced keyApplies to vehicles: with advanced keyStarting the engine with the Start/Stop button
You can use the Start/Stop button to switch on the igni-
tion and start the engine.–Manual gearbox: Press the clutch pedal all the way down
and move the gear lever into neutral.
Fig. 131 Audi
advanced key: START
ENGINE STOP button
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Driving121
Controls
Safety
Driving tips
General maintenance
Self-help
Technical data start running again after some time if the coolant temperature rises
due to a build-up of heat, or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is heated up further by direct sunlight.
Electro-mechanical parking brakeOperation
The electro-mechanical parking brake replaces the hand-
brake.– Pull switch ⇒fig. 132 to apply the parking brake. The
indicator lamp in the switch will light up.
– Depress the brake or accelerator pedal and press the
switch at the same time to release the parking brake. The
indicator lamp in the switch will go out.Your vehicle is equipped with an electro-mechanical parking brake.
The parking brake replaces the conventional handbrake, and is
mainly intended to prevent the vehicle from rolling away acciden-
tally.
However, the electro-mechanical parking brake also offers a number
of convenience and safety features in addition to the functions of a
normal handbrake.When driving away
•
The parking brake auto release function releases the parking
brake automatically when you wish to start moving ⇒page 122,
“Driving away from a standstill”.
•
When driving away on a gradient, the parking brake auto release
function prevents the vehicle from rolling back unintentionally. The
braking force of the parking brake is only released when there is
enough power at the wheels to make the vehicle move in the desired
direction.
Emergency braking function
An emergency braking function enables you to stop the vehicle even
if the conventional foot brake should fail to work ⇒page 123,
“Emergency braking function”.
Warning and indicator lamps
•
The warning lamps
 in the instrument cluster and in the switch
light up when the parking brake is applied with the ignition
switched on.
•
The warning lamps
 in the instrument cluster and switch light
up for approximately 20 seconds when the parking brake is applied
with the ignition switched off.
WARNING
Never press the accelerator pedal or release the clutch inadvert-
ently if a gear is engaged or if the selector lever is not in position
P or N (on automatic vehicles) while the vehicle is stationary with
the engine running. The vehicle could otherwise start moving
immediately and possibly cause an accident.
Caution
If the symbol
 flashes in the centre display, or if the warning lamp
 flashes in the instrument cluster, there is a fault in the brake
system. You can press the button to obtain a message
explaining the fault. If the message Parking brake ! appears, there is
Fig. 132 Centre
console: Parking brake
AA
SET
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Towing a trailer 234•
The trailer overrun brake must be set correctly. This is important
to ensure that the trailer can be braked correctly, to avoid the vehicle
and trailer “jack-knifing” and to prevent excess braking of the trailer.
•
At low outside temperatures, both the towing vehicle and the
trailer should be fitted with winter tyres.
WARNING
It is essential that you adjust your speed to suit the weather, road
and traffic conditions. Do not let the trailer stabilisation system
tempt you into taking any risks when driving – this can cause acci-
dents.•
The ESP and trailer stabilisation system cannot defy the laws
of physics. This should be kept in mind, particularly on slippery
and wet roads and when towing a trailer with a light load.
•
The trailer stabilisation system is functional, regardless of
whether the trailer has a mechanical overrun brake or not.
•
The trailer stabilisation system is not always able to detect
swaying of trailers with a light load and will therefore not inter-
vene.
•
A trailer can still “jack-knife” on slippery roads with little grip,
even if the towing vehicle is equipped with the trailer stabilisation
system.
•
Trailers with a high centre of gravity may even tip over before
they start to sway sideways.
•
If you are not towing a trailer, but the trailer socket is being
used (e.g. for an illuminated bicycle rack), the trailer stabilisation
system may be activated in extreme driving conditions.
•
Please note the additional information and warnings
⇒page 234.
Notes on towing
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care.Weight distribution
Try to avoid towing a loaded trailer with an unladen vehicle. If this
cannot be avoided, drive extra slowly to allow for the unbalanced
weight distribution.
Speed
The stability of the car and trailer is reduced with increasing speed.
For this reason it is advisable not to drive at the maximum permis-
sible top speed in unfavourable road, weather or wind conditions.
This applies especially on a downhill gradient.
You should always reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows
the slightest sign of swaying. Never try to stop the swaying by accel-
erating further.
Always brake in good time. If the trailer has an overrun brake, apply
the brakes gently at first and then firmly. This will prevent the jerking
that can be caused by the trailer wheels locking. Change down in
good time before going down a steep hill so that you can use the
engine braking effect to slow down the vehicle.
Swaying and pitching can be reduced by stabiliser aids. We recom-
mend having stabiliser aids installed when towing trailers with a
high trailer weight. They can be purchased and installed at an Audi
dealer.
Overheating
When climbing long hills in hot weather with the engine running
fast in low gear, you should keep an eye on the coolant temperature
gauge ⇒page 11. Reduce speed immediately if the needle moves to
the top end of the scale. If the temperature warning lamp
 in the
instrument cluster should start flashing, stop the car and let the
engine cool down by running it at idling speed for a few minutes.
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Checking and topping up fluids 262
WARNING
•
The cooling system is under pressure. Do not unscrew the cap
on the expansion tank when the engine is hot: you could be
scalded by escaping steam
•
The coolant and coolant additive can be a health hazard. Store
the coolant additive in the original container in a safe place out of
reach of children – risk of poisoning.For the sake of the environment
Drained off coolant should not be used again. Drain off the used
coolant into a suitable container and dispose of it in the proper
manner (observe environmental regulations).Radiator fan
The radiator fan can start running spontaneously.The radiator fan is driven by the engine via a poly V-belt. The speed
of the fan is varied by a viscous clutch according to the temperature.
There is also an auxiliary electric fan, which cuts in automatically
whenever the temperature of the coolant and the engine compart-
ment rises above a certain level.
The auxiliary fan can continue to run for as long as 10 minutes after
stopping the engine – even after the ignition is switched off. It may
also start running suddenly ⇒ after a while if•
residual heat raises the coolant temperature, or
•
the hot engine compartment is additionally heated up by the
sun.
WARNING
When working in the engine compartment be aware that the radi-
ator fan may start running suddenly – risk of injury.
Brake fluidChecking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked at a glance.– Check the fluid level on the brake fluid reservoir
⇒fig. 258. It should always be between the “MIN” and
“MAX” marks.In right-hand drive vehicles the brake fluid reservoir is on the other
side of the engine compartment.
The fluid level may drop slightly after a period of time due to the
automatic compensation for brake pad wear. This is quite normal.
However, if the level goes down noticeably in a short time, or drops
below the “MIN” mark, there may be a leak in the brake system. If
the fluid level in the reservoir is too low, this will be indicated by the
brake warning lamp ⇒page 32. If this should happen, take the car
to a qualified workshop immediately and have the brake system
inspected.
Fig. 258 Engine
compartment: Mark-
ings on brake fluid
reservoir
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Index 332CCapacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Car keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Care of vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Boot lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Deadlock mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Fuel tank flap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Manual locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Opening and closing windows . . . . . . 54
Sun roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Switches on driver's door . . . . . . . . . . 49
Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Cetane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Changing bulbs
SeeBulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Chassis number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Child safety seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Child seat categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
ISOFIX system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
On front passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . 211
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Child-proof catches
Rear doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Cleaning Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Cleaning seat covers
Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Natural leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Textile covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Cleaning textile covers and trim parts . . 247
Clock, setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Closing
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Sun roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Coat hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Colour code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
coming home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Compact temporary spare wheel
SeeSpare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Compartment for (sun)glasses . . . . . . . . . 91
Compass in mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Controls and displays
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Convenience open/close function . . . . . . 54
Cooling system
Anti-freeze additive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Checking coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Coolant temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . 11
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Radiator fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Topping up coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261Cruise control system
Adjusting stored speed . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Indicator lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Pre-selecting a speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Switching on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
See alsoadaptive cruise control . . . . 128
Cup holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Current fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
DDate display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Daytime running lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
DCP
SeeDynamic gear control program . 166
Deactivating front passenger's airbag . . 208
Deadlock mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 48
Defrosting windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98, 106
Deluxe automatic air conditioner . . . . . . . 93
Air distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Air outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Air outlets for rear passengers . . . . . . 99
Air recirculation mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Basic settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Blower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Defrosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Economical operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Heated rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Seat heating, front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
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