2008 AUDI TT ROADSTER check engine light

one half. Never drive faster than the posted speed limit and weather
conditi ons permit. •
Reducing unnecessary Idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
- Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving the vehicle .
- Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the eng ine run at
idle.
I t makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic jams, when waiting
for trains to pass at railroad crossings, or at traffic lights that have long waits on red. Turning the engine off for just 30 -40 seconds
saves more fue l than is burned s tarting the engine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up fully when it is
running at idle . However, wear and noxious emissions a re especial ly
high when the engine is warming up . So you should drive away as
soon as you start the engine and avoid running at high RPMs whi le
the engine is stil l warming up .
0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after starting . If warning
lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they would
go unheeded. Extended idl ing also produces heat, wh ich cou ld
result in overheating or other damage to the vehicle or other
property .•
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned en gine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
- Have your v ehicl e serv ice d at reg ular intervals.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Dri
ving and environm ent
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an Audi dea ler helps to
ensure that i t runs properly and economically . The conditio n of your
vehic le not only affects its safety and abi lity to hold its va lue, it also
affects
fuel consumption .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine load and speed .
I t is normal for the oi l consumption of a new eng ine to reach its
lowest va lue after a certain mi leage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometres) be fore you can proper ly assess o il consumpt ion.
This also applies to fuel consumption and engine output .
0 Note
• Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with
t he service recommendations in your Main tenance
& Warranty
booklet. Lack of proper ma intenance as well as improper use of the
vehicle wi ll impair the function of the emission control system and
cou ld lead to da mage.
• Do not alter or remove any component of the Emission Contro l
System unless approved by the manufacturer .
• Do no t al te r or remove any device, such as heat shields,
switches, ignition wires, valves, which are designed to protect your
veh ic le' s Emission Control System and o ther i mportant vehicle
components. •
Fewer short trips
Fu el consu mption will alwa ys be relatively high on shor t
trips.
- Try to avo id driving short dista nce s wi th a cold engine.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Cleaning and prot
ection
-~--------------
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work reliably when
needed.
H eavily soiled safety be lts may no t retract properly.
- Keep belts c lean.
- For clean ing, use a mild soa p an d wa ter so luti on. Let
belts dry thoroughly and away from d irect sunlight.
- D o not allo w inertia reel safe ty belts to retra ct before
they are com pletely dry .
- Check the condition of your safety belts
regularly .
& WARNING
Damaged safety belt s can break in a crash .
• Anything that might damage your safety belts could mean that
y ou and yo ur pas senger s would not be adequatel y prote cted in an
accident .
• Safety belt performance depend s on correct in stallation . Never
remove belt s from the vehicle to clean them.
• Do not u se chemi cal cleaning agents , blea ch or dyes . They h ave
c orrosive propertie s wh ich weaken the webbing.
• When cleaning your safety belts , in spect them for dam age . If
you discover damage, see your Audi dealer .
• Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS and the infor mation
=> page 200 . •
Engine compartment
Be es pecially caref ul when cle aning the engine compart­
ment.
Alwa ys swit ch off the ignition before cle aning the engine => & .
Plenum pan el
Remove leaves from the plenum pane l in front of the w indshield
under the engine hood. This prevents the water drain holes from
becoming blocked, and it prevents debris from entering the vehicle
inter ior through the heating and ventilation ducts.
Corrosion protection
The engine compartment and transmission have been corrosion ­
pro tected at the factory.
Good anti -co rros io n treatment is very important, particularly in the
winter. If the vehicle is frequent ly driven on salt treated roads, the
enti re eng ine compartmen t and p lenum panel should be thor ­
oughly cleaned at the end of winter and retreated to prevent salt
damage . At the same time, the unde rside o f the vehicle shou ld be
washed as we ll.
I f the engine compartment is cleaned at any time with grease
removing solut ions
ll, or if you have the engine washed, the anti ­
corrosion treatment is almost a lways removed as well. It is therefore
essential to have a long-lasting corrosio n pro tec tion reapp lied to a ll
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the engine compart ­
ment .
& WARNING
Be awa re: Th e engine comp artment of any motor vehicle is a
potentially hazardou s area .
• Befo re working in the eng ine compartme nt, be sure to read the
i nformat ion =>
page 212 . .,.
11 Use on ly the correct cleaning so lutions. Never use gasol ine or diesel fuel.

_____________________________________________ C_h_ e_ c _ k_in -= g_a _ n_d _ f_il _li _n ..;::g =-- ____.ffllll
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehicle.
- Open the driver's door .
Fig. 147 Driver's side
footwell: engine hood
release lever
- Pull the release lever on the left under the instrument
panel => fig. 147 in the direction of the arrow.
The hood pops up slightly under spring pressure. •
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 148 Release lever
under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure that the wind­
shield wipers are flat against the windshield. Otherwise,
they could damage the paint on the hood.
Lift the hood slightly =>& .
Pull up on the release under the hood=> fig. 148. This
releases the catch.
- Open the hood all the way.
The hood is kept in the open position by two gas struts.
& WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
• To reduce the risk of being burned, never open the hood if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the hood. •
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

-Checking and filling P'll:I ---=---------------
© Jump start points(+) under a cover, ( -) bolt head
© Windshield/headlight washer container ( O ) .. ... .. .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS
~ & in "Wo rking in the engine
compartment" on page
220. •
Applies to v ehi cles: with 3,2 1 250 -h p eng in e
3 .21 250 -hp engine
279
236
These are the most important it ems that you can check.
Fig . 150 Engine compartment: 3.21 250-hp engine
G) Coolant expansion tank (J -) ..... ... .. ..... .. ... .
0 Engine oil dipstick (orange) . ... .. ...... ........ . .
© Engine oil filler cap ( © Brake fluid reservoir ( ) ............. .... .. .. .. .
228
224
225
230
© Jump start points(+) under a cover,( -) bo lt head ... .
© Windshield/headlight washer container (O ) .. .... . .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS
~ & in "Working in the engine
compartment" on page
220. •
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
279
236
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the right kind of
oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated powerp lant that was built
to exacting specifications. This engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding quality and viscosity
so that it can run smoo thly and re liably. Choosing the right oil and
changing oil wi thin the time and mileage interva ls printed in your
vehic le's Maintenance
& Warranty booklet matters a lot more today
than it did years ago. Audi has developed a special quality standard
for engine oil that will help assure that your vehicle's engine will get
the lubrica tion it needs for proper operation.
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quantum leap in the last few
years. Many synthetic oils available today provide better engine
lubrication that can outlast traditional petroleum -based oils,
making them a smart choice for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthe tic or petro leum-based engine oil, the oil
that you use must conform to Audi's oil quality standard VW 502 00
to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the formation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"sludge,' ' that over time can lead to expensive repairs. •

-L~C~ h~ e~c ~k ~in ~ g~a~ n~d ~ f ~i~ ll ~in ~ g~------------------------------------------
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle de pen ds on an ade quate
amount of oil to lubric ate and co ol all of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and cooling of interna l
engine components, al l internal co mbustion engines consume a
certain amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to engine
and may change sign ificant ly over the life of the engine . Typ ical ly,
engines with a specified break -in period (see=>
page 192) consume
more oil duri ng the brea k-in period than they consume afte r oil
consumption has stabi liz ed.
Unde r no rmal conditions, the rate of oil consumption depends on
the quality and viscosity of t he oil, the RPM ( revo lutions per m inute)
at which the engine is operated, the ambient temperature and road
co nd itions. Further factors are the amount of oi l dilut io n from water
condensation or fue l residue and the oxidation leve l of the oil. As
any e ng ine is subject to wear as mil eage builds up, the o il consump ­
tion may increase over time until replacement of worn components
may become necessary .
With all these var iables com ing into p lay, no standard rate of oil
consu mption can be es tab lished or speci fied. There is no a lternative
t o regular and frequent checking of the oi l leve l, see Note.
If the yellow engine oi l level warning symbol in the instrumen t
cluster _ lights up, y ou should check the oil level as soon as
possible
with the oil dipstick=> page 224. Top off the oil at your
ea rlies t conve nience =>
page 225.
ln. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment , alway s
re ad and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "Working in the engine
c ompartment" on
page 220.
0 Note
D riving with an insufficient o il level is lik ely to cause seve re damage
to the engine .
[ i ] Tips
• The oil pressure warning display 't!:r. is not an indicator of the oil
level. Do not rely on it. Instead , check the oil level in your engine at
regular intervals , preferab ly ea ch time you refuel , and alw ays before
going on a long trip.
• I f you have the impression your engine consumes excessive
a m oun ts o f oi l, we recommend tha t you consu lt your Audi dealer to
have the cause of your concern properly diagnosed . Keep in mind
that the acc urate measure ment o f oil co nsum ptio n requires grea t
care and may take some time . Your Audi dea ler has instructions
about how to measu re oil consump tion accurately. •
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 151 Illust rat ion of
principle 1 : Marker s on
oil dip stic k
~

___ C_h_ e_ c_k _in --== g'-- a_n _d_ f_il _li _n ..:::g:::..- ___________________________________________ _
function and performance of your cooling system and could result
in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limi ted Warranty .•
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
g lance .
Fig. 154 Engin e
co mpartment : coo lan t
e xpansio n tank
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "Working in
the engi ne compa rtment" on
page 2 20.
- Switch t he ignition off.
- Rea d the coo lan t leve l at th e co ola nt e xpansion tank
=> fig . 154. Wit h a c old engine , it must be a b ove the
"min" mark . With a hot engine, it can be a little a bove t he
indicated range .
The location of the coo lant expansion tank can be seen in the
engine compartment i llustration.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched off .
The expans io n tank in your vehicle is equipped with an electric
coo lant level sensor . When the coolant leve
l is too low , the warning light in the Auto­
Check System ~
page 32will blink un til you add coolant and the
level has been restored to normal. Even though there is an electric
coo lant level sensor, we still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time .
Coolant los s
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling system . In the event
of coo lant loss, the cooling system should be inspec ted i mmedi ­
a tely by your authorized Audi dealer . It is no t enough mere ly to add
coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the boi ling point of the
coolant is exceeded as a result of overheating.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea lant to your vehicle's engine
coo lant. A dding ra diator repair fluid may adversely affec t the func ­
tion and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not cove red by your New Veh icle Limi ted War ranty. •
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding en gine coolant.
Before you c heck anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "Working in
the eng ine compa rtment" on
page 220 .
-Turn off the engine.
- Let the engine coo l dow n.
- Place a t hick rag
over th e coola nt expansio n tank
=> fig . 154 and carefully twist the cap cou nter -c lockwise
=> & .
- Add coolant .

___ C_h_ e_ c_k _in --== g'-- a_n _d_ f_il _li _n ..:::g:::..- ___________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• The auxiliary electric fan is temperature controlled and can
switch on suddenly even when the engine is not running.
• The auxiliary radiator fan switches on automatically when the
engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will continue to
run until the coolant temperature drops. •
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a quick glance.
Fig. 155 Engine
compartment: brake
fluid reservoir
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 220.
- Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid reservoir
~ fig. 155. The brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located behind the rear partition of the
engine compartment on the left side~
page 221 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time due to the auto­
matic adjustment of the brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably below the "MIN" mark, the
brake warning/indicator light (U .S. models:
BRAKE , Canadian models:
ill) will come on~ page 20 and~ page 32. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle . The complete brake system should be thor­
oughly checked by an authorized Audi dealer or other qualified
facility and the cause corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/indicator light will illuminate. Contact an authorized
Audi dealer
immediately .•
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced techni­
cian.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the water content in the
brake fluid is too high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time. The boiling point of the brake fluid will als o
decrease considerably and decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years. Always
use new brake fluid which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle Stan ­
dard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach, therefore, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by your autho­
rized
Audi dealer . Your dealer has the correct tools, the right brake
fluid and the know -how to do this for you.
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored only in the closed
original container out of the reach of children!
• Brake failure can result from old or inappropriate brake fluid.
Observe these precautions : .,,_

Checkin g and fillin g ---------------~-!':WIii
•
& WARN ING (co ntinued)
- Use only br ake flu id th at m eet s SAE spec ificati on J 1703 and
c onf orms to F ed eral Motor Vehi cle St and ard 11 6. Always ch ec k
w ith your a uthori zed A ud i de aler to m ake sure you are u sin g
the corre ct brake fluid . Th e co rrect typ e of br ake fluid i s also
indic ate d on the br ake fluid res ervo ir .
- The br ake fluid mu st be ne w. Heavy u se of the br ake s c an
c au se a vapor lo ck if the brake fluid i s left in the s yste m too
long. Thi s ca n seriou sly affe ct the eff iciency of the brake s as
w ell as your safety . This could resu lt in an a ccident .
0 Note
Brake fluid wi ll damage the paint of your vehicle.
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of brake fluid as well as
t he special too ls required and the necessary expertise, we recom­
mend that you have the brake f luid changed by your authorized Audi
dea ler .•
Battery
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with a specia l battery, an AGM battery. This
battery is located in the luggage compartment and must be
replaced with an origina l equipment battery. Under normal oper ­
ating conditions, the battery is
maintenan ce-free .
Have the battery checked when you take your vehicle in for service.
You a re we ll advised to replace a battery that is olde r th an 5 years .
Disc onn ectin g th e batt ery t erm inal s
Some vehic le functions (power window regulators, for e xample) are
lost if the battery terminals are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the batte ry term inals are connected again. To
prevent this, the battery should only be disconnected from the
vehicle electrical system when abso lutely necessary for repairs.
V ehi cle s not dri ven for long period s
If you are going to le t your vehicle stand for a long t ime a nd not
drive it, you should remember there are electrica l components
which are still functioning and they will draw energy from the
battery and drain it, for examp le, the engine immob ilizer. To prevent
this, you can either charge the battery occasionally to keep it in
good working condition or you can d isconnect the negative cab le
on the battery.
W inter op era ti on
During the winter months, battery capacity tends to decrease as
temperatures drop. This is because more power is a lso consumed
while starting, and the headlights, rear window defogger, etc., are
used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, particularly in city traffic or
when trave ling on ly shor t distances . Let your au thorized Audi dea ler
check the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter sets in
=>
page 235 . A well charged battery will not on ly prevent start ing
p rob lems when the weather is cold , but wi ll a lso last longer .
Replacing battery
The new battery must h ave the same capacity, voltage (12 volts},
amperage, construction and p lug sea ling, as the origina l battery.
Specifications are l isted on the battery hous ing. Batteries specially
developed by Audi fulfill the ma intenance, output, and safety
requirements.
When installing the battery, make sure the ignition and all electrical consumers are switched off=>
0. .,_
Vehicle care I t •