2009 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET check engine

Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Trailer to\Ning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Important things to know . . . . . . . 168 Driv ing with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
179
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Side a irbags . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Impor tant things to know . ..... .
Child safety seats ............. .
Insta lling a chi ld safety seat .... . 190
195
200
Add it ional Information ....... .. . 203 Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Lower anchorages and tethe r for
children (LA TCH) . .. ... ... ... ... .
205 Cleaning and protection . . . . . . . 230
~----
t
Vehicle operation .... ... . 211
212
212
2 12
215
Intelligent
technology ... ... ... .
Notice about data recorded by
ve hicle contro l modules .. ..... .
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESPJ . .... ... ......... ... ... .. .
B rak ing ..... ... .... .... ... ... .
Servotronic® -advanced power
steering system ............... .
Driving with your quattro® ..... .
Driving and environment .... . . 217
2
18
2 19
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21 9
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . .
220
Avoid damaging the ve hicle . . . . . 221
Operate your vehicle economically
and minimize pollution . . . . . . . . .
221
General information ........... .
Care of exterior ................ .
Care of inte rior ...... .... ... ... .
Fue l supply and filling your fuel
tank ........................... .
Gasoline ........... ........... .
Fuel tank ..................... .
Checking and filling .. ... ...... .
Engine hood ......... ......... .
Engine compartment ...... ... . .
Engine oil ..................... .
Engine cooling system ......... .
Brake fluid ................ ... . .
Battery . ... ... ... ............. .
W indshield /headligh t washer
rese rvoir ...................... .
Tires and \Nheels .......... .... .
Tires ..... .. ..... ... .. - . -.. • · · ·
230
230
238
244
244
245
249
249
251
252
257
260
261
266
267
267
Table of contents
Do-it-yourself service ... 289
What do I do no\N? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Trunk escape ha ndle . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Jack, tools and spare wheel . . . . . . 290
Whee l change .............. .... 293
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Fus es ................. ......... 300
Bulbs .......................... 302
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . . 304
Genera l ... .. ... .... _ .. _ ...... .. 304
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . 304
Starting with jumper cables . . . . . . 304
Use of jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Em ergency towing with commercial
tow truck ... ......... ....... .. .
Lifting vehicle ................. .
Technical data
General information 306
308
311
312
Explanation
of technical data 312
Vehic le ide ntific ation . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Weights ........................ 313
Dimensio ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
~ehicle care irechnical data

The instrument cluster illuminates whenever you switch on the igni­
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~ page 12, fig. 2 G) only works when the
ignition is on . To prevent damage to your engine, please note the
following 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
will move into the middle 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
- F-warning light in the instrument cluster does not illuminate.
When the
-L warning light starts to flash, this can mean one of two
things: either the coolant
temperature is too high, or the coolant
level is too low~ page 31.
_& WARNING
• Always observe the warning in ~ page 242, "Engine compart­
ment" before opening the engine hood and checking the engine
coolant level.
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
see engine coolant dripping from the engine compartment. You
Controls and equip ­
ment
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
& WARNING (continued)
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 cooling effect of the radiator. At high outside tempera­
tures or high engine load, the engine could overheat.
• The front spoiler 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 authorized Audi dealer for assistance. •
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revolutions per
minutes).
The tachometer ®~ page 12, fig. 2 is the left one of the two large
clock -type displays.
The engine turns at a speed
1,000 times the single 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 should 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.
0 Note
The tachometer needle should not move into the red range. If it
does, then only for a very short period of time. You could damage
your engine by driving at high RPM! _.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
ffi For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuels and reduces engine noise .•
Digital clock with date display
Your vehicle is equipped with either a quartz clock or a
digital clock.
Setting the hour
Fig. 3 Instrument
cluster with the digital
clock
- Press the "MODE" button; the hour display starts to flash.
- Press the"+" button to turn the hour forward .
- Press the"-" button to turn the hour back.
Setting the minute
- Press the "MODE" button repeatedly until the minute
display starts to flash.
- Press the"+" button to turn the minutes forward.
- Press the"-" button to turn the minutes back.
Setting the date (day, month and year)
-Press the "MODE" button often until the date display
starts to flash.
- Press the"+" button or the"-" button to set the day.
- Press the "MODE" button again; the month display starts to flash.
- Press the"+" or the" -" button to set the month.
- Press the "MODE" button again; the year display starts to
flash.
- Press the"+" or"-" button to set the year.
Switching off the date display
-Press the "MODE" button repeatedly until the complete
date display starts to flash.
- Press the" -" button; the date display switches off.
Switching on the date display
- Press the "MODE" button repeatedly until the complete
date display starts to flash.
- Press the"+" button; the date display will reappear.
When the date display stops flashing, this means the time and date
have been successfully stored .
When the ignition is switched off, the odometer reading and the
digital clock with date display can be switched on for a few seconds
by pressing the CHECK button =>
page 12, fig. 2 @ . •

Inst rum ents and warnin g/indi cato r li ghts
M alfu nction message
If there is a malfunction somewhere in the ins trument cluster, dE F
will appear in the trip odometer and will stay on. Contact your
authorized Audi dea ler to have the prob lem corrected.
Im mob ilizer
Each time you switch on the ignition, the data stored in the vehicle
key are e lectronically scanned to verify that key data and vehicle
data match. If a non -coded or a defective vehic le key is used, the
word
S A FE wi ll appear and remain lit in the upper (trip) odometer
display . If this happens, the vehicle cannot be started=>
page 49. •
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge works only when the ignition is on .
When the needle reaches the red area, the warning light in the instrument cluster wil l illuminate =>
page 33 [). This means you
have approx imately 2.4 gallons (9 liters) of fuel left in the tank.
Time
t o refu el!
The total tank capacity of your vehicle is listed in=> page 314.
0 Note
Never run the tank completely dry! An irregular supply of fuel can
cause engine misfiring and fuel could enter into the exhaust
system. The catalytic converter could then overheat and be
damaged. •
[ CHE CK] button
You can perform different functions with this button.
I S2YY
0
Fig. 6 C HECK butto n in
th e ins tru men t c lu ste r
The [ CHECK] button performs the following functions:
S wi tch ing on t he cl ock and odome ter
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=> fig. 6.
Sta rtin g t he A uto-Che ck se qu ence
The Auto-Check system=> page 28 consistently monitors certain
individual functions and componen ts 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 I button. You can perform an
Auto -Check sequence both when the vehic le is at a standstill and
the ignition is switched on or when the veh ic le is mov ing not faster
than 3 mph (5 km/h).
Ca lling up th e dri ver inform ation
When a first priority symbol 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:
S witch off engine and chec k oi l le vel

The information disappears after approximately 5 seconds.
Setting the speed warning
By pressing the [ CHECK I button you can set speed warning 1
=> page 36 while the vehicle i s moving .
Speed warning 2* => page 36 can only be set with the ignition
switched off. •
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when your next
service is due.
Display remaining distan ce
Fig. 7 Serv ice interval
display in the in stru ­
men t cluster
With the ignition on, briefly push button G) to display the distance
remaining (miles/kilometers) until the next service is due . You can
recall the service countdown with the engine in id le or while driving
at a slow speed up to
3 mph (5 km/h). The remaining distance will
be updated 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 ···· mi (km) ··· days
For the the first 300 miles (500 km) of driving after a service , the
display will keep showing dashes. This is
NOT a malfunction. Rather,
Contro ls and eq uip­
ment
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
the system needs the mileage to (re-Jodjust to your driving style . Only
then can it start generating and updating figures for the distance and
days until the next scheduled service.
Service reminder
As soon as less than 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) of driving are left
before the next due service, the following message will be displayed
when you switch on the ignition :
Service in 1,200 mi (2,000 km)··· days
After about five seconds the display switches back. Each time you
switch on the ignition, the distance will be updated until the next
service date is reached.
Service due
If service is due immediately, Service! will appear in the display
immediately after switching on the ignition . The display switches
back after about five seconds.
Resetting the display
Your authorized Audi dealer will reset the display after performing
the scheduled service. If the service is not performed by an autho ­
rized Audi dealer, the display must then be reset as follows:
• Switch off the ignition.
• Press and ho ld the Service button
G)=> fig. 7, then switch on the
ignition . One of the fol lowing messages appears in the display:
Service in ···· miles or Service!.
• Press the reset button @ until either of the the following
messages appears in the display:
Service in ····miles··· days or
Service!
After about five seconds the display switches back.
[ i ] Tips
• Do not reset the display between service intervals. Doing so will
resu lt in an incorrect display.
~
~ehicle care irechnical data

CRUISE
ti(')
~
i::::3
D
BRAKE

Q
Controls and equip­
ment
Tire pressure monitoring system*
USA models:
Cruise control activated
Canada models:
Cruise control activated
USA models:
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
Canada models:
Anti -lock brake system (ABS)
Safety belt Power top operation
Left turn signal
Electronic stabilization program
(ESP)
Generator
High beam
Electronic power control
USA models:
Brake system, parking brake set
Canada models: Brake system, parking brake set
Right turn signal
~ page 20
~ page20
~ page20
~ page20
~ page20
~ page 21
~ page21
~ page 27
~ page22
~ page22
~ page22
~ page22
~ page23
~ page23
~ page21
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 82.
• 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 242, "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)
L.i (USA models)/ (Canada models)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIU is part of the On-Board Diag­
nos tic (OBD Ill 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 wo rking
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a malfunction in the
engine electronic syst em . Contact your authori zed Audi d ealer and
have the malfunction corrected.
For more information
~ page 27 . •

Inst rum ents and warnin g/indi cato r li ghts
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out, the turn signal will
flash twice as fast as normal. •
Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP)
The warning/indicator light monitors the electronic stabi­
lization program.
The warning/indicator light has the following 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 function 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 of the ABS system.
If the ESP warning/indicator light i lluminates and stays on after you
have started the engine , this may mean that the control system has
temporari ly switched off the ESP. If this is case, you can reactivate
the ESP by switching the ignition o ff and then on again. The
warning/indicator light should go out to show that the system is
fully functional again.
If 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 process for the first few yards.
During this time, the indicator light illuminates. It goes out as soon
as the learning process is comp lete .
For more information about the ESP~
page 22. •
Generator 0
T his warning/indicator light detects a malfunction in the
generator or in the vehicle's electrical system .
The D warning/indicator light illuminates when you switch on the
ign itio n and must go out after the engine has started.
If the
D warning/indicator light illuminates while you are driving,
you shou ld contact your authorized Audi dealer . Since the vehicle
battery is discharging, you should switch off any unnecessary elec ­
trical consumers (for example, the air conditioner) .
0 Note
If the -t warning/indicator light (ma lfunction in the engine coo ling
system) in the instrument cluster shou ld illuminate~
page 31, stop
the vehicle and turn off the engine. The coo lant pump is not working
- this can cause engine damage! •
High beam ~D
The@:Dwarning/indicator light illuminates when the high beams are
on or when you use the headlight flasher. For more information
about using the high beams, see~
page 83. •
Electronic power control p
This warning/indi cator light monitors the electronic
power control.
The warning/indicator light (Electronic Power Control) il lumi-
nates when you switch on the ignition as a function check .

Sound system display
Fig . 1 0 Displ ay : soun d
syste m
If priority 1 or priority 2 faults are not shown by the Auto Check
Control, the name of the radio station you are tuned to or the
frequency and the reception range are shown in the upper area of
the display .
When the CD is in use , the title of the track being p layed is shown .
The number of the CD (CD1 to CD6) currently being played is also
shown. •
Outside temperature display
Fig . 11 Dis pla y :
o utsi de tem perature
The outside temperature will be displayed when you switch on the
ignition=> fig. 11 . If your vehicle has an Automa tic transmission , the
Contro ls and eq uip­
ment
Dri ver informa tio n di spl ay
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 ") .
The snowflake symbo l a lso appears when the outside temperature
is between 41 °F (+5 °C) and 23 °F (-5 °Cl. Th is is to warn you, the
driver, to be extra cautious because the road surfaces may be
i c y . If
the vehicle is at a standstill, or if you are driving at a very low speed, the temperature shown in the display might be slightly higher than
the actua l outs ide temperature. This is caused by the heat be ing
radiated from the engine.
Remember , if your vehicle is equipped with a ir conditioning and you
change the display from °F (Fahrenhei t) to °C (Centigrade), then the
outside temperature will automatically be displayed in
•c (Centi ­
g rade) =>
page 113.
& WARNING
• Never r ely exc lusiv el y o n th e out side t emp erat ure di spl ay to
determine if a ro ad sur face is icy or not. Keep in mind that road
s urf aces , esp eci ally br idge s and overpa sses, co uld b e ic e co ve red
and slipp ery even at an out side temperature above 41 °F (+ 5 °C l.
• Alway s re memb er, eve n if the "snowflake" sy mbol (ic e
warning ) does not ap pea r in the display , b lack ice cou ld be on the
r o ad .
• Alway s reduc e your speed and driv e with sp ec ial care in cold
we ather condition s when th e chance of en countering i cy ro ad
s urf ace s incr eases.
[ i ] Tips
When using the navigation system feature "Destination", the
outside temperature is also displayed. •
~ehicle care irechnical data