Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for vehicles towing
t railers are lowe r than for regular veh icles.
Always apply brakes early. When dr iv ing downh ill, sh ift in to a lower
gear to use the engine braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge~ page 8 must be observed care
fully. If the needle moves close to the upper end of the scale, reduce
speed immediately and/or turn off the air conditione r.
If the coolant temperature warning light in the instrument cluster
star ts flashing
-t- , pull off the road, stop and let the engine idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up.
& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving vehicle is at a much
greater risk in an accident. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided by Audi. u
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
------------
Your vehicle handles differently when tow ing a tra iler because of the
additiona l weight and different weight distribution. Safety, perfor
mance and economy will greatly depend on how carefu lly you load
your trailer and operate your rig .
Before you actua lly tow your trailer, practice turning, stopping and
backing up in an area away from traffic. Keep pract icing until you have
become completely familiar with the way your vehicle-t railer combi
nation behaves and responds.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Backing up
is d iff icult and requ ires practice . Backing up with a trailer
generally requires steering action opposite to that when backing up
your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle and the one in front
of you. You will need more room to stop . To compensate fo r the
trailer, you will need a larger than norma l turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accelerate as fast as you
normally would because of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for you r
trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes .
[I) Tips
• Do not tow a trai ler during the break-in per iod of your vehicle.
• If you tow a tra iler, your Audi may requi re more frequent mainte
nance due to the extra toad~
page 343. •
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot be
avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
-Apply the foot brake.
- Have someone place chocks under both the vehicle and the
trailer wheels.
- With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes until the
wheel chocks absorb the load.
- Turn the wheels towards the curb.
- Apply the parking brake .
- Move the se lector lever to
P.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___________________________________________ C_ h _ e_c _k _ i_n -=g .._ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g '-- ........
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehicle.
- Open the driver's door.
Fig. 218 Driver's side
footwell : engine hood
release lever
- Pull the release lever on the left under the instrument
panel ::::, fig . 218 in the direction of the arrow.
The hood pops up slightly under spring pressure. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 219 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.
Pull up on the release under the hood::::, fig. 219 . This
releases the catch.
- Open the hood all the way::::,& .
& 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 Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
-Checking and filling
-------=------=---------------------------------------------------
Closing the engine hood
-Pull the hood down until the pressure from the struts is
reduced.
- Let the hood
drop down and latch in place . Do not try to
push it shut;
it may fail to engage=> &.
& WARNING
A hood that is not completely latched could fly up and block your
view while driving.
• When you close the engine hood, check it to make sure the
safety catch has properly engaged. The hood should be flush with
the surrounding vehicle body parts.
• If you notice while driving that the hood is not secured prop
erly, stop at once and close it. •
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the engine
compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the engine compartment,
for example checking and filling different fluids, there is a risk of
injury, burns and accidents. To prevent personal injury always
observe the following WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
=> & .
& WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check anything under the hood :
• Turn off the engine.
• Remove the ignition key.
• Apply the parking brake.
& WARNING (continued)
• Move selector lever of automatic transmission to "P" (Park).
• Always let the engine cool down. Hot components will burn
skin on contact.
• 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.
• Keep children away from the engine compartment.
• Never spill fluids on hot engine components. They can cause a
fire.
• Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary electric fan is
temperature controlled and can switch on suddenly.
• Never open the coolant reservoir cap when the engine is still
warm. The coolant system is pressurized and hot coolant could
spray out.
• Protect your face, hands and arm from steam or hot engine
coolant by placing a thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
• If work on the fuel system or the electrical system is necessary:
-Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames. Fluids in
the engine compartment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher immediately available.
• To avoid electrical shock and personal injury while the engine is
running or being started, never touch: -Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage electronic ignition system.
• If you must perform a check or repair with the engine running: -First, fully apply the parking brake, move selector lever of
automatic transmission to "P" (Park). ..,
_____________________________________________ C_h _ e_ c_ k_in --= g'-- a_n _d_ f_i _ll _i_n -=g ::;__ ____.1111
& WARNING (co ntinued )
-Alway s use extreme caution to prevent clothing , jewelry , or
long hair from getting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other moving parts, or from contacting hot parts. Tie back hair
before start ing , and do not wear clothing that will hang or
d roop into the engine.
• Minimize expo sure to emis sion and chemical hazards~& .
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Engine exhaust, some of it s constituents, and certain vehicle
components contain or emit chemicals known to the State of Cali
fornia to cause can cer and birth defects and reproductive harm . In
addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and ce rtain products
of component wear contain or emit chemicals known to the State
of California to cause cancer and birth defects or othe r reproduc
tive harm.
• Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms . Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
When adding fluids , a lways make sure that they are poured into the
proper co nta iner o r filler opening, otherwise serio us damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
<£> For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle floor pan from underneath
reg ula rly . If yo u see spot s from o il or o ther vehicle fluid s, have your
vehicle inspected by an authorized Aud i dea ler. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Engine compartment
These are the most i mportan t it ems that you can check.
Fig . 220 Typ ical layout for c ontainer s and engine oil filler cap
(D Jump start point( +) under a cover ........ .. .. .. .. . 293, 334
@ Brake fluid reservo ir ( ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
@ Engine oil f iller c ap
('1::r. ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
© Coolant ex pansion ta nk (-L ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 7
© Jump start point( -) w ith he x head screw ..... ... .. . 293 , 33 4
© Winds hield/head light washer container (0 ) . . . . . . . . 295
(j) Power steering reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Th e posi tion of the eng ine o il filling hole ~ fig. 220 (i tem @) can
differ depending on the eng ine des ign . ..,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
___ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
Det ergent add it ives in the o il w ill make fres h oil look dark a fter the
e n g in e has bee n ru nning for a s hort time. This is n orma l and is not a
reason to cha nge the oil mo re often t ha n recomme nded .
Beca use of the prob lem of proper disposal, a long w it h the s pec ia l
t o ols and n ecessa ry e xper tise req uire d, we stro ng ly recom men d th at
you have your o il changed by an a utho rize d
Audi dealer or a qualified
s erv ice stat ion.
If you choose to change your oil yourself , please note the following
im portant info rmat io n:
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you must change the engine
oil in your vehicle yourself:
• Wear eye protection .
• To reduce the risk of burns from hot engine oil, let the engine
cool down to the touch .
• When removing the oil drain plug with your fingers , stay as far
away as possible. Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground
to help prevent hot oil from running down your arm.
• Drain the oil into a container designed for this purpose, one
large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in your
engine .
• Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it well out of the reach of chil
dren.
• Continuous contact with used engine oil is harmful to your
skin. Always protect your skin by washing oil off thoroughly with
soap and water .
0 Note
Never m ix o il additives w ith your eng ine o il. The se a ddi tives c an
damage your engine and adverse ly affect your Audi Limi ted New
V ehicle Warranty .
W For the sake of the environment
• Before changi ng yo ur oil, fir st ma ke s ure you know w here you c an
pro perly dis pose of the used oi l.
• Always dispose of used eng ine o il prope rly . Do no t dump it on
garden soi l, wooded areas, into ope n streams o r down sewa ge dr ains.
• Recycle used engin e oil by taking it to a used eng ine oi l collect ion
facility in your area, or contact a serv ice station .•
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engin e coolan t p erforms two fun ctions: it ke ep s t he
en gine from overheati ng and i t protects the engine fr om
fr eez in g in th e winte r.
Th e cooling system is sea le d and genera lly requ ires lit tle at tention.
Th e cooling system has been f illed at th e factory w it h a p erm anent
coo lant which does not need to be changed. T he coolant cons ists o f a
mix tur e of wa ter a nd the manufacturer's gly co l-basedcoolan t addi
tive
Gl2+ + antifreeze with anticorros ion addit ives (50% for USA
m odels; 60 % fo r C an ad ian models). This mixture both as su re s th e
necessary frost protect ion and protects meta l components in the
eng ine's coolin g sy stem fr om co rrosion and scaling .
It als o ra ises the
boiling point of th e coolant.
Do not re duce the concentration of the coo lant in the summer by
add ing p la in wate r.
The proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60%
to mai ntain antifreeze protection
an d co olin g efficiency . If the co ola nt frost p ro te ct ion i s to o low , the
coo lant co uld freeze and damage the veh icle heating and engine
cooling system.
For year -round drivi ng, antifreeze is added at t he factory for tempe r-
atures down to: .,,
___________________________________________ C_ h _ e_c _k _ i_n -=g ~ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g =---......J"'
• -31°F(-35°C)USA
• -40°F ( - 40°() Canada .
You can mix the Gl2+ + coolant additive with other additives (G12+ or
G12). Always check with your authorized Aud i dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "Work ing in the engine
compartment" on
page 280.
0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolant checked to see if th e
coolant additive in your vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate
conditions . This is especially important if you live in a region where
the winter is extremely cold .
If necessary, increase the proportion of
coola nt additive to 60% .
• When adding coolant additive to your cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant additive Gl2++ (check the
label) for your vehicle . This coolant additive is available at autho
r iz ed Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can significantly
reduce corrosion protection . The resulting corrosion can cause
a
loss of coolant and serious engine damage.
• Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle's
eng ine coolant . Adding radiator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by yo ur New Vehicle Limited Warranty .•
Vehicle OP-eration
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance.
Fig. 223 Engine
compartment: Coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS ~ & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 280 .
-Turn off the ignition.
- Let the engine cool down .
- Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion tank
~ fi~ . 223 a nd carefully twist the cap counter-clockwise
~& -
- Read the engine coolant level in the open coolant expan
sion tank~ fig. 223 . With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "min" and "max" markings. When
the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the
"max" marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank can be seen in the engine
compartment illustration=>
page 281.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched off. ~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
-~_C_ h_e _c_ k_ i_ n ....: g:::e._ a_ n _ d_ f_il _l _in _ g =- --------------------------------------------
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped with an electric coolant
level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warn ing light in the Auto-Check
System ~
page 29 will blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is an electric coolant
level sensor, we still recommend you check the coolant level from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling system. In the event of
coo lant loss, the cooling system should be inspected immed iate ly by
your authorized Audi dealer .
It is not enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the boiling point of the
coolant is exceeded as a result of overheating.
& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot. Reduce
the risk of scalding from hot coolant by following these steps.
• Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down.
• Protect your face, hands and arms from escaping fluid and
steam by covering the cap with a large, thick rag.
• Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counter-clockwise
direction while applying light, downward pressure on the top of
the cap.
• To avoid being burned, do not spill antifreeze or coolant on the
exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain conditions, the
ethylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle's engine
coo lant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse ly affect the func
tion and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.•
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS::::::> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 280.
-Turn off the engine .
- Let the engine cool down.
- Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion tank
=> page 287, fig. 223 and carefully turn the cap counter
clockwise ::::,
&.
- Add coolant .
- Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to exact specifications
~ page 286, "Coolant". Even in an emergency, if coolant additive
G12 ++, G12+ or G12 is not available, do not use a different additive.
Use plain water instead until you can get the correct additive and can
restore the correct ratio. This should be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of coolant, then you should
add cold antifreeze and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the ''MAX" mark. Excess coolant will be
forced out through the press ure re lief va lve in the cap when the
eng ine becomes hot .
& WARNING
• The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot.
Reduce the risk of scalding from hot coolant by following these
steps.
-Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down. _.,
___________________________________________ C_ h_e _c _k_ i_n ~g_ a_n_ d_ f_ i_ll _i_n _g __ _
& WARNING (co ntinued )
-Protect your face , hand s and arms from e scaping fluid and
steam by covering the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowl y and very carefully in a counter-clockwi se
direction wh ile applying light, downward pre ssure on the top
of the cap .
- To avoid be ing burned , do not spill antifreeze or coolant on
the exhau st sy stem or hot engine parts . Under certain condi
tions, the ethylene glycol in eng ine coolant can catch fire .
• Antifreeze i s poi sonou s. Alway s store antifreeze in it s original
container and well out of the reach of children.
• If you drain the coolant, it must be caught and saf ely stored in
a proper container clearly marked "poison ".
0 Note
• Coolant pollutes t he environment and could cause an engine fire.
E xcess coo lan t w ill be forced o ut through the pressure rel ie f va lve in
t he cap when the engine becomes hot .
• If, in an eme rgency, o nly w ate r can be ad ded , the co rrec t rat io
between water and antifreeze::::;,
page 286 must be restored as soon
as possi ble.
~ For the sake of the environment
Dr ained coolant sho uld no t be reused. A lways dispose of used coo lan t
wh ile observ ing all environmental regula tions. •
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on autom atically by itself.
Th e radiator fa n is d rive n by the engine via t he V-bel t. The v iscous
cl utch reg ulates t he spee d of the fan accord ing to the tem perature of
t he coolan t.
Safety first
An auxiliary e lectric rad iator fa n* switches o n and off depending on
co olan t tempe rature and ot her vehicle ope rating condi tions.
After you sw itch the engine off, the aux iliary fan can continue running
for up to 10 m inutes -even with the ignition
off. It can even switch on
again la ter by itself ::::;, & , if
• the temperature of the eng ine coolant rises due to the heat build
up from the eng ine in the engi ne comp artment, o r
• the engine compartment heats up because the veh icle is parked in
in tense s unlight.
LJ}. WARNING
• To reduc e the risk of personal injury never touch the radiator
fan .
• The auxiliary electric fan is temperature controlled and can
switch on suddenly even when the engine is not running .
• The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on automat ically when the
engine coolant rea ches a certain temperature and will continue to
run until the coolant temperature drops .•
Vehicle care Technical data