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Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS==> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 289.
- Turn off the engine.
- Unscrew the oil filler cap from the cylinder head cover
==>
page 294, fig. 245 or==> page 294, fig. 246.
- Carefully top off with the appropriate oil in 0.5 liter doses.
- Check the oil level again after two minutes==>
page 293.
- Top off the oil again, if necessary.
- Screw the cap back on the filling hole and slide the oil
dipstick in as far as it will go.
& WARNING
• While topping off, the oil must not come in contact with hot
engine parts - fire hazard!
• The oil filler cap must be properly secured to prevent oil from
being sprayed on the hot engine and exhaust system when the
engine is running - fire hazard!
• If your skin has come in contact with the engine oil, you must
subsequently cleanse it thoroughly.
0 Note
• The oil leve l must not be above range@- danger of converter or
eng ine damage! Contact an authorized dealership to draw off oil, if
necessary.
• Audi does not recommend the use of oil additives. They may
damage the engine and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
Safety first
<£' For the sake of the environment
• Under no circumstances can the oil come in contact with the
sewage network or the soil.
• Observe and follow legal regulations when disposing of empty oil
containers. •
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an autho
rized Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always read
and heed all WARNINGS=>
& in "Working in the engine compart
ment" on
page 289.
The engine oil must be changed according to the intervals specified in
your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. This is very important because
the lubricating properties of oil diminish gradually during normal
vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil sho uld be changed more
frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly short distances,
operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominant ly stop-and
go traffic conditions, or have your vehicle where temperatures remain
below freezing for extended periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil look dark after the
engine has been running for a short time . This is normal and is not a
reason to change the oil more often than recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposal, along with the special
tools and necessary expertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified
serv ice station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself, please note the following
important information: .,_
Vehicle care Technical data
___ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you must change the engin e
oil in your vehicle your self:
• Wear eye protection.
• To reduce the ri sk of burns from hot engine oil, let the engine
cool down to the touch.
• When removing the oil drain plug w ith your finger s, stay as far
away as possible. Always keep you r forearm parallel to the ground
to help prevent hot oil from runn ing down your arm .
• Drain the oil into a containe r designed for this purpo se, one
large enough to hold at lea st the total amount of oil in your
engine.
• Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it well out of the reach of chil
dren.
• Continuous contact w ith used eng ine oil is harmful to your
skin. Always protect your skin by washing oil off thoroughly with
soap and water.
0 Note
N ever m ix o il add itives w it h your eng ine oi l. These additives can
damage your engine and adverse ly affect your Audi Limited New
Vehicle Warranty .
ffi For the sake of the environment
• Before chang ing yo ur o il, firs t ma ke s ure you know w here yo u can
proper ly dispose of the used oi l.
• Always dispose of used eng ine o il properly . D o not dump it on
garden soi l, wooded areas, into open streams or down sewage drains.
• Recycle used engine o il by taking it to a used eng ine oil collection
facility in your area, or contact a serv ice stat io n. •
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo lant performs two functions: i t keeps the
en gine fro m overhe ating and i t protects the engine fr om
fre ezing in th e winter .
The cooling system is sea led and genera lly requ ires little attention .
Th e cool ing sy stem h as been filled at the f actory wit h a permanent
coo lant which does not need to be changed . T he coolant cons ists of a
mixt ure of water an d the manufacturer's glycol -basedcoolant ad di
tive Gl2++ antifreeze w ith anticorros ion addit ives (50% for USA
mode ls; 60% for Canadian models). This mixture both ass ures the
necessary frost protect ion and p rotects meta l components in th e
eng ine's cooling system from co rrosion an d scaling. It also raises the
boiling point of the cool ant.
Do not red uce the concentration of the coolant in the summer by
add ing p la in water. The proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to maintai n antifreeze protection
and coo ling efficiency. If the coolant frost pro tect io n i s too low, t he
coo lant co uld free ze and damage t he veh icle heating an d eng ine
coo ling system.
For yea r- round drivi ng , antifree ze is added at t he factory for tempe r
atures dow n to:
• - 31°F( -35°C)USA
• -40
°F ( -40 °C) Canada .
You can mi x the Gl2+ + coo lant additive wit h other additives (G12 + or
Gl2) . Always check with you r autho rized Aud i dea ler .
in. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment , always
read and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "Working in the engine
compartment " on
page 289.
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0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolant checked to see if the
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
coo lant additive to 60% .
• When adding coolant additive to your cooling system, remember:
-We recommend using only coolant additive G12++ (check the
label) for your vehicle. This coolant additive is available at autho
r iz ed Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can s ignificantly
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 your New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Checking the engine coo lant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance.
.... N
Fig. 247 Engine
compartment: Coolant
expansion tank
Vehicle OP-eration
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 289.
- Turn off the ignition.
- Read the engine coolant level from the coolant expansion
tank=> fig. 247 . 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 locat ion of the coolant expans ion tank can be seen in the engine
compartment illustration=>
page 290.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched off.
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
coolant loss, the cooling system should be inspected immediately 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
coo lant is exceeded as a result of overheating.
& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot. Redu ce
the risk of scalding from hot coolant
by following these steps.
• Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
lffll __ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Protect your f ace, hand s and arms from e scaping fluid and
s team by covering the cap with a larg e, thick rag.
• Turn the cap slowl y and ver y ca refull y in a counter-clockwise
direct ion while applying light, downward pre ssure on the top of
the cap.
• To avoid being burned , do not spill antifreeze or coolant on the
exhaust system or hot engine part s. Under certain conditions, the
ethylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to yo ur vehicle's engine
coo lant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse ly affect the func
t ion and perfo rmance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
[ i J Tips
On vehicles with the 12-cylinder engine, the expansion tank is located
unde r a cover. •
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the eng ine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
t h e e ngine compar tment" on
page 289 .
-Tur n off the eng ine.
- Let t he engi ne cool down. -
Place a t hick rag over the coolant ex pansio n tank
~ page 297, fig . 247 and carefully twis t the ca p counte r
clockw ise
~ & .
- Add coo lant.
- Tw ist t he cap on agai n
tightly.
Replacement eng ine coolant must conform to exact specificat ions
=> p age 2 96, "Coolan t". Even in an emergency, if coolan t ad di tive
Gl2 ++, Gl2+ or Gl2 is not available, do
not use a d ifferent addit ive.
Use plain water instead until you can get the correct additive a nd can
restore the correct ratio . This s hou ld be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a conside rable amount of coolant , then you sho uld
add co ld a ntifree ze a nd cold water only when t he e ngine is cold .
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above t he "MAX" mark. Excess coo lant wi ll be
forced out t hrough the p ressure relief va lve in the cap w hen 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 .
- 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 exh aust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi-
tions, the ethylene gly col in engine coolant can catch fire. .,
Checking and filling ------------------------------- ---=.:..:..=.:=~..:::..:.....:..:.;__ ___ _::,______,.J
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Antifreeze is pois onous. Alway s store antifreeze in its original
container and well out of the r each of children.
• If you drain the coolant , it must be caught and safely stored in
a proper container clearly marked "poi son ".
0 Note
• Coolant poll utes the environment and could cause an engine fire .
Excess coolant w ill be forced out throug h the pressure re lief valve in
t he cap when the e ng ine becomes hot .
• If, in an emergency, o nly wate r ca n be adde d, the correct ratio
between water and antifreeze=>
page 296 must be restored as soon
as possib le.
W For the sake of the environment
Dra ined coolant shou ld not be reused. A lways dispose of used coo lant
w hile observ ing a ll enviro nment al regul ations . •
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by itself
T he radi ator fa n is d riven by the engine via th e V-bel t. The v iscous
clutch regu lates the speed of the fan accord ing to the temperature of
t he coolant.
An auxiliary e lectr ic rad iator fan* sw itches on and off depend ing o n
coo la nt tempe rat ur e and othe r vehicle ope ra ting condi tions .
After you switch the engi ne off, the auxilia ry fa n can cont inue r unning
for up to 10 minutes - even w ith the ignition off . It can even switch on
agai n lat er by itse lf => & , if
• the tempe rature of the e ngine coolant rises due to the heat build
up from the eng ine in t he engi ne comp art ment, or
Vehicle OP-eration
• the engine compartment heats up because the veh icle is parked in
in tense s unlight.
& WARNING
• To reduce the ri sk of personal injury never touch the radiator
fan.
• The auxiliary electri c 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 cont inue to
run until the coolant temperature drops .•
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
T h e b rake fluid l evel can be ch ecked with a quick glance.
-w ;:;
Fig. 24 8 En gine
compa rtme nt: Brak e
f luid re se rv oi r
Be fore you chec k anyt hin g in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
t h e engine compartm ent" on
page 289 . .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
___ C_ h_e _c_ k_ i_ n ~ g~ a_ n _ d_ f_il _l _in _ g ____________________________________________ _
- Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid reservoir
=> fig. 248 . T he brake fluid level mus t be between the
" M IN" and "MAX" markings.
The br ake fl uid re se rvoir is loc ated at the rear pa rt iti on of the engine
compartment on the left side~ page 290.
T he f lu id level may drop slightly after some time due to the auto
matic adjus tment of t he b rake pads. This is not caus e for alarm.
If the brake flu id leve l falls considerably below the "MIN" mark, t he
br ak e wa rning/ind ic ator lig ht ( U.S . model s:
BRAKE , Can adi an mod els:
«D> ) will come on~ page 20 and~ page 28. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle . The comple te brake system sho uld be thoro ughly
checked by an author ized A udi dealer or ot her qualified facility and
t he ca use correcte d. If the b rake fl uid leve l is too low, the bra ke
wa rning/in dicator light will illu mi nate . Con tact an au thorized Aud i
dealer
immediately .•
Changing brake fluid
H ave the brake flui d changed by an ex perienc ed techni
cian.
Brake flui d abso rbs mois ture from t he a ir . If t he wa ter con ten t in the
brake fl uid is too hig h, corros io n in the b rake system may res ult afte r
a period of time . The boiling po int o f the bra ke fl uid will also decrease
cons iderab ly and decrease brak ing perfo rmance.
The refore, the brake fl uid m ust be changed
every two years . Always
use new bra ke fluid w hich conforms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle St an
dard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4" .
Th e b rake fl uid reservoi r ca n be diffi cult to rea ch, there fore, we
recommend that you have the bra ke fluid c hanged by your author ized
Audi dealer. Your dea ler has the correct tools, the right b rake fl uid
and the know-how to do t his 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 flu id.
Observe these pre cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE specification
J 1703 and
conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always che ck
with your authorized Audi dealer to make sure you are us ing
the correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake fluid i s also
indicated on the brake fluid reservoir .
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use of the brakes can
cause a vapor lock if the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . Thi s can seriously affect the efficiency of the brakes as
well as your safety . This could result in an accident.
0 Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your ve hicle .
~ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of brake fl uid as we ll as
the spec ia l too ls req uired and the necessary expe rtise, we recom
m en d that you have t he brake fl uid changed by your autho rized Audi
dea ler .•
Battery
General information
Under normal operat ing condit ions, the battery in your Aud i does not
nee d any m ain ten ance. Wi th high outs ide temper atures o r long d aily
dr ives we recommend that yo u have the elect rolyte level checked by .,_
., __ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
The battery is located in the luggage compa rtment on the
right side beh ind a cover. Before you check anything in the
luggage compa rtmen t, read and heed all WARNINGS=>& .
- To open the side sto rag e com part me nt, turn the tw o pins
@ =>fig . 24 9 to th e vert ical position .
The positive( +) battery termina l is p rotected by a plastic cov er. This
cover must be removed to access the positive( +) terminal when
c onnect ing jumpe r cab les to sta rt the engine.
Always heed the safety warnings, when working on the vehicle
bat tery or the vehicle e lect ric al system to p revent injury .
The following WARNINGS are very important when
working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYMBOLS and safety pre cautions when working on the battery.
-
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contain s sulfuric acid. Always wear
gloves and eye protection .
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking .
When a battery is charged, it p roduces hydrogen
gas which is explosive and could cause personal
injury .
Always keep the battery well out of reach of chil
dren .
& WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the electrical system,
there i s the ri sk of injury, a ccident and even fire. Read and heed
the following WARNINGS:
• Alway s wear eye protection . Do not let batt ery acid or any lead
part icles get on your skin or clothing. Shie ld your eyes. Explosive
ga se s can cause blindnes s or other in jury.
• Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid can cause
blindne ss and severe burns .
- Always wear gloves and eye protection . Do not tilt the
battery becau se acid could leak out of the ventilation open
i ngs.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immedi
a tely rinse with cold water for several minutes and get medical
attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid , see k medical attention
immediately.
• Do not expose the battery to an open flame, elect ric sparks or
an open light .
• Do not smoke.
• Do not interchange the positive and negative cables.
• When working on the battery, be sure not to short-circuit the
term inals with tools or other metal objects. This would cause the
battery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or
e x plos ion and personal injury.
• When a battery is charged, it produce s hydrogen ga s wh ich is
e xplos ive and could cause pe rsonal inju ry.
• Alway s keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
• Before work is done on the ele ctrical system , disconnect the
negative ground cable.
• Before performing any work on the electrical sy stem , switch
off the engine and ignition as well as any electrical equipment.
The negative cable on the battery mu st be disconnected. If you are
~
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& WARNING (co ntinued )
just going to replace a light bulb , then it is enough to switch off
the lights .
• Before disconnecting the battery , switch off the anti-theft
alarm system! Otherwise you will set off the alarm.
• When disconne cting the battery, first disconnect the negat ive
cable and then the po sitive cable.
• Before reconnecting the b attery, make sure all electrical
consumer s are sw itched off. Reconnect the positiv e cable fir st and
then the negative cable . Never inte rchange the cables -this could
start a fire!
• Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out battery.
It could
explode! If a battery has frozen, then it must be replaced . A
di scharged batter y can freeze over at 32 °F (0 °C ).
• Make sure the vent hose is always attached to the opening on
the side of the battery .
• Never use batteries which are damaged. There is the danger of
an explosion! Alway s replace a damaged battery.
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Battery posts , terminal s and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems. Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
• Do not disconnec t the vehicle batte ry when t he ignit ion is
switched on o r when the engine is running, otherwise, you will
d amage e le ctro nic c ompone nts in t he ele ctrica l sys tem.
Safety first
• If your ve hicle is go ing to sta nd for a long per iod of time w it h out
bein g driven, protec t th e battery fro m "freezi ng", o therw ise i t wi ll be
damaged and will then have to be replaced .•
Battery charging
Sta rting t he e ng in e req uires a well c harged battery.
Always read and heed all WARNINGS b elo w =:> & and=:> &
i n "W orki ng on t he batt ery" o n
page 3 01.
- Turn off th e igni tio n and all electr ica l co nsum ers.
- Make su re the area is well vent ilated w hen you charge the
batte ry .
- Attach the red (posi tive
(B) c la m p of the charging equip
me nt to the posit ive te rmin al o f th e bat tery and t he b lac k
( n eg at ive(:)) clam p to t he jumper term inal.
- Only now plug t he m ain s lead for the c harg ing e quip ment
i n to t he wa ll outlet a nd tu rn it on=:> &.
- Make sure the charging rate is not over 30 amps/14.8
Volt.
- When the b attery is fully c harg ed: Turn t he ch arging
equ ip m ent off and remo ve t he mains l ead fr om the wall
ou tlet.
- Now remove the clamp s for the cha rging eq uipment .
A discharged ba ttery can freeze a t temperat ures of on ly O 0C. Allow a
frozen batte ry to thaw comp letely before attempting to charge it
=> & . However, we recomme nd not usin g a thawed battery aga in
because the battery casing can be cracke d due to ice formation and
c a n l eak battery a cid. .,._
Vehicle care Technical data