2011 AUDI A5 COUPE engine coolant

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 10 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, stopp ing 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 steer ing 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 340. •
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 .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehicle.
- Open the dr iver's door.
F ig . 20 3 Driver 's sid e
f oo twell : e ng in e ho od
r elease leve r
-Pull the re lease lever on the left under the instrument
panel ~ fig. 203 in the directio n of the arrow.
The hood pops up slightly under spring press ure. •
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 204 Rel ease le ver
unde r th e eng in e hood
Before opening the eng ine hood, make sure that the wi nd­
shield wipers are flat against the win dshiel d. Otherwise, they
cou ld damage the paint on the hood .
Pull up on t he release under the hood~ fig. 20 4. T his
releases the catch.
- Open t he hood all the way~& .
& WARNING
Hot eng ine coolant can burn you.
• To redu ce the r isk o f be ing burned, never open the hood if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping from the engine compa rt­
ment. Wait until no ste am or co olant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the hood .•

Checking and filling Ill
-------------~--
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.
Safety first
& WARNING (continued)
• Move selector lever of automatic transmission to "P" (Park);
put manual transmission in Neutral.
• 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: ..,
Vehicle care Technical data

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& WARNING (continued )
-First, fully apply the parking brake , move selector lever of
automatic transmission to "P" (Park); put manual transmi s­
sion in Neutral.
- Alway s use extreme caution to prevent clothing, jewelry , or
long hair from getting caught in the radiator fan , V-belts or
other moving part s, or from contacting hot parts. Tie back hair
before starting , and do not wear clothing that will hang or
droop into the engine .
• Minimize expo sure to em is sion and chemical hazards=>& .
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Engine exhaust , some of its constituents, and certain vehicle
c omponents contain or emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and reproductive harm. In
addition , certain fluid s contained in vehicle s and certain products
of component wear contain or emit chemicals known to the State
of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproduc­
tive harm.
• Battery posts, terminals and related acces sories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms. Wash hand s after
handling .
0 Note
When adding fluids, a lways make sure that they are poured into the
proper container or filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
veh icle systems w ill occur.
<£' For the sake of the environment
T o de tect leaks in time, inspect the veh icle floo r pa n from u nder neat h
regu larly. If you see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have your
vehicle inspe cted by an au thor ized Aud i dea le r.•
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important i tems that y ou can chec k.
Fig. 205 Typ ical layout f or contain ers and engine o il filler cap
(D Jump start poi nt( +) unde r a cover . .... ..... .. .... 288, 3 29
@ Brak e fluid reservo ir ( ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
® Engine oil fill er cap(~) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
© Coolant e xpansion tank (- L ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
® Jump start point( -) with hex head screw ........... 288,329.,.

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• When removing the oil drain plug w ith your fingers , sta y as far
away as possible . Alway s keep your forearm parallel to the ground
to help p revent hot oil from running down your arm.
• Drain the oil into a container de signed 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 u sed engine oil is harmful to your
skin. Always protect your skin by washing oil off thoroughly with
soap and water.
0 Note
N ever mix o il additives wi th you r engine oil. These a dditives can
damage your engine and adversely affect your Audi L imited New
Vehicle Warranty.
ffi For the sake of the environment
• Before changing your oil, first ma ke s ure you know w here yo u can
prope rly dispose of the used o il.
• Always dispose of used engine oil properly . Do not dump it on
garden so il, wooded areas , into open streams or down sewage drains .
• Recy cle used e ngine o il by taking it to a used eng ine oil colle ction
facili ty in your area, or contact a service statio n.•
Safety first
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it keeps the
engi ne f rom over heat in g and it prote cts the engine fro m
free zing in the winter .
The coo ling system is sealed and generally requires little attention.
Th e cool ing sys tem h as been filled a t the f actory w ith a permanent
coo lant wh ic h does not need to be changed . The coolant consists of a
mi xtu re of water and the manufacturer 's glyco l-basedcoo lant add i­
t ive Gl2++ antifreeze w ith anticor ros ion addit ives (50% for USA
mode ls ; 60% for Ca nadian mode ls). This mixture both ass ures the
necessa ry frost protect ion and p rotects meta l components in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and scaling. It also raises the
boiling poin t of the coo lant.
Do not red uce the concentrat io n of the coolant in t he summer by
adding p lain wate r. The proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to maintain antifreeze protection
and coolin g efficiency. If the coolan t fros t pro tection is too low , the
coo la nt cou ld freeze and damage t he veh icle heat ing and engine
cooling system .
For year-ro und d riving, a ntifree ze is adde d at the fac to ry fo r tempe r­
atures down to:
• - 31°F(-3 5°C) USA
• -40°F ( -40°() Canada.
Yo u can mix the Gl2 ++ coo lant add itive with other additives (G12 + or
Gl2) . A lways check wi th yo ur auth o rized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "Working in the engine
compartment " on
page 275.
Vehicle care Technical data

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0 Note
• Before w inter 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 yo u live in a region where
the winter is extremely cold.
If necessary, increase the proportion of
coolant 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
engine coolant. Adding radiator repair flu id may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and cou ld result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .•
Checking the engine coolant Level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance.
Fig. 208 Engine
co mpartment : 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 275.
-Turn off the ignition.
- Read the engine coolant level from the coolant expansion
tank~ fig. 208 . 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 io n of the coolant expansion tank can be seen in the engine
compartment illustration~
page 276.
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 warning light in the Auto-Check
System =>
page 34 will blink until you add coolant and the level has
been resto red 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 coo ling 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. Reduce
the risk of scalding from hot coolant by following these steps.
• Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down.

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Prote ct your face , hands and arms from escaping fluid and
st eam by covering the cap with a large, thick rag.
• Turn the cap slowl y and very carefully in a counter-clockwise
d irection while applying light, downward pressure on the top of
the cap.
• To avoid being burned, do not spill ant ifreeze or coolant on the
exhaust system or hot engine part s. Under certain conditions , the
e thylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire .
0 Note
Do not add any type of radia tor leak sealant to your vehicle 's eng ine
coo la nt. Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse ly affect the func­
t ion and pe rforma nce o f yo ur cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by yo ur New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine co olant.
Before you c heck anythi ng in the eng ine co mpart men t,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "W ork ing in
the e ngine compartm ent" on
page 2 75.
- Turn o ff t he engine.
- Let t he engine cool dow n.
- Place a thi ck rag over the coolan t expans io n tank
~ page 282 , fig . 2 08 a nd carefully turn the ca p cou nter­
clockw ise
~ & .
- Ad d cool ant .
- Twist t he ca p on again
tightly.
Safety first
Replaceme nt eng ine coolant must conform to exact spec ifications
=> page 281, "Cool an t". Even in an emerge ncy, i f coolan t additive
Gl2 ++, Gl2+ or Gl2 is not available, do not use a different add itive .
U se plain water instead until you can get the correct additive and ca n
restore the correct ratio . This should be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of coolant, then you shou ld
add co ld antifree ze and co ld wate r only w hen t he e ng ine is co ld .
Always use
new engine coo la nt w hen refi lling.
Do not fill coolant a bove the "M AX" mark . Excess coolant will be
forced ou t thr ough t he pr ess ure relief va lve in t he cap when the
engine becomes hot.
& WARNING
• The cooling system i s 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 pre ssure on the top
of the cap .
- To avoid be ing burned, do not spill antifreeze or coolant on
the exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire.
• Antifreeze i s poisonous . Always store antifreeze in its original
c ontainer and well out of the reach of children .
• If you drain the coolant, it must be caught and safely stored in
a proper container clearly marked "poison ". ..
Vehicle care Technical data

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0 Note
• Coolant pollutes the environment and could cause an engine fire.
Excess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in
the cap when the engine becomes hot .
• If, in an emergency, only water can be added, the correct ratio
between water a nd antifreeze ::::>
page 281 must be restored as soon
as possible.
ci> For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always dispose of used coolant
wh ile observ ing all environmental regulations.•
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by itself.
The radiator fan is driven by the engine v ia the V-belt. The viscous
clutch regulates the speed of the fan according to the temperature of
t he coo lant.
An auxiliary electr ic radiator fan* sw itches on and off depending on
coolant temperature and other vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan can cont inue running
for up to 10 minutes- even with the ignition off. It can even switch on
again later by itse lf::::>
/1 , if
• the temperature of the engine coolant rises due to the heat build­
up from the engine in the engine compartment, or
• the engine compartment heats up because the veh icle is parked in
intense sunlight.
& WARNING
• To reduce the risk of personal injury never touch the radiator
fan.
/1 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 . 209 Engine
co mpartm ent : 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 275.
-Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid reservoir
=> fig. 209. The brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear partition of the engine
compartment on the left side=>
page 276. .,