2011 AUDI TT ROADSTER service

equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version. Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE ­
MENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­ nic circuit interrupter.
Airbag system 129
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measu red by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high-
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe-
ty belt is not being used . Therefore, in a par ­
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used.
It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen-
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit. ..,.
•
•

130 Airbag system
& WARNING
Cha nging the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire -r im combina ­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious pers onal in jury in a crash.
- Never install suspens ion components
t h at do not have the same performance
c harac teristics as the components origi ­
n ally inst alled on you r vehicle.
- Never use ti re- rim combinat io ns that
h ave not been approved by A udi.
& WARNING
-
Ite ms stored be tween the s afety bel t
buckle and the center console can cause
the senso rs in the buckle to send the
w rong informat ion to the elect ronic con­
trol mod ule and prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from work ing proper ly.
- Always make sure that noth ing can inter­
fere w ith the sa fety belt buckles and that
they a re not obstructed.
@) For the sake of the environment
Unde ployed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdouswaste/per­ chlorate . Whe n the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts w ith pretens ioners ar e scrap­
pe d, all appli cable laws and regulat io ns
m ust be observed. Yo ur authoriz e d Au di
dea le r i s f amiliar wit h these requ ireme nts
an d we recommend th at you have your
dea le r p erfo rm this service for you.
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants .
Fig . 1 23 Driv er's ai rbag
T he airbag for the driver is lo ca ted in the in ­
str ument pane l unde rneath t he stee ring
whee l
I:!) fig. 123, the airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
pane l underneath t he glove compartment .
T he knee airbag offe rs addi tional protection
to the d river 's and passenger's knees and up ­
per and lower thigh areas as a s upplement to
the safety belts.
If the fron t ai rbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions above acer­
ta in seve rity
¢ page 124, More important
things to know about front airbags.
Besides the ir norma l safety func tion, safety
belts work to he lp keep the d river or front
passenger in position in case o f a fronta l co lli­
s ion so that the a irbags can provide protec­
t ion.
T he airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restra int system in yo ur vehicle. A l­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
you r safety belt and wearing it p roperly . This
i s why you should always wear your safety
belt , no t jus t be ca use the law requ ires you to
do so
¢ page 107, General no te s . ..,.

the exhaust system and this could cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve ­
hicle is moving .
- Do not con tinue to operate yo ur vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reac h the cata lytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in acco rdance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- La ck of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
t he funct ion of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating p roperly, t he exhaus t gas can
have a s ulfu r- like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the s ulfur content o f the fue l being used.
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and t ires largely
depend on three factors :
- your persona l driving style
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
I f you anticipate w hat you need to do nex t and
d rive economically, you can eas ily cut your
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 159
fuel consumption by 10 -15 percent. This sec ­
tion w ill give yo u some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook .
(D Tips
The cons umption estimates as publishe d
by ENVIRONME NTAL PROTEC TION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
Avoid unnecessary accelerat ing and braking .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
ce lerat ing . If you anticipate what is going to
happe n next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, accele rate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
that the next t raff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
"' Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerat ing gently reduces fue l consump­
tion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust emiss ions and en­
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at app roximately three
quarte rs of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Nev er drive faster
t h an the posted speed limit and weathe r con­
ditions perm it.
•
•

160 Driving and en vi ro nment
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not dr iving
the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings, or at traff ic l ights that have
l ong wa its on red . Turning the engine
off fo r
just 30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned starting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . However , wear
and nox ious em issions are especially 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 sti ll warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate imp roper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
... Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi dea ler helps to ensure that it runs prop­
erly and economica lly. The cond it ion of yo ur
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
hold its value, it also affects fuel consump­
tion .
Check you r oil ea ch time you fill you r tank. T
he amount o f oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It i s normal fo r the oil consump tion of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been d riven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(S,000 kilometres) before yo u can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
T his also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine o utput.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in acco rdance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
& Main­
t enance boo klet . Lack of p roper ma inte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved
by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat sh ie lds, switches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driv ing short distances w ith a
cold engine .
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal operat ing temperature to
reduce fuel consumption and nox ious emis­
s ions effectively .
- Ju st after starting, a cold engine in a mid­
size car burns the fue l at a poor rate of 6-8
m iles per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). Half a
m ile down the road , the mileage improves
to 12 MPG (20 l/100 km). It w ill take the
ll>

-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac ­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 175
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec ­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the unlocking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manually -for detailed in ­
structions see ¢
page 177.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 239.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see ¢
page 174.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refue l­
li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fue l conta iners in yo ur car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
•
•

184 Checking and filling
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequent ly
cleanse it thoroughly.
- The oil level must not be above range
G)
-danger of converter or engine damage!
Contact an a uthorized dea lership to draw
off o il, if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use of o il
addit ives. They may damage the engine
and adve rsely affect you r New Vehicle
War ranty .
@i For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the oil come
i n contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN·
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine comport·
menton page 178 .
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . T his is very important
because the l ubricating prope rties of oil di­
minish gradua lly dur ing no rmal veh icle use .
Under some circumstances the engine o il
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
tances , ope rate the vehicle in dusty areas or
u nder predominantly stop -and-go t raffi c con­
d itions, or have your veh icle w here tempe ra ­
tures rema in below free zin g fo r ex tended pe­
riods .
D ete rge nt add it ives in the o il w ill ma ke fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing fo r a shor t time. This is no rm al and is not a
reason to change t he oil more often than
recommended.
B ecau se of the p rob lem of p roper dispos al,
along wi th the specia l tools and necessa ry ex ­
pert ise req uired, we st rongly recommend tha t
yo u have your oil changed by an a uthorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choo se to change your oil your self ,
please note the fo llowing important info rma ­
tion:
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of pe rsonal in jury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
g ine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possib le.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run·
n ing down your arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one la rge enough to
hold a t least the tota l amount of oi l in
your e ng in e.
- Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it we ll out
of the reach of childre n.
- Continu ous contact wit h used eng ine o il
is harmful to yo ur s kin. Always protec t
your skin by washing oil off tho ro ughly
wit h soap an d wate r.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
o il. These additives can damage your e n·
gin e and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Veh icle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Befo re changi ng your oil, first make s ure
you know where you can prope rly dispose
of t he used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper -
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil,
IJJ,-

wooded areas, into open streams or
down sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
T he engine coolan t performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention .
T he cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed . The coolan t consis ts of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer 's gly ­
col-basedcoolant additive G12 ++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models). This mix­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine 's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises th e boiling point of the
c oolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy . If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, an tifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 ° F ( - 3 5 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant addit ive with
other additives (G12+ or G12) . Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
-
Checkin g and fillin g 185
WARNINGS c:::> .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 178.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold . If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coo lant ad­
ditive G12++ (check the labe l) for your
vehicle . This coolant additive is avai la­
ble at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of ant ifreeze can significantly re­
duce corrosion protection . The result­
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool ­
ant and ser ious eng ine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to yo ur vehicle's engine coolant .
Add ing radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could resu lt 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. 141 E ng ine compart men t: coo lant ex pansion t ank Ill>

Never exceed the m aximum inflati on pres­
s u re li sted on the ti re sidew all for any rea­
son.
Remembe r that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the t ire manufacturer, determines the co rrect
tire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is importan t to check the tire pressure when
t he t ires are cold .
- Read the requ ired ti re pressure from the tire
pressure label located on d river's s ide B-pi l­
l ar .
- T urn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve .
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve .
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold . The
s li ght ly raised p ressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the t ire pressure to the load you a re
ca rrying.
- Re install the valve stem cap on the valve .
When should I ch eck the ti re pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before start ing a journey .
When should I ad just th e tir e pre ss ures?
Ad just the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying . After changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition, you must then in it i­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres ­
sure mon itor ing system
q page 212 .
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or unde rinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of cont ro l, col lision, ser ious persona l inju ry
or even death.
- When the warning symbo l
[D] appears in
the instrument cl uster, stop and inspect
the tires.
- Incor rect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wear and
Tire s an d wheel s 201
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, caus ing loss of veh icle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values are locat­ ed on a sticker on the dr iver's s ide B-pil ­
lar .
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressure, the t ire p res­
sure mon itor ing system can work cor­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire p ressu re va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the drive r
observe the spec ified t ire p ress ure val ues
for the t ires and the correct pressures for
the function of the tire press ure monito r­
ing system.
-A lways inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinf lated tires bend
mo re, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/over loading can
cause heat b uild-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire p ressu re and add
a ir as requ ired.
(D Note
Driving w it h out valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all whee ls are secu rely
mounted o n the valve. .,.
•
•