18 0 Che cking and filling
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
•
Fig. 137 Typ ica l layout fo r containers and eng ine oil filler cap
(D Coolant expansion tank (-L) 185
@ Eng ine o il dipstick (o range) 183
@ Engine oi l filler cap ('1:::r.) . . . . . 183
@ Brake fluid reservoir((();) . . . . . 187
® Jump start points(+) under a
cover,(-) bolt head . . . . . . . . . . 232
® Windshield/headlight washer
t . (
;;p, ) con ainer ,-!,, •••.•••. •.• •• . 192
The position of the engine o il dipstick and the
engine o il filling hole
r::> fig . 137 (items @and
@) can differ depending on the engine de
sign .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
c::> .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 178.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
T he eng ine in your Aud i is a soph ist icated
powerplant that was built to exact ing spec ifi
cat ions . T his engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly . Choosing the right o il
and changing oil within the time and mileage
intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a spec ia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that you r vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication i t needs fo r proper opera
t io n.
Modern engine lubr ication has taken a quan
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthet ic
1J.
oils available today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional petrole
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthetic or petroleumbased engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for
mation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
" sludge," that over t ime can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of printing, engine oils available in the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils . This does not mean,
however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful de posits use only oil with the following specifi
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW S02 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica
tion singly or in combination with other desig
nations and oil quality standards .
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their vis
cosity . The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasonal con
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem
perature ranges for normal driving conditions.
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not available, you can also use viscos
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil quali ty standard VW 502 00
specifications .
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart (liter) of oil that expressly conforms to the
Checking and filling 181
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 specifications is available - may
you top
off with a high quality engine oil, pref
erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3,
ACEA AS or ACEA BS or AP! SL specifications,
but even then, only in viscosity grades SA E
SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE OW-40 . However,
during the entire time between oil change in
tervals , never top
off with more than a total
of 0 .5 qt/liter engine oil that does not con
form to Audi oil specification VW 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your autho rized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa .com or
www.audicanada.ca . Here you will also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author
ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
•
•
182 Checking and filling
Deterge nt additives in the o il wi ll make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
n ing for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
D am ag e o r m alfun ction s due to lack of
m ainten ance
It is essent ial that yo u change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Yo ur Limited New Veh icle War
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to failure to follow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty& Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage un less you p resen t to
the dea ler proof in the form of Servi ce or Re
pa ir Orde rs that all schedu led maintenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports.
I n o rder to prov ide effective lubr ication and
cooling of internal engine components, a ll in
ternal comb ustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oi l consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the eng ine . Typically, eng ines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
c::;, page 157) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con
sumpt io n depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road cond it io ns. Furthe r fac
tors are the amo unt of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is s ubject to
wear as mileage bui lds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over t ime until replacement
of worn components may become necessary. Wi
th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tab lished or spec ified. There is no alte rnative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instr ument cluster
m lights up, yo u
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
with the oil dipstick c::;, page 183. Top off the
o il at your earliest conve nience
c::;, page 183 .
A WARNING
-Before you chec k anything in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS
c::;, .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 178.
CI) Note
D riving with an insufficient o il level is like
l y to cause sever e damage to the engine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
re ly on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at r egular interval s, pr ef
erably e ach time you refu el, and always
before going on a long trip.
- If you have the impressio n yo ur engine
cons umes ex cessive amoun ts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Aud i
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of o il con
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime . Your Audi dea ler has in
struct ions about how to measure oil con
sumption acc urately.
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 138 Illust rat ion of principle 1: Ma rkers on o il dip
st ick
F ig . 13 9 Illust rat io n of principle 2: Markers o n oil dip·
st ic k
Before you check anything in the engi ne com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 178.
Determining oil level
• Park your vehicle so that it is horizonta lly
level.
• While at operating state temperature, brief
ly let the engine run at id le and then shut it
off .
• Wait approx. two minutes.
• Pullout the oil dipstick. Wipe off the oil d ip
st ick with a clea n cloth, and slide it back in
as fa r as it will go.
• Pu ll it bac k ou t and read o ff th e oil level
¢ fig. 138 or ¢fig. 139. Top off the engine
oi l, if app lica ble
¢ page 183.
Oil level within range~
• Do not add o il.
Oil level within range@
• You can add oil. Afterwards, the o il level
shou ld be w it hi n range
G) .
Checking and filling 183
Oil level within range 0
• Yo u must add oil. Af terwards, the oil leve l
should be wi thin range
G) .
The oil leve l needs to be checked at regu lar in
terva ls. The best t ime s to do th is are w henev
er yo u ref uel and p rior to long trips.
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and t he ope rat ing cond it ions, oi l consumption
c a n be up to 1/ 2 quart per 6 00 miles (0. 5 liter
per 1,000 km) . Cons umption m ay be highe r
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) .
Adding engine oil~
Fig . 140 Engine compa rtment: Oil fil ler cap locatio n
Before you che ck anyth ing in the eng ine com
par tmen t,
alway s read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compar t
ment on page 178.
• Unscrew the cap 'l:::r: to the eng ine o il filling
hole ¢
fig. 140.
• Car efu lly top off with t he appropr iate oil in
0.5 li ter doses .
• Check the oil level again after two mi nutes
¢page 183.
• Top off the o il aga in, if necessary.
• Screw the cap bac k on the filling hole and •
slide the oil dipstick in as far as it w ill go.
A WARNING
- W hile topping off, th e oil m ust not come
i n contact with hot e ngine parts -fi re
h az ard!
- The oi l filler cap mus t be p roperly se
cured to p reven t oil from being sp rayed
on the hot engine and exhaus t system
when the engine is running -fire h azard!
~
248 Index
Dipstick
Reading the dipstick prop erly ..... .. . 183
Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Driver information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Dr iver info rmation system
M enu button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
M enu display .............. .. .... .. 21
Open door or front lid warning .. .... .. 19
Outside temperature display .. .. .. .... 19
Red symbols ....................... 29
Service interval d isplay ......... ..... 24
Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Sound system display ..... .. .. .. .. . . 19
Trip computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
ye llow symbo ls ........... .... .... .. 29
Driver seat
refer to Seat ing pos ition ........ ..... 99
Driving Run-flat tires ............ .. .. .... . 216
Driving saf ely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Driving through water ....... .... .... 158
Duplicate key .............. ... .... .. 35
Dust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
E
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Fu el economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Memory levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Other equipmen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Elapsed time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Electro-mechanical power assist . . . 18, 153
El ect ronic different ial lock (EDL)
How the system works ..... .. .. .. .. . 149
Warning/indicator lights ....... .... .. 17
E lect ronic immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 36
Electronic power control
EPC warning/indicator light .. .. .. .... 14
El ect ronic speed limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Electronic Stability Program ...... .... 148
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) Warning/indicator lights ... .. .. .... .. 15
Emergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Warning/indicator lights ....... .... . . 15
Emer gency locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Emergency
operation
Convertible top .. .................. 49
Rear lid ... .. .. .. .. .............. .. 42
Emergency starting ............. .. .. 231
Emergency towing . ................ . 233
Energy management ................ 155
Battery power ... ................. 156
Driver notification ................. 156
Engine Check ing and filling locations ..... ... 180
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Hood ......... .. .. .............. . 178
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, 81
Starting with jumper cables ..... .... 231
Stopping .. .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 82
Eng ine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Safety instructions ................ . 178
Working in the engine compartment 178
Engine coolant system
Malfunction ... .. .................. 31
Radiator fan ..... ................. 187
T em perature gauge ............ .... . 11
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Adding coolant . .. ............. .. .. 186
Checking the engine coolant level ... .. 185
Engine data ..... ................... 239
Engine hood Closing ... .... ................... 178
How to release the hood ............ 178
Engin e oil . ..... .. .. .............. . 180
Adding ....... .. ............. .... 183
Additives . ..... .. .. .............. . 183
Changing . .... .. ............. .... 184
Checking the engine oil level ..... .... 183
Indications and conditions requiring ex-
tra checking ..... ................ . 183
Oil consumpt io n .. .. ..... ........ .. 182
Oil grades . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 180
Recommended oil check intervals ... .. 183
Specification and viscosity ........... 180
Engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Engine oil pressure (malfunction) ... ... . 31
Engine oil sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Engine speed limitation .............. . 33
Environm ent
Break-in period ... ............. .... 157
Catalytic converter ................ . 158