2011 AUDI TT ROADSTER radiator

than 3 seconds and faster than 3 mph (5 km/
h).
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
9 page 172, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the engine hood and check­ ing the brake flu id .
- Driv ing with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard! Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- If the brake system warn ing/ indicator
light illuminates together with the ABS
warning/ind icator light, t hen the ABS
system is malfunct ion ing . The rear
wheels co uld qu ickly lock up when yo u
apply the brakes. This could lead to loss
o f control and your vehi cle could slide!
Drive carefu lly to the nearest a uthorized
Audi dealer and have the ma lfunction
corrected.
_ L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
When the . symbol in the d isp lay flashes,
then either the eng ine coolan t
temperature is
too high, or the coo lant
level is too low. In ad­
dition to the symbol, the fo llowing message
also appears in the display:
Swit ch off engine and check coolant level
"'Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
"'T urn off t he engine.
"' Check coolant leve l
9page 185.
"'Add coolant if ne cessary¢ page 186.
"' Contin ue driving only after the eng ine cool -
ant warn ing/indicato r light goes o ut.
"' Contact your authorized Audi dea ler for as-
s istance if necessary.
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be the cause of the malf unc­
tion .
If the generator wa rning/ind icator light
should also illuminate ¢
page 16, then the
fan belt may be damaged.
Dr iver in formati on sys tem 3 1
A WARNING
-If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, tu rn
off the eng in e and tu rn on the haza rd
warn ing ligh ts ¢
page 56, Emergen cy
flasher ~-
-
-Never ope n the hood if you see o r hear
s team or coola nt es caping from the en ­
gi ne compartmen t -you ris k being sc ald ­
ed . Wait unt il yo u can no longer see o r
hea r steam o r coolant escap ing.
- T he engine compa rtment o f any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Be fore you perform
a ny work i n the engine compartment,
turn off the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow t he warn ing stickers
9 page 172,
Engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not continue driv ing if the . sym bol
ill uminates. There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
~ Engine oil pr essure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair.
If the . symbo l appears in the disp lay and
flashes, the o il pressure is too low . In add ition
to the symbol, the following message a lso ap­
pears in the display:
Switch off engine and check oil le vel
"' Pull off the road an d stop the ve hicle.
"' Shu t the eng ine down.
"' Check the engine oil level¢
page 183 .
"'Contact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
Engine oil level too low
I f the engine oil leve l is too low , top off oil to
the p roper level
¢ page 183. .,.

82 On the road
@ For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary e ngine wea r and to
reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
veh icle stand and warm up. Be ready to
drive off immediately after start ing your
veh icle . Maintain moderate speed until the
engine is comp letely warm . Remember,
the engine performs best at operating
temperature .
Stopping the engine
• Turn the ig nition key to position ©
<=> page 80, fig. 90.
&_ WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine unti l th e vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotronic on ly
work when the engine is running . With
the ignition turned off, yo u have to apply
more force when steering or braking.
S ince you cannot steer and stop norma l­
ly, this can lead to accidents and ser ious
injuries .
-The radiator fan can continue to run for up to 10 min utes eve n after yo u have
turned off the eng ine and rem oved the
ign iti on key. The r ad iator fa n can also
t u rn on again if th e e ngine coola nt hea ts
up because of inte nse sunlight or hea t
build -up in t he engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not stop the engi ne immed iate ly afte r
hard or extended driving . K eep the eng ine
r u nning for app rox imately two minu tes to
prevent e xcessive heat build-up .
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set , it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally .
Fig. 9 1 Ce nte r co nso le: P ark ing b rak e s et
Setting the parking brake
• Pull the pa rking brake leve r all the way up.
Releasing the parking brake
• Pull the p arking brake lever up slight ly and
press the release button at the same time
<=> fig. 91 -arrow- .
• Keep the re lease button p ressed and lower
the par kin g brake <=>.&, .
If you should drive off with the parking brake
still set, a warning tone will sound and the
fol low ing will appear in the instrument clus­
te r to rem ind you to re lease the par kin g
brake:
Parking brake set
The parking brake war ning comes on only af­
ter you have dr iven for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than S mph (5 km/h) .
The parking brake warning light -
( U SA)/ . (CON) illuminates when the park­
ing brake is set and you switch on the igni tion .
&_ WARNING
Always re lease the park ing b rake com -
plete ly. A part ially engaged brake w ill
overheat the rea r brakes, reduce their ef­
fe ctive ne ss and cau se excessive wea r. This
could lead to brake f ailur e and an accident. .,..

you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­sion treatment is a lmost always removed as
wel l. It is therefore essential to have a long­
lasting corrosion protection reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before working in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the informat io n
c::.>page 172.
- Before reaching into the front plenum
pane l, always remove the ignition key.
O therw ise, the windshield wipe r system
cou ld unintentiona lly be switched on,
poss ibly causing pe rsonal injury from the
moving wiper linkage .
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan
is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly- even when the ign it ion is
off.
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine w ith
the engine running. Moving or hot parts cou ld injure you .
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­ sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts w ithout protecting your
hands and arms. You may cut yourse lf on
sharp-edged metal parts .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c::.> page 162.
Cleaning and protec tion 173
•
•

-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever 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
compartment. Wa it until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant 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 electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury 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 to "P" (Park).
Checking and filling 179
-Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and wear no clothing that will
hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards
9 .&, .
&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc ­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­
ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer. •
•

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>

186 Checking and filling
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys r ea d and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine
comportment on page 178.
• Switch the ignition off .
• Read the coo lant level at the coolant expan­
s ion tank ¢
fig. 141 . With a co ld engine, it
must be above the "min" mark. W ith a hot
engine, it can be a little above the indicated
range.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration .
To obtain an accurate reading , the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto- Check System ¢
page 31 will
blink until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to no rma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sen sor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized A udi 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.
@ Note
Do not add any type of ra diator leak seal­
ant to yo ur vehicle's eng ine coolant. Add ­
ing radiator repair f luid may adversely af­
fect the function 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 anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 178 .
•Turnoff the engine.
• Let the eng ine cool down.
• Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 185, fig . 141 and carefully
tw ist the cap counter-clockwise ¢&_ .
• Add coolant.
• Twis t the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
¢ page 185, Coolant.
E ven in a n emerge ncy, if coo lant addi -
t ive G1 2++, G12+ or G12 is not ava ilable , do
not use a d ifferen t addit ive. Use plain water
instead unti l you can get the cor rect additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have los t a considerab le amo unt o f
coolant , then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo la nt whe n refilling .
Do not fill coola nt above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coo la nt wi ll be fo rced o ut through the
pressure relief valve in t he cap w hen the en­
gine becomes hot.
,&. WARNING ~ -
- T he cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by followi ng
these steps.
- T urn
off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect you r face, hands and a rms from
esca ping fluid and steam by covering
the cap w ith a large, t hick rag.
- T urn the cap slowly a nd ve ry carefully
in a counter-clo ckwise direction while
applying light, downward pres sure on
the top o f the cap.

-To avoid being burned, do not sp ill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­ tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
g ine coolant can catc h fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its or iginal co ntaine r and well
o ut of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly ma rked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and
could cause a n engine fire. Excess cool­
ant wi ll be forced out through the pres­
su re re lief va lve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the cor rect ratio be tw een wate r
and antifreeze
¢page 185 must be re­
store d as soon as possib le.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant s hould no t be reused. Al­
ways dispose of use d coolan t w hile obse rv ­
ing all envir onmental reg ulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
i tself
The electric radiator fan is contro lled by ther­
moswitches that switch on and off depend ing
on coolant and eng ine compa rtment tempera­
tures.
An aux iliary electr ic radiator fa n* switches on
and off depen ding on coolant t emperature
and other ve hicl e operation conditions.
After you switch t he engine off, the a uxiliary
fan ca n cont inue runn ing fo r up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off .
It can even sw itch
on agai n later by i tself
c::> &., , if
- the temperature of the eng ine coolant rises
due to the heat bui ld-up from the eng ine in
t h e engine compartment, o r
Checking and fillin g 187
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parke d in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of persona l in ju ry nev­
er touch the radiator fan .
- The a uxiliary electric fan is tempe rat ure
contro lled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certa in temperature and w ill
continu e to run until the coo lant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
T he brake fluid level can be checked wi th a
qui ck gl ance.
Fi g. 142 Engin e compart ment : brake flu id reservoir
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
alw ays read and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 178 .
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c::> fig. 142. The brake fluid
level must be between the "MIN" and
"MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located behind the
rear partition of the engine compartment on
the left side
c::> page 180.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
IJ1'-

24 2 Con sum er Inf orm ation
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Als o, sa fe ty a nd en vir onm ent al con­
cerns p lace very strict limits on the nature of
repairs and adjustments to engine and trans­
miss ion parts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing dev ices and oth­
er equipment available to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure proper pe rformance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and re­ pa irs can impair the operation and reliab ility
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­
ranty. Therefore , proof of servic ing in accord­
ance w ith the ma intenance schedule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible warranty
claim made within the warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely
affected, c reating unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers .
If in doubt about any se rv icing, have it done
by your author ized Audi dealer or any other
p roperly equipped and qualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give yo ur a utho rized
Aud i dealer the opportunity to perfo rm all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs .
Your dea ler has the facilities, original parts
and trained spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing limit ed ma int enance your self
The following pages describe a limited num­
ber of proced ures which can be performed on
your ve hicle with ordinary too ls, shou ld the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
ble. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cable text and carefully follow the instruc ­
tions given . Always rigorously observe the
WARNINGS p rovided.
Before you chec k anything in th e eng ine
co mpartm ent , alway s re ad and h eed all
WA RNINGS
c::> .&. and c::> .&. in Working in the
engine compartment on page 178.
_& WARNING
- Ser ious personal injury may occur as a re­
sult of improperly performed mainte­
nance, adjustments or repa irs .
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle . Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense. Never r is k personal
inju ry.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance ,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fu lly fam iliar
with these or other procedures with re ­
spect to the vehicle, or are uncertain how
to proceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper
too ls and equipment. Have the necessa ry
work done by your author ized A udi deal­
er or another proper ly equipped and
qualified workshop.
- The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. It is temperature controlled and can sw itch on suddenly -
even when the engine is off and the igni­
tion key has been removed. The rad iator
fan switches on automa tical ly when the
coo lant reaches a certain temperature
and will continue to run until the coo lant
temperature drops .
- Always remove the ign ition key before
anyone gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work under­
neath the vehicle. The jack supplied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pur­ pose and cou ld collapse causing serious
personal injury.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle with the wheels on the ground, always
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels a re a lways secure ly
b locked and that the engine cannot be
started.