2012 AUDI A5 COUPE warning light

246 Checking and filling
sca lding 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 flu id and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying lig ht, downwa rd pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts . Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
gine coolant can catch f ire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous . Always store an­
tifreeze in its or iginal container and we ll
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clear ly marked "poison".
@ Note
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire . Excess coo l­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze
c::> page 244 must be re­
stored as soon as possible .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­
ing all environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
T he radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-belt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the
coolant. An auxiliary electric
radiator fan* switches on
and off depend ing on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ing condit ions .
After yo u sw itch the engine off, the auxiliary
f an can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignit ion off. It can even switch
on again later by itself
c::> &., if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in i ntense sunlight.
_& WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops .
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fig. 207 E ngin e compart men t: B rak e fluid rese rvoir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> A in Working in the engine compart-
ment on p~e 237.
~

~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 207. The brake fluid
level must be between the "MIN" and
"MAX" markings .
The brake f luid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the
l eft side ¢
page 239 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake fluid level falls considerably be­
l ow the "M IN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi ­
cator light (U .S . mode ls: . , Canadian
models: . will come on
¢page 18 and
¢
page 30. Do not continue to operate the ve­
h icle. The complete brake system shou ld be
thoroughly checked by an authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake fluid level is too low,
the brake warning/ind icator light will illum i­
nate. Contact an autho rized Aud i deale r
im­
mediately .
(D Tips
The brake f luid rese rvoir is located unde r­
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moistu re from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
hi gh, cor rosion in the b rake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo ili ng po int of the
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerab ly and
decrease b raking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ver y two year s. Always use new b ra ke fluid
which confo rms to Federal Motor Vehicle
S tandard "FMVSS 1 16 DOT 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r can be difficult to
reac h, therefo re , we recommend that yo u
h ave the br ake fl uid changed by yo ur autho r­
ized
Audi dealer . Your deale r has the co rrect
Checkin g and fillin g 247
tools, the right brake fl uid and t he know -how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
-Brake fl uid is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed or iginal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can res ult from o ld or inap­
propriate brake f lu id. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only b rake fluid th at mee ts SA E
spe cificat ion
J 17 03 and conforms to
Fe dera l Mo to r Ve hicl e Standard 1 16.
Always check with yo ur authorized Au di
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The cor rect type of
brake f luid is also ind icated on t he
brake f luid reservoir .
- The bra ke fl uid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes ca n cause a vapor lock if
the b rake fluid is left i n the system too
long. This can se riously affect the effi­
c iency of the b rakes as well as your
safety , T his could result in an accide nt.
(!) Note
Brake fluid will damage the pai nt of your
vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired an d the nec essary expertise, w e
r ecomme nd that yo u have th e brake flu id
c hanged by yo ur aut ho rize d Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
U nder normal oper ating cond itions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance . With
high outside temperat ures or
lo ng da ily drives we recommend that you have
t h e e lectrolyte leve l che cked by an autho riz ed
A udi de aler or qu alified workshop. The elec­
tro lyte leve l should also be checked e ach time
the battery is charged
¢ page 250 . 1J1>
•
•

248 Checking and filling
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service. Yo u are well advised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec ­
trica l system for safety reasons ¢
& in Re­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 176.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle func tions (power w indow regu­
l a tors, for example) are los t if the bat tery ter ­
minals a re disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals a re
connected agai n. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrical system whe n absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­ n ents are gradually cut back o r switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main ­
tains starting capab il ity over a longer period
¢ pag e 211.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustm ent. The conven ience
f u nctions w ill be ava ilable again when you
turn on the igni tion and st art the eng ine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as tempe rat ures d rop . This
i s becaus e more powe r is also consumed while
start ing , a nd the headligh ts, rea r window de­
f o gger, etc., are used more o ften .
Avoid unnec essary power consumption, par­
ticular ly in c ity traffic or w hen t rave ling o nly
short d istances. Let you r auth o riz ed Audi
d ea le r che ck t he cap acity of the ve hicl e bat­
tery be fore w inte r se ts in
¢ page 250. A we ll
cha rged batte ry w ill not only prevent sta rting
p ro bl ems when the weathe r is cold, but wi ll
a ls o l ast longer.
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left stan ding for seve ral
weeks at e xtremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery sho uld be removed and
st ored w here it w ill n ot freeze . This will
p revent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replace d.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart ­
ment under the floo r. Befo re you check any­
t hi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,& .
Always heed t he safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle battery or the vehicle e lec­
t rical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM­BOLS and safety precautions when working on the battery .
@) Always wear eye protection .
b.. Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al­
~ ways wear gloves and eye protection .
~ No
\!!51 -sparks
-flames
-smoking.
A. When a battery is charged, it produces
&£:,. hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
~ Always keep the battery well out of
V:!JI reach of children.
_& WARNING
Wh eneve r workin g on th e ba ttery o r o n
the elec trical system, there is t he ris k of
in jury, accident and even fi re . Read and
h eed the followin g WAR NINGS:
-

-Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes .
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables .
= When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec­
trical system, switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip ­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected . If you are just go­
ing 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! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
Checking and filling 249
-When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable . Never inter ­
change 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 dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32°F
(QOC),
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery.
&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- 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 problems. Wash hands after han­ dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
•
•

CD Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the electri­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
c::, page 211. The intelligent energy manage­
ment system w ill keep the engine battery
charged bette r then ve hicles w ithout this sys­
tem. To ma ke sure t he addi tional e lectrical en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you
install batteries of the same type and man u­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery housing. Your
author ized Audi dealer must code the battery
i n the energy management system to enable
you to use the energy management functions
correctly after replac ing the bat tery .
If it is not possible to use a battery of this
type, the new battery must have the same ca­ pac ity, voltage (12 volts), amperage, con­
s truction and pl ug seal ing .
When insta lli ng the battery, make sure the ig ­
ni tion and all e lectr ica l cons umers are turned
off.
(0 Note
Ma ke sure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, othe rwis e
fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of a batte ry, we recommend your author­
ize d Au di dealer change th e batte ry for
Checkin g and fillin g 251
you. Batteries contain sul fur ic acid and
l ead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in comp liance with a ll environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dange rous to the envi­
r o nment .
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig . 20 9 En gin e compa rtm ent : W inds hield an d head ­
light• washer fluid co ntai ne r
The was her fluid conta iner is mar ked w ith the
symbol Won its cap.
.., Before you check any thing in the engine
compa rtment,
alwa ys read and heed all
WARNINGS ~ .&_ in Working in the engine
compartment on page 23
7.
.., Lift the fi lle r ca p tongue to add washer flu ­
id. You can fi ll the containe r to t he top .
.., Press the cap back onto t he fi ller neck after
filling the container.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in the table
in
c::> page 292.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
poss ible, use soft wa ter to prevent scaling on
the washer jets . Always ad d a glass cleaner
solution (with frost protection in the winter) .
CD Note
Do not mix engine coola nt antifree ze o r
any other additives to fill up t he wind­
sh ield washer reservoir .

Tires an d wheel s 257
labe l and exact location on the vehicle wi ll
va ry slightly). inside the f
uel fi ller flap) always takes p rece ­
dence.
Note that the f ollowing tab le is accurate at
t he t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label (On USA vehicles, the tire pres­
sure label is located on the dr iver's side B-pil­
lar. On Canada vehicles, the tire pre ssure labe l
is located either on the driver's side B-pillar or T
he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re in flat ion p ressu res for the Audi mode l
cove red by your Owner 's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respect ive models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
( displace-
normal load normal load
ment in li- condition full load condition
full load
ter) (up to 2 oc-condition (up to 2 oc- condition
cupant s) cupants)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
4-cylinder 225 /50 Rl 7 94H All Season
230
33 230
2
.0
245/45 Rl 7 95H All Season 230
245 /40 R18 93H All S eason 33 230 35 240 29 200 35 240
255 /35 R19 96V XL High 32 220 33 230 32 220 33 230 Performance
265 /30 R20 94V XL H igh
Perfo rmance
30 210 33 230 29 200 33 230
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side­
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
located on a label e ither on the driver's side B­
p illar or ins ide the fuel filler flap .
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, a l­
ways compare the tire s ize designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w it h the
tires on your veh icle. Ma ke sure that the tire
size info rmation on the ve hicle label is the
s a me as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires o r you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on mak ing su re that
l oad limits a re not exceeded . Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicle. These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight Rat
ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle We ight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weig ht Rating are listed on the
sa fe ty comp liance sticke r label lo cated e ither
on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on the ins ide of
the fue l filler flap. The tire pressure labe l on
your A udi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occ upants and luggage or
other cargo that the veh icle can carry . For t he
loca tion of the t ire p ressure label¢
fig. 210.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle cont ro l, a c rash or other accide nt, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
1
I
•
•

wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re­
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly .
Tire pressure indicator appears
Appl ies to vehicles: w ith t ire pressure monitoring sys te m
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig . 2 15 Display: underin flati on wa rning
Fig. 216 Disp lay: System malfunction
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
tor ing system compares the t ire tread circum ­
fe rence and vibration characteristics of the in­
d iv idual tires.
If t he pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, th is is indica ted in the instru­
men t clus ter with a
[I] warning symbo l and a
message ¢
fig. 215. The driver message in the
disp lay goes out after 5 seconds . The drive r
message can be d isplayed again by pressing
the
! SET ! button. If only one tire is affected,
the display will indicate its pos ition.
The tire press ure monitoring system must be
reset via radio o r MM! * each time the p res­
sures are adjusted (e.g . when sw itching be­
tween partial and full load pressure) or after
changing or replacing a t ire on your vehicle
<::> page 2 72 . You can find the recommended
Tires and wheels 2 71
tire p ressu res for your vehicle on the label on
drive r's side B-pillar
c!;> page 256 .
Tire tread circumference and vibrat ion charac­
teris tics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- t he t ire p ress ure in one or mo re tires is too
low,
- t he tir e has s tructural damage,
- the t ire pressu re was changed, w heels rotat-
ed or rep laced but the TPMS was not reset
c::>page272 .
Warning symbols
[I] Loss of pressure in at least one tire c::> .&. .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary . T he
[I] indicator l ight in the instru­
ment cluster also illum inates
<::> page 13.
Check/cor rect the p ress ures of all fou r tir es
and reset TPMS via radio o r M MI*.
11@1@1 (Ti re Pressure Monito ring System) Tire
pre ssure! Sy stem ma lfunction .
Ifll@lf:1 appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving
c::> fig . 216 and the [I] indi­
cator light in the instr ument cluster blinks for
approximately one m inute and then stays on,
there is a system malfunction. See your au­
thorized Aud i de aler as soon as possible .
& WARNING ~
- If the tire pressure ind icator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or more of your tires is significant ly unde r­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or b raking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressures . In­
flate the tire pressure to the prope r pres­
sure as indica ted o n the v ehicl e's tire
p ressu re labe l
c::>page 256. Driving on a
sig nifican tly un der- infla te d tire causes
the t ire to ove rheat and can lead to ti re
fa ilu re . Unde r-inflation also is l ikely to
impair the vehicle's hand ling and stop­
ping ability .

What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
F ig . 2 17 Lug gage compar tment: tool kit
When you need access to the veh icle tool kit
or jack*, you will need to take o ut the spare
tire* and cover¢
page 2 73.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Alignment pin for changing the whee l
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- T ool for chang ing light bulbs
- Reversible bit (reve rsible Torx bit for chang-
ing light b ulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Some o f the ve hicle items listed above are
p rov ided o n certain models on ly or are opt ion­
a l extras.
Before returning the ja ck* to its place, ret ract
the jack a rm fully.
& WARNING
- Never use t he screw driver hex head to
tighten whee l bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tightening tor ­
que if yo u use the hex head, potentially
caus ing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your ve hicle model. Unde r no cir­
c u mstances should it be used to
lift
What do I d o now ? 273
heavy ve hicles o r other loads; yo u risk in­
juring yo urself.
- Never start the engi ne when the vehicle
is raised, which could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle secu re ly wit h app ro­
priate stands if wor k is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a pote ntia l risk for injury .
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)*
App lies to vehicles: wit h space-saving spare tire
The spore tire/wheel is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover. It
is in tended for short -term use only.
Fi g. 2 18 Spa re tire
Removing the spare ti re
.. Lift
th e cargo floo r by the p lastic handle
r:!) fig. 218.
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
.. Turn t he large screw¢
fig. 218 counter­
clockw ise .
.. Take out the spare tire .
.. Unhook the cargo floor befo re clos ing the
re ar l id.
Securing the repl aced tire
.. Place the wheel with tire in the spare wheel
we ll and secure the wheel with the large
screw.
.. Unhook the cargo floor befo re closing t he
re ar lid .
Using the spare tire (compact spare tire)
The compact spa re tire is only i ntended for
emergencies unt il you ca n reach a repa ir shop .
l)JI,