2012 AUDI A5 COUPE oil

Checking and filling 239
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 203 Typical layout for contain ers and engine oil filler cap
(D Jump start point( +) under a cov -
er .. .. .. .. .............. .. 250, 285
@ Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) . . . . . 246
@ Eng ine oil filler cap ("t=:?1) . . . . . 242
@ Coolant expansion tank (J-) . . . 244
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw ..... .......... ..
250, 285
® Windshield/headlight* washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
(j) Power steering reservoir . . . . . . 209
The position of the engine oil filling hole
¢ fig. 203 (item @) can differ depending on
the eng ine design .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 237.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil .
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
power plant that was bu ilt to exacting specifi­
cations . This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the right oil
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 specia l quality standard for engi ne oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera-
tion. .,..

24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable 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 petroleum ­
based 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
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge ", that ove r time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of print ing , engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
a re 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 format ion of harmful de ­
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing specifi­
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il container labe ls may carry the specif ica ­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Visco sity
Engine oils are graded accord ing to their vis­
cosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E 5W40 across all tem ­
pe ratu re ranges for normal driving conditions .
However, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SA E
5W40 is not available, you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE 5W -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specif ications .
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 (
li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 specification , in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available - may you top
off
with a high quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, tha t mee ts ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then , only in v iscosity
grades SAE 5W-40 , SAE 5W-30, or SAE
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween oil change inte rva ls , never top
off with
more than a total of 0.5 q t/ liter engine o il
t h at does not con form to Audi oi l specification
vw 502 00.
For more informa tion about eng ine oi l that
has been approved for your veh icle, please
contact e ither your authorized Aud i dealer or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names e tc.) tha t conform to Audi oil s tandard
vw 502 00 .
Changing the engine oil
The eng ine oi l and oil fi lter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your ve hicle'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 .
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­ ing proper ties of oil decrease gradually during
normal veh icle 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 frequent ly .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly unde r stop-and-go t raff ic con-
ditions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..

temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies wi th A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Yo ur Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re­
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
wa s pe rformed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle dep ends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to provide effective l ubrication and
cool ing of i nternal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a cert ain
amo unt of o il. Oil cons umption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in per iod (see
c::;, page 213) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the amb ient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac­
tors ar e the amount 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 ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 241
wear as m ileage builds up, the oil consump ­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es ­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
Ill in the instrument cluster lights up, yo u
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
c::;, page 242. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
c::;, page 242.
A WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n the engi ne
compartment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS
c::;, .&. in Working in th e engine
c ompartment on page 23
7.
(D Note
D riving w ith a n insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause sever e damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regu lar intervals , pref­
erably each time you refuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression yo ur engi ne
c ons umes ex ce ssive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consul t an a uthor­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly d iagnosed. Keep in
mind that the accurate measu rement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some t ime. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil co nsumption accurately.
-
•
•

242 Checking and filling
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 204 MMI Display: O il leve l indicator
Read oil level
• Park your vehicle so that it is horizontally
level.
• Shut the engine off when it is at operat ing
temperature.
~ Switch only the ignition back on.
• Wait approx. two minutes.
• Se lect: Function button
,.., IC ,_..,A ,..,R,..., I > Oil level.
• Read the oil leve l in the MMI* Display
¢ fig. 204. Add eng ine oi l if the bar of the
o il level indicator is near "Min" ¢
page 242
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
can be up to a 1/2 quart per 600 mi les (0.5 li­
ter per 1,000 km) . Consumption may be high­
er within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI* Display
is only an information display. If the oil
level is too low, a min imum oil warning ap­
pears in the instrument cluster. Add oil
¢
page 242. If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluster the next time the ignition is
switched on.
~ Adding engine oil
Fig. 205 E ngin e compart ment: O il filler cap locatio n
• Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page
23 7 .
• Unscrew the cap 'l=;r: to the eng ine oi l filling
hole
¢ fig. 205.
• Carefully top off with the appropriate oil in
0.5 liter doses .
• Check the oil level again after two minutes
¢page 242.
• Top off the oil again, if necessary.
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole.
A WARNING ~
-Wh ile topping off, the o il must not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
- The oil filler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine o il, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
-Check the oil level using the radio or
MMI*. If the message
Please reduce oil
level
appears, contact your authorized
Audi deale r or other qualified workshop
to have excess oil extrac ted if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.

@ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circ umstances can the oil come
i n contact w ith the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We r ecommend that hove your oil changed by
on authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you check anything i n the engine com­
pa rtment,
alwa ys read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:> &. in Working in the engine comport­
men t on page 237.
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 proper ties of oil di­
minish gradua lly dur ing no rmal veh icle use.
Under some circ umstances the engine o il
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if yo u drive most ly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and -go traff ic con ­
d itions, or have your ve hicle where tempera­
tures remain below free zing fo r extended pe­
ri ods.
Detergent addi tives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing fo r a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often tha n
recommen ded.
Because of the problem of prope r disposal,
a long w ith the special tools and necessary ex­
p e rti se require d, we strong ly recommend tha t
you have you r o il change d by an author ized
Audi dealer or a q ualified service sta tion.
If you choo se to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following importa nt informa ­
tion :
Checkin g and fillin g 243
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal inj ury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect io n.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gi ne oil, let the engi ne cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in p lug with
your fi ngers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep you r fo rearm parallel to the
grou nd to help p revent hot o il from run­
ning down yo ur arm.
- Dra in the oil into a containe r designed
for this purpose, one la rge enough to
hold at least the tota l am ou nt of oi l in
your eng ine .
- E ngine oil is poisonous . Keep it we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Con tinuous contact wit h used eng ine o il
is harmful to yo ur ski n. A lways p rote ct
your skin by w ashing oil off tho ro ughly
wit h soap and wate r.
@ Note
N eve r mix oil addi tiv es with yo ur engine
oi l. These additives can damage your e n­
g ine and adver se ly affec t yo u r A udi L imit­
ed New Veh icle Warran ty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- B efore changi ng your oil, first make su re
yo u k now where yo u can prope rly dispose
o f t he used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine o il proper ­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed are as, into open streams o r down
sewage drains .
- Re cy cl e used engine oil by taking i t to a
used engi ne oil col lect ion facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
•
•

244 Checking and filling
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant 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 .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­ tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-basedcoolant additive G12++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion add itives (SO% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix­
ture bo th assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's coo ling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
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 vehi ­
cle heating and engine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- - 31°F (- 35 °C) USA
- -40°F ( - 40°C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant additive 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
WARNINGS ¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 237.
(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 especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a reg ion where the win ­
ter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ (check the label) for your
vehicle . This coolant additive is availa­
b le at authorized Audi dealers . Other
types of antifreeze can significant ly re­
duce corrosion protection. The result­
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool­
ant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repair fluid may adverse ­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and cou ld 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. 206 E ngin e compart men t: Coo lant expans ion tank
.,. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 23
7.
.,. Turn off the ignition .
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the
coo lant expansion tank¢
fig. 206. With a
cold engine, the coolant level should be be-
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings . ..,..

When the engine is warm, the level may be
slightly above the
"MAX" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration ¢ page 239.
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
31 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level 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 Audi 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.
& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing 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 ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­ freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
Checking and filling 245
@ Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid 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 anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ & in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 23
7.
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢ page
244, fig . 206 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise ¢
&_.
.,. Add coolant.
.. Twist the cap on again tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢ page
244, Coolant.
Even in an emergency, if coolant addi-
tive G12++, G12+ or G12 is
not available, do
not use a different additive. Use plain water
instead until you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio. This should
be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ...,
•
•

260 Tire s and wheel s
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to c heck t he tire pressure a nd add
air as required.
Driving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secure ly
mounted on the valve .
@I For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is ove rloaded w ill not ha ndle
well and is more difficult to stop. Over load ing
can no t on ly lead to loss of vehi cle contro l,
but can also damage important pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudd en deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are techn ically referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle W eight Rat ing
(" GVWR ").
T he "GVWR" incl udes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all f actory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load . T he maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is in tended to carry ("seating capacity") with a n
assumed weig ht of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for e ach
passenger at a des igna ted seat ing pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve ­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
tra iler hitch and the tong ue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
ve hicle load . T
he
Gro ss Axle We ight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weigh t Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located either
on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on the ins ide of
the fuel fi ller flap . Audi has
4 seating pos i­
t ions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for to tal
seat ing capac ity of 4 . Each seating position
has a seat belt ¢
page 154, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle 's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­ ried in the vehicle ( includ ing t he weight of a
t railer hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra ile r) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers w ho are
heavier tha n t he standard we ights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug ­
gage.
T he tire pressure label o n your Aud i also lis ts
the max imum combi ned weight of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
t h e vehicle can carry. Fo r the location of the
label ¢
page 256 , fig. 210.
A WARNING
-Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve-
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death .
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The b rakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be abl e to stop the
veh icle w it hi n a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s udden ly, incl uding a blowo ut
a nd sud den defla tion, causing loss of
con trol an d a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
i n g tr anspor ted - incl ud ing t he weight o f
a trailer hitch and the tongue we igh t of a
~