2012 AUDI A5 COUPE check engine

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 ...,
•
•

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>
•
•

-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.
•
•

250 Checking and filling
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fig. 208 Engine compartme nt: Connectors for charger
and jumper cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
c:> A and c:> A in Working on the battery on
page 248 .
.,. Turn off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers.
> Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery .
> Open the engine hood r:::.> page 237 .
> Open the red cover on the posit ive pole
<::.>fig . 208.
> Connect the charger connectors according
to the instructions to the
jump start bolts.
(Bolts under the red cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head= "negative") .
> Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
iton
c:> &_ .
.,. Make sure the charging rate is not over
30 amps/14.8 Volt.
> When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipm ent off and
remove the
mains lead from the wall outlet.
> Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
.,. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
> Close the hood c:> page 23 7.
A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempting to charge it
c:> .&. However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat- tery casing can
be cracked due to ice forma ­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps/14.8 Volt)
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle charger), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected first. The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery.
It i s not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14 .8 Volts)
For technical reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
-----=--
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu­
facturer when charging your battery.
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were fro­
zen. The battery hous ing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec­
trica l spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion,
never
connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent technician with the proper equip­
ment.
- Battery acid that may spill during charg­
ing should be washed off with a solut ion
of warm water and baking soda to neu-
tralize the acid. ....
L..__ _____________ _J ...

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 .

A WARNING ,~ -
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold­
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the inflatable spare tire,
make sure that you replace the flat tire/
wheel in its storage area properly and
tighten the knurled retaining screw se­
curely.
0 Note
If you are changing the wheel on a steep
incline, use a rock or similar object to
block the opposite wheel to prevent the
vehicle from moving.
(D Tips
Obey all laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these ­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover* or
the
wheel bolt caps* . For more details see
What do I do now? 275
also ~ page 2 76, Decorative wheel cov­
ers
or ¢ page 2 76, Wheels with wheel
bolt caps.
2. Loosen the wheel bolts ¢ page 276.
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢page 277 .
4.
Lift the car with the jack ¢ page 2 77.
5. Remove the
wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
spare tire ¢page 278.
6. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
7.
Lower the vehicle with the jack.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts in a crisscross pat­
tern ¢
page 2 76.
9. Replace the
decorative wheel cover* or
the
wheel bolt caps* .
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information ~.&.
in Raising the vehicle on
page
277 and ¢page 279.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
"' Store and secure the wheel you replaced in
the spare wheel well.
"' Replace the tools and the jack in their prop­
er location.
"' Check the
tire pressure of the spare tire as
soon as possible.
"' As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor­
que is 90 ft lbs. (120 Nm).
"' Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi­
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tightening torque .
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked. •
•

284 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to perform these operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary , the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumper cables to start the en­
gine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently
large cross section to carry the starter current
safely. Refer to the manufacturer's specifica­
ti ons.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
nal clamps which are distinctly marked :
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus (-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
injury. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shield your eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible. -
A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just below
32 °F (0 °(). Before
connecting a jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery completely, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to
start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es . Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries .
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with
a low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of different voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an explosion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an explosion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
page 230, Engine com­
partment.
@ Note
- Applying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
control units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,.