2012 AUDI A5 COUPE coolant level

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Warning light in the instrument cluster
display
If the. warning light in the instrument clus ­
ter disp lay flashes, this can mean one of two
things: either the coolant
t empera ture is too
high, or the coolant
level is too low
¢ page 31.
If the needle is well in the upper area of the
gauge, the coolant temperature is too high.
Stop the vehicle, switch the engine off, and
allow it to cool.
If the warni ng light comes on
again after driving a short distance, contact
an author ized Audi dealer or other qualif ied
workshop.
_& WARNING
- Always observe the warning in
¢ page 230, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or e ngine coolant .
CD Note
-Mounting additional lights or accessories
in front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
ing effect of the rad iator. At high outside
temperatures or high engine load, the
engine could overheat .
- The front spo iler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, this could reduce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat. Ask you r aut horized Aud i dealer for
assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter )
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RPM drops be low 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear . Th e red area at
the end of the scale indicates maximum
perm issible eng ine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position
D (Drive) or ease your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
CD Note
The tachometer needle @ ¢ page 10,
fig. 3
should on ly briefly be in the red
zone: you cou ld damage your eng ine! The
beginn ing of the red zone var ies depend-
i ng on the engine.
@) For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise .
~button
You can perform different func tions with this
button.
Fig . 4 SET but ton in t he in strumen t cl uster
T he !S ET ! button performs the following func ­
tions :
Switching on time, date, temperature
display, and odometer
The display appea rs fo r approximately 30 sec­
onds when you press the
! S ET ! button¢ fig . 4
with the ignit ion off.
Starting the Auto -Check sequence
The Auto-Check system ¢ page 28 constant-
ly mon itors certa in individua l functions and
components of the vehicle when the ignition
is turned on and when the vehicle is moving.
With the ign ition turned on, you can start the
"Auto-Check sequence" by pressing the
i S ET i liJJ,,

30 Driver in formation d isplay
Canada m odel s:
Bra ke system malfunction
c:>page30
Engine coolant level too low/en­
gine coolant temperature too
high
c:>page 31
Engine oi l pressure too low
c:>page 31
Refill engine oil now
c:>page32
Steering malfunction
c:>page 32
Ignition lock malfunction
c:>page32
0 Alternator malfunction
If the . symbol in the instrument panel dis­
p lay flashes, the n there is a malfunc tion in the
a lt ernator or the vehicle electron ics. A warn­
ing to the driver will appear, too. The driver
warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it
can be brought up at any time by pressing the
ISETI button again.
Usually, you can still drive to the next dea ler­
ship. T urn off all b ut the most necessary elec­
tr ica l cons umers, since these dra in the veh i­
cle's battery.
(J;) Note
If the . war ning symbol (coolant system
malfunction) also lights up on the instru­
ment panel during the trip
c:> page 31,
then you have to stop immediately and
turn off the eng ine. The coolant pump is
not working anymore--danger of damage
to the eng ine!
BRAKE/ Brake system malfunction
A malfunction in the brake system must be
repaired as soon as possible .
If the warn ing /indicator light-(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) in the instru- me
nt cluster flashes, there is a brake system
malfunction. A driver message appears as
we ll to exp la in the ma lfunction in more de ­
ta il. The dr iver warning goes out after about S
seconds, but it can be brought up at any time by press ing the
ISE TI button again .
Stop the Vehicle and Check the Brake
Fluid
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Check t he brake fluid level
c:> page 246 .
.,. Seek professional assistance if necessary .
Warning ! Fault in br ake system . Contact
workshop
.,. Drive ca refully to the nearest authorized
Aud i dea le r or other q ualified workshop and
have the malfu nction corrected
c:> &_ .
Parking b ra ke Plea se get to a repair shop
.,. If this symbol appears when the vehicle is
stat ionary or after the ignition is t urned on,
check to see if the par king brake can be re­
leased. Dr ive to a n author ized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop as soon as possi­
b le and have the malfunc tion cor re ct ed. If
t he par king b rake cannot be opened, t hen
take it to an expe rt at an authorized A udi
dea ler .
.,. If the symbo l appea rs whi le yo u are d riving,
it is possible that the traction contro l or the
emergency brake has malfunctioned. It is
possible that the parking brake cannot be
app lied. It is also possible that the parking
brake cannot be released after it has been
app lied. Drive to an autho rized Aud i deale r
or other qualified workshop to have t he mal­
fu nction corrected.
If the ABS system malfu nctions, the ABS
warning/indicator light illuminates togethe r
with the brake system ma lfunction w arning/
i ndica to r li ght
c:> .&..
A WARNING
-A lways observe t he warn ings in
c:> page 230, Engine compartment, be­
fore open ing the hood and check ing the
brake fluid.

-Driving wi th low brake fluid is a safe ty
haza rd. S to p the car and get professional
assistance.
- USA models: If the - warning light
and
the m warning light come on to­
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock­
up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an acc ident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, ha rd b rake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warn ing
ligh t. and the ABS warning light
[i]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard brak ing. Rear
wheel lock- up can cause loss of veh icle
control and an accident. Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your author­
ized Aud i dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applicat io ns.
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
If the . symbol flashes in the display , e ither
the eng ine coolant
temperature is too h igh or
the eng ine coolant
level is too low. A dr iver
message appears as we ll to explain the mal­
f u nction in more detail. The drive r warning
goes o ut after abo ut S seconds, but it c an be
b rought up at any time by press ing the
!SE Tl
button again.
Sw itch off engin e and check coolant lev el
.,. Pu ll off the road .
... Stop the veh icle .
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. Check coolant level¢
page 244.
.,. Add coolan t if necessa ry ¢ page 245 .
.,. Contin ue driving only after the eng ine cool ­
ant war ning/indicato r light goes o ut.
... Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler for as ­
s istance if necessary .
Driver information di spla y 31
If the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the ca use of the malfunc­
t ion .
_& WARNING
-If your vehicle should brea k down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the eng ine and tu rn on the haza rd
warn ing lights
~ page 52, Em ergency
flashers.
-
- Never ope n the hood if you se e or hear
steam or coo la nt escaping from the en­
gine com partmen t -yo u ris k being scald ­
e d . Wai t until yo u ca n no longer see o r
hea r steam o r coolan t escap ing.
- Th e engine compa rtme nt o f any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Be fore you perform
any wo rk in the engine compartmen t,
tur n of the engine and allow it to coo l.
Follow the warn ing stickers ¢
page 230,
Engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not continue driv ing if the . symbo l
ill uminates . There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
"t::7: Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving
with a low oil pressure indication is likely to
cause severe engine damage.
If the . symbo l on the d isplay flashes, the
engine oil pressure is too low. A driver mes­
sage appears as well to exp la in the malfunc­
tion in more detail. The driver warning goes
o ut after about 5 seconds, b ut i t can be
brought up at any t ime by pressing the
~ IS- ET~ I
bu tton aga in .
Switch off eng ine ! Oil pr essure too low
... Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn the engine off.
.,. Check the engine oi l level ¢
page 242.

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 ...,
•
•

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.
~

-Always make sure the transm ission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) or Neutral (manual
transmission) and the park brake is firm­
ly appl ied .
® For the sake of the environment
-Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad­
versely affect em ission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when d ispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and p reten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
rate Material -special handling may ap ­
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous­
waste/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system including
airbag modules safety belts with preten­
s ioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authorized Audi dealer is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult on authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sign featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac­
tive and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non-ap­
proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason ,
if parts have to be replaced, p lease observe
the following points when installing addition­
al accessories:
Con sumer In formation 295
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi
parts are available from authorized Audi deal­
ers.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly.
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non­
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and serious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve­
hicle.
- Never install accessories such as tele­
phone cradles or beverage holders on air­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
page 230.
(D Note
-If items other than genuine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth­
ods, this can result in severe damage to
your vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect your vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
•

302 Index
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Fuel economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Memory leve ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Other equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Shift indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Electrical seat adjustment
refer to Seat adjustment ........... . . 63
E lectromechan ical park ing brake
E mergency braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Parking .... ................ ..... .. 97
Releasing and closing ............. . . 96
Starting assist ........... .. .. .. .. .. 98
Starting from rest .......... .. .... .. 98
Starting off with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Warning/ indicator lights .... ..... .. .. 17
Electronic differential lock (EDL) How the system works ....... .. .... . 205
Warning/indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. . . 16
Electronic immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Electronic power control
(EPC) warn ing/ indicator light ... .. .. . . 15
Electronic stabili zation program (ESP)
How the sys tem works ....... .. .. .. . 204
Warning/indicator lights ....... .. .. .. 15
Emergency braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
E mergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Warn ing/ indicator lights ..... .. .. .. . . 16
Emergency key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
Start ing engine ........... ... .. ... . 39
Emergency locking of the doors ..... .. .. 44
E mergency release
Selector lever ............ .. .. .... . 132
E mergency starting ......... ... .. .. . 284
Emergency towing .......... ... .... . 286
E mergency unlocking
I gnition key ........... .. .. .. .. .. .. 39
Energy management ..... .. .... .. .. . 211
Battery power ............... .. ... 212
Driver notification . ......... .. .. .. . 212
E ngine
Compartment . ........... .. .. .... . 239
Coolant .. .. ............... .. .... . 244
H ood .. .. .. ................ ... .. . 237
Starting ... ... .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. 92 Starting
with jumper cables ....... .. 284
Stopping . ..... .. .. .............. .. 94
Engine compartment Safety instructions ............. .. .. 23 7
Working the engine compartment .... 237
Engine coolant system ............ ... 244
Adding coolant . .. ................ . 245
Checking coolant level ............ .. 244
Checking the engine coolant level ..... 244
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Radiator fan ..... ................ . 246
Engine coolant temperature
T emperature gauge . ........... .. .. . 10
Engine data . .... .. ............. .... 292
Engine hood
Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 7
How to release the hood . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 7
Engine oil ...... .. ............. .... 239
Adding . .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. 242
Additives . ... .. .. .. .............. . 242
Changing ..... .. .. .............. . 243
Check oil level ... ............. .... 242
Consumption .. .. ............. .. .. 242
Oil consumption .. ... .......... .. .. 241
Oil grades . .... ................... 239
Specification and viscosity ........ ... 239
Engine oil level .... ................ .. 36
Engine oil pressure
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Engine oil sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Engine speed limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Environment Break-in period . .. ............. .... 213
Catalytic converter ............. .... 214
Disposing of your vehicle battery ..... 251
Driving at high speeds .............. 215
Driving to minimize pollution and noise 215
Fuel .. .. .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. 234
Fuel economy .. .. ... .......... .. .. 215
Leaks under your vehicle .......... .. 23 7
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up. 216
Proper d isposal of drained brake fluid . 247
Proper disposal of drained engine cool-
ant .. .. .. .... .. ............. .... 245
Proper disposal of drained engine
oi l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242, 243
Recycling used engine oil ............ 242