2013 AUDI A4 brake fluid

~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ~
fig. 188, ¢ page 221,
fig . 184.
T he brake fluid level must be be ­
tween 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 221 .
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 bra ke wa rning/ind i­
cator light (U .S . mode ls:
1111 , Canadian
models: .) will come on
¢ page 15. Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop and the cause co rrected . If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the b rake wa rn ing/
i nd icator lig ht w ill illuminate . Co ntact an a u­
thor ized Audi dealer immediately.
@ Tips
The brake f luid rese rvoir is located unde r­
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enc ed technician .
Brake fluid ab sorbs moisture from the a ir. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
hi gh, corrosion in the b rake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of t he
b ra ke fluid w ill also decrease con siderab ly and
d ec rease brak ing per forman ce.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
every two year s. Always use new b ra ke fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
S tand ard "FMVSS 1 16 DOT 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoir can be difficult to
r eac h, therefo re , we recommend that yo u
have the brake fl uid changed by yo ur aut ho r­
iz ed Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correc t
Checking and fillin g 229
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 brake 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 autho rized Au di
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The c orrect 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 th e nec essary exper tise, 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 operating cond itions, the bat­
te ry 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 232 . 1J1>
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not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
l oad limits are techn ica lly referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle Weight Rat ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
veh icle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fu el, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
in tended to carry ("seating capacity") w ith a n
assumed weight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des igna ted sea ting pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weig ht o f the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
l oaded trailer must be included as part of the
veh icle load.
The
Gro ss A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two ax les.
The G ross Vehicle We ight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pi llar .Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
tota l seating capacity of 5. Each seating posi­
tion has a seat belt¢
page 137, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer) is limited. The more passen­
ge rs in the veh icle or passengers who are
h eav ier than the standa rd weights assumed
mean that less weight can be ca rr ied as l ug­
gage.
The tire pressure labe l on you r Audi also lists
the maximum combined we ight of all of the
oc cu pants and luggage o r othe r ca rgo that
the vehicle can carry . For the location o f the
l abe l
¢page 238, fig. 191.
Tires an d wheel s 243
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 brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden defla tion, causing loss of
contro l and a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the total load be­
ing transpor ted - incl uding the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a loaded trailer -does not ma ke the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle We ight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se th e example below to ca l­
culate the total weight of the
pa ssengers and lu ggage or oth­
e r thing s that you pl an t o tran s­
po rt so that you can make sur e
that your vehicle will not b e
o verloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1 . Lo cate th e statement "THE
C OMBINED WEIGHT OF O C­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NE VER E XCEED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi-
c le 's pla card (tire inflation ..,
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symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators. Worn tires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other co untries
c:> .&. .
Tir e pres sure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow -out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c:> page 241.
Driving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for mo re even wear
For all four t ires on your vehicle to have the
same se rvice life, we recommend that the
fro nt and rea r tires are rotated according to
the t ire manufacture r's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow ­
ing:
- T ire rotat ion inte rva ls may differ from the
vehicle service intervals outlined in your
Maintenance and Wa rranty Booklet .
- T he longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certa in
points; therefore, we recommend that you
fo llow the t ire manufacturer's suggested
t ire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front -wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all whee l drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c:> fig. 194.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c:> page 263 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
H oweve r, va rio us situations d uring eve ryday
driving can cause them to be come unbal­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can us ually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on s teer ing , suspens ion
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Tire s an d wheel s 245
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an a uthorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro ® must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see
<=:> page 191.
_8 WARNING
Sudden tire fa ilure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn ti res are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your r isk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, o il, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires .
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control. •
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28 2 Con sum er Inf ormation
-Always make sure the transmission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) or Neutral (manual
transmission) and the park brake is firm­
ly applied.
@) For the s ake of the environment
-Changing the engine settings will ad­
versely affect emission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe environmental regula­
tions when disposing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
rate Material -spec ial 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
sioners are scrapped, all app licable laws
and regulations must be observed . Your
authorized Audi dealer is familiar with
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 inco rporates the latest safety de­
sign featu res ensuring 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 pa rts have to be replaced , please observe
the following points when installing addition­
a l accessories: 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 acc essories proper ly.
A WARNING
-Using the wrong spare parts or using non-
approved accessories can cause damage to
the veh icle and ser ious personal injury.
- Use on ly accessories expressly approved
by Audi and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve­
h icle .
- Never install accessories such as tele­
phone crad les or beverage ho lders on a ir­
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
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
9 page 213 .
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine 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 resu lt in seve re damage to
your vehicle's eng ine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect yo ur 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 occ urs due to failure
to comply with these stipu lations.

286 Index
Automatic climate control Air vents ... ............... .. .... .. 78
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Setup . .. ............... .. .. .... .. 79
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Automatic transmission .......... ..... 91
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Driving .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. .. 93
Em ergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Em ergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
K ick -down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
M anual shift program ....... .... .. .. 96
multitronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Removal lock (ignition key) ... .. .. .. . . 80
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
S tronic .... .................. ... .. 91
tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Automatic wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Auto Safety Hotline ........ .. .. .... . 135
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Avoid damaging the vehicle ....... ... . 194
B
Bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,229
Batter y location inside the luggage com-
partment .. ................ ... ... 230
Charging . ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 232
I mportant warnings when wo rking on
the battery ............... ... .... . 230
Jump starting ................ .... . 269
Low ..... .. ................ ..... . 192
Replacing the battery ..... .. .. .... . 233
State of charge .................... 192
Winter operation .................. 229
Working on the battery ......... .... 230
Before driving .............. ... .... . 127
Bio-ethanol (Fuel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Blended gasoline .......... .. .. .... . 214
Blow er (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 78
Body cavity sealing .............. ... . 208
Booster seats ...................... 174
Brake flu id
Changing the brake fluid ..... .. .. .. . 229
Checking the brake fluid level ... .. .. . 228
Reservoir . ................. ..... . 228 What
is the correct brake fluid level? . . 228
What shou ld I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? ................ 228
Brak e system .. .. .. ............. .. .. 228
Anti- lock braking system ........ .... . 19
Brake assist system ................ 185
Brake fluid .... .. ................. 228
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re -
placement .... .. ... .......... .. .. 229
Brake light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Brake power assist unit ............. 188
Brakes ...... .. .. .. ..... ........ .. 188
Ceramic brakes . .. ................ . 188
Electromechanica l parking brake . .... . 85
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 15
Worn brake pads symbo l . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Braking Emergency braking funct ion ........ .. 87
braking guard ... .. ............. .... . 99
Messages . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 107
Settings .. .. .. .. .. .... .... ... .... 106
Break-in period .... ................. 194
T ires ..... .... .. .. .............. . 194
Bulbs .......... .. ....... ......... . 268
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ... .. 220
Battery specific .. ............. .. .. 231
Capacities ......................... 277
Car care ........ .. .. .............. . 202
Interior ... .... .. .. .............. . 209
Plastic and vinyl ................... 206
Care of exterior .. .. ... .......... .. .. 202
Cargo area
refer to Luggage compartment. . . 68, 133
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Center armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Central locking .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 32
Central locking switch .......... .... . 36
Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Remote control key ................. 35
Ceramic b rake rotors
New brake pads .. ............. .... 188
Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Changing a flat tire . ................. 259
Changing a wheel .. ............. .... 259

Vanity mirrors .......... ... .. .. .. .... 52
Vehicle-care products ............ .... 202
Vehicle electrica l system .... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) . .. . 275
Vehicle jack .. ................ ... ... 261
Vehicle key .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 33
Vehicle literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Vehicle tool kit . ........... .. .. .. ...
256
Venti lation .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 76
w
War ning/ indicato r lights . . . . . . . . . . 1 0, 13
A irbag system ........... .. .. .. .. .. 20
Anti -lock braking system (ABS) . ... .. .. 19
Brake system .... ..... ... .. .. .. .... 15
Electromechan ical parking brake .. .. .. 16
Electronic power contro l . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Electronic Stabili zation Control (ESC) . .. 19
Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Malfunct ion Indicator Lamp (MIL) ..... 20
Safety belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
S afety systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
T u rn signa ls .... ......... .... .. .. .. 23
Warranty coverages . ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 280
Washer rese rvoir ... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 233
Washing ...... .............. ... ... 202
Automatic car wash ....... .. .. .. .. . 203
by h and .. .. ............. .... .. ... 203
General informat ion ... ... .. .. .. .. . 202
M atte finish paint ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 204
with a power washer ... ... .. .. .. .. . 204
Waxing . .. .. ............. .... .. .. . 205
Wear ind icator ... ......... .... .. .. . 244
Weights ..... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 27 5
What happens if you wea r yo ur safety belt
too loose? . .. .. .. ......... .. .. .. ...
141
What happens to unbelted occupants? . . 138
What impairs driving safety? ... .. .. .. . 128
What should I do after chang ing a
wh eel? .. .. ... ......... ...... .... ..
242
What should I do after rep lacing wheels? 242
Wheel bol ts
Torq ue ... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ...
25 1
Wheels ... .. .. ..... ...... .. .. .. .. . 234
Cast alloy .. .... ......... .... .. .. . 208
Chec king tire pressu re ..... .. .. .. .. . 24 1
Inde x 297
Cold tire inflation pressure ... ... .. .. 238
Genera l notes .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 234
G lossary of tire and loading term inolo -
gy ......... .. .. .................
23S
New t ires and wheels .. ............. 246
Tires and veh icle load limits ......... 242
When must a safety be lt be replaced? . . 140
When must the a irbag system be inspect-
ed? ........ .. .. .. .... .............
156
When should I adjust the t ire pressures? 242
When should I ch eck the tire press ures? . 24 2
Where can I find the t ire pressures fo r my
ca r? ..... .. .. .. .. .. . ..............
241
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137, 138
Window reg ulators
Power locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
43
Windows
Cleaning .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... ..
2 0 7
defros ting . .. .. .. ................. . 78
Windshield
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
53
defrosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Windshie ld washer fluid
Low leve l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Windshie ld washer system . . . . . . . . . . . .
53
Windshie ld w ipers
Fold ing up .. .. .. ... ............ .. .
54
In dic ator light . .. .... ......... .. .. . 2 1
Rep lac ing windsh ield wiper b lades . 54, 55
Switching on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Washe r reservoi r ... . .. .. ..... ... .. 233
Winter operation
Battery . .. .. .. .. .. ...............
2 29
Coolant system .. .... ............. 2 26
Defrost ing windows .. ... ...... ... .. . 78
Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Tires ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. 191
Windows . .. .. .. ................. 207
Win ter tires . .. .. .. ... ............ .. 250
All wheel d rive ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. 250
X
Xenon headlights .. .... ...... 4 7, 49, 268
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