2013 AUDI A4 check engine light

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 21
speed. This ind icates that the MIL is working
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
mal funct ion in the engine e lectronic system.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer and have
the ma lfunction corrected .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illum inate
r::!,> page 217.
For more informat ion r:!,> page 30 .
!?) Engine speed limitation
App lies to vehicles: wit h eng ine speed lim itat ion
(II Do not exceed max. engine speed of
XXXX rpm
The (I! symbol illuminates when there is an
engine control malfunction. Th e~ indicator
l ight in the instrument cluster also illumi­
nates. The engine speed is lim ited to the
speed displayed in the driver information sys ­
tem . Keep in mind that the engine speed will
not exceed the va lue displayed in the driver in­
formation system, for example when down­
shifting.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
~ .. Engine oil level
1111 Add oil , max XXXX l. You may cont. driv.
When the symbo l l!I and driver message ap­
pear , add the amount of oil appearing in the
disp lay at the next opportunity
r:!,> page 224.
~;.., Engine oil sensor
II Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer and have the o il sensor
inspected. Until you have this done, check the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side
r:!,> page 224 .
Bu Tank system
liJl Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are
about 2. 1 -2.4 gallons (7 -9 liters) of fuel left
in the tank . T ime to refuel
r:!,> page 216.
Ii] Fuel tank system malfunction! Contact
dealer
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malf unct ion in the
tank system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
<:::> Windshield washer fluid level
- Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illum inates, add w indshie ld
washe r fluid to the washer system and also to
the headlight washer system*
r:!,> page 233.
'1:> Windshield wipers
El'J Windshield wiper defective
The re is a malfunction with the windshield
wipers.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
~/ }D 10 $ Defective light bulb warning
If the Fl indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed. The message ind icates the location of
the bulb.
- If the
IIJ indicato r light also turns on, then
a fog light has fai led. The position of the in­
dicator ligh t corresponds wi th the locatio n
on the vehicle .
- If the
ftD indicator light also turns on, then
a rear fog* light has fai led. The position of
the indicator light cor responds wi th the lo­
cation on the vehicle .
T his wa rning can also occu r if the light switch
is in an unengaged posi tion between two sym­
bols .
Vehicle lights: System fault!

24 Driver information d isplay
Driver information
display
Introduction
The Driver information display inside the in ­
strument cluster provides you, the driver ,
with important information.
Fig. 7 Ins trum en t cl uster : ce nter display
Fig. 8 W iper lev er: con trols fo r th e menu disp lay
Center display
W ith the ignition on, the display in the Dr iver
I nformation System shows the following in­
formation :
- CD* inserted or Radio* station set
- Outside temperature* : At temperatures be-
low 41 °F (+5 °C), a snowflake symbol ap­
pears in front of the temperature display
c::> .&_.
-Warning if one of the doors, front lid or en-
gine compartment lid is not closed .
Additional functions
You can open the following functions in the
Driver Information System display by pressing
the
! RESET I button c::> fig. 8 one or more times:
Digital speedometer*
Tire pressure monitoring *
~page253
Trip computer*
Efficiency program*
Service interval display
c::>page25
c::> page 27
c::> page 29
--·-
Gearshift selector positions
Automatic transmission
Adaptive cruise control*
Auto Check Control
<::>page 87
Some functions and vehicle components are
scanned for their operating status when you
switch the ignition on and whi le you are driv­
ing. Malfunctions or required service proce­
dures are signaled audibly and indicated by
red and yellow illuminated symbols and re­
minders in the d isplay.
A WARNING
--- Never rely exclusively on the outside
temperature display to determine if a
road surface is icy or not. Keep in mind
that road surfaces, especially br idges
and overpasses, could be ice covered and
slippery even at an outside temperature
above 41 °F (+5 °C).
- Always remember, even if the "snow­
flake" symbol (ice warning) does not ap­
pear in the disp lay, black ice cou ld be on
the road.
- Always reduce your speed and drive with
specia l care in cold weather cond itions
when the chance of encountering icy
road surfaces increases.
¢j) Tips
If the vehicle is stationary, or if you are
driving at a very low speed, the tempera­
ture shown in the display might be s light ly
higher than the actual outs ide tempera­
ture. This i.s caused by the heat being radi­
ated from the engine .

30 Driver information display
Resetting the service interval display
Your authorized Audi dealer will reset the cor­
responding service schedule after performing
the appropriate service on yo ur vehicle . Yo u
also have the possibility to reset the oil
change schedule after having performed an
oil change according to Audi specifications.
Select
I CAR I function button > Service interval
display > Reset oil change interval
or ICARI
function button> Car systems* control but­
ton
> Servicing & checks > Reset oil change
interval.
(D Note
If you disconnect the battery terminals, no
calculations can be made for the serv ice
interval display during this time and no
service rem inder wi ll appear. Remember
that observing the proper service intervals
is vitally important to extend ing the life of
your vehicle, particu larly the eng ine, and
maintaining its value. Even if the mileage
driven is low, the maximum period of one
yea r from one service to the next must not
be exceeded .
@ Tips
-Do not reset the display between oil
changes, otherwise the display will be in­
correct.
- The information in the Service Reminder
r ema ins stored even when the vehicle
battery is disconnected.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) (4 i n
the instrument cluster is part of the On-Board
Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light illuminates when
the ignition is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the idle has stabilized .
This indicates that the MIL is working proper­
ly.
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates while you are driv­
ing, a malfunction may exist in the eng ine sys­
tem . If the light illuminates, the catalytic con­
verter could be damaged .
Continue driving
with reduced power (avoid­
ing sustained high speeds and/or rapid accel­
erations) and have the cond ition corrected.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer.
If the light illuminates, the electronic speed
limiter may also be malfunct ioning. For more
information
c:> page 31 , Electronic speed
limiter.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the
MIL light to illuminate
c:>page 217.
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 18 Locat io n of Data Link Con nector (D LC)
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your emission control system . Each
monitored component in your engine system
has been assigned a code. In case of a mal­
function, the component will be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memory.
The MIL light may also illuminate if there is a leak in the on-board fuel vapor recovery sys­
tem. If the light illuminates after a refueling,
stop the vehicle and make sure the fuel filler
cap is properly closed
c:> page 217.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can on ly be displayed using spe­
c ial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
furOBD) .
~

34 Openin g and clo sing
keys. Unguarded access to the keys pro­
vides children the opportunity to start the engine and/or act ivate vehicle sys­
tems such as the power w indows etc . Un­
supervised operation of any veh icle sys­
tem by ch ildren can res ult in serious in­
Jury.
- Do not remove the key from the ignition
lock until the vehicle has come to a com­
plete stop. Otherwise the steering col ­
um n loc k co uld suddenly e ngage -caus­
ing the risk of an accident.
@ Tips
- The operation of the remote contro l key
c a n be tempo rarily disrupted by in terfer­
ence from tran smi tters in t he v ici nity of
the veh icle work ing in the same frequen­
cy ra nge (e.g . a ce ll phone, radio equip­
ment).
- Fo r security reasons, replacement keys
are on ly available from Aud i dea le rs .
- Fo r De clarat ion o f Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regu la ­
tions
¢ page 283.
Removing the mechanical key
Fig . 20 Remot e ma ste r key: re mov ing the mec hanic al
key
.. Press the release button @¢ fig. 20.
.. Pu ll the mecha nical key @ out of the mas­
te r key .
Using the mechan ica l key, you can :
- l ock and unlock* the glove compartmen t on
the passenger's s ide
¢ page 65 .
-lock and unlock t he lockable* rear bench
seat and pass-through* ¢
page 69. -
activate the child sa fety locks on the rear
doors ¢
page 42.
-lock and unlock the vehicle manua lly
~ page 38 if this should not be possible
w ith the master key.
- use t he ignition key emergency release
~ page 35.
Check light and battery in the master
key
Fig. 21 Rem ote mas ter key: re m ov ing th e ba ttery h old ­
e r
Check light in the ma ster key
The check light @¢ fig. 21 in the mas ter key
provides information about different condi­
t ions .
.. The check light turns on br iefly once when a
button is pressed, and during an "inquiry"
by the convenience key system .
.,. If the check light does not come on, the
battery is dead and has to be replaced . In
add it io n, w hen t he battery is dead
the m
indicator light appea rs in the instrument
cl uster display as we ll as the message
Please change key battery .
Master key battery replacement
.,. Remove the m echan ical key ~ page 34.
.,. Press t he release button @~
fig. 21 on the
b attery ho lde r and at the same time pull the
battery holder o ut o f the master key in the
direction of the arrow .
.. Insta ll the new battery CR 2032 with the
"+ " sign facing down.
.,. Push the battery holder carefully into the
master key .
.,. Insta ll the mechanical key .

Opening th e windows
"' Press the switch to the firs t stop and hold it
until the window reaches the desi red posi ­
tion.
"' Press the switch briefly to the se cond stop
to automatically open the window .
Cl os ing th e windows
"' Pull the swi tch to the first sto p and hold it
until the window reaches the desi red posi ­
tion .
"' Pu ll the switch brief ly to the sec on d st op to
automatica lly close the window.
P ow er w ind ow switch es
@ Driver's door
@ Passenger's door
© Left rea r door
@ R ight rear door
® Safety button
Child safety loc ks
When the safety button® is pressed
c::> fig. 35, the ~ symbol in the button lights
up . The power w indow switches in the rear
doors are switched off.
A WARNING
- When you leave your veh icle - even if on­
ly briefly - always remove the ign ition
key. This applies part icularly when chil­
dren remain in the vehicle. Otherw ise the
children cou ld s tart the engine or oper­
ate e lectr ica l equipment (e.g . power win­
dows). The power windows a re f unction ­
al until the driver's door or passenger's
door has been opened.
- Pay close attention when closing the win­
dows to prevent pinching of hands or
limbs.
- When locking the vehicle from outside,
the vehicle must be unoccupied s ince the
windows can no longer be opened in an
emergency.
Opening and clo sin g 43
(D Tips
After the ignition has been switched off,
the w indows can still be opened or closed
for about 10 minutes. The power windows
are not switched off until the driver's door
or passenger's door has been opened .
Convenience opening/closing
The windows and the power sunroof can be
opened and closed with the mechanical key or the emergency key.
Fig. 36 Key turns for opening and clos ing
Convenience opening feature
"' -0 0 t!, ., a,
"' Use the emergency key or pull the mechani­
cal key out of the maste r key
c:? page 34.
"' Insert the key into the lock of the dr iver's
door.
"' Turn the key to position ¢
fig. 36 @until all
the windows have reached the desired posi­
tion and the power sunroof is open.
Convenience closing f eature
"' Use the emergency key or pull the mechani ­
cal key out of the maste r key ¢
page 34.
"' Turn the key in the lock of the driver's door
to the lock position @ unt il the windows
and the power sunroof are closed¢
A.
A WARNING
- Never close the w indows and the power
sunroof inattentively and without check­ ing - the re is r isk of injury.
- You must always watch when the win­
dows are be ing raised so that no one can
be trapped. If you re lease the key, the
clos ing action is immediately canceled.

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 199
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trai ler has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 200.
Engine cooling system
T owing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard ­
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•

200 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the tir es of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it ­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced'' rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rticularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
in the in strument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
in g vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not p roperly wea ring the restraints
provided by Audi.
-

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig . 182 Dr iver's side footwell: eng ine hood release
lever
... ~ - ---
F ig . 183 Re lease lever un der the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield w ipers are flat against the
windshield. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel in the direction of the ar­
row
Q fig. 182.
.. Raise the hood slightly QA
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
c::> fig . 183 . This re leases the catch .
.,. Open the hood.
& WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To redu ce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if yo u see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or Checkin
g and fillin g 219
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in place.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c::> .&, .
_&. WARNING
-
A hood that is not comple tely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, chec k it
to make sure the safety catch has p ro pe r­
ly engaged . The hood sho uld be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts .
-If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured prope rly, stop at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the engine compartment .
Whenever yo u mu st p erform an y w or k in th e
eng in e compa rtment, for example checking
and filling differ ent fluid s, there i s a ri sk of
injury , burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always obser ve the following
WARNINGS . The eng ine compa rtment of any
v ehicle is a hazardous are a
QA .
_&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake .
- Move selector lever of automatic trans -
mission to "P" (Park); p ut manual trans­
miss ion in Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .