2013 AUDI A4 service

.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi­
cle is moving. Doing so will increase your
r isk of being injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
-
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust ­
ment, the three point safety belt strap rout­
ing can be fit ted to the shoulder area , accord­
ing to body size .
;g 0 0 C) .., m
Fig. 152 Saf ety be lt height ad justme nt fo r th e fro nt
seats - loop -ar ou nd fitt ings
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body¢&.
in Safety belt
position on page 142 .
.,. Push
the loop-around fittings up ¢ fig. 152
@ , or
.. squeeze together the (D button, and push
the loop-around fitt ings down @ .
.. Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other impo rtant informat io n ¢
page 140.
@ Tips
With the front seats, the height adjust­
men t of the seat can also be used to adjust
t he pos it ion of the safety be lts.
Safety belts 143
Improperly worn safety belts
I ncorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body . Improper seat ing pos itions reduce
the effectiveness of safety be lts and will even
i ncrease the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety be lt to crit ica l areas o f the
body. Improper seating positions also in ­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag dep loys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for ch il­
dren . Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitt ing position in the vehicle while traveling
¢ &,. .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a ve hicle is being used.
- Always make s ure that all vehicle occu­
pa nts are co rrectly restrained and stay in
a co rrec t seating position whenever the
veh icle is being used .
- Always read and heed al l WARNINGS a nd
o ther important informat ion
¢ page 140.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front , side and rear -end collisions above a
particular severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sen­
sors in front, side and rear-end co llisions of
great seve rity . This tightens the belt and takes
u p belt slack¢.&.
in Service and disposal of Iii>

144 Safety belts
safety belt pretensianer on page 144. Taking
up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
{[) Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat­
back that has been folded forward.
(D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be activated once.
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions, in a rollover and in
accidents involving very little impact
force, the safety belt pretensioner are
not activated.
- In the case of a side crash, the safety
belt pretensioners will activate on the
driver's or front passenger's sides only,
depending on which side of the vehicle
the crash occurs .
- When the safety belt pretensioners are
activated, a fine dust is released. This is
normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The relevant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo ­
nents of the system are scrapped . An au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop is familiar with these regulations
and will be pleased to pass on the infor­
mation to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
mental and other regulations if the vehi­
cle or individual parts of the system, par­
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authori zed Audi dealer perform this
service for you .
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi . Installing, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing of belt pretension­
ers can damage the safety belt system and prevent it from working correctly
in a colli­
sion.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretensioner from activating when needed
or activating it unexpectedly :
- The belt pretensioner system can be acti ­
vated only once . If belt pretensioners
have been activated, the system must be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety belt system.
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired. Spe­
cial procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has an Audi approved re­
pair manual, training and special equip­
ment necessary.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­ ped, all applicable 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 service for you.

There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce ­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft , dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system .
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi .
Airbag system 159
-Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . After an airbag has inflated , it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version. Re­ placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only.
Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a
pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre ­
cautions must be followed.
{® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per-
ch lorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­ ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi .,..
•
•

(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
.,. Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals .
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author iz ed Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab il ity to hold its value, it also affects
fu el
c onsump tion .
C hec k your oil each tim e you fill your t ank .
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must d rive yo ur vehicle about 3 ,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) be fore you can properly
assess oi l consumption.
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en­
g ine output .
0 Note
-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance wit h the service rec­
ommendat ions i n your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte ­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle wi ll impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 197
-Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo­
nents .
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be rela tively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driving short distances with a
cold engine.
The engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal
op erati ng t emper ature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and noxious emis­
s ions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2 .5 miles (4 km),
the e ngine is at its proper operat ing tempera­
ture and fue l economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that you should avo id
short trips whenever poss ible.
T he
outs ide t emp erature is also cr itical in th is
regard. Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the summer.
allroad : Driving offroad
General information
App lies to vehicles : allroad
When d riving offroad, the functions for the
electron ic stabilization control (ESC) are ex­
panded. The ESC -Offroad -Mode can be act ivat ­
ed in driving situations in which a whee l lock
o r a d iffe rential lock function is needed
~ page 188. In addition , you r Audi p rov ides
continuous all wheel drive.
Your Audi i s ho wever, no t an offroad vehicl e.
Nev er drive the vehicle in terrain which i s not
lilJJ,,
•
•

-Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well for winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
(D Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only
be used in veh icles with flex ible fuel en­
gines. Using high ethano l fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexib le fue l engines
can cause severe engine damage .
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Veh icle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­
l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 215
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
Applies to veh icles: w it h flex ible fue l en gin e
You can recognize vehicles with a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the label on the inside of
the fuel filler flap .
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op­
erated with bio -ethanol fuels such as E85
(85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) or with un­
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95) . T he vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption will increase when us­
ing bio-ethanol fue ls due to the lower amount
of energy contained per unit volume in etha­
nol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in
low temperatures
Due to the chemical composition of b io-etha ­
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in ve ry
low temperatures. This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
II Ple ase warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay, drive with a warm en­
gine to reduce the oil level.
(D Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of b io-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A h igher percentage of bio-etha­
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fue l system.
- If you use only E85, it is recommended
to fill the fue l tank complete ly w ith un­
leaded premium grade gaso line every
5,000 miles.
- If you experience starting, rough id le or
hesitation driveability problems, fill the
fuel tank comp letely with unleaded pre­
mium grade gasoline and dr ive it nor­
mally until the gasoline is used. See your
authorized Audi dealer if the problem
pers ists.
•
•

@ 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 219.
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 you 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 225
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 .
•
•

230 Check ing and filling
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service. You are well advised to replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec ­
trica l system for safety reasons¢
& in Re­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 159.
Disconn ect ing the battery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power window regu­
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not dri ven fo r lo ng p eriod s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main ­
tains starting capabil ity over a longer period
¢ page 192.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment. The conven ience
functions will be ava ilable again when you
turn on the ignition and start the eng ine.
Winter operati on
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatu res drop . This
is because more power is also consumed while
start ing , and the headlights, rea r window de­
fogger, etc., are used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par­
ticularly in c ity traffic or when traveling on ly
short distances. Let you r authorized Audi
dea ler check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before winter sets in
¢ page 232. A well
charged batte ry w ill not only prevent sta rting
prob lems when the weather is cold, but wi ll
a lso last longer.
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery sho uld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze . This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor. Before you check any­
t hi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,& .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec­
trical system to prevent injury.
Th e follo wing WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery :
Al ways heed the follo wing WARNING SYM­
BOLS and safety prec aution s when working
on the battery .
® Always wear eye protection .
,0,. Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al­
~ way s wear glov es and ey e prot ectio n.
~ No
\!SI -sparks
-flames
-smoking.
A Wh en a battery is charged , it produ ce s
~ hydro gen gas which is e xplosi ve and
c o uld cau se pe rson al injur y.
~ Always keep the battery well out of
'if!:11 reach of children .
_& WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
-

24 2 T ire s and wheel s
-Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I a dju st the tire p re ss ures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
o r replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels . In addition, you must then initi­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*
r:!> page 253.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, ser ious personal injury
or even death.
- When the
II] warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
t ion can cause increased t ire wear and
can affect the handling of the veh icle and
stopp ing ability.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
t ire press ures fo r all tires on the vehicle .
T he applicable p ressure va lues are locat­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B -pil ­
lar.
- Only when a ll ti res on the vehicle are fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system* can work cor­
rect ly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified t
ire pressure val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the ti re pressure monitor­ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not ha ndle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wh eel immediately, drive at
red uced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire p ressure and add
air as required.
Q) Note
D riving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure tha t factory insta lled
valve stem caps on all whee ls are sec urely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
U nderinflated tires w ill also incre ase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any tire can carry.
A vehicle that is over loaded will not handle
well and is more d iff icult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire fa ilure, in­
cl ud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation tha t
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are .,..