2013 AUDI A4 radiator cap

18 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
...L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
• Turn off engine and chec k coolant le vel
If the indicator light t urns on and the mes ­
sage appears, the coo lant temperature is too
high or the coo lant level is too low.
> Pu ll off the road.
> Stop the vehicle .
> Turn off the engine.
> Check coolant level c:> page 226.
> Add coolant if necessary c:> page 22 7 .
> Continue driving only after the eng ine cool­
ant warn ing/ indicator light goes out .
> Contact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
s istance if necessary .
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coolan t tempe rature! Let engine run w ith
v eh icl e s tationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears in trailer mode*, let the engine
run at idle for a few m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
wa rning lights ¢
page 49, Emergency
flashers.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hea r
steam or coolant escap ing from the en­
gine compartment - you risk being scald ­
ed. Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping .
- The engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 213,
Engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
ill um inates . There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
@ -Steering column lock
• Stee ring d efec tive ! Do not dri ve vehicle!
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic steering
column lock malfunct ion. You cannot switch
the ignit ion on .
Do
not tow yo ur vehicle because it cannot be
steered . Seek professional assista nee.
l!J:I Steering lock : Cont act de ale r!
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic stee ring
co lumn lock malfunct ion .
Drive to your authori zed A udi dealer immedi­
ately to have the ma lfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the elect ronic
steering co lumn lock beca use it cannot be
steered due to the loc ked steering . If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the r isk of an accident.
© -Ignition lock
• Ignit ion lo ck defecti ve . Contact dealer!
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
n ot switch the ignit ion off
because you may not be ab le to sw itch it on
again.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
On vehicles with convenience key*, the engine
shou ld not be switched
off using the
I S TAR T ENGINE ST OPI button beca use the en­
gine cannot be started again after the ignition
has been switched
off. ..,.

82 On the road
Starting the vehicle with the emergency
key
Applies to vehicles: with ig ni tion lock
You can use the emergency key as an ignition
key in on emergency.
Fig. 95 G love compar tment: Adapter for emergency
key
Fig. 96 Insert emergency key into the adapter
.. Take the adapter for the emergency key out
of the glove compartment
c!> fig. 95 .
.. Push the emergency key c::> fig . 96 fully into
the adapter . Make sure that the Audi rings
are facing up.
.. Press the emergency key in the adapter
down until it latches audibly.
.. Insert the adapter with the emergency key
forward into the ignition switch. The engine
can now be started as usual.
Stopping the engine
App lies to vehicles: with ig n ition lock
.. Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
.. Automatic transmission: Move the selector
lever to the P or N position .
.. Press on the ignition key. The engine is
turned off.
.. You can now
remove the key.
Steering lock
The steering locks when you remove the igni­
tion key. The locked steering helps prevent
ve­
hicle theft.
Emergency off
If it is necessary in unusual circumstances, the
engine can be switched off while the vehicle is
moving. The engine will be switched off if you
press on the key for an extended period.
A WARNING ~
- Never turn off the engine before the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop. The
full function of the brake booster and the power steering is not guaranteed. You
must use more force to turn or brake if
necessary. Because you cannot steer and
brake as you usually would, this could lead to crashes and serious injuries.
- For safety reasons, you should always
park your vehicle with the selector lever
in P. Otherwise, the vehicle could inad­
vertently roll away.
- The radiator fan can continue to run for
up to 10 minutes
even after you have
turned off the engine and removed the
ignition key. The radiator fan can also
turn on again if the engine coolant heats
up because of intense sunlight or heat
build-up in the engine compartment.
- Always take the key with you whenever
you leave your vehicle. Otherwise, the
engine could be started or electrical
equipment such as the power windows
could be operated. This can lead to seri­
ous injury.
- Never leave children or persons requiring
assistance unattended in the vehicle . The
doors can be locked using the remote
transmitter, preventing people from es­ caping from the vehicle on their own in
the event of an emergency. Depending
on the time of year, people inside the
ve­
hicle can be exposed to very high or very
low temperatures .

220 Checking and filling
-To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
- Keep children away from the engine com ­
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­ partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of automatic trans- mission to
"P" (Park); put manual
transmission in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine .
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards
~ /1. .
A WARNING
=
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam ­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@) For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.

The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
q page 221 .
To obtain an accurate read ing , the eng ine
must be switched off .
The expa nsion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an elec tric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
q page 18 wi ll
b lin k until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to norma l. Even t hough the re is
an e lec tric coolant level sensor, we s till rec ­
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indi cate a leak in the coo ling
sys tem. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immedia tely
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
s ealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is unde r press ure and
can get ve ry hot. Reduce the risk of sca ld­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
t op of the cap .
- To avoid being bu rned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coo lant on the exhaust system
o r hot eng ine parts . Unde r certai n condi­
t ions, the ethy lene g lycol in engine cool­
an t ca n catc h fire.
Checkin g and fillin g 22 7
@ Note
Do not ad d any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your ve hicle's engine coolant. Add ­
i ng radiator repa ir flui d may adverse ly af­
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not cove red by your New Vehicle l imi ted
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com ­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS q & in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 219 .
.,. Turn off the engine.
.,. let the engi ne cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
q page 226, fig . 187 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
~ &_ .
.,. Add coo la nt.
.,. Twist the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
exact specificat ions ~
page 226, Coolant. We
recommend using on ly coo lant additive G 12+
+ , G 13 or in an eme rgency G12+. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use pla in
water until you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be done as soon as possible.
If you have los t a cons iderab le amount o f
coolant , then you sho uld add cold antifreeze
and co ld water on ly when the engine is cold.
A lw ays use
new engine coo lant w hen refilling.
Do not f ill coo lant above t he "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coola nt w ill be fo rced o ut through t he
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 ..,.
•
•

228 Check ing and filling
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Turn off the eng ine 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
i n a counter-clockwise direction while
apply ing l ight, downwa rd press ure on
the top of the cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not spi ll 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 po llutes the env ironment and
could cause an engine fire . Excess coo l­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure re lief 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 226 must be re­
stored as soon as possible .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be re used. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­
ing all environmental regulat ions .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
T he radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-be lt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan accord ing to the temperature of the
coolant. An a
uxiliary 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 aux iliary
f an can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- eve n wit h the ignit ion off. It can even switc h
on again later by itself
c::> &. , if
- t he tempe rature of the engine coo lant 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 temperat ure
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certai n 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.
F ig . 1 88 Engin e compart men t: Cover on the b rak e flu­
i d reservo ir
Before you check a nyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and hee d all WARN ­
INGS c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart-
ment on page 219 . .,..