2013 AUDI A4 SEDAN warning light

temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies wi th A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War ­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re­
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
wa s pe rformed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle dep ends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of i nternal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a cert ain
amo unt of o il. Oil cons umption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in per iod (see
¢
page 192) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the amb ient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac­
tors ar e the amount of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is s ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 219
wear as m ileage builds up, the oil consump ­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es ­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
1\1 in the instrument cluster lights up , you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 220. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience ¢
page 220.
A WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n the engi ne
compartment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in th e engine
c ompartment on page 215.
(D Note
D riving w ith an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause sever e damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil le vel. Do not
rely on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regu lar intervals, pref­
erably ea ch time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression yo ur engi ne
c ons umes ex ce ss ive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consul t an a uthor­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly d iagnosed. Keep in
mind that the accurate measu rement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some t ime. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
-
•
•

222 Check ing 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 G 13 antifreeze with
anticorrosion add itives (SO% for USA mode ls;
60% for Canadian models). This mixture both
assures the necessary frost protection and protects metal components in the engine's
cooling system from corrosion and scaling. It
a lso raises the boiling point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
p ro po rti on of c ool ant add it iv e mu st b e at
lea st 50 % but not mo re th an 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31° F(-3S°C)USA
- - 40 ° F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
_& WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 215.
(]) Note
-
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coo lant additive in
your vehicle is s uffic ient to meet the cli­
mate cond it ions . Th is is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the w in­
ter is extremely cold . If necessary, in- crease the p
roportion of coo lant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend us ing on ly coolant ad­
d itive G12++ or G13 for your veh icle .
This coolant additive is availab le at au­
thor ized Audi dealers. Other types of
ant ifreeze can s ignificantly reduce cor­
rosion pro tection. The resulting cor ro­
sion can cause a loss o f coolant and se ­
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
ant to yo ur vehicle's engine coolant .
Adding radiator repair fl uid may adverse ­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and cou ld resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Veh icle
Limited Warranty.
' Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
F ig. 170 En gin e compa rtm en t: Cover o n the coo la n t
expans io n ta nk
-"' -"' >< .,
"'
.. Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment,
alwa ys read and heed all
W ARNINGS ¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 215 .
.,. Park your vehicle o n a level surface .
.,. Tu rn off the ignition .
.. Read t he engine coolant level from the
coo la nt expansion tank ¢
fig. 170 ,
r=:> page 217, fig . 167. With a cold engine,
the coolant leve l should be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings . When the en­
gine is warm, the level may be slightly above
the "MAX" marking.
IJII,

The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
q page 217 .
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 223
@ 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
215 .
.,. Turn off the engine.
.,. let the engi ne cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
q page 222, fig . 170 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
q &_ .
.,. Add coo la nt.
.,. Twist the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
exact spec ificat ions
q page 222, 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 ..,.
•
•

224 Checking and filling
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn off the eng ine and a llow 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 p ress ure on
the top of the cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill 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 relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, on ly water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze
c::> page 222 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
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-be lt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the
coolant. An a
uxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and off depending 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 ignition 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 in jury 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 a u­
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 . 17 1 Eng ine compartment: Cover on the brake flu­
i d reservo ir
Before you check a nyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and h eed all WARN ­
INGS c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart-
ment on page 215. .,..

~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 171, ¢ page 217,
fig . 167.
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 217 .
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 225
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 2 28 . 1J1>
•
•

226 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 158.
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 190.
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 228. 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:
-

-Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes .
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables .
= When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec­
trical system, switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip ­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected . If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
Checking and filling 22 7
-When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable . Never inter ­
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery . It could explode! If a battery has
frozen , then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32°F
(QOC),
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery.
&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- 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 problems. Wash hands after han­ dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
•
•

(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine . This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc ., as well
as the battery charger .
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery .
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for d istributing the electr i­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
c::>
page 190 . The intelligent energy manage­
ment system w ill keep the engine battery
charged bette r then vehicles w ithout t his sys­
tem. To make sure the additional electr ica l en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you
install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the bat tery hous ing. Your
author ized Audi dealer must code the battery
in the energy management system to enable
you to use the energy management functions
correctly after replac ing the battery .
If it is not possible to use a battery of this
type, the new battery must have the same ca­
pacity, voltage (12 volts) , amperage, con­
struction and plug sea ling.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the ig ­
nition and all electr ical consumers are turned
off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected , othe rwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Aud i dealer change the battery for
Checkin g and fillin g 229
you. Batteries contain sul fur ic acid and
l ead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in comp liance with a ll environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment .
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig. 173 En gin e compart men t: Cove r on the w ind­
s hi eld an d headligh t* was her fl uid conta iner
The washer fluid container is marked w ith the
symbol
Q on its cap c::> fig. 173, c::> page 217,
fig. 167 .
.,. Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 215.
.,. Lift the f iller cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can fi ll the container to the top .
.. Press the cap back onto the fi ller neck after
filling the container .
You can find the reservoir
capacity in the table
in c::>
page 2 70 .
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possib le, use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets . Always add a glass cleaner
solution (with frost protection in the winter) .
(D Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir .
•
•