2013 AUDI A4 SEDAN light

208 Cleaning and protection
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
similar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe­
cialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to vehicles: with A lcantara® up holstery
Removing dust and dirt
,. Moisten a cloth,
squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces .
Removing stains
,. Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water or
with diluted
ethyl (rubbing) alcohol.
,. Dab at the stain. Start at the outside and
work inwards .
,. Once the stain is no longer visible, use a
soft dry cloth or tissue to soak up the mois­
ture.
Do not use leather cleaning products on Al ­
cantara ®.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing
dust and dirt.
Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface. If the car is
left standing in the sun for long periods, the
Alcantara ® should be protected against direct
sunlight to prevent it from fading . Slight color
variations will develop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration .
IQ) Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces .
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe­
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, st iff sponges or sim­
i larly abrasive cleaning aids . Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia­
bly when needed
.
,. Keep belts clean.
,. For cleaning, use a mild soap and water sol­
ution. Let belts dry thorough ly and away
from d irect sunlight.
,. Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
,. Check the condition of your safety be lts
reg­
ularly.
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly.
A WARNING
-
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash .
- Anyth ing that might damage your safety
be lts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers would not be adequate ly pro­
tected in an accident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop­
erties which weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety be lts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam­
age, see your authorized Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 199.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
Always switch off the ignition before clean­
ing the engine
c.? .&, .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engine hood. This
prevents the water drai n holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from entering
the vehicle interior through the heating and
ventilat ion ducts .

210 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the righ t fuel helps keep the environ­
ment cle an and preven ts engine dam age .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recomme nded for you r vehicle is un­
lead ed premium
g rade gasoline . See a lso
¢ pag e 270, Data . Audi recommends usi ng
T OP TIER D eterge nt Gaso line wi th a mini mu m
octa ne ra tin g of 9 1 AKI (95 RON). For more
in fo rmation on TO P TI ER De tergent Gaso line,
p lease go to the officia l webs ite (www.toptier ­
gas.com).
Th e re commended g asoline oct ane r ating for
your engine can a lso be fo und on a label loca t­
e d on the ins ide of the fue l filler flap . This rat ­
ing may be specified as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle m ay also be oper ated using un­
l ea ded regular g asoline with a min imum o c­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 R ON. However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octa ne f ue l w ill slightly re ­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded g aso­
line is availab le th rou gho ut the USA, Canada ,
and in most E uropean countries . We recom­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle t o
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be avai lable.
F or mo re in format io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see
¢ page 212.
Octane rating
Octa ne r ating in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
res ist engine damaging "knoc k" ca used by
p remature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the Unite d
States a nd Canada has the following octane r
at ings t hat can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Pre mium G ra de: 91 -9 6 A KI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock Index= (R+M) /2 = (RO N
+ MON)/2
R ON= Resea rch Octane Numb er
MON = Motor Octane Num ber .
(D Note
-Do not use a ny f ue l w it h octane rat ings
lower tha n 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
expensiv e engine damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline . The use of
lead ed gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicl e's catalytic co nve rter a nd its
ability to co ntrol exha ust em ission s.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d with
alcohol o r MTBE (commonly re ferred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets t he
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no mor e than 3% me th-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
ve nts .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 AKI or higher .
- Blend must not conta in mo re than 10%
ethanol.
- Ve hicl es w ith flexible f uel engine: blend
m ust not contain more t han 85% etha no l.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE .,.

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 165 Dr iver's s ide footwell: engine hood release
lever
"' Open the driver's door .
"' Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
r=> fig. 165 in the d irection
of the arrow.
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pres­
sure.
Opening the engine hood
.... ~- ---=-
Fig . 166 Re lease lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshie ld wipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
"' Pull up on the release under the hood
r::!> fig. 166 . This releases the catch.
"' Open the hood all the way
c::> &,.
Checkin g and fillin g 215
A WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo lant escaping from the eng ine
compartment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
"' Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
"' Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c;, &, .
A WARNING
--
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has p roper­
ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surround ing 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.
Whene ver you must perform any wo rk in the
eng ine compartment, for e xample checking
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury, burns and accident s. To pr event per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS . The engine compartment of an y
vehicle i s a hazardou s area
c;, Lh, .
A WARNING ~
To help avoid injury, befo re yo u check any­
thing under the hood:
- Tu rn off the engi ne.
- Remove the ignition key.

Checking and fillin g 217
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 167 Typical layout for containers and engine oil filler cap
(D Eng ine oi l filler cap ( @ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ... ....... ........ .. 228,263
@ Brake fl uid reservo ir
((0)) . . . . . 224
@ Coolant expansion tank (J-) . . . 223
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw ..... .......... .. 228, 263
® Windshie ld/headlight* washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
The pos ition of the engine o il fi lling hole
¢ fig . 167 (item @) can differ depending on
the eng ine design.
A 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.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil .
The eng ine in your Audi is a sophisticated
power p lant that was bu ilt to exacting specifi­
cations . This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the rig ht o il
and changi ng oil within the t ime and mileage
i n tervals printed in you r vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to ­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a specia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera-
tion. .,..

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. .,..