2013 AUDI A4 SEDAN oil change

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the message appea rs, there is a mal func ­
tion in the headlights or lig ht switch.
Dr ive to yo ur autho rize d Audi deale r i mmedi­
a te ly to have the mal func tion cor re cte d.
8_ WARNING
- Ligh t bul bs are pressurized and co uld ex ­
plode while t hey are being changed caus­
ing ser ious persona l injury.
- W ork w ith due care when handling the
high-volta ge section of gas discha rge
(xenon) lights*. Fai lure to do so could re­
sult in death or se rious i njury.
Have the bulb replaced or t he connection
re paired by yo ur auth o rized Au di Service
department.
~()) Headlight range control
Applies to vehicles: with headlight range control
El Headlight range control defective !
If t he symbo l El il lum inates , the dynam ic
headlight range cont ro l is no longer wo rking
properly . Have the system checked and re ­
pa ired at your author ized Audi dealer.
§0 Adaptive Light
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive light
mil Audi adaptive light : defective
If the indicator light turns on and th is mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
adapt ive light system. The headlights still
f u nction .
Go to an authori zed dea lership to have the
headlights or the contro l unit for the adapt ive
light repa ired .
~D Light/rain sensor
Applies to vehicles: with light/rain sensor
tfl Automatic headlights / automatic wipers
defective
If the indica to r li ght turns on and this mes ­
sage a ppears, the light/ rain senso r is not
f unct ioning correct ly .
F o r sa fe ty reasons the low be ams are turne d
o n pe rmanen tly with the sw itch in
AUTO.
However, you can conti nue to turn the lights
o n and off using the light switch. Yo u can st ill
control a ll functions that are independent of
the ra in sensor through the w indshield w iper
l ever .
Contact your a uthorized Aud i dea ler as soon
as possible to have the problem co rrected .
Q Adaptive dampers
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
B Suspension : System fault!
If the B symbol in the disp lay comes on, there
is a ma lf u nction in the adaptive dampers.
Please go to an authori zed A udi dealer or ot h­
er qualified wo rkshop to have the malfunct ion
r epaired .
I-: Sport differential
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
Sport differential : System fault!
There is a malfunction with t he sport d iffe ren­
tia l.
Drive to your auth orized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
Sport differential: Overheating
The t ransm iss ion t empe ra tur e has in cr eased
s ignific antly due to t he spo rty dr iving manner .
D rive in a less sporty m anner un til the tem­
pera ture re turns to the normal range and the
indicato r light switches of.
8_ WARNING
Contact your author ized Audi dealer or a
q ua lified workshop if the spo rt differential
i s faulty or malfunct io ning . T he repair
must be performed by train ed perso nnel
usi ng the co rr e ct oil in o rder to e nsure
s a fety.

items using fuel are switched on, the equ ip­
ment that is currently using the most fuel is
d isplayed .
A scale @also shows the curren t total con ­
sumpt ion of all other equipment.
Fuel economy messages
Applies to vehicles: with trip computer w it h eff ic iency
program
Fig. 16 D isplay : fuel eco nomy message
Fuel economy messages are displayed when
fuel consumption is increased by certain con ­
ditions . If you follow these fuel economy mes­
sages, you can reduce your vehicle's consump­
tion of fuel. The messages appear automati ­
cally and are on ly disp layed in the eff ic iency
p rogram. The fuel economy messages turn
off
automatically after a certain period of time .
.,. To turn a fuel economy message
off imme-
diately a fter it appears, press the I RESETI
button
~ page 26, fig . 11 @ , or
.,. Press the function selection switch
r=;, page 2 6, fig. 11 @ .
(D Tips
-Once you have t urned a fuel economy
message
off, it will only appear again af­
ter you t urn the ignition on aga in.
- The fuel economy messages are not dis­
p layed in eve ry instance, but rat her in in­
terva ls over a period o f time .
Driver inform ation di spl ay 29
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due .
Fig. 17 Disp lay: Service i nterval disp lay
The schedule for the next oi l change or inspec­
tion is ca lculated automatica lly and disp layed
a ccord ingly. The d isp lay works in two stages:
Service reminde r
30 days before the next service is due, a serv­
ice reminder appears in the display whe n you
turn on the ignition
r=;, fig . 17 .
After about S seconds the display switches
back to normal. The distance and time re­
main ing are updated each time the ignit ion is
tu rned on unt il th e date d ue for se rvice is
rea ched.
Service due
When the due date for service is reached, the
message
Serv ice due! appears in the instru­
ment cluster immed iately afte r you tur n on
the ignit ion. Add it iona lly, a warning tone
sou nds. After about 5 seconds the disp lay
swi tches ba ck to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or when an oil change or inspection is due,
can be shown in the rad io or
MMI* disp lay by
se lecting the serv ice interva l display in the car
menu. Selec t!CAR I func tion button>
Servic e
interval d isplay
o r! CAR ! function b utton> C ar
s y ste ms
cont ro l bu tton > Ser vicing & checks.
Resetting the servic e interval display
Your author ized Audi dealer will reset the cor­
r espondi ng service schedule after pe rforming ..,.

30 Driver information display
the approp riate service on your vehicle. You
a lso 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 button
> Servicing & checks > Reset oil change inter­
val.
(CT;) Note
If you disconnect the battery terminals, no
calculations can be made for the service
interva l display during this time and no
service reminder will appear. Remember
that observing the proper serv ice interva ls
is vitally important to extending the life of
your vehicle, particularly the engine, and
maintaining its value. Even if the mileage
driven is low, the maximum period of one
year from one serv ice to the next must not
be exceeded.
@ Tips
-Do not reset the display between oil
changes, otherw ise the display will be in­
correct.
- The information in the Service Reminder
remains stored even when the vehicle
battery is disconnected.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) II in
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 stabi lized .
This indicates that the MIL is working proper­
l y.
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 engine sys- tern.
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 condition corrected.
Contact your authorized Audi dea ler.
If the light illuminates, the electronic speed
limiter may also be malfunct ioning. For more
information
q page 31, El ectronic speed
limiter .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
~page 212.
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 18 Locat ion of Data L ink Connector (DLC)
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your em ission control system . Each
monitored component in your engine system
has been assigned a code . In case o f a mal­
function, the component will be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memory.
T he 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
q page 212.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can on ly be displayed using spe ­
cial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for OBD).
In order to connect the special diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link ..,.

206 Cleaning and protec tio n
Open Velcro fasteners on your clothing can
damage the seat cover. Please make sure
that Velcro fasteners are closed.
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas . For pers istent dirt
use an Audi approved
so lv ent-fr ee plastic
cleaner/protectant.
_& WARNING
So lvents can change the propert ies of
some plastics and make it harder for the
airbag to dep loy.
-
- Never clean the instr ument pane l or the
surface of airbag modules with cleaning
products that contain solvents.
- Products containing solvents w ill make
the surface o f this part porous.
- Serious injur ies can result if plastic pa rts
come loose when the airbag is deployed .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information
¢page 199.
(D Note
Cleaning agents contain ing solvents will
attac k the mater ial and can change the
way it behaves.
Natural leather
Appl ies to vehicles: with natural leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties, natural look and feel of interior
leather.
General
We offer many different types of leather on
our veh icles . Most are differe nt types of nappa
l eather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in var ious co lors .
The intensity of the color determines the v isu ­
al character istics and appearance .
If the sur­
face of the leather has a typical natural look,
the n the leather is a nappa leat her that has been left in a relative
ly natura l condition . This
leather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes we ll. Fine veins, closed grains, insect
bites, skin fo lds, and s ubt le variations in color
rema in v is ible. These character istics demon­
strate that the material is natural.
Natura l nappa leather is not covered by a co l­
or finish. It is therefore more sensit ive to soil­
ing and wear, which is someth ing you need to
consider if children, animals or other factors
mig ht prove to be part icularly hard o n the
l eather .
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a colored finish layer are more durable. This has a positive effect on the leather's resist­
ance to wear and soiling in da ily use . On the
othe r hand, the typica l charac teristics of natu­
ral le a the r are barely o r not appa rent. Howev­
er, th is does not mean that the leather itse lf
is of inferior quality.
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Aud i uses and their uniq ue p rop­
erties (such as sens itivity to oils, grease, soil­
ing, etc.), yo u w ill need to be somewhat ca re ­
ful with these leathers, and a certain type of care is requi red . For example, dark clothing
mater ials can disco lor leather seats (especia l­
ly if such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correct ly). Dust and dirt particles in pores,
folds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
and can damage the leather surface as well as
wea ken seams .
The leather should be cleaned regularly as needed . After hav ing been used for a relat ively
long time, your leather seats will acq uire a
rich aged fi nish. This is a character istic of nat­
ur al leathe r and a s ign of true quality.
In order to maintain the value of this natural
product over the life of your veh icle, you
shou ld follow t he recomme ndat io ns be low: ..,.

-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 stations where the sea­ sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
CD Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only
be used in vehicles with flexible fuel en­
gines. Using high ethanol fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexible fuel 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 responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­
lems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
Applies to vehicles: with flexible fuel engine
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op­
erated with bio-ethanol fuels such as E85
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 211
(85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) or with un­
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95). The vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption will increase when us­
ing bio-ethanol fuels 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 bio-etha­
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in very
low temperatures . This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up .
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru­
ment cluster display, drive with a warm en­
gine to reduce the oil level.
CD Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of bio-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A higher percentage of bio-etha­
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fuel system.
- Read and follow the information and tips
about gasoline¢
page 210.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common . All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec­
tive.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER ..,.
•
•

218 Check ing and filling
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum ­
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi 's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to he lp keep your vehicle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge ", that ove r time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of print ing , engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
a re synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de ­
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing specifi­
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il container labe ls may carry the specif ica ­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Visco sity
Engine oils are graded accord ing to their vis­
cosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem ­
pe ratu re ranges for normal driving conditions .
However, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SA E
SW40 is not available, you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE SW -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specif ications .
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart (
li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 spec ification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available - may you top
off
with a high quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, tha t mee ts ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then , only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40 , SAE SW-30, or SAE
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween oil change inte rva ls , never top
off with
more than a total of 0.5 q t/ liter engine o il
t h at does not con form to Audi oi l specification
vw 502 00.
For more informa tion about eng ine oi l that
has been approved for your veh icle, please
contact e ither your authorized Aud i dealer or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names e tc.) tha t conform to Audi oil s tanda rd
vw 502 00 .
Changing the engine oil
The eng ine oi l and oil fi lter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your ve hicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs .
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­ ing proper ties of oil decrease gradually during
normal veh icle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­ ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequent ly .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly unde r stop-and-go t raff ic con-
ditions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..

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.
-
•
•

@ 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 215.
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 221
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 .
•
•