Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro
te cts the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re
qu ires 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-based coolant additive G 13 antifreeze with
anticor ros ion add itives (50% for USA mode ls;
60% for Canadian mode ls). This mixtu re both
assures the ne cessa ry frost prote cti on and
p rotec ts metal components in the engine's
coo ling system from cor ros io n an d scaling. It
a lso raises the boiling point of the coolant.
D o not red uce the con cent ration o f th e coo l
ant in the summe r by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at least 50% but not more than 60%
to ma in
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coolant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -3 1 °F (-35°C)USA
- -4 0 ° F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
A WARNING
Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compartment, always read and hee d all
W AR NIN GS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 212.
(D Note
- Before win ter se ts in, have the coolan t
checked to see if t he coolant ad dit ive i n
your vehicle is suffic ient to meet the cli
mate cond itions . T hi s is especially imp or
tant if you live in a regi on whe re the w in
te r is e xtremely cold. If necessary, in -
Checking and fillin g 219
crease the propo rtion of coo lant add itive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to yo ur
coolin g system , remembe r:
- We reco mmend us ing o nly coola nt ad
d itive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle .
This coolan t ad ditive is availab le at a u
thor ized Audi dealers. O ther types of
ant ifree ze can s ignific antly red uce cor
rosion pro tec tion . The result ing corro
sion can ca use a loss o f coolan t and se
rio us en gine damage.
- D o not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal
ant to yo ur vehicle 's engine coolan t.
Adding radiator repair fl uid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by you r New Ve hicle
Limited War ran ty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig . 1 78 Eng in e co mpa rtm ent : Cover o n the coo la nt
expans io n t an k
-... ;;; ,; a, m
.. Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 212 .
"' Park yo ur vehicle on a lev el su rface .
"' Turn off the ignition .
"' Read t he e ngine coolant level from the
coo lant expan sio n ta nk ¢
fig. 178 ,
¢ fig. 175. With a cold engine, the coolant
level sho uld be between the "MIN " and
"MAX" markings . When the engine is warm,
the level may be slightly above the "MAX"
marking.
Iii>
220 Check ing and filling
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration ¢
page 214 .
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off .
The expans io n tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectr ic cool ant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the A uto-Check System ¢
page 18 will
b link until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to no rm al. Even though 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 indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolan t loss, the cool
i ng system should be inspected immedia tely
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
s e aled system, losses can occur only if
the boiling poin t of the coolant is excee ded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is unde r pressure 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 cool
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 ve ry carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being b urned, do not spill ant i
freeze or coolant on t he exhaust system
or hot eng ine parts. Unde r certain condi
tions, t he ethy lene g lycol in engine cool
an t can ca tch fire.
(D Note
Do not ad d any type of radiator leak sea l
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
i ng radiator repa ir fluid 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 Veh icle L imited
War ran ty .
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 c> &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 212.
.. Turn off the engine.
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
fig. 178 and carefully turn the cap
co unter-clo ckwise ¢,&. .
.,. Add coo lant.
.. Twis t the cap on aga in
t ightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
exact spec ificat ions
¢ page 219, Coolant. We
re commend using on ly coo la nt additive G 12+
+ , G 13 or in an eme rgen cy G12+. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water until yo u can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This shou ld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have los t a cons iderab le amount o f
coolant , then you sho uld ad d cold antifreeze
and cold wate r on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling.
Do not f ill coo lant abov e the "MAX" mark . Ex
cess coo la nt w ill be fo rced o ut thro ugh the
pressure relief valve in t he cap w hen the en
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
-= -
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ..,.
276 Index
Changing a wheel
Changing engine oil
Chassis 249
218
Undercoating .............. .. .... . 201
Checking Eng ine coolant leve l ...... ... .. .... . 219
Checking tire pressure ....... ..... .. . 233
Child restraints Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Where can I get add itional information
about child restraints and their use? . . 178
Child restraint system anchors ... .. .. . 175
Ch ild safety .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 161
Convertible locking retractor . ..... ... 17 1
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats ................. . 164
Important things to know when driving
with children .............. .. .... . 161
Installing a child restraint using the
L ATCH system ......... .... ... .. .. . 177
Lower anchorages ............ .. ... 176
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook .. .... ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 177
Ch ild safety seats . ..... .... .. .. .... . 167
Booster seats ............. ... .. ... 169
Convertible ch ild seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Conve rtible locking retractor .. .. .. .. . 171
Danger of using child restra ints in the
front seat .... ............. ...... . 141
How do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ................. 164
Infant seats .............. ... .. .. . 167
Installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
LATCH system ............ .. .. .. .. . 177
Safety instructions .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 164
Unused safety belts on the rear seat .. 166
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
C leaning
A lcantara® (synthe tic suede) .. .. .. .. . 204
E ngine compartment ............ .. . 205
Exhaust tail pipes ........... .. .... . 201
Fabrics and fabric coverings . ..... .. . 202
Instrument panel ........... .. .... . 202
Interior .. ............... .. .. .... . 201
Leather .... .......... ...... ... .. . 204
Matte finish pa int ......... ... .. ... 197
MMI disp lay/controls .. .... .. .. .. .. . 201 Plastic
and vinyl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Plastic parts ..... ................ . 202
Safety be lts ... .. ................ . 205
Trim strips .... .. ............. .... 199
Cleaning and protection .......... .... 194
Climate controls ... ..... ........... .. 70
Climate control system Automatic recircu lation ......... .... . 73
Supplementary heater ........ .. .. .. . 73
synchroni zing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Clock ..... ..... .. .. .............. .. 12
Closing Power windows .. ............. .. .. . 39
Closing/opening at the lock cylinder ................ .. 36
by remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
with the centra l locking switch ........ 35
with the conven ience key ........ .... . 35
Cold tire inflation pressure ........ .... 231
Coming home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Compact spare tire . ................ . 248
also refer to Spare tire . ...... ... .. .. 248
Compass in the mirror ........... .... . 59
Compliance ... .. .. .. .............. . 272
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 129, 269
Contacting NHTSA ................. . 129
Convenience key
Indicator lights .. ... .......... .. .. . 79
Starting engine (S TART ENGINE STOP
button) ....... .. .. .............. .. 78
Stopping the engine (START ENGINE
STOP button) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Switching on ignition ........... .... . 78
unlocking/locking ... ... .... ... .. .. . 35
Convenience opening/closing ....... .. . 40
Convertib le child safety seats ......... 168
Convertible locking retractor Activating ..... .. ............. .... 173
Deactivating . .. .. ..... ........... . 173
Using to secure a child safety seat 1.71, 173
Coolant system . ... ................ . 219
Cooling mode (automat ic climate control) 71
Cooling System Expansion tank . .. ................ . 219
Cornering light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52