-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic trans-
mission to "P" (Park); put manual trans
mission in Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down . Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- 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:
Checking and filling 217
- 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~,& .
.8, 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 w ill 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 veh icle flu
i ds, have your vehicle inspected by an au
thorized Audi dealer . •
•
218 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 169 Typical layout for containers and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Eng ine o il filler cap ("1::::r.) . . . . . 221
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. .... ... ....... .... ..
229, 264
@ Bra ke fluid reservo ir (0)) . . . . . 225
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 224
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head sc rew ..... .......... ..
229, 264
® W indshield/headlight* washer
. (" ') container o ....... . ... .. . 230
The pos ition o f the engine o il fi lling hole
¢ fig . 169 (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 216.
-
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 sophist icated
power plant that was b uilt to exacting specifi
cations . Th is engine needs the right k ind of
engi ne oil that meets specifica tions regard ing
quality a nd v iscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the rig ht o il
and changing oil within the t ime and mile age
i n tervals prin ted in you r vehicle's Warr anty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day tha n it did years ago . Aud i has deve loped
a spec ia 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-
t ion . ..,_
Modern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan
tum leap in the last few years . Many synt hetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional pet role
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life o f your Audi .
W hether you use synthetic or petroleum
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
c o nform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help 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
r epairs .
At the time of pri nting, engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, h owever, that every synthetic engine oil w ill
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oi l.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing spec ifi
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il conta iner labels may carry the specif ica
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion w ith other des ig
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis
cosity. The proper v iscosity grade oi l for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con
d itions where you dr ive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE SW40 across all tem
pe rature ranges for normal d riving conditions .
However, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not avai lab le, 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
specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we st rongly recomme nd
that you always carry with you a n ext ra quart
Checkin g and fillin g 219
(li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top
off the o il 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
confo rms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
spec ifications is available -may you top
off
with a h igh quality engine o il, preferab ly syn
thet ic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SA E SW-30, o r SAE
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be
tween o il cha nge inte rva ls, never top
off with
more than a tota l of 0. 5 q t/liter engine o il
that does not con form to A udi oil specification
vw 502 00.
Fo r more information about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t either yo ur a uthorized Aud i dea le r 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 etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
T he eng ine oi l and o il f ilter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified i n your vehicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these interva ls - 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 beca use the lubricat
ing propert ies of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you a re not sure when
you have your o il cha nged, ask your author
ized Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be changed more frequent ly.
Change oil more often if you dr ive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the veh icle in dusty
areas o r most ly under stop-and-go traff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
•
•
220 Check ing and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am age or m alfunc tions du e to lack of
m ainten ance
It
is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended in tervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a t imely manner.
Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, a ll in
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certa in
amount of oil. O il consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typica lly, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 193) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the ox ida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to wear as mi
leage builds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Note .
If
the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
I! in the instrument cluster lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 221. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience ¢
page 221.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
-The oil pressu re warn ing display . is
not an indic ator of the oil l evel. Do not
r el y on it . In stea d, check th e oil l eve l in
y our engin e at regular inter val s, pref
erably ea ch time you r efu el, and alwa ys
before go ing on a long trip .
-If you have t he impression yo ur engine
consumes excessive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt an author
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in m ind that the accurate measu rement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some time. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
-
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 170 MMI Disp lay: Oil l eve l ind icator
Re ad oil le vel
.,. Park you r vehicle so that it is horizontally
level.
.. Shut the engine off when it is at operating
temperature.
.,. Switch only the ignition back on.
.,. Wait approx . two minutes .
.,. Select : Funct ion button
ICAR I > Oil l evel. Or
.,. Se lect: Function button
ICA RI > Car syste m s
control button > Servic ing & c he ck s > Oil
l e v el.
.,. Read the oil leve l in the MMI * Display
r:!> fig . 170 . Add engine oi l if the bar o f the
oi l level ind icator is near "Min"
c> page 221
D epending on the way the veh icle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
can be up to a 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0 .5
li
ter per 1,000 km) . Consumption may be high
er within the first 3,000 mi les (S,000 km).
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI* Disp lay
is only an information display.
If the oi l
level is too low, a min imum oil warning ap
pears in the instrument cluster. Add oil
¢ page 221 . If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru
ment cluster the next time the ign ition is
sw itched on . Checkin
g and fillin g 221
~ Adding engine oil
Fig. 171 Eng in e compa rtm en t: Cove r on the oil filler
n eck
.,. Before yo u check anything in the engine
compa rtment,
alwa ys read and h eed all
WARNING S
c> .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216 .
.. Unscrew the cap
'e:;r. to the engin e oil filling
hole ¢fig . 171, r:!>page 218, fig. 169 .
.,. Carefully top off with the appropr iate oil in
0 .5 liter doses .
.. Check the oil level aga in after two minutes
r:!> page 221 .
.,. Top off the o il aga in, if necessary.
.,. Sc rew the c ap back on the filling hole .
&_ WARNING
-Wh ile topping off, the o il m ust not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
- The oi l filler cap mus t be p roperly se
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running -fire hazard!
- If you r skin has come in contact with the
engine o il, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil leve l using the radio or
M MI* . If the message
Plea se reduce oil
level
appears, contact yo ur authorized
Audi dea ler or other qualified workshop
to have excess oil extracted if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the u se of o il
addit iv es. They m ay damage the engine
and adversely aff ect your New Vehi cle
W arranty .
222 Check ing and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend thot hove your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lways r ea d and heed all WARN
ING S ¢ & in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 216.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di
minish gradually during normal vehicle use .
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly stop-and -go traffic con
d itions, or have your veh icle where tempera
tures remain below freez ing fo r extended pe
riods.
Detergent addit ives 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 oil mo re often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal ,
a long w ith the special tools and necessary ex
pertise required, we strong ly recommend that
you have your o il changed by an authorized
Audi de ale r or a qualified service station.
If you cho ose t o c han ge your oil yours elf ,
please note the following important informa
tion :
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run
n ing down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmfu l to your sk in. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho ro ughly
with soap and wate r.
@ Note
Neve r mix oil additives with your engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en
g ine and adversely affec t you r A ud i L imit
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you can prope rly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood
ed areas, into open streams o r down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engi ne oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in you r
area, or contact a service station.
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-based coolant additive G13 antifreeze with
anticorrosion additives (50% for USA models;
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
also raises the boiling point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at least 50% but not more than 60%
to main
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi
cle heating and engine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35 °C)USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli
mate conditions . This is especially impor
tant if you live in a region where the win
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in-
Checking and filling 223
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad
ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is available at au
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor
rosion protection. The resulting corro
sion can cause a loss of coolant and se
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 172 Engine compar tment: Cover on the coola nt
expansio n tank
-... ;;; ,; a, m
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
"' Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Turn off the ignition .
"' Read the engine coolant level from the
coolant expansion tank¢
fig. 172 ,
¢ page 218, fig. 169 .
With a cold engine,
the coolant level should be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings . When the en
gine is warm, the level may be slightly above
the "MAX" marking.
Iii>
224 Check ing and filling
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration
¢ page 218.
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 w ill
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
partmen t,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 216.
.. Turn off the engine.
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 223, fig. 172 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise ¢
,&..
.,. Add coo lant.
.. Twist the cap on aga in
t ightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
exact spec ificat ions ¢
page 223, Coolant. We
recommend using on ly coo la nt add itive G 12+
+ , G 13 or in an eme rgency 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 sho uld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have los t a considerab le amount o f
coolant , then you sho uld add cold antifreeze
and cold wate r on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lan t when refilling.
Do not f ill coo lant abov e the
"MAX" ma rk . Ex
cess coo la nt w ill be fo rced o ut through the
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 ..,.