2013 AUDI Q5 coolant level

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Warning light in th e instrument cluster
display
If the . warning light in the instrument clus­
ter disp lay flashes, this can mean one of two
things: either the coolant
temperature is too
high, or the coolant
level is too low
¢page 30.
If the needle is we ll in the upper area of the
ga uge, the coo lant temperature is too high.
Stop the veh icle , switch the engine off, and
allow it to cool.
I f the warni ng light comes o n
again after driving a short distance, contact
an author ized Audi d ealer or other qualif ied
wo rkshop.
.&, WARNING
- Always o bserve the w arning i n
¢ page 226, Engine compartment, be ­
fore opening the hood a nd checking the
engine coolant level.
- Never open t he engine hood i f you see o r
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compa rtment .
You could bu rn yourself. Let t he e ngine
cool off first so that you cannot hear o r
see any steam or e ngine coolant .
CD Note
-Mo unt ing additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets red uces the cool­
i ng effect of the radiator. At h igh outside
temperatures o r high eng ine load, the
engine co uld ove rheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to
properly distrib ute the cooling air when
t h e v ehicle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, th is co uld reduce the cooling
effe ct and the engi ne co uld th en over­
h eat . Ask y our author iz e d Aud i de aler f or
ass istance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter )
The tachometer indicates the engine R PM
(revolu tions per minutes) .
If engine RPM drops be low 1,50 0, you should
dow nshift to the nex t lo wer ge ar. Th e re d ar ea at the end of the scale indica
tes maxim um
p ermissible engine RPM after the break -in pe­
riod. Before reaching this a rea , move these ­
lector lever to position 0/5 o r ease your foot
off the acce lerator pedal.
CD Note
The tac hometer needle @ ¢ page 10,
fig. 3
sh ould on ly briefly be in the red
zo ne: you cou ld damage yo ur eng ine! T he
beginn ing of the red z one var ies depend-
i ng o n the engi ne.
@) For the sake of the environment
Upsh ifting early saves fuel and reduces e n­
gine noise .
~button
You can perform different functions with this
button.
Fig . 4 SET butto n in the instrument cluster
The !SET ! button performs the followi ng fu nc­
ti ons:
Switching on time, date, temperature
display, and odometer
The disp lay appea rs fo r approximate ly 30 sec­
o nds when yo u pre ss the
!SET ! butt on¢ fig. 4
wi th t he igni tion off .
Starting the Auto -Check sequence
T he Auto-Chec k system ¢ page 2 7 constant-
ly mo nitors c erta in individua l functions and
c ompone nts of the vehicle whe n the igni tion
is turned on an d when the vehicle is moving.
With the ign it ion turned on, yo u can start the
"Auto-Check sequence" by pressing the
iSE Ti liJJ,,

30 Driver in formation d isplay
...L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
If the . symbol flashes in the display, either
t he eng ine cool ant
temperature is too h igh or
the eng ine coolant
level is too low . A dr iver
message appears as well to explain the mal­
function in more detail. The d rive r warning
goes out afte r about 5 seconds, but it ca n be
b rought up a t any time by p ress ing the
!SE TI
button again.
Turn off engine and ch eck coolant l evel
• Pull off the road .
• Stop the vehicle .
• Turn off the engine.
• Check coo lant level¢
page 240.
• Add coolant if ne cessa ry ¢ page 241 .
• Co ntin ue d riving only after the eng ine cool­
ant warn ing/ indicato r light goes o ut.
• Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler for as-
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coolant level is co rrec t, then the
radia tor fan may be the cause o f the malf unc ­
tion .
A WARNING
-If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn off the engi ne and turn on the hazard
wa rning lights ¢
page 52, Emergency
flash ers.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hea r
steam o r coolant esca ping from the en­
gine compa rtme nt - you risk being s cald­
ed. Wait until you can no longe r see or
hear steam or coo lant es caping.
- T he e ngine compartmen t of a ny veh icle
is a dan gerous area. Before you perform
any wor k in the engine compartment,
t ur n of the engine and allow it to coo l.
Follow the wa rning stickers ¢
page 226,
Engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not continue driv ing if the . symbo l
ill um inates . There is a mal function in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
"l:::r. Engine oil pressure malfunction
T he red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving with a low
oil pressure indication is likely to
cause severe engine damage .
If the . symbo l on the disp lay flashes, the
engine oil pressure is too low. A driver mes­
sage appears as we ll to exp la in the malfunc ­
t io n in more detail. The dr iver warning goes
o ut afte r abo ut 5 seconds , but it can be
brought up at any t ime by p ressing the
~ 1s =ET= I
button ag ain.
Turn off engin e! O il pressure too low
• Stop the vehicle.
• Turn the engine off.
• Chec k the engine o il level ¢
page 238 .
• Contact yo ur au thorized Aud i deale r for as-
sistance if necessa ry.
Eng ine oil level too low
If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
o il
¢page 238.
Engine oil leve l correct
If the symbol . flashes even tho ugh the en­
gine oil leve l is correct, please contact your
nearest authori zed Aud i Dea ler for assistance.
Do not continue dr iving . Do not leave the en­
gine running
idle, either .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low eng ine oil lev­
e l. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel, and always before going on a long trip .

Driving off road
Driving in difficult road
conditions and offroad
General information
The operation of the E lectronic Stabilization
Control (ESC) is expanded fo r operation away
from paved roads. In situations where slip or a
differential lock ing funct ion is required, the
ESC offroad mode can be act ivated
c> page 197 . Your Audi also has permanent
all-wheel drive in addition .
However, your Aud i is not a pure offroad ve hi­
cle . It was not built for driving under extreme
conditions, e .g . for trips that are in the nature
of an expedition .
D riv e only on roads and offro ad sections
which match the des ign of your vehicle and
your abil it ie s as a driver . Ne ver take ri sks!
Before dri ving offroad
- Check the engine oi l level, tire pressure,
coolant leve l, and the fluid level in the w ind­
shield washer reservo ir.
- Stow luggage items and other objects in the
lu ggage compartment, and secure them
against slid ing around .
After driv ing offroad
- After trips offroad, remove any twigs and other foreign objects from the grill, the un­
derbody and the wheels. Pay specia l atten­
t ion to fore ign objects (stones) which have
become lodged in the tire tread.
- Clean the body and the vehicle unders ide,
and inspect the veh icle for possible damage.
- Clean dirty windows, headlamp lenses, rear
lights, and license plates.
- Perform a brake check (particu larly after
trave lling through water) .
A WARNING
- Drive especially attentive ly and plan
ahead in difficult road conditions and
w hen offroad . Excess ive speed or incor-
-
Driving off road 209
rect maneuvers can cause injuries and
damage to the vehicle.
- Always adapt your speed and driving
style to road, offroad, traff ic, and weath­
er conditions. Drive especially slowly off­
road when your v iew is restricted.
- Please be aware that in ESC offroad
mode, particularly on a smooth and slip­
pery road, the wheels may have an in­
creased tendency to spin and the vehicle
may break away - danger of skidding!
- Stability is limited in the ESC offroad mode.
@) For the sake of the environment
Avoid damage to the environment and re­
spect nature .
(D Tips
Only drive where it is permitted and stay
on marked roads and paths.
Explanation of some technical terms
The following data refer to ideal cond itions .
Depend ing on veh icle load and ground condi ­
tions and the environment, the numbers may
vary. It is the d rive r's responsibi lity to decide
whethe r a veh icle can overcome a specific s it ­
u at ion
c::> .&. .
Gradient angle
The number of meters in alt itude ga ined over
a d istance of 109 .4 yards or 100 meters
(grade) a re given as a pe rcentage o r degrees .
Info rmation abou t the gr ad ient the veh icle
can climb under i ts own power (depends in
part on the road surface and engine power).
Max imum permitted grade : 3 1
°
Late ral angle (slope of vehicle )
Ind icates the angle up to which the vehicle
can be d riven diagona lly or across the fall line
on a slope wi tho ut the vehicle tipping over
sideways (depends o n center of gravity) . Maxi-
mum permitted lateral angle: 25 ° .,.
•
•

240 Checking 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-based coolant additive Gl3 ant ifreeze
with anticorros ion add itives (SO% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion 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 coo l­
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 veh i­
cle heating and engine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- - 31 °F ( - 35°() USA
- - 40°F ( - 40°() Canada .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 233.
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant addit ive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate cond itions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the w in- ter
is extreme ly cold . If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive Gl2++ or Gl3 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 ca use 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 .
Add ing 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. 199 Engine compartment : cover on t he coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:> &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 233 .
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Turn off the ignition .
.. Read the engine coolant level from the
coolant expansion tank
c:> fig. 199,
c:> page 235, fig. 196 . With a cold engine,
the coolant level should be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings. When the

engine is warm, the level may be slightly
above the "MAX" marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration ¢
page 235.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 30 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 233.
... Turn off the engine .
... Let the engine cool down.
Checking and filling 241
... Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 240, fig. 199 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise ¢
A.
... Add coolant.
... Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 240, Coolant. We
recommend using only coolant additive
Gl2+
+, Gl3
or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do not use a
different additive . In an emergency use plain
water until you can get the correct additive and can restore the correct ratio. This should
be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant, then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out 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
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire.
-Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
tifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children.
~
•
•

24 2 Ch ecking and filling
-If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper
conta iner clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes 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, only water can be
added , the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze¢
page 240 must be re­
stored as soon as possible .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­ ing all environmental regulations.
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 accord ing to t he temperature of the
coolant.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
a nd off depending on coolant temperature
and other ve hicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can cont inue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself¢&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the veh icle is parked in intense sunlight.
_&. WARNING
- To reduce the r isk of personal injury nev­
er to uch the radiator fa n. -
The a uxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certai n temperature and will
continue to ru n 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. 2 00 Engine compart men t: cover on t he brake fluid
reservoir
Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
alway s read and he ed all WARN­
INGS c::> ,&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 233.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the b rake
fluid reservoir
c::> fig. 200, c::> page 235,
fig. 196.
The brake fl uid level m ust be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
T he bra ke fluid reservo ir is located at the rear
part ition o f the e ngine compartment on the
left s ide
c::> page 235.
The fluid level may drop slightly afte r some
t ime due to the a utomatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for a larm .
If the brake fl uid level falls
considerably be­
low the
"MIN" mar k, the brake war ning/ indi­
cator light ( U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian
models :. will come on
c::> page 18 and
c::>page 29. Do not con tinue to operate the ve-
hicle . The comp lete brake system should be ..,.

-Always make sure the transm ission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in P (Park position) and the park brake is
applied.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad­
versely affect em ission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when d isposing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
rate Material -specia l hand ling may ap­
ply, see www.dts c.ca .gov/hazardous­
waste/perch lorate. When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing
airbag modules safety belts with preten­
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
a uthorized Audi dea ler is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dea ler perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac ­
tive and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non-ap­ proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason,
if parts have to be replaced, please observe
the following points when install ing addition­
a l accessories:
Con sumer In formation 297
Approved Audi accesso ries and genuine Audi
parts are available from authorized Audi deal­
ers.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly.
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non­
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and serious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genu ine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve­
hicle .
- Never install accessories such as tele­
phone cradles or beverage holders on air­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
page 226.
(D Note
-If items other than genuine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth­
ods, this can result in severe damage to
your vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect your vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
•

304 Index
Electronic immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Electronic power control
( E PC) warn ing/ indicato r light . .. .... .. 15
Electroni c Stab ili za tion Con trol (ESC) ... 197
ESC Offroad mode ......... ... .. .. . 198
H ill descent assist ......... .... .... 199
Warning/indicator lights ....... .. .... 15
E mergency braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
E mergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Warning/indicator lights ... .. .. .... . . 16
Emergency key .. .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. 36
Starting engine ........... ... .. .. .. 85
Emergency locking of the doo rs . . . . . . . . . 42
E mergency operation
L uggage compartment lid .. .. .. .. ... . 45
Emergency release
Selector lever . .... .... ..... .. .. .. . 128
Emergency star ting ........ .. .. .. .. . 284
Em ergency towing ............. .... . 286
Emergency unlocking
I gn ition key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Energy management ....... .. .. .. .. . 203
En gin e
Compartment .. ........ .. .. .. .... . 235
Coolant .... ... .......... .. .. .... . 240
Hood .. .... ... .......... ........ . 233
Jump starting ............ .... .... . 105
Start-Stop-System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83, 86, 98
Starting with jumper cables .. .. .. ... 284
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85, 87, 98
E ngine compartment
Safety instructions ........ .. .. .. .. . 233
Working the engine compartment .... 233
Engine coolant system .......... .... . 240
Adding coolant . .......... .. .. .... . 241
Check ing coolant level ....... .. .... . 240
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Radiator fan ... .. ..... ... .... .. .. . 242
Engine coolant temperature Temperature gauge ........... .... . . 10
En gin e data ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 292
Eng ine hood
C losing .. .. ... .. ..... ..... .. .. .. . 233
H ow to release the hood ....... .. ... 233 E
ngine oi l .. .... .. ... .. ........ .. .. 235
Adding ... .... .. .. ... ........ .. .. 238
Additives .. .. .. .. .. ... ........ .. .. 238
Chang ing ..... .. ............. .... 239
Check oil level ... ............. .... 238
Consumption .. .. ................ . 238
Level .... ... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 34
Oil consumpt ion .. .......... ...... . 237
Oil grades . .. .. . ............ .... .. 235
Pressure malfunction ....... .... .. .. . 30
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Specification and viscosity ....... .. .. 235
En gine speed limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Environment Break-in per iod ... ............. .... 20S
Catalytic converter ................ . 206
Dispos ing of your ve hicle battery ..... 246
Driving at high speeds ............. . 207
Driving to minimize pollution and noise 207
Fuel .... .. .... .. ............. .... 231
Fu el economy .. . .. ............ .. .. 207
Leaks under your vehicle .......... .. 233
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up . 207
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . 243
Proper disposal of drained engine cool-
ant .. .... .... .. ............. .... 241
Proper disposal of drained engine
o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238, 239
Recycling used engine oil ........... . 238
Roof rack . .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 72
Unl eaded fuel .. .. ............. .. .. 22 8
What shoul d I do with an old battery? . 246
EPC
refer to Electronic power control ..... . 15
ESC
refer to Electronic Stabili zation Control
(ESC) .... ... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 15
ESC Offroad mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
E thy l alcoho l (Fuel) ..... ... ... ... .. .. 229
Event Data Recorder (EDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
E xhaus t tai l pipes
C leaning . ..... .. .. ... ........ .. .. 223
Expansion tank .. .. ..... ........... . 240
Explanation of some technical terms ... 209