Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
al ways r ead and heed all W ARN
ING S ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 207.
The "MIN" und "MAX" markings are found on
the bi-level disc in the interior of the coolant
expansion tank
¢ fig . 181.
.,. Park your vehi cle on a level sur face.
.,. Turn off the ignition .
.,. Let the engine coo l down .
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank and
c a refully turn the cap counter
clockwise ¢
.&,.
.,. Read the engin e coolant le vel inside the
coolant expans ion tank ¢
fig. 180,
¢ page 209, fig . 177. With a cold engine,
the coolant leve l should be between the
" M IN" and "MAX" mark ings
¢ fig. 181
-arrows- . When the eng ine is warm, the lev
el may be slightly above the "MAX" marking.
.,. The MAX marking may be covered with a
maximum of 1 mm of coolant when yo u
fill
coolant .
.,. Twist the cap on again tightly.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration
¢ page 209.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the engine
must be switched off .
The expans ion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor .
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the A uto-Check System¢
page 18 wi ll
b lin k until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to norma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we sti ll rec
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the coo ling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool
i n g system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
Checkin g and fillin g 215
In a sealed system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.
Adding coolant
Rep lacement engine coolant must confo rm to
exact specificat ions¢
page 214, Coolant .
We recommend using only coo lant add itive
Gl2++, Gl3 or i n an emergency Gl 2+ . Do not
use a different add itive. In an emergen cy use
plain water until you can ge t the correct addi
tive and can restore the correct ra tio. This
sho uld be done as soon as possib le .
If you have lost a cons iderab le amount o f
coolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld water on ly when the engine is cold.
A lways use
new engine coo la nt when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex
cess coolant will be fo rced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
_& WARNING
- Th e cooling system is un der pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these ste ps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap w ith a large, th ic k rag.
- Turn the cap s lowly and very carefully
i n a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being bu rned, do not spill an
tifree ze or coolant o n the ex haust sys
tem o r hot engine p arts. Under ce rtain
con ditio ns, the ethy lene glycol in en
gine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze i s poisonous. Always s tore an
tifreeze in its original container an d well
out of the reach of children .
Ill-
•
•
216 Check ing and filling
-If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
-Do not add any type of radiator leak seal
ant to your vehicle's engine coo lant.
Adding rad iator 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 .
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire . Excess cool
ant wil l be forced out through the pres
s u re re lief valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency , only water can be
added, the correct ratio between wate r
and antifreeze
c::> page 214 must be re
stored as soon as possib le .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dra ined 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 dr iven by the engine via the
V-be lt . T he viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan accord ing to the temperature o f the
coolant .
A n auxiliary e lectr ic radiator fan* switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehi cle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can cont inue runn ing for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off.
It can even sw itch
on again later by itself
c::> .&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat bu ild-up from the eng ine in
the engine compartment, or -
the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
.&_ WARNING .........
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
contro lled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certain 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.
Fig . 182 Engin e compart men t: Cove r on the b rake flu
id reservoi r
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
a lwa ys re ad and hee d all WARN
ING S c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page
207.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c::> fig. 182, c::> page 209,
fig . 177. The brake fluid level must be be
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the
left s ide
c::> page 209.
The fluid level may drop
slightly after some
t ime due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for a larm . .,._
If the brake fluid level falls considerably be
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light (U.S . mode ls:
1111 . Canad ian
models: .) will come on
¢ page 15. Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop and the cause co rrected . If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
in dicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an a u
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
@ Tips
The brake fluid rese rvoir is located unde r
neath the cover.
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by on experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moistu re from the a ir. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
hi gh , corrosion in the b rake system may resul t
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of t he
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ver y two year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r ca n be difficult to
r eac h, therefore , we recommend th at yo u
h ave the brake f luid changed by yo ur autho r
ized
Audi dealer . Your deale r has the correct
too ls, the right brake fluid and the know -how
to do th is for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is po isonous . It must be stor
ed only in the closed orig inal container
out of the reac h of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old or inap
propr iate brake fluid . Observe these pre
caut ions:
- Use on ly bra ke fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Checkin g and fillin g 217
Federa l Moto r Ve hicle Standard 1 16 .
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the correct brake fluid . The correct type of
brake flu id is also ind icated on the
brake f luid rese rvoir .
- The brake fluid must be new . Heavy use
of the brakes ca n cause a vapo r lock if
the b rake fluid is left i n the system too
l ong. This can se riou sly affect the effi
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safe ty . T his co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
B ra ke fluid wi ll damage the paint o f you r
vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of proper disposal
of bra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
r ecomme nd th at yo u have the br ake fl uid
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
Un der normal operating cond itions , the bat
te ry in you r Audi does not need any ma inte
nance . With
high outside temperatures o r
long da ily d rives we recommend that you have
t h e e lectrolyte leve l chec ked by an au thori zed
A udi dealer or qualified workshop . The elec
trolyte leve l should also be checked each time
the batte ry is charged
¢ page 219.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your
vehicle in for se rvice. You are well advised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
Wi th cer tain types of airbag deployment, the
ba ttery is disconnected from the veh icle elec
trical system for safety reasons¢.&
in Re
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 151.
~
•
•
218 Check ing and filling
Di sconnect ing the batt ery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power window regu
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not dri ven fo r lo ng period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer period
~ page 182.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment . The conven ience
functions will be ava ilable again when you
turn on the ignition and start the eng ine.
Winter operati on
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop . This
is because more power is also consumed while
start ing, and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc., are used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par
ticularly in c ity traffic or when traveling only
short d istances . Let you r authorized Audi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winte r sets in
~ page 219. A well
charged battery w ill not only prevent starting
prob lems when the weather is cold, but wi ll
a lso last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low temperat ures, the
veh icle battery should be removed and
stored where it will not freeze. This w ill
prevent it from being damaged and hav ing
to be replaced.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart ment under the floor. Before you check any
th ing in the luggage compartment,
read and
h ee d all WARNINGS
~ ,&,
Always heed the safet y warnings , when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are ve ry
i mportant wh en wor king on the battery :
Alway s heed the following WARNING S YM
BOLS and safety prec autions when working
on the battery .
® Always wear eye protection .
b.. Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al
~ ways wear gloves and e ye protect ion.
-No
~ -sparks
-flames
--
-smoking.
A When a battery i s charged , it produ ce s
~ hy drogen gas which is e xplosi ve and
could cau se pe rsonal injur y.
--Always keep the battery well out of
® reach of children .
_& WARNING
=
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of i njury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other injury . -
-Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfu
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
-Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open
ings .
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
medical attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables .
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury .
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca
ble.
- Before performing any work on the elec trical system, switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected.
If you are just go
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery , switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter
change the cables - this could start a fire!
Checking and filling 219
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery . It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis
charged battery can freeze over at 32°F
(ooc).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al
ways replace a damaged battery .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- 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 problems . Wash hands after han
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Start ing the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fig . 183 Eng in e compart ment : Co nnectors fo r charger
and jum per cab les
1111>
Battery replacement
The new battery must have th e sam e specifi
cations and dim ensions as the original equip
ment battery.
Intell igent energy management in your vehi
cle is respons ible for d istr ibuting the e lectr i
cal energy throughout your vehicle
c::>
pag e 182. The intel ligent e nergy ma nage
men t system w ill keep the eng ine ba tte ry
ch arged be tte r th en vehicles w ithout t his sys
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en
e rgy is available once again after you have
changed th e battery, we recommend that you
install batteries of the same type and man u
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi
cations a re listed on the battery hous ing. Your
author ized Audi d ealer must code the battery
in the energy management system to enable
you to u se the ene rgy man agement func tions
correctly a fter rep lac ing the b att ery.
If it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new battery must have the same ca
paci ty, voltage ( 12-volts), ampe rage, con
s truc tion and pl ug sea ling.
W hen insta lli ng the battery, make sure the ig
ni tion and all e lectr ical c ons umers a re turned
off.
CD Note
Ma ke s ure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the bat tery is connected, ot he rwise
fumes or ba ttery a cid c an leak out.
@, For the sake of the environment
Because of the probl em of proper d isposa l
of a batte ry, we recommend your autho r
i z e d Au di d ealer change the batt ery for
you. Batter ies co ntain s ulfu ric ac id and
lead and m ust always be dis posed of prop
erly i n complia nce w ith all environmental
reg ulations. D isposin g of vehicle batteries
improper ly is very dangerous to the envi
ronment.
Checkin g and fillin g 221
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig. 184 Engine compartment: Cover on th e win d·
s hi eld and headlig ht' washer fluid conta iner
The was her fluid container is marked w ith the
symbol Won its cap c::>
fig. 184, c::> page 209,
fig. 177.
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS c::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 207.
.. Lift the fi ller cap tongue to add washer flu
id. You can fi ll the containe r to t he top .
.. Press the cap back o nto the fi lle r nec k afte r
filling the container.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in t he table
in c::>
page 263.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
poss ible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets. A lways add a glass cleane r
solution (with frost pro te ction in t he winter).
CD Note
Do not mix engine coo lant antifreez e or
a ny other addit ives to f ill up t he win d
sh ield washer rese rvo ir.
•
•
-Read the requir ed tire pressure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
t ire inf lation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured . For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter ~
page 226.
- Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve .
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold . The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing.
- Reinstall the valve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a journey .
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing. After changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition, you must then initi
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres
sure monitoring system*~
page 240.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the
[9] warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
Tires and wheels 229
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsib le for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle.
The applicable pressure values are locat
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B-pil lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres
sure monitoring system* can work cor
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the tire pressure monitor ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately , drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta
tion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely
mounted on the valve.
•
•
What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
F ig . 191 Lug gage compartment: tool kit
When you need access to the veh icle tool kit
or jack*, you will need to take o ut the cover.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Tire repair kit (Tire Mobility System)
- Plastic cl ip for removing wheel bo lt caps*
- Al ignment p in for ch anging the whee l
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Tool for chang ing light bulbs
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang-
ing light bulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack *
- Lug wrench
- T owing eye
Some of the vehicle items listed above a re
prov ided o n certain models on ly o r are option
a l extras.
Before returning the jack * to its place, retract
the jack arm fully.
..&, WARNING
-
- Never use the screw d river hex head to
t igh ten whee l bol ts, si nce the bolts can
not at tain the necessary tightening tor
que if you use the hex head, poten tially
causing an accident.
- T he factory -supp lied jac k is intended on
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir
c u mstances should it be used to lift
What do I d o now ? 243
heavy veh icles or other loads; yo u risk in
juring yourself.
- Never start the engi ne when the vehicle
is raised, which could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle secure ly wit h appro
priate stands if wor k is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a pote ntia l risk for injury.
Tire repair
General and safety pointers
Tire repair is intended only for temporary,
short-term use.
F ig . 1 9 2 Tire damage fo r wh ich the Tire Mob ility Sys
tem is not suited
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire repa ir k it,
the
Tir e Mobility Sy stem (TMS ).
In the event of a tire failure, the TM S is in the
luggage compartment under the floor. It con
s ists of the tire sealant and an electric air
pump .
Using
TM S, tire damage caused by foreign
bodies up to about
0.1 6 inch (4 mm ) in diam
eter can be sea led reliably.
The foreign object must stay in the tire .
The tire sealant must not be used:
-for cu ts or punctures in t he tire w hich a re
large r th an 0. 16 inc h (4 mm) <=>fig. 192
©
-for damage to the rim @
- if you have been driving with very low t ire
pressu res or tires with no air@
Using the
TMS is descr ibed in the section
<=> page 244.