A WARNING ,~
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full brak ing effect.
([) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
th rough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for you r vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Warming up and
cooling down
By carefully warming up and cooling down
your vehicle, you can he lp ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessarily during sporty driv ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is driven at a maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM in order
to raise the engine oil temperature to a mini mum of 140 °F (60 °C) . The tires also only
reach their full road holding capability once
they have warmed up .
The cooling fan can continue to run in your ve h icle after the engine is switched off. Howev
er, driving the vehicle to cool it down is part ic
ularly important . Du ring sporty driving, the
engine and brakes, the exha ust system, and
the transm ission all become ext remely hot.
Before you park the vehicle, you shou ld drive
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 185
it for a few miles/kilometers at light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to cool down.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in on environmentally sound manner.
"" Always use lead-free gasoline c> page 202,
Fuel supply.
"" Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
"" Never put too much motor o il in your engine
<=> page 212, ~ Adding engine oil .
""Never try to push- or tow-sta rt you r vehicle.
The catalyt ic converter is an efficient "clean
up" device bui lt into the exhaust system of
the ve hicl e. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of t he pollutants in the exha ust gas be
fo re t hey are re leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critically
important for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and proper funct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING ~
- The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driving and after stop
ping the engine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once they have become hot . This could result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or rustproof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shields . Dur ing driving, the
substanc e used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire. •
•
186 Driving and en vironm ent
-Be aware that just one tank fi lling with
le a ded fuel will already seriously de
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
qpage 212.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this could cause
t h e catalyt ic converte r to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve
hicle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as otherw ise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
could result in overheat ing of the co n
ve rter, req uiring its repla ceme nt.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
s ion Control System:
- Have your veh icle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack o f proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
the funct ion of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@) For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is
operati ng properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating sta tes. This depends on
t he s ulfur content of the fue l being used .
Using a differe nt brand of fuel may help,
or filling the t ank w it h lead-free super
grade gaso line .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex
haust and noise levels.
F uel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal driving s tyle
- oper ating conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economica lly, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent . This sec
t ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your po cketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRON MENTAL PROTEC TION AG ENCY
( EP A) and Transpo rt Canada may no t corre
s pon d to your actual consump tion on the
r oad, which will va ry depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they ore ac
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and brak ing.
Vehicles use the mos t fu el when they are ac
ce le rat ing. If yo u ant icipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
t hu s, acce le rate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
t h at the next traff ic light is red.
214 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-basedcoolant additive G13 antifreeze with
anticorrosion add itives (50% for USA models;
60% for Canadian models). This mixtu re 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 eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 ° F ( - 3 S °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada .
_&. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 207.
(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- crease the
proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad
ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle.
This coolant additive is availab le at au
thor ized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor
rosion protection. The resulting corro
sion cah cause a loss of coolant and se
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator 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 Veh icle
Limited Warranty.
· Checking the engine coolant level and
adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Fig. 180 E n g in e compart men t: Cover on the coo la nt
expansio n tan k
Fig. 181 En g in e compart men t: markings in the coo la n t
expansion tank
ll>
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-
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