2013 AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET Owners Manual

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>

220 Check ing and filling
Al ways read and h eed all WARNING S below
¢ A and ¢ A in Working on the bottery on
page 218.
.,. Turn off the ignit ion and a ll elect rical con­
sumers .
.,. Make sure the area is well venti lated when
yo u charge the battery.
.,. Open the engine hood ¢
page 207.
.,. Open the cover on the positive pole
¢ fig . 183 .
.,. Connect the charger connectors accord ing to
the instructions to the
j ump sta rt bolt s.
(Bolts under the cover= "positive" , Bolts
with hex head= "negative") .
.,. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on ¢.&_ .
.,. Ma ke sure the ch arging rat e is not ov er
30 amp s/14. 8 Volt.
.,. When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equ ipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wall outlet .
.,. Now remove the clamps for the charg ing
equipment.
.,. Close the cover on the posit ive po le.
.,. Close the hood
¢ page 207.
A discharged batte ry can freez e at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 ° F (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempt ing to
charge it¢
A . Howeve r, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery cas ing can be cracked d ue to ice forma­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Batt ery charging (Ma ximum cha rging rate
of 30 amp s/14 .8 Volt)
When charging at low voltages (e.g . w ith a
tr ickle ch arger ), the battery cables do not
have to be d isconnected first. The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment.
Fa st chargin g th e batt ery (cha rging rate
ab ove 14.8 V olt s)
For technical reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
= -
Charging a battery can be dangerous .
-Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu­
facturer when charg ing your battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out f irst .
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
tr ica l spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger is ope rat ing .
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent techn ic ian wi th the proper equip­
ment.
- Battery acid that may sp ill dur ing cha rg­
ing should be washed off wi th a solut ion
of warm water and baking soda to neu ­
tralize the ac id.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast charger as a booster to
start the eng ine. Th is w ill seriously dam­
age sensitive e lectronic components, such
as contro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.

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.
•
•

222 Tire s and wheel s
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-impo rtant contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls includ ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the ti res .
Inspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on r ims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims. New tire
s
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au ­
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the s id ewa ll, that po int in the direc­
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified d irection of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 250.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
also be broken-in. To reduce t he risk of
losing control, a collision and se rious
pe rsonal injuries, drive w it h specia l care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
fl ation, c rashes and seriou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
p laced immediate ly .
- T ires age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.