212 Checking and filling
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 178 MMI Display: Oil level in dicator
Read oil level
.. Park your vehicle so that it is horizontally
lev el.
.. Shut the engine off when it is at operating
temperature.
• Switch only the ignition back on.
• Wait approx. two minutes.
> Select: Function button ICARI > Oil level. Or
> Select: Function button ICAR I > Car sys-
tems *
control button > Servicing & checks >
Oil level.
.. Read the oil level in the MMI* Display
¢
fig. 178. Add engine oil if the bar of the
oil level indicator is near "min"¢
page 212
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
can be up to 1 quart per 600 miles (0.8 liter
per 1,000 km). Consumption may be higher
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
The oil level indicator in the MMI* Display
is only an information display. If the oil
level is too low, a minimum oil warning ap
pears in the instrument cluster. Add oil
¢
page 212. If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru
ment cluster the next time the ignition is
switched on.
~ Adding engine oil
Fig. 179 Engine compartment: Cover on the oil filler
n ec k
• Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ .A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 207 .
.. Unscrew the cap '1:::1: to the engine oil filling
hole
q fig. 179, q page 209, fig. 177.
.. Carefully top off with the appropriate oil in
0.5 liter doses.
.. Check the oil level again after two minutes
qpage212.
• Top off the oil again, if necessary.
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
.8_ WARNING
- While topping off, the oil must not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
- The oil filler cap must be properly se
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil level using the radio or
M Ml*.
If the message Please reduce oil
level
appears, contact your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified workshop
to have excess oil extracted if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty. .,..
@ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circ umstances can the oil come
i n contact w ith the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We r ecommend that hove your oil changed by
on authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv
ice station .
Before you check anything i n the engine com
pa rtment,
alwa ys read and heed all WARN
INGS c:> &. in Working in the engine comport
men t on page 207.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . T his is very important
because the l ubricating proper ties of oil di
minish gradua lly dur ing no rmal veh icle use.
Under some circ umstances the engine o il
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and -go traff ic con
d itions, or have your ve hicle where tempera
tures remain below free zing fo r extended pe
ri ods.
Detergent addi tives 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 o il mo re often tha n
recommen ded.
Because of the problem of prope r disposal,
a long w ith the special tools and necessary ex
p e rti se require d, we strong ly recommend tha t
you have you r o il change d by an author ized
Audi dealer or a q ualified service sta tion.
If you choo se to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following importa nt informa
tion :
Checkin g and fillin g 213
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal inj ury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect io n.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gi ne oil, let the engi ne cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in p lug with
your fi ngers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep you r fo rearm parallel to the
grou nd to help p revent hot o il from run
ning down yo ur arm.
- Dra in the oil into a containe r designed
for this purpose, one la rge enough to
hold at least the tota l am ou nt of oi l in
your eng ine .
- E ngine oil is poisonous . Keep it we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Con tinuous contact wit h used eng ine o il
is harmful to yo ur ski n. A lways p rote ct
your skin by w ashing oil off tho ro ughly
wit h soap and wate r.
@ Note
N eve r mix oil addi tiv es with yo ur engine
oi l. These additives can damage your e n
g ine and adver se ly affec t yo u r A udi L imit
ed New Veh icle Warran ty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- B efore changi ng your oil, first make su re
yo u k now where yo u can prope rly dispose
o f t he used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine o il proper
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood
ed are as, into open streams o r down
sewage drains .
- Re cy cl e used engine oil by taking i t to a
used engi ne oil col lect ion facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
•
•
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-
•
•
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 . .,._
-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.
•
•