208 Check ing and filling
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com
partment.
- Never spill flu ids on hot engine compo
nents . They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili
ary electr ic fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the eng ine is still warm . The cool
ant system is pressur ized and hot coo l
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam o r hot eng ine coolant by placing a
thi ck rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any c ircumstances. Th is increases the
risk of burns.
- If wo rk on the fuel system or the electri
c al system is necessa ry:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames . Fluids in the engine com
pa rtment cou ld start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im
mediately avai lable.
- To avoid electrical s hock and persona l in
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Othe r components of the high voltage
e lectronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repa ir
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking bra ke,
move se lector lever o f automat ic trans
missio n to "P" (Park). -
Always use extreme caution to p revent
clothing, jewel ry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wea r clothing that
will hang o r droop into t he engine.
- Mi nimize exposure to em ission and
chemical hazards~ &.
A WARNING
Ca lifo rnia Proposition 65 Wa rning:
- Eng ine exhaust, some of its const ituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals know n to the State of
California to cause cancer and birt h de
fects and reproduc tive harm. In addition,
certain fl uids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and b irth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac cessories conta in lead and lead com ·
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive harms. Wash hands afte r handling .
(I) Note
When adding f lu ids, always make sure that
they are poured i nto the proper conta iner
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam
age to vehicle systems w ill occur.
@) For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu
i ds, have yo ur vehicle inspected by a n au
thor ized Audi dea ler.
Checking and fillin g 209
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 177 Typical layout for containers and engine oil filler cap
(D Coolant expansion tank (- L) . . . 214
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ... ....... ........ ..
219, 256
@ Engine o il filler cap (
head screw ............ .... .
219,256
© Brake flu id reservoi r((())) . . . . . 216
® W indshie ld/headlight* washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
q .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 207.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil .
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
power p lant that was bu ilt to exacting specifi
cations. This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the rig ht o il
and changi ng oil within the t ime and mileage
i n tervals printed in you r vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a specia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera
tion.
210 Check ing and filling
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional petrole
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi 's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to he lp keep your vehicle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge ", that ove r time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of pr int ing , engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifi cations of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
a re synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every syn thetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing specifi
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il container labe ls may carry the specif ica
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis
cosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con
d itions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem
pe ratu re ranges for normal driving conditions .
However, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SA E
SW40 is not avai lab le, you can also use viscos
ity grade SAE SW -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specif ications .
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an ext ra quart (
li te r) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 spec ification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is a t or be low the
min imum mark -and no oi l that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available - may you top
off
with a high quality engine o il, preferab ly syn
thet ic-based, tha t mee ts ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then , only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40 , SAE SW-30, o r SA E
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be
tween oil change inte rva ls , never top
off with
more than a total of 0.5 q t/ liter engine o il
t h at does not con form to Audi oi l specification
vw 502 00.
For more informa tion about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, please
contac t either yo ur authorized Aud i deale r or
Audi C ustome r Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names e tc.) tha t conform to Audi oil s tanda rd
vw 502 00 .
Changing the engine oil
The eng ine oi l and oil fi lter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your ve hicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil ca n reduce eng ine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repa irs .
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat ing proper ties of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld even be cha nged more frequent ly .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
sho rt distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly unde r stop-and-go t raff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies with A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
was pe rformed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, a ll in
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certa in
amo unt of o il. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in period (see
¢
page 184) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac
tors are the amount of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida
tion level of the oil. As any engine is s ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 211
wear as mi leage builds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
1\1 in the instrument cluster lights up , you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 212. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 212.
A WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n the engine
compartment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine
c ompartment on page 207.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indi cator of the oil le vel. Do not
rely on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regu lar intervals, pref
erably ea ch time you r efuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression you r engi ne
c ons umes ex cess ive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consul t an a uthor
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that the accurate measurement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some t ime. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
-
•
•
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-
•
•