2013 AUDI TT warning

188 Checking and filling
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys r ea d and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 180.
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• Switch the ignition off.
• Read the coolant level at the coolant expan­
s ion tank ¢
page 182, fig . 134. With a cold
engine, it must be above the "min" mark .
With a hot engine, it ca n be a little above
the indicated range .
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
¢ page 182.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansion tank in yo ur vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor .
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the A uto- Check System ¢
page 16 will
illuminate until yo u add coo lant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coo lant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your author ized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator lea k seal­
ant to your vehicle's eng ine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair f luid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could res ult in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 180 .
• Turn off the engine.
• Let the engine cool down.
• Place a thick rag over t he coo lant expansion
tank
¢ page 187, fig . 138 a nd carefully
tw ist the cap counter-clockwise ¢&_ .
• Add coo la nt.
• Twis t the cap on aga in
t ightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions ¢
page 18 7, Coolant.
Even in a n emerge ncy, if coolant add i-
t ive G1 2++, G12+ or G12 is not ava ilable , do
not use a d iffe ren t addit ive. Use plain water
instead unti l you can get the cor rect additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have los t a considerab le amount o f
coolant , then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Alw ays use
new engine coo la nt whe n refilling .
Do not fill coola nt above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coola nt wi ll be fo rced o ut through the
pressure relief valve in t he cap w hen the en­
gine becomes hot.
,&. WARNING ~ -
- T he cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by followi ng
these steps.
- T urn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap w ith a large, t hick rag.
- T urn the cap s lowly a nd ve ry carefully
in a counter-clo ckwise direction while
applying light, downward pres sure on
the top of the cap.

-To avoid being burned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­ tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
tifreeze in its original container and well out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze¢
page 187 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained 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 electric radiator fan is controlled by ther­
moswitches that switch on and off depending
on coolant and engine compartment tempera­
tures.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operation conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off.
It can even switch
on again later by itself
c::> &., , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
Checking and filling 189
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant
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. 139 Engin e compart ment: cover on th e br ake fluid
re se rvoir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 180.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c::> page 182, fig. 134 . The
brake fluid level must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located behind the
rear partition of the engine compartment on
the left side
c::> page 182.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
i,,.

190 Checking and filling
If the brake fluid level falls considerably b e­
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/ indi­
cator light (U .S . mode ls:
1111 , Canad ian
model s:. ) will come on
c> page 14 . Do not
continue to ope ra te the vehicle. The comple te
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an author ized Audi dealer or ot her quali­
fied fac ility and the cause corrected . If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the b rake war ning/
i ndicator ligh t w ill illuminate. Contact an a u­
thor ized A udi dealer
immediatel y.
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by on experi­
enced technician.
Brake fl uid abso rbs moist ure from the a ir. If
the wate r content in the b ra ke fluid is too
h igh, cor ros ion in the br ake sys tem may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling point of the
brake fluid wi ll also decrease considerab ly and
decrease braking performanc e.
Therefore, the brake fl uid mus t be changed
every tw o year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DOT 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r can be difficul t to
r each, therefo re , we recommend that yo u
have the brake f luid changed by yo ur autho r­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dea ler has the correct
too ls , the right brake f luid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poiso nous . It must be stor­
ed only i n the closed orig inal container
o ut o f the reac h of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old o r inap ­
propriate b rake fluid . Observe these pre­
caut ions :
- Use only bra ke fluid that meets SAE
specif ication
J 1 703 and co nforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116 .
Always check with your a uthori zed Audi
dealer to ma ke sure you are using the
correct brake flu id. The correct type of brake flu
id is also ind icate d on the
brake f lu id rese rvoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long. This can seriously affect the effi­
c iency of t he brakes as well as your
safety . T his co uld resu lt in a n accide nt.
([) Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
required and the necessary expertise, we
recomme nd that you have the brake flu id
changed by yo ur autho rize d Aud i deale r.
Battery
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with a specia l bat ­
tery, an
ACM battery. This battery is located
in the luggage compartment and must be re­
placed with an origina l equipment battery .
U nder normal opera ting condit ions, the bat­
te ry is
maintenance-fr ee .
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for serv ice . You a re well advised to
replace a battery that is o lde r th an 5 years .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window reg u­
lators, for example) are lost if the battery te r­
mina ls are disconnected . T hese functions have
to be relearned after the battery termina ls are
connected again . T o p revent t his, t he battery
shou ld only be disconne cted from the veh icle
elect ric a l sys tem when abso lutely ne cessary
f or rep air s.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle ove r a period
of seve ral days o r weeks , e lectr ica l compo-
nents a re g radually cut back or switched off.
Ill-

This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capability over a longer period
c::>
page 156. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, such as the interior
lights or power seat adjustment. The conven­
ience functions will be ava ilable again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en­
g ine .
Winte r oper ati on
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop. This
i s 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 city traffic or when traveling only
short distances . Let your authorized Audi
dealer check the capac ity of the vehicle bat­
tery before winte r sets inc::>
page 193. A we ll
charged ba tte ry w ill no t only prevent starting
prob lems when the weathe r is cold, but will
a lso last longer .
Replacing battery
The new battery must have the same capaci­
ty, vo ltage ( 12 volts), amperage, cons truction
and p lug sealing, as the origina l ba tte ry. Spec­
if ications are listed on the batte ry housing.
Batteries specially developed by A udi fulfill
the maintenance, output, and safety require­
ments.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the ig ­
nition and all electrica l cons umers are switch­
ed off c::>
(i).
We recommen d that yo u use ma intenance­
free or
cy cle- re sis tant /leak-pr oof batteries
according to the standards TL 825 06 (from
April 2008) and VW 7 SO 73 (from Apri l
2010).
Replacing the batte ry should be carried by a
q ua lified workshop. P lease follow the instruc­
tions on the battery cover.
Checkin g and fillin g 191
@ Note
-All work on the battery requires techni­
cal know ledge. Please contact an Audi
dealership or another authorized fac ility
for questions about the battery - danger
of ac id burns and exp losion hazard!
- The battery must not be opened! Do not
try to change the battery 's liquid level,
otherwise detonating gas will escape
from the battery - explosion hazard!
- The AGM battery in the luggage com­
partment cannot leak, because the elec­
t ro lyte for this batte ry is abso rbed into a
special glass mat. This lea k-proof battery
must not be replace with a convent iona l
bat tery.
- Make su re the ventilation hose on t he
side of the ba ttery is connected, othe r­
w ise fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
- Batte ry holder and termin als always
have to be sec ured correc tly.
- Before all work on the batte ry follow the
warning s below c::> .&. in Working on the
battery on page
192 .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of proper disposal
of a ba ttery, we recommend your author­
i zed Audi dealer change the bat tery fo r
you. Batteries contain sulfuric acid and l ead and must always be disposed of prop ­
erly in comp liance with a ll environmental
regulat ions. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ro nment. Make sure that the removed bat­
tery cannot overbalance, othe rwise sulfu­
r ic acid might escape!
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery shou ld be removed and
stored w here it w ill not freeze. This will
p revent it from be ing dam aged and h aving
to be replaced .
•
•

192 Checking and filling
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 work on or
near the battery,
read and heed all WARN­
INGS ~.&. -
Always heed the safety warnings, when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec ­
tr ical system to prevent injury .
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery.
@ Always wear eye protection .
b,. Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al­
~ ways wear gloves and eye protection.
~~-
No
@ -sparks
-flames
-smoking.
When a battery is charged , it produces
hyd rogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
I ~ Always keep the battery well out of
V;!J/ reach of children .
A WARNING
=
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, 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 sk in or cloth ing. Sh ield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury .
- Battery acid contains sulfur ic acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
-
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
med ical attention.
- If you shou ld ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, e lectr ic 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
too ls or othe r 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 negat ive ground ca­
ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec­
tr ical system, switch off the engine and
ignit ion 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 cab le .
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electr ica l 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!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A
llll-

dischar ged battery can freeze over at
32 °F (0 °C).
- Make sure the vent hose is alw ays attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged .
Danger of explosion! A lways rep lace a
damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Propos ition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­ pounds , chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer and reproduc ­
t ive p roblems. Wash ha nds after han­
dling .
CD Note
-Do not d isconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
t h e engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage e lectronic components in the
ele ctr ical sy stem.
-If your vehicle is goi ng to stand for a
l ong pe riod of time wit ho ut being d riven,
p rotec t the battery from "freezing ", o th­
erwise it will be d amaged and w ill t hen
h ave to be replaced.
Checking the battery acid level on magic
eye batteries*
Th e battery acid level in the batt ery can be
checked through the clear inspection window.
F ig. 140 Lu ggag e co mpart ment : Bat te ry w it h m agi c
eye.
Checkin g and fillin g 193
On top o f the battery , there is a round "win ­
dow" . This window (magic eye) changes co lor
as the battery charge and ac id leve l change .
.. Read and heed all WARN INGS
c::> .&_ in
Working on the battery on page 192
.. Read the acid level from the window on the
battery c:>fig .140.
Air bubb les in the window can cause an inac ­
cu rate reading. Carefu lly tap on the s ide of
t h e window .
- If the window is green , the batte ry acid level
is cor rect .
- If the w indow h as
no color or is bright yel­
low ,
the batte ry a cid level is too low. Have
the ba ttery tested by your authori zed Audi
dea ler or a qua lified workshop .
- If the window is black , then the ba ttery is
insufficiently charged. Recharge the battery
as soon as possib le
c::> page 193.
CD Note
Do not overfill the bat tery, otherwise b at­
tery ac id will ove rflow through the vent
ope ning . This ca n damage the paint and
cause corrosion .
Charging of battery
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
.. Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS be ­
low
c::> .&. and c::> .&. in Working on the bat­
tery on page 192 .
.. Switch off the ignition and a ll electr ical con­
sumers .
.. Make sure the area is well ven tilated when
you cha rge the battery .
.. Connect charger cables.
ALWAYS conne ct
charger cable s POSITIVE
G) to POSITIVE
G) ; NEGATIVE Oto NEGATIVE Q .
.. Swit ch o n the charge r .
.. Tu rn off the charger
c::> .&_ .
.. Disconnect the charger cab les.
.. Connect both battery cab les to the battery
if necessary -
first plus, then minus. II>-

194 Checking and filling
When charging at low voltages (e.g . w ith a
tri ckle charger ), the battery cables do not
have to be d isconnected first. Be fore charging
at
high voltages, i.e. " fast charging ", you
must disconnect both cables. In e ither case,
follow the instruct ions from the ma nufacturer
of the charger .
Fastcharging a battery is
dangerous c:> .&. in
Working on the battery on page 192 .
It re­
qu ires specia l charg ing equipment a nd the
k nowledge to go wi th it. We recomme nd hav­
ing your battery fast charged on ly by a quali­
fied workshop.
A discharged batte ry can
freeze at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 °F (0
°(). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely befo re attempt ing to
cha rge it
c:> ,&. . Howeve r, we re comme nd not
usi ng a thawe d batt ery again bec ause t he bat­
tery cas ing ca n be cracked d ue to ice forma ­
tion and can lea k bat tery aci d.
D o not open the batte ry caps whe n charg ing
the ba ttery.
_&. WARNING
-
Cha rging a batte ry can be dange rous.
- N ever charge a fro zen b att ery .
It may ex­
plode beca use o f gas t rappe d in t he i ce.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw o ut first .
- D o no t reu se batte ries which we re fr o­
zen . The batte ry housing m ay h ave
c rac ked an d weakened whe n the battery
froze .
- C harge the b attery in a we ll ven tilated
area . Kee p away from open flame o r elec­
trical spa rk. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is exp losive.
- To reduce the danger o f explosion, never
co nnect or disconnect charger cables
wh ile the charger is operating .
- Fast charg ing a battery is dangerous and
shou ld on ly be attempted by a compe­
tent technician w ith the proper eq uip­
me nt.
- Battery acid that may spill d uring charg­
ing should be washed
off wit h a so lution
of warm water and baki ng soda to neu ­
t raliz e the aci d.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast charger as a booster to
start the eng ine. Th is w ill seriously dam­
age sensit ive e lectronic components, such
as cont ro l units, re lays, radio, etc. , as well
as the battery charge r.
(D Tips
The vehicle batte ry must not be charged
with a standard small charger that plugs in to the c igarette lighter or outlet.
Windshield/headlight
washer container
Fi g. 141 Fen der, left: cove r o n th e w inds hield a nd
h ead lig ht• wa sher fl uid re se rvoir
T he was her fluid co nta iner is mar ked w it h the
symbol
Q o n its c a p<=> page 182, fig . 134.
""' Before yo u check anything in the engine
compa rtme nt,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS c:> ..&. in Wor king in the engine
c ompartment on page 18 0.
""' Lift th e fill er ca p tongue to ad d washer flu­
id . You can f ill the containe r to the top .
""' Press the cap back o nto the fi ller neck after
fi lling the container.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in t he table
in
<=> page 24 0
Clean wa ter should be used when filling up. If
poss ible, use so ft wat er to preven t sc aling o n
t h e washer jets . A lways ad d a glass clea ner
solution (with frost protection in the winter) . ..,.

196 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 separation 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 rims, 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 side, 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 sid 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 227.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are old, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in . To reduce the risk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in jur ies, d rive w ith special ca re fo r the
fi rst 350 m iles (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.