2014 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET coolant temperature

10 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Ove rv iew of the instrument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .
@ Tachometer ........... .. .. .
@ Warning/indicator lights .. .. .
© ISETlbutton .... .... .. .... . .
® Display
- Driver information system .. .
- Time and date d isplay .. .. .. .
- Odometer .......... ... .. .
@ Reset button for trip odometer
(z) Speedometer
@ Fuel gauge . .... ..... .. .. .. .
(D Tips
10
11
13
11
24
12
12
12
12
- When switching the ignition on, the nee­
dles in the instrument cluster swing up­
ward briefly.
- The illumination for the instrument clus­
ter lights up whenever you switch on the
i gnition with the
vehicle headlights off .
As the daylight fades, the instrument
cluster illumination likewise dims auto­
matically a nd will go out completely
when the outside light is
very low. This
feature is meant to remind you to switch
on the headlights when outside light
conditions become poor .
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge q page 10, fig. 3 CD
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the fol ­
lowing important points:
Engine cold
If the needle is at or close to the bottom of
the gauge, the engine has not yet reached its
operating temperature. Avoid high engine
speeds, heavy engine loads, and heavy throt ­
tle app lications.
Normal temperature
When the engine has reached its operating
temperature, the needle will
move to the mid­
dle of the gauge and remain there . If the en­
gine is working hard at high outs ide tempera­
tures, the needle may
move higher on the
gauge. This is not a cause for concern as long
as the . warn ing light in the instrument
cluster display does not illuminate. If the.
warning light in the instrument cluster dis­
play flashes, this can mean one of two things:
either the coolant
temperature is too high, or
the coolant
level is too low¢ page 17 Ill-

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
A WARNING
- Always observe the warning in
c::> page 206 , before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself. Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant .
(D Note
-Mounting additional lights or accessories
in front of the air inlets reduces the cool­
ing effect of the rad iator. At high outside
temperatures or high eng ine load , the
engine could overheat.
- The front spoiler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving .
If the spoiler is
damaged , this cou ld reduce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat. Ask your authorized Aud i dealer for
assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear . T he red area
at the end of the scale indicates maximum
perm issible engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position 0/5 or ease your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
@) Note
The tachometer needle@c::> page 10,
fig . 3 shou ld only briefly be in the red
zone: you could damage your engine! The
beg inning of the red zone varies depend-
ing on the engine .
@) For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
~ button
Fig. 4 SET button in th e ins trume nt cluster
The !SET ! button performs the following func­
tions:
Switching on time, date, temperature
display and odometer
The display appears for approximate ly 30 sec­
onds when you press the
I S ET ! button c::> fig . 4
with the ignit ion off .
Starting the Auto-Check sequence
The Auto-Check system constantly monitors
certa in individual functions and components
of the vehicle when the ignition is turned on
and when the vehicle is moving .
With the ignition turned on, you can start the "Auto-Check sequence" by pressing the
! SE T!
button . You can perform an Auto-Check se­
quence when the vehicle is stationary and the
ignition is turned on or when the vehicle is
moving slower than 3 mph (5 km/h).
In addition, the number of keys initialised for
your vehicle is displayed.
L2 3 /3 means that
three keys have been initialised . This feature
enables used car buyers to make sure they
have received all of the keys.
If you are given only two keys, for ins tance ,
you should take the vehicle and the ex isting
keys to an authorized Audi dealer to have the
missing key d isabled .
It is also important to
notify your insurance company about the loss.
Setting the speed warning
By pressing the !SET ! button briefly, you can
set threshold 1 of the speed warning wh ile
you are driving
c::> page 82 . By maintaining II>

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
0 Battery
The. warni ng/ind icator lig ht ill umin ates
when yo u switc h on the igni tion and mu st go
ou t aft er the engine has s tarte d.
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
I f the i ndicator lig ht t urns on and t he mes­
sage appears, the re is a malf unction in t he
gen erato r or vehicle e lectr ica l system .
Drive to yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r or quali­
fied workshop immediately . Because the vehi­
cl e ba ttery is disc harging, tur n off a ll unnec­
essa ry ele ct rical eq uipment suc h as th e radio.
S eek profession al ass is ta nce if the batte ry
ch arg e leve l is t oo low.
(•) low battery: Battery will be charged
while driving
If t he indicator lig ht t urns on and t he mes­
sage appears, the re may be limited starting
ab il ity .
If
t hi s message turns off after a litt le w hile,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If t he message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qua lified wor kshop
c o rrect the malfunctio n.
't:::7: Engine oil pressure
The red en gine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil -pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damag e to the engine.
• Turn off engine! Oil pressure too low
If th e ind ic a tor lig ht tur ns on and th e me s­
sage a ppears, the oil press ure is too low .
~ Pull off the road.
~ Sto p th e ve hicl e.
~T urno ff th e e ngine.
~ Check the engine oil level ¢ page 211.
~ If the engine oi l leve l is too low , add engine
o il
¢ page 211. Make sure that the oil pres ­
s ur e warning symbol. appea rs no longer
i n t he d isp lay before you start d riving aga in.
~ If the en gine o il level is co rrec t and the in di­
cato r light still turns on, turn the e ngine
off
and do not cont inue driv ing . See k pr ofessi o­
na l assistance .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
Ill requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay . Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil level warning
Ill. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
·
~ .. Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If the indica to r li ght and the message a ppear,
add engine oil immediately ¢
page 208 .
El Add oil, max XXXX l. You may cont. driv .
When the symbol El and dr ive r message ap ­
pear, add the amoun t of oil app ear ing in t he
display at t he next oppo rtunity ¢
page 20 8.
-L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must b e repaired as soon as possibl e .
• Turn off engine and check coolant level
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coolant temperature is too
high or the coolant leve l is t oo low.
~ Pull off t h e roa d.
~ Stop the vehicle.
~ Tu rnoff the engine .
~ Check coolant level¢ page 213 .
~ Add coolant if necessary ¢ page 214.
~ Continu e dr iv in g o nly afte r the engin e cool-
ant wa rning/ind icator light goes ou t. ..,.

Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners . When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
Trailer towing 193
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed . Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge<=> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
in the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
-
•
•

-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 ca re­
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 aux ili­
ary e lectr 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 or hot eng ine coolant by placing a
thic k 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 bu rns.
- If wo rk on the fuel system or the electri­
cal sys tem is ne cessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames . Fluids in the engine com­
partment co uld start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately ava ilable.
- To avoid electrical s hock and persona l in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repa ir
with the engine running:
- Fir st, fully apply the parking brake,
move se lector lever of a utomatic trans­
mission to "P" (Park).
Checkin g and fillin g 207
-Always use extreme caut ion to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-be lts
or other moving parts, or from contact­
i ng hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang o r droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to em ission and
chemical hazards
9 .&, .
&_ WARNING
Califo rnia Proposition 65 Wa rni ng:
- Engi ne exhaust, some of its const ituents,
and certa in vehicle components contain
or emit chemi cals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproduc tive harm. In addition,
certain fl uids con tained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemica ls known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com ­
pounds, c hemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc ­
tive harms. Wash hands afte r handling .
(D Note
When adding flu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper conta iner
or f iller 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 you r vehicle inspected by an au­
thori zed Audi dealer. •
•

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 specially conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol-based coolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with anticorrosion addi­ tives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian models). This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling.
It also raises the boil­
ing 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 engine cooling system.
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant additive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 206.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checking and filling 213
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 only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle.
This coolant additive is available at au­
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­
rosion protection. The resulting corro­
sion can cause a loss of coolant and se­ rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator 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 Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 178 Eng ine compartment: Cover on the coolant
expansion tank
"' Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢ .&, in Working in the engine
compartment on page 206.
"'Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Turn off the ignition.
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the cool­
ant expansion tank ¢
fig. 178, ¢ page 208,
fig. 175.
With a cold engine, the coolant Iii>

Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot .
_& WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Turn
off the engine and allow itto cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure 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
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank
is empty. Air could enter the cooling sys­
tem and damage the engine. If this is
the case, do not continue driving . Seek
professional assistance.
- 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 213 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
Checking and filling 215
'
@) 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 radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the coolant.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operating 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 ¢.&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
du e to the h eat build-up from th e engin e in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment 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
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. •
•

-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age .
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter
tires are designed for the cond itions that
are typ ic al in those seasons. Aud i recom­
mends using w inter t ires du ring the win-
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be replaced)
of automatic tra nsmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory-installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to the width of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in­
d icate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the pa rt of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead s eparation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Tire s an d wheel s 223
ter months . Low temperatu res signifi­
cantly decrease the elastic ity of summer
t ires, which affects traction and braking
ability. If summer tires are used in very
co ld temperatures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, res ulting in permanent
ti re damage that can cause loud drivi ng
noise and unbalanced tires. Aud i is not
responsib le for this type of damage.
- Burn ished, polished or chromed rims
must not be used in winter weather. Th e
surfa ce of the rims does not have suffi­
c ien t cor rosion pro te cti on for this and
c o ul d be pe rmanen tly damaged by road
salt or similar substances. This damage
is not covered by warranty.
Cold tir e inflation pressure
me ans the t ire press ure re commended by the
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire o f a des igna ted
size that has not bee n driven for more than a
couple of miles (k ilomete rs) at low speeds in
the three hour pe riod before the tire p ress ure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight o f a motor vehicle with
standard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, o il, and coolant, air cond i­
tion ing and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
E xtra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capacity of a single
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in-
ter~ces .
~
•
•