214 Check ing and filling
level should be between the "MIN" and
"MAX" markings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "MAX"
marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration
c:> page 208.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto-Check System
c:> page 17will
b link until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to no rma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in t he cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
sea led system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
The cooling system is unde r pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps .
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
dow n.
- Protect yo ur 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 wh ile ap
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid be ing burned, do not spill ant i
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
'
or hot engine parts. Under certa in cond i
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coo l
ant can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not a dd any type of radiator leak sea l
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant. Add
i ng radiator repa ir fl uid may adverse ly af
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Veh icle L imited
War ranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS c:> A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 206 .
Requirement: There m ust be a res idual
amount of coo lant in the expans ion tank
c:> (]) .
.,.. Turn off the eng ine .
.,.. Let the engin e cool down.
.,.. Place a thick rag over the coo lant expansion
tank
c:> page 213 , fig. 178 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
c:> .&_ .
.,.. Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
c:> page 213, Coolant up to the MAX ma rk
ing.
.,.. Mak e s ure t hat the fl uid leve l remains sta-
b le. Add more coo lant if necessary.
.,.. Twist the cap on again
tightly .
Replacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
ex act spec ific at ions
c:> page 213, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add it ive
G12 ++, G13 or i n an emergency G 12+. Do
not
use a different add it ive. In an emergen cy use
plain wa ter until yo u can ge t the correct addi
tive and can restore t he correct ratio. This
sho uld be done as soon as possib le .
If you have los t a cons iderab le amount o f
coolant, the n you sho uld add cold ant ifree ze
and co ld wate r on ly when the engine is cold.
Always use
n ew engine coo la nt w hen refilling . .,.
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. •
•
216 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance .
N N ~ N
" (X) (0
Fig. 179 Engine compartme nt: Cover on the brake flu ·
id reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN·
INGS ¢ .&._ in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 206 .
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 179 , ¢ page 208,
fig. 175.
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 side ¢
page 208 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light (U.S. models: ., Canadian mod
els: .) will come on¢
page 15. Do not con
tinue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
@ Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under
neath the cover.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
t he water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake fluid will also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stor
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can result from old or inap
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake fluid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . This can seriously affect the effi
ciency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could result in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.
forget the spare tire. If the p ress ure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold", let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the t ire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the veh icle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your veh icle as listed on the on
your ve hicle and in this manua l and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do .
Never exce ed the ma ximum inflation pres
s ur e listed on t he tire s idewall for any re a
s on.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer , not
the t ire manufacturer , determ ines the co rrect
tire pressure for the tires on your veh icle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the t ires a re cold .
- Read the req uired tire press ure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure labe l is lo
cated on the driver's side 8 -p ill ar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
t ir e inflat io n pressu res for the veh icle at its
maximum capacity we ight a nd the tir es that
we re on yo ur vehicle at the t ime it was man
uf act ured. Fo r recommended tire press ures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter
c:> page 226 .
- Turn the valve stem cap counter -clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure ga uge on the valve.
- The tire pressures should on ly be che cked
and adjus ted when the tires a re cold . The
s li ght ly raised pressures of wa rm tires mus t
not be reduced .
- Adjus t the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying .
- Re inst all the va lve s tem cap o n the valve .
Tires an d wheel s 229
When should I check the tire pressure?
T he co rrect tire pressu re is especially impor
tant at h igh speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before sta rting a jo urney . Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
whee l.
When should I adjust the tire pres sures?
Adjust the t ire pressure to the load you a re
carrying . After changing a whee l
or replacing
whee ls yo u have to adjust the tire pressu res
on all whee ls. In addition, yo u m ust then initi
alize the new tire pressures i n the t ire pres
sure monitoring system*
c:> page 240 .
A WARNING
Incorrect ti re p ressu res and/or u nderinfla
tion can lead sudden ti re fa ilu re, loss of
control, collision, se rio us pe rsonal inju ry
or even death.
- When the
RI] warning symbol appears i n
the ins trumen t cluster, stop and inspec t
the t ires.
- In co rrec t tire p ressure a nd/or underi nfla
tion can ca use increased tire we ar and
can affect the hand ling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
- In correc t tire pressures and/or underin
flation can a lso lead to s udden t ire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, ca using loss of vehicle contro l.
- The drive r is responsib le for the co rrect
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle.
The applicable pressure values are locat
ed on a sticke r on the dr iver's s ide 8-pil
lar.
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil
led to the correct pressure, the t ire pres
sure mon itor ing system* can work cor
rectly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the drive r
observe the spec ified t ire p ress ure val ues
for the tires and t he correct pressures fo r .,. •
•
236 Tire s and whee ls
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of th e same ty pe, size (r olling c ir
cumfe rence) and the same tread pattern.
Dr iv in g with different tires reduces veh i
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
c o ntrol.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with winter tires - on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care. Refit the no r
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maxim um
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly.
- Overloading ti res cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades app ly to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un
derinflated.
- For technical reasons it is not a lways
poss ible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel tr im discs on the ve
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked . Reduced air
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping d istances and caus
ing a collision.
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on
vehicles that we re eq uipped w ith them
at the factory. The vehicle must have a
chassis des igned for r un flat t ires and a
factory-installed tire press ure monito r
ing system * that indicates a loss of tire
pressure. Incorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dea ler or
t ire spec ialist to see if you r vehicle can be
equipped with run flat tires .
If run flat
t ires a re used, they must be insta lled on
all four wheels. M ixing tire types is not
permitted.
(D Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
poss ible to use the wheel rims from oth
er veh icles. T his can hold tr ue for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the tires that you have mounted on your ve
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w it h the
ti re mat ching the othe rs on your vehicle
as soon as possi ble.
- Never d rive without the valve stem cap.
The v alves co uld get damaged.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of o ld tires in accordance w ith the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Tra ction AA A B (
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the t ire s ide wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
c> page 233,
fig . 186.
For e xample: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA ,
Temperature A .
All passenger car ti res must conform to Feder
al Safety Requirements in add ition to these
grades .
Tread w ear
The tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
u nder contro lled conditions on a specified
government test course.
F o r example, a tire graded 1S0 wo uld wear
one and one ha lf (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a ti re graded 100. ..,_
238 Tire s and whee ls
was manufactured . Please see q page 234,
Speed roting (letter code) for
a listing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
The speed rating letter code( ¢
page 225) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 233.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inter t ires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal inj ury to you and your passen
gers.
A WARNING
=
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immed iately .
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac
celeration of the winter tires and all whee l
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks . A l
ways remember :
- When brak ing , an a ll whee l drive vehicle
hand les in the same way as
a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive caref ully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under black ice conditions.
{® Fo r the s ake of the en vironment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be f itted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask your
authorized Aud i dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-prof ile links
and must not be th icker than 0.53 inch
(13 .5 mm), includ ing the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow chains on your vehicle
c::> @ . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts . These are avail
able from autho rized Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chai ns for your veh i
cle or instal ling them incorrect ly can in
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
(D Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con
tact with the whee l rim, can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
the pos ition of the snow chains after
What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 188 Luggage compartment: tool kit
When you need access to the veh icle tool kit
or jack*, you will need to take o ut the spare
tire* and cover¢
page 243.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Alignmen t pin for ch anging the whee l
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- Too l for chang ing light bulbs
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang -
ing light bulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Some of the vehi cle items listed above are
p rov ided o n certain models o nly or are opt io n
al extras .
Before returning the jack* to its place, retract
the jack arm fully.
.&, WARNING
-
-Never use the screw d river hex head to
tighten whee l bolts, since the bolts can
not attain the necessary tightening tor
que if yo u use the hex head, potentially
caus ing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jac k is intended on
ly for your vehicle model. Unde r no cir-
What do I d o now ? 243
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in
juring yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely w it h appro
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise , there
is a pote ntia l risk for injury .
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)
App lies to vehicles: wit h space -saving spare t ire
The spore tire/wheel is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only .
Fig. 189 Spa re tir e
Remo ving th e spare tire
.. Lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handle
¢ fig. 189 .
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart
ment wea ther strip .
.. Turn the large screw <=>
fig. 189 counter
clockw ise.
.. Take out the spa re tire .
.. Always s tore the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the rep laced tire in the luggage com
partment
¢ page 127 .
.. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid .
Using th e spare tire (compact spar e tire )
The compact spare t ire is only intended fo r
eme rgencies unt il you can reach a repa ir sh op.
Rep lace it as qu ickly as possible with a stand -
ard whee l and tire. ..,..
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold
ing chocks o r other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac
ing the Automat ic Transm iss ion in "P"
(Park) wi ll
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a st urdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the
jack* and the repla ced ti re in the l uggage
compartment
¢ page 12 7.
(D Note
If you are chang ing the wheel on a steep
incline, use a rock or similar object to
block the opposite wheel to prevent the
ve hicl e from mov ing.
(l) Tips
Obey a ll laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly tha t order .
1. Remove the dec orative whe el co ver* or
the
wh eel b olt cap s* . Fo r mor e details see
a lso
¢ page 245, Decorative wheel cov
ers
or¢ page 246, Wheels with wheel
bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel bo lts ¢ page 246.
3. Locate the proper mounting po int for the
jack and align the jack below that point
c::> page247.
4. Lift the car with the jack c::> page 247 .
5. Remove the wheel with th e flat tire and
then install the
s pare tir e c::> page 248 .
6. Tighten all wh eel bo lts light ly .
7.
Low er the ve hicle wit h the ja ck.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrenc h and
firmly
tighten a ll whee l bolts in a cr isscross pa t
tern ¢
page 246.
What do I do now ? 245
9. Replace the decorative wheel co ver* or
the
wheel bolt caps*.
A WARNING
Always read and fo llow all WARNINGS and
i n format ion
c::> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page 247
and c::> page 249.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
c::> page 12 7 .
.,. Check the tire pressu re of the spare tire as
soon as possible .
.,. As soon as poss ib le, have the
t ightening
torqu es
on all wheel bolts checked with a
t orque wrench. The co rrect tighte ning tor
que is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm).
.,. Have the fla t tire
repl ace d as soon as possi
b le.
(D Tips
- If you not ice tha t the wheel bo lts a re
c orroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, they shou ld be replaced
before you c heck the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the tightening torques checked .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: wit h deco rat ive w hee l covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 19 0 C ha ngi ng a w heel : re moving the w hee l cove r ...