2014 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET warning light

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.

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the pr oblem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop . The elec­
trolyte leve l should also be checked each time
the battery is charged ¢
page 219.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re ­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 1 53.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo­
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢ page 185.
Some o f the conven ience f unctions m ay not
ope rate, su ch as the in ter ior lig hts or t he
Checkin g and fillin g 217
power seat adjus tment. The convenience
funct io ns w ill be available again when yo u
turn o n the ign ition and start the engine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the w inte r mon ths, bat tery capa city
tends to dec rease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogge r, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consumpt ion, pa r­
ticular ly in city traffic or when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur autho rized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before w inter sets in
¢ page 219. A well
charged battery will no t on ly prevent star tin g
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
stored where it will not freeze . This will
p revent it from be ing damaged and having
to be repla ced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t­
ment under the floor . B efo re you che ck any­
thi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,&. .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle batte ry or t he vehicle e lec­
t rical sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BO LS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection.
•
•

218 Check ing and filling
&
Batter y acid contain s sulfuric acid . Al ·
wa ys wear glo ves and eye prote ction .
@
No
- spar ks
- flames
- smoking .
~
When a b attery i s ch arged , it p roduce s
h y d rogen ga s whi ch i s ex plosi ve and
c ould cau se per sonal inju ry.
®
Alwa ys keep the battery well out of
r ea ch of children .
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury , acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
-Always wear eye protection. Do not let battery acid or any lead part icles 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 vent ilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in yo ur eyes or
on your sk in, immediately rinse with
cold water for severa l minutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg -
ative cab les.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
wh ich could lead to damage or explosion
and personal in jury.
-
- 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
trica l system, switch off the engine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
m ust be disconnected .
If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
e nough to swi tc h off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, f irst
d isconnect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive c ab le.
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch­
ed off . Re conne ct the pos it ive cab le first
and then the negative cable. Never inter ­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never cha rge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32°F
(QOC).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the s ide of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways rep lace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chem icals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems . Wash hands after han-
dling.
~

220 Check ing and filling
- To r educe the danger of explosion, never
co nnect or disconn ect cha rger cables
wh ile the c harger is operating.
- Fast char ging a battery is dangerous and
shou ld on ly be attempted by a compe­
tent technician w ith the proper equip­
ment .
- Battery acid that may spill d uring charg­
ing should be washed
off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu ­
tralize the acid.
(Q) Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine . This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, rad io, etc., as we ll
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specif/·
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
In tell igent energy management in your veh i­
cle is respons ible for d istributing the e lectr i­
cal energy throughout you r vehicle
~ page 185. The intell igen t energy m anage­
men t system w ill keep the engine ba tte ry
charged better then vehicles w ithout this sys­
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries o f the same type and ma nu­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery hous ing. You r
author ized Audi dealer must code the battery
in the ene rgy managemen t system to enable
you to use the ene rgy management functions
correctly after replac ing the battery.
I f it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new bat tery m ust h ave the s ame ca­
pac ity, voltage ( 12-volts), amperage, con ­
struction and plug sea ling. When installing the battery, make su
re the ig ­
nition and a ll electrical consumers are turned
off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilat ion hose on the side
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery acid can leak out .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the p rob lem of p roper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author ­
i zed Audi dealer change the battery fo r
you. Batteries contain sulfur ic acid and
l ead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in comp liance with all environmental
regula tions. Dispos ing of veh icle batter ies
i mprope rly is very dange rous to the envi­
r o nment .
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig. 181 En gin e compa rt m en t: Cove r on the w ind·
s h iel d a nd h eadligh t• was he r fl uid conta in er
.., N
-~ (X) a,
The washer fluid conta iner is marked w ith the
symbol
O on its cap~ fig. 181, ~ page 208,
fig . 175.
.. Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compa rtment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS q A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 206 .
.. Lift the fi ller cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can f ill the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after
fi lling the conta iner .
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in the table
in
q page 262. .,.

When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­
ment or alternate tires or whee ls on the veh i­
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
p roperly . Always check the T PMS malfunct ion
tellta le afte r replacing one o r more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re­
p lacemen t or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly .
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 187 Display: underinflatio n warning
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the t ire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, th is is indica ted in the instru­
ment clus ter with a
RE wa rning symbol and a
message¢
fig. 187 . The driver message in the
disp lay goes out after 5 seconds . The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
! SET ! button. If only one tire is affected,
the display will indicate its pos ition.
The ti re pressu re monitoring system must be
reset via radio or MMI* each time the pres ­
sures are adjusted (e.g . when switching be ­
tween partia l and full load pressure) or after
changing or replacing a t ire on your vehicle
¢
page 242 . The TPMS indicator only moni­
tors the tire pressure that you have prev iously
Tire s an d wheel s 241
stored . You can find the recommended t ire
pressures for yo ur vehicle on the label on driv ­
er's side 8-pillar ¢
page 226.
T ire tread circum ference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- t he t ire p ress ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- t he t ire has s tructural damage,
- the t ire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 242.
Warning symbo ls
RE Loss of pressure in at least one tire c> & .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The
RE ind icator light in the instru­
ment cluster a lso illuminates
c::!;> page 13.
Check/correct the press ures of all fou r tires
and reset TPMS via radio or MMI*.
Ill (T ir e Pre ssure Monitor ing System) Tire
press ure: Syst em malfun ction!.
If II! appears after switching the ignition on
o r while dr iv ing and the
RE i ndicator light in
the instr ume nt cluster blinks for app rox i­
mately o ne minute and t hen stays o n, there is
a system malf unct ion.
Attempt to store the co rrect tire pressure
¢ page 242 . If the ind icator light does not
tu rn off o r if it turns on sho rtly the reafter, im­
med iate ly dr ive your vehicle to a n author ized
Audi dealer or au thorized repair faci lity to
have the malfunc tion corrected .
A WARNING
-=
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is significant ly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or b raking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire p ressure to the prope r pres­
sure as indica ted on the vehicle's tire
pressu re labe l
¢page 226. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
•
•

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. ..,..