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>
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. •
•
complexity of today's automobi les, have
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Also, safe ty and e nvir onm en tal con
cerns place very strict limits on the nature of
repairs and adjustments to engine and trans
miss io n pa rts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usua lly
require special tools, testing devices and oth
er equipment avai lab le to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure prope r
performance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi
cle and its many systems .
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and re
pa irs can impair the operation and reliability
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war ranty. The refo re, p roof of servic ing in accord
ance w ith the maintenance sched ule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible war ranty
claim made within the warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely
affected, crea ting unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done
by your authorized Audi dealer or any properly
equ ipped and qua lified workshop. We st rong
l y urge you to g ive your authorized Audi dea ler
the opportunity to perform all scheduled
maintenance and necessary repairs . Your dea l
er has the facilities, original parts and trained
specialists to keep your veh icle running prop
erly.
Performing limit ed m aintenance you rself
The following pages describe a limited num
ber of procedures which can be performed on
your vehicle with ordinary too ls, should the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila
ble. Before performing any of these proce
dures, always thoroughly read all of the appli
cable text and carefully follow the instruc
tions given. Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS provided.
B efore you check anything in th e engine
compartment, a lways re ad and heed all
Con sumer In formation 265
WARNINGS ¢ & and ¢ & in Working in the
engine comportment on page 206 .
A WARNING
-Ser ious personal injury may occur as a re
sult of improperly performed mainte
nance, adjustments or repa irs.
-Always be extremely careful when work
ing on the vehicle. Always follow com
mon ly accepted safety practices and gen
eral common sense. Never r isk personal
lnJUry.
- Do not attempt any of the ma intenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the fol
lowing pages if you are not fully fam iliar
wit h these or othe r pro cedures with re
spect to t he veh icle, or are uncerta in how
to p roceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper
too ls and equipment. Have the necessary
work done by your authorized A udi deal
er or any properly equipped and qualified
wo rkshop.
- The engine compartment o f any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. It is temperature
contro lled and can switch on suddenly -
even when the engine is off and the igni
tion key has been removed. The rad iator
fan switches on automat ica lly when the
coo lant reaches a certai n temperatu re
and will cont inue to run until the coo lan t
tempera ture drops .
- Always remove the ign itio n key befo re
anyone gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
s tands i f it is necessary to work under
neath the vehicle. The jack s upplied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pur
pose and cou ld collapse causing serio us
personal injury.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels are a lways securely
blocked a nd that the engine cannot be
started.
•
•
Checking the engine coolant leve l .. ... 213
Radiator fan ................. .. ... 215
Engin e coolant temperature
Temperature gauge ................. 10
Eng ine hood
Closing .. ..... ........... ...... .. 206
How to release the hood ............ 206
Eng ine oil . .. ............. .... .. ... 208
Adding ... . ............. .... .. .. . 211
Additives . .. ............. .... .. ... 211
Changing ...................... .. 212
Check oil level .................. .. 211
Consumption ............ .... .. ... 211
I ndicator light ................. 17,21
Oil consumption .......... .... .. ... 210
Oil grades .. ................. .. ... 208
Pressure malfunction ........... ..... 17
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Specification and viscosity .. .. .. .. .. . 208
Engine speed limitation ............... 21
Env ironment
Break- in period ... .. ... ... .. .. .. .. . 187
Catalytic converter . .......... ... .. . 188
Disposing of your vehicle battery .. .. . 220
Driving at high speeds .............. 189
Driving to minimize pollution and noise 189
Fuel . .... .. .. ................ .... 204
Fu el economy ................ .. ... 189
Leaks under your vehicle ... .. .. .. .. . 206
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up. 190
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . 216
Proper disposal of drained engine cool -
ant . .. .. .. .. .... ........ .... ... . 214
Proper disposal of drained engine
oil ...... .. ................. 211,212
Recycling used engine oil ... .. .. .. .. . 211
Unleaded fuel ..................... 201
What should I do with an old battery? . 220
EPC
refer to Electronic power control . . . . . . 20
Ethyl alcohol (Fuel) .................. 202
Ev ent Data Recorder (EDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Exhaust tail pipes
C leaning . .. ............. .... .. ... 197
Expansion tank ............ .... .. ... 213
Exterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Index 273
Exterior mirrors
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Dimming ... ... .. .. ................ 55
Heating ... .. .. .. ................. . 54
F
Fan
Radiator 215
Fastening Booster seats .. .. .. .............. . 169
Convertible child safety seats ....... . 168
Infant seats ..... ................. 167
Flat tire Changing ... .. ...... ............. 244
flexible fuel ........................ 202
Floor mats ... ..... .. ............... 126
Fog lights/rear fog lig ht(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Folding the rear seats ............ .. .. . 67
Foot pedals . .. .. .. .. . .............. 126
For the sake of the environment Gasoline fumes and the environment .. 204
Letting the engine warm up . . . . . . 74, 77
Refueling . .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 204
Saving fuel by early upsh ifting ..... .. . 11
Front airbags Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Frontal collisions and the laws of physics 133
Front passenger's door emergency locking 36
Front seats Adjusting ....... .. ............... 123
Child restraints in the front seat ...... 141
Upper cabin heating ............ .. .. . 72
Fuel Additives ............... .......... 201
Blended gasoline .................. 201
Consumption .. .. .... ......... .. .. . 25
Filler neck . .. .. .. .. ............... 203
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Gasoline ... ... .... ............... 201
Gasoline additives . ............... . 203
Low fue l level symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Octane rating .. .. ................. 201
Recommendation . .. ........... .... 201
Refuelling ... .. .. .. . .. ... .... ..... 204
Reserve ................ ........... 12
Tank capac ity .. .. .. .............. . 262
•
•
-----------------------------~I~n~d~e~x 277
Power top
Cleaning
Closing ·
· . ................ ... .... 42
... ................ ... ... 197
Convenience opening/closing . .. .. .. . .
Emergency opera tion ...... .. .. .. .. . . 44
44
46
E rror message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
43
General information .. .... .. .. .. .. .. 42
Indicator light ........ ...... .... ...
43
Malfunction ............. .. .. .. .. .. 43
Opening . .. ............. .... .. .... 44
Variable power top storage bay . ... .. ..
45
Wind deflector .............. ... .... 45
Power window
Conven ience opening/closing . .. .. .. .. 40
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
39
Malfunctions ............. ... ... ... 40
Pregnant women
Special considerations when wearing a
safety belt . ............. .... .. ...
137
Proper occupant seating posit ions .. .. . 122
Proper safety belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 7
Proper seating position
Front passenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
123
Occupants .. ............. .... .. ... 122
Rear passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Protecting
197
Q
Quartz clock ... ........... .. .. .. .. .. 12
quattro
refer to all-wheel drive
Question What happens to unbelted occupants?
Why safety belts? ........ .. .. .. .. .
R
184
133
132
Radiator fan . ............. .... .. ... 215
Ra in/light sensor
Headlights .............. .... .. .. ..
51
Intermittent (windshield wipers) . . . . . . 56
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Reading lights ............. .... .. .. ..
54
Rearfoglights ............ .... .. .. .. 51
Rear lid
Escape handle .............. ... .. .. 38
Opening and closing ......... ... .. ..
37
Rear light
Defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21
Rear view camera
Parking mode 1
Parking mode 2
Rear view mirror
. .. .. .......... .... ..
113
114
55
Rear window heating ............... .. 71
Recirculation mode (automat ic climate
control)
.. .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. .
Refuelling ........ .. .............. .
Release lever for hood
Remote control Homelink . .. .. .. .... ............ .
Remote control key . .... ......... .. .. .
70
204
206
117
32
Personalizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
unlocking/locking .. .............. .. 34
Remote rear lid release .............. . 37
Repair manuals .. .. .. .. ........... .. 264
Repairs Airbag system ... .. . .. .... .... ....
153
Replacement key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Replacing bulbs . .. .. .. ......... .. .. 253
Replacing tires and wheels ........ .. .. 234
Rep lacing wiper blades ...............
57
Reporting Safety Defects ............. 129
Reset button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Retractor ... .. .. .. .... ............. 136
Right hand drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
53
Rims
Cleaning
Rollbar
refer to Active rollover protection sys
tem
....... ... .... ...............
s
196
130
SAFE · · .... .. .. .. ................. . 12
Safe driving habits ... .......... .... .
121
Safety belt position . ............... . 13 7
Safety belts worn by pregnant women .
137
Safety belt pretensioner .............. 138
Serv ice and disposa l ........... .. ..
139
Safety belts ....... .. ............... 135
Belt positioner ... .. . .. .... ........ 135
Cleaning .. .. .. .. .. . .. .......... .. 197
Danger to passengers who do not wear a
safety belt .. .. .. .. .. ........... ..
133
•
•