
A WARNING 1= ~
After driving through water, mud, slush, etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full brak ing effect.
([) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
th rough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for you r vehi
cle to drive th rough safely.
- Avoid dr iving through sa lt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
11-Always use lead -free gaso line¢ page 201,
Fuel supply .
"'"Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
11-Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 211, ~ Adding engine oil .
11-Never try to push -or tow -start your veh icle .
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphere .
Drivin g and en vironm ent 18 9
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalytic convert
er and proper f unct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
- The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driving and after stop
ping the eng ine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, br ush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
ru stp roof ing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con
ve rter or heat shield s. Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just o ne tank filling with
leaded fuel w ill already ser iously de
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the cor rect engine oil level
¢ page 211.
-Do not drive until the f ue l t ank becomes
comple tely empty . The engine co uld m is
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this co uld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as othe rwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
cou ld result in overheating of the con
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis -
sion Control System: ..,. •
•

Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
11-Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
11-Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at rail road cross ings, or at traffic lights that have
long wa its on red. Turning the engine
off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned s tarting the eng ine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel .
11-Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regular ly serviced by an
authorized Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects fuel
co nsumpt ion .
Ch eck you r oil each time you fill you r ta nk .
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 191
The amount of oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It i s normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(S,000 kilometers) before yo u can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
Th is also app lies to fue l consumption and en
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Wa rranty
& Ma in
t enance book let. Lack of p roper mainte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
emission cont ro l system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
11-Try to avoid driving short distances w ith a
cold engine.
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their optimal opera ting temp era ture to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and noxious em is
s ions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). After about
2 .5 miles (4 km), liJI,
•
•

202 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well for winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stations where the sea
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
CD Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only be used in vehicles with flexible fuel en
gines. Using high ethanol fuel in vehicles not equipped with flexible fuel engines
can cause severe engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob
lems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio -ethanol)
App lies to vehicles: with flexible fuel e ngi ne
You con recognize vehicles with a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the label on the inside of the fuel filler flap.
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op
erated with bio-ethanol fuels such as E85 (8S% ethanol and
15% gasoline) or with un
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95). The vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption will increase when us
ing bio-ethanol fuels due to the lower amount
of energy contained per unit volume in etha
nol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in low temperatures
Due to the chemical composition of bio-etha
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in very
low temperatures . This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru
ment cluster display, drive with a warm en
gine to reduce the oil level.
CD Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of bio-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A higher percentage of bio-etha
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fuel system.
- If you use only E85, it is recommended
to fill the fuel tank completely with un
leaded premium grade gasoline every
5,000 miles.
- If you experience starting, rough idle or
hesitation driveability problems, fill the
fuel tank completely with unleaded pre mium grade gasoline and drive it nor
mally until the gasoline is used. See your
authorized Audi dealer if the problem
persists.
- Inform your authorized Audi dealer that
you are operating or have operated the
vehicle with E85.
- Read and follow the information and tips
about gasoline
c::> page 201. .,.

-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-
Checkin g and fillin g 207
mission to "P" (Park); put manual
transmission in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewe lry, 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 emission and
chemical hazards~&. .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its const ituents,
a nd certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
Ca lifornia to cause cance r and birth de
fects and reproductive harm. In addition, certain fl uids contained in veh icles 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, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive harms. Wash hands afte r handling.
Q) Note
When adding f lu 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 regular ly . If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu
i ds, have your vehicle inspected by an au
thorized Audi dealer. •
•

208 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig . 161 Typical layout for containers and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Eng ine oi l filler cap ("1::::r.) . . . . . 211
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. .... ... ....... .... ..
219, 256
@ Bra ke fluid reservo ir (0)) . . . . . 216
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 214
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head sc rew ..... .......... ..
219, 256
® Windshield/headlight* washer
. (" ') container o ....... . ... .. . 220
The pos ition o f the engine o il fi lling hole
¢ fig . 161 (item @) can differ depending on
the engine design.
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 206.
-
Engine oil
· Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The eng ine in your Audi is a sophist icated
power plant that was b uilt to exacting specifi
cations . Th is engine needs the right k ind of
engi ne oil that meets specifica tions regard ing
quality a nd v iscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the right o il
and changing oil within the t ime and mile age
i n tervals prin ted in you r vehicle's Warr anty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day tha n it did years ago . Aud i has deve loped
a spec ia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle 's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera-
t ion . ..,_

Modern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan
tum leap in the last few years . Many synt hetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional petrole
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge", that ove r time can lead to expensive
r epairs.
At the t ime of pri nting, engine o ils available in
the U.S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, h owever, that every synthetic engine oil w ill
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oi l.
To help preve nt the format ion of harmful de
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing spec ifi
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il conta iner labels may carry the specif ica
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion w ith other des ig
nations and oil qua lity standards.
Viscos ity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis
cosity. The proper v iscosity grade oi l for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con
d itions where you dr ive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE SW40 across all tem
pe rature ranges for normal d riving conditions .
However, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not avai lab le, you can also use viscos
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we st rongly recomme nd
that you always carry with you a n ext ra quart
Checkin g and fillin g 209
(li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 specificatio n, in case you have to
top
off the o il while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
confo rms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
spec ifications is available -may you top
off
with a h igh quality engine o il, preferab ly syn
thet ic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
spec ifications, but even then, only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SA E SW-30, o r SAE
OW- 40. However, dur ing the entire time be
tween o il cha nge inte rva ls, never top
off with
more than a tota l of 0. 5 q t/liter engine o il
that does not con form to A udi oil specification
vw 502 00.
Fo r more information abo ut eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t eit h er yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .a u diusa.com or
www.aud icanada.ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
T he eng ine oi l and o il f ilter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified i n your ve hicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these interva ls - harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important beca use the lubricat
ing propert ies of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use. If you a re not sure when
yo u have your o il cha nged, ask your author
ized Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be changed more frequent ly.
Change oil more often if you dr ive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly under stop-and -go traff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
•
•

210 Check ing and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am age or m alfunc tions du e to lack of
m ainten ance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended in tervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a t imely manner.
Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, a ll in
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certa in
amount of oil. O il consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typica lly, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 188) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the ox ida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to wear as mi
leage builds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
Ill in the instrument cl uster lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 211. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience ¢
page 211.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 206.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
-The oil pressu re warn ing display. is
not an indic ator of the oil l evel. Do not
r e ly on it . Instea d, check the oil level in
y our engin e at r egular in ter val s, pref
erably ea ch time y ou r efu el, and alwa ys
befor e go ing on a long trip.
- If you have the impression you r engine
cons umes excessive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt an author
ized Aud i dea le r to have the cause of
your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in m ind that the accurate measu rement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some time. An authorized Aud i
dea ler has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
-

Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 162 MMI Disp lay: Oil l eve l ind icator
Re ad oil le vel
.,. Park your vehicle so that it is horizonta lly
level.
.,. Shut the engine off when it is at operating
temperature .
.,. Switch only the ignition back on .
.,. Wait approx . two minutes .
.,. Select: Function button
ICARI > Oil l evel. Or
.,. Se lect: Funct ion button
ICARI > C ar sys-
tem s*
cont rol button > S ervicing & ch e ck s >
Oil level.
.,. Read the oil leve l in the MMI* Display
¢
fig . 162 . Add engine oi l if the bar o f the
oi l level ind icator is near "min"
c::> page 211
Depending on the way the veh icle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
can be up to a 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0 .5
li
ter per 1,000 km) . Consumption may be high
er within the first 3,000 m iles (S,000 km).
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI* Disp lay
is only an information display.
If the oi l
level is too low, a min imum oil warning ap
pears in the instrument cluster. Add oil
c::> page 211 . If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru
ment cluster the next time the ign ition is
sw itched on.
Checkin g and fillin g 211
~ Adding engine oil
Fig. 163 Eng in e compart men t: Cove r on the oil filler
n eck
.,. Before yo u check anything in the engine
compa rtment,
alwa ys rea d and h eed all
WARNING S ¢.&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 206 .
.,. Shut the engine off.
.,. Unscrew the cap~ to the engine oi l filling
hole
r:!> fig. 163, r:!>page 208, fig. 161 .
.,. Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters)
of the appropriate oil¢
page 208.
"' Check the oil level again after two minutes
r:!> page 211, Checking the engine oil level .
"'Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
"' Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
_&. WARNING
- While topping off, the oil must not come
in contact with hot e ngine parts -fir e
hazard!
- The oil filler cap must be properly se
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is runn ing -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine o il, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil level using the radio or
M MI*. If the message
Plea se redu ce oil
le vel
appears, contact yo ur authorized
Audi dealer or qua lified workshop to
have excess oil extracted if necessary .
-Audi does not recommend the u se of o il
additiv es. They m ay damage the engine .,.