
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. 164 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. 164, ¢ page 208,
fig. 161.
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. •
•

@ 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 150.
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 186.
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 authorized 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.
•
•

you have stored. The system does not recog
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressu re monitor
ing system* will be impaired if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load¢,&.
See the illustration ¢
fig. 168 for the location
of the label on driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve
hicle will vary slig htly) .
Note that the following table is accurate at
the time of go ing to press and is subject to
Model Tire designation
Engine
AS Coupe: 225/50 Rl 7 94H
2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 R17 95H
All Season
245/40 R18 93H
All Season
255/35 R19 96V High Performance
SS Coupe: 245/40 R18 93V
3.0 liter High Performance
6-cylinder 255/35 R19 96V
High Performance
Tires and wheels 22 7
ch ange. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B
pillar always takes precedence.
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the tir e sizes instal
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
normal load condition full load condition (up to 2 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230
33 230 29 200 35 240 35 240
32 220 32 220 33 230 33 230
38 260 32 220 41 280
38 260
38 260 32 220 41 280 38 260
•
•
XL= reinfo rced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
lo cated on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equipment during t he model year, al
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle. Make sure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be
l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi- cle
with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making sure that
l oad lim its are not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are techn ically refer
red to as the veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rat ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the .,,.

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 .,. •
•

Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
All wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
~page 185 .
.8_ WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and toss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you 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.
Tires and wheels 233
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 172 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
@ Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
0 U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specialty matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.

234 Tire s and wheel s
contribution to good road ho lding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ ,& .
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized Audi
dea ler. They are familiar with recommended
proced ures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as well as the proper fa
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
Re placing t ires and whe els
Tires sho uld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for examp le both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 240.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement t ires
must always have the same load rating speci
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
c:> page 226.
Aud i-approved specification ti res are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road ho ld
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(c:>page 226) lists spec ifica
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on driver's side
B-pillar
(c:>page 226, fig. 169) lists the speci
f ications of the orig inal equipment tires in
stalled on your veh icle at the time it was man
ufactured.
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide
wall of all tires
c:> fig. 172 . This information
i dent ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire ident ificat ion number f
or sa fety standard ce rtification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of ti re specificat ions makes it eas
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P255 / 35 R1 9 96Y XL
This co nta ins the following information:
P Indicates the t ire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
2 55 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewa ll edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construction: Radial
1 9 Rim diameter code (in inches)
9 6 Load rating code
Y Speed rat ing letter code
X L (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
t h at the t ire is a"Re inforced" or an " Extra
Load " tir e
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capabi lity
The tires could also have the information of
direction of rotat io n
c:> page 222 .
Tire manufacturing date
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the wheel) :
"DOT ... 2213 ... "means, for example, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2013.
Speed rating (letter c ode)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
c:> & in Winter tires on page 238 .
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mp h (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph ( 170 km/h)

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 . 172 .
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. ..,_