Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
N
N
;:;;
" 03
"'
Fi g. 202 Eng ine compartment: cover on the brake flu id
reservoir
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lwa ys read and heed all WARN
ING S c:> .&.. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 231 .
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c:> fig. 202, <=> page 233,
fig . 198 .
The brake flu id 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
c::> page 2 33 .
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
models: .) will come on
c> page 18 and
c::> page 29 . Do not continue to operate the ve
h icle. The complete brake system should be
thoroughly checked by an authorized Aud i
dealer o r qualified workshop and the cause
corrected.
If the brake fluid level is too low,
the brake warning/indicator light will illum i
nate . Contact an authorized Audi dealer
im
m ediatel y.
Checkin g and fillin g 241
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by on experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the 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 flu id will also dec rease considerably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservo ir can be d iff icult to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author
i zed
Audi d ealer. Your dealer has t he correct
tools, the right brake fl uid 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 resu lt from o ld or inap
propriate brake f luid. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spe cificat ion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 116.
Always check with yo ur authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct bra ke fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake f luid 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
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. Th is cou ld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .
242 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
Be cause of the problem of proper disposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Unde r normal operating conditions, the bat
tery in your A udi does not need any mainte
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the elect ro lyte level checked by an authorized
Aud i dea ler o r qualified workshop . The elec
trolyte leve l sho uld a lso be c hecked each t ime
the battery is c harged ¢
page 244.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a bat tery that is older tha n 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec
tr ica l system fo r safety reasons ¢
& in Re
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 171.
Hybr id d rive *: you can find important i nforma
tion about the high voltage battery under
¢ page 97.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle functions (power w indow regu
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals a re discon nected. These functions have
to be re learned after the ba tte ry term inals a re
connect ed aga in. To prevent this , the battery
should only be d isconnected from the vehicle
e lec tric al sys te m whe n absolu tely necessa ry
for rep airs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If yo u do not dr ive you r vehicle over a pe riod
of severa l days or w eeks, ele ct rical com po
n e nt s are gr adually cu t ba ck o r swi tched off .
T his redu ce s energy consu mp tion and mai n- ta
ins s tart ing c apability over a longer pe riod
¢ page 203.
Take i nto consi deratio n that whe n you unl ock
yo ur vehicle, some conven ien ce f un ctions ,
s u ch as the inte rior ligh ts or the powe r sea t
adjustment, may not be availab le. T he con
venience functions will be avai lab le aga in
when you tu rn on the ign ition and start t he
engine.
Winter operation
Du ring the winte r mon ths, bat tery ca pac ity
tends to dec rease as tem peratures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear wi ndow de
fogger, etc ., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consum ption, pa r
t icu lar ly in city traffic or when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let your authori zed Aud i
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
te ry before winter sets in ¢
page 244. A well
c h arged battery will not on ly preven t starti ng
problems when the wea ther is cold, but w ill
also last lo nger.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the ba ttery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart
me nt under the floor . B efo re you c hec k any
t hi ng in the luggage compartmen t,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ & -
Hybrid dr ive* : yo u can find impo rtant informa
t io n about the h igh vol tage ba tte ry unde r
¢page 97 .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
ing on the v ehicle ba tte ry or the vehicle e lec
t rical sys tem to preven t inju ry .
244 Checking and filling
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories contain lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive problems. Wash hands after han
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing ", oth
erwise it will be damaged and will then have to be replaced .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fig. 203 E ng ine compar tment: Connectors for charger
a nd jumper cab les
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
¢
.&. and ¢ .&. in Working on the battery on
page 243.
• Hybrid drive*: read the important informa
tion concerning a dead high voltage battery
under
¢page 105.
•Turnoff the ignition and all electrical con
sumers.
• Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery. •
Open the engin e hood ¢
page 231.
• Remove th e cover (D by pressing on the ar
row
¢fig. 203.
• Open the cover @on the positive terminal.
• Connect the charger co nnectors according to
the instructions to the
jump start bolts .
(Bolts under the cover = "pos itive", Bolts
with hex head= "negative ").
• Only now plug the mains lead for the charg
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on¢ .&_.
• Make sure the charging rate is not over
30 amps/14.8 Volt.
• When the battery is fully charged: T urn the
charg ing equipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wall outlet.
• Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
• Close the cover @on the positive terminal
and re-install the cover
(D.
• Close the hood¢ page 231.
A discharged battery can freeze at tempera
tures of only 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it¢.&.. However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma
tion and can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps/14.8 Volt)
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle charger), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected first. The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14.8 Volts)
For technical reasons do not use a battery
c h arger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
--
Charging a battery can be dangerous. ~
-Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu
facturer when charging your battery.
- Never charge a frozen battery.
It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec
trical spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe
tent technician with the proper equip
ment.
- Battery acid that may spill during charg
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu
tralize the acid.
(D 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, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi
cations and dimensions as the original equip
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi
cle is responsible for distributing the electri
cal energy throughout your vehicle
¢ page 203. The intelligent energy manage
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better then vehicles without this sys
tem . To make sure the additional electrical en
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you
Checking and filling 245
install batteries of the same type and manu
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi cations are listed on the battery housing . Your
authorized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management functions cor
rectly after replacing the battery .
If it is not possible to use a battery of this
type , the new battery must have the same ca
pacity, voltage (12 volts), amperage, con
struction and plug sealing .
When installing the battery, make sure the ig nition and all electrical consumers are turned
off .
(D Note
-Make sure the ventilation hose on the
side of the battery is connected, other
wise fumes or battery acid can leak out .
- Vehicles with the Start-Stop-System* are
equipped with a special cycle-proof AGM
battery. Installing a different type of
battery can cause problems in the vehi
cle electrical system. When replacing the
vehicle battery, always install one with
the same specifications as the original
battery.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you. Batteries contain sulfuric acid and
lead and must always be disposed of prop
erly in compliance with all environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to the envi
ronment. •
•
246 Checking and filling
Windshield/headlight
washer container
M N
Fi g. 204 Engine compartme nt: cover on the w inds hield
and headlight * washer fluid rese rvoir
The washer flu id container is marked with t he
symbol Won its cap
Q fig. 204, ¢ page 233,
fig . 198 .
.. Before you check anyt hing in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 2 31 .
.. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washe r flu
id . Yo u can fill the container to the top .
.. Press the cap back onto the fi ller neck after
fill ing t he containe r.
You can find the rese rvoi r
capacity in the tab le
in
Q page 290.
Clean water should be used when fill ing up . If
possib le, use soft wate r to prevent scal ing on
the washe r jets. Always add a glass cleaner
solu tion (w ith fros t protection in the w inte r) .
(D Note
D o not mix engine coo la nt an tifreeze or
a ny ot her ad ditives to fi ll u p t he wind
shie ld washer rese rv o ir.
252 Tire s and wheel s
you have stored . The system does not recog
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressu re monito r
ing system* will be impai red if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load¢.&. .
See the illustration¢
fig. 205 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side 8-pillar (color of
the actua l labe l and exact location on the ve
hicle wi ll vary slightly) .
Note that the followi ng tab le is accurate a t
the time o f go ing to press and is subject to
Model / Tire de
signation
change. In the event of discrepancies, the t ire
pressure label located on the driver's side 8-
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressu res for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
front rear
front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
2 3 5/60 R18 103H
29 200 29 200 32 220 32 220 All Season
Q5 :
235/ 55 R19 101H
2 .0 liter
All Season
30 210
30 210
33 230
33 230
4-c
ylind er
235/55 R1 9101W
and 29 200 29 200 33 230 33 230 High P erforman ce
QS:
3 .0 l iter 2
55 /45 R 20 101W
29 200 29 200 33 230 33 230
6-cy lind er High Pe
rformance
255 /40 R21102Y
35 240
36 250 36 250 39 270 High Performan ce
25 5/4 5 R20 101W
39 270 39 270 280 280 SQ5:
High Performan ce 41 41
3.0 liter
6-cylind er 255
/40 R21102Y XL
41 280 36 250 41 280 42 290 High Perfo rmance
X L = rei nfo rce d or extra load tir e. It ma y al so a ppea r a s xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on th e tire sid e-
wall.
The cor rect tire pressure for the spare wheel is
located on a label on the dr ive r's side 8-pilla r.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, a l
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on you r veh icle w it h the
tires on your vehicle. Ma ke su re that the tire
size info rmation on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be
longs to someone else or you bought the vehi- cle w
ith different rims/t ires or you bought the
vehicle as a prev iously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making sure that
load lim its are not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes eve rybody and everyth ing in and on the
vehicle. These load l imits a re techn ica lly refer
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles . .,_
268 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Jack, tools and
inflatable spare tire
Onboard tool kit and vehicle jack
The vehicle tools and vehicle jack* are stored
in the luggage compartment under the floor
cover.
Fig . 211 Luggage compartment: on board tool kit and
vehicle jack
The vehicle jack* is stored under the on board
tool kit¢
fig. 211.
Hybrid drive*: the storage location of the on
board tool kit varies
¢ page 104.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove whee l bolt covers*
- Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Folding chocks
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Socket (removable Torx socket)*
- 10 x 13 open ended wrench (for disconnect-
ing the battery cables)
-Towing eye
Before storing the jack*, make sure it is
wound back down as far as it will go.
& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack* can
cause serious personal injuries.
- Never use the jack* supplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one . The jack* is only suitab le for
use on the vehicle it came with . -
Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle
will damage the bumper system. The
jack may slip, causing injury.
- Never support your vehicle on cinder
blocks, bricks or other objects. These
may not be able to support the load and
could cause injury when they fa il.
- Never start or run the engine while the
veh icle is supported by the jack*.
- If you must work under the vehicle, al
ways use safety stands specifically de
signed for this purpose.
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- Always make sure the inflatable spare
tire* and even a flat t ire are secured in
place and not loose, otherw ise they
could fly forward, causing personal injury
to passengers in the vehicle in an acci
dent or sudden maneuver.
@ Tips
Some of the on board items listed above
are provided on certain models only or are
optiona l extras.
Folding chocks
The folding chocks are part of the on board
tool kit.
Fi g. 2 12 Open ing folding choc ks
To use the chocks, you first have to raise the
support plate¢
fig . 212 (D and then insert
the locking plate with the two "tabs" into the
elongated holes in the base plate @¢& .
Ill>
(D Note
Special care is required if you are repairing
the tire on a steep incline.
@ Tips
-Do not operate the compressor for more
than 12 minutes continuously, otherwise it can overheat. Once the compressor has
cooled, you can continue to use it.
- If sealant has spilled out, let it dry and
then you can remove it by peeling it away
like a foil.
- Remember to obtain a new bottle of
sealant from your authorized Audi dealer
after repairing a tire. After this, the func
tionality of the tire repair set is restored.
- Obey all laws.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang
ing a wheel.
.,. After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop¢_& .
.. All passengers should
leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢
_&.
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally¢_&.
.. Move
selector lever to position P ¢ _& .
.,. If you are tow ing a trai ler: unhitch the trail
er from your vehicle.
.,. Block the diagonally opposite wheel with
the folding chocks or other objects.
.. Take the
jack* and the inflatable spare tire*
out of the luggage compartment
¢page 268.
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol
low these safety precautions:
-
What do I do now? 273
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack*, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac
ing the Automatic Transmission in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack*.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the
jack* and the replaced tire in the luggage
compartment
¢page 145.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the se
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Remov e the decorative wheel cover*. For
more details see also
¢ page 274, Deco
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 2 7 4,
Wheels with wheel bolt cops .
2. Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 2 75 .
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack* and align the jack* below that point
¢ page 275.
4. Lift the car with the jack* ¢ page 2 75 .
S. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
inflatable spare tire*
¢page 276.
6. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
7.
Lower the vehicle with the jack*.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts¢ page 2 75.
9. Replace the decorative wheel cover*.
•
•