
220 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
T ex tile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vin yl, the surface
Alcan ta ra Water -based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
O il-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona>, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afte rward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, b lot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona>, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe po lish,
etc.
Natu ral leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Wate r-based stains Fresh s tains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover sui table for leather
blood, etc.
Oi l-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and sta in remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regular
ly apply condit ion ing c ream that protec ts from
light a nd penetrates into the materia l. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon part s Dirty Clean tlhe same way as plastic parts
a) Mi ld soap solut ion : maximum two tablespoons neut ra l soap in a lite r of wate r
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water -repe lling windshield coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is a lso
possible .
(V Note
-Headlights /tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
w it h a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not us e any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form.
-Wheels
- Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratc hes
must be repa ired immediately.
- Sensor s/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
le ns. Th is could cause th e lens to crack . ""

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 196 Dr iver's side footwell: engin e hood release
lever
"' Open the driver's door .
"' Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
i=> fig. 196 in the d irection
of the arrow .
The hood pops up slightly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
F ig . 197 Release lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield wipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
"' Pull up on the release under the hood
r::!> fig . 197 . This releases the catch.
"' Open the hood all the way
i=> .&,.
Checkin g and fillin g 231
A WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the eng ine
compartment . Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fu lly opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
"' Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
"' Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
c;, .&, .
A WARNING
--
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and block your view while dr iv
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper
ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surround ing vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever yo u must pe rform any w ork in the
e n g ine com pa rt ment, for e xample ch ecki ng
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury , burn s and accid ent s. T o pr eve nt per
so nal injury alwa ys obs erve the foll owing
WARNINGS . The en gine c ompa rtment of an y
vehicl e is a hazardou s are a
c;, Lh,.
A WARNING ~
To help avoid injury, be fo re you check any
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.

Checking and filling 233
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 198 Typical layout for contain ers and engine oil filler cap
(D Jump start point( +) under a cov -
er .. .. .. .. .............. .. 244, 284
@ Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) . . . . . . 241
@ Eng ine oil filler cap ("t=:?1) . . . . . . 236
@ Coolant expansion tank (J-) . . . 239
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw ..... .......... ..
244, 284
® Windshield/headlight washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
The pos ition of the engine o il filling hole
¢ fig. 198 (item @) can differ depending on
the engine design.
A WARNING
-
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi
cations. This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage
intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a specia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera-
tion. .,..

names etc.) that conform to Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hang ing th e engin e oil
The engine oil and oi l filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (kilomete rs) and
time inte rva ls specified in yo ur vehicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive eng ine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inter
va ls is so very important because the lubricat
ing properties of oi l decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l
should even be changed more frequently .
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and -go traffic con
d itions, or when you use your veh icle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
n ing for a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often than
r ecommended.
Damage or ma lf u nction s du e to lac k of
ma intenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW S07 00 (veh icles with diese l engi ne). Yo ur
L im ited New Vehicle Warra nty does not cover
damage or ma lfunctions due to failure to fol
l ow recommended maintenance and use re
quirements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance book let.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover age un less you present to the dea ler proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that a ll
Checking and fillin g 235
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
· Engine 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 prov ide effective lubrication and
cooling o f inte rna l engine components, all in
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change sign ificantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
Q page 205) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they consume after o il
consump tion has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oi l con
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RP M (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
tempe rature a nd road conditions. Furt her fac
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from wa ter
condensation or fue l residue and the oxida
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 p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es
tablished or spec ified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Not e.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 236 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
~ page 236.
&_ WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compa rtmen t, always read and heed al l
WARNI NGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231 .
•
•

Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 201 Eng ine co mpa rtme nt: cove r on the coola nt
exp ansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lway s re ad and he ed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 231 .
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Turn off t he ignit ion.
.,. Read the eng ine coolant level from the cool
ant expansion tank¢ fig . 201, ¢ page 233,
fig. 198 . With a cold eng ine , the coola nt
level should be between the "M IN " and
"MAX" markings . W hen the eng ine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "MAX"
marking.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration ¢page 233.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an e lectr ic coolant level sensor .
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto -Check System ¢ page 30 will
blink until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
a n elec tric coolant leve l sensor, we s till rec
ommend you chec k the coolant leve l from
time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool-
Checkin g and fillin g 239
ing system shou ld be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
eno ugh merely to add coo lant .
In a
s ealed system, losses can occu r on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.
(D Note
Do not a dd any type o f radiator leak se al
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
ing radiator repa ir flui d may adverse ly af
fect the funct ion and performance of yo ur
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed alt WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 231 .
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coo lant expansion
tank ¢ page 239, fig. 201 and
carefully turn
the cap counter -clockwise ¢
_& .
.,. Add coolant m ixed in the co rrect rat io
¢ page 238, Coolant.
.,. Twis t the cap o n aga in tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions ¢ page 238, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add itive
Gl2 ++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do not
use a different add itive . In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the correct addi
tive and can restore t he cor rect ratio . Th is
sho uld be done as soon as possib le.
If you have lost a cons iderab le amount of
coolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly w hen the eng ine is cold.
Always use new engine coo lant when refill ing .
Do not fi ll coo lant above the "MAX" mark. Ex
cess coolant will be forced o ut through the
•
•

24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
- The coo ling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
sca lding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn off the eng ine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from escap ing fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- T urn the cap slowly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill an
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en
g ine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an
t ifreeze in its or iginal 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 clear ly marked "poison".
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess coo l
ant will be forced out through the pres
sure re lief 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 238 must be re
stored as soon as possib le.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dra ined 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* sw itches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ing condit ions.
After you switch the engine off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even w ith the ignition off. It can even switc h
on again later by itself
c> &. , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant r ises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev
er touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certain temperature and w ill
con tinue to run until the coolant tempe r
a ture drops.

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 .