2014 AUDI Q5 warning

~ Top off the oil, if necessary.
~ Screw the cap back on the filling hole.
A WARNING
- While topping off, the oil must not come in contact with hot engine parts - fire
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 running - fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
(D Note
-Check the oil level using the radio or the
MM!*. If the message
Please reduce oil
level
appears, contact your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified workshop
to have excess oil extracted if necessary.
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Checking and filling 237
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
dition s, or have your vehicle where tempera ­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe­
riods.
Detergent addi tives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run ­
ning for a short time . This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex­
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following important informa­
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­ ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil
off thoroughly
with soap and water.
•
•

238 Check ing and filling
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oi l, f irst make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden so il, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
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 sea led and generally re­
q ui res little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ia lly condi tioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol -basedcoolant addi -
tive G l3 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
i ng po int of the coo lant .
Do not red uce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add iti ve mu st be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficie n­
cy.
If t he coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and engine cooling system. F
or year -ro und driving, antifreeze is added a t
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 . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended .
.&, WARNING
--
Before you c hec k anyth ing in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS~ .&.
in Working in the engine
compor tment on page 231 .
(J;) Note
-Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
yo ur vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate condi tions . This is especia lly impor ­
tant if you live in a region where the win ­
ter is extreme ly co ld . If necessary, in­
crease the p roportion of coo lant add itive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to yo ur
cooling system, remember :
- W e r ecommend using o nly coola nt ad­
d itive G l2++ or Gl3 for your veh icle.
T his coolan t additive is av ail ab le a t au­
thor ized Audi dealers. O ther types of
antifreeze can significant ly reduce cor ­
rosion protection . The resulti ng cor ro­
sion can cause a loss o f coolant and se­
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to your vehicle 's eng ine coolant.
Add ing radiato r repair flu id may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not cover ed by yo ur New Ve hicle
Limited Warranty.

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 .

The following WARNINGS ar e ver y
impo rtant when working on the batt ery:
Always heed th e fo llowin g WARN ING SYM ·
BOLS and saf ety pre caution s wh en working
on the batt ery.
®
Alw ay s w ear e ye prot ection .
&
Battery aci d contain s sulfuri c acid. Al-
w ays we ar g lo ve s and e ye protect ion.
@
No
• spark s
- fl ame s
• smokin g.
A
When a battery is charged , it produces
h y drogen gas whi ch i s ex plo sive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Al ways k eep the batte ry well out of
re ac h of children.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the r isk of
injury, ac cident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protec tion. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles ge t on
yo ur sk in or cloth ing. Sh ield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness o r
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sul furic acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye p rotection.
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could lea k out of the vent ilation open­
ings.
- If you get batte ry acid in you r eyes or
on your sk in, immed iately r inse with
cold water for severa l m in utes and get
medical attention.
- I f you should inges t any battery acid,
see k med ica l attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, elec tric sparks o r an open light.
- Do not smoke.
-
Checkin g and fillin g 243
-Do not interchange the positive and neg­
ative cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the termina ls w ith
too ls or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hyd rogen gas which is explos ive and
could cause personal in jury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negat ive g round ca­
b le.
- Before performing any work on the e lec­
trical system, switch off the eng ine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
m ust be disconnected. If yo u are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights .
- Before disconnec ting the battery, switch
off the anti -theft alarm system! Other ­
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When d isconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cab le and then
the positive cab le .
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, make
sure all e lectrica l consumers are sw itch ­
ed off . Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32°F
(QO().
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways rep lace a damaged batte 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. ~