
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, wh ich will vary depend ing upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
ditions, tr ip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating.
~ Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
h appen next, you will need to b rake less and,
thus, accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
wheneve r poss ible -fo r example when you see
that the nex t tr affic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
~ T ry and keep well below your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gent ly reduces fuel consump
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en
g ine no ise increase d ispropo rtionately at high
speeds. If you dr ive at approxima tely three
q uarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be red uced by one ha lf. Never dr ive faste r
than the posted speed limit and wea ther con
d itions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
E ven when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
~ S hu t the engine off when you a re not dr iv ing
t h e vehi cle.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 201
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the
engine run at id le .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffi c
jams, when wa it ing fo r tra ins to pass at rail
road crossings, or at traffic lig hts that have
long waits on red. T urning the engine off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is burned start ing the e ngine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is runn ing at id le. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especia lly high
when the engine is warm ing up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engi ne idling unattended a f
ter start ing . If warning lights sho uld come
on to i ndicate improper operat ion, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling a lso
p rodu ces hea t, w hich could re sul t in ove r
hea ting or othe r dam age to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
~ Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ula r i nter-
vals.
By having your veh icle regula rly serviced by an
Audi deal er he lps to ensure that it runs prop
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affec ts its sa fe ty and ability to
hold its value, it also affects
fuel con sump
tion .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amou nt of oi l used is re lated to eng ine
load and speed.
It is normal fo r th e oil consumption of a new
engine to reac h its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven .
IIJ,,
•
•

216 Check ing and filling
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional petrole
um-based oils, 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 he lp keep your vehicle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"s ludge ," that ove r time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of pr int ing , engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifi cations of A udi oi l standard VW 502 00
a re synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every syn thetic engine oi l wi ll
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de
posi ts use only oi l with the fo llow ing specifi
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il container labe ls may carry the specif ica
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis
cosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con
d itions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem
pe ratu re ranges for normal driving conditions .
However, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade
SAE SW40 is no t ava ilable, you can a lso use
viscosity 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 strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an ext ra quart (
li te r) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 spec ification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is a t or be low the
min imum mark on the o il dipstick - and no oi l
that expressly conforms to Aud i oi l standard
VW 502 00 spec ificat ions is ava ilable -may
you top
off with a high quality engine oi l, pref
erably syn thet ic-based, that meets ACEA A3
or AP I SM spec ificat ions, but even then, only
in v iscosity grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, o r
SAE OW- 40. However, during the ent ire time
be twee n oil change intervals, never top
off
with more than a total of 0.5 q t/lite r engine
o il that does no t conform to Audi o il specifica
tion VW 502 00.
For more informa tion about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t either yo ur authorized Aud i deale r or
Audi C ustome r Re lations at 1 (800) 82 2-2834
or visit o ur web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names e tc.) tha t conform to Audi oil s tanda rd
vw 502 00 .
Changing the engine oil
The eng ine oi l and oil fi lter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your ve hicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil ca n reduce eng ine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repa irs .
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat ing proper ties of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld even be cha nged more frequent ly .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
sho rt distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly unde r stop-and-go t raff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..

220 Check ing and filling
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 ant icorros ion 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 a lso raises the boil
ing point of the coo lant.
D o not reduce the concentration o f the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant add it iv e mu st be at
lea st 50 % but not mo re than 60 %
to main
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31° F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 ° F ( -40 °C) Canada.
I f you must add coo lant, use a m ixture of wa
ter and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant
addit ive wi th dist illed wate r is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 213.
(D Note
- Before winter se ts in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
-
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli mate conditions . This is especia lly impor
tant if you live in a reg ion where the win
ter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, in
crease the proportion of coolant add itive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system , remember :
- We recommend us ing on ly coolant ad
d it ive G12 ++ or G1 3 (check the labe l)
for your vehicle . This coolant additive is
avai lable at autho rized Audi dea lers .
Other types of antifreeze can signifi
cantly reduce corrosion protection. The
resu lting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repa ir flu id may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could resu lt in
damage not covered by you r New Ve hicle
Limited War ran ty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
F ig . 1 91 Engin e compar tmen t: cover o n th e coolant
expans io n tank
Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
always r ead and he ed all WARN
INGS
¢ &_ in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 213.
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Switch off the ignition .
.,. Read the engine coo lant level from the coo l
a nt expansion tank¢
fig . 191, ¢ page 215, ..,.

Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
always r ead and heed all W ARN
ING S ~ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 213.
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 192, ~ page 215,
fig . 188.
The brake fluid level must be be
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fl uid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢page 215.
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
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi
cator light
1111 (U .S . models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on
~ page 14. Do not con
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali
f ied fac ility and the cause corrected . If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
i ndicator light w ill illuminate . Contact an au
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
hi gh, cor rosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerab ly and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
ev ery two ye ars. A lways use new b rake fluid
which confo rms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS
116 DO T 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r ca n be difficult to
r each, therefo re , we recommend that yo u
h ave the brake fl uid changed by you r autho r
i zed
Audi de aler . Your dea le r has the correct
Checkin g and fillin g 223
tools, the right brake fl uid and the know -how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
-Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor
ed only in the closed or iginal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap
propriate brake f lu id. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only b rake fluid tha t meets SA E
spe cificat ion
J 17 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard
116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also ind icated on the
brake f luid reservoir .
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes ca n cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left i n the system too
long. This can se riously affect the effi
c iency of the b rakes as well as your
safety , T his could result in an accident.
(!) Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
r ecommend that you have th e brake flu id
changed by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
Under normal operating cond itions, the bat
tery in your Audi does not need any ma inte
nance . With
high outside temperatu res or
lo ng da ily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte leve l che cked by a se rv ice fa
c il ity. The ele ctroly te leve l should also be
chec ked each t ime the battery is cha rged
~ page 226 . Iii>
•
•

Tires an d wheel s 233
you have stored. The system does not recog
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the ti re pressu re monitor
ing sys tem w ill be impaired if you store no r
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load¢,& .
See the illustration ¢
fig. 195 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve
hicle wi ll vary slig htly) .
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate at
the t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
Model/ Tire de
signation
c h ange. In the event of discrepancies, the ti re
pressure label is located on the driver's side B
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflat ion pressures 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
(up to 2 occupants )
front r ear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
RS 7 275/35 R20 102V XL
36 2S0 30 210 39 270 39 270 Sportback: High P erformanc e
4.0 lit er
275 /30 R21 98V XL
a -cy linder
High Performance
41 280 38 260 45 310 4S 3 10
X L = r einfor ced or extra load tir e. It ma y al so appear a s xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on th e tire side -
w all.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
ve hicl e equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l
ways compare the tire s ize designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle with the
tires on your vehicle . Make s ure that the tire
size information on the vehicle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be
longs to someone else or you bought the veh i
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
veh icle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicl e. These load limits are technically refer
r ed to as the vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Ax le Weight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating and the G
ross Ax le Weig ht Rating are listed on the
sa fety comp liance sticke r label lo cated on the
driver's side B-pillar . The tire pressu re labe l on
your A udi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occ upants and luggage o r
other cargo that the veh icle can carry. For the
location of the t ire pressure label ¢
fig. 195.
A WARNING
-Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve-
h icle contro l, a crash or other accide nt, se
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly a nd in
crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
•
•

24 4 T ire s and wheel s
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on whic h tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
I f you are going to use snow chains , then you
must install them on the front wheels at
l east.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch (10 ,5 mm), including the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and tr im discs
before putting snow cha ins on your vehicle
c:;, Q) _ For safety reasons cover caps must the n
be fitted over the whee l bolts. These are ava il
ab le from authorized Audi dea lers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for yo ur vehi
cle or installing them incorrectly can in
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
ser ious personal inj ury.
- Snow chains are ava ilable in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in
struct ions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer .
- When driving w ith snow chains never
dr ive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow cha ins.
- Always observe local regulat ions .
([) Note
-Remove snow cha ins before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging t ires and wear ing the snow
chains down unnecessar ily.
- Snow chains, wh ich come into d irect con
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitab ly covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces
sa ry. Follow the i nstructions from the
snow cha in manufacture r when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do no t mo unt or use snow chains because the vehicle will be ex
treme ly low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev
el, the snow cha ins might severely dam
age the whee lhouse and other parts of
the vehicle .
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bol ts mus t alway s be tightened to the
correc t torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims . If different r ims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bol ts with the righ t
length and correct ly shaped bolt heads must
be used . T his ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the b rake system functions
co rrect ly.
In certa in circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different veh icle -even if it
is the same model
c:;, page 275 .
A WARNING
Imp rope rly t ightened or ma inta ined wheel
bo lts can become loose c ausing loss of
control, a col lision and serio us pe rsonal i n
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bo lts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bo lts can turn easily and be prop
erly tightened.
- Never g rease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in t he wheel hubs . They can
become loose while driv ing if greased or
oiled, even if t ightened to the specified
torque.
- On ly use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct t ightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce the

risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cle is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be
c ome loose.
(D Note
The spec ified torque for the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of ± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque wheel bo lts d iago
na lly . After chang ing a wheel, the torque
m ust be che cked as soon as possib le w it h a
t orque wrenc h -preferab ly by an a utho r
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipp ed with low aspect
ratio t ires. These t ires have been thorough ly
tested and been selected spec ifically for your
model for the ir superb performance, road feel
and handling unde r a va riety of driving condi
tions. Ask your a uthorized Aud i dea le r fo r
mo re deta ils.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a nume ral of
55 or less in the tire's size
des ignation . T he numeral represents the rat io
of the ti re's sidewall height in relat io n t o its
tread wid th expressed in per cen tage . C o nven
tional t ires have a height/width ra tio of 60 or
mo re.
Th e performan ce of low -aspe ct-ratio tir es is
parti cularl y se nsitive to improper inflation
pressure . It is therefore impor tant that low
a s pect ratio tire s are inflated to the specified
pressure and that the inflation pre ssure is
regularly checked and maintained. Ti re pres
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always before a long trip
c::> page 234, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
eas ily by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
Tire s an d wheel s 245
or r idges on the road, partic ularly if the tire is
u nderinflated.
In orde r to minimize t he occ urren ce of impact
dam age to the tires o f your vehi cle, we recom
mend that you observe the following p reca u
tions:
- Always ma int ain re commended inflation
pressu res . Check your tire pressu re eve ry
2,000 miles ( 3,000 km) and add air if neces
sary.
- Dr ive ca re fu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires .
- After any impact, immed iate ly inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
au thor ized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
tire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 m iles (3,000
km) for damage and wear. Damage is no t al
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air a nd under inflat ion, which could eventu
ally cause tire failure .
If you believe that a
t ire may have been damaged, rep lace the
t ire as soon as possib le.
- These tires may wear more quickly tha n oth
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
de live r respon sive handling, they may ride
less comfo rtably and m ake more noise tha n
other choi ces .
Reduced performance in winter /cold
season conditions
A ll ti res are designed for cer ta in p urposes.
T he low aspect ratio, ult ra h igh performance
tires originally installed on your vehicle are i n
tended for maxim um dry and wet road per
f ormance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold , snowy or icy weather condi tions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
shou ld equ ip your vehicle w it h all -season or
winter tires, which offer bette r traction under
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow o r all-season t ires specified
f o r yo ur vehicle , or t hei r equivalent . .,..
•
•

-Do not change the tire pressure when the
temperature of the tire is high. This
could result in serious damage to the tire
and even cause the tire to burst, increas
ing the risk of an accident.
- A tire with low pressure flexes more. This
heats the tire up too much . Th is could
cause the tread to separate and even
cause the tire to burst, increasing the
risk of an accident .
- The tire pressure monitoring system
does not warn about damage or defects
in the tire construct ion that could cause
the tire to burst, for examp le. Inspect
your ti res regularly.
@) For the sake of the environment
Low tire pressure increases fuel consump
tion and tire wear.
(D Tips
-If tires are replaced, the sensors/valves
do not need to be removed or replaced.
Just replace the valve stem and, if neces
sary, the valve and the wheel electronics.
If you have questions, see your author
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop.
- Using the tire mobility kit can results in
an incorrect display or a malfunction in
the tire pressure monitoring system.
Have the sensors replaced by an author
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop.
Display tire pressures/temperatures
Fig. 200 Infotai nm en t: t ire pres sur e mo nito rin g sys
tem
Tires and wheels 247
Requirement: the ignition must be switched
on .
'" Select: the
I CAR I function button > Car sys
tem s
> Servicing & checks > Tire pressure
monitoring
> Di sp lay tire pressures.
The current tire pressures are shown in green
and yellow numbers:
-green: the current tire pressure and the
specified tire pressure are approximately the
same.
-yellow: the current tire pressure is too low
compared to the specified tire pressure.
The specified tire pressure is the last tire pres
sure that was stored
c::> page 248
Note that the tire pressure also depends on
the temper ature of the tire . Every 50 °F
(10
°() increase in tire temperature results in
the tire pressure increas ing by approximately
0.1 bar . The tire pressure increases as the en
gine becomes warmer while driving .
.&_ WARNING
Read and follow the important informa
tion and notes
c::> page 246 .
© Tips
The t ire pressure or temperature are not
displayed in adaptat ion mode. Dashes--,-
are shown in place of the pressure and
temperature.
ill Tire pressure loss
Fig. 201 Disp lay: in dic ator light w ith a message
-