
Checking and fillin g 215
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 188 Typical l ayout for conta iners and engine o il filler cap
@ Jump start poin t(-) with hex
head screw .. .. ..... ... .. .. . 226, 264
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ... ..... ...... ...... 226, 264
@ Brake fl uid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 22 2
© Engine oil filler cap ("1:::r.) . . . . . 218
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 220
© W indshield/headlight washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
_& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 213.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
T he eng ine 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 r un
smooth ly and reliably. Choosing the right o il
and changi ng oil within the t ime and mileage
in tervals p rin ted in you r vehicle's Wa rranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day than it did years ago . Audi has deve lope d
a specia l quality sta ndard for engine oil t hat
will help assure that your vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera
tion.

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 .,..

temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies wi th A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
wa s pe rformed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle dep ends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of i nternal engine components, a ll in
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a cert ain
amo unt of o il. Oil cons umption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in per iod (see
¢
page 198) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the amb ient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac
tors ar e the amount of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is s ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 217
wear as m ileage builds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II li ghts up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 218. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 218.
A WARNING
Before you c heck anythi ng i n the engine
com partment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in th e engine
c ompartment on page 213.
(D Note
D riving w ith an insufficient o il level is like
ly to cause sever e damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil le vel. Do not
rely on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regu lar intervals, pref
erably ea ch time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression yo ur engi ne
c ons umes ex ce ss ive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consul t your Au di
de aler to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed . Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of o il con
sumption requires great care and may
take some t ime. Y our Audi dea ler has in
struct ions about how to measure oil con
sumption accurately.
-
•
•

218 Check ing and filling
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 189 Disp lay: oil level indica tor
• Park your vehicle on a level surface .
• Shut the engine off when it is warm.
• Switch only the ignition back on .
• Wait approximately two minutes.
• Select :
I CAR I function button> (Ca r)* sys
t e m s
control button > Se rv ici ng & ch ecks >
Oil l evel.
• Check the oil leve l in the d isplay r::;, fig. 189.
Add engine oil if the bar of the oil leve l indi
cator is near "min"
¢page 218.
Depending on the way the veh icle is driven
and the operating condi tions, oil consumpt ion
can be up to 1 qua rt per 600 m iles (0.8 liter
per 1,000 km) . Consumption may be higher
within the first 3 ,000 mi les (5,000 km).
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI Display is
only an information disp lay . If the oil leve l
is low, a minim um oil warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oil
r:::;, page 218. If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru ment cluster the next time the ignition is
sw itched on .
Adding engin e oil 't:::r.
Fig. 190 Engin e compart men t: cover on the engine oi l
fille r neck
Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
a lw ay s re ad and h eed all WARN
IN GS
r::;, .&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 213.
• Shut the eng ine off .
• Unscrew the cap
't=;rl to the eng ine oi l filling
hole
¢ fig. 190, r:=:,page 215, fig. 188 .
• Carefully top off with 0 .5 quarts (0 .5 liters)
of the appropr iate oil¢
page 215.
• Check the oil level again after two minutes
r:::;, page 218, Checking the engine oil level.
• Top off the oil again, if necessary.
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
.&_ WARNING
--Wh ile topping off, the o il m ust not come
in conta ct with hot engine parts - fire
hazard!
- The oi l filler cap must be properly se
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is runn ing -fire haza rd!
- If you r skin has come in contact with the
engine o il, you must subsequen tly
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Ple ase redu ce oil l evel appears,
contact you r authorized Aud i deale r or
other qualified workshop to have excess
oil extracted if necessary.
- Audi d oes n ot r ecommend the u se of o il
a dd iti ve s. The y may dama ge the en gine
II>-

and adve rsely affect you r New V ehicle
Wa rrant y.
@) For the sake of the environment
-Under no ci rc u mstances can the o il come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
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,
a lways rea d and he ed all WARN
INGS
~ &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 213.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera
tures remain below freezing for extended pe
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
n ing 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 disposa l,
along with the special tools and necessary ex
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oi l changed by an authorized
Au di de ale r or a qual ified servi ce station.
If y ou c hoose to c ha ng e y our o il yo urse lf,
please note the following important informa
tion :
Checkin g and fillin g 219
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help p revent hot oil from run
ning down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of oi l in
your eng ine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact wit h used eng ine o il
is harmful to your s kin. A lways protect
your skin by washing oil off tho ro ughly
with soap and water.
@ Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en
g ine and adversely affec t your Aud i Lim it
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you can properly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains .
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collect ion facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
•
•

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, ..,.

fig. 188. With a cold engine, the coolant
lev el should be between the "min" and
"max" markings. When the engine is warm,
the level may be slightly above the "max"
marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
t ration
<=> page 215.
To obtain an accurate reading , the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System<=>
page 15 will
illuminate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
&_ WARNING
-
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to 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 ap
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
Checking and filling 221
-To avoid being burned, do not spill anti
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool
ant can catch fire .
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal
ant to your vehicle 's engine coolant. Add-
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af
fect the function and performance of your
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 all WARN
INGS <=>.&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 213.
"'Turn off the engine.
"'Let the engine cool down .
"' Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
<=> page 220, fig. 191 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise <=>_& .
"'Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
<=> page 220, Coolant.
"'Twist the cap on again tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications <=>
page 220, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant addi-
tive G12++, G13 or in an emergency G12+. Do
not use a different additive. In an emergency
use plain water until you can get the correct
additive and can restore the correct ratio. This
should be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex -
cess coolant will be forced out through the ..,.
•
•

236 Tire s and whee ls
including a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are techn ically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gr oss Veh icl e W eight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
ve hicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
i ntended to carry ("seating capacity") with a n
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des ignated seat ing pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any luggage in the ve
h icle.
The
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
The G ross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance st icker labe l located on the
driver 's side B-p illar. Your A udi has 4 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 4. Each seating posi
tion has a safety belt
9 page 133, Safety
belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l weight of whatever is being car
ried in the vehicle is limited. The more passen
gers in the veh icle or passengers who are
heav ier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the veh icle can carry . For the location of the
l abe l
9page 232, fig. 195.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, 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 and in
crease the risk of the 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.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total lo ad be
ing transpor ted does not make the veh i
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se the exa mple belo w to ca l
c ula te the t otal weight of the
p ass engers a nd lu ggage or oth
e r thin gs that yo u plan to tran s
p o rt so t hat yo u can make sur e
th at yo ur vehi cle w ill n ot be
ove rloa ded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Lo cate th e statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGH T OF Q C-
CU PANT S A ND CARGO
SHOULD NE VER E XCEED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve
hicle 's placard (tire inflation
11>