2014 AUDI S4 maintenance

216 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 182 Typical layout for containers and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Eng ine o il filler cap ("1::::r.) . . . . . 219
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. .... ... ....... .... ..
227,267
@ Bra ke fluid reservo ir (0)) . . . . . 224
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 222
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head sc rew ..... .......... ..
227, 267
® W indshield/headlight* washer
. (" ') container o ....... . ... .. . 228
The pos ition o f the engine o il fi lling hole
¢ fig . 182 (item @) can differ depending on
the eng ine design.
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 214.
-
Engine oil
· Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The eng ine in your Audi is a sophist icated
power plant that was b uilt to exacting specifi­
cations . Th is engine needs the right k ind of
engi ne oil that meets specifica tions regard ing
quality a nd v iscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the rig ht o il
and changing oil within the t ime and mile age
i n tervals prin ted in you r vehicle's Warr anty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to ­
day tha n it did years ago . Aud i has deve loped
a spec ia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle 's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera-
t ion . ..,_

Modern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years . Many synt hetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional pet role­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life o f your Audi .
W hether you use synthetic or petroleum­
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
c o nform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge", that ove r time can lead to expensive
r epairs .
At the time of pri nting, engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, h owever, that every synthetic engine oil w ill
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oi l.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de­
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il conta iner labels may carry the specif ica­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion w ith other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity. The proper v iscosity grade oi l for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you dr ive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE SW40 across all tem­
pe rature ranges for normal d riving conditions .
However, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not avai lab le, you can also use viscos­
ity 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 st rongly recomme nd
that you always carry with you a n ext ra quart
Checkin g and fillin g 217
(li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top
off the o il while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
confo rms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
spec ifications is available -may you top
off
with a h igh quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SA E SW-30, o r SAE
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween o il cha nge inte rva ls, never top
off with
more than a tota l of 0. 5 q t/liter engine o il
that does not con form to A udi oil specification
vw 502 00.
Fo r more information about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t either yo ur a uthorized Aud i dea le r or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our 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 etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
T he eng ine oi l and o il f ilter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified i n your vehicle's War ­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these interva ls - harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important beca use the lubricat­
ing propert ies of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you a re not sure when
you have your o il cha nged, ask your author­
ized Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be changed more frequent ly.
Change oil more often if you dr ive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the veh icle in dusty
areas o r most ly under stop-and-go traff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
•
•

218 Checking and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfun ctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re­
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Eng ine 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 provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certain
amount of oil. O il consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 195) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the oxida­
tion level of the oil. 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 all these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
Ill in the instrument cluster lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 219. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience ¢
page 219.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 214.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
-The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref­ erably each time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip.
- If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you consult an author­
ized Audi dealer to have the cause of
your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in
m ind that the accurate measurement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some time. An authorized Aud i
dea ler has instructions about how to
measure oil consumption accurately.
-

220 Check ing and filling
and ad versely a ffect yo ur New Vehicl e
W arr ant y.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network o r
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 lw ays rea d an d h eed all WARN­
INGS c::> .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 214.
The engine oil must be changed accord ing to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly during normal vehicle use .
Under some ci rcumstances the engine oi l
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 addit ives 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 disposal,
along w ith the special tools and necessary ex ­
pertise required , we strongly recommend that
you have your o il changed by an authorized
Audi de ale r or a qual ified servi ce station.
If you choo se to c hang e y our oi l y our self,
please note the followi ng important informa­
tion :
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 plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­n ing down you r arm.
- Dra in 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 we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmfu l to your sk in. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
with soap and wate r.
@ Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en­
g ine and adversely affect you r A ud i Limit­
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you can prope rly 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 engi ne oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in you r
area, or contact a service station.

symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators. Worn tires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other co untries
c:> .&. .
Tir e pres sure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow -out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
<=:> page 237.
Driving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for mo re even wear
For all four t ires on your vehicle to have the
same se rvice life, we recommend that the
fro nt and rea r tires are rotated according to
the t ire manufacture r's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow ­
ing:
- T ire rotat ion inte rva ls may differ from the
vehicle service intervals outlined in your
Maintenance and Wa rranty Booklet .
- T he longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certa in
points; therefore, we recommend that you
fo llow the t ire manufacturer's suggested
t ire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front -wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all whee l drive (quattro).
- Please rotate tires as shown
<=:> fig. 192.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c:> page 259 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
H oweve r, va rio us situations d uring eve ryday
driving can cause them to be come unbal­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can us ually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on s teer ing , suspens ion
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Tire s an d wheel s 241
Incorrect wh eel alignment
Incor rect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
<=:> page 192.
_8 WARNING
Sudden tire fa ilure can lead to loss o f con­
trol, a crash and serio us personal in jury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn ti res are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your r isk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, o il, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of thei r "previo us histo­
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control. •
•

272 Technical Data
Technical Data
Vehicle identification
Fig . 220 Vehicle Ident ification Number (VlN) plate: lo ·
cation on driver 's s ide dash panel
XXXXX XX · X -XXXX XXX
r,"\__l f~ -11!111 · NII. ~ V!Hlll -llllll . NO.
xx
XXXXXXXX XX X XXXXXXXX
XXX XXX IYP IT'fl'E
XX XXXXXXX XX X X XX
XXX
KW XXX
®i ~~:f :l~~ XXXX XXX XXX
@+ ~~r= XXXX I XXXX XXX I XX M ,. AIIISl./ lflllllS
EOA 7D5 4 UB 6XM SSG 5RW
2E H JDZ llB l AS lBA
3FC 5MU 7Xl
FO A
9G3 OG7 O
YH OJF
TL6 3
KA BEH
UlA X9B QZ 7
l XW
8Q3 9Q8 82 4 020
7T6 CV 7 7KO 4X3 2K2
3L4 4 KC 3YO 4I3 502
lS A 7GB Q1A 4GQ
XX X
XX X XX X XXXX
Fig. 221 The vehicle identi fication label: ins ide the l ug ­
gage compart men t
Vehicle Identification Number (VlN)
The Vehicle Identification Number is located
in different pla ces :
- under the windshield on the driver's side
~fig. 220.
-in the radio or in the MM!": Select: I CAR!
function button >
Vehicle ID number (VIN)
or select: ICAR!function button> Car sys­
tems* control button > Servicing & checks >
VIN number.
-on the vehicle identification label.
Vehicle identification label
The veh icle identification label is located in
the luggage compartment near the battery.
T he labe l~
fig. 221 shows the following vehi­
cle data :
(D Vehicle Identificat ion Number (VIN)
@ Vehicle type, engine o utput, transmission
@ Engine and transm ission code
@ Paint number and interior
® Optional equipment numbers
T he information of the vehicle identification
label can also be found in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Safety compliance sticker
The safety compliance sticker is your assur­
ance that your new vehicle complies with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards which were in effect at the time the
vehicle was manufactured . You can find this
sticker on the door jamb on the driver's side .
It shows the month and year of production
and the vehicle ident ification number of your
vehicle (perforation) as well as the Gross Veh i­
cle Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross Ax le
Weight Rating (GAWR) .
High voltage warning label
The high voltage warning label is located in
the engine compartment next to the engine
hood release. The spark ignition system com­
plies with the Canadian standard ICES-002 .
Weights
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), and
the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
front and rear are listed on a sticker on the
door jamb on the driver 's s ide .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating includes the
weight of the basic vehicle plus full fuel tank,
o il and coolant, plus maximum load , which in­
cludes passenger we ight (150 lbs/68 kg per
designated seating position) and luggage
we ight~ _&.

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi i s cove red b y th e following w ar­
ranties :
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regard ing yo ur warran ­
ties can be found in your
War ra nty & M ainte ­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regu lations in the United States
and Canada require that a utomobiles meet
specific emission reg ulations and safety
standards . Therefore, ve hicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
I f you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that:
- u nleaded fue ls for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- f uel may have a considerably lowe r oc tane
ra ting . Improper fue l may cause engine
damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack o f
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Nav igat io n systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A . and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside of North America.
Con sumer In formation 275
@ Note
A udi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, serv ice or parts availab ility.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and L it ­
erature are published as soon as possib le after
model int roduct ion. Service manuals and lit­
erat ure are available to o rder from the Audi
T echnical Literature O rderi ng Cente r at:
www.audi .te chliterature .com
Maintenance
' General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a m inimum.
However, a certain amount of regu lar mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and reliability . For detai led
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult op erating conditions , for ex­
amp le at extreme ly low outside temperatures,
i n ve ry dusty regions, when towing a tra iler
very frequently, etc., some se rv ice work
shou ld be pe rformed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to :
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air fi lter.
® For the sake of the environment
By regu larly maintaining your veh icle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus min imiz ing adverse
effects o n the environment .
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophistica t­
ed fuel i njection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing techn ica l ..,_
•
•

2 76 Con sum er Inf ormation
comp lexity of today's automobi les, have
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Also, s afety an d e nvir onm ent al con­
cerns place very strict limits on the nature of repairs and adjustments to engine and trans ­
miss ion pa rts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing devices and oth­
er equipment avai lab le to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure proper
performance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and re ­
pa irs can impair the operation and reliab ility
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­ ranty. Therefo re , proof of servici ng in accord­
ance w it h the ma intenance sched ule may be a
condition for upholding a possible warranty
claim made within the warran ty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adve rsely
affected, c reating unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
If in doubt about any serv icing, have it done
by your author ized Audi dealer or any properly
equ ipped and qu alified workshop. We strong­
l y urge you to give your authorized Audi dea ler
the opportunity to perform all scheduled maintenance and necessary repairs . Your deal­
er has the facilities, or iginal parts and trained
specialists to keep your veh icle running prop­
erly.
Performing lim it e d m aint en anc e y ourself
The following pages describe a limited num­
ber of procedures which can be performed on
you r vehicle with ordinary tools, should the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
ble. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cable text and ca refully follow the instruc­
tions given. Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS p rovided .
Before you ch eck anything in th e engine
compartm ent, alw ays read an d hee d all WARNINGS
¢ & a
nd ¢ & in Working in the
engine comportment on page 214 .
A WARNING
--Serious personal in jury may occur as a re-
sult of improperly performed mainte­ nance, adjustments or repa irs.
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle. Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense. Never r isk personal
in jur y.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed o n the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fu lly fam iliar
with these or other procedures with re­ spect to the ve hicl e, or are uncerta in how
to proceed .
- Do not do any work withou t the proper
too ls and equipment . Have the necessary
work done by your authorized A udi deal ­
er or any properly equipped and q ualified
workshop.
- The engine compar tment o f any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area. Never reach into the area around or
touch the rad iator fan. It is temperature
control led and can sw itch on suddenly -
even when the engine is off and the igni­
tion key has been removed. The rad iator
fan switches on automatically when the coo lant reaches a certain tempera ture
and will cont inue to run until the coo lant
temperature drops .
- Always remove the ign ition key befo re
a nyone gets under the veh icle.
- Always suppor t your veh icle with safety
s tands if it is necessary to work under­
neath the vehicle. The jack s upplied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pur ­
pose and co uld co llapse causing serio us
personal injury.
- If you must work unde rneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels are always securely blocked and that the engine cannot be
started.