2014 AUDI S4 coolant level

10 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Ove rv iew of the instrument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .
@ Tachometer ........... .. .. .
@ Warning/indicator lights .. .. .
© ISETlbutton .... .... .. .... . .
® Display
- Driver information system .. .
- Time and date d isplay .. .. .. .
- Odometer .......... ... .. .
@ Reset button for trip odometer
(z) Speedometer
@ Fuel gauge . .... ..... .. .. .. .
(D Tips
10
11
13
11
24
12
12
12
12
- When switching the ignition on, the nee­
dles in the instrument cluster swing up­
ward briefly.
- The illumination for the instrument clus­
ter lights up whenever you switch on the
i gnition with the
vehicle headlights off .
As the daylight fades, the instrument
cluster illumination likewise dims auto­
matically a nd will go out completely
when the outside light is
very low. This
feature is meant to remind you to switch
on the headlights when outside light
conditions become poor .
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge q page 10, fig. 3 CD
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the fol ­
lowing important points:
Engine cold
If the needle is at or close to the bottom of
the gauge, the engine has not yet reached its
operating temperature. Avoid high engine
speeds, heavy engine loads, and heavy throt ­
tle app lications.
Normal temperature
When the engine has reached its operating
temperature, the needle will
move to the mid­
dle of the gauge and remain there . If the en­
gine is working hard at high outs ide tempera­
tures, the needle may
move higher on the
gauge. This is not a cause for concern as long
as the . warn ing light in the instrument
cluster display does not illuminate. If the.
warning light in the instrument cluster dis­
play flashes, this can mean one of two things:
either the coolant
temperature is too high, or
the coolant
level is too low¢ page 17 Ill-

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
A WARNING
- Always observe the warning in
c::> page 214 , before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself. Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant .
(D Note
-Mounting additional lights or accessories
in front of the air inlets reduces the cool­
ing effect of the rad iator. At high outside
temperatures or high eng ine load , the
engine could overheat.
- The front spoiler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving .
If the spoiler is
damaged , this cou ld reduce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat. Ask your authorized Aud i dealer for
assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
I f engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear . T he red area
at the end of the scale indicates maximum
perm issible engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position 0/5 or ease your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
@) Note
The tachometer needle@c::> page 10 ,
fig. 3 shou ld only briefly be in the red
zone: you could damage your engine! The
beg inning of the red zone varies depend-
ing on the engine .
@) For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
~ button
Fig. 4 SET button in th e ins trume nt cluster
The !SET ! button performs the following func­
tions:
Switching on time, date, temperature
display and odometer
The display appears for approximate ly 30 sec­
onds when you press the
I S ET ! button c::> fig . 4
with the ignit ion off .
Starting the Auto-Check sequence
The Auto-Check system constantly monitors
certa in individual functions and components
of the vehicle when the ignition is turned on
and when the vehicle is moving .
With the ignition turned on, you can start the "Auto-Check sequence" by pressing the
! SE T!
button . You can perform an Auto-Check se­
quence when the vehicle is stationary and the
ignition is turned on or when the vehicle is
moving slower than 3 mph (5 km/h).
In addition, the number of keys initialised for
your vehicle is displayed.
L2 3 /3 means that
three keys have been initialised . This feature
enables used car buyers to make sure they
have received all of the keys.
If you are given only two keys, for ins tance ,
you should take the vehicle and the ex isting
keys to an authorized Audi dealer to have the
missing key d isabled .
It is also important to
notify your insurance company about the loss.
Setting the speed warning
By pressing the !SET ! button briefly, you can
set threshold 1 of the speed warning wh ile
you are driving
c::> page 88 . By maintaining II>

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
0 Battery
The. warni ng/ind icator lig ht ill umin ates
when yo u switc h on th e igni tion and mu st go
ou t aft er the engine has s tarte d.
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
I f the i ndicator lig ht t urns on and t he mes­
sage appears, the re is a malf unction in t he
gen erato r or vehicle e lectr ica l system .
Drive to yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r or quali­
fied workshop immediately . Because the vehi­
cl e ba ttery is disc harging, tur n off a ll unnec­
essa ry ele ct rical eq uipment suc h as th e radio.
S eek profession al ass is ta nce if the batte ry
ch arg e leve l is t oo low.
(•) low battery: Battery will be charged
while driving
If t he indicator lig ht t urns on and t he mes­
sage appears, the re may be limited starting
ab il ity .
If
t hi s message turns off after a litt le w hile,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If t he message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qua lified wor kshop
c o rrect the malfunctio n.
't:::7: Engine oil pressure
The red en gine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil -pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damag e to the engine.
• Turn off engine! Oil pressure too low
If th e ind ic a tor lig ht tur ns on an d th e me s­
sage a ppears, the oil press ure is too low .
~ Pull off the road.
~ Sto p th e ve hicl e.
~T urno ff th e e ngine.
~ Check the engine oil level <=> page 219.
~ If the engi ne oi l leve l is too low , add engine
o il
<:!) page 219. Make sure that the oil pres ­
s ur e warning symbol. appea rs no longer
i n t he d isp lay before you start d riving aga in.
~ If the en gine o il level is co rrec t and the in di­
cato r light still turns on, turn the e ngine
off
and do not cont inue driv ing . See k pr ofessi o­
na l assistance .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
Ill requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay . Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil level warning
Ill. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
·
~ .. Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If the indica to r li ght and the message a ppear,
add engine oil immediately
c:!) page 216 .
El Add oil, max XXXX l. You may cont. driv .
When the symbol El and dr ive r message ap ­
pear, add the amoun t of oil app ear ing in t he
display at t he next oppo rtunity
r:=> page 21 6.
-L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must b e repaired as soon as possibl e .
• Turn off engine and check coolant level
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coolant temperature is too
high or the coolant leve l is t oo low.
~ Pull off t h e roa d.
~ Stop the vehicle.
~ Tu rnoff the engine .
~ Check coolant level<=> page 221 .
~ Add coolant if necessary <=> page 222.
~ Continu e dr iv in g o nly afte r the engin e cool-
ant wa rning/ind icator light goes ou t. ..,.

18 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
• Contact your authorized Audi dea ler fo r as-
sistance if necessary.
I f the engine coolant level is co rrect, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coo lant temper ature! L et engine run
with vehicl e sta tionary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, let the engine run at idle fo r a
few minutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights
c:> page 49, Emergency
flashers.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the en­
gine compartment -you risk being scald­
ed . Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment of any veh icle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
tu rn of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the wa rning sticke rs
c:> page 214.
([) Note
Do not continue driving if the. symbol
illuminates . There is a malfunct ion in the
eng ine cooling system -you could damage
your eng ine .
@ -Steering column lock
• Stee ring defecti ve! Do not dri ve vehicle!
If the indicator light turns on and t he mes­
sage appears, the re is an elect ronic steer ing
col umn lock ma lfunction. You cannot switch
the ignition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it ca nnot be
steered. Seek professional assistance.
Ill S tee ring lock: Contact de aler!
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic steering
co lumn lock malfunct ion .
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
A WARNING
-
Your veh icle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering co lumn lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering. If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the r isk of an accident.
© -Ignition lock
• Ignition lock d efe ctive . Contact deal er!
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
not switch the ign it ion off
because you may not be able to sw itch it on
again .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
On vehicles with convenience key*, the engine
should not be switched off using the
I START ENGINE STOPI button because the en­
gine cannot be started again after the ignition
has been switched off .
(D Tips
The symbol's appearance might be differ­
ent in some models.
$=J I[}. Electronic Stabilization Control
( ESC)
If the JjJ ind icator light blinks while driv ing,
the ES C or ASR (Anti-Slip Reg ulation) is active­
ly reg ulating .
If the
GJ ind icator light tu rns o n, the system
has switched the ESC off. In this case, yo u can
swi tch the ign ition off and then on to switch
the ESC on again. The indicator light turns off
when the system is functioning fu lly. ..,..

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
qu ires 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 anticorros 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 also raises the boil ­
ing point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi ­
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 mixture of wa­
ter and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::;, .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 214.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checkin g and fillin g 221
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli ­
mate conditions. This is especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely co ld. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is available at au­
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­
rosion protection. The resulting corro­
sion can cause a loss of coolant and se­ rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Veh icle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 185 En gin e compar tment: Cover on the coo la n t
expansio n tan k
"' Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtme nt,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS c::;, .&, in Working in the engine
compartment on page 214.
"'Park your vehicle on a level su rface .
.,. Turn off the ignition .
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the cool­
ant expansion tank
i=> fig . 185, c::;, page 216,
fig . 182. With a cold engine, the coolant Iii>

222 Check ing and filling
level should be between the "MIN" and
"MAX" markings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "MAX"
marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
c:> page 216.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto-Check System
c:> page 17will
b link until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to no rma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec ­
ommend you check 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 ­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
The cooling system is unde r 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
dow n.
- Protect yo ur 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 wh ile ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid be ing burned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
'
or hot engine parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coo l­
ant can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not a dd any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant. Add ­
i ng radiator repa ir fl uid may adverse ly af­
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Veh icle L imited
War ranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c:> A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 214 .
Requirement: There m ust be a res idual
amount of coo lant in the expans ion tank
c:> (]) .
.,.. Turn off the eng ine .
.,.. Let the engin e cool down.
.,.. Place a thick rag over the coo lant expansion
tank
c:> page 221 , fig. 185 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
c:> .&_ .
.,.. Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
c:> page 221, Coolant up to the MAX ma rk­
ing.
.,.. Mak e s ure t hat the fl uid leve l remains sta-
b le. Add more coo lant if necessary.
.,.. Twist the cap on again
tightly .
Replacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
ex act spec ific at ions
c:> page 221, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add it ive
G12 ++, G13 or i n an emergency G 12+. Do
not
use a different add it ive. In an emergen cy use
plain wa ter until yo u can ge t the correct addi­
tive and can restore t he correct ratio. This
sho uld be done as soon as possib le .
If you have los t a cons iderab le amount o f
coolant, the n you sho uld add cold ant ifree ze
and co ld wate r on ly when the engine is cold.
Always use
n ew engine coo la nt w hen refilling . .,.

-Always make sure the transm ission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) or Neutral (manual
transmission) and the park brake is firm­
ly appl ied .
® For the sake of the environment
-Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad­
versely affect em ission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when d ispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and p reten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
rate Material -special handling may ap ­
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous­
waste/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system including
airbag modules safety belts with preten­
s ioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authorized Audi dealer is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult on authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sign featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac­
tive and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non-ap­
proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason ,
if parts have to be replaced, p lease observe
the following points when installing addition­
al accessories:
Con sumer In formation 2 77
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi
parts are available from authorized Audi deal­
er.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly.
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non­
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and serious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve­
hicle.
- Never install accessories such as tele­
phone cradles or beverage holders on air­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
page 214.
(D Note
-If items other than genuine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth­
ods, this can result in severe damage to
your vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect your vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
•

Automatic climate control Air vents ... .... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 78
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Setup ... .. ................. .. .... 79
Automatic S hift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Automatic transmission ......... ... ... 91
Automatic S hift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . 93
D riving .. .. ............. .... .. .. .. 9 3
E mergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
E me rgency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Kick -down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
M anual shift program .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 96
Remova l lock (ignition key) ... .. .. .. .. 80
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Automatic wipe rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Auto Safety Hotline ............. .... 136
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Avoid damag ing the vehi cle .. .. .. .. .. . 195
B
Bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,225
Battery location inside the luggage com -
partment .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 225
Charging . ................ ... ... .. 227
Important war nings when wo rking on
the battery . ................ ... ... 225
J ump starti ng ............ .... .. .. . 266
L ow . .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. .. ... 193
Replacing the ba ttery .. ... .. .. .. .. . 228
State of charge . ....... ... .. .. .. ... 193
Winter operation . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 225
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 225
B efore dr iving ............. .... .. .. . 128
Bio-ethanol (Fuel) ..... ..... .. .. .. .. . 210
Blended gasoline ... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 209
B lower (automatic climate cont rol) . . . . . . 78
Booster seats ............. .... .. .. . 175
B rake fl uid
C hanging the brake fl uid ... .. .. .. .. . 224
Chec king the brake fluid level ... .. .. . 224
Reservoir .. ............. .... .. ... 224
What is the correct brake flu id leve l? . . 224
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
i ng light comes o n? .. ..... .. .. .. .. . 224
Inde x 281
Brake system . ..... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 224
Anti- lock b raking system ..... ... .. .. . 19
B rake assist system .. .. ..... ... .. .. 186
Brake fluid .. .. .. ................. 224
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re-
placement ...... .. ............... 224
B rake light defective ... .. .. ... ... .. . 21
B ra ke powe r ass ist unit ............ . 189
Br akes .. .. .. .. .. .. . .............. 189
Ce ram ic bra kes . .. .... ........... .. 189
El ec tromechanica l parking brake ... .. . 85
Warning/indicator lights ..... ... .. .. . 15
Wor n brake pads symbo l . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
B ra kin g
E mergency b ra ki ng f unction ..... .. .. . 87
braking guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Settings ........ .. ............... 106
Break -in per iod .. .. .... ............. 195
Tires ... .. .. .. .. .. ............... 195
Bul bs . ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 2 64
C
Califor nia Proposition 65 War ning . .. .. 215
B attery spec ifi c .. ............. .. .. 226
Capacities ........ .. ............... 273
Carbon pa rts
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206, 207
Care ..... .. .. .. .... ... .......... .. 20 4
Cargo a rea
refer to L uggage compartment . . . 68, 134
Catalytic converter ... .. ...... ... .. .. 196
Cen te r armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Central lock ing .. .. ................. . 32
Cen tral lock ing switch ............. .. 36
Co nvenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Remote cont ro l key . ........... .... . 35
Ceram ic brake rotors
New brake pads .. ............. .... 189
Ce rtification . ... .... . ... ...... ... .. 278
Chang ing a flat t ire . .. ... ....... .... . 255
Chang ing a wheel .. ............. .... 255
Chang ing engine oil ............. .... 220
Checking Engine coolant level .... ....... .... . 221
Checking t ire pressure ............... 237
•
•