2014 AUDI S4 open hood

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>

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
i=> page 214, before opening the hood
and checking the brake fluid.
- Driv ing with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard. Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- If the . (USA
models) ;II (Canada
models) brake system indicator l ight
turns on together with the ABS and ESC indicator lights, the ABS/ESC regu lating
function may have failed. F unctions that
stabilize the vehicle are no longer availa­
ble. This could cause the vehicle to
swerve and increase the risk of sliding .
Drive carefu lly to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified workshop
and have the malfunction corrected.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake is released, or lights up
wh ile you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low . If you
believe tha t it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­ shop and have the bra ke system inspect­
ed.
- Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applications, yo u will need greater
pressure on the b rake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on strained brakes to
respond w ith maximum stopp ing power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased brak ing distances . The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
:fil.J(® ) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light. (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the park ing brake
was set . If the parking brake is set when the
ignit ion is off, the indicator light turns off af­
ter about 20 seconds. T
he warn ing/indicator light wi ll go out when
the parking brake is re leased.
• (USA model s) /. (Canada mod els) Cau­
ti on: Vehicle parke d too steep
If the indicato r light b links and the message
appea rs, there is not enough bra king power to
k eep the vehicle from roll ing . T he brakes have
overheated. The veh icle cou ld roll away even
on a sma ll incline.
Pre ss brak e pedal to rel eas e parking brake
To re lease the park ing brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button(®) or start driving
with sta rting assist at t he same time
i=> page 86.
Pl ease r elea se parking brake
To re lease the park ing brake manually, p ress
the brake pedal and press the button®) at
the same time. The parking brake on ly releas­
es automatically if the driver's safety be lt is
fastened.
Iii Parking brake!
If t he Iii ind icator light tu rns o n and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction. Drive to your authorized A udi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunct ion corrected.
~ Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
T he . warning/ indicator light illuminates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and (on USA models only) any front
passenger to put on the safety be lt. Addit ion­
ally, an acoustic warning (gong) will also
sound.
For more Informat ion
c:> page 138, Safety
belt warning light.

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. ..,..

32 Openin g and clo sing
Opening and closing
Power locking system
General description
The power locking system locks or unlocks all
doors and the rear lid simultaneously.
You can lock and unlock the vehicle centrally.
You have the following choices:
- Remote master key~
page 35,
-Door handles with convenience key*
~page 36,
-Lock cy linder at the dr iver's door
~ page 38, or
- Power loc king switch inside
~ page 36.
Automatic l ocking
The automatic locking feature locks all the ve ­
h icle doors and the rear lid when you drive
faster than 9 mph ( 15 km/h) .
The car is unlocked again once the ignition key is removed. In addition, the veh icle can be un ­
locked if the opening function in the power
lock ing system switch or at one of the door
leve rs is actuated. The Auto Loc k function can
be turned on and off in the rad io or
MMI*
~ page 37.
Addit ionally, in the event of a crash with a ir­
bag deployment the doors are automatically
un locked to allow access to the veh icle.
Selective unlocking
When you lock the vehicle, the power locking
system w ill lock the doors and the rear lid .
When unlocking, you can set in the rad io or
MMI* whether
only the dr iver's door or the
enti re ve hicle should be unlocked
~ page 37.
Anti -th eft alarm warning system
If the anti-theft alarm warning system de­
tects a break- in into the vehicle, acoust ic and
visua l wa rning signals are triggered.
The anti -theft warn ing system is act ivated au ­
tomatically when you lock the vehicle .
It is de­
activated when u nlocking using the remote key, with the mechanica
l key, and when yo u
switch on the ignition.
T he alarm a lso t urns off when t he a la rm cycle
has expired.
Turn signals
When you u nlock the veh icle, the turn s ignals
flash twice , when you lock it once . If they do
not flash, one of the doo rs, the luggage com ­
partment lid or the hood is not locked or the
ignition is s till sw itched on.
Unint entionally locking yourself out
In the follow ing cases there safegua rds to
prevent you lock ing you r remote master key in
the vehicle:
- The vehicle does not lock w ith the power
lock ing switch ~
page 36 if the drive r's
door is open .
- On veh ides with convenience key*, if the
most recently used master key is in the lug­
gage compa rtment, the rear lid is automat i­
cally un locked again after it is closed.
Do not lock your veh icle w ith the remote mas­
ter key or convenience key* unt il all doors and
the rea r lid a re closed . In this way you avoid
locking yourself out accidentally .
_& WARNING
-
-When you leave the veh icle, alw ays re ­
move the ignition key and take it with
you . This will prevent passengers (chil­
dren, for example) from acc identally be­
ing locked in the vehicle should they acci­
dentally press the power locking switch in the front doors .
- Do not leave ch ildren inside the vehicle
unsuperv ised. In an emergency it would
be imposs ible to open the doors from
the o utside without the key .
(D Tips
- In the event of a crash with airbag de­
ployment all locked doors will be auto­
matically unlocked to give access to the
vehicle occupants from the outside.

.. Install the mechanical key.
@J For the sake of the environment
Dispose of dead batteries properly so as
not to po llute the environment.
(j) Tip s
The replacement bat tery must be the
same specification as the or iginal.
Emergency unlocking of the ignition key
In the event of malfunctions in the electrical
system, it may happen that you cannot re­
move the ignition key.
.. Remove the mechanical key ¢ page 34.
.. Lock the vehicle using the mechanical key
C? page 38 .
.. Have the electrical system inspected by an
authorized Audi dealership.
Locking and unlocking the vehicle w ith
the remote control
Fig . 22 Remot e ma ste r k ey: fun ction bu tton s
.. Press button III to unlock the vehicle
C? fig. 22 .
.. Press button ~ to lock the vehicle ¢ A in
General description on page
32 .
.. Press button~ briefly to unlock the rear
li d .
.. Press the button
c::5 for at least one second
to open the rear lid .
.,. Push the red
I PANIC I button to activate the
panic funct ion. The horn sounds and the
tu rn s ignals flash. Push the red
I PANIC ! but­
ton again to deactivate the panic function .
Openin g an d clos ing 35
If the vehicle is unlocked and no doo r, the rear
lid or the hood is opened within 60 seconds,
the vehicle locks itself again automat ically.
This feature prevents the vehicle from being
accidentally left unlocked over a long period
of time .
It depends on the settings in the radio or
MM!* whether the entire vehicle is unlocked
or only certain doors
¢page 37.
On vehicles with automatic transmission, the
selector lever must be in the P position, other­
wise the vehicle cannot be locked.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS
¢ .& in
General description on page
32 .
@ Tips
- In order to make sure the locking func­
tion is work ing, you should always keep
your eye on the vehicle to make sure it is
properly locked .
- Do not use the remote control if you are
inside the car, otherw ise you may unin­
tentionally lock the vehicle, and then you
would set off the anti-theft alarm when
you try to start the eng ine or open a
door . In case this happens anyhow, push
the unlock button@ .
- Use the pan ic function on ly if yo u are in
an emergency s ituation .
- Additional remote control key functions
¢page 43 .

-Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases
braking distance or causes complete fail­
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp
mJ illu­
minates and a driver message appears
¢ page 9 7 when the clutch is overload­
ed .
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake set
¢ page 214. Otherwise, any increase in
engine speed may set the vehicle in mo­
tion, even with the parking brake ap­ plied .
0 Note
-S tronic- and tiptronic transmission:
When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator pedal while a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the transmis­
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- S tronic- and tiptronic transmission: Al­
lowing the vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is in N will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated under those cir­
cumstances .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driv ­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Transmission 95
Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles : wi th mult itronic/ S tro nic/tiptro nic
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines .
Hill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is suitable for the incline. Hill de­ scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical
and technical limitations. It may still be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the de­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator
pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
¢ page 89 , hill descent control is also activat­
ed when the speed is set.
.&_ WARNING
-
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the brakes .

164 Airbag system
always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Aud i dealer.
- If children are seated improper ly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
acc ident¢
page 167, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way.
- In a side co llision, side a irbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rect ly measure increasing air pressure in­
side the doors when air escapes through
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
e ls removed .
- Never drive w hen parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave
have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers
or other equ ipment is installed in the
ins ide door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemen tal prote ction to properly restrain­
ed occupan ts.
Fig . 159 Side curtain system, dr ive r's s ide: s ide curtain
a irbag locat ion
T he side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 159. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar .
T he side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in jury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll ision . The side cu rtain airbag in ­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­ cl e acceleration registered by the control un it
is h igh eno ugh . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value p rogrammed in to the co ntrol uni t,
the side ai rbags wi ll not be triggered, even
though the car may be bad ly damaged as a re­
s ul t of the co llision. It is not possib le to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover every possib le ang le of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary cons iderably between
one collis ion a nd another . Important factors
i nclude, fo r example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 165, How side cur­
tain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help k eep the drive r or front
passenge r in position in t he event of a coll i­
s io n so that the s ide cur tain airbags can pro ­
vide protection.
T he airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
c u pan t restra int system in yo ur vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
only he lp to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 138, General
notes .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
side curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
i njur ies, for example , swelling, bru is ing, and
minor abrasions can also be assoc iated with
these a irbags. Remember too, these airbags
will deploy only once and on ly in ce rtain kinds
lill>

214 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 180 Driver's side footwe ll: e ngin e hood release
lever
... -- - -=-
Fig. 181 Release lever u nde r the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield wipers are flat against the
windshield. Otherwise, they could damage the
pa int on the hood.
... Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel in the direction of the ar­
row
c;, fig . 180.
... Raise the hood slightly r::;, .&,
... Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
c;, fig . 181 . This releases the catch.
... Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- T o reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or coo
lant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
... Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced .
... Let the hood
drop down and latch in place.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
r::;, .&, .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while driv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­
ly engaged . The hood shou ld be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
-If you notice while driving that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids , there is a risk of
injury , burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
r::;, ,&..
A WARNING
-To help avoid injury, before you check any-
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic trans-
mission to "P" (Park); put manual trans­
mission in Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact .