Checking and fillin g 167
Eng ine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
•
Fig. 130 Typ ical layout for containers and eng ine oil filler cap
(D Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 173
@ Eng ine oi l dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . 170
@ Engine oil filler cap (
® Jump start points(+) under a
cover,(-) bolt head . . . . . . . . . . 218
® Windshield/headlight washer
t . (ffi) con amer *
...... ....... . 180
The position of the engine o il dipstick and the
engine oil filling hole
i::> fig. 130 (items @and
@) can differ depending on the engine de
sign.
_&. WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
i::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 165.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The eng ine in your Aud i is a sophist icated
powerplant that was built to exacti ng spec ifi
cations . T his eng ine needs t he right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smoot hly and reliably . Choosing the right o il
and changing oil within the time and mileage
intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day than it did years ago. Audi has developed
a specia l quality standard for engine oil t hat
will help assu re that you r vehicle's engine w ill
get the l ubr ication i t needs fo r proper opera
tion.
Modern engine lubr ication has taken a q uan
tum leap in the last few years. Many synt het ic
IJI,,
168 Checking and filling
oils available 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 help keep your vehicle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for
mation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"sludge," that over t ime can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of printing, engine oils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful de posits use only oil with the following specifi
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica
tion singly or in combination with other desig
nations and oil quality standards .
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their vis
cosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasonal con
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all tem
perature ranges for normal driving conditions.
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
5W40 is not available, you can also use viscos
ity grade SAE 5W-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil 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 extra quart (liter) of oil that expressly conforms to the VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oi l
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 specifications is available -may
you top
off with a high quality engine oil, pref
erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3
or API SM specifications, but even then, only
in viscosity grades SAE SW-40, SAE 5W-30, or
SAE OW-40 . However, during the entire time
between oil change intervals, never top
off
with more than a total of 0.5 qt/liter engine
oil that does not conform to Audi oil specifica
tion VW 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer o r
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www.audicanada.ca . Here you will also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
n ing for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il more often than
recommended.
D amage o r m alfu nctions due to lac k of
m ainten ance
It is essen tial that yo u change your oil at the
recommended inte rva ls using only engine oil
that complies with A udi oil standard
VW 502 00 . Your Lim ited New Vehicle War
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to failure to follow recommended mainte nance and use requ ireme nts as set forth in
the Audi Owner 's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you p resent to
the dea ler proof in the form of Serv ice or Re
pa ir Orde rs that all scheduled maintenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports.
I n o rder to prov ide effective l ubr ication and
cooling of internal engine components, a ll in
ternal comb ustion engines consume a certain
amo unt of oi l. Oi l cons umption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the eng ine . Typ ically, eng ines
with a specified break-in per iod (see
¢ page 150) consume more o il during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stab ilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con
sumpt io n depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per m inute) at
which the engine is ope rated, the ambient
temperature and road condi tions. Furt her fac
tors are the amo unt of oil d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the oxida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage bui lds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until rep lacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Checkin g and fillin g 169
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tab lished or spec ified . There is no alte rnative
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
Ill li ghts up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
with the oil dipstick¢ page 170. Top off the
o il at your earliest convenience ¢
page 170 .
A WARNING
Before you check anything i n the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WAR NINGS ¢
& in Working in the engine
compor tment on page 165.
(D Note
D riving w it h an insufficient o il level is like
l y to cause severe damage to the engine.
© Tips
- The oil pr essur e warn ing display. is
not an indicator of th e oil level. Do not
rely on it . Instead, che ck the oil level in
your engine at regu lar int ervals, pr ef
erably e ach time you r efuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression yo ur engi ne
cons umes excess ive amoun ts of oil, we
recommend that you consu lt your Aud i
dea ler to have the cause of your concern
properly d iagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of o il con
sumption requires great care and may
take some t ime . Your Audi dea ler has in
st ruct ions about how to measure oil con
sumption acc urately.
-
•
•
1 70 Checking and filling
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 131 Illustrat ion of p rinciple 1: Markers on o il dip
stick
F ig. 132 Illustration of princip le 2: Markers on oil dip·
stick
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 165.
Determining oil level
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• While at operating state temperature, brief
ly let the engine run at id le and then shut it
off .
• Wait approx . two minutes.
•Pu llout the oil dipstick. Wipe off the oil dip
stick with a clean cloth, and slide it back in
as far as it will go .
• Pull it back out and read off the oil level
<=?fig . 131 or ¢fig. 132 . Top off the engine
oi l, if applicable ¢
page 170.
Oil level within range~
• Do not add oil.
Oil level within range@
• You can add oil. Afterwards, the oil level
shou ld be within range~-
Oil level within range 0
• Yo u must add oil. Afterwards, the oil level
should be within range~-
T he oil leve l needs to be checked at regular in
tervals . Th e best times to do this are whenev
er you refuel and prior to long trips.
Depending on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
can be up to 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0.5 liter
per 1,000 km). Consumption may be higher
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) .
Adding engine oil "1::7-
0 N ,;;
><
"' IXl
Fig. 133 En g ine compartment: cove r on t he eng ine o il
fille r neck
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢.&. in Working in the engine comport·
ment on page 165 .
• Shut the engine off.
• Unscrew the cap
't::7-to the engine oil filling
hole
¢ page 167, fig . 130.
• Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters)
of the appropriate oil
r::.>page 167.
• Check the oil level again after two minutes
¢ page 170, Checking the engine oil level.
• Top off the oil again, if necessary.
• Scr ew the cap back on the filling hole and
slide the oil dipstick in as far as it will go.
A WARNING
-While topping off, the oil must not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
~
-The oil fille r cap must be properly se
cured to preve nt oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the eng ine is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact w ith the
engine oil, you must subsequent ly
cleanse it thoroughly.
@ Note
- The oil leve l must not be above range 0
- danger of converter or eng ine damage!
Contact an authorized Audi dealer to
draw
off oil, if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use of o il
add itives . They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
-Un der no circ umstances ca n the o il come
i n contact with the sewage network o r
t h e soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations
whe n disposing of empty oil con tainers.
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,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS
~ .& in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 165.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in you r Warra nty
&
Ma intenance boo klet . This is very important
because the l ubr icating prope rties of oil di
m ini sh gradua lly dur ing no rma l veh icle use.
Unde r some ci rcumstances the engine o il
should b e changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis
tances, ope rate the vehicle in dusty areas or
u nder predomin antly stop -and-go t ra ffi c con
d itions, or have your ve hicle w here tempera-
Checkin g and fillin g 171
tu res remain below freezing for extended pe
riods .
Dete rgent additives in the oil will make fres h
o il look dar k after the engine has been run
ning for a sho rt time. This is normal an d is not
a reaso n to cha nge the oil more often t han
recommended.
Bec ause of t he prob lem o f proper disposal,
along with the specia l tools and necessa ry ex
pertise req uired, we st ro ngly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an a uthorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following important info rma
tion:
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of pe rsonal inj ury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect io n.
- To reduce t he risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil , let the engine c oo l down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep you r forearm parallel to the
grou nd to help p revent hot o il from run
ning down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one la rg e enough to
hold at l east the tota l am ou nt of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well o ut
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Con tinuous contact wit h used eng ine o il
is harmful to yo ur ski n. A lways protect
your skin by washi ng oil
off th oroughly
w it h soap and w ater.
(D Note
N eve r mix oil additives wi th you r engine
oil. Th ese additives can damage your en
g ine and adversely affect your Au di Li m it
e d N ew Vehicle Warr anty.
•
•
172 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil , first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine o il collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
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 sea led and generally re
q uir es little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture of spec ia lly condi tioned water and the
manuf acturer 's glyco l-b asedcoolan t addi -
tive G l3 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els). This mixture both assures the nec es
sary frost protection and p rotects 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 .
Do not red uce the concentration o f the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add itive must be at
l e a st 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main
tain antifreez e protection and cooling efficien
cy . If the coolant frost prote ct ion is too low,
the coo lant cou ld free ze and damage the veh i
cle hea ting and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round d riving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for temperatures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada. If
you must add coolant, use a mixture o f wa
ter and coolant additive . Mixing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
-
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WAR NINGS
c::, & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 165.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli m ate conditions . This is especia lly impor
tan t if you live in a reg io n wher e the win
t er is ex treme ly col d. If ne cessa ry, i n
crease the proportion of coo lant add itive
t o 60%.
- Whe n adding coolant additive to yo ur
c oolin g sys tem, remembe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad
d itive Gl2++ or Gl3 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is avai lab le at au
thor ized Audi dealers . Other types of
ant ifre eze can s ignificant ly reduce cor
rosion prote ctio n. T he resulti ng cor ro
sion can ca use a lo ss o f coolan t and se
rio us en gine d amage.
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal
a n t t o y our vehicle 's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator rep air fl uid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
yo ur cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by yo ur New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
-
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 134 Eng ine compartme nt: cover o n the coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lway s read and he ed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 165.
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Switch the ignition
off .
.,. Read the coola nt level at the coolant expan
s ion tank
¢ page 167, fig . 130. With a cold
engine, it must be above the "min" mark.
With a hot engine, it can be a l ittle above
the indica ted range.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compar tment illus
tration
¢page 167.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched
off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with a n electric coolant level sensor.
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 17 will
illum inate 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 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
i ng system should be inspected immediately
Checkin g and fillin g 173
by your authorized Audi dea ler . It is not
enough merely to add coo lant .
In a
s ealed system, losses can o ccu r on ly if
the boiling point o f the coo lant is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
(D Note
Do not ad d any type of radiator leak sea l
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
ing radiator repa ir flui d may adverse ly af
fect the function and performance of yo ur
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
alway s read and heed alt WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 165.
... Tu rn off the engine .
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 173, fig. 134 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢_& .
.,. Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
¢ page 172, Coolant .
.,. Twist the cap on aga in tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact specificat ions¢
page 172, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add itive
Gl2 ++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not
use a different additive. In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the correct addi
tive and can resto re the correct ratio . Th is
shou ld be done as soon as possib le.
If you have lost a cons iderab le amount of
coolant, then you should add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly 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 fo rced o ut through the ..,_
•
•
17 4 Che cking and filling
pressure relie f valve in the cap when the
engine becomes hot .
.&_ WARNING
-The coo ling system is under pressure and
can get
very hot. Reduce the risk of
sca lding from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Turn off the eng ine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protec t your face, hands and arms from
escap ing fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and
very ca refully
in a counter -clockwise direct ion while
applying light, downward p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill an
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en
g ine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an
t ifreeze in its or iginal container and we ll
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con
ta iner clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool
ant will be forced out through the pres
sure re lief
valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between wate r
and antifreeze~
page 172 must be re
stored as soon as possib le.
@) For the sake of the environment
Dra ined coolant should not be reused. Al
ways dispose of used coolant while obse rv
ing all environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The electric radiator fan is controlled by ther
moswitches that switch on and off depending
on coolant and eng ine compartment tempera
tures.
An a uxiliary electric radiator fan* sw itches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ion conditions .
After you switch the engine off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
-even w ith the ignition off. It can even switc h
on aga in later by itself
c> &. , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
.&_ WARNING
-
- To reduce the risk of personal inju ry nev-
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning.
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reac hes a certain t emperature and w ill
continue to run until the coolant temper
a ture drop s.
Brake fluid
' Checking brake fluid level
N
N
N
" ~
Fi g. 13S Engine compartment: cover on th e brake fluid
reservoir