Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam
aged.
T his is especially true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis) and fully loaded
vehicles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the veh icle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
..&, WARNING
After driving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before driv
ing through it.
- Do not s top the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh sa lt water because
it can cause corrosion.
-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 151
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
.,. Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 161 ,
Fuel supply.
.,. Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
.,. Never put too much motor o il in your engine
c:::> page 170, Adding engine oil 9::71 .
.,. Never try to push- or tow-sta rt you r vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean
up" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be
f ore they are re leased into the atmosphere .
T he exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r fu nct ion ing of the engine .
A WARNING
-
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other materia l wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shields. Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire .
(I) Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel w ill already ser iously de
grade the performance of the catalytic
converte r.
- Do not exceed the correct eng ine oil level
c:::> page 170.
- Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could m is-
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into
IJ,,
•
•
166 Checking and filling
-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to "P" (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To 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
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool
ant system is pressurized and hot cool
ant could spray out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances . This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery .
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running: -
First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and wear no clothing that will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemical hazards~&, .
A WARNING
=
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories contain lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@) For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au
thorized Audi dealer.
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!
~
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 ..,_
•
•
230 Index
A
A/C operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Acoustic park assist ........ .. .. .. .. . . 80
Adaptive light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 49
Adding Eng ine coolant .............. ... .. .
Engine oil .. ..... ........... ... .. .
Windshield washer fluid ... .. .. .... .
Additional accessories
Addit ives
Engine oil . ...... ......... ... .... .
Adjustab le steer ing column ...... .. ... .
Adjusting front seats ....... .. .. .. .. . . 173
170
180
228
170 73
60
Adj usting steering column ... .... .... .. 73
Adjusting the seats ............... ... . 61
Advanced Airbag System Children 131
Components ............. .. .. .... . 115
Front airbags . ............. .. .... . 113
H ow the components work together . . 117
Monitoring .... ... ... .... .. .. .. .. . 119
Weight -se nsing mat ...... .. .. .. .. . 131
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109, 128
Care . .. .. .. ............... .. .... . 122
Ch ild restra ints .............. ... .. . 132
Components (front airbags) .. .. .. .. . 115
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Disposal ................ .. .. .... . 122
Fr ont airbags ..................... 113
How do the front airbags work? .. ... . 118
How many airbags does my vehicle
have? ... .. ............. .. .. .. ... 115
Important safety instructions on the knee airbag system ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 126
Important things to know ...... .. .. . 109
Indicator l ight .... ... .... .. .. .. .. . 119
Knee airbags ............. .. .. .. .. . 124
Monitoring ... ............. .. .... . 119
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .. ..... 120
Repairs .... ................ ..... . 122
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Warning/indicator lights ............. 15
When must the system be inspected? 119
A lcantara
C leaning ... .. .............. ..... . 158 All-wheel drive
.... ............. .... 147
Winter tires ..... ................ . 196
Alternator .. .... .. ............. .... . 16
Anti-free ze
refer to Eng ine cooling system . .. .. .. 172
Anti -lock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Warning/indicator lights ............. 18
Anti-s lip regulation ............. .... 142
Anti-theft systems Anti -theft alarm system ............. 38
Electronic immobilizer .......... .. .. . 33
Ashtray ... ..... .. .. .............. .. 64
Asterisk What does it mean when something is
marked with an asterisk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Audi magnet ic r ide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 80
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Indicator light . .. .. ........... .. .. . 21
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Li tera-
ture 226
Automatic be lt retractor ............ . 104
Automat ic convert ible top
closing
. .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. . 43
opening .. .. .. .. ................ .. 43
Automat ic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Driving Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Emergency program ........... .. .. . 87
Emergency release ............. .. .. . 87
Ignit ion key safety lock ........... .. . 74
Kick-down ..... .. ................ .. 86
Launch Control Program ............. 86
Se lector lever lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Se lector lever positions ......... .. .. . 82
Tiptronic .. .... .. ............. .... . 85
T iptronic controls on the steering wheel 86
Auto Safety Hotline ................ .. 99
Average fuel mileage ............ .... . 23
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Avoid damaging the vehicle ........ ... 151
B
Battery ...................... 175,178
Charg ing .. .... .. ............. .... 179
Checking battery acid level .......... 178
Connecting . ..... ................ . 175
Disconnecting 175
E
Efficiency program ...... ... .. .. .. .. .. 27
F ue l economy messages ... .. .. .. .. .. 27
Memory leve ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Other equ ipment .. ....... .. .. .. .. .. 2 7
E lapsed t ime . .. .... .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 23
E lectro -mechanical power assist . . . 17, 146
El ectronic differential lock (EDL) . ... ... 142
Warn ing/ indicato r lights ... .. ...... .. 18
E lect ro nic immobilize r . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 33
Electro nic power control
EPC warning/ind icator light .. ... .... . 19
El ectro nic speed limite r .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 31
E lec tronic Stabilization Control ( ESC) .. . 142
War ning/ indicator ligh ts ... .. .. .. .. .. 18
E mergency fla sher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
War ning/ indicato r lights ............ . 21
Emergency locking . ..... ... .. .. .... .. 37
E me rgency opera tion
Conve rtible top ........ .. .. .. .. .. .. 44
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
E mergency sta rting . ....... .. .. .. .. . 217
Emergen cy towing ..... .. .. .. .. .. .. . 219
Energy management ....... .. .. .. .. . 14 7
B attery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 49
D river notification ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 149
E ng ine
C hec king and fill ing locations . .. .. .. . 167
Coolan t .. .. .... .. . .... .. .... .. .. . 172
D ata . ..... .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. . 225
Hood .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. ... 165
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 74
Startingwith jumpercab les .. .. .. .. . 21 7
Stopping . .. ............. .... .. .. .. 75
E ng ine compartmen t ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 16 7
Safety ins tructions ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 165
Wo rking in the engine compartment .. 165
E ng ine cooling system ...... .. .. .. .. . 17 2
Adding cool ant ........... .. .. .. .. . 173
Chec king the eng ine coolan t leve l .. .. . 173
M alfunct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Radiator fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
T emperature ga uge .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 11
E ng ine hood
C losing .. .. ............. .... .. ... 165
H ow to release the hood ... .. .. .. .. . 165
Inde x 233
Engine o il . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... . .
167
Adding ... .. .. .... . ... ...... ... . . 170
Additives . ... .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... . . 170
Changi ng ... .. .. ........ ........ . 171
Checking the engine oil leve l ....... . . 170
Ind ications and conditions requir ing ex -
t ra checking ... .. .. . .. ... ... .. .. . . 170
Oil consumpt ion ... ............... . 169
Oil g rades . .. .. .. .. . ... .......... . 16 7
Recommende d oi l che ck intervals . .. . . 170
Spec ificat ion and viscosity .... ... .. . . 167
Temperature display . .. ..... ... .. .. . 26
Engine o il leve l .. .. .. ............... . 20
Engine o il pressure (ma lfunction) .. .. .. .
16
Engine o il sensor defective ......... .. . 20
E ngine o il temperature indicato r ...... . . 26
Engine speed limitation ... .... ... .. .. . 19
En vir onment
Br eak-in per iod . .. .... .... ..... .. .. 150
C atalytic converter . .. .. ..... ... .. .. 151
Disposing of your vehic le battery ... .. 176
Driving at high speeds .. ..... ... .. .. 153
Driving to minimi ze po llution and noise 152
Fuel ...... .. .. .. .. .. .... ....... .. 163
Fuel economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Leakage from your vehicle ........... 165
Letting the vehicle stand a nd warm up . 153
Proper disposal of dra ined brake flu id . 175
P roper disposal of d ra ined eng ine cool-
an t ...... .. .. .. ................. 173
Proper disposal of d rained eng ine
oi l .. ... .. .. .. .... . ... ...... 170,171
Recycling used engine oil ..... ... .. .. 170
Un leaded fuel .. .. .. ............... 161
Wha t shou ld I do with an o ld bat tery? . 176
E PC
refer to E lect ronic power control ... ... 19
ESC (E lectronic Stab ilizat io n Control)
Wa rning/ind icator lights ... ..... .. .. . 18
Event Da ta Recorder (EDR) .......... .. 142
E xhaus t tai l pipes
Cleaning . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 157
Expansion tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Exterior m irrors
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Dimming .. .. .. .... .......... ...... 53
Heating ..... .. .... .......... ...... 52
•
•