2015 AUDI A4 oil change

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Instruments and warning/indicator lights 21
The IJI symbol illuminates when there is an
engine control malfunction. The
[3i indicator
light in the instrument cluster also illumi­
nates . The engine speed is limited to the
speed d isplayed in the driver information sys­
tem . Keep in mind that the eng ine speed will
not exceed the value displayed in the drive r in­
formation system , for example when down­
shifting.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi ­
ately to have the malfunct ion corrected.
'l=cr .., Engine oil sensor
• Oil level! Sen sor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer and have the o il sensor
i nspected . Until you have th is done, check the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side
c::> page 216.
Bil Tank system
mJ Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are
about 2.1- 2.4 gallons (7 -9 liters) of fuel left
in the tank. Time to refuel
c::> page 209 .
DD Fuel tank system malfunction! Contact
dealer
If the indicator light turns on and th is mes ­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
tank system .
Drive to your authori zed Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
<:o Windshield washer fluid level
B Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illumina tes, add windshield
washer fluid to the washer system and also to the headlight washer system *
c::> page 225.
~ Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
There is a malfunction with the windshie ld
wipers .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
~/ }D 10$ Defective light bulb warning
If the f:I indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed. Th e message indicates the location of
the bu lb .
- If the
II indicator light also turns on, then
a fog light has failed . The position of the in­
dicator light corresponds with the location
on the vehicle .
- If the
IJ indicator light also turns on, then
a rear fog* light has failed . The position of
the indicator light corresponds with the lo­
cation on the vehicle.
T his warning can also occ ur if the light switch
is in an unengaged position between two sym­
bols.
Vehicle lights : System fault!
If the message appears, there is a malfunc­
tion in the headlights or light sw itch.
Drive to your au thorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-Light bulbs a re p ressurized and could ex­
plode wh ile they are being changed caus­
ing serious personal injury.
- Work with due care when hand ling the
high-voltage section of gas discharge
(xenon) lights*. Failure to do so could re­
sult in death or serious injury .
(D Tips
Have the bu lb replaced or the connection
r epaired by your authorized Audi Service
department .
i,0 Headlight range control
Applies to veh icles : w ith headli ght ra nge control
liJ Headlight range control defective !

28 Driver information d isplay
Fuel economy messages
App lies to vehicles: with trip computer w ith eff ici ency
program
Fig. 16 Display: fuel economy message
F ue l economy messages are disp layed when
fuel consumption is increased by certain con­ ditions. If you follow these fuel economy mes­
sages, you can reduce your vehicle's consump­
tion of fuel. The messages appear automati­
cally and are only displayed in the efficiency program. The fuel economy messages turn
off
automatically after a certain period of time.
~ To turn a fuel economy message off immedi­
ately after it appears, press the lRESET I but­
ton
c::> page 25, fig. 11 @ , or
~ Press the function selection switch
c::> page 2 5, fig. 11 @ .
(D Tips
-Once you have turned a fuel economy
message
off, it will only appear again af­
ter you turn the ignition on aga in.
- The fuel economy messages are not dis­
played in every instance, but rather in in­
tervals over a period of time.
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due.
Fig. 17 Display: Service interval display
The schedule for the next o il change or inspec­
tion is ca lculated automatically and displayed
accord ingly. The d isp lay works in two stages:
Service reminder
30 days before the next service is due, a serv­
ice reminder appears in the display when you
turn on the ign ition
c::> fig . 17 .
After about 5 seconds the display switches
back to normal. The distance and time re­
main ing are updated each time the ignit ion is
turned on until the date due for serv ice is
reached.
Service due
When the due date for service is reached, the message
Service due! appears in the instru­
ment cluster immed iately after you turn on
the ignition. Additional ly, a warning tone
sounds. After about 5 seconds the disp lay
switches back to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or when an oil change or inspection is due,
can be shown in the rad io or MMI* display by
selecting the service interval display in the car
menu. Select !CAR I function button
> Service
interval display
o r! CAR I function button > Car
systems*
control button > Servicing &
checks.

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Resetting the service interval display
Your authorized Audi dealer w ill rese t the cor­
responding service schedule after performing
the appropriate service on your vehicle. Yo u
also have the possibility to reset the oil
change schedule after having performed an
oil change according to Audi specifications.
Select
I CAR I function button > Service interval
display > Reset oil change interval
or !CARI
function button > Car systems* control but­
ton
> Servicing & checks > Reset oil change
interval.
0 Note
- Only reset the oil change d isplay when
you have completed an oil change.
-If you disconnect the battery terminals,
no calculat ions can be made for the serv­
ic e interval display during this tim e and
no service rem inder will appear. Remem­
ber that observing the proper service in­
terva ls is vitally important to extending
the life of your vehicle, particularly the
engine, and maintaining its va lue. Even if
the mileage dr iven is low, the max imum
period of one year from one serv ice to
the next must not be exceeded .
(D Tips
The informat ion in the Service Reminder
remains stored even when the vehicle bat­
tery is disconnected.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ¢..ift in
the instrument cluster is part of the On-Board
Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light illuminates when
the ignition is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the idle has stabilized .
This indicates that the MIL is work ing proper­
l y.
Driver information display 29
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates while you are driv­
ing , a malfunction may exist in the engine sys ­
tem.
If the light illuminates, the catalytic con­
verter could be damaged.
Continue d rivin g
with reduced power (avoid­
ing su sta ined high speeds and/or rapid accel ­
erations) and have the cond ition corrected.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer.
If the light illuminates, the electronic speed
li miter may also be malfunct ioning. For more
information
c;,page 30, Electronic speed
limiter.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
c:;, page 210.
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 18 Location of Data Link Connector (D LC)
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your emission contro l system . Each
monitored component in your engine system
has been assigned a code. In case of a mal­
function, the component will be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memo ry .
The MIL light may also illuminate if there is a
leak in the on-board fuel vapor recovery sys­
tem. If the light illumi nates afte r a refueling,
stop the vehicle and make sure the fuel filler
cap is properly closed
¢ page 210.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can on ly be displayed using spe­
c ial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for 080). .,.

208 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well for winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stations where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
CD Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only be used in vehicles with flexible fuel en­
gines. Using high ethanol fuel in vehicles not equipped with flexible fuel engines
can cause severe engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo ­
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supplier .
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­
lems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio -ethanol)
App lies to vehicles: with flexible fuel e ngi ne
You con recognize vehicles with a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the label on the inside of the fuel filler flap.
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op­
erated with bio-ethanol fuels such as E85 (8S% ethanol and
15% gasoline) or with un­
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95). The vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption will increase when us­
ing bio-ethanol fuels due to the lower amount
of energy contained per unit volume in etha­
nol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in low temperatures
Due to the chemical composition of bio-etha­
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in very
low temperatures . This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru­
ment cluster display, drive with a warm en­
gine to reduce the oil level.
CD Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of bio-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A higher percentage of bio-etha­
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fuel system .
-If you use only E85, it is recommended
to fill the fuel tank completely with un­
leaded premium grade gasoline every
5,000 miles .
- If you experience starting, rough idle or
hesitation driveability problems, fill the
fuel tank completely with unleaded pre­ mium grade gasoline and drive it nor­
mally until the gasoline is used. See your
authorized Audi dealer if the problem
persists.
- Inform your authorized Audi dealer that
you are operating or have operated the
vehicle with E85.
- Read and follow the information and tips
about gasoline
c::> page 207. .,.

214 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.) . . . . . 216
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. .... ... ....... .... ..
224, 275
@ Bra ke fluid reservo ir (0)) . . . . . 221
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 219
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head sc rew ..... .......... ..
224, 275
® W indshield/headlight* washer
. (" ') container o ....... . ... .. . 225
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 212.
-
Engine oil
· Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications.
The service interval disp lay in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it
is time for a n oil change . We recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
If you have to top off the o il between o il
changes, use the Audi o il quality standard
specified in the tab le.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00

Using the proper engine oil is important for
the functionality and service life of the en­
g ine. Your engine was factory -filled with a
h igh-quality oil which can usually be used
t h roughout the entire year.
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover damage or ma lf u nctions due to
fa ilure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requirements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet .
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex­
pressly complies w ith the Audi o il quality
sta ndard specified for your veh icle's e n­
gine . U sing any other oil can cause seri­
ous eng ine dam age.
- Do not m ix any l ubrica nts o r othe r addi­
tives into the eng ine oi l. Doing so can
ca use eng ine damage.
I f you need to add oil and there is no ne
availab le tha t mee ts the Audi o il qua lity
s t andard your engine requires, yo u may
add a tota l of no more than 0 .5 quart/ liter
of a high -quality "synthetic"oil t hat meets
the following specifications.
- Vehicles with gaso line engine: ACEA A3
or API S M with a viscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30, SAE SW-30 or SA E SW-40.
- For more information abo ut eng ine oil
that has been app roved for your vehicle,
please contact either your a uthori zed
Audi dealer or Audi Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822 -2834 or visit our web site
at www.a udiusa .com or
www .aud icanada .ca .
Engine 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
cooling of inte rnal engine components, all in-
~ ternal combustion eng ines consume a certai n ,....,
Checking and fillin g 215
amoun t of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine . Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
¢
page 193) consume more oil during the
break -in period than they consume after o il
consumption has stabilized .
U nder normal cond itions, the rate of oil con ­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensa tion or fue l resid ue an d the oxida­
t ion level of the o il. As any engine is subject to
wear as mi leage b uilds up, the oil consump ­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es ­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
El in the instrument cl uster lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 216. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 216.
A WARNING
Before you c heck anythi ng in the engine
compartmen t, always read a nd heed all
WAR NINGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine
c ompar tment on page 212.
(D Note
D riving w it h an insufficient o il level is like ­
l y to cause sever e damage to the e ngine .
(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 ea ch time you r efuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip . .,.
•
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level appears, contact your authorized
A udi dealer or qualified workshop to
have excess oil ext racted if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additi ves. They may damage the engine
and ad ve rsely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Under no circ umstances ca n the o il come
i n contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend thot hove your oil changed by
an authori zed Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you c hec k anything in the engine com ­
pa rtment,
always read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
c:> A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 212.
The engine oil must be changed according to the intervals specified in your Warra nty
&
Maintenance book let . This is very important
beca use the l ubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly dur ing normal veh icle use .
Unde r some c irc umstances the engine o il
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive m ost ly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
u nder predominantly stop-and-go t raff ic con­
d it ions, or have your veh icle w her e tempera­
tures rema in below free zing fo r ex tended pe­
rio ds.
Detergent add itives in the o il w ill mak e fresh
oil look da rk after the eng ine has been run­
ni ng fo r a shor t time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to ch an ge the oi l mo re often th an
recommended.
B ecause of the prob lem of prope r dispos al,
a long w ith the spe cial tools and necessary ex­
pe rti se require d, we strong ly recommend tha t
Checkin g and fillin g 217
you have your oil changed by an a uthorized
Audi deale r or a qualified service station.
If you choo se to change your oil your self ,
please note the fo llow ing important info rma­
t ion :
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of pe rsonal i njury if you
must change the eng ine oil in yo ur vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion .
- To reduce t he risk of burns from hot en -
gine oil, let the engine coo l down to the
touch .
- W hen removi ng the oil dra in plug with
your fingers, stay as fa r away as possib le .
A lways keep your fo rearm parallel to the
groun d to help p revent hot o il from run­
ning down you r arm .
- Dra in the oil into a c ontaine r designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of oi l in
your engin e.
- Eng ine oil is poison ous. Keep it we ll out
of the reach of childre n.
- Continu ous contact wit h used eng ine oi l
is harmful to yo ur sk in. Always protect
your skin by washi ng oil off tho ro ughly
w it h soap and wate r.
(J) Note
Neve r mix oil additives with yo ur engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en­
g in e and adversely affect you r Aud i Limit­
ed New Veh icle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changi ng your oil, first make su re
you know where you ca n prope rly dispose
of the us ed oil.
- Always disp ose of used eng ine o il proper­
ly . D o not dump it on garde n soil, wood­
e d ar eas, into op en st reams o r down
sewage drain s.
- Recycle used engi ne oil by taking it to a
used eng ine oil collect io n facility in you r
a rea, or contact a service sta tio n.
•
•

218 Check ing and filling
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
quires 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-basedcoolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with ant icorrosion 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 a lso raises the boil­
ing point of the coo lant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
pr opor tion of coolant add itiv e m ust be at
l eas t 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 veh i­
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 m ixture of wa­
ter and coolant addit ive. M ixing the coolant
addit ive with dist illed water is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 212.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
-
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­mate conditions . This is especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a reg ion where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend us ing on ly coolant ad­
d itive G12 ++ or G13 for your vehicle.
This coolant addit ive is availab le at a u­
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.
Add ing radiator repa ir flu id may adverse ­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could resu lt 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.
F ig . 1 85 Engine compar tmen t: Cover on the coo la n t
expans io n t ank
.,. Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment,
alwa ys read and h eed all
W ARNING S ~ ,& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 212.
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Turn off the ignition.
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the coo l­
ant expansion tank
c:> fig . 185, c:> page 214,
fig . 182.
With a cold engine, the coolant Iii>-