2015 AUDI A4 Owners Manual

'"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for you r vehicle is un ­
l e aded premium
g rade gasoline. A udi recom­
mends using TOP TIER De tergent Gaso line
w ith a m inimum octane ra ting of 91 A KI (95
RON) . Fo r more informa tion on TOP TIER De­
tergent Gasoline, please go to the off ic ial
website (www.toptie rgas .com) .
The re commended gasoline octane rating for
your eng ine can also be fo und o n a label loca t­
ed on t he ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This ra t­
ing may be specif ied as AKI or RO N.
Your veh icle may also be operated using un ­
l e aded regular g asoline w ith a min imum o c­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RO N. However, using
87 AK I/91 RON octa ne fue l w ill sli ghtly re­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded ga solin e only. Unleaded g aso­
line is available th rougho ut the USA, Ca nada,
and i n most E uropean countries . We recom­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or co untries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re information on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see~
page 209.
Octane rating
Octane rati ng ind icates a gaso line's abili ty to
r es is t engi ne da maging "knoc k" ca use d by
p remature ign ition and detona tion. Therefore,
buying the correct grade of gaso line is very
i mportant to he lp prevent possible engine
damage and a loss o f engine performance .
Gasoline mos t common ly used in the Unite d
States an d Canada has the following octane
ratings that ca n usually be fo und on the filler
pump :
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 207
-Premium Grade: 9 1 -96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abb reviations :
AKI = Anti Knock Index = (R+ M)/2 = (RO N
+ MON)/2
RON = Research Octane Num ber
MON= Motor Octane Number.
@ Note
- Do not use a ny fue l w ith octane rat ings
lower than 87 AKI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
expensive engi ne damage w ill occu r.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne. The use of
leade d gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur vehicle's cata ly tic co nve rter and i ts
a bili ty to con trol exh aust emi ssion s.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether )
You may use unleaded gasoline blende d with
alcohol or MTB E (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blended m ixture meets the
fo llow ing criter ia:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol )
-Anti -knoc k index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend mus t contain no more t han 3% me th -
a nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in more than 15%
ethanol.
- Ve hicles w ith flexibl e fu el e ngine : blend
m ust not contain more than 85% ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knoc k index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no t mo re tha n 15%
MTBE.
•
•

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. .,.

"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
@ Tips
It may take longer to start the engine
when the outside temperature is very cold.
If possible, use winterized fuel if tempera­
tures are below freezing.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec­
tive.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIE R
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the officia l
website (www.toptiergas .com) .
Afte r an extended pe riod of using inadequate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CD Note
- Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel additive
products to your fuel tank.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the r ight rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can sti ll open the flap manually - for detailed
instructions see
c:> page 211.
You can find the fue l tank capacity of your ve ­
hicle in
c:> page281.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 209
The label on the inside of the fuel fi lier f lap
te lls you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c:> page 207.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refue l­
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
proper ly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, fu ll or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 - 86).
CD Note
Never drive your veh icle until the fuel tank
i s completely empty. The irregu la r supply
of fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline cou ld
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter.
•
•

210 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Refuelling
Fig. 176 Right rear vehicle side: Open ing t he fuel filler
flap
F ig. 177 Fu el filler flap with attached fuel cap
When activating the central lock ing, the fuel
fi ller flap is automatically un locked or loc ked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ig nition turned
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
~Turnoff the ignition .
~ Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it
c::> fig. 176 -arrow- .
~ Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and
hang it on the fuel filler flap
~ fig. 177.
Refuelling procedure
~ Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler neck as far as it will
go.
~ Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off a utomatica lly when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
~ After filling your tank, tw ist the fuel cap
clockwise as far as it will go.
~ Close the fuel filler flap. T
o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
completely .
A WARNING
-Im proper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over­
flow. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while re­
fueling. The electromagnet ic rad iat ion
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle whi le re­
fue ling.
If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehi cle while
refueling, make ce rtain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open flame any­
where in or near your vehicle when refu­
eling or filling a portable fuel conta iner.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel conta iner in your vehicle . The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, u nder exceptional cir cumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel conta iner,
p lease observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
whi le it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fue l conta iner
on the ground before filling.

M N
~ co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
-Always keep the f iller nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable conta iner before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
he lp prevent static electricity from dis­
charg ing and cause a fire .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fue l vapors are
h ighly f lammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin­ cial laws regarding the use, storage
and tra nspo rta tion of fuel containers.
- Make certa in the fuel conta iner meets
industry standards (A NSI
I ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
sw itches off automatically for the fi rs t
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more f ue l because fuel may spill out. In
add it ion , the expans io n s pace in the fuel
t ank will be fi lled -ca using the fue l to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol ­
lute the env iro nment.
@ Tips
- Runn ing yo ur engine while re fuelling
may ca use vapors to escape o r even
ca use fue l to spill out of the tank . This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be­
fo re the tank is fu ll.
- Do not refuel your ve hicle w ith the igni ­
tion t urned on. The fuel gauge may oth­
erwise not ind icate the correct fue l level
after refuel ling.
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not locked when you lock the vehicle from
the i nside.
Fu el suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank 211
Unlocking the fuel filler flap by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power loc king system should fail .
Fig. 1 78 Sedan L uggage compartment: ope ning the
si de t rim
Fig. 17 9 Luggage com partme nt: Eme rge ncy o pen ing
of fue l
fi lier flap
The emergency opening mechanism is located
behind the r ight side trim panel in the l ug­
gage comp artment .
Opening the side trim
.,.. Sedan: Insert a tool such as a sc rewdriver
<=:> page 260 o r the emergency key into the
r ight side of the upper gap ¢
fig. 178.
.... Sedan: Pry upwar d to release the trim.
.,.. allroad: Open the rig ht side trim pane l.
Fuel filler door emergency release
.,.. Loosen the st rap from its bracket and p ull
on it
i=:> fig . 179 . You can now op en the fuel
filler flap as usual ¢
page 210.

212 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.
... With the driver's door open, pull the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
c> fig . 180.
... Raise the hood slightly c> .&,
... 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
c> .&, .
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
c> ,&..
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 .

"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
-To reduce the r isk 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 ca re­
fully opening the hood .
- Keep children away from the engine com ­
partment.
- Never spill flu ids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The aux ili­
ary e lectr ic fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the eng ine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressur ized and hot coo l­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot eng ine coolant by placing a
thic k rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any c ircumstances. Th is increases the
risk of bu rns.
- If wo rk on the fuel system or the electri­
cal sys tem is ne cessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames . Fluids in the engine com­
partment co uld start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately ava ilable.
- To avoid electrical s hock and persona l 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 repa ir
with the engine running:
- Fir st, fully apply the parking brake,
move se lector lever of a utomatic trans-
Checkin g and fillin g 213
mission to "P" (Park); put manual
transmission in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewe lry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-be lts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ i ng hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang o r droop into the engine .
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~&. .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its const ituents,
a nd certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
Ca lifornia to cause cance r and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition, certain fl uids contained in veh icles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemica ls known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands afte r handling.
Q) Note
When adding f lu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper conta iner
or f iller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regular ly . If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu­
i ds, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer. •
•

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