2015 AUDI A4 engine

194 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, 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 wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it .
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi­
cle to dr ive through safely.
-
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic conv ert er) is function ­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in on env ironm entally sound manner.
,,. Always use lead-free gaso line Q page 207,
Fuel supply .
,,. Never run the tank down a ll th e way to emp ­
ty.
,,. Never put too much moto r oil in your engine
Q page 216, ~ Adding engine oil .
,,. Never try to push -or tow -start your ve hicle .
T he cata lytic converter is an eff ic ient "clean­
up" device built in to the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the polluta nts in the exhaust gas be ­
fore they are released into the atmosphe re . The exclus
ive use of unleaded f uel is critica lly
important for the life of the catalytic conv ert­
er and p roper funct ion ing of the eng ine .
A WARNING
=
-The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driving and after stop­
p ing the eng ine .
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle i n
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con­
ver ter or he at s hields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
CI) Note
- Be aware tha t just o ne tank filling with
leaded fu el w ill alre ady ser io usly de ­
grade the performance of the cata lytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the cor rect engine oil level
Q poge 216.
-Do not drive until the fuel t ank becomes
comple tely empty . The engine cou ld mis ­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and th is co uld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve­
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not contin ue to ope rate your veh icle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
co uld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis -
sion Control System: .,..

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-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair
the function of the emission control
system and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free super
grade gaso line.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wou ld like your veh icle to remain inop­
erat ive for a longer period of time, contact an
Aud i or other specialized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e .g. corro­
sion prevention, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to add itional information con­
cerning the battery. Refer to¢
page 222.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle , as well as ex­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your persona l driving style
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel cons umption by 10-15 percent. This sec-
Driving and environment 195
tion wi ll give you some tips on how you can
help the environment and your pocketbook.
(0 Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating .
.,. Avo id unnecessary accelerating and brak ing.
Vehicles use the most fue l when they are ac­
ce lerat ing. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, accelerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage .
.,. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fue l consump­
tion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed l imit and weather con­
ditions permit.
•
•

196 Driving and en vironm ent
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not dr iving
the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings, or at traff ic lights that have
l ong wa its on red . Turning the engine
off fo r
just 30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned starting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . Howeve r, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights shou ld come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
... Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
authorized Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects
fu el
con sumpt ion .
Check you r oil ea ch time you fill you r ta nk.
The amount o f oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It i s normal fo r the oil consump tion of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been d riven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(S,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
& Main­
t enance boo klet . Lack of p roper ma inte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
-Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat sh ie lds, switches, ignition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid dr iv ing short distances w ith a
cold engine .
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal
operat ing temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and nox ious emis­
s ions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld eng ine in a mid-s ize
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy cl imbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2 .5 miles (4 km), ll>

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,...., ..,., ,....,
the engine is at its proper operating tempera­
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possib le.
The
outside temperature is also critical in this
regard. Your car consumes more fuel in the
winter than in the summer .
allroad: Driving offroad
General information
Applies to vehicles: atlroad
When driving offroad, the funct ions for the
e lectronic stab ilization control (ESC) are ex­
panded. The ESC-Offroad-Mode can be activat­
ed in driving situations in which a wheel lock
or a differentia l lock function is needed
c::> page 187. In addition, your Audi provides
continuous all wheel drive .
Your Audi is however , not an offroad vehicle.
Never drive the vehicle in terrain which is not
suitable for the vehicle, or which exceeds
your driving skills. Never take any unneces­
sary risks!
After driving offroad
-After driving offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the radiator grille, under ­
body, and wheels. Look especially for objects
(stones) that have been caught in the tire
tread .
- Clean the body and the vehicle underbody
and inspect the vehicle for possible damag­
es.
- Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and the license plate.
- Perform a brake test (especially after driving through water).
A WARNING
- Be espec ially aware and attentive when
dr iv ing under diff icult conditions . Dam­
ages to the vehicle and injuries may oc­
cur when driving at an excess ively high
speed or with incorrect driving maneu­
vers.
Driving and environment 197
- Always adjust your speed and handling
to the roads, terrain, traff ic and weather
conditions. Drive especially slow if off­ road with low visibility.
- Please note that the wheels can spin and
the vehicle can break away when the ESC
Offroad Mode is switched off, especially
when the road is slippery .
- Driving stability is reduced in the ESC
Offroad mode .
® For the sake of the environment
Avoid harming the environment and take
nature into cons ideration.
(D Tips
Only drive where it is allowed and always
stay on the provided roads and paths.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles : a ll road
There is only one right way to drive in difficult
conditions: slowly and with caution!
When dr iving offroad, observe the following:
... Never drive the vehicle i n terrain which is
not suitab le for the vehicle, or which ex­
ceeds your driv ing ski lls. Never take any un­
necessary risks!
... Drive slow ly and cautiously!
... Pay attention to the
ground clearance of
your vehicle! This may vary depending on the load and composition of the ground and
the environment. The driver is therefore re­
sponsible for deciding whether a veh icle can
handle a specific situation.
... Act ivate the
ESC -Offroad-Mode c::> page 18 7
as needed.
Difficult terrain
Never dr ive in areas that are not familiar to
you and drive slowly when offroad and be pre­
pared and expect the unexpected (e.g. pot­
holes, boulders, tree stumps, etc.)
To prevent the vehicle from bottoming and avo id damage to the underbody, you should
drive straight across severe bumps in the
IJII>
•
•

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,...., ..,., ,....,
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns .
Trailer towin g 199
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trai ler has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 200.
Engine cooling system
T owing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard ­
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•

200 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the tir es of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requi rements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rticularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n the i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not p roper ly wea ring the restraints
provided by Audi.
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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.
•
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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. .,.