2015 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET maintenance

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Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les differently when tow ing a
trailer because of the additional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice. Back­
ing up with a trailer generally requires steering
action opposite to that when backing up your ve­
hicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You wi ll need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot acce l­
erate as fast as you normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load
¢ page 248 .
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.. Apply the foot brake.
.. Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
Trailer mode
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the curb .
.. App ly the parking brake.
.. Move the selector lever to P.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the selector lever to D/S .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
ic transmission to P before applying the park­
in g brake and before blocking the wheels, you
may have to use more force later to move the
l ever out of the P position.
183

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corrosion protection, maintenance and storage proced ures . Also follow the information about
the battery
c:::> page 204.
Care and cleaning
189

Checking and F ill in g
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on t he left
side ¢
page 197.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the b ra ke fluid level fal ls considerably below
the "MIN" mark, the brake warn ing/indi cator
light (U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian models: . )
will come on ¢
page 15. Do not contin ue to oper­
ate the vehicle . The complete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an author iz ed
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/ind icator light w ill illuminate .
Contact an authorized Audi dealer
i mmed iately .
{D) Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moist ure from the a ir. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor­ rosion in the brake system may result after a peri­
od of time . The boiling point of the brake flu id
w ill also decrease conside rably and dec rease
b rak ing perfo rmance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ve ry
two year s.
Always use new brake fluid w hich con­
forms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle Standard "FMVSS
1 16 DOT 4".
The brake fluid rese rvoir can be difficult to reach,
therefo re , we recommend that you have the
b rake fluid changed by your author ized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has the correct too ls , the
right brake fluid and the know-how to do t his for
you.
A WARNING
- B rake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
on ly in the closed original container out of
the reach of children!
204
- Brake fail ure can resu lt from o ld or inappro­
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau ­
tions:
- Use only b rake fluid that meets SAE spec i­
f ica tion
J 170 3 and conform s to Federa l
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with yo ur autho rized Audi dea le r to make
su re you are using the correct brake fl uid.
The correct type of brake flu id is also ind i­
cated on the brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fl uid must be new. Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake f luid is left in the system too long.
This can seriously affect the efficiency of
the brakes as well as your safety. This
could result in an acc ident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehi­
cle.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
Because of the prob lem of prope r disposal of
brake fluid as well as the special tools re­
qu ired and the necessary expert ise, we rec­
omme nd that you have the brake flu id
changed by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
, General information
U nder normal operating conditions, the battery
i n your Audi does not need any maintenance.
Wi th
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the e lectro ­
lyte level checked by an a uth orized Aud i deale r o r
qualified workshop . The electrolyte leve l should
a lso be checked each time the batte ry is c ha rged
~ page 206.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your ve­
hicle in for service . You a re well adv ised to re­
pla ce a battery that is older tha n 5 years.
With certain types of airbag deployment, the bat ­
te ry is disconnected from the veh icle elect rical
system for safety reasons
¢ & in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 1 45.

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also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re­
sponsibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres­
sure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal­
function indicator is combined with the low tire pressure telltale . When the system detects a
malfunct ion, the telltale will flash for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent veh icle start-ups as long as the mal­
function exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Wheels
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Appl ies to vehicles : wi th t ir e p ress ure mo nito rin g system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 183 Instrument cluster: i ndicator light with message
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
ing system compares the tire tread circumference
and vibration characteristics of the individual
tires .
If the pressure changes in one or more
tires, this is indicated in the instrument cluster
display with an indicator light
[I] and a message .
If only one tire is affected, the location of that
tire will be indicated .
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain­
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your vehicle ¢
page 228. The tire pressure moni­
toring system only monitors the tire pressure you have stored. Refer to the tire pressure label for
the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle
r=> page 219, fig . 182.
Tire tread circumference and vibration character­
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn­
ing if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low .
- the tire has structural damage.
- the tir e was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored ¢
page 228.
-the spare t ire* is installed.
Indicator lights
[I] Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.& .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary .
liJJ,-
227

Consumer information
Consumer information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following warran­
ties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfora-
tion
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warranties
can be found in your
Warranty & Maintenance
booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States and
Canada require that automobiles meet specific
emission regulations and safety standards.
Therefore, vehicles built for the U.S.A. and Cana­
da differ from vehicles sold in other countr ies.
If you plan to take your veh icle outside the conti­
nenta l limits of the United States or Canada,
there is the possibility that:
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with catalytic con­
verter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane rat ­
ing . Improper fuel may cause engine damage;
- serv ice may be inadequate due to lack of proper
serv ice facilities , tools or testing equipment;
- r eplacement parts may not be readily available .
- Nav igat ion systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessar ily work in
Europe, and may not work in othe r countries
outside of North America.
248
(D Note
Aud i cannot be responsib le for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Litera­
ture are published as soon as possible after mod­
el introduction. Service manuals and literature
are available to order from the Audi Technical Lit ­
erature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature .com
Maintenance
General '
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum. How­
ever, a certain amount of regular maintenance is
still necessary to assure your veh icle's safety,
economy and reliability. For deta iled vehicle
maintenance consult your Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Under difficult operating conditions, for exam­
ple at extremely low outs ide temperatures, in
very dusty regions, when towing a trailer very fre­
quently , etc., some service work should be per­
formed between the intervals specified. This ap­
plies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
'
@) For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards are
maintained, thus minimizing adverse effects
on the environment.
Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticated
fuel injection and emission control systems , and
the generally increasing technical comp lexity of
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today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners .
Also , s afety a nd
en viro nm enta l
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and adjustments to en­
g ine and transmission parts which an owner can
perform.
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly re­
qu ire spec ial tools, testing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work­
shop perso nnel in order to assure proper per­
formance, reliab ility and safety of the vehicle and
its many systems.
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliability of your
vehicle and even void your vehicle warranty .
Therefore, proof of se rv icing in accordance with
the m aintenance schedule may be a condi tion for
upho ld ing a possib le warranty cla im made w ith in
the warranty period .
Above all, operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, creating unnecessary r isks fo r you and
your passengers.
I f in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any prope rly
equ ipped and qua lified workshop. We st rongly
urge you to give your authorized Audi dealer the
opport unity to perform all sched uled mainte­
nance and necessary repairs. Your dealer has the
fac ilities, origina l parts and trained specia lists to
keep yo ur vehicle runn ing properly.
P e rforming lim it e d ma inten anc e y ours elf
The fo llowing pages describe a limited number of
proced ures which can be performed on yo ur vehi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personne l be unavailable. Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
oughly read all of the applicable text and careful­
ly follow the instructions g iven . Always rigorously
observe the
W ARNINGS prov ided .
Before you check an ything in the engine com ­
partm ent, always r ead and h eed all WARNING S
c:> .&. and c:> .&. in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 195.
C o nsum er information
A WARNING
- Ser ious personal injury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or repairs.
- Always be extremely careful when work ing
on the vehicle. Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mon sense. Never ris k personal injury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the following
pages if you are not fully familia r wi th these
or other procedures w ith respect to the vehi­
cle, or a re unce rtain how to proceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper tools
a nd eq uipment. Have the necessary work
done by your authorized Audi dealer or any
properly equipped and qualified workshop.
- The engine compa rtment o f any motor vehi­
cle is a potentially hazardous area. Neve r
reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan. It is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly - even when the en­
g ine is off and the ign ition key has been re­
moved. The rad iator fan switches on auto­
mat ically when the coo lant reaches a certain
temperature and will continue to run unt il
the coolant temperature d rops.
- Always remove the ign ition key befo re any­
one gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle. The jack supplied w ith the vehi ­
cle is no t adequ ate for this purpose and
could collapse caus ing serious personal in­
jury.
- If you m ust wor k underneath t he vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels are a lways secure ly blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic transmiss ion) is in "P"
(Park position) and the park brake is firmly
applied.
249