2015 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET engine

Checking and F ill in g
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come in
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 that hove your oil changed by on
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­
tion.
Before you check anything in the engine compa rt ­
ment,
alway s read and heed all WARNINGS ¢ .&.
in Working in the engine comportment on
page 195.
The engine oil must be changed according to the
i n terva ls specified in yo ur Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet . This is very important because the
lubricat ing propert ies of o il diminish gradua lly
during normal vehicle use.
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l sho uld
be changed more frequent ly . Change oil more of­
ten if you drive most ly short distances, operate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predom inantly
stop-and-go traffic condit ions, or have your vehi­
cle where temperatures rema in below freezi ng
for extended periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh oil
look dark after the engine has been running for a
short time. This is normal and is not a reason to
cha nge the oil mo re often than recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposa l, along
with the special tools and necessary expertise re­
qu ired, we stro ngly recommend that you have
your oil changed by an autho rized
Aud i deale r or
a qualif ied se rvice stat ion.
If you choose to change your o il yourself, please
note the fo llowing important information :
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of persona l inju ry if yo u
must c han ge the engine oil in your ve hicle
yo urself:
- Wea r eye p rotection .
200
-
-To reduce t he risk of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine coo l down to the touch.
- W hen removing the o il drain p lug with your
fingers, stay as far away as possib le. Always
keep your forearm parallel to the ground to
he lp prevent hot oi l from running down your
arm .
- Dra in the oil into a c ontainer designed for
this purpose, one la rge enough to hold at
least the tota l amount of oil in your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out of
the reach of chi ld ren .
- Continuous contact w it h used eng ine oi l is
ha rmf ul to your skin. Always protect you r
skin by washi ng oil off tho roughly wi th soap
a nd wate r.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your e ngine and
adverse ly affect your Audi Limited New Vehi­
cle 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 used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oil properly.
Do not d ump it on garden so il, wooded
areas, in to op en st reams o r down sewage
drai ns.
- Recycle used engi ne oil by taking it to a used
eng ine oi l collect ion fac ility in yo ur area, o r
c ontact a service station.
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 genera lly re­
q u ires little attention.
The cooli ng sys tem has been filled at the f actory
wi th a permanent coolan t which does not need to
be changed. The coolant consists of a mixtu re of
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specially conditio ned water an d the manu fa ctu r­
er's glycol-basedcoolant additive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA mod­
els; 60% for Canadian models). This m ixture both
assures the necessary frost protection and pro­
tects meta l components in the engine's cooling
system from corrosion and scal ing . It also raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coolant in
the summer by adding plain water .
The p ropor­
tion of coolant addit ive must be at l east 50 %
but n ot mor e th an 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency. If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolant cou ld
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en­
gine cooling system.
F or yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory fo r temperatures dow n to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coo lant, use a mixture of water
and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with distilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
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 195.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant addit ive in your
vehicle is suffic ient to meet the cli mate con­
dit ions. This is especially important if you
li ve in a region where the win ter is extreme­
l y co ld. If ne cessary, i ncrease the proport ion
of coo lant add itive to 60%.
- When adding coolant a ddit ive to you r cool ­
i ng system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant addi­
tive Gl2++ or Gl3 for your ve hicle. This
coolant additive is ava ilable at authorized
Audi dea lers. Other types of ant ifreeze can
significant ly reduce co rrosion protection.
Checking and Fillin g
The resulting corrosion can ca use a loss o f
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator le ak sealan t
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra­
diator repai r fluid may adverse ly affect the
function and performance of your cooling
system and could result in damage not cov­
ered by your New Vehicle Lim ited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 175 Engine compartment: Cover on the coolant ex­
pa nsion tank
.. Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys re ad and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 195.
.. Park your vehicle on a level su rface.
.. Tu rn off the ignition .
.. Read the engine coolant level from the coolant
expansion tank
¢fig . 175, ¢page 197,
fig . 172 .
With a cold engine, the coolant leve l
should be between the "M IN" and "MAX" mark­
ings. When the eng ine is warm, the level may
be slightly above the "MAX" marking.
The location of the coo lant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢page 197.
To obtain an a ccur ate reading, the engine m ust
be switched off.
T he expansion tank in yo ur veh icle is eq uipped
with an electric coo lant level senso r.
When the coolant leve l is too low, the wa rn ing
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 17 will
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Checking and F ill in g
blink until you add coo lant and the level has been
restored to normal. Even though there is an e lec­
tr ic coo lant level sensor, we still recommend you
check the coo lant level from t ime to time.
Coolant los s
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in t he cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cooling
system should be inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is not enough merely
to add coolant.
I n a
s e a led system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can
get very hot. Reduce the risk of scalding from
hot coolant by following these steps .
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down .
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es­
caping fluid and steam by covering the cap
with a large, thick rag .
-Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockw ise d irection while applying
light, downward pressure on the top of the
cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot eng ine parts . Under ce rtain conditions,
the ethy lene g lycol in engine coolant can
catch fire.
{il) Note
Do not add any type of rad iator leak sealant
to your veh icle's engine coolant . Adding radia­
to r repair f lu id may adverse ly affect the func­
tion and performance of your cooling system
and could resu lt in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
alway s re ad an d heed all WARN ING S
202
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 195.
Req uirement: There must be a res idual amo unt
of coo lant in the expans ion tank
~CD-
.,,. Turn off the engine .
.,,. Let the engine cool down.
.,,. Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 201, fig. 175 and car efull y turn
the cap counter-clockwise
~ .&_ .
.,,. Add coo lant mixed in the correct ratio
~ page 200, Coolant up to the MAX marking .
.,,. Make sure that the flu id level remains stab le.
Add more coolant if necessa ry .
.,,. Twist the cap on aga in
tightly .
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to ex­
act specifications ¢
page 200, Coolan t.
We recommend using only coo lant additive Gl2 +
+ , Gl3
or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain wa­
ter unt il you can get the correct additive and can
restore the correct ratio. This should be done as
soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerab le amount of cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifree ze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling.
Do not fil l coolant above the "MAX " mark. Excess
coolant will be forced out through the pressure
relief valve in the cap when the engine becomes
hot.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scalding
from hot coolant by following these steps.
- Turn off the eng ine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect you r face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap s low ly and ve ry carefully in a
counter-clockw ise direction wh ile app ly ing
li ght, downward p ressu re on the top o f
the cap. ..,,.

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-To avoid being burned, do not spi ll anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­ ant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti­
freeze in its original conta iner and well out
of the reach of ch ildren .
-If you drain the coolant, it must be caught
and safely stored in a proper container
clearly marked "poison" .
(D Note
-Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine .
If this is the case,
do not continue driving. Seek profess ional
ass istance.
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and could
cause an eng ine fire . Excess coolant will be
fo rced out through the pressure relief valve
i n the cap when the eng ine becomes hot.
- If, i n an emergency , only water can be add­
ed, the correct ratio between wa ter and an­
tifreeze
~ page 200 must be restored as
soon as possib le .
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always
dispose o f used coolant while observ ing all
environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self.
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V­
be lt . The viscous clu tch regulates the speed of
the fan ac cording to the temperature of the cool ­
ant.
An auxiliary e lectr ic rad iator fan* switches on and
off depend ing on coolant temperat ure and othe r
veh icle operati ng conditions.
Afte r you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan
can continue runn ing for up to 10 minutes -even
Ch eck in g and Fillin g
with the ignition off . It can even switch on again
later by itself¢& , if
- the temperatu re of the engine coo lant rises due
to the heat build- up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the
veh icle is parked in intense sun light .
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of persona l injury never
touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature con­ trolled and can switch on suddenly even
when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on auto­
matica lly when the engine coolant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a quick
glance .
Fig. 17 6 Engine compar tment : Cove r on the b rake fl uid
r e servoir
Before you check anyth ing in the engine compart ­
ment,
al way s read and h eed all WARNIN GS
¢ _.& in Working in the engine compartment on
page 195 .
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the b rake fluid
reservoir ¢
fig. 176, ¢ page 197, fig . 172 . The
brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN "
and "MAX " markings.
20 3

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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Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regula­
tors , for example) are lost if the battery termi­
nals are disconnected. These functions have to be
re learned after th e battery terminals are con­
nected again. To prevent this, the batte ry should
only be disconnected from the ve hicle electrical
system when absolutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, e lectrica l components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca­ pability over a longer period
c:> page 175 .
Some of the conven ience functions may not oper­
ate, such as the interior lights or the power seat
adjustment. The convenience functions will be
available aga in when you turn on the ignition and
start the engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop. This is because
more power is also consumed while s tart ing, and
the headlights, rear window defogger, etc ., are
used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, part icu­
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
d istances . Let your authorized Aud i dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before w inter
sets in ¢
page 206 . A well charged battery will
not only prevent starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the ve­
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it will not freeze. This will prevent it
from being damaged and having to be re­ placed.
Checking and Filling
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
men t under the floor. Before you check anything
in the luggage compartment ,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> .&_ .
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle electr ical
system to prevent injury .
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery :
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking.
~
When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children.
A WARNING
= -
Whenever working on the battery or on the
e lectr ical system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even f ire. Read and heed the fol ­
lowing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection . Do not let bat­
tery ac id or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Exp losive
gases can cause blindness or other in jury.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid . Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings. ...,
205

Checking and Filling
-If you get battery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame, electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke .
- Do not interchange the positive and nega-
tive cables.
- When working on the battery , be sure not to
short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth­
er metal objects . This would cause the bat­
tery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury .
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy­
drogen gas which is explosive and could
cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground cable .
- Before performing any work on the electri­ cal system, switch off the engine and igni­
tion as well as any electrical equipment. The negative cable on the battery must be dis­
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off. Re­
connect the positive cable first and then the
negative cable. Never interchange the ca­
bles -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat­
tery. It could explode! If a battery has fro ·
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32°F (0°C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery .
206
-Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems .
Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is switched on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise, you will damage
electronic components in the electrical sys­
tem .
-If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re­
placed .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­
tery.
Fig. 177 E n g in e compar tmen t: C on nectors fo r charger and
jump er cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
9 A and ¢ A in Working on the battery on
page 205.
.,. Turn off the ignition and all electrical consum­
ers.
.,. Make sure the area is well ventilated when you
charge the battery.
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~ Open the engine hood ¢page 195 .
~ Open the cover on the positive pole ~ fig. 177.
~ Connect the charger connectors accord ing to
the instructions to the
j ump sta rt bolts . (Bolts
under the cover= "positive", Bo lts with hex
head = "negat ive") .
~ Only now plug the mains lead for the charg ing
equipment into the wall outlet and turn it on
~ & -
~ Ma ke s ure th e char gin g rate is not ov er
3 0 amp s/14 .8 Volt .
~ When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipment
off and remove the mains
l ead from the wall outlet.
~ Now remove the clamps for the charging equip-
ment.
~ Close the cover on the positive pole .
~ Close the hood 9 page 195.
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempting to charge it
9 & . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery again because the batte ry casing
can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak
battery ac id.
Battery charg ing (Ma ximum charging rate of
30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at low voltages (e.g. w ith a tri ckl e
c h arge r),
the battery cables do not have to be
disconnected first. The battery caps shou ld
not
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the batte ry from
the luggage compartment.
F a st charging th e battery (charg ing r ate
above 14.8 Vo lts )
For technical reasons do no t use a battery charg­
e r that uses voltage greater than 14.8 Volts to
charge your vehicle's battery .
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur­
er when charging your battery.
Checking and Fillin g
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al­
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were frozen.
The battery housing may have cracked and
weakened when the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas generat­
ed by the batte ry is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cables wh ile
the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
technician w ith the proper equipment.
- Battery acid that may sp ill dur ing charging
should be washed
off with a solut ion of
warm water and baking soda to neutralize the acid .
@ Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This w ill ser iously damage sensi­
tive electronic components, suc h as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as we ll as the battery
charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica­
tions and dimensions as the original equipment
battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
responsible for distributing the elect rical energy
throughout your vehicle
9 page 175. T he intelli­
gent energy management system w ill keep the
engine battery charged better then vehicles with­
out this system. To make sure the additional elec­
trical energy is avai lab le once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at the
t ime your vehicle was delivered) . Specifications
are listed on the battery housing . Your autho r­
ized Audi dealer must code the battery in the en-
ergy management system to enab le you to use .,,.
207