2015 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET engine overheat

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A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in¢ page 195,
before open ing the hood and check ing the
engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment. You
cou ld burn yourself. Let the eng ine cool off
first so that you cannot hear o r see any
steam o r engine coo lant.
0 Note
- Mount ing additional lights or accesso ries in
fron t of the a ir inlets reduces the cooling ef­
fect of the radia to r. A t high outside temper­
atu res or high e ngine load, the eng ine could
overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to prop­
erly distribute the cooling air when the veh i­
cle is moving. If the spo iler is damaged, this
could reduce the cooling effect and the en­
gine could then overheat. Ask your author­ ized Audi dealer for assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revo­
lutions per minutes).
If engine RPM drops be low 1,5 00, you should
downshift to the next lower gea r. T he red area at
the end of the scale indicates max imum permis­
sible eng ine RPM after the break-in period . Be­
fore reachi ng this area, move the selector lever to
position D/S or ease your foot off the accelerator
pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle@¢ page 10, fig. 3
should o nly briefly be in the red zone: you
co uld damage your eng ine! The beginn ing of
the r ed zone varies depending on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshift ing early saves fuel and reduces eng ine
noise .
Instrument s and indi cator ligh ts
~ button
Fig. 4 SET butto n in the instrument cluste r
The lsET j button performs the following func­
t ions:
Switching on t ime, date , temperature
display and odometer
The display appears for approximate ly 30 sec·
onds when you press the
! SE T! button c;, fig . 4
with the igni tion off .
Starting the Auto-Check sequence
The Auto-Check system constantly monitors cer­
tain individual functions and components of the
vehicle when the ignition is turned on and when
the vehicle is moving .
With the ign ition turned on, you can start the
"Auto-Check sequence" by pressing the
I SE TI but­
ton. You can perform an Auto-Check sequence
when the vehicle is sta tionary and the ign it ion is
tu rned on o r whe n th e vehicle is moving slowe r
t h an 3 mph (5 km/ h).
In add ition , the number of keys init ia lised for
your vehicle is disp layed .
L2 3/3 means that
th ree keys have be en initialised. This feature ena­
bles used car buye rs to make sure they have r e­
c e ived all of the keys.
If you are g iven only two keys, for instance, you
should take the vehicle and the existing keys to
an a utho rized Aud i dea le r to have the miss ing key
disabled.
It i s also important to no tify your insur­
ance company abo ut the loss.
Setting the sp eed warning
By pressi ng the !SET ! button briefly, you can set
th reshold 1 of the speed wa rn ing while you are
dr iv ing ¢page 80. By ma intai ning pressure on
11

Instruments and indicator Lights
the I SET! button, you delete the warning thresh­
old.
Digital clock with date display and
Odometer
Fig. 5 Instrument cluster: odometer
Fig. 6 Instrument cluster: reset button
Digital clock/GPS controlled clock*
Depending on the vehicle equipment level, you
may choose between the quartz clock or the GPS
controlled clock*~ in the radio or in the MMI*.
You can learn more about this in the MMI manual
or in the radio user's manual.
Odometer/trip odometer
The display of distance driven is shown in kilome­
ters "km" or in miles "mi".
- USA models -Miles
- Canada models - Kilometers
The units of measure (kilometers/miles) can be changed in the radio or MMI* . You can learn more
about this in the MMI manual or in the radio us­
er's manual.
The odometer @ shows the total number of kilo ­
meters or miles that have been driven on the ve­
hicle .
12
The trip odometer @ shows the distance driven
since it was last reset.
It can be used to measure
short distances. The last digit shows distances of
100 meters or 1/10 of a mile .
The trip odometer can be reset to zero by press­
ing the reset button
!O.OI ~ fig. 6.
Malfunction message
If there is a malfunction somewhere in the in­
strument cluster,
DEF will appear in the tripod­
ometer and will stay on. Contact your authorized
Audi dealer to have the problem corrected.
Immobilizer
When the ignition is switched on, the data on the
ignition key are scanned automatically.
If an unauthorized key was used,
SAFE is dis­
played permanently in the odometer display
field . The vehicle cannot be operated
¢page 30.
{i) Tips
-When you switch off the ignition or open
the driver door, the time, date, odometer
and temperature are displayed for an addi­
tional
30 seconds.
- You can also call up the display with the
!SET ! button¢ page 11 while the ignition is
switched off.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge works only when the ignition is on.
When the needle reaches the red area, the warn­
ing
lightliD in the instrument cluster will illumi­
nate¢
page 20. Time to refuel!
The total tank capacity of your vehicle is listed in
¢page 246.
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry! An irregu­
lar supply of fuel can cause engine misfiring
and fuel could enter into the exhaust system.
The catalytic converter could then overheat
and be damaged.

Automatic transmission
This prevents too much stress from being placed
on the locking mechanism.
Vehicles with multitronic transmission: Your vehi­
cle is equipped with
hill hold assist allowing you
to start while on an incline. The system is activat­
ed when the brake pedal is pressed down and
held
for a few seconds. The brake pressure will
hold for
a momen t after the brake pedal loosens
t o preven t the vehicle from rolling backwards
while starting up .
A WARNING
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine is
stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se­ rious injury .
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear.
If you must leave your
vehicle when the engine is running, activate
the parking brake and move the selector lev­
er to
P.
-Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake when the engine
is running and the selector lever is in 0/5 or
R or "tiptronic" mode is selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when changing the selector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
running .
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system .
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it in
place with the brake pedal or parking brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati-
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cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. An indicator lamo
[ O ] illuminates
and a driver message appears
¢ page 88
when the clutch is overloaded.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure these­
lector lever has securely engaged and is
locked in P with the parking brake set
¢ page 195. Otherwise, any increase in en­
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
- 5 tronic- and tiptronic transmission: When
stopping on an incline, do not try to hold
the vehicle in place by pressing the accelera­
tor pedal while a driving gear is selected.
This can cause the transmission to overheat
and can damage it. Activate the parking
brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rolling.
- 5 tronic- and tiptronic transmission: Allow­
ing the vehicle to roll when the engine is
stopped and the selector lever is in N will
damage the transmission because it is not
lubricated under those circumstances .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle .
· Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles: wit h mult itronic/S tronic/tiptronic
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in 0/5 and you press the brake pedal.
The transmission automatically selects a gear
that is suitable for the incline. Hill descent con­
trol tries to maintain the speed achieved at the
time of braking, within physical and technical
limitations.
It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes. .,.

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In extreme cases, EDL a utomatica lly switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked whee l from
overheating. EDL w ill switch on again automati ­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Steering re commendat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by chang ing
the steering torque.
I n vehicles with dynamic steeri ng*, ESC also
h e lps to stabilize the steering in critical s itua­
tions .
Electronic interaxle differential lock* /
sel ectiv e wheel torque control*
The electron ic in teraxle d iffe ren tial lock (front
wheel drive) or the selective wheel torq ue contro l
(all wheel drive) operates when driving through
curves. The front whee l on the ins ide of the cu rve
or both whee ls on the inside of the curve are
braked selectively as needed. Thi s allows more
precise driving in curves. The applicable system
may not activate when driving in wet or snowy
conditions .
_&, WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the laws of physics. This is espe­
ci al ly impo rtant on slippe ry or wet roads. If
the sys tems begin acting to stabilize your
Switching on/off
Smart Technology
veh icle, you shou ld immediately change
your speed to matc h the road and traffic
conditions. Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt you to
take risks . Do ing so will increase the risk of a
loss of vehicle control, collision and serious
personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of losing con­
trol of the vehicle inc reases when dr iving
too fast, espec ially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when dr iving too
close to vehicles up ahead . The ESC and its
integrated systems cannot a lways prevent
coll isions -there is sti ll a risk of accidents!
- Always accelerate with special care on even,
smooth su rfaces such as those that are wet
or covered with ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even with these assistance
systems that can not always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle cont rol.
{!) Tips
-ABS and ASR only work correct ly when a ll
four wheels are equipped w ith ident ica l
tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a reduc­
tion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 16 4 Version A: lowe r ce nter console,~ OFF button
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend­
i ng on the level that is selected, the stabilization
function o f the ESC is limited or switched off . The
F ig. 165 Versio n B: uppe r ce nter console,~ OFF button
amount of s tabilization control will differ de­
pend ing on the level.
a, N N N ,.: CX) m
171

Smart Technolog y
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few carefu l
brake applications .
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in­
stall a d ifferent spoiler, be sure the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed. Other­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc ­
ing the effectiveness of the entire brake sys­
tem.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair the
braking capab ility result ing in an increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driving the veh icle
and have it towed to the nearest autho rized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle ro ll to a stop with the
engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed considerably
harder to make up for the lack of booste r as­
sistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps the
driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and me ssages
• Stee ring defe cti ve! D o not dr ive vehicle!
If this indicator light tu rns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may
have fai led .
Do
not contin ue driving. See yo ur authorized
Aud i dealer o r a qua lified repair facility for assis­
tance.
l ;r- ij Dynami c steering : S ys te m fault! You can
c on tinu e dr iving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steer ing may be more difficult to
move or mo re sensitive than us ual. The steer ing
wheel may also be at an ang le when dr iv ing
straight.
174
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lf u nction cor­
rected.
' -r, ij Dynamic ste ering: i nitializing
If this driver message appears and the indicator
li ght is flashing on the i nstrume nt pane l, dynam­
i c steer ing* is being rein it ia lized . After sta rting
the engine, the steer ing whee l w ill move sligh tly.
Re-initialization might be necessary if the steer ­
ing whee l was moved hard to th e left and right
whi le the vehicle was not moving . The display
goe s out as soon as initiali zation is comp lete.
A WARNING
,-
H ave the dynamic steering* system malfunc-
tion repaired as soon as possible by an author ­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop - r isk
of accid ent!
@ Tips
- If the . or 'T fl indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may cont inue driving.
- The dynamic steering* stab ility system s are
not availab le in the event of a system mal­
function .
- For add itional information on dynamic
steering*, refer to<=> page 103 .
Driving with your quattro
Applies to vehicles : wit h all -w hee l drive
With all-wheel drive , all four wheels are driven .
General information
With a ll-wheel drive, power is distrib uted to a ll
fo ur wheels . This happens automatica lly depend­
i ng on your driving style and the road conditions
at the t ime . See also <=> page 1 70 .
A center d ifferential distributes the driving power
variab ly to the front and rear ax le. It works to­
gether w ith select ive whee l torque control , which
activates when drivi ng throug h curves
¢ page 171 . W ith the sport diffe rential*, power
distribution to the rear wheels is var iable and can
be ad justed with d rive select ¢ page 103 .
1111-

Driving and th e environment
(D Tips
- Check the depth of the water before driving
through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine
off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to dr ive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through sa lt water because it
can cause corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop­ erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner .
~ Always use lead-free gasoline c:::;, page 190,
Fuel supply .
~ Never run the tank down a ll the way to empty .
~ Never put too much motor oil in your engine
c:::;, page 199, 9::?1 Adding engine oil .
~ Never try to push- or tow -start your veh icle.
The cata lytic conve rter is an eff icient "clean-up"
dev ice bu ilt into the exhaust system of the vehi­
cle. The cataly tic converter burns many of the
pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re ­
leased into the atmosphere.
The ex clusive use of u nleaded fuel is critically im­
por tant for the life of the catalyt ic converte r and
p roper functioning o f the engine.
A WARNING ,..___ -
- The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park o r operate the vehicle in areas
whe re the hot exhaust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush, fue l spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exha ust man i-
178
fold, exha ust pipes, catalytic converter or
heat shields. During driv ing, the substance
used for undercoat ing could overheat and
cause a f ire.
Cl) Note
- Be aware that just one tank fill ing with
le ad·
ed
fue l w ill already ser iously degrade the
performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
c:::;,page 199.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty. The engine co uld m isfire.
Unburned fuel could also get into the ex­
haust system and this could cause the cata­
lyt ic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn
off the ignition while the vehicle
is moving .
- Do not continue to operate your veh icle un­
der these conditions, as otherwise fuel can
reach the catalytic converter . This could re­
sult in overheating of the conve rter, requ ir­
ing its replacement.
- T o assure efficient operation of the Emission
Cont ro l System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the se rvice recommen­
dations in yo ur Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as im­
proper 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 Emiss ion C ontrol System is op­
e rat ing proper ly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas sme ll under some op­
erat ing states. This depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Us ing a d iffe r­
ent brand of fue l may he lp, or fi llin g the tank
wi th lead-free s uper grade gaso line.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like you r vehicle to remai n inope ra­
tive for a longer period of time, con tact an Audi
o r other spec ia liz ed dealer. They can adv ise you .,.

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on necessary precautions e.g. corrosion preven­
tion, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to
addit ional information concern ing the battery.
Refer to
c> page 204.
Economical and environ­
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
Fu el economy, environmental impact , and wear
on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend
on three factors:
- your persona l dr iving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fuel
consumption by 10-15 percen t. This sec tion will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi ­
ronment and your pocketbook .
(!) Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
and Transport Canada may not correspond to
your actual consumption on the road, which
w ill vary depending upon vehicle load and
speed, road and weather conditions, trip
length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating.
" Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler ­
ating . If you anticipate what is going to happen
next, you will need to brake less and, thus, accel­
e rate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possi­
ble - for example when yo u see that the next traf­
fic light is red .
Driving and the environment
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
"Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerat ing gently reduces fue l consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­
ment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximate ly three quarters of
top speed, fuel consump tion will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed l imit and weather cond itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is jus t idling it burns up fuel.
" Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
" Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the en-
gine run at idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when wa iting for tra ins to pass a t railroad
crossings, or at traffic lights that have long waits
on red . Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 sec ­
onds saves more fue l than is burned starting the
. . engine again.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high when
the engine is warming up. So you should drive
away as soon as you sta rt the engine and avoid
running at high rpms wh ile the engine is st ill
warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unatt ended afte r
starting .
If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
un heeded . Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or oth­
er damage to the vehicle or other property.
179

Trailer mode
Tire pressure
When tow ing a trailer, inflate the tires of your ve­
hicle 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 manufacturers'
specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off . Check to
make sure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be su re trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they will 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, please note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
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 results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight. If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
182
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and contro l.
This means that the tow vehicle shou ld be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
keep ing the trailer as light as possible under the
c ir cumstances. Whenever poss ible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle load ing considerat ions .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or w ind
cond it ions are unfavorab le - particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing tra ilers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When dr iving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im­
med iately and/or turn off the air conditioner .
If the coolant temperature warning light . in
the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two m inutes to prevent heat build-up .
&_ WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
-