Checking and Filling
-To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart
ment . Wait until no steam or coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm. The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary :
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme
diately available .
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
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 repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever of automatic transmission
192
to "P" (Park); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from getting
caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or other
moving parts, or from contacting hot
parts . Tie back hair before starting, and do
not wear clothing that will hang or droop
into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi cal hazards
~ ,& .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If you
see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer.
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Checking and Filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 161 Typical layout for containers and eng ine oil filler cap
(D Eng ine o il filler cap (
@ Brake fluid reservoir((();) .... .. .
@ Coolant expansion tank (- L) .. .. .
® Jump start point(-) with hex head
195
202,237
199
198
screw ... .. ............... .. . 202, 237
@ Windshield/headlight* washer con-
tainer
(Q) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
The position of the engine oil filling hole
c:> fig. 161 (item@) can differ depending on the
engine design .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment, always read and heed all WARN
INGS
c:> &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 191.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci
fications.
T he service interval disp lay in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l change . W e recommend that you
have your oil changed by an authorized A udi Serv
ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oil qua lity standard specified in the
table .
Audi oil quality standard
Ga soline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
193
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 191.
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 .
196
-
-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
jll,,
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N 1.1"1 ,....,
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 191.
(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. 164 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 191.
.. Park your vehicle on a level su rface.
.. Tu rn off the ignition .
.. Read the engine coolant level from the coolant
expansion tank
¢fig . 164, ¢page 193,
fig . 161 .
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 193.
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
197
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
198
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 191.
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 197, fig. 164 and car efull y turn
the cap counter-clockwise
~ .&_ .
.,,. Add coo lant mixed in the correct ratio
~ page 196, 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 196, 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
i::;, page 196 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 sw itch 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. 1 65 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 191 .
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the b rake fluid
reservoir
¢ fig. 165, ¢page 193, fig . 161 . The
brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN "
and "MAX " markings.
19 9
Checking and Fill in g
th e e nergy management functions correctly after
replacing the battery.
If i t is not poss ible to use a battery of this type,
the new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-vo lts), amperage, construct ion and
p lug sealing.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the igni
tion and all elec trical consumers are t urned off.
CD Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the s ide of
t he batte ry is connected, otherwise fumes or
bat tery ac id can leak out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l of
a battery, we recommend your author ized
Audi dea le r change the battery for yo u. Ba t
teries contain su lfuric acid and lead and must
always be disposed of properly in compliance
w ith all environmenta l reg ulations. D isposing
of vehicle batteries improperly is very danger
ous to the environment.
Windshield/headlight* washer container
Fig. 167 Engine co mpa rtment : Cove r on th e w in d shiel d
an d h ead ligh t• was her fl uid container
The washer fluid containe r is marked with the
symbol
O on its cap ¢ fig . 167 , ¢page 193 ,
fig . 161 .
.,. Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partment , alw ays re ad and he ed all WARN·
I NGS
¢ ,& in Working in the engine comport
ment on page 191 .
204
.,. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer fluid.
Yo u can fill the container to the top.
.,. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after fill-
ing the container .
You can find the reservoir ca p acit y in the table in
~ page 242.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on the
washer jets . Always add a g lass cleaner solution
(with frost protection in the winter) .
CD Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or any
other additives to fill up the windsh ield wash
er reservoir.
M N
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N 1.1'1 ,....,
Wheels
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)a>
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
AS Coupe: 225/50 Rl 7 94H
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230 2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 Rl 7 95H
All Season
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230
245/40 Rl8 93H
33 230 29 200
35 240
35 240 All Season
255/35 Rl9 96Y
32 220 3 2 22 0 33 230 33 230 High Performance
SS Coupe: 245/40 Rl8 93H
36
250 30 210 39 270 36 250 3.0 liter All Season
6-cylinder
245/40 Rl8 93Y
High Performance
38 260 32
220 41 280
38 260
255/35 Rl9 96V
38 260 32 220
41
280 38 260 High Performance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire . It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
a) 2 people in the front
.8, WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire pressure¢
page 215 and load
limits¢
page 217.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure,
including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids ""
217