Instruments and indicator Lights
Instruments and indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of t he inst rument cluste r
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .. .
@ Tachome ter .... .. .. ..... .... .
@ War ning/ indicator lights . .. ... .
@ ISETI button .............. ... ·
® D isp lay
- Driver informat io n system .... .
- Time and date d isp lay . .. .. ... .
- Odometer .... .. .... ... . ... .
@ Reset b utton for trip odometer
10
11
1 3
11
23
12
1 2
12
1 2
- When swit ching the ignition o n, the need les
i n the instrument clus ter swi ng upward
b rief ly .
- The ill umination for the inst rument cluste r
li ghts up whenever you switch on the igni
tion with the
vehicle headlights off . As the
day light fades, the instrument cluster illu
mination likewise d ims automatically and
will go out completely whe n the o utside
li ght is very low. This feature is meant to re
mind you to swi tch on the headlights when
outside light con ditions become poor.
10
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge ¢ page 10, fig. 3 CD
only works when t he ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the follow
ing important points :
Engine cold
If the needle is at or close to the bottom o f the
gauge, the engine has not yet reached its operat
i ng temperature. Avo id h igh engine speeds,
heavy engine loads, and heavy thrott le applica
tions .
Normal temperature
When the engine has reached its operating tem
perature, the needle will move to the middle of
the ga uge and rema in there. I f the engine is
working hard at hig h outs ide temperatures, t he
needle may move higher on the gauge. This is not
a cause for concern as long as the. warning
li ght i n the inst rumen t cluste r display does no t il
l u m inat e. If the . warning lig ht in the inst ru
ment cluster d isp lay flashes, th is can me an one
of two th ings : ei th er the coolan t
temperature is
too h igh, or t he coo lant
level is too low
¢ page 17 .,._
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A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in¢ page 191,
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
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9:::1: Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol re
quires immediate service or repair . Driving with a
low-oil-pressure indication is likely to inflict se
vere damage to the engine.
• Turn off engin e! Oil pressure too low
If the indicator light t urns on and the message
appears, the oil pressure is too low.
• Pull
off the road.
• Stop the vehicle .
• Turnoff the engine.
• Check the engine oil level ¢ page 195.
• If the engine oil level is too low, add engine oil
¢ page 195. Make sure that the o il pressure
warning symbol. appears no longe r in the
display before you start dr iving again.
• If the engi ne oil leve l is correct a nd the ind ica
tor light st ill turns on, turn the eng ine
off and
do not continue driving . Seek p rofess ional as
s istance .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is not
an indicator for a low engine oil level. Do
not rely on it. Instead , check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, prefe rably
each time you refuel, and always before
going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
Ill
requires oil refill or workshop service with
out delay. Do not wait until the red oil pressure warning. starts to flash before
you respond to the low oil leve l warning
Ill . By then , your engine may already have
suffered serious damage.
~ . Engine oil level
• WARNING : Plea se add oil immediately
If the indicator light and the message appear,
add engine o il immed iate ly
¢page 193.
Ill Add oil, max X XXX l. You may cont . driv .
When the symbo l II and driver message appear,
add the amount of oi l appearing in the display at
the next opportu nity
¢page 193.
Instruments and indicator lights
-L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must
be repaired as soon as possible .
• Turn off eng ine and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the coolant temperature is too high o r
the coo lant leve l is too low.
• Pull
off th e roa d.
• Stop the vehicle.
• Tur noff the engine .
• Check coolant leve l
¢page 197.
• Add coo lant if necessary ¢ page 198.
• Continue dr iv ing o nly after the engine coolant
warning/ indicator light goes out .
• Contact your autho rized Aud i dealer for assis-
tance if necessa ry.
If the engi ne coo lant level is correct, t hen the ra
dia to r fan may be the cause o f th e malfunct io n.
• Coolant temperature! Let engine run with
v ehicle stationary
If the indicator ligh t turns on and the message
appears, let the eng ine run at id le for a few mi
nutes to coo l down.
A WARNING
-- If your vehicle should brea k down for me
cha nica l o r other reasons, pa rk at a safe d is
tanc e from moving traffic, turn
off the en
g ine and turn o n the h azard warn ing lights
¢ page 46, Emergency flashers.
- Ne ver open the hood if you see o r hear
steam or coo la nt es caping fro m the eng ine
compa rtment - y ou risk being scalded. Wai t
until yo u can no longer see or hear s te a m o r
coo lant escapin g.
- Th e engine comp artment o f any vehicle is a
d angerous a rea. Befo re you perfo rm any
wo rk in the eng ine com partment, tur n of
the engine and a llow it to cool. Fo llow the
warn ing stickers
¢ page 191.
(D Note
Do not con tinue dr iv ing if the . symbol illu-
minates. The re is a ma lfunction in the engine
II>-
17
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.
-
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.
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
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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 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
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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