2015 AUDI Q5 check engine

Checking and F ill in g
- The oi l fi ller cap mus t be pr operly secured to
p re vent oil from being sprayed on the hot
engine and exhaust system when the engine
is running - fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the en­
gine oil, you must subsequently clea nse it
tho roughly .
CD Note
-Check the o il level using the radio or the
MMI*. If the message
Please reduce oil lev ­
el
appears, contact your authorized Audi
dealer or other qualified wo rkshop to have
excess oil ext racted if necessa ry .
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additive s. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle War ­
ranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circ umstances ca n the o il come in
contact w ith the sewage network o r the soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations whe n
dispos ing of empty oil co ntaine rs .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta ­
tion .
Before you check any thing in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS c> .&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 221 .
The engine oil must be changed according to the i n terva ls specified in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet . This is ve ry impo rtant because the
lubricat ing propert ies of o il diminish gradua lly
du ring normal ve hicl e use.
Unde r some circumstances the eng ine o il should
be changed more frequent ly. Change oil more of­
ten if yo u drive most ly short distances, operate
t he vehicle in d usty areas or unde r predom inan tly
s top-and-go traff ic co ndit io ns, o r have you r vehi ­
cle where tem peratures rema in be low freezing
for extended periods .
226
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
l ook dark after the engine has been running fo r a
short time. Th is is norma l and is not a reason to
c h ange the oi l more often than recommended.
Beca use o f the p rob lem of p roper disposal, along
with t he specia l too ls and necessary expertise re­
quired, we strongly recommend that yo u have
your oi l changed by an authori zed
Audi dealer or
a q ua lified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself , please
note the fo llow ing important info rmat ion:
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal inj ur y if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce t he risk of burns from hot eng ine
oil, let the engine coo l d own to the to uch.
-
- W hen removing the o il dra in p lug with your
fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always
keep you r forearm parallel t o the ground to
he lp prevent hot o il from running down your
arm .
- Dra in the oil i nto a container designed for
this purpose , one large enough to hold at
l e ast the tota l amount o f oil in you r engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out of
the reach of ch ildren .
- Continuous contact w it h used eng ine oi l is
ha rmf ul to your skin . Always protect your
skin by washi ng oil off tho roughly wi th soap
a nd wate r.
CD Note
N eve r mix oil additives with you r engine oil.
These add itives can damage your engine and
adverse ly affec t your Aud i Lim ited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changi ng your oil , first make sure
you know wh ere you ca n prope rly dispose of
t h e us ed oil.
- Always disp ose of used eng ine oil properly.
Do not dump it o n garden soi l, wooded

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areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used
engine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a service station.
Cooling system
Coolant
T he 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 generally re­
qu ires little attention .
T he cooling system has been filled at the factory
with a permanent coolant which doe s not need to
be changed . T he cool ant consists of a mixture of
specia lly condit io ned water and the ma nufactur ­
e r's g lycol-basedcoo lant additive G 13 antifreeze
w ith a nticorros ion add itives (50% for USA mod­
e ls; 60% for Canadian models) . Thi s m ixt ure bot h
a ssures the ne cessary frost protection and pro­
tec ts meta l components in the engine 's cooling
system from corrosion and sca ling. It a lso raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
D o not red uce the conce ntra tion o f th e coo lant i n
the summer by add ing p la in wa ter.
The propor­
tion of coolant additive must be at least 50% but not more than 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency . If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolan t could
freeze and damage t he vehicle heat ing and en­
g ine cooling system .
For yea r-round driving, antifree ze is added at the
factory for tempe ratu res down to:
- -31°F ( -35°C) USA
- - 4 0°F ( - 40°C) C anada .
I f yo u mu st add coo lant, use a m ixt ure of wate r
a nd coolant add it ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommende d.
_& WARNING
Be fore yo u check any thing i n the engine com ­
par tment, always read and hee d all WAR N-
Checking and Fillin g
IN GS ¢ .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 221.
@ Note
- Be fore winte r sets in , have the coo lant
checke d to see if the coolant additive in you r
vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate con­ diti ons. This is espec ia lly important if you
live in a region where the winter is extreme­
ly cold . If necessary, increase the p ropo rtion
o f coolan t addi tive to 60%.
- Whe n adding coolant additive to your cool­
ing system, remember :
- We recommend using o nly coo lan t add i­
tive G12++ o r G13 fo r yo ur vehicle . This
coolant ad dit ive is available at author ized
A ud i dealers . Othe r types of antifreeze ca n
significantly reduce cor rosion protect ion .
The resulting cor rosion can ca use a loss of
coolant a nd serious e ngine damage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra­ diat or repa ir flu id may adverse ly affect the
function and perfo rmance of your cooling
system and cou ld result i n damage not cov­
ere d by your New Vehicle Lim ited W arra nty .
Checking the engine coolant level
Th e engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 200 Engin e compar tmen t: cov er on th e coo lant ex pan ­
s io n ta nk
Befo re you ch eck a nyth ing in the eng in e compart­
me nt,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,& in Working in the engine compartmen t on
page 221.
~
227

Checking and Filling
"'Park your vehicle on a level surface.
"'Turn off the ignition.
"'Read the engine coolant level from the coolant
expansion tank
c:> fig . 200, <=> page 223,
fig. 197. With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "MIN" and "MAX" mark­
ings . When the engine is warm, the level may
be slightly above the "MAX" marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
<=> page 223 .
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
c::> page 29 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has been
restored to normal. Even though there is an elec­
tric coolant level sensor, we still recommend you
check the coolant level from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the 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 .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheating.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant . Adding radia­
tor repair fluid may adversely affect the func­
tion and performance of your cooling system
and could result 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,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
228
c::> A in Working in the engine compartment on
page
221.
Requirement: There must be a residual amount
of coolant in the expansion tank
<=>(i) .
"'Turn off the engine.
"' Let the engine cool down.
"' Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
c::> page 22 7, fig. 200 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
c::> .&, .
"'Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
c::> page 22 7, Coolant up to the MAX marking.
"'Make sure that the fluid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary .
"'Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to ex­
act specifications
c::> page 22 7, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant additive Gl2+
+, Gl3
or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain wa­
ter until 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 considerable amount of cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifree ze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill 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 engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise direction while applying
light, downward pressure on the top of
the cap.
ll-

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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 22 7 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 operating 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. 201 Engine compar tment : cov er on th e bra ke fluid
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 221 .
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the b rake fluid
reservoir ¢
fig. 201, ¢ page 223, fig . 197 . The
brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN "
and "MAX " markings.
229

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 223.
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/indicator
light (U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian models: . )
will come on¢
page 18 and ¢ page 28 . Do not
continue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop and
the cause corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/indicator light will illum i­
nate. Contact an authorized Aud i dealer
immedi ­
a tel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced technician.
Brake flu id abso rbs moisture from the a ir . If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor­ rosion in the b rake system may result after a pe ri­
od of time. The boiling point of the bra ke fluid
will also decrease conside rably and decrease
b ra ki ng per fo rmance .
Therefore, th e brake flu id must be changed
ev ery
tw o years .
Always use new b rake fluid w hich con­
forms to Fede ra l Motor Vehicle Standa rd " FMVSS
1 16 DOT 4".
The brake fluid rese rvoir can be difficult to reach,
therefo re, we recommend that yo u have the
b rake fluid changed by your authori zed
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has the cor rect too ls, the
right brake f luid and the know -how to do t his for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is po isonous. It must be stored
only in the closed orig inal container out of
the reach of children!
- Brake fai lure can result from old or inappro­
pr iate brake fluid . Observe these precau­
t ions:
230
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE spec i­
ficat io n
J 1703 and conforms to Federal
Motor Vehicle Sta ndard 116 . Always check
with your aut horized Aud i dea ler to make
su re you are using the correct brake fl uid .
The co rrect type of brake f lu id is also ind i­
cated on t he b rake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fl uid must be new. Heavy use of
the b rakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake fluid is left in t he system too long.
This can se riou sly affec t the efficiency of
the b rakes as well as yo ur sa fety. This
could result in an acc ident .
(D Note
Bra ke fluid will damage the pai nt of you r vehi­
cle.
@ For the sake of the environment
B ecause of the prob lem of prope r disposal of
b rake fluid as well as the spe cial tools re­
q ui red and the necessary ex pert ise, we rec ­
ommend that you have the brake f lu id
cha nged by yo ur autho rize d Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
U nder normal operat ing conditions , the battery
i n you r Aud i does not need any maintenance.
With
high outside tem pera tures or long d aily
drives we recommend that you have the e lectro­
l yte level checked by an a utho rized Audi dea le r or
qualified workshop. The electrolyte leve l should
a lso be checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 232.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your ve ­
hicle in for service. You a re well advised to re­
place a battery that is older than 5 years.
With cer tain types of airbag deployment, t he bat­
tery is disconnected from the vehicle elect rical
system for safety reasons
Q &. in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 165.
Hybrid drive *: yo u can find important information
abo ut the high voltage battery under ¢
page 98 . ..,.

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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 196.
Take into consideration that when you un lock
your veh icle, some convenience functions, such
as the interior lights or the power seat adjust­
ment, may not be available . The convenience
functions will be ava ilable again 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 starting, 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
c:> page 232. A well charged battery will
not only prevent s tarting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor. Before you check anything
in the lug gage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> ,&. .
Hybr id drive*: you can find important informat ion
about the high vo ltage battery u nder
c:> page 98.
Checking and Filling
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lectrica l
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.
~
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 lectrica l system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire . Read and heed the fol­
lo w ing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat­
tery acid or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield yo ur eyes. Exp losive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
- Battery acid contains 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.
-If you get battery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immed iately r ins e with cold wa­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­
tent ion.
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
med ical attention immediate ly .
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
elec tric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
~
231

Checking and Filling
-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
z en, then it must be replaced . A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32°F (O°C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery .
- 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,
232
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 bat­tery .
Fig. 202 Engin e compar tment : Co nnec tors fo r char ger and
jumper cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
¢ .&. and
¢.&. in Working on the battery on
page 231 .
.. Hybrid drive*: read the important information
concerning a dead high voltage battery under
¢ page 105.
.. Turn off the ignition and all electrical consum­
ers.
.. Make sure the area is well ventilated when you
charge the battery .
.. Open the engine hood
¢ page 221.
.. Remove the cover(!) by pressing on the arrow
¢fig. 202 .
.. Open the cover @on the positive terminal. .,.

Checking and F ill in g
management system to enable you to use the en­
ergy management functions correctly after re­ p lacing 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, construction and
p lug sealing .
When insta lling the ba ttery, make sure the igni­
tion and all electrical consumers are t urned
off .
(D Note
- M ake sure the ven tilat ion hose on the side
of the ba tte ry is co nne cte d, o therw ise
fumes o r batte ry acid can lea k out .
- Vehicles wi th the Start-Stop-System* are
equipped with a special cycle-proof AG M
b attery. Installing a different type of bat­
tery can cause prob lems in the vehicle elec­
trica l system. When replacing the vehicle
battery, always install one with the same
spec ificat ions as the or iginal battery.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposa l of
a battery, we recommend your author ized
Aud i dea ler change the battery for you. Bat­
teries conta in su lfuric ac id and lead and must
always be disposed of properly in compliance
w it h all environmental reg ulations. Disposing
of vehicle batte ries imprope rly is very dange r­
ous to the e nvironme nt.
Windshield/headlight
washer container
F ig . 20 3 En gin e compart ment: cover o n the w inds hield
and headlig ht* w ash er flui d reservo ir
234
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The washer fluid conta iner is mar ked w ith the
symbol
O on its cap ¢ fig . 203, ¢page 223,
fig . 197 .
.. Before yo u check any thing in the engine com­
partment,
always re ad and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 221 .
.. Lift the f iller cap tongue to add washer fluid.
You can fill the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back o nto the f iller neck afte r fill -
ing the conta iner.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in the table in
<=> page 2 78.
Clean water should be used when fi lling up . If
possib le, use soft water to prevent scaling on the
washer jets . Always add a g lass cleaner solution
(with frost protection in the winter).
(D Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze o r any
other additives to fill up the winds hield wash­
e r reservo ir .