Driving and th e environment
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at rai lroad
crossings, or at traff ic lights that have long waits
on red. Turning the eng ine off for just 30-40 sec
onds saves more fuel than is burned starting the
engine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially h igh when
the engine is warm ing up. So you should dr ive
away as soon as you start the engine and avoid running at high rpms while the engine is still
warming up.
{[) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended id ling a lso produces
heat, wh ich co uld resu lt in overheating or ot h
er damage to the vehicle or other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot
of fuel.
~ Have you r vehicle se rv iced at regular i nte rva ls.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
r u ns p roperly and economically. The condition of
your veh icle not only affe cts its safety and ability
to hold its va lue, i t also affects
fue l con sump
tion.
Ch eck your oil each tim e you fill your tank .
The amount of oil used is related to engine load
and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new en
g ine to reach its lowest value after a certain mile
age has been driven.
You must drive yo ur vehicle about 3,000 miles
(5,000 ki lometers) before you can properly as
sess o il consumption .
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and engine
output .
180
(D Note
-Have your veh icle ma intained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda
tions in your Warranty
& Maintenance book
let. Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system and cou ld lead to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of the Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, sw itches, ignit ion wires,
valves, which a re des igned to p rotect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other
impo rtant vehicle components.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on short trips.
~ Tr y to avoid dr iv ing sho rt distances w ith a co ld
eng ine .
The eng ine and cata lytic converter have to reach
their opt imal
op erat ing temperature to reduce
fuel consumpt io n and noxious em issions effec
tive ly.
Just after starting, a co ld eng ine in a mid -s ize car
o nly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 m iles per
gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a half a
mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg ( 20 l/100
k m). After about
2.5 mi les ( 4 km) , the eng ine is
at i ts p roper operating tempera ture and fuel
economy has reached a normal level. So you can
see that yo u should avo id short trips whenever
poss ib le.
The
outside temperature is also cr itical in th is re
gard. Your car cons umes more fuel in the winter
than in the summer.
Checking and Filling
compartment. Wait until no steam or cool
ant 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
to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from getting
188
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 .
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.
([) 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 187.
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 .
192
-
-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,,
"' N
0:: loo
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
specially conditioned water and the manufactur
er's glycol-basedcoolant additive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion add itives (50% for USA mod
els ; 60% for Canadian models) . This mixture both
assures the necessary frost protection and pro
tects metal components in the engine's cooling
system from corrosion and scaling . It also raises
the boiling point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the coolant in
the summer by adding pla in water .
The propor
ti on of coolant additive mu st be at least 50 %
but n ot more than 60 °/o
to maintain antifreeze
p rotec tion and cooling efficiency . If the coolan t
frost protection is too low, the coolant cou ld
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en
gine cooling system.
F or year-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for temperatures dow n to:
- - 31 °F (-35 °C) USA
- - 40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada .
If you m ust add coolant, use a m ixture of water
and coolant additive. 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
~ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 187.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your
vehicle is suffic ient to meet the climate con
dit ions . This is especially important if you
l ive in a region where the winter is ex treme-
l y co ld. I f necessary, increase the proport ion
of coo lant add itive to 60%.
- When adding coolant addit ive to your cool
ing system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant addi
tive Gl2 ++ or Gl3 for your vehicle. This
coola nt add itive is ava ilable at authorized
Audi dea lers. Other types of ant ifreeze can
significant ly reduce corrosion protection .
Check in g and Fillin g
The resulting corrosion can cause a loss o f
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant . Adding ra
diator repair 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 Limited Warranty .
Checking the engine coolant level and
adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Fig . 1 64 Engine compartment: Cover on the coo lant ex
pans io n tank
Fig . 1 65 Engin e compa rtment: mark in gs in t he coo lant ex
pan sion tank
Before you check anything in the engine compart
ment,
a lwa ys read and heed all WARNINGS
~ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 187.
The "MIN" und "MAX" markings are found on the
bi-level d isc in the interior of the coo lant expan
s ion tank~
fig. 165 .
.,. Park yo ur vehicle on a level su rface.
.,. Turn off the ignition.
.,. Let the engine cool down.
193
Checking and F ill in g
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor
rosion in the brake system may result after a peri
od of time. The boiling point of the brake fluid
will also dec rease conside rably and dec rease
b ra ki ng perfo rman ce.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ve ry
two y ear s.
Always use new b rake fluid wh ic h con
forms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle Standard " FMVSS
1 16 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir 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 re ct too ls , the
righ t brake fluid an d 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 o r inappro
pr iate bra ke fluid . Observe these p recau
t ions:
- Use on ly bra ke fluid t hat meets SA E speci
fication
J 17 03 and confo rms to Fede ral
M otor Vehicle S tand ard 116 . Always check
wit h your author ized Audi dea ler to make
sure yo u are using the correct brake f lui d.
The cor rect type of b rake fluid is a lso indi
cated on the bra ke fluid reservo ir.
- The brake fluid m ust be new. Heavy use of
the bra kes can cause a va por l ock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long.
This ca n ser iously affect the effic iency of
the brakes as we ll as your safety . This
co uld res ult in an accident.
@ Note
Brake f lu id will damage the paint of y our vehi
cle.
196
® For the sake of the environment
Because of t he prob lem of prope r disposal of
brake fluid as well as the special tools re
q uired and the necessary expert ise, we rec
ommend that yo u have the brake f lu id
changed by your autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery
i n your A ud i does not need any maintenance .
With
high outside temperatures or long dai ly
drives we recommend that you have the e lectro
l yte level checked by an aut horized Aud i dea ler or
qualified workshop . The e lectrolyte leve l should
also be chec ked each time the batte ry is cha rged
¢ page 198.
Have the battery checked when you take your ve
hicle i n for service . You are well adv ised to re
place a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the bat
tery is disco nnected from the ve hicle elect rical
system for safety reasons
¢ A in Repair , care
and disposal of the airbags on page 141 .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window reg ula
tors, for example) are lost if the battery te rm i
nals are d isconnected . These funct ions have to be
r elearned after the battery t ermina ls are con
nected again . To prevent t his, the battery sho uld
o nl y be disconnected from the ve hicle e lectr ica l
system when absolute ly necessary fo r rep airs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle ove r a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are gradua lly cut back or sw itched off . T his reduces
energy cons umption and mainta ins start ing ca
pabili ty ove r a longer period¢
page 175.
Some of the convenience funct ions may not ope r
ate, such as the inter ior lights or the power s eat
adjus tment . The conve nien ce f unct io ns w ill be
ava ila ble again when you tu rn on the ig nition an d
star t the eng ine. ..,..
Wheels
Wheels and Tires
General information
.,.Che ck your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob
jects from the tire tread.
.,. If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap
proach the curb at an angle.
.,.Have faulty tires or rims re
placed immediately.
"'Protec t your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
.,.Ma rk tires before removing
them so that the same running direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled .
.,.Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as
possible.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical
in those seasons. Audi recom
mends using winter tires dur
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de crease the elasticity of summ
er tires, which affects traction
Wheels
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold tem
peratures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter driving condi
tions. The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 169 T ir e designations on the sid e-
wall ,..
201
"' N
0:: loo
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
TMS can be used at temperatures down to -4 °F
(- 20 °C).
A WARNING
Take the following precautions after repairing
the tire:
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/ h)!
- Avoid full -throttle acceleration, heavy brak -
ing and fast corner ing.
- T he ve hicle's road behavior can be affec ted.
- T ir es sealed w ith
TMS a re intended only for
temporary , short-t erm use. Damaged t ires
must be replaced. D rive carefully to the nex t
professional repair facility .
- After using the tire sea lant the tire pressure
monitoring system may no longer work
properly . Drive ca refully to the next profes
sional repair facility.
- TMS must NOT be used,
- for cuts or punctures in the tire which a re
larger than 0.16 inch (4 mm)
- for damage to the rim
- if you have been driv ing with very low tire
pressures or tires with no air
- Seek profess ional assistance if it is not pos
sible to repair the tire with the tire sealant.
- The tire sealant must not come into contact
with skin, eyes or clothing.
- If you get any tire sealant in your eyes or
come into contact with it, rinse the affected
area thoroughly with clean water. F ind a
physician immediately!
- Change any cloth ing contaminated with t ire
sealant immediately.
- Do not inhale the vapor!
- If you have swallowed tire sealant, rinse
yo ur mouth thorough ly right away and drink
plenty of water.
- Do not induce vomiting! F ind a phys ic ian
immed iate ly!
- If you have allergic reactions, find a physi
cian immediately.
- Keep the t ire sealant away from chi ldren.
(D Note
Do not use commerc ia lly available tire sea l
ants. The electrical components of the tire
Em erg en cy ass is tan ce
press ure monitoring system w ill no longe r
work properly .
@ For the sake of the environment
Used sealant bottles ca n be dropped off a t a
recycling fac ility.
© Tips
- If sea la nt has run o ut, allow i t to d ry. Then
yo u ca n pee l it off.
- Have the tire sea lant rep laced eve ry 4 years
at a de alership.
Making a tire repair
Fig. 176 Maki ng a t ire repair
Pr eliminary steps
"' If you have a flat tire, park the vehicle as far as
possible from moving traffic .
"' App ly the parking b rake firmly.
"' Move the selector lever to the P pos ition
"' Check whether a repair using the Tire Mobility
System is possib le
~ page 216.
"' Have all passengers leave the vehicle and stay
away from the danger zone
Q _A .
"'Take the sea lant bottle and the electric air
pump from the luggage compartment under
the floor <=>
page 216.
"' Remove the "max . 50 mph" (80 km/h) sticker
from the sealant bottle and aff ix it to the in
s trument cluster in the driver 's view.
Filling a tire
"' Shake the bott le thoroughly before filling.
"' Screw the accompanying fi lling hose complete-
ly onto the bottle . This breaks through the foil
s e al automat ica lly a t the connect ion.
217
Consumer information
Consumer information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following warran
ties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfora-
tion
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warranties
can be found in your
Warranty & Maintenance
booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States and
Canada require that automobiles meet specific
emission regulations and safety standards.
Therefore, vehicles built for the U.S.A. and Cana
da differ from vehicles sold in other countr ies.
If you plan to take your veh icle outside the conti
nenta l limits of the United States or Canada,
there is the possibility that:
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with catalytic con
verter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane rat
ing . Improper fuel may cause engine damage;
- serv ice may be inadequate due to lack of proper
serv ice facilities , tools or testing equipment;
- r eplacement parts may not be readily available .
- Nav igat ion systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessar ily work in
Europe, and may not work in othe r countries
outside of North America.
236
(D Note
Aud i cannot be responsib le for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Litera
ture are published as soon as possible after mod
el introduction. Service manuals and literature
are available to order from the Audi Technical Lit
erature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature .com
Maintenance
General '
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum. How
ever, a certain amount of regular maintenance is
still necessary to assure your veh icle's safety,
economy and reliability. For deta iled vehicle
maintenance consult your Warranty & Mainte
nance booklet .
Under difficult operating conditions, for exam
ple at extremely low outs ide temperatures, in
very dusty regions, when towing a trailer very fre
quently , etc., some service work should be per
formed between the intervals specified. This ap
plies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
'
@) For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards are
maintained, thus minimizing adverse effects
on the environment.
Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticated
fuel injection and emission control systems , and
the generally increasing technical comp lexity of
llJJ,