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Checking and filling 213
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 1 88 Typical l ayout for conta iners a nd engine o il filler cap
@ Jump s tart p oin t(-) with hex
head screw .. .. ..... ... .. .. . 223, 273
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ... ..... ...... ...... 223, 273
@ Bra ke fl uid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 220
© Eng ine oi l filler cap ("1:::r.) . . . . . 215
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 217
@ W indshie ld/headlight washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
_& WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 211.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications.
T he service interva l d isp lay in t he instr ument
cluster of yo ur vehicle will inform you when it
is time for an oil change. We recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi Se rv ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the oi l between oi l
c hanges, use the Audi o il quality standard
spec ified in the table.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
214 Check ing and filling
Using the proper engine o il is important for
the functionality and service life of the en
g ine . Your engine was factory-filled with a
hi gh-quality oil which can usua lly be used
throughout the enti re year.
0 Note
Y our Limited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lf u nctions due to
fa ilure to follow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Ma intenance boo klet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oi l that ex
pressly complies w ith the Audi o il quality
sta ndard spec ified for your veh icle's en
gine . U sing any other oil can cause seri
ous eng ine damage.
- Do not mix any l ubr ica nts o r othe r addi
tives into the eng ine o il. Doing so c an
ca use eng ine dam age.
I f you need to add oi l and there is no ne
availab le tha t mee ts the Audi o il qua lity
s tandar d your engine requires, yo u may
ad d a tota l of no more than 0 .5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
the following specifications.
- ACEA A3 or API S M with a viscosity grade
of SAE 0W-30, SAE SW-30 or
SAE SW -40.
- Fo r more information abo ut engine oi l
that has been app roved for your vehicle,
please contact either your a uthori zed
Audi dealer or Audi Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822 -2834 or visit our web site
at www.audiusa .com or
www .aud icanada .ca .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of i nternal engine components, a ll in
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a certa in amount of oil. Oil consumpt
ion varies from
engine to engine and may change significant ly
over the life of the engine . Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
<=> page 196) consume more oil during the
break -in pe riod than they consume after o il
co nsump tion has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con
sumption depends on the q ua lity and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolut ions per minute) at
wh ich the engine is operated, t he ambie nt
temperature and road conditions . Fur ther fac
tors a re the amount of oil dilut ion from wa ter
condensation or f ue l resid ue and the oxid a
t ion level of the o il. As any engine is subjec t to
wear as m ileage builds up, t he oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement of wo rn components may become necessary.
W it h a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tablished or specified. There is no alte rnative
to regu lar and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Note .
If
the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
I!!! lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
<=> page 215. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
<=> page 215.
A WARNING
-Before you chec k anythi ng in the engine
com partment, always read a nd heed all
WAR NIN GS¢
& in Working in th e engine
compar tment on page 211.
{(D Note
Driving w it h an insufficient o il level is like
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it . Instead, check the oil lev el in
your engine at regular intervals , pref
erably each time you refuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip. .,.
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-If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amounts of oi l, we
recommend that yo u consult your Audi
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate measurement of oil con
sumption requires great care and may
take some time . Your Audi dealer has in
str uctions abou t how to measure oil con
sump tion accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
F ig. 189 Di splay : oil lev el indicato r
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Shut the engine off when it is warm.
.,. Switch only the ignition back on .
.,. Wa it approximately two minutes .
.,. Se lect :
I C ARI funct ion button > ( Car )* sys
tems
con trol button > Ser vici ng & ch ecks >
Oil level.
.,. Check the oil leve l in the display ¢ fig. 189.
Add engine oil if the bar of the oil level indi
cator is near "min"
r:!;> page 215.
Depending on t he way the veh icle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
can be up to 1 qua rt per 600 mi les (0 .8 liter
per 1,000 km) . Consumption may be higher
within the firs t 3,000 miles (5,000 km) .
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI Display is
only an in formation disp lay.
If the oil leve l
is low, a minimum o il warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oi l
¢page 215. If the hood has been opened,
the c urre nt oil level is shown in the instru- Checkin
g and fillin g 215
ment cluster the next t ime the igni tion is
switched on .
Adding engine oil~
Fig. 19 0 En gin e co mpa rtm ent: cov er on th e engi ne oi l
filler neck
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com
partmen t,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 211 .
.,. Shut the eng ine off .
.,. Unscrew the cap
¢ fig . 190, ¢page 213, fig.188 .
.,. Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters)
of the appropr iate oil¢
page 213 .
.,. Check the oi l level again after two mi nutes
¢ page 215, Che cking the engine oil level .
.,. Top off the o il aga in, if necess ary .
.,. Screw the cap back on the fi lling hole.
A WARNING
- Wh ile topping off, the o il m ust not come
in contact with hot engine parts - f ire
hazard!
- The oi l filler cap must be properly se
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
o n the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is runni ng -fire hazard!
- If your s kin has come in contact with the
e ngine o il, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
(D Note
-Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Please reduce oil level appears,
contact you r aut hori zed Aud i dea ler or
Ill>-
216 Check ing and filling
other qualified workshop to have excess
oi l extracted if necessary.
-Audi do es not re commend th e us e of oil
additi ve s. The y ma y damage the e ngine
and ad ve rs ely a ffect yo ur New Vehicle
Wa rrant y.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact wit h the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow 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 serv
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lw ays r ead and heed all WARN
ING S
~.&. in Working in the engine comport
ment on page 211.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di
minish gradually dur ing normal vehicle use .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con
d itions, or have your veh icle where tempera
tures remain below freezing for extended pe riods.
Detergent additives in the oil w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
n ing for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oil mo re often tha n
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
a long w ith the special tools and necessary ex
pe rtise required, we strong ly recommend that
you have yo ur o il changed by an authori zed
Audi de ale r or a qualified service station.
If yo u choo se to chan ge your oil yours elf ,
please note the fo llowing important informa
t ion:
A WARNING "--
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
g ine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run n ing down your arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of o il in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it wel l out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmful to your sk in . Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
wit h soap and wate r.
(D Note
Neve r mix oil additives with you r engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changi ng your oil, first make sure
you know where you can prope rly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood
ed areas, into open st reams o r down
sewage drains.
- Re cycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used eng ine oil collect io n fac ility in you r
area, or contact a service station.
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Engine 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 generally re
qu ires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of specially conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol-based coolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with anticorros ion addi
tives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian models) . This mixture both assures the neces
sary frost protection and protects metal com
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling.
It also raises the boil
ing point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 ° F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
I f you must add coo lant, use a mixture of wa
ter and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~.&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 211.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checkin g and fillin g 217
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli
mate conditions. This is especia lly impor
tant if you live in a region where the win
ter is extremely co ld. If necessary, in
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad
ditive G12++ or G13 (check the label)
for your vehicle . This coolant additive is
avai lable at authorized Audi dealers .
Other types of antifreeze can signifi
cantly reduce corrosion protection. The resulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Veh icle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 191 En gin e compar tment: cover on the coo lant
expansio n tan k
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS¢.&, in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 211 .
"'Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Sw itch off the ignition.
"' Read the engine coolant level from the cool
ant expansion tank ¢
fig. 191, ¢ page 213, Ill>-
218 Check ing and filling
fig . 188. With a cold engine, the coo lant
l evel should be between the "min" and
"max" markings . When the engine is warm ,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
mark ing .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration
9 page 213.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched off .
The expans ion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning l ight in the Auto-Check System
9 page 15 w ill
illum inate unti l you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level senso r, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a le ak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
s ealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald
ing from hot coolant by followi ng these
steps .
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
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 carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction w hile ap
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap . -
To avoid being burned, do not spi ll anti
freeze or coolant on the exha ust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain cond i
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coo l
a nt can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant. Add
i ng radiator repair fluid may adverse ly af
fect the funct ion and pe rformance of you r
cooling system and could result in damage
not cove red by your New Veh icle Limited
War ran ty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Befo re you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partment,
always read and he ed all WARN
INGS ¢ ..&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page
211.
" Requirement: There must be a residua l
amo unt of coolant in the expansion ta nk
¢ (D .
"Tu rn off the engi ne.
" Le t the eng ine cool down.
" Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
t ank
9 page 217, fig. 191 and ca refully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢&,, .
" Add coolant m ixed in the correct rat io
¢
page 217, Coolant up to the MAX mark
ing.
" Make sure that the flu id leve l remains sta -
ble . Add more coo la nt if necessary .
" Twist the cap o n again
tightly .
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions ¢
page 217, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add i-
tive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do
not use a d ifferent addit ive . In an emergency
use p la in water until you can get the correct
additive and can resto re the co rrect rat io . This
shou ld be done as soon as possib le. .,..
220 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig . 192 Engine compar tment: cove r on the brake fl uid
reservo ir
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 211.
,.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir¢
fig . 192, ¢ page 213,
fig. 188 .
The brake fluid level must be be
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake flu id reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illust rat ion
¢ page 213.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light . (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on ¢
page 14. Do not con
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized A udi dealer or other quali
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indic ator light will illuminate. Contact an au
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
t he water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also decrease conside rably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SA E
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . This can seriously affect the effi
c ie ncy of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .
254 Tire s and wheel s
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the brake system funct ions
correctly .
In ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
i s the same mode l
~page 284.
_& WARNING
Improperly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle.
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the veh i
cle is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
@ Note
The spec ified torque fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diago- nally
. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been selected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of d riving cond i
tions . As k your au thor ized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The numera l represen ts the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven
tiona l tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The perf orm ance of low- aspect-r atio tire s is
p ar ticu larly s ensitive to improper infl ati on
press ure . It is t here fore im portant that low
as pect rat io tires are infl ated to the spe cified
pre ssure and that the infl ation pressu re is
r e gularl y che ck e d and mainta in ed. Tire pre s
su res should b e check ed at least onc e a
month and alwa ys bef ore a long trip
~page 237, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to a void tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, gull ies
o r r idges on the road, pa rticularly if the tire is
u nderinfla ted .
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of you r vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the follow ing p recau
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure eve ry
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces
sary .
- Dr ive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. The impact from dr iv ing ..,.