2015 AUDI S4 brake fluid

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Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Safety belt pretensioners . . . . . . . . . . 142
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 144
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 165
Child safety seats ............ .. ... 171
Installing a child safety seat .. .. .. .. 175
L ATCH Lower anchorages and tether
for child ren. ............. .. .. .. .. 179
Additional Information
183
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 184
Notice about data recorded by the
Event Data Recorder and vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Electronic Stabili zation Control (ESC) . 185
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Electro -mechanical power assist,
dynamic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Driving with your quattro . . . . . . . . . . 190
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Driving and environment . . . . . 193
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Avoid damaging the vehicle. . . . . . . . . 193
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 193
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Shutting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Operate your vehicle economically and minimize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
allroad: Driving offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Table of contents 3
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
202
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 202
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 203
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
207
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Engine compartment ... ......... .. 214
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Battery ... .. .... .. ............. .
222
Windshield/headlight* washer container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Tire pressure monitoring system 257
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 260
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Space-saving spare tire (compact
spare tire) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Inflatable spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Inflating inflatable spare tire . . . . . . . 262
Changing a wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Fuses..... .... .... .............. 269
Bulbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Emergency situations ... ... .. . 274
General... .... .................. 274
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . 274
Starting with jumper cables . . . . . . . . 274
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Emergency towing with commercial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
•
•

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
Other indicator lights
-------------
Turn signals
¢page 22
USA models: Cru ise control
¢ page 91
Canada models: Cruise control
¢ page 91
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page 104
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page 104
High beam
¢page 50
BRAKE/( ([)) Brake system
The light illuminates when the ignition is
switched on.
It goes out after the eng ine has
been started. This ind icates that the brake
warn ing light is func tioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking, there may be a
malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case, contact your authorized Audi dealer.
If the brake system warning/ind icator light
turns on, there is a brake system malfunction.
1111 (USA models) tlll (Canada models)
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, proceed as follows:
~ Pull off the road.
~ Stop the vehicle .
~ Turnoff the engine.
~ Check the brake fluid level¢ page 221.
~ Contact your nearest authorized repair fa-
c ili ty if necessary .
Warning! Fault in brake system . Contact
dealer
If the ABS indicator light fl1 (USA models)/
ii] (Canada models), the ESC indicator light
G1 and the brake system indicator light
1111 (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears, the ABS, ESC
and braking distribution are not working~& .
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunction correct ­
ed ~& .
1111 (USA models )/. (Canada models)
Parking brake system fault! See owner's
manual
- I f the ind icator light and the message ap­
pear
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on,
check if you can re lease the
parking brake. After releasing the parking
brake, carefully drive to your authorized
Audi dea ler immediately to have the ma l­
function corrected. If you cannot release the
parking brake, seek professional assistance.
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
while driving , the emergency brak ing
function may not be available. It may not be possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set . Seek profess ional as­
sistance .
(USA models): If the warning light
1111 and
the warn ing light
EiJ appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
~ page 20.
When the light comes on, an aud ible warning
s ignal is also given .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ings in
¢
page 212, before opening the hood
and checking the brake flu id.
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard. Stop the car and get professiona l
assistance.
- If the
1111 (USA models) tlll (Canada
models) brake system indicator light
turns on together with the ABS and ESC
indicator lights, the ABS/ESC regulating
function may have failed. Functions that
stabilize the vehicle a re no longer avai la-
ble. This could cause the vehicle to .,.

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
swerve and increase the risk of sliding .
Drive carefully to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified workshop and have the malfunction corrected.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake is released, or lights up
wh ile you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low.
If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
au thorized Audi dealer or qualified work ­
shop and have the brake system inspect­
ed.
-Always keep in m ind that afte r several
brake applications, yo u will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on stra ined brakes to
respond w ith maximum stopp ing power
in critical situations. You must a llow for
increased brak ing dista nces. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
:fil.J{®) Electromechanical park ing b rake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light. (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the park ing brake
was set .
The warning/indicator light will go out when
the park ing brake is released.
• (USA model s) ;a (Canada model s) Cau­
tion: Vehicle pa rked too steep
If the in dica tor light blinks and the message
appears, there is not eno ugh braking power to
keep the vehicle from ro lling . The brakes have
overheated . The vehicle could ro ll away even
on a small incline.
Pre ss brake pedal to rele ase parking br ake
To release the parking bra ke, press t he b ra ke
pedal and press the button<®> or start driving
with s tart ing ass ist at the same time
¢ page 88.
Plea se relea se parking brake
T o re lease the par king brake manually, p ress
t h e b rake pedal and press the button<®> at
the same time. The parking brake on ly re leas­
es automatically if the driver's safety be lt is
fastened.
Ill Parking brak e!
If the Ill ind icator light turns o n and this
message appears, there is a parking b rake
malfu nction . D rive to your author ized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunct ion corrected.
.ft Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . war ning/ indicato r light illum inates
whe n the ignition is switched on to remind
t h e d river and (o n USA models on ly) any front
passenge r to p ut on the s afety be lt. Ad dit ion­
ally, an acoustic warning (gong) will also
sound .
Fo r more In format ion ¢
page 136, Safety
belt warning light.
D Battery
T he . warning/indicator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
o ut after the engine has started.
• Alternator fault : Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a mal funct ion in the
generator or veh icle electrical system .
D rive to your authori zed A udi dealer or quali­
fied wor kshop immed iate ly. Because the ve hi­
cle b attery is discharg ing, turn
off all unnec­
essa ry e lec trical equipmen t such as the rad io.
Seek professiona l assistance if the battery
charge level is too low.
(•) Low battery : Battery will b e charged
while dri ving ..,.

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the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regular intervals without the
driver noticing and provides for better brake response time under wet condit ions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used. Likewise,
you clean
off accumulated sa lt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious ap­
plications of the brake
i:> ,& .
Co rrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­ rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by brak ing
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
i:> ,& .
Fa ult s in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed
i:> ,& .
Low brak e flu id l eve l
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
leve l is monitored electronically .
Brake boo ste r
The brake boos ter increases the press ure that
you generate with the brake pedal. It works
only when the engine is running
. ¢ .&
Brake lining w ear statu s
Brake lining wea r may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condi tion of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces ­
sary, the whee l may be removed for this in­
spection
c> page 263, Changing a wheel .
Intellig ent technolog y 189
A WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "b roken -in" dur­
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal c ity dr iving .
You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly. This also
applies la ter when new pads are instal­
led.
- You should per form braking m aneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be p ut at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gea r or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, p remature wear and increased
s topping distance .
- Unde r ce rtain climatic and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa ­
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes w ill dry and ice coat­
ings w ill be cleaned
off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions .
- Driving for an extended period of time o n
salt-cove red roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
C lean
off accum ulated salt coa ting from
br ak e disc s and pad s wi th a few ca re ful
bra ke applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if yo u
install a diffe rent spoiler, be s ure the ai r
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed . Otherw ise the bra ke system could •
•

212 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 180 Driver's side footwe ll: e ngin e hood release
lever
... -- - -=-
Fig. 181 Release lever u nde r the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield wipers are flat against the
windshield. Otherwise, they could damage the
pa int on the hood.
... With the driver's door open, pull the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
c> fig . 180.
... Raise the hood slightly c> .&,
... Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
c> fig . 181 . This releases the catch.
... Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- T o reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or coo
lant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
... Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced .
... Let the hood
drop down and latch in place.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c> .&, .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while driv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­
ly engaged . The hood shou ld be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
-If you notice while driving that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids , there is a risk of
injury , burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
c> ,&..
A WARNING
-To help avoid injury, before you check any-
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic trans-
mission to "P" (Park); put manual trans­
mission in Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact .

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-To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before ca re­
fully opening the hood .
- Keep children away from the engine com ­
partment.
- Never spill flu ids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The aux ili­
ary e lectr ic fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the eng ine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressur ized and hot coo l­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot eng ine coolant by placing a
thic k rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any c ircumstances. Th is increases the
risk of bu rns.
- If wo rk on the fuel system or the electri­
cal sys tem is ne cessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames . Fluids in the engine com­
partment co uld start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately ava ilable.
- To avoid electrical s hock and persona l in­
jury 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 repa ir
with the engine running:
- Fir st, fully apply the parking brake,
move se lector lever of a utomatic trans-
Checkin g and fillin g 213
mission to "P" (Park); put manual
transmission in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewe lry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-be lts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ i ng hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang o r droop into the engine .
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~&. .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its const ituents,
a nd certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
Ca lifornia to cause cance r and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition, certain fl uids contained in veh icles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemica ls known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands afte r handling.
Q) Note
When adding f lu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper conta iner
or f iller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regular ly . If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu­
i ds, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer. •
•

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Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
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Fi g. 186 Eng ine compartment: Cover on the brake flu ­
id reservoi r
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lwa ys read and heed a ll W ARN­
ING S c:> .&.. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 212 .
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c:> fig. 186, <=> page 214,
fig . 182.
The brake flu id level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the
left side
<::;> page 214 .
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
r:> page 15. Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete b rake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized A udi dealer or qualified
workshop and the cause co rrected . If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
indicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
@ Tips
The brake f luid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover .
Checking and fillin g 221
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the 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 dec rease considerably 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 "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservo ir can be d iff icult to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
i zed
Audi d ealer. Your dealer has t he correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and t he 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 f luid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spe cificat ion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 116.
Always check with yo ur authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct bra ke fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake f luid 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
l ong. This can seriously affect the effi­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. Th is cou ld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .

222 Check ing and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
Becau se of the pr oblem of proper disposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Unde r normal operating conditions, the bat ­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by an authorized
Aud i dea ler o r qualified workshop . The elec­
trolyte leve l sho uld a lso be checked each t ime
the battery is charged ¢
page 224.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a bat tery that is older tha n 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system fo r safety reasons ¢
& in Re­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 157.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle functions (power w indow regu­
lato rs, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re discon nected. These functions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry terminals a re
connec ted agai n. T o prevent this, the battery
should o nly be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec trica l syste m when absolu tely necess ary
for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
I f yo u do not drive you r vehicle over a pe riod
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical co m po­
nen ts are gr adually cu t back o r swi tched off .
T his reduces energy consumption and main­
tains sta rting capab ility over a lon ger period
¢ page 191.
Some o f the conven ien ce f unct ions m ay no t
ope rate, su ch as the in ter ior lights o r the power seat adjus
tment. The convenience
funct ions wi ll be available again when yo u
tu rn on the ignition and sta rt t he engine.
Winter operation
Du ring the w inte r mon ths , b att ery capac ity
tends to dec rease as temperatures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed w hile
starting, and the headlights, rear win dow de­
f ogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessa ry powe r consumpt ion, pa r­
ticu lar ly in ci ty traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances . Let yo ur autho rized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before w inter sets in ¢
page 224. A well
charged battery will not on ly prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
s tored w her e it w ill not freeze. This will
preve nt i t fr om be ing d amaged and having
t o be repla ced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t­
ment under the floor . Befo re you che ck any­
t hi ng in the luggage co mpartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&, .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle ba tte ry or the vehicle e le c­
t ric al sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
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 .