Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher¢
page 51.
-The engine com partment of any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau
t ion when wor king under the hood
¢ page 164, Working in the engine
compartment
@ Tips
Ma lfunctions or faults w ill be identified e i
ther with a red symbo l (pr iority 1 -Dan
ge r!) o r with a ye llow symbol (pr iority 2 -
Warn ing).
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when yo u switch
the ignition on. These systems are marked
with a./ in the following tab les. If one of
these ind icator lights does not turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system.
R ed indicator lights
Red symbols indicate a priority malfu nction -
Danger!
- P ull off the road.
- Stop t he vehicle.
- T urn off the engine .
- Check the ma lfunction ing system. Contact
you r authorized Aud i dealer o r a qualified
workshop for assistance .
USA models: Malfunction in the
brake system ¢
page 14
Canada models: Malfunction in
the b rake system ¢
page 14
USA model s: Airbag system ./
¢page 15
Canada models: Airbag system ./
¢page 15
Safety belt
¢page 16
Battery ./
¢page 16
Engine oil pressure too low
¢page 16
Engine coolant leve l too low/
engine coolant temperature too
h igh
¢ page 17
Elect ro-mechanical power assis t
¢page 17
Clutch is overheat ing
¢ page86
Yellow indicator lights
Ye llow symbo ls indicate a prior ity 2 malfunc
tion -Wa rning!
~ .,.,
OFF
ABS
(8)
"O~ I I ~ ,,
(D
TPMS
EPC
~
CHECK
Conver tible top
¢ page 17
Electro ni c Stabiliza tion Control
( E S C) ./ ¢
page 17
Elect ron ic Stabilization Control
( E SC) ./ ¢
page 17
USA models: anti-lock brake sys
t em (ABS) ./ defective
¢page 18
Canada models : anti-lock brake
system (ABS) ./ defective
¢page 18
Worn brake pads
¢page 19
Tire pressure too low
¢page 199
Tire pressure monitoring system
¢page 199
Electro ni c power control./
¢page 19
USA models : Malfunction Indica
to r Lamp (MIL)
¢page 19
Canada models : Malfunction Indi
cator Lamp (MIL)
¢ page 19
Engine speed limitat ion *
¢page 19
Check engine oi l level
¢page 19
Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
flashes together with the brake system warn
ing/indicator light¢.&,. .
(USA models):
If the warning light . and the
warn ing light
riJ ill umina te together, imme
diate ly contact your authorized Audi dea ler o r
qualified workshop to have all brake pads in
spected
¢ page 19.
When the light comes on, an audib le warn ing
signal is also given .
Parking brak e set
The parking brake warning light./. (Cana
da models) illuminates whe n the park ing
b rake is set. In addit ion, a warning tone will
sound after you have driven for longer than 3
seconds and faster than 3 mph (5 km/h).
Pa rking brak e set
The . warning/ind icator light illuminates
when the parking brake is set¢.&, .
_& WARNING
-Always observe the wa rni ngs in
¢ page 164, Working in the engine
compartment,
before opening the en
gine hood and check ing the brake fluid.
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard! Stop the car an d get professiona l
assistance.
- USA models: If both, the. warning
light and the
Ill warning light come on
at the same time, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard brak ing . Lock-up
of the rear whee l brakes can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have
yo ur vehicle repaired immed iately by
you r autho rized Aud i dealer o r a quali
fied workshop . D rive slowly and avo id
s u dden, hard brake application .
-Canada models: If both, the brake warn
ing light . and the ABS warning light
[iJ come on at the same t ime, the rear
wheels co uld lock up first unde r hard
braking . Lock -up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause loss o f vehicle control and an
acc ident. Have your vehicle repaired im
med iate ly by your authorized Aud i dealer or a qualified workshop
. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake application .
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
parking brake is released, or lights up
while you are dr iving, the f lu id leve l in
the brake flu id reservo ir is too low . If you
be lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed
immed iate ly at low speed to the nearest
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop and have the brake sys tem inspect
ed .
- Always keep in mind that after severa l
brake applications, you will need greater
pressu re on the brake pedal to stop you r
vehicle . Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond with maximum stopping power
in critical s ituations. You must allow for
increased braking distances. The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could lead to an accident.
tli1 ! .'!r Safety systems
The . (USA models) /. (Canada models)
indicato r light monitors the safety systems
e.g. (a irbags, pre tensioners) and ill uminates
f or a few se conds eac h time you swi tch the ig
nition on.
If the . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
i ndicato r ligh t does no t go o ut, o r if it illum i
na tes while yo u are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a mal function somewhe re
in the system. If the light does not i lluminate
when you switch on the ignition , th is also
means there is a malfunct ion.
_& WARNING
If yo u have a ma lfunction in the safety sys
tems, co ntact your authorized Aud i dea ler
immediately. Otherwise the safety sys
tems may not work properly in an acc i
dent.
Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
- Canada models:
If the brake warn ing
light ., the
J;.J warning light and the
ABS warning light
riJ come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci
dent. Have you r vehicle repaired immed i
a tely by your au thorized A udi dealer or a
qualified workshop . Dr ive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
( 0 ) Worn brake pads
llJ Check brake pad s!
If the war ning light illum inates, immediately
contact your au thori zed A udi dealer or quali
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect
ed . On USA models the warning light
llJ
comes on together with the warning light •.
Both sets of brake pads on an axle must al
ways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a coll i
sion and serious personal injury .
-If the warning light llJ and the warning
light
. ll with the message Brake pads!
comes on in the inst rument cluste r dis
play, immediately contact your author
ized Audi dea le r or q ualified wor kshop to
have all br ake pads checked or rep laced if
necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control .
The [m warning/ind icator lig ht ( Electronic
P owe r Control) illuminates when you switch
on the igni tion as a fu nction check .
@ Tips
If this wa rning/i ndicator light ill uminates
while you are dr iving, then the re is a mal
fu nction in the engine elec tron ics. Have
1) .: USA mode ls onl y
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos
sible by your authorized A udi dealer or
q ualified works hop.
~ Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is part
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system .
The symbol
II lights up when the ignition is
turned on and will turn off after the eng ine
has started and has settled at constant id le
speed . This indi cates that the M IL is work ing
properly.
The wa rning lig ht illuminates when the re is a
malfu nction in the eng ine electron ic system .
Contact your a uthorized Audi dea le r and have
t h e mal func tion cor rected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
~ page 162.
For more information ~ page 30 .
!?') Engine speed limitation
App lies to veh icles : w it h eng ine speed limitatio n
(II Do not e xceed ma x. engine speed of
XXXX rpm
The (Pl symbol illuminates when there is an
engine con trol malfunct io n. The indicator
li ght
[mi n the instrum ent cluster also illum i
nates. The engi ne speed is limited to the
speed displayed in the d river i nformat ion sys
tem. Keep in mind that the engine speed w ill
not exceed the val ue d isplayed in the driver in
format ion system, for example when down
shifting.
Please go to an authorized A udi dealer or oth
er qualified wo rkshop to have the malfunct ion
repaired .
~ .. Checking the engine oil level
II Please add max . 1 qt of engine oil!
144 Intelligent technology
-Never push the ve hicle or app ly force to
the rea r spo ile r - i t co uld be damaged .
- To prevent damage to the rear spoiler do
not lean o r place a nyth ing o n it.
- Only ope rate the rear spoi ler manually
when the rear lid is closed and t he rear
spo ile r moving parts are not blocked.
Otherwise, damage could occur.
C lean the spoi le r compartment every 2 to
3 months . The spoiler compartment must
always be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and d riving habit s
The brakes on today's automob iles are st ill
subject to wea r, depend ing largely on operat
i ng cond itions and dr iv ing habits
c:> & . On
ve hicles that a re e ithe r dr iven mostly in stop
and-go city traffic o r a re driven ha rd , the
b rake pads should be checked by yo ur auth or
iz ed A udi dealer more often th an specifie d in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Fail ure
to have your b ra ke pads inspected can res ult
in red uced b rake performance.
O n steep slopes, yo u sh ou ld use t he b ra ki ng
effect of the engine . This way, yo u preven t un
necessa ry wear on the brake system . If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not ho ld the bra kes
down continuously . P u mp the brakes at inter
va ls.
N oises may occur w hen braking depending on
the speed, bra king force and outside condi
tions s uch as temperature and h umidity.
Moisture or road salt
Unde r cert a in co ndi tions, for examp le, w hen
d riving through wate r or ve ry heavy rain , or
even after washing yo ur vehicle , the braking effect can be
reduced due to mois ture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
f ew cautio us brake applications s hou ld dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
T he effec tiveness of the brakes can be red uce d
whe n the vehicle is d riven on a sa lt -covered
road and the b rakes are not used . Likewise,
yo u clean off acc umulated salt coat ing from
brake d iscs and pads with a few cautio us ap
plicat ions o f th e b rake
c:> & .
Corrosion
The re may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corros ion to form on
t h e d iscs if the car is not driven regu larly or
o n ly for short trips w ith litt le use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor
ros ion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean off t he pads a nd d iscs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately h igh
s p eed
c:> & .
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase i n
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have fa iled
c:> & .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions ca n occ ur in the bra ke system if
t h e b rake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he br ake boos ter inc reases the pressure tha t
yo u genera te with the b ra ke peda l. It works
o nl y when t he engine is runnin g
.c:> .&
Brake lining wear status
Br ake lining wear may be che cked by visual in
spe ct io n of th e condition o f the br ake pa ds
t h ro ugh the open ing s in the wheel. If neces
sa ry, the w heel may be removed fo r thi s i n
spect ion
c:> page 208, What should I be
aware of when changing a tire?.
A WARNING
-You should perform brak ing maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road cond it ions permit .
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
yo u may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transm iss ion into a lowe r
gear or lowe r driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . This cou ld cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the b rakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when yo u do not intend
to brake . Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing throug h wa
ter, driving in heavy rai n or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, lini ngs,
discs and d rums. Carefully apply brakes
f or a test . B rakes wi ll dry and ice coat
ings wi ll be cleaned
off after a few ca re
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an ex tended pe riod of time on
salt -covered roa ds without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct
ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the eff ectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one bra ke c ircuit will impair
the brak ing capability resulting in an in
cr eased stopp ing distan ce. Avoid dr iv ing
the ve hicle and have it towed to the near
est Aud i dea le r or q ualified workshop .
- Never le t the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
the engine shu t off.
Int ellig ent technolog y 145
-If the brake booster is not working, the
brake peda l must be pressed considera
bly harder to make up for the lack of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The ele ctro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
The degree of power assist is electronically
matched to veh icle speed.
The powe r steering system assists the driver
so that he can steer the vehicle with reduced
physical effort.
Power steer ing will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn .
A WARNING
If the system develops a problem, you
must seek qualified professiona l assis
tance.
(D Note
-
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser
votronic
will still function like a conven
tiona l powe r steering system, providing a
constant steering support force tha t is no
l onger proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeable when t urning the
steering wheel at low speeds (for example
when parking), - more effort w ill be re
quired than usual.
- Be aware of the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set right
by an authori zed Aud i dea ler as soon as
possible.
- If a steering malfunction occurs, th is is
signa led w ith the
ls4 or .• indicator
lights and a warn ing tone, see. •
•
Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometre s):
.,. Do not use full throttle .
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imimum permitted
RPM .
.,. Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometres):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum pe rm iss ib le road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
.. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds
when it is cold . T hi s applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) o r in gear.
After the break- in period
.. Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next hig her gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach
ometer scale
<::;> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en
g ine 's inter na l friction is higher than later
when all the moving pa rts have been broken
i n. How well this break-in p rocess is done de
pends to a considerable ex tent on the way t he
ve hicl e is driven d uring the first 1,000 miles
(1, 500 kilome tres) .
(D Note
Extremely high engine speeds a re auto
mat ic al ly reduced. However, t hese RPM-
Driving and environment 149
limits were programmed for an eng ine
well run-in, not a new eng ine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not d rive wi th unnecessar ily h igh en
gine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
r educes noise and protects the environ
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
particularly carefu l for the first 350 miles
(500 ki lometres) after fitting .
A WARNING
-New tires tend to be s lippery and must a l-
so be "b roken-in". Be s ure to remembe r
this dur ing t he firs t 35 0 m iles (500 kilo
me tres) . Brake gent ly . Avo id following
closely behind other vehicles or other sit uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking.
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full brak ing effect during the first 250 miles
(400 kilometres) after they are installed.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be
fore they have optima l grab¢ .&..
D uring the break-in period, yo u should avoid
putting seve re loads on the brakes . Severe
l oads include, for example, su dden hard brak
ing, in particular at very h igh speeds or, for
example, on mou nta in passes.
A WARNING
Until t hey develop the maximum "bite" fo r
best stopping power, the s urfaces on new
b rake pads requ ire some "brea king- in" dur
in g the initial 10 0 to 150 miles (15 0 to
20 0 kilome tres) of normal c ity dr iv ing. Yo u
can compensate for this by press ing the
b rake peda l more f irm ly . This applies
whenever new pads are installed.
•
•
150 Driving and en vironm ent
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc ., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis) and fully loaded
vehicles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any highe r tha n the
bottom of the vehi cle body.
- Do no t drive faster than wa lking speed.
_& WARNING
After d riving through water, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake ro tors and pads . Dry
the brakes fi rst by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(]) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth o f the water before driv
ing through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine
off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep for your vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh salt water because
it can ca use corrosion.
-
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 160,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
.. Never put too much moto r o il in yo ur eng ine
¢ page 169, Adding engine oil ~-
.. Never try to push- or tow-st art you r vehicle.
The catalytic co nverter is an efficient "clean
u p" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
t h e vehi cle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutan ts in the exha ust gas be
f ore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r funct ion ing of the engi ne.
A WARNING
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry g rass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additiona l undercoating or
r u stproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat sh ields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already ser iously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
converte r.
- Do not exceed the correct engi ne oil level
¢page 169.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine co uld mis-
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into ..,.
17 4 Che cking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig . 133 Engine compa rtment: cove r on the brake fluid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lw ays read and h eed all WA RN
ING S ¢&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164.
,.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir¢
page 166, fig . 128. T he
brake flu id leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The brake flu id rese rvo ir is located behind the
rear part ition of the eng ine compartment o n
the left side ¢
page 166.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the b rake 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 mod
e ls: . ) w ill 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 warn ing/
indicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an au
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
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 decrease conside rably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
eve ry two y ears. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult 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 fl uid 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 flu id. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SA E
specifica tion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 1 16.
Always check with yo ur authorized Aud i
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake f lu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id 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. This cou ld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .