
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especia lly we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over , we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stations where the sea sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
Q;) Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
spec ified criter ia in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
spec ificat ions, ask your service station or
i ts fuel supplier .
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy
or driveability and performance prob l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have cer tain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 161
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www .toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, built -up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CJ) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Ve
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
s ide panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the unlocking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manually -for detailed in
structions see
~ page 163.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
~page 223 .
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
tells you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
~ page 160 .
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refuel
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and pollut ing the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful
ly.
A WARNING ~
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision . If you must
transpo rt fuel to use for your lawn mower, ..,.
•
•

oils available today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional petrole
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthetic or petroleumbased engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for
mation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
" sludge," that over time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of printing, engine oils available in the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils . This does not mean,
however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00 . So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful de posits use only oil with the following specifi
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW S02 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica
tion singly or in combination with other desig
nations and oil quality standards .
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their vis
cosity . The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasonal con
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem
perature ranges for normal driving conditions.
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not available, you can also use viscos
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil quali ty standard VW 502 00
specifications .
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart (liter) of oil that expressly conforms to the
Checking and filling 167
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 specifications is available - may
you top
off with a high quality engine oil, pref
erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3
or API SM specifications, but even then, only
in viscosity grades SA E SW-40, SA E 5W -30, or
SAE OW-40. However, during the entire time
between oil change intervals, never top
off
with more than a total of 0.5 qt/liter engine
oil that does not conform to Audi oil specifica
tion VW 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your autho rized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa .com or
www.audicanada.ca . Here you will also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author
ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
•
•

168 Checking and filling
Detergent additives in the o il will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
n ing for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
D am ag e o r m alfun ction s due to lack of
m ainten ance
It is essent ial that yo u change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Lim ited New Vehicle War
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to failure to follow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
M aintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage un less you p resen t to
the dea ler proof in the form of Servi ce or Re
pa ir Orde rs that all schedu led maintenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports.
I n o rder to prov ide effective lubr ication and
cooling of internal engine components, a ll in
ternal comb ustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oi l consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the eng ine . Typically, eng ines
with a specif ied break-in per iod (see
c::> page 149) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con
sumpt io n depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road cond it io ns. Furthe r fac
tors are the amo unt of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage bui lds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over t ime until replacement
of worn components may become necessary. Wi
th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tab lished or spec ified. There is no alte rnative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instr ument cluster
1\1 lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
with the oil dipstick c::> page 169. Top off the
o il at your earliest conven ience
c::> page 169 .
A WARNING
-Before you chec k anything in the eng ine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NINGS
c::> .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 164.
CI) Note
D riving with an insufficient o il level is like
l y to cause sever e 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 level in
your engine at r egular intervals, pr ef
erably ea ch time you refuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip.
- If you have the impression yo ur engine
cons umes excessive amoun ts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Aud i
dea ler to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of o il con
sumption requires great care and may
take some t ime . Your Audi dea ler has in
st ruct ions about how to measure oil con
sumption acc urately.

170 Checking and filling
-The oil filler cap must be properly se
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
(D Note
-The oil level must not be above range G)
-danger of converter or engine damage!
Contact an authorized Audi dealer to
draw off oil, if necessary.
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv
ice station .
Before you check any thing in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ~ .& in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164 .
The engine oil mus t 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 during 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
ditions , or have your vehicle where tempera- tu
res remain below freezing for extended pe
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following important informa
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground to help prevent hot oil from run
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off thoroughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit
ed New Vehicle Warranty.

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 .

-Do not interchange the positive and neg
ative cables .
- When working on the battery , be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca
ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec
trical system , switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery , switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a fro zen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °C) .
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
Danger of explosion! Always replace a
damaged battery.
Checking and filling 177
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac cessories contain lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive problems . Wash hands after han
dling.
Q) Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise , you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Checking the battery acid level on magic
eye batteries*
The battery acid level in the battery can be
checked through the clear inspection window .
Fig. 134 Lugg age compar tme nt: Battery w ith mag ic
e ye .
On top of the battery, there is a round "win
dow". This window (magic eye) changes color
as the battery charge and acid level change.
.,. Read and heed all WARNINGS
~.&_ in
Working on the battery on page 176
.. Read the acid level from the window on the
battery ~
fig. 134. Ill>-

182 Tires and wheels
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total loaded weight o f
the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflat ion pressure. You
may not find this informat ion on all tires be
cause it is not requ ired by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the maxi
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) Production opt ions weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated . Also called
"maximum inflation press ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilog rams) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the tota l seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a veh icle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ
ing elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubbe r-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production opt ions we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standa rd items
wh ich they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, heavy duty
battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumat ic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substa n
tially 90 deg rees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation pressure
see <=;> page 181, Cold tire inflation pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflation pressures than
the corresponding standard tire. Re inforced
t ir es my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a t ire between the
tread and bead .

remain continuous ly illuminated . This se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists.
When the malfunct ion indicator is ill uminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signa l low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installat ion of replace
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the veh i
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
tellta le afte r replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
F ig. 1 41 Disp lay : under in fla tion warn ing
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the t ire tread circum
fe rence and vibration characteristics of the in
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, th is is indicated in the instru
ment clus ter with a warning symbol
[I] and a
message
'* fig. 141. The dr iver message in the
d isp lay goes out after 5 seconds . The driver
message can be d isplayed again by pressing
the
! CHECK I button @¢ page 10, fig . 3 . If on
ly one tire is affected, the display will indicate
its pos ition.
The ti re pressure monito ring m ust be reset in
the menu display each time the pressures are
ad justed (e.g. when switching between parti-
Tire s an d wheel s 199
al and fu ll load pressure) or after changing o r
replacing a tire on your vehicle '*
page 200.
The TPMS indicator on ly mon itors the t ire
pressure that you have previously stored . You
can f ind the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on the driver's door
pillar ¢
page 184 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the t ire press ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the t ire press ure was changed, wheels rotat -
ed or rep laced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 200.
Warning symbo ls
[I] Loss of press ure in at least one tire'*& .
Check the tire or tires and rep lace or repa ir if
necessary . The indicator light
[I] in the instru
ment cluster a lso i lluminates
¢ page 13.
Check/correct the press ures of all four tires
and reset TPMS in the menu display .
mm (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Ti re
pre ssure! System malfun ction . Ifll appears
after switching the ign it ion on or while dr iving
and the indicator light
[I] in the instrument
clus ter blinks fo r approximately one m inute
and then stays on, there is a system malfunc
tion . Attemp t to store the correct t ire pres
su re '*
page 200 . If the ind icator light does
not turn off or if i t turns on shortly thereafte r,
immedia tely drive your vehicle to an au thor
ized Audi dea ler or author ized repai r fac ility to
have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
=
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is significant ly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or b rak ing
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressu res . In
flate the tire pressure to the prope r pres-
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire .,..
•
•