2015 AUDI TT ROADSTER check engine light

148 Intelligent technology
To bring the energy balance back into equili­brium, consumers which require especia lly
l arge amo unts of energy are temporari ly c ut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par­
ticular requ ire a great dea l of energy. If you
n otice, for example, that the heated seats * or
the heated rea r window a re not heating, they
have been temporar ily cut back o r switched
off. These sys tems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has bee n restored.
You will also not ice that engine idle speed has
been inc reased slightly. This is no rma l and not
a cause fo r concern . By increas ing engine idle
spee d the add itiona l ene rgy required is gener ­
ated and the ba ttery is charged .
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ability of the engine to start, th is
i s shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) Low battery charge : battery will be
cha rged while dri ving
This notification reminds you that the starti ng
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driving aga in, the battery
will be recharged and the notification will go
out .
Driv er notificat ion appears and goes out
again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig­
ni tion is turned on or while driv ing and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately rec harged.
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig­
n ition is turn ed on or while driv ing and does
n ot go ou t aga in, t he battery's s tate of charge
is not i n the opt imal range. St arting ability is
restricte d. Have the bat tery checked as soon
as possible by a n authorized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop.

152 Driving and en vironm ent
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage .
"'Try and keep well below your car 's maximum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment. F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
gine no ise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half. Never dr ive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"'Shut the engine off when you are not driv ing
the vehicle .
"'Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the e ngine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings , or at traff ic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned s tarting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . Howeve r, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high RPMs while the engine
is sti ll warming up.
([) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af ­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over- heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"' Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ular in ter -
vals.
By having your veh icle regu la rly serviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it runs p rop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its sa fety and ability to
hold its val ue, it also affects
fuel con sum p­
tion .
Check your oil e ach time you fill your t ank .
The amount of o il used is related to engine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometres) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l cons umption and en­
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained proper ly
and in accordance with the service rec ­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper ma inte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control Sys tem unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alte r or remove any device, such
a s hea t sh ie lds, switches, ig nition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other impo rtant vehicle compo­
nents .

164 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 126 Driver' s side footwe ll: e ngin e hood release
lever
.. Open the driver's door .
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
c> fig . 126 in the direction
of the arrow .
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pres­
sure.
Opening the engine hood
Fig . 127 Re lease lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshie ld wipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they cou ld damage the
pain t on the hood.
.. Lift the hood slight ly
c> .&, .
.. Pull up on the release under the hood
c> fig . 12 7. This releases the catch .
.. Open the hood all the way.
A WARNING
-Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo lant escaping from the eng ine
compartment . Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fu lly 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 p lace.
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 dr iv­
i ng.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­
ly engaged . The hood should be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv ing 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!
Whene ve r y ou must pe rform any wo rk in th e
eng ine compartment, for e xample chec king
and filling the diff ere nt fluids, ther e is a risk
of injury , burn s and accident s. To prevent
p ers onal injury alwa ys obs erv e the follo win g
WARNING S. Th e engin e c ompartm ent of an y
v e hicl e is a hazardou s area!
c> .&.
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Sw itch off the engine .
- Remove the ignition key.

166 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
•
Fig. 128 Typ ica l layout for containers and eng ine oil filler cap
CD Coolant expansion tank (-L) .. .
'2' E . 'l d. . k \61 ngIne 0 1 1pst1c .......... .
@ Engine oil filler cap ('1:::r.) .. .. .
@ Brake fluid reservoir((();) .. .. .
® Jump start points(+) under a
cover, (-) bolt head .... ... .. .
® Windshield/headlight washer
t . (
;;p, ) con ainer ,-!,, •••.•••.•.•••.
172
169
169
174
217
179
The pos ition of the engine o il dipstick and the
engine o il fi lling hole
r::> fig. 128 (items @and
@) can differ depending on the engine de­
sign .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
c::> .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 164.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
T he eng ine in your Aud i is a soph ist icated
powerplant that was built to exact ing spec ifi­
cat ions . T his engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliably . Choosing the right o il
and changing oil within the time and mileage
i ntervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day tha n it did years ago. Audi has developed
a spec ia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that you r vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs fo r proper opera­
t ion.
Modern engine lubr ication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthet ic
1J.

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.

172 Checking and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
F ig. 132 Eng ine compartme nt: cover on the coo lant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lway s read and he ed a ll WARN­
ING S o .A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 164.
., Park your vehicle on a level surface.
., Switch the ign ition
off .
., Read the coolant level at the coolant expan­
sion tank
opage 166, fig . 128. With a cold
engi ne, it must be above the "min" mark.
With a hot engine, it can be a l ittle above
the indicated range.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
o page 166.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be sw itched
off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
opage 17will
illum inate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even thoug h
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to t ime.
Coolant lo ss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dea
ler .
It is not
enough merely to add coo lant .
In a
seal ed system, losses can occu r on ly if
the boi ling po int o f the coo lan t is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
(D Note
Do n ot add any type o f radiator leak se al­
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add ­
i ng radiator repa ir fl uid may adverse ly af ­
fect the functio n and performance of you r
cooling system and could result in damage
not cove red by your New Veh icle l imited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com ­
partment,
a lways read and heed all WARN­
INGS o .A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 164.
Req uirement: There m ust be a res idual
amount of coo lant in the expansio n tank
o (D .
., Tur n off the engi ne .
., le t t he eng ine cool down.
., Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank
o page 172, fig. 132 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise o _A .
., Add coolant m ixed in the correct ratio
o page 171, Coolant up to the MAX mark­
ing.
.. Make sure that the flu id level remains sta-
b le. Add more coo lant if necessary.
., Twi st the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
o page 171, Coolant .
We recommend using only coolant addit ive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2+. Do
not
use a different add itive . In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the co rrect addi­
t ive and can resto re the correct ratio. This
sho uld be done as soon as poss ib le.

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>-