2016 AUDI A4 warning light

Check ing and F illing
Using the proper engine oil is impo rtant for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your engine was facto ry-filled with a h igh-quality oi l
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
@) Note
Your Limited New Vehicle War ranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warran ty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil t hat ex-
p ressly complies with the Audi oil qua lity
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using a ny o ther oil can cause serious engine
d am age.
- D o not mix any lubricants o r other addit ives
i nto the engine oil. Doing so ca n cause en­
g ine damage.
(D Tips
I f you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble t hat meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requi res , you m ay ad d a tot al of
no more than 0.5 qu art /li ter o f a h igh-quality
"synthe tic"oil that meets t he following speci ­
fications.
- Vehicles w it h gasoline eng ine: AC EA A3 o r
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE 0W-30,
SAE SW -30 or SAE SW-40.
- Fo r more information about en gine o il that
has been approve d for your ve hicle, please
contact eithe r you r a uthorized Aud i dea ler
or A udi C ustome r Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www .audiusa .com or www.aud icanada .ca .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amoun t of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubr ication and coo l­
ing of in ternal engine components, all internal
combustion eng ines consume a certain amou nt
of oil. Oil co nsumption varies from engine to en­
g ine and may change significant ly over the life of
206
th e engine. Typically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
r=:> poge 185) consume more
o il dur ing the b reak-in per iod than they consume
after oil consumption has stabili zed .
U nder normal cond itions, the rate of oil con ­
sumption depends on the q ua lity and viscosity of
the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amo unt of o il di lution from water condensa ­
t ion or fuel residue a nd the oxidation level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wea r as mileage
builds up, the o il cons umption may increase ove r
t i me unt il repla ce m ent of wo rn components m ay
be come necessary .
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
sta ndard rate of o il cons umption can be estab­
li sh ed or spec ified . T he re is no alte rn ative to reg­
ul ar and frequen t checking of the oi l level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oi l leve l wa rning symbo l Ill
in the instrument clus ter lights up , you sho uld
c h eck t he o il level as soon as possible
r=:> page 207 . Top off the oi l at your ea rliest con­
venience
r=:> poge 207.
A WARNING
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
r=:> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203 .
@ Note
Driving wit h an insuffic ient oil level is like ly to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is not
an indicator of the oil level. Do not rely on
it . Instead, check the oil level in your en­
gine at regular intervals, preferably each
time you refuel, and always before going
on a long trip .
-If you have the impress io n your e ngine con­
sumes excessive amou nts of oil, we recom-
mend th at yo u consult an authori zed A udi .,.

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... specially conditioned water and the man ufactur­
er's g lycol-bas edcoo lant additive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA mod­
e ls; 60% for Canadian models). This m ixture
both assures the necessary frost protection and
protects metal components in the engine's cool­
ing system from corrosion and scaling.
It also
raises the boiling point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the coolant in
the summer by adding p lain water .
The propor­
tion of coolant addit ive must be at l eas t 50° /4
but not more th an 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
p rotection and cooling effic iency. If the coolant
frost protec tion is too low, the coolant co uld
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en­
gine cooling system.
F or yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to :
- -31 °F (- 35 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
Q &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your
vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate con­
dit ions. This is especially important if you
li ve in a reg ion where the w inte r is ext reme­
l y co ld. If ne cessary, in cre ase the proport io n
of coo lant add itive to 60%.
- When addi ng coolant addit ive to you r cool­
i ng system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant addi­
tive Gl2 ++ or Gl3 for your ve hicle. T his
coolant additive is available at authorized
Audi dea lers. Othe r types of antifreeze can
significant ly reduce cor ros ion p rotection .
Ch eck ing and Filling
The resulting co rrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator lea k sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra­
diator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling
system and cou ld resu lt in damage not cov­
ered by your New Veh icle Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
F ig. 184 En gin e co mpa rt men t: Cover o n the coo la nt ex ­
pans ion t ank
.. Before you check anything in the eng ine com ­
partment,
al ways read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
q ..&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203 .
.. Park your ve hicle on a leve l sur face .
.. Tu rn off the ignit io n .
.. Read the eng ine coolan t level from the coo lant
expansion tank
q fig . 184, Q page 205,
fig. 181 .
With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the " MIN" and "MAX" mark­
ings. When the engine is warm, the level may
be slightly above the "MAX" marking.
The location of the coo lant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
q page 205.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be switched off.
T he expansion ta nk in your veh icle is eq uipped
with an electric coo lant level senso r.
When the coolant leve l is too low , the warning
light i n the Auto-Check System
Q page 17 will
209

,....,
N
0
""' CX) ,....,
I.Cl U"I ,....,
I.Cl ,....,
-To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­ ant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti­
freeze in its original container and well out
of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be caught
and safely stored in a proper container
clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
-Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the engine. If this is the case,
do not continue driving. Seek professional
assistance.
- Coolant pollutes the environment and could
cause an engine fire. Excess coolant will be
forced out through the pressure relief valve
in the cap when the engine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be add­
ed, the correct ratio between water and an­
tifreeze
c::> page 208 must be restored as
soon as possible.
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always
dispose of used coolant while observing all
environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self.
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V­
belt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed of
the fan according to the temperature of the cool­
ant.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on and
off depending on coolant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan
can continue running for up to 10 minutes -even
Checking and Filling
with the ignition off. It can even switch on again
later by itself
c::> & , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due
to the heat build-up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the
vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury never
touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly even
when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on auto­
matically when the engine coolant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The broke fluid level con be checked with o quick
glance .
Fig. 185 En gi ne compartmen t: Cover on the b rake fl uid
reservoir
Before you check anything in the engine compart ­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
c::> _.& in Working in the engine comportment on
page 203.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid
reservoir
c::> fig. 185, c::> page 205, fig . 181 . The
brake fluid level must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
211

Check ing and F illing
The brake fluid rese rvoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the l eft
side ¢
page 205 .
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for alarm.
If th e b rake fl uid level fa lls considerably be low
the "M IN" mark, the b rake warning/ind icator
lig ht ( U.S. mode ls :
1111 , Canadian models:. )
will come on ¢
page 15. Do not contin ue to oper ­
ate the vehicle . T he comp lete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authori zed
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake flu id level is too low, the
b rake warning/indicator light will i llum inate.
Contact a n author ized Audi dealer
immediately .
{D) Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs mo isture from the air. If the
water content in the b rake fluid is too high, cor­
rosion in the brake system may resu lt afte r ape ­
riod of t ime. The boiling poi nt of the brake flu id
will also decrease cons iderably and decrease
b raking perfo rman ce.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every
two year s.
Always use new brake fluid wh ic h con­
forms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle Standard "FMVSS
1 16 DO T 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to reach,
therefore, we recommend that yo u have the
brake fl uid changed by yo ur autho rized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has t he corre ct tools, t he
right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed orig inal container out of
the reach of chi ldren!
212
- Bra ke fa ilure ca n result from old or inapp ro­
priate brake fluid . Observe these precau­
tions:
- Use only brake fluid t hat meets SA E speci­
fi ca ti on
J 170 3 and con forms to Federa l
Motor Ve hicle Standard 116 . Always check
wi th yo ur autho rized Audi dea le r to make
s ur e yo u are using the correct brake fluid .
The correct type of brake flu id is also ind i­
cated on the b rake fluid reservo ir .
- The brake fluid m ust be new . Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long .
This can se riously affect the efficiency of
the b rakes as well as your safety . This
could resu lt in an accident .
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your veh i­
cle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem o f proper d isposa l o f
brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls re­
q ui red a nd the necessary expertise, we rec­
omme nd that you have the bra ke f luid
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
, General information
U nder normal operating condit ions, the battery
i n your Audi does not need any maintenance.
With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the elect ro ­
lyte level c hecked by an au thorized Aud i dealer o r
qualified workshop. The electro lyte level shou ld
a lso be che cked each time the battery is c ha rged
~ page 214.
Have the batte ry chec ked when you take yo ur ve­
hicle in for service. You are we ll adv ised to re­
pla ce a battery tha t is older than 5 yea rs.
With certain types of airbag deployment, t he
batte ry is d iscon nected from the ve hicle electri­
ca l system for safety reasons ¢.&.
in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 151. .,.

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle func tion s (p ower w indow reg ula­
tors, for example) are lost i f th e battery termi ­
na ls are d isconnected. These functions have to be
relearned afte r the battery termina ls are con­
nected aga in. To prevent th is, the batte ry shou ld
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectr ica l
system w hen abso lute ly necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If yo u do not drive you r vehicle over a period of
seve ral days or weeks, e lectrical components a re
g radually c ut back or sw itched off. This reduces
e nergy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca ­
pability over a longer pe riod
c> page 182.
Some o f the conven ience f unctions may not ope r­
ate, s uch as the inte rior lights or the power seat
ad justment. The convenience functions will be
ava ila ble aga in whe n you tu rn o n the ignition and
start the engine .
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to dec rease as temperatu res dr op. This is be­
cause more power is also consumed wh ile start ­
in g, and the head lights , rear wi ndow defogge r,
etc., are used more of ten .
Avoid un necessa ry power consumption, part icu­
l arly in city traffic or when t rave ling on ly short
d ista nces . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capaci ty of the vehicle battery be fore w inte r
sets in
r=;, pag e 214. A well cha rged batt ery w ill
n o t onl y preven t st arti ng p roble ms w hen the
wea ther is cold, but will also last l on ger .
(D Tips
If your v ehicle is left stand ing fo r se ve ral
wee ks at extre mely low tem per at ures, the ve­
hicle b attery sh ould be re moved and stor ed
w here it will not free ze . Th is will preve nt i t
from being dama ged and hav ing to be re ­
placed .
Checking and Filling
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart ­
ment under the floor. Befo re you check anything
i n the luggage compart ment ,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c> &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when working
o n the veh icle batte ry or t he ve hicle elec trical
system to prevent in jury .
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery :
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when wo rking on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking.
~
When a battery is charged , it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children.
A WARNING
= -
Whenever working on t he battery or on the
e lectr ica l system, the re is the r isk of injury,
accide nt a nd eve n fire. Read and he ed the fol­
l ow ing W AR NIN GS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat­
tery acid or any l ead particles ge t on you r
skin o r clothing. Shield yo ur eyes. E xplosiv e
g ases can ca use b lindne ss or other in jury.
- Ba tte ry acid contai ns sulfur ic acid. Sulfu ric
acid can ca use blindness and s evere burns.
- Always wea r gloves and eye protection . Do
n ot tilt t he batte ry because aci d could lea k
out of the ventilation openings. ""
213

Checking and Filling
-If you get batt ery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa ­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame, electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and nega-
tive cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth­
er metal objects. This would cause the bat ­
tery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy­
drogen 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 nega tive ground cable .
- Before performing any work on the electri­ cal system, switch off the engine and igni­
tion as well as any electrical equipment. The negative cable on the battery must be dis­
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, sw itch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off.
Reconnect the positive cable first and then
the negative cable. Never interchange the
cabl es - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat­
tery . It could explode! If a battery has fro­
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32°F (0°C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery.
214
- Never use batteries which are damaged .
There is the danger of an explosion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is switched on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise, you will damage
electronic components in the electrical sys­
tem .
-If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing" , otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re­
placed.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­ tery .
Fig. 186 En g in e compar tment : Co nnectors for charger and
jumper cab les
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
9 A and ¢ A in Working on the battery on
page 213.
.,. Turn off the ignition and all electrical consum­
ers.
.,. Make sure the area is well ventilated when you
charge the battery.
Iii>-

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... & WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab­lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excess ive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
& WARNING
-
-
Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or underinflat­
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
U) General notes
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure mo nitoring system
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat­
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
ve hicle manufact urer on the vehicle placa rd o r
tire inflat ion press ure label.
(If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la­
be l, you should determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure for those tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
eq uipped with a tire pressu re monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure te ll­
tale when one or more of your t ires is significant­
ly under- inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure tellta le illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper press ure. Driving on a s ignifi­
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to ove r­
h eat and can lead to t ire failure. Unde r-inflation
a lso reduces fuel e fficiency and tire tread life,
and may a ffec t the vehicle's handling and stop ­
p ing ability .
P lease note that the TPMS is not a substit ute for
p roper tire main tenance, and i t is the drive r's re­
sponsib ility to ma intain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres­
sure telltale .
Wh eel s
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not ope rating properly. The TPMS ma l­
funct ion indicator is combined with the low t ire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for app roxi­
mately one m inute and t hen rema in continuously
illuminated. This seque nce w ill cont inue upon
s u bsequent vehicle star t-ups as long as the mal­
funct ion exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illum inated,
the system may not be able to detect o r signal
l ow tire p ressure as intended. TPMS malfunct ions
may occur fo r a v arie ty of reaso ns, including the
insta llation of replacement or al ternate tires or
whee ls on the vehicle that p revent the TPMS
from functioning proper ly . Always check the
TPMS ma lfunction te lltale after replacing one or
more tires or wheels on yo ur vehicle to ensure
that the rep lacement or a lternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function prope rly.
' If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: wi th t ire 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.
Fi g. 192 Instrument cluster: indicator light with message
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monito r­
ing system compares the tire tread c ircumfer-
ence and v ibration characterist ics of the ind ividu-
al tires. If the press ure changes in one or mo re
t ir es, th is is indicated in the instrument clust er
display with an indicato r light
RI] and a message . .,.
235

Wheels
If on ly one t ire is affected , the location o f that
tire will be indicated .
The tire pressures must be stored in t he Info tain­
men t sys tem ag ain each time the pressu res
change (switch ing between pa rtial and f ull load
pressure) or after changing or rep lacing a tire on
your vehicle ¢
pag e 236. The t ire pressu re moni ­
toring system only monitors the tire pressure you have stored. Refer to the tire pressure labe l for
the recommended tire pressure for your ve hicle
¢ page 227, fig.191 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration character­
istics can change and cause a tire pressure war n­
i n g if:
- the tire p ressure in one o r more tires is too low .
- the tire has struct ural damage.
- the tire was repl aced o r the tire p ressure was
changed and i t was not stored
¢ page 236 .
-the sp are t ire* or co llapsible spa re t ire* i s in-
st alled.
Indicator lights
[I] Loss of press ure in at leas t one tire 9 .6, .
Check the tires and rep lace o r repa ir if necessary .
Chec k/correc t th e p ressures o f all four tires and
s to re the pressure aga in in the In fota inment sys­
tem
¢ page 236 .
@m (Tir e Pr essure Monito ring System) Tire
pressure : Sy stem malfunction !. If @m
appears
a fte r swi tc hi ng t he igni tion on or wh ile dr iving
a nd the
[I] indicator light in the instrument cl us­
ter blinks for approximate ly one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction. Try to
sto re the correct tire pressures¢
page 236. If
the indicator light does turn off or tu rns on again
afte r a short period of t ime, dr ive to an a uth or­
ized Aud i dealer o r authorized Aud i Serv ice Fac ili­
ty immedia tely to have the malfunct ion correct­
ed.
_& WARNING
- If the tire pre ssu re indic ator appe ars in the
display, reduce your speed immedia te ly and
avoid any har d steer ing or braking maneu ­
vers. Stop as soon as possib le and check the
t ir es and t heir pressu re.
236
'
- The drive r is responsible fo r maintain ing the
correct tire pressu re . You m ust check the
tire pressure regularly .
- Unde r ce rtain con ditions (such as a spo rty
driving style, w inter condit ions or unpaved
roads), the pressure monitor indicato r may
be de layed.
- Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle . U s­
ing them when no t perm itted can lead to
ve hicle damage o r acciden ts.
(D Tips
- The tire p ressure mon itor ing system can al­
so stop wo rking when there is an ESC mal­
function .
- Us ing snow chains may result i n a system
ma lfunction.
- The tires w ith the identif ication "AO" or
"RO"¢
page 224 have been matched w it h
you r Audi t ire pressu re monitoring system.
W e recommend tha t you use these tires.
Storing tire pressures
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure mo nitori ng syste m
If the tire pressure changes or a tire is replaced,
it must be confirmed in the Infotainment sys­ tem .
.,. Make sure before stor ing t hat the t ire pressures
of all four tires meet the specified values and
are adapted to t he load
¢ page 22 7 .
.,. Switch o n the ign ition .
.,. Sele ct: the
I CARI fu nct io n but ton > Tir e pres­
s ure monitoring
con trol but ton. O r
.,. Sele ct: the
I CAR I funct ion but ton > Car Sys ­
tems*
cont rol b utton > Servicing & check s >
Tire pressure monito ring .
(D Tips
Do not s tore the tire pressures if snow chains
a re installed .