
Checking and Filling
-Keep children away from the engine com
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm. The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns .
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary:
-Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme
diately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
while the engine is running or being started,
never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever of automatic transmission
to "P" (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get-
178
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other moving parts, or from contacting
hot parts. Tie back hair before starting,
and do not wear clothing that will hang or
droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi
cal hazards
c::> & .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm .
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Wash hands after handling.
([) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If you
see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi dealer .

.... N
c:i ::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
Checking and Filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 149 Typical location of the reservoir a nd the engine o il fil ler ope ning
(D Coolant reservoir (-L) . . . . . . . . . . 183
@ Oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
@ Engine oil filler opening ('1!::r.) . . . 181
@ Brake fluid reservoir (0) . . . . . . . 186
® Jump start point(+) under a cover, 189, 223
® Jump start point(-) with hex head
screw, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
189, 223
0 Washer fluid reservoir($) . . . . . . 190
@ Fuse housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
The oil dipstick (position @) and the engine oil
filler opening (position @) can be located in dif
ferent positions depending on the engine ver
sion.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment, always read and heed all WARN- INGS
9 .&. in Working in the engine
compart
ment on page 177.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci
fications.
T he serv ice interval d isplay in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oil change . We recommend that you
have your oil changed by an authorized Audi Serv
ice Advisor.
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
us e the Audi oil quality standard specified in the
tab~ .
~
179

Check ing and F illing
Audi oil quality standard
Gas olin e
VW 502 00 or
engi ne vw 50400
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high-quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year .
Q) Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set fo rth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Wa rranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high qua lity eng ine oi l th at ex-
pressly complies with the Audi oil qua lity
stan dard specified for your vehi cle's engine.
Using any o ther oil can cause serious engine
damage .
- Do not mix any lubricants o r other addit ives
i nto the engine oil. Doing so can cause en
gine damage.
(D Tips
I f you nee d to add oi l and there is none availa
ble that meets the Audi o il qu ality st andard
your engine requires, you may ad d a total of
no more than 0 .5 quart/liter of a high-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci
fications.
- ACEA A3 o r API SM with a viscosity g rade of
SAE OW-30, SAE 5W-30 or SAE 5W-40.
- For more information about engine oi l that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dea ler
or Audi Custome 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 amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubrication and cool
ing of internal engine components, all internal
180
combust ion engines consume a certa in amo unt
of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to en
gine and may change significantly over the life of
the engine. Typically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
c:::;, page 159) consume more
o il dur ing the break-in per iod than they consume
af ter o il consumption has stab ilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity of
the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
wh ich the engine is operated, the amb ient tem
perature and road condit ions. Further factors a re
the amount of o il di lution from wate r co ndensa
tion or fue l resid ue an d the oxidation level of the
o il. As any engine is sub ject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oi l cons umption may increase over
time unt il replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be estab
li shed or specified. The re is no alternative to reg
u lar and frequent checking of the oi l level, see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l Ell
in the instrument cluster lights up, you sho uld
check the oil level as soon as possible
c:::;, page 181. Top off the oil at your earliest con
venience
c:::;,page 181.
A WARNING
Before you check anyth ing in the e ng ine com
partment, always read and heed all WARN
I NGS
c:::;, .&. in Working in the engin e compart
ment on page 177.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insuffic ient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing d isplay. is not
an indicator of the oil level. Do not rely on
it. Instead, check the oil level in your en
g ine at regular int ervals , pr eferably each
time you refuel, and alway s before going
on a long trip .

.... N
c:i ::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
-If yo u have the impression your engine con
sumes excessive amounts of oil, we recom
mend that you consu lt an autho rized Aud i
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly d iagnosed . Keep in mind that the
accurate measurement of oil consumption
r equ ires great care and may take some
time . An authorized Audi dea ler has instruc
tions about how to measure oil consump
tion a ccura tely .
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 1 50 G uide fo r d ete rm ini ng le v e ls on t he o il d ips tic k
(exam ple)
Det ermining the oil level
.,. Park yo ur veh icle on a level su rface .
.. Let the engine run in id le briefly while it is at
operating t emperature and then shut the en
gine off .
.. Wait approx imately two minutes.
.. Remove the o il dipstick . W ipe off the oil d ip
stick with a clean cloth and insert it all the way
in again .
.,. Remove the dipstic k aga in a nd then read the oil
level. Add e ngine o il if necessary
r=;, page 181.
Oil level in the~ area
.. Do not add any oil.
Oil level in the @ area
.. You may add o il. After add ing oi l, the leve l
sho uld be in the
G) area.
Oil l evel in the@ area
.,. Yo u m ust add o il. After adding oil , the level
should be in the
G) area.
Checking and Filling
T he oil consumpt ion of the engine may be up to
1/2 quart per 600 miles (0 .5 liters/1,000 km),
depending on driving style and ope rational cond i
tions. Consumption may be higher during the
first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) . Because of th is, the
engine oil level must be checked regularly . It
would be best to check each time you refuel your
vehicle and before long dr ives.
~ Adding engine oil
Fi g. 15 1 En g in e co mpa rtm ent: Cove r on the oil f iller nec k
.. Before you check anything in the eng ine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 177 .
.,. Shu t the eng ine off .
.,. Unscrew the cap~ to the engine oil fi lling
hole
r=;, fig. 151, r=;,page 179, fig . 149 .
.. Carefully top off with 0 . 5 quarts (0 .5 liters) of
the appropriate oil¢
page 179 .
.. Check the oi l level again after two minutes
¢page 181.
.. Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
.,. Screw the cap back on the fi lling ho le .
_& WARNING
- W hile topping off, the o il must not come in
con ta ct with hot e ngine parts - fi re hazard!
- The oi l filler cap must be p rop erly secured
to p revent o il from being sprayed on the hot
engine and exha ust system whe n the eng ine
is ru nning -fi re haz ard!
- If you r skin has come in contac t wit h the en
g in e oil, yo u m ust s ubsequently clea nse i t
thoroug hly.
~
181

Check ing and F illing
CJ) Note
- Check the oil level us ing the radio or MMI*.
If the message Please reduce oil l evel a p
pears, contact your authorized Audi dealer
or qual ified workshop to have excess oil ex
tracted if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use o f oil
add itives. Th ey may dam age the eng ine
and ad ve rse ly aff ect your N ew Vehicl e
Warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the o il come in
contact with the sewage network or the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations when
dispos ing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta tion .
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine compart
ment,
a lways r ead and heed all WARNINGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 177 .
The engine oil must be changed accord ing to the
intervals specif ied in your Warranty
& Mainte
nance booklet. This is very important because the
lubricat ing propert ies of oil d iminish gradually
du ring normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the eng ine o il should
be changed more frequently . Change oil more of
ten if you drive mostly short distances, ope rate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly
stop-and-go traffic cond it ions, o r have your vehi
cle where temperatu res remain below freezing
for extended periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
look dark afte r the engine has been ru nning fo r a
short t ime. This is no rmal and is not a reason to
change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the prob lem of proper disposa l, along
with the special tools and necessa ry expe rt ise re
qu ired, we s trong ly recommend that you have
182
you r oi l changed by an authorized Audi d ealer or
a qua lified service station.
If you choo se to chang e your oil your self, please
note the follow ing important information:
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of persona l injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in yo ur vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection .
-
-To reduce the r isk of b urns from hot engine
oil, let the engine cool down to the touch.
- When removing the oil d rain plug with yo ur
fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always
keep your forearm parallel to the gro und to
he lp prevent hot oil from running down your
arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one la rge enough to hold at
least the tota l amount of oil in your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of
the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine o il is
harmf ul 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 engine and adverse ly affect your Audi Limited New Vehi
cle Warranty.
@I For the sake of the environment
- Before chang ing you r oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine o il properly.
Do not dump it on garden soi l, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine o il by tak ing it to a used
eng ine oil collect ion fac ility in your area, or
contact a service station .

Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re
quires little attention.
T he cooling system has been filled at the factory
with a permanent coolant which does not need to
be changed . The coolant consists of a mixture of
specially condit ioned water and the manufactur
er's glycol-basedcoolant add itive G 13 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (SO% for USA mod
e ls; 60% for Canada models) . This mixt ure bot h
assures the necessary frost protec tion and pro
tects meta l components in the engine's cooling
system from corrosion and scaling . It also raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
D o not red uce the concent ration of the coolant in
the summer by add ing p la in water.
The propor
tion of coolant addit ive mu st be at least 50 %
but not more than 60 %
to mainta in antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency. If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolant could
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en
g ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to :
- -31° F(- 3S°C)USA
- -4 0 ° F ( - 40 °C) Can ada.
If you must add coolant, use a m ixture of water
and coolant addit ive. M ixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommended .
_& WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n t he engine com
partment, a lways read and heed a ll WARN
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 177 .
(D Note
-Befo re winter se ts in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in you r
vehicle is sufficient to meet the cl imate con -
Check ing and Filling
ditions. This is especially important if you
live in a region where the winter is extreme
ly cold. If necessary, increase the proportion
of coolant additive to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your cool
ing system, remember :
- We recommend us ing only coolant add i
tive G12+ + or G13 fo r yo ur vehicle. This
coolant addit ive is avai lab le a t aut horized
A udi dealers . O ther types of antifree ze can
significantly reduce corrosion pro tect ion .
The resulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak 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 Warra nty .
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 1 52 Engin e compar tmen t: Cover o n the coo la n t ex
pans ion tank
.. Before you check anything in the eng ine com
partment,
always r ead and h eed all WARN
INGS ¢ ,A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 177 .
.. Par k your veh icle on a leve l sur face.
.. Tur n off t he ignit io n .
.. Read the eng ine coolan t leve l from the coo lant
expansion tank
¢ fig . 15 2, ¢ page 179,
fig. 149 .
With a cold engine, the coo lant level
should be b etween the "MIN" and "MAX" mark
ings. When the eng ine is warm, the level may
be slightly above the "MAX" marking. .,..
183

Checking and Filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a quick
glance.
Fig. 153 Eng ine compartment: Cover on the brake fluid
r eservoir
Before you check anything in the engine compart
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 177.
., Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid
reservoir
<=> fig . 153, ¢page 179, fig . 149 . The
brake fluid level must be between the
" MIN"
and "MAX " markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the left
side ¢
page 179 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably below
the ' 'MIN" mark, the brake warning/indicator
light (USA models:
1111 , Canada models:. )
will come on¢
page 13 . Do not continue to oper
ate the vehicle . The complete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/indicator light w ill illuminate.
Contact an author ized Audi dealer
immediately.
(D} Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under
neath the cover.
186
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor
rosion in the brake system may result after ape
riod of time . The boiling po int of the brake fluid
will a lso decrease considerably and decrease
braking performance.
Therefore , the brake fluid must be changed
every
two years .
Always use new brake fluid which con
forms to Feder-al Motor Vehicle Standard "FMVSS
116 DOT 4 ".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult 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 fluid and the know-how to do this for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed original container out of
the reach of children!
- Brake fai lure can result from o ld or inappro
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau
tions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE speci
fi cation
J 1703 and conforms to Federal
Motor Veh icle Standard 116. Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer to make
sure you are using the correct brake fluid .
The correct type of brake f luid is also indi
cated on the brake fluid 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 long .
This can seriously affect the efficiency of
the brakes as well as your safety. This
could result in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehi-
cle .
lilJJ,

Wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine Normal load Maximum load
(up to 3 people)a>
front rear front rear
PSI
Q3: 235/50 Rl8 97H
2.0L All Season
32
4 cylinders
235/50 Rl8 97V
High Performance
32
255/40 Rl9 l00H xl
All Season
33
255/40 Rl9 96Y
High Performance
33
255/35 R20 97Y xl
High Performance
33
a) 2 people in the front , 1 person in the re ar
A WARNING
-
Please note the important safe-
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure
c=> page 201 and load
limits ¢
page 203.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
220 32 220 3 3 23 0 36 2 50
220 32 220 33 230 36 250
230 33 230 44 300 46 320
2 30 33 230 44
300 46
320
230 33 230 44 300 46 320
Your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
plus maximum load. The maxi
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in
tended to carry ("seating capaci
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen-
ger at a designated seating
11--
203