,....,
N
co
er::
co
,....,
to prevent oil from be ing sprayed on the hot
engine and exhaust system when the engine
is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the en
gine oil, you must subsequently cleanse it
thoroughly .
@ Note
-Check the oil level using the radio or the
MM!*. If the message
Ple ase redu ce oil l ev
el
appears, contact your authorized Aud i
dealer or other qualified workshop to have
excess oil extracted if necessary.
- Audi do es not recommend th e use of o il
addit ive s. The y ma y damage the eng ine
and ad verse ly affect your New Vehicle
Wa rranty.
@ 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 whe n
dispos ing of empty oil conta iners.
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,
alw ays read and h eed all WARNING S c:> .&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 220 .
The engine oil must be changed according to the
intervals specified in your Warranty
& Mainte
nance booklet . This is very important because the
l ubricat ing propert ies of o il d iminish gradually
du ring normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine o il should
be changed more frequently . Change oil more of
ten if you drive mostly short distances, operate
the veh icle in dusty areas or under predominant ly
stop-and -go traffic condit ions, or have yo ur vehi
cle whe re temperatures remain below freezing
for extended periods.
Ch eck ing and Filling
Detergent additives in the oi l will make fresh oil
look dark after the engine has been running for a
short time . This is normal and is not a reason to
change the oi l more often than recommended.
Because of the problem o f proper disposal, along
with the specia l tools and necessary expertise re
quired, we strongly recommend that yo u have
your o il changed by an authori zed
Audi dealer or
a qual ified service stat ion.
If y ou choo se to chan ge your oil your self , please
note the following important information:
A WARNING "--
To reduce the risk of persona l injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
-
-To reduce the r isk of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine cool down to the touch.
- When remov ing the oil drain plug w ith your
f ingers, stay as far away as possible. Always
keep your forearm parallel to the ground to
he lp prevent hot oil from running down your
arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amou nt of oil in your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of
the reach of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used engine o il is
harmful to your skin. Always protect your
skin by washing oil off thoroughly with soap
and water .
«I) Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and
adverse ly affect yo ur Audi limited New Vehi
cle Warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
-Before chang ing yo ur oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly d ispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine o il properly .
Do not dump it on ga rden soil, wooded
225
Checking and Filling
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used
engine oil collection facility 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
qu ires little attention .
The 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 conditioned water and the manufactur
er's g lycol-basedcoo lant additive G 13 antifreeze
w ith anticorrosion addi tives (50% for USA mod
e ls· 60% for Canadian mode ls). This m ix ture
'
both ass ures the ne cess ary fros t protection and
p rotects metal com ponents in the engi ne's coo l
ing system from corrosion and scaling .
It also
raises the boiling point of the coolant.
Do not red uce the concent ra tion of the cool ant in
the s ummer by addi ng p la in water.
The propor
tion of coolant additive must be at lea st 50 %
but not more than 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency. If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coo lant could
freeze and damage the vehicle heat ing and en
g ine cooling system .
For year -round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to:
- -3 1 °F
c -3s0c) usA
- -4 0° F ( -40°C) Canad a.
I f you must add coolant, use a m ixt ure of wa ter
and coolant add it ive. M ixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommen ded.
_& WARNING
B efore you che ck anyt hing i n the engine com
partmen t, a lways read and heed all WARN -
226
INGS ~ & in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 220.
(D Note
- Be fore w inter sets in, have the coolan t
checked to see if the coo lant additive in your
vehicle is suff ic ient to meet the climate con
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 addi tive to 60% .
- Whe n adding coolant additive to your cool
ing system, remember:
- We re commend usin g on ly coo lant addi
tive G12++ o r G13 fo r yo ur vehicle. This
coolant ad dit ive is availab le at authorized
Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can
significantly reduce corrosion protection.
The resulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serio us engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiato r leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra
diator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and perfo rmance of yo ur cooling
system and cou ld resu lt in damage not cov
ered by your New Ve hicle Li mited War ranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 20 0 Eng ine compartment: cover on the coo lant expan
s io n tank
Befo re yo u check anything in the engine compart
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
~ ,& in Working in the engine compart,nen t on
page 220. ..,.
.... N
co
er::
co
....
.,. Turn
off the ignition.
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the coolant
expansion tank
c> fig . 200, c> page 222,
fig. 197. With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "MIN" and "MAX" mark
i ngs . When the engine is warm, the level may
be s light ly above the
"MAX " marking .
T he location of the coolant expans ion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustrat ion
i=> page 222.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be sw itched
off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
c:> page 29 wi ll
blink until you add coolant and the level has been
restored to normal. Even though there is an e lec
tr ic coolant level sensor, we still recommend you
check the coolant level from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
syst em. In the event of coolant loss, the cooling
system should be inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is not enough merely
to add coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as a re
sult of overheat ing .
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your veh icle's engine coolant. Adding radia
tor repair fluid may adversely affect the func
tion and performance of your cooling system
and could result in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine compart
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
Checking and Filling
c> .&. in Working in the engine compartment on
page
220 .
Requirement: The re must be a residual amount
of coolant in the expans io n tank
c>@.
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
ta nk
c:> page 226 , fig. 200 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
c> _&. .
.,. Add coo lant mixed in the correct ratio
c:> page 226, Coolant up to the MAX marking .
.,. Make sure that the f luid level remains stable.
Add more coolan t if necessary .
.,. Twist the cap o n again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to ex
act specifications
c:> page 226, Coolan t.
We recommend using only coolant addit ive Gl2 +
+ , Gl3
or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not use a
different additive . In an emergency use plain wa
ter until you can get the correct addit ive and can
restore the correct ratio. This should be done as
soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of coo l
ant, then you shou ld add cold antifreeze and cold
water only whe n the engine is cold.
Always use
new e ngine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX " mark. Excess
coolant will be forced out through the pressure
relief valve in the cap when the engine becomes
hot.
A WARNING
-- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scalding
from hot coolant by following these steps .
- Turn
off the eng ine an d allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise direction whil e applying
light, downward pressure on the top o f
the cap .
~
227
Checking and Filling
-To avoid bein g burned, do not spill anti
f reeze 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 dra in the coolant, it must be ca ught
and safely stored in a proper conta iner
clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air cou ld enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine .
If this is the case,
do not continue dr iving . Seek professional
ass istance.
- Coolant pollutes the e nvironment a nd could
cause an eng ine fire. Excess coolant will be
fo rced o ut through the pressu re relief valve
i n the cap when the eng ine be comes hot .
- If, in an emergency, o nly wate r can be add
ed, the co rrect ratio between water and an
tifree ze ~
page 226 mus t be resto red as
soon as possib le .
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained cool ant sho uld not be reused. Always
dispose of used coo lant w hile obse rving all
environmenta l regulatio ns.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it
self.
The radiator fan is dr iven by the eng ine v ia the V
be lt . The visco us cl utch regula tes the speed of
the fan acco rding to the tempera ture of t he cool
ant.
An aux iliary ele ct ric radiator fan* swit ches on and
off depending on coolant tempera tu re and o ther
ve hicl e operat ing cond itions .
After you switch the engine off , the auxiliary fan
can cont inue runn ing fo r up to 10 minutes - even
228
with the ignition off . It can even switch o n aga in
l ater by itself~.&. , if
- the tempera ture of the engine coolant rises d ue
to the hea t build- up from the engine in the en
gine compartment, or
- the engine compa rtme nt heats up bec ause the
veh icle is parked in intense s unlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the r isk of personal injury never
touch the radiator fan.
- The a uxiliary e lectric fan is temperat ure
controlled and can switch on suddenly even
when the engine is not runn ing .
-
-The a uxiliary radiator fan switches on a uto
mat ically when the eng ine coolant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to r un
until the coo lant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The broke fluid level con be checked with o quick
glance .
Fig. 20 1 En g in e com par tmen t: cov er on t he br ak e fluid
r e servo ir
N
N
-N
"' CIO a,
Befo re you check anything in the engine compart
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
~ .&, in Working in the engine comportment on
page 220 .
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the bra ke f luid
rese rvoir ~
fig. 201, <> page 222, fig . 197. The
brake fl uid leve l must be between the "M IN"
and "MAX " mark ings .
,....,
N
co
er::
co
,....,
partition of the engine compartment on the left
side ¢
page 222.
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.
I f the b rake fl uid level fa lls
considerably be low
the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/ind icator
light (U .S. mode ls:
1111 , Canadian models:.)
will come on¢
page 18 and ¢ page 28 . Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thoroughly checked by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop and
the cause corrected . If the brake fluid level is too
low, the brake warning/ind icator light will illumi
nate. Contact an authorized Audi dealer
immedi
a te ly.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs mo isture from the air. If the
water conte nt in the brake fluid is too h igh, cor
ros ion in the brake system may resu lt after ape
riod of time. The boiling poi nt of the brake flu id
will also dec rease cons iderably and decrease
braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the b rake fluid must be changed
e ve ry
two year s.
Always use new b rake fluid wh ich con
forms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle St andard "FMVSS
116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to reach,
therefore, we re commend that yo u have the
b rake fl uid changed by yo ur autho rized
Audi
deal er.
Your dealer has the cor rect too ls, 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 chi ldren!
- B rake failure can resu lt from old or inappro
pr iate brake flu id. Observe these precau
t io ns:
Ch eck ing and Filling
-Use only brake fluid that meets SAE speci
ficat ion
J 1703 and conforms to Federal
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with your authorized Aud i dealer to make
sure you are us ing the correct brake fluid .
The co rrect type of brake flu id is also i ndi
cated on the b rake fluid reservoir.
- The brake flu id must be new. Heavy use of
the b rakes can cause a vapo r lock if the
bra ke fluid is left in the system too long.
T his can se riously affe ct the efficiency of
t h e b rakes as we ll as you r safety . This
could resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
B rake flu id will damage the paint of your ve h i
cle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because of the p roblem of proper d isposa l of
brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls re
q uire d and the necessary expertise, we rec
ommend that yo u have the bra ke fluid
c hanged by yo ur authorize d Au di dealer.
Battery
General information
Under normal ope rat ing condit ions, the batte ry
in you r A udi does not need any mainte nance.
Wi th
high o utside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that yo u have the elec tro
lyte level checked by an authorized A udi dealer or
qualified workshop . The electro lyte level should
also be checked each time the battery is charged
~ page 231.
Have the batte ry checked when you take your ve
hicle in for service. You are we ll advised to re
place a battery that is older than S years.
Wi th certain types of airbag deployment, the
battery is d isconnected from the veh icle electri
ca l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 164.
Hyb rid dr ive *: yo u can find impo rtant informat ion
about the high voltage battery under ¢
page 97. .,.
229
Checking and Filling
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regula
tors, for example) are lost if the battery termi
na ls are disconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery terminals are con
nected again. To prevent this, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectrical
system when absolutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or sw itched off. This reduces
energy consumption and ma intains starting ca
pab ility over a longer period
c::> page 195 .
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your veh icle, some convenience functions, such
as the interior lights or the power seat adjust
ment, may not be available. The convenience
functions will be available again when you turn
on the ignition and start the engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop. This is be
cause more power is also consumed while start
ing, and the head lights, rear window defogger,
etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, particu
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
d istances . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery befo re winter
sets inc::>
page 231. A well cha rged battery w ill
not only preven t starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The batte ry is located in the luggage compart
ment under the floor. Before you check anything
in the luggage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> & .
Hybr id drive*: you can find important information
about the high volta ge battery unde r
c::> page 97.
230
Always heed the safety warnings , when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle electrical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery :
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BOLS and safety precautions when working 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 .
.b WARNING
-
Whenever working on the battery or on the
e lectrica l system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire. Read and heed the fol
lowing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection . Do not let bat
tery acid or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns.
-A lways wear glo ves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings.
- If you get battery acid in yo ur eyes or on
you r skin, immediate ly rinse with cold wa
ter for several minutes and get medical at
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid , seek
medical attention immediate ly.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
elec tric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
~
..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl .....
-Do not interchange the positive a nd 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 negative 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 b ulb, then it is enough to sw itch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the ant i-theft alarm system! Otherw ise you
will set off the a larm.
- When disconnecting the batte ry, first dis
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all e lectrical consumers are switched off .
Reconnect the posit ive cable first and then
the negative cable . Never interchange the
cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat
tery. It could exp lode! 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 a lways attached
to the opening on the side of the battery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Always replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warn ing:
- Battery posts, termina ls and re lated acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
C hecki ng an d Fill in g
chemicals known to the State of Californ ia
to cause cancer and reproductive prob lems.
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is sw itched 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 w ithout being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
w ill be damaged and will then have to be re
placed .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat
tery .
Fig . 202 E ngine compar tmen t: Co nn ectors fo r charg er and
j umpe r cables
Alw ays re ad and heed a ll WARN IN GS below
c;, ,& and r=;, .& in Working on the battery on
page 230 .
., Hybrid drive*: read the important information
concern ing a dead high voltage battery under
¢ page 104 .
., Turn off the ignition and a ll electrical consum
ers.
... Make sure the area is we ll ven tilated when you
charge the battery .
... Open the eng ine hood
r=;, page 220 .
... Remove the cover (D by pressing on the arrow
¢ fig. 202 .
... Open the cover @on the pos itive terminal. ..,_
231
Check ing and F illing
"' Connect the charger connectors according to
the instr uctions to the
jump start bolts . (Bolts
u nder the cover = "posit ive", Bo lts with hex
head = "negative") .
"' Only now plug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall outlet and tur n it on
¢& .
"' Make sure the charging rate is not over
30 amp s/14 .8 Volt.
"' When the batte ry is fu lly charged: T urn the
charg ing equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet .
"' Now remove the clamps for the charg ing equip
ment .
"' Close the cover @on the positive term inal and
re-install the cover@.
"' Close the hood
c:::;, page 220 .
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempt ing to charge it
c:::;, ,& . However, we recommend not us ing a
thawed batte ry again because the battery casi ng
can be cracked due to ice fo rmation and can leak
b attery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps/14.8 Volt)
W hen cha rging at low vo ltages (e .g . with a trick
le charger ),
the ba tte ry cables do not h ave to be
d isconnected first. The b att ery caps sho uld
no t
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the batte ry from
the l uggage comp artme nt.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14.8 Volts)
F or techn ica l reaso ns do not use a battery charg
er that uses vol tage greate r th an 14.8 Volts to
charge yo ur vehicle's bat tery.
A WARNING
Charging a ba ttery can be dangerous .
- Alw ays foll ow the operat ing instru ctions
p rovi ded by the bat tery char ger m anuf actur
er when c harging your battery .
232
-Never cha rge a frozen battery . It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batter ies which were f rozen.
The battery housing may have cracked and
weakened w hen the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area.
Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas generat
ed by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the da nger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect c harger cables while
the charge r is ope ra ting .
- Fast c harg ing a battery is dange rous and
should o nly be attempted by a compe ten t
t echnicia n w ith the prope r equipment .
- Battery acid that may spill duri ng charging
should be washed off w it h a so lution o f
warm water and baking soda to neutra lize
t he a cid.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast c harge r as a booster to start
the eng ine . This will seriously damage se nsi
tive electronic components, such as cont rol
units, re la ys, ra d io, e tc., as well as the batte ry
c h ar ger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica
tions and dimensions as the original equipmen t
battery.
Intelligent energy manageme nt in yo ur vehicle is
r esponsib le for d istr ib uting t he e lec trica l energy
t hr oughou t your ve hicl e
c:::;, page 195 . The intelli
gen t energy management system w ill keep the
engine battery charged bette r then vehicles with
out this system . To make sure the additional
e lectrica l ene rgy is available once aga in after you
have changed the batte ry, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu
facture only (the same as those installed at the
time yo ur vehicle was delivered) . Specifications
a re listed on the ba tte ry ho using . Your a uth or-
iz ed dealer m ust code the battery in the energy
9"'