2017 AUDI A4 check engine

Stopping and starting the engine
Applies to: vehicles with Start-Stop system
Fig. 79 Instrument cluster : eng ine sw itched off (s top
p hase)
~ B rake the ve hicle to a stop. The engine stops
shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop or if
the vehicle is stationa ry
1l. Keep your foot on
the brake pedal. The
II indicator light appears
in the stat us line at the bottom of the instru­
ment cluster d isplay. The needle in the tachom­
eter also moves into the READY
1l position .
~ The engine starts aga in when you take your
foot off the b rake pedal.
If the park ing brake is
set, the engine w ill only start aga in when the
a cce le rator pedal is p ressed
1>. The indica tor
li gh t turns off.
Additional information The engine stops i n the P, N and D selector lever
positions .
If you select the R pos ition dur ing a Stop phase ,
the eng ine will start again .
Select the P pos ition quickly to p revent the en­
g ine from starting unintentionally when sh ift ing
through R.
You can determine for yourself if the engine will
stop or not by reducing or increasing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex­
ample, if you only lig htly press on the brake ped­
al in stop-and-go traff ic or when turning, the en­
g ine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta­
tionary . As soon as you press the brake down
ha rder, the eng ine will switch off.
l l Ma rket -spe cific
Drivi ng
(D Tips
- Press the bra ke peda l during a Stop phase
to keep the vehicle from rolling.
- The ignition will turn off if yo u press the
!START ENGINE STOPI butto n dur ing a stop
phase. The needle in the tachometer moves
into the
OFF position.
General information
Applies to: vehicles with Start-Stop system
The standard Start/Stop mode con be canceled
for different system-related reasons.
F ig. 80 Instrument cluste r: eng ine stop temporarily un­
ava ilable
Engine does not switch off
Before and dur ing each stop phase, the system
checks if certain conditions have been met. For
example, the eng ine will not switch off in the fol­
lowing situations:
- The engine has not reached the minim um re­
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode.
- The inte rior temperature selected by the A/C
system has not been reached.
- The outside temperature is extremely high/low.
- The windsh ield is being defrosted .
- The battery charge level is too low .
- The steering wheel is turned at a sharp angle o r
is moving .
- After engaging the reverse gear .
- On sharp incl ines.
- At high altitudes .
r,jj also appears in the instrument cl uster d is­
play.
79

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always che ck with the t rail ­
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck that all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If you r trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
90
The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use s afety chains be tween you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us­
i ng t he regular outs ide mirrors, then yo u
must in­
stall ex tended mirrors . It is impo rtant that you
al ways have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hi tc h, do not s tore
it i n y our vehicle. In case o f su dden brak ing,
the hitch could fly fo rward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra iler f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t rai le r i s he ld se curely in
pla ce to p reve nt i t from shi fting forwar d, bac k­
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driver messages on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towi ng a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure tha t
the coo ling system has enoug h fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire p ressure listed under "Full
load" on the t ire press ure label. The t ire pressure
1111-

label is located on the driver's side B-pillar. In­
f late trai ler tires to trailer and tire manufactur­
ers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check to
make sure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the tra iler to the hitch on the vehicle.
L eave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Driver messages
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car results
in a high ly unstable dist ribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and cont rol.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keeping th e trailer as light as possib le under the
circumstances . Whenever possib le, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle whi le observing tong ue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
<( conditions are unfavorable -particularly when a,
;::; going downhill. ,....
N .... 0 0
3 a,
Trailer towing
Reduce vehicle speed immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the eng ine
braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he coolant temperature gauge~ page 11 must
be obse rved carefully. The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds . Reduce your speed
immediately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
play turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to.
~ page 31 .
A WARNING
= -
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because of the addit ional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate you r rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract ic ing until you have be­
come complete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
91

Telephone
Telephone Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with telephone
Connect your cell phone to the MMI via Blue­ tooth to make a call in your vehicle using the
MMI.
Hand sfree
Afte r you have connected you r ce ll phone to the
MMI via Bluetooth , you can use the hands free
mode and operate te lephone funct ions using the
MMI. You can make calls using the an tenna on
your cell phone.
A WARNING
- Med ica l experts warn that ce ll phones can
interfere w ith the funct ion of pacemakers .
Always mainta in a m inimum d istanc e of 20
c ent imeters between the cell phone anten­
na and t he pacemaker.
-
- Do not carry the cell phone in a pocket di­
rectly over the pacemaker when the phone
is switched on.
- Sw itch the cell phone off immediately if
you suspect it may be interfering w ith the
pacemaker.
- Do not use the vo ice recognit ion system*
Q page 153 in emergencies because your
vo ice may change in stressful situations . It
may take longer to dial the number or the
system may not be able to dial it at al l. Dial
t h e emergency numbe r manua lly .
- Switch your cell phone off in areas whe re
there is a risk of an exp losion . These loca­
t ions are not always clea rly mar ked. They
may include gas stations, fuel and chemical
storage facilities or transpo rt vehicles, or lo ­
cations where fue l vapors (such as propane
or gaso line vapor in vehicles or bui ld ings),
chemicals or large quantities of dust parti­
cles (such as flour, sawdust or metal) may
be present in the air. This also applies to all
other locations where you would normally
tu rn yo ur vehicle engine off .
- The demands of traffic requ ire yo ur full at­
tent io n. Always read the chapter
Q page 141, Traffic safety information.
160
(D Tips
- The Bluetooth connection range is limited
to inside the vehicle. It can also be affected by local condit ions and interference with
ot her devices.
- To learn which Bluetooth connect ions and
wh ich of the funct ions in your cell phone are
supported, check with your cell phone serv­
ice provider or the database for mob ile devi ­
ces at
www .audiu sa.com /bluetooth .
Setup
Connecting a cell phone using Bluetooth
Applies to: vehicles with telephone
F ig. 1 58 D is pla ying the PIN for entering in t he cell p hone
Requirement:
T he vehicle must be stationary and the ignition
must be sw itched on.
The Bluetoo th function and visibility of the MMI
¢ page 231 and cell phone must be switched on.
The cell pho ne to be connected must not be con­
nected to any other Bluetooth device.
The MMI must not be connected to a cell phone.
Connecting a cell phone
.,. Select: !MENU I button> Telephone > Conn ect
c e ll phone > Find ne w de vic es > Ne xt .
The
available Bluetooth devices are shown in the In­
fotainment system display .
Or select: !M ENUI
button >Settings > left contro l button> MMI
s ettin gs> Co nnection manag er¢
page 230.
"'" Select and confirm the des ired cell phone from
the list of d isplayed B luetooth devices .
"'" The MMI generates a PIN for the connection
Q fig. 158.
... Select and confirm Yes . ..,_

Check ing and F illing
Checking and Filling
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Applies to: vehicles with gaso line engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage.
F u el r eco mmend ati on
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unle ad­
e d pr em ium
grade gasoline . Audi recommends
using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a mini­
mum octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline,
p lease go to the offic ial website
(www.toptiergas .com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label located on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This rating
may be specified as AK I or RON .
Your veh icle may also be operated using unlead­
ed regular gasoline with a minimum octane rat ­
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON. However, using 87 AKI/91
RON octane fuel w il l slightly reduce engine pe r­
forma nce.
Us e un leade d gaso lin e onl y. Unleaded gasoline
is availab le throughout the USA , Canada, and in
most European countries . We recommend that
you do not ta ke your vehicle to areas or co unt ries
where un leaded gaso line may not be availab le.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
¢ page 298 .
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to re­
sist engine damaging "knock" caused by prema­
ture ignit ion and detonation . Therefore, buy ing
the correct grade of gasoline is very important to
he lp prevent poss ible engine damage and a loss
of eng ine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the Un ited
States and Canada has the following octane rat­
i n gs that ca n usually be found on the filler pump:
- Premium Grade: 91 - 96 AKI
296
- Regu la r Grade: 87 - 90 AK I
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = Research Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number.
{[) Note
-Do not use a ny fue l w ith o ctane ratings low­
er than 87 AKI or 91 RON othe rw ise expen­
sive engine damage wi ll occur .
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of lead­
ed gasoline will severely damage your vehi­
cle's catalyt ic converter and its ability to
control exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
Use of gaso lin e conta ining alcoho l or MTBE
(meth yl tertia ry butyl ether )
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al­
cohol or MTB E (commonly referred to as oxygen ­
ates) if the blended m ixture meets the follow ing
criteria:
Blend of g asoline methanol (wood alcohol o r
m eth yl alcoho l)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co -solvents.
Blend of ga soline and ethanol (grain alcohol or
ethyl alc ohol )
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher .
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Blend of gas oline and M TBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AK I or h igher .
- Blend must contain not mo re than 1S% MTB E.
S easonall y adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or summer dr iv ing . Dur-
i ng seasonal change-over, we suggest that you .,..

<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 a,
fill up at busy gas stations where the seasonal
adjustment is more likely to be made in time .
(D Note
-Methanol f uels which do not mee t these re­
quirements may ca use corrosion and dam­
age to plastic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fai l to meet the speci­
fied criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether or not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
fications, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents can­
not be identif ied.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems resulting from the use of fue ls differ­
ent from those specified are not the respon­
s ibility of Audi and are not covered under
the New Veh icle or the Emiss ion Control
System Wa rrant ies.
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy or
driveability and performance problems due
to the use of one of these fuel b lends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
Applies to: vehicles with gasol ine engine
A majo r concern among many auto manufactur ­
ers is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use.
A lthough gasoline grades d iffer from one manu­
facturer to another, they have cer tain things in
common . A ll gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on vita l engine
parts, such as fue l injectors and intake valves . Al ­
though most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline. For more informat ion on TOP TIER Deter­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website (www.toptiergas .com) .
Check ing and Filling
After an extended period o f using inadeq uate
fuels, bui lt-up ca rbon deposits can rob your en­
gine of peak performance.
(D Note
- Damage or malfunction d ue to poor f uel
quality is no t covered by the Audi New Veh i­
cle Lim ited Warranty .
- Do not add af termarket fuel addi tive prod­
u cts to your fue l tank.
Diesel fuel
Applies to: vehicles with diesel engine
Always use U LSD (Ult ra Low Sulfur Diesel) No. 2.
T he ULSD No. 2 meets the AS TM 0975.
D iesel fuel w ith concentrations of b iod iesel h igh­
er than 5
% such as Bl 1, B20 or B100 are st rict ly
prohib ited.
Service station fuel pumps are labeled with the
cor rect fuel i nformation for easy recogn ition by
the user. If the d iesel fue l pump is not labeled
as k t he station operator wha t fuel is being dis­
pensed before fill ing up your vehi cle.
U LSD No . 2 may not be ava ilable outside the USA
and Canada. Be su re to check befo re t raveling to
othe r countr ies.
ULSD No . 2 can become thicker in very cold tem­
peratures, and th is can impa ir the engine's start­
ing and runn ing . Depend ing o n the season, gas
stations provide ULS D No. 2 that flows be tte r in
cold te mpe ra tures so that you can conti nue ope r­
at ing your vehicle as usual.
(D Note
- Yo ur vehicle's diese l eng ine w as designed
so ley for use w ith ULS D No. 2. Therefo re,
never use gasoline, heating oil, other fuels
or flow improvers. These contain s ubstances
that will severely damage the fuel system
and the engine. Such damage will not be
covered by your New Vehicle Limited War­
ranty.
- If you put any amount of incorrect fuel in
the fuel tank, do not start the engine under ..,_
297

Checking and Filling
any circ umstances. Immediately contact the
nearest author ized Audi dealer or author­
i zed Audi Service Facility for assistance .
These fuels contain substances that can se­
verely damage the fue l system and the en­
gine if the engine is started .
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fuel fille r neck is located on the right rear
s ide pan el behind the fu el filler flap .
I f the power locking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manua lly -for detai led instruc­
tions see
c::> page 300.
You can find the fuel tank capac ity of you r vehicle
in
c::> page 362 .
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap tells
you the correct fue l for your vehicle . For more in­
formation about fue l specifications , see
c::> page 296 .
Your veh icle fuel tank has an onboard refuelling
vapor recovery system . This feature he lps to pre­
ve nt fuel vapors from escap ing from the tank and
pollut ing the e nvironment while yo u re fuel your
veh icle. In order to fi ll the tank properly while
protecting the environment, please fo llow this
r e fu eling procedure carefu lly.
& WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never car­
ry additiona l fuel containers in yo ur car. Gas
canisters and other conta iners used to trans­
port fuel can be dangerous . S uch containers,
full or empty , may lea k and could cause a fire
in a collision. If yo u m ust t ransport fue l to
use for yo ur lawn mower, snow blower, etc.,
be very careful and a lways obse rve loca l and
state laws regard ing the use, t ransportation
and sto rage of such fue l conta iners. Make cer­
tain the container meets industry standards
(ANSI/ASTM F852 -86).
(D Note
Never drive yo ur vehicle unt il the fuel tan k is
comp letely empty . The irregular supply of
298
fu el can cause misfiring. Gasoline could ente r
the exhaust system and damage the catalytic
converter.
Fueling procedure
F ig . 239 Righ t rea r side of th e ve hicl e: op enin g the fue l
fi ller door
Fig. 2 40 Fuel fille r doo r wit h attached fuel c ap
The fuel filler doo r is unlocked or locked by the
cent ral lock ing system .
Opening the fuel cap
.. Press the left side of the fuel f iller doo r to open
i t
c::> fig. 239 -arrow-.
.. Unscrew the tank cap counterclockwise .
.,.. Place the cap from above on the open fuel filler
door
c::> fig . 240 .
Closing the fuel cap
.. Turn the fuel cap to the right until it stops.
.. Close the fuel filler door until i t latches.
Onc e the pump noz zle sw itches
off, the fuel tank
is "full ". Do not fill the tank more . Otherwise , the
expans ion space in the tank w ill be filled.
The correct fuel type fo r your ve hicle can be
fo und o n a label located on the inside of the f uel
IJJ,

Checking and Filling
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
Fuel filler door emergency release
If the central locking system is faulty, the fuel
filler door can be unlocked manually.
Fig. 241 L uggage compartment: opening the side t rim
panel
F ig. 242 luggage compartment: fue l fi ller doo r emergency
r elease
The emergency opening mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the luggage
compartment.
• Open the cover in the side panel
¢fig. 241.
• Loosen the loop c> fig. 242 from the retainer
and then pull on the loop carefully
c>0 . The
fuel filler door releases.
• Press on the left side of the fuel filler door to
open it
¢page 298, fig. 239 .
(D Note
Only pull on the loop until you feel resistance .
You will not hear it release. Otherwise you
could damage the emergency re lease mecha­
nism .
300
Selective catalytic
reduction (AdBlue)
General information
Applies to: vehicles with selective catalytic reduct ion
In vehicles with selective catalytic reduction, a
urea solution (AdBlue) is injected into the ex­
haust system before a nitrogen oxide cata lytic
converter to reduce nitrogen emissions.
The Ad Blue is carried in a separate tank in the ve­ hicle. The Ad B lue usage accounts for approxi­
mately 1.0% to 2.5% of the diesel fuel that is
used.
When a message about refi lling the AdBlue ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display, you must
ref ill the Ad B lue yourself or have it refilled by an
authorized Audi dealer or authori zed Audi Service
Facility
c> page 301.
(l} Tips
- The d isp lay indicates the distance rema ining
that can be driven¢
page 300. If the Ad Bl­
ue tank is completely empty, the engine will
not start again after the ignition is switched
off .
- Ad Blue is required by law to operate th is ve­
hicle.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
App lies to: vehicles with selective cata lytic reduction
The display indicates if the Ad Blue level is low or
if there is a system malfunction .
Ad Blue level low
You will be informed in the instrument cluster
display if the Ad Blue in the tank drops below a
certain level. Add at a minimum the amount of
Ad Blue shown in the message:
• Refill with at least x qt (l) Ad Blue . Range
x mi (km)
This message appears when there is only enough
AdBlue left to drive the distance indicated in the
instrument cluster. Fill the AdBlue.
• Refill with at least x qt (I) AdBlue . No en­
gine start in x mi (km ). See owner's manual