2018 AUDI A4 ESP

Child safety
body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions.
.,&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se­
rious personal injury and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body.
It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢ page 263 .
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif­
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place
¢page 67. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Never let a child put the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the back, because it could
cause severe injuries in a crash.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates .
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
306
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
fj,;; light must come on and stay on,
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF fj,;; light
does not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described ¢
page 283, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG
OFF~; light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 263, Safety belts,
¢ page 2 71, Airbag system and
¢ page 295, Important information.
Securing child safety
seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas­
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats.
The safety belts for the rear seats and for the
front passenger's seat have a convertible locking
retractor for child safety seats. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving . A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re-
strained for their age and size.
ll-

Child safety
-Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible, before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF~ ; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir­
cumstances .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF~; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer .
308
· Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer 's
instructions when installing a child restrain t in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt all the way out.
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path
~ ,&. .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con ­
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to putt the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re­
tractor is now activated .
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp­
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a crash.

Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Appliesto:Sedan
Fig. 258 Tether strap: proper routing and mo unting
Applies to: allroad
Fig. 259 Tether strap: pro per rout ing and mount ing
Installing the tether strap
• Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restraint according to the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions .
• Guide the upper tether strap under the rear
head restraint (raise the head restraint if neces­
sa ry) . For child restraints with V-tether straps,
always make sure that the head restraint guide
rods do not interfere with any part of the top
tether strap.
• Applies to: Sedan: Tilt the recess flap up to ex ­
pose the anchor bracket.
• Applies to: Sedan : Attach the tether strap an­
chorage hook into the opening of the tether an ­
chorage.
• Applies to: allroad: Guide the upper tether
strap into the rear cargo area and slide the
tether strap hook over the anchor bracket .
•Pullon the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages .
• Tighten the tether strap firmly fo llow ing the
child restraint manufacturer's inst ruct ions.
Child safety
Releasing the tether strap
• Loosen the tension following the child restra int
manufacturer's instructions.
• Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed . The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around
the tether strap . T hi s applies espec ially to
le ather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
child restraint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
_&. WARNING ~
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat in sta lled on the front passenger seat will be
se riously inju red and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced Air­
bag System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the child safety
seat or infa nt carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, cente r armrest, or
door.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
i n spected by your Audi dealer.
313

Checking and Filling
fill up at busy gas stations where the seasonal
adjustm ent is more likely to be mad e in time.
0 Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­
quirements may cause corrosion and dam­
age to plastic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail 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 identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems resulting from the use of fuels differ­
ent from those specified are not the respon­
sibility of Audi and are not covered under
the New Vehicle or the Emission Control
System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy or
driveability and performance problems due
to the use of one of these fuel blends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
A major concern among many auto manufactur­
ers is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manu­
facturer to another, they have certain things in
common. All gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on vital engine parts, such as fuel 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 information on TOP TIER Deter­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website (www.toptiergas .com) .
316
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob your
en­
gine of peak performance.
([) Note
- Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Vehi­
cle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel additive prod­
ucts to your fuel tank.
Diesel fuel
Applies to: vehicles with diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) No. 2.
The ULSD No. 2 meets the ASTM 0975.
Diesel fuel with concentrations of biodiesel high­
er than 5
% such as 811,820 or 8100 are strictly
prohibited.
Service station fuel pumps are labeled with the
correct fuel information for easy recognition by
the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not labeled
ask the station operator what fuel is being dis­
pensed before filling up your vehicle.
ULSD No. 2 may not be available outside the USA
and Canada. Be sure to check before traveling to
other countries.
ULSD No. 2 can become thicker in very cold tem­
peratures, and this can impair the engine's start­
ing and running . Depending on the season , gas
stations provide ULSD No. 2 that flows better in
cold temperatures so that you can continue oper­
ating your vehicle as usual.
(D Note
- Your vehicle's diesel engine was designed
soley for use with ULSD No. 2. Therefore,
never use gasoline, heating oil, other fuels
or flow improvers. These contain substances
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
.,..

Checking and Filling
This message appears when there is only enough
Ad Blue left to drive the distance indicated in the
instrument cluster . Fill the Ad Blue .
• Refill with at least x qt (l) Ad Blue. No en­
gine start in x mi (km). See owner's manual
This message appears when there is only enough
Ad Blue left to drive the distance indicated in the
instr ument cluster. Fill the Ad Blue. Otherwise
the engine will not start again if you stop it once
the d istance indicated has been driven .
• Refill with at least x qt (l) AdBlue. Engine
start not possible . See owner's manual
This message appears when the AdBlue tank is
empty. Fill the AdB lue. Otherwise you will not be
able to start the engine again once you stop it .
The AdBlue must be refilled when the amount in
the tank has reached the minim um level
c::> page 320, Preparation.
Incorrect filling/system malfunction
A message appears if the Ad Blue tank was filled
with a fluid other than AdBlue and the system has detected that the tank was fi lled incorrectly ,
or if there is a system malfunction .
II Ad Blue: malfunction! No engine start in
x mi (km). See owner's manual
This message appears when it is only possible to
drive the d istance ind icated in the instrument
cluster. Drive to the nearest authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility to have
the malfun ction corrected. Otherwise the engine
will not start again if you stop it once the dis­
tance indicated has been driven .
• Ad Blue: malfunction! No engine start possi­
ble. See owner's manual
This message appears if the system has detected
that the tank was filled incorrectly or that there
is a malfunction . Drive immediately to the near ­
est authorized Aud i dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility to have the malfunction cor rect­
ed. Otherwise you will not be able to start the en­
g in e again once you stop it .
320
Preparation
App lies to : vehicles with selective cata lyt ic reduct ion
Fig. 264 R ig ht re ar sid e o f th e ve hicle: removing th e Ad B l­
ue cap
The Ad Blue tank open ing is located near the die­
sel tank opening. Add at least the amount of
Ad Blue shown in the instrument cluster display.
This is the minimum amount required to ensure
the system detects the refilling and to start the
engine. You can add a maximum of 6 .3 gallons
(24
L) .
Requ irement: the request to add Ad Blue must
appear in the instrument cluster display .
.. Switch the ignition off.
.. Open the tank fille r doo r c::> page 317 .
.. Turn the tank filler neck cap to the left to re­
move
c::> fig. 264 .
.. Refill Ad Blue using a pump no zzle c::> page 321,
a canister c::> page 321 or a bottle c::>page 321.
A WARNING
AdBlue can irritate the skin, eyes and respira­
tory system .
If there is contact with the fluid,
flush immed iately w ith plenty of water . Con­
sult a physician if necessary .
(D Note
-Only use Ad Blue that conforms to the
standard ISO 22241-1. Do not mix any addi­
ti ves wi th the Ad Blue and do not dilute it
with water .
- Do not add AdBlue to the diesel tank or add
diesel fuel to the Ad Blue tank. Do not start
the engine under any circumstances if the
wrong fuel is filled in the tank. There is a

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 stat ion .
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo ling system is filled with a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac­
tory. This coolant must not be not changed.
The coolant level is monitored through
the. in­
dicator light
¢ page 30. However , we do recom­
mend occasiona lly checking the coolant level
manually.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with distilled water is recommended.
Coolant additive
The coolant additive is made of anti -freezing and
corrosion protection agents. Only use the fol low­
ing coolant additives . These additives may be
mixed with each other.
Coolant additive Specification
G13
TL 774 J
G12++ TL
774 G
The amount of coo lant additive that needs to be
mixed with water depends on the climate where
the vehicle will be operated. If the coolant addi­
tive percentage is too low, the coolant can freeze
and damage the engine.
Coolant Freeze protec-
additive tion
Warm min . 40% min. -13 °F
regions max .
45% (
- 25 °()
Cold min.
50% max
. -40 °F
regions max.
55% (-40 °()
(D Note
-
Before the start of winter, have an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility check if the coolant additive in your
Checking and Filling
vehicle matches the percentage appropriate
for the climate. This is especia lly important
when driving in colder climates.
- If the appropriate coo lant additive is not
available in an emergency, do not add any
other additive. You could damage the en­
gine. If this happens, only use water and re­
store the correct mixture ratio with the
specified coolant add itive as soon as poss i­
ble .
- Only refill w ith new coolant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with
the coolant.
Adding coolant
Fig. 270 E ngine compartment: re lease button on coolant
expansion tank
Observe the safety precautions ¢,&. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 323.
Checking the engine coolant level
.. Park the vehicle on a level surface .
.. Switch the ignition off .
.. Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
tank
¢ fig. 270.
.. The coolant level must be between the MIN and
MAX markings when the engine in co ld. When
the engine is warm it can be slightly above the
MAX marking.
Adding coolant
.. Let the eng ine cool down .
.. Place a cloth over the coolant expansion tank
cap .
.. Push the release button ¢ fig. 2 70 and carefu l­
ly unscrew the cap to the left until you feel re-
sistance¢ ,A. IIJ,-
329

Checking and Filling
Charging the vehicle battery
Fig. 272 Engine co mpa rtment : connec tors for a c harger
and jump start cab le s
Req uirement: only use chargers with a m aximum
c hargi ng vo lta ge of 30 amp s/14.8 Volt s.
The
vehicle battery cables remain connected .
.,. Read the warnings c> .&. in General warnings
about batteries on page 331
and c> ,&. .
.,. Switch off the ignition and all electrical equip ­
ment .
.,. Open the hood 9 page 324 .
.,. Open the red cover on the positive terminal
c>fig. 272 .
.,. Clamp the charger terminal clamps to the jump
s ta rt pin s
according to the instruct ions . (pin
under the red cover = "positive ", p in with hex­
agonal head= "negative ") .
.,. Inse rt the powe r cable for the charg ing device
i nto the socke t and switch the dev ice on .
.,. At the end of the charging process , switch the
charger off and pull the power cab le out of the
socket .
.,. Remove the charger terminal clamps.
.,. Close the red cover on the positive terminal.
.,. Close the hood c> page 324 .
A WARNING
-A highly explosive mixtu re of gases can form
when cha rging batter ies. On ly charge the
vehicle batte ry in well-ven tilated areas.
- A drai ned vehicle battery can freeze at tem­
peratu res a round 32
QF (0 QC). A froze n or
thawed veh icle bat tery must not be charged
and must not be used anymore. The ba ttery
housing can crac k and battery acid can leak
o ut if ice forms, wh ich increases the r isk of
an exp losion and chemical burns. Contact an
332
author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Service Facility for more information.
- Do not connect or disconnect the charging
cable whi le charging because this increases
the risk of an explos ion.
@ Tips
- Only charge the vehicle battery t hrough the
connect ions in the engine compartme nt.
- Read all of the manufacturer's instructions
for the charger before charging the vehicle
battery.
Windshield washer system
Fi g. 2 7 3 Engine compar tm ent: washer flui d res ervoir cap
The windshield washer fluid reservoir¢ contains
t he cleaning solution for the windshield and th e
headlight washer system *
c> page 325, fig. 268 .
The reservoir capaci ty can be found in
c> page 381.
To reduce the risk of lime scale deposits on the
spray no zzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium . Always add w indow cleaner to the wa­
ter . When the outside temperatures are cold, an
anti -freezing agent should be added to the water
so that it does not freeze .
(D Note
-The concentration o f ant i-freez ing agent
must be adjusted to the ve hicle operat ing
conditions in the respective climate . A con­
cent ration t hat is too high can lead to vehi­
cl e damage.
- Never add radiator anti-freeze or other addi­
t ives to the washer fluid.

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
-Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint solvents, because this could damage
the paint.
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve­
hicle is due for service.
Checking service intervals
You can check the remaining distance or time un­
til the next oil change or next inspection in the
Infotainment system .
.,. Select in the Infotainment system: the I MENU I
button >
Vehicle > left control button > Service
& checks > Service intervals.
Resetting the indicator
An authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility will reset the service interval dis­
play after performing service.
If you have changed the oil yourself, you must re­
set the oil change interval.
.,. Select in the Infotainment system: the !MENUI
button >
Vehicle > left control button > Service
& checks > Service intervals > Reset oil change
interval.
If an oil change or inspection is due, you can ac­
cess it in the Infotainment system. The display
works in two stages:
-Service reminder: after a certain distance is
driven, a message appears in the instrument
cluster display every time the ignition is switch­
ed on. The remaining distance and time is dis­
played briefly.
- Service due: if your vehicle has reached a serv­
ice interval , a message appears briefly after
switching the ignition on.
(D Note
-Only reset the oil change indicator if the oil
was changed.
- Following the service intervals is critical to
maintaining the service life and value of
your vehicle, especially the engine. Even if
Checking and Filling
the mileage on the vehicle is low, do not ex­
ceed the time for the next service.
333