2018 AUDI S4 Gas

the airbag will inflate when it is not
supposed
to, or will not inflate when it
should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­ duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 245 Infla ted side airbags on left side of veh icle, rear
side airbag opt ional equipment
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area.
It expands between the
side trim panel and the passenger. In order to
help provide this additional protection, the side
airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second
at very high speed and with great force . The sup­
plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are locat ed in the area where the supple­
mental side airbag expands. This applies espe­
cially to
children¢ page 295, Child safety. Sup­
plemental side airbags inf late between the occu­
pant and the door panel on the side of the vehicle
that is struck in certain side
collision ¢ fig. 245.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de­ ploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
-
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
_,.
291

collision. It is not possible to define an airbag
triggering range that will cover every possible
an­
g le of impact, s ince the circumstances will vary
considerably between one collision and another.
Important factors include, for example, the
na­
ture (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the
angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
¢ page 293,
How side curtain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can p rovide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always
re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
p rotect you if you are wearing your safety bel t
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 263, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curtain airbag system is designed to he lp reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, friction burns and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only o nce and only in
certa in ki nds of acc idents -your safety belts are
always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airba g sy stem ba sically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external s ide
impact senso rs
- The side curtain airbags above the w indows of
the outer seating positions with ejection miti­
gation feat ures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain it is funct ion ing properly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the air­
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self d iagnost ics) .
Airb ag sys tem
The side curta in airbag is not activ ated:
- if the ignition is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in rear-end col lisions .
_&. WARNING
-Safe ty bel ts and the airbag system will only
provide pro tect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 65,
Front seats.
- I f the airbag ind ic a tor light q page 3 2
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained .
Fig. 24 7 Illustration of pr incip le: Inflated s ide curta in air­
bags o n the left s ide
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the w indows in a side collis ion
c> fig . 247 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protect ion, the
s ide curtain a irbag must inf late w ithi n the blink
of a n eye at very high speed and with g reat fo rce .
T he side c urtain airbag could injure you if yo ur
Ill>
293

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
Checking and Filling
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Applies to: veh icles with gaso line engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unlead­
ed premium
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 official website
(www.toptiergas .com) .
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label located
on the inside of the fuel filler flap . This rating
may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using unlead­
ed regular gasoline with a min imum octane rat ­
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON. However, using 87 AKl/91
RON octane fuel will slightly reduce engine pe r­
formance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gasoline
is available throughout the USA , Canada, and in
most European countries . We recommend that
you do not take your vehicle to areas or countries
where un leaded gasol ine may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
c::> page 317 .
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
h e lp prevent possible engine damage and a loss
of eng ine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane rat­
ings that can usually be found on the filler pump:
- Premium Grade: 91
-96 AKI
Checking and Filling
-Regu lar Grade: 87 -90 AKI
E xplanation of the abb reviations:
AKI =
Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = R esearch Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use any fuel w ith octane ratings low­
er than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise expen­
sive engine damage w ill occur .
- Do
not us e leaded gasoline. The use of lead­
ed gasoline will severe ly damage your vehi­
cle's catalytic converter and its ability to
control exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or MTBE
(methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al­
cohol or MTB E (commonly referred to as oxygen ­
ates) if the blended mixture meets the following
criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol or
ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AK I or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or summer dr iving . Dur-
ing seasonal change-over, we suggest that you
..,.
315

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
.,..

any circumstances. Immediately contact the
nearest authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
These fuels contain substances that can se­
verely damage the fuel system and the en­
gine if the engine is started.
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manually
-for detailed instruc­
tions see
¢page 319.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle
in
¢page 381.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap tells
you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For more in­
formation about fuel specifications, see
<=?page 315.
Your veh icle fuel tank has an onboard refuelling
vapor recovery system. This feature he lps to pre­
vent fuel vapors from escap ing from the tank and
polluting the environment while you refuel your
vehicle . In order to fill the tank properly while
protecting the environment, please follow this
refueling procedure carefully.
A WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never car­
ry additional fuel containers in your car. Gas
canisters and other containers used to trans­
port fuel can be dangerous. Such containers,
full or empty, may leak and could cause a fire
in a collision. If you must transport fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc.,
be very careful and always observe local and
state laws regarding the use, transportation
and storage of such fuel containers. Make cer­
tain the container meets industry standards
(ANSI/ASTM F8S2
-86).
(D Note
Never dr ive your vehicle until the fuel tank is
completely empty. The irregu lar supply of
Checking and Filling
fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could enter
the exhaust system and damage the catalytic
converter.
Fueling procedure
Fig. 260 Right rear side of the vehicle: opening the fuel
f ilte r door
Fig. 261 Fuel filler door with attached fuel cap
The fuel filler door is unlocked or locked by the
central locking system.
Opening the fuel cap
.,. Press the left side of the fuel filler door to open
it¢
fig. 260 -arrow-.
.,. Unscrew the tank cap counterclockwise.
.,. Place the cap from above on the open fuel filler
door¢
fig. 261.
Closing the fuel cap
.,. Turn the fuel cap to the right until it stops.
.,. Close the fuel filler door until it latches.
Once the pump nozzle switches off, the fuel tank
is "full". Do not fill the tank more. Otherwise the
expansion space in the tank will be filled.
The correct fuel type for your vehicle can be
found on a label located on the inside of the fuel
.,.
317

Check ing and F illing
"' Position the bottle on the filler tube and turn
the bottle clockwise unti l it stops turning.
"' Press lightly aga inst the bottom of the bott le
to empty it. Continue pressing the bottom of
the bottle until it is empty or unti l fluid stops
flowing into the tank .
"' Remove the bottle and seal the filler neck
¢ page 322, Completing AdBlue refill .
0 Note
Only use refill bottles that are approved for
your vehicle. Us ing other systems can ca use
Ad Blue to leak.
-You can obta in refill bottles from an author­
i zed Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service
F ac ility.
- A pe rm itted refill bottle conta ins approxi­
mately 0 .5 gallon ( 1.9 liters) of Ad Blue.
Completing AdBlue refill
Applies to: vehicles with selective catalytic reduction
Closing the filler neck
"'Turn the Ad Blue cap to the r ight on the filler
tube unti l th e cap cl ic k s into
p lace ¢.&. in
Prepara tion on page 320,
¢ (Din Preparation
on page 320 ..
"' Then press on the left side of the tank door un-
ti l it latches.
After filling
The vehicle must be driven so tha t the system
recognizes t hat the Ad B lue was refilled. This can
t ake severa l m in utes.
"' If there was no Ad Blue left in the tank and a
r ange of O mi (0 km) was shown in the d isplay,
swi tch the ign ition on fo r abo ut 30 seconds be­
f ore star ting the engine .
(D Tips
Ad Blue in the tank can free ze at very low tem­
pera tures. If this happens, the system will
not detect that the AdB lue was refilled and it
w ill contin ue to inform you of the low AdBlue
322
leve l. The message tu rns off as soon as the
tank thaws out again .
Emissions control
systems
Cat alytic converter
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engines
T he vehicle may only be driven w ith un leaded
gaso line, otherwise the catalytic converter will be
destroyed .
Never drive unti l the tan k is comp lete ly empty .
T he irregu lar supply of fuel that resu lts from that
can cause eng ine misfires. Uncombusted fuel will
enter the exhaust system , which can cause over­
heating and damage to the catalytic converte r.
Di esel particulate filt er
Applies to: vehicles with diesel engines
The diese l particulate filter filters nearly all of
the soot part icles out of the exhaust. The filter
cleans itself automat ica lly under norma l dr iv ing
cond it io ns. If the filter cannot clean itself (for ex­
amp le, because yo u are on ly driving short distan ­
ces), the filter becomes clogged with soot and
the
1111 i ndicato r light for the diese l particulate
filte r tu rns
on ¢ page 33.
_&. WARNING
The tempera ture o f the e xhaust sys tem is
h igh, both when driving and a fter stopping
the engine.
-
-Never tou ch the e xhaus t tail p ipes o nce they
have become hot. This cou ld resu lt in burns.
-D o not p ark your vehicle over flamm able
materials such as grass or leaves because
the hig h temperature of the emissions con­
trol system (catalyt ic converter or d iese l
pa rticu late filter) co uld start a fire.
- Do not apply underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area, beca use this increases
the risk of f ire.

Check ing and F illing
I f you must add oi l between oi l changes, use an
oil that matches the Audi oi l quality standard
listed on the st icker. The sticker is located at the
front of the engine
compartment <=> page 325,
fig. 268.
Au di r ec omm end s
ocastrol i/g/g'fE:@t P'r(w.:::-..~J.D,'JAJ..
A udi r ecommends Longli fe high performa nce
e ngin e oil from Audi G enuin e Part s
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the eng ine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a h igh-quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
yea r.
0 Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage o r malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set fo rth in the Aud i Owner's
Man ual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high qual ity eng ine oi l th at ex-
p ressly complies with the Audi oil q uality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using any other oil can cause se rious engine
damage .
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa ­
ble that meets the Audi oi l quality standard
your engine requi res, you may add a total of
no more than 0.5 qt (0.5 l) of a h igh-quality
"synthet ic" o il that meets the following speci­
fications.
- Vehicles with gasoline eng ine: ACEA A3 or
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30,
SAE 5W-30 or SAE 5W-40.
- Vehicles w ith diesel eng ine: ACEA C3 or
API CF with a v iscosity grade of SAE OW-30
or SAE 5W-30 .
- For more information about engine oi l that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact eithe r your authorized Aud i dealer
or Audi Custome r Relat ions at
326
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audi usa .com or www .audicanada .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 ports.
In order to prov ide effect ive lub ricat ion and cool ­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combustion engines consume a certain amount
of oil. Oil consumption var ies 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<=> page 80) consume more
o il dur ing the break-in per iod than they consume
after o il consumption has stabi lized .
U nder normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity of
the oil, the RPM (revolutions per m inute) at
wh ich the engine is operated, the amb ient tem­
perature and road condit ions. Furthe r facto rs a re
t h e amo unt of o il di lution from wate r condensa­
t ion or fue l residue a nd the oxidat ion level of the
oi l. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oi l consumption may increase ove r
ti me until replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil cons umption can be estab ­
li shed or specified . There is no alternative to reg­
ular and frequent checking of the oil level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l El
in the instrument cluster lights up, you should
check the o il level as soon as possible
<=> page 32 7. Top off the o il at your earliest con­
venience
<=> page 32 7.
A WARNING
Before you check anyth ing in the e ngine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
I NGS<=> .&. in Working in the engine compart-
ment on page 323.
1iJ>,

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
edge of the reservoir and result in damage
to the vehicle .
- Do not get any brake fluid on the vehicle
paint, beca use it will corrode the paint .
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of the complex power supply, all work
on batteries such as disconnecting, replacing,
etc. shou ld
onl y be performed by an a uthorized
Aud i dealer o r autho rized Aud i Serv ice Facility
¢ ,&. .
The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
battery in your veh icle.
Detailed warning s for th e vehicl e batter y:
®
Wear eye protection .
A
Battery acid is highly corrosive. Wear pro-
tective gloves and eye protect ion.
@
Fire, spa rks, open flame and smoking are
forbidden.
~
A highly explosive mixture of gases can
form when charging batteries.
®
Keep children away from battery acid and
batteries.
A WARNING
All work on the battery or electrical system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chemical
burns, accide nts o r burns. Be cause of this, a ll
work m ust be perfo rmed
only by an a uthor­
ized Aud i deale r or a utho rized Aud i Serv ice
Facility.
_&. WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts , termina ls and re lated acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
Ch eck ing and Filling
(D Note
Protect the vehicle battery against freezing if
the veh icle w ill be parked for long periods of
time so that it is not destroyed by "free zing"
¢ page 332.
@ For the sa ke of the environment
i Batteries contain polluting substances such
as sulfur ic acid and lead. Contact an author­
i zed Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Fac ility for more informat ion .
Vehicle battery
The term "vehicle ba ttery" refers to the 12 Vol t
ba ttery in your vehicle.
Not running th e vehicle fo r long p eriod s of
time
If you do not drive your vehicle for severa l days or
weeks, electrical equ ipment is gradually scaled
back or sw itched off . Th is reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be able to start after long
per iods of t ime
¢ page 151. Some convenie nce
funct ions, such as inte rio r ligh ting or power seat
adjustment, may not be ava ilable under certain
c ircumstances. These convenience functions will
be available again once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine.
Even when elect rical equipment is switched off,
the eq uipment can sti ll drain the vehicle battery
if the vehicle is not driven for long periods of
time. Deep draining results in a chemica l reaction
that destroys the inside of the vehicle battery .
The veh icle battery must be charged every month
to reduce the risk of this happening
¢ page 332 .
Contact an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility for more information .
Winter operation
Co ld weather places higher demands on the vehi­
cle battery. Th is results in reduced starting ab ili­
ty. Have the vehicle battery checked by an au­
thorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Service
Facil ity before the cold time of year.
33 1