engine coolant AUDI A4 2017 Owners Manual

Cockpit overview
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster overview
The instrument cluster is the central information center for the driver.
Fig. 3 Instrument cl uster overv iew (analog)
F ig . 4 Instrument cluster overv iew (Audi v irtual cockpit )
(D Engine coolant temperature gauge
@ Tachometer ... .............. .
- with
OFF status indicat or .. .. .
- with
READY status indicator .. .
@ Tab area .... ... ... ....... ... .
@ Central area with
- Driver informat ion system .. .. .
- Indicator lights ........... . .
® Status line (displayed on one or two
lines)
@ Speedometer/convenience display
0 Fuel level
10
11
11
76
76, 78
12
16
26
12
@ Speedometer
® Left additional display (divided in
two sections in the enhanced view)
There may be additional indicator lights in the
tachometer @, the speedometer @, the status
line ® and, depending on the instrument clus­
ter, above or below the central area@.
The following pages will primarily show illustra­
tions of the multi-color analog instrument clus ­
ter*. The display and/or position of the element
shown may vary in monochrome instrument clus-
ters or in the Audi virtual cockpit* .
lllJ,,

A WARNING
Do not assume the roads are free of ice based
on the outside temperature display. Be aware
that there may be ice on roads even when the outside temperature is around 41 °F (+5 °C)
and that ice can increase the risk of accidents.
@ Tips
-Depending on vehicle equipment, the in­
strument illumination (needles and gauges) may turn on when the lights are off and the
ignition is switched on. The illumination for
the gauges reduces automatically and even­
tually turns off as brightness outside in­
creases. This function reminds the driver to
turn the low beams on at the appropriate
time.
- You can select the units used for tempera­
ture, speed and other measurements in the
Infotainment system c::>
page 229.
-If your vehicle is stationary or if you are driv­
ing at very low speeds, the temperature dis­
played may be slightly higher than the ac­
tual temperature outside due to the heat ra­
diating from the engine.
- At temperatures below 41 °F (+5 °C), a
snowflake symbol appears in front of the
temperature display c::>
A.
Coolant temperature indicator
The coolant temperature display@c::> page 10,
fig . 3
or c::> page 10, fig. 4 only functions when
the ignition is switched on. To prevent engine
damage, please observe the following notes
about the temperature ranges.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge turn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet . Avoid high engine speeds, full ac­
celeration and heavy engine loads.
Normal range
<( ~ The engine has reached its operating tempera-
~ ture once the LEDs up to the center of the gauge N
8 turn on under normal driving conditions. The 0
3 <O
Cockpit overview
LEDs higher up may turn on if the engine is under
heavy load or the outside temperature is high.
This is no cause for concern as long as the. in­
dicator light in the instrument cluster does not
turn on. If the LEDs in the upper area of the dis­
play and the. indicator light in the instrument
cluster display turn on, the coolant temperature
is too high
c::> page 31.
(D Note
-Auxiliary headlights and other accessories in
front of the cooling-air intake impair the
cooling effect of the coolant. This increases
the risk of the engine overheating during
high outside temperatures and heavy en­
gine load.
- The front spoiler also helps to distribute
cooling air correctly while driving. If the
spoiler is damaged, the cooling effect will
be impaired and the risk of the engine over­
heating will increase. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance.
(D Tips
Diesel engines: due to the high efficiency of
these engines, the engine may not always reach operating temperature in cold outside
temperatures. This is normal and not a cause
for concern .
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev­
olutions per minute (RPM) .
The beginning of the red zone in the tachometer
indicates the maximum permitted engine speed
for all gears once the engine has been broken in
and when it is warm . Before reaching this zone,
you should shift into the next highest gear, select
the D/S selector lever position, or remove your
foot from the accelerator pedal.
{Q) Note
The needle in the tachometer @c::> page 10,
fig. 3
or c::> page 10, fig. 4 may only be in the
red area of the gauge for a short time or there ..,.
11

<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 a,
Please relea se parking br ake
Re lease the par king brake if this message ap ­
pears .
Please press brak e pedal to r ele as e par king
brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the~ button at the same time,
or start driv ing with hill start ass ist
¢ page 82,
Starting from a stop .
(D Tips
For additional information on the parking
brake, refer to ¢
page 81.
_L Cooling system
• Turn off engin e and che ck co olant le vel.
The coolant level is too low.
Do not continue driving and switch the engine
off. Check the coolant level ¢
page 310.
-If the coolant leve l is too low, add coolant
~ page 310. Only continue driv ing once the in­
dicator light turns off.
• Coolant temperature : to o high . Let engine
run with vehicle s tati onar y
Let the eng ine run at idle for a few minutes to
cool off, until the ind icator light tu rns off.
- If the indicator light does not turn off, do not continue driving the vehicle. See an author ized
Audi dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Facility
for assistance.
_& WARNING
- Never open the hood if you ca n see or hear
steam o r coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This increases the risk of
burns . Wait until you no longer see or hear
steam or coolant escap ing .
- The engine compartment in any veh icle can
be a dangerous area. Stop the engine and
allow it to cool before working in the engine
compartment. A lways follow the informa­
t io n found in
¢ page 304, Working in the
engine compartment.
Coc kpit o ve rv iew
(D Note
Do not continue driv ing if the . indicator
light turns on as this increases the risk of en­
gine damage.
~ -Safety belt
The . indicator light stays on until the dr iver 's
and front passenger's safety belts are fastened .
Above a certa in speed, there will also be a war n­
ing tone.
@ Tips
For additional informat ion on safety belts, re ­
fer to¢
page 245 .
0 Generator/battery
If the . or(•) indicator light t urns on , the re is a
malfunction in the generator or the vehicle e lec­
t rical system .
• Electric al sy stem: malfunction! Saf ely stop
v e hicle
Do not continue dr iving and switch the engine
off . See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Facility for assistance .
(•j Electrical system: mal function! Re start not
po ssible . Plea se co ntac t Se rvice
Disconnecting the vehicle battery from the elec­
trical system prevents it from d ischarging. Drive
to an authori zed Aud i dealer or authori zed Aud i
Service Facility immed iately .
Do not stop the engine, or you w ill not be able to
start it again. If you can no longer start the en­ gine, see an authori zed Audi dealer or autho riz ed
Audi Service Facility for assistance .
(•) Electri cal system: malfunction! Ple ase con­
tact Se rvice
Drive to an authori zed A udi dealer or authorized
A udi Service Facility immediate ly. Because the ve­
hicle battery is discharging, turn off a ll unneces­
sary electrical equipment such as the rad io. See
your authori zed Aud i dealer or authori zed Audi
Service Facility if the battery charge level is too
~w . ~
31

Warm and cold
Warm and cold
Climate control system
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and re­ moves humidity from the air in the vehicle interi­
or. It is the most effective when the windows and
sunroof * are closed. If there is a bui ld-up of heat
inside the vehicle, ventilation can he lp to speed
up the cooling process.
I n all heating mode f unctions except for
defrost ,
the blower only switches to a higher speed once
the engine coolant has reached a sufficient tem­
perature .
Pollutant filt er
The po llutant filter removes poll utants such as
dust and pollen from the a ir .
Ke y recognit ion
The climate control settings are automatically
stored and assigned to the remote contro l key
that is in use .
@) For the sake of the environment
-If you wo uld like to reduce fuel consump­
tion, switch the ai r cond itioning off. This
will a lso reduce em issions.
68
- In veh icles with a diesel engine, you can
switch the auxiliary heater off in the Info­
tainment system.
(D Tips
- To prevent interference with the heating
and cooling output and to prevent the win­
dows from fogging over, the a ir intake in
front of the windshield must be free of ice,
snow or leaves.
- Condensation from the cooling system can dr ip and form a puddle of water under the
vehicle . This is normal and does not mean
there is a leak .
- If you see that, for example, the seat heat­
ing* or rear w indow defogger are not heat­
ing, the energy management system may
have switched them off temporari ly . These
systems a re available again as soon as the
energy supply has been resto red.

<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 a,
briefly or press and hold for longer than two sec ­
onds.
A WARNING
- Never t urn off the engine before the veh icle
has come to a comp lete stop.
- Please note that the brake booster and pow­
er steering on ly work when the engine is
running. When the engine off, you must use
more force to steer or b rake the ve hicle. Be­
cause the usual steering and brak ing capa ­
b ili ty is not ava ila ble, the risk of accid ents o r
injuries i ncre ases .
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
with the se lector lever in the P position .
Ot herwise, the re is the r is k t hat the vehicle
c o ul d roll uninten tion ally.
- After the engine h as bee n sw itched off, the
r adi ator fan c an con tinue to run for up to
1 0
m inu tes -even wi th the ig nition switche d
o ff . I t can a lso switch on again after some
t ime if the coolant temperature rises as the
result of heat buildup or if t he engine is a l­
ready warm and the engine compartment is
also heated by the sun's rays.
(D Note
I f the en gine has been under heavy load for
an e xtended per io d of t ime, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
sw itched off and there is a risk of damagi ng
the engine . For this reason, let the eng ine run
at idle fo r approximately two minu tes before
shut ting it off .
Messages
Engine running. Warning! Turn off ignition be­
fore leaving car
This message appea rs and a warn ing tone sounds
i f you open t he d river's doo r when the engi ne is
ru nning.
Please press brake pedal
This message appea rs if you do not press the
brake pedal when starting the eng ine.
D riving
Ill Remote control key: key not recognized. Is
the key still in the vehicle?
T h is ind icator l igh t tu rns on and this message ap­
pears if the ignition key was remove d from the
vehicle when the engi ne was running . If the ig ni­
tion key is no lo nger in the vehicle, you cannot
switch on the ignition or start the engine once
you stop it . You also cannot lock the ve hicle from
the outside .
Shift to P, otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Doors can be locked in P only
T h is mess age appears for safety re asons if the
selector lever is in the N pos it ion when yo u
switch the ignition off. Move the se lector lever to
t h e P position . Othe rw ise the vehicle is not pro­
tected from roll ing and it cannot be locked.
II Remote control key: hold back of key
against the de signated area. See owner' s man­
ual
If t he indica to r ligh t turns on and this message
appea rs, there is a malfunction ~
page 78.
Shift to P before leaving car, otherwise vehicle
can roll away
Th is message appears if the drive r's door is
opened wh ile the ign ition is switched on an d the
t ran sm issio n has not been s hifte d to t he
P posi­
t ion. Shift t he tr ansmission in to the
P p o sition
and t urn o ff the igni tion if you are leaving the ve­
hicle . Otherwise the vehicle could roll. A lso refe r
to
~ page 80.
77

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

Check ing and F illing
Engine compartment
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the
engine compartment
Fo r wo rk in th e engine compa rtmen t, s uch as
c h ec kin g and filli ng flu id s, th ere is a risk of in­
j u ry, sc aldin g, ac cide nts, a nd b urn s. For this
rea son, foll ow all the warning s and gener al
s a fe ty p recaution s pr ov ided in the f ollow ing in·
f o rm ation . Th e en gine c omp artmen t is a dan ­
ger ous are a.
¢ ,&.
_& WARNING
- T urn the engine off.
- Switch the ign ition off .
- Set the parking brake .
- Select the P selector lever pos ition .
- let the engine cool down.
- Never open the hood if you can see steam or coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment, because th is increases the r isk of
burns . Wait until no steam or coolant is es­
caping .
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never spill flu ids on a hot engine. These flu­
ids (such as the anti -freezing agent con ­
ta ined in the coolant) can ignite .
- Avoid short circu its in the electrical system,
especially to the battery .
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the rad iator fan can sw itch
on even if the ign ition is switched off, which
increases the risk of injury .
- Never open the cap on the coolant expan­ sion tank when the eng ine is warm. The
cooling system is under pressu re .
- To protect your face, hands, and arms from
hot steam or coolant, cover the cap with a
large cloth when opening.
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If tests need to be performed w ith the en­
gine running, there is additional danger d ue
304
to moving components (such as the ribbed
be lt, alternator and rad iator fan) and from
the high-voltage ignition system.
- Do not under any circumstances activate the
throttle inadvertently (for example, by hand
from the engine compartment) if the vehi­
cle is stat ionary but the eng ine is running
and a gear is engaged . Otherwise, the veh i­
cle will start to move immediately and this
could result in an acc ident.
- Pay attent ion to the following warnings list­
ed when wor k on the fue l system o r on the
electrical equipment is req uired.
- Always disconnect the vehicle battery
from the vehicle electrical system.
- Do not smoke .
- Never work near open flames.
- Always have a working fire extinguisher
nearby
- To reduce the r isk of e lectr ic shock and in­
jury, never touch the follow ing components
when the engine is running or is being start ­
ed:
- Ign ition cable
- Other components in the electronic high-
voltage ign ition system
- If you must check or perform work on the engine whi le it is running:
- Set the parking brake and place the selec­
tor lever in the P (park) pos ition first.
- Always proceed w ith extreme cau tion so
that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not become ca ught in the rad iator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do
not come into contact with hot compo­
nents. Tie back long hair before beginning
work and do not wear clothing that can hang down into the engine .
- Limit your exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as possible¢.&. .
_& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning :
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certa in vehicle components conta in or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali-
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and ..,

reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproduct ive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chem icals known to the State of California
to cause cance r and rep roductive harms.
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When filling flu ids, be sure not to mix the flu­
ids up . Otherwise severe ma lfunctions and en­
gine damage w ill occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the grou nd under
your veh icle in order to detect Leaks qu ickly . If
there are v isible spots from oil or other fluids,
bring your vehicle to an authorized Aud i dea l­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility to be
checked.
Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior.
F ig. 2 45 Dri ver fo otw ell : rele ase leve r
Checki ng an d Fill in g
Fig. 246 Unlocke d hood: lever
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the windshield. Otherwise the paint could be
damaged .
.,. With the driver's door open, pull the lever be­
low the instrument pane l in the direction of the
arrow
c;> fig. 245 .
.,. Raise the hood slightly c;> ,&. .
.,. Press the lever c;> fig. 246 in the direct ion of the
arrow. This releases the hooks .
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
-
Never open the hood if you can see steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­ ment, because this increases the risk of
burns. Wait until no steam or coolant is es­
cap ing .
Closing the hood
.,. Push the hood down until you override the
force of the str uts .
.,. Let the hood fall lightly into the latch .
Do not
press it in.
c;> &_ .
A WARNING
-===
If the hood is not latched complete ly, it could
fly up wh ile you are driving and obstruct your
vis ion.
- For safety reasons, the hood must always be
closed securely while driv ing. Because of
this, always check the hood after closing it
to make sure it is latched correctly . The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
~
305

Checking and Filling
-If you notice that the hood is not latched
wh ile you are dr iv ing, stop immediately and
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points .
close it, because driving when the hood is
not latched increases the r isk of an accident.
F ig. 247 Ty pical lo ca tion of th e reservoir a nd the engine o il filler op ening
@ Washer fluid reservoir (0) . . . . . . 316
@ Jump start po int( +) under a cover,
(-) with hex head screw . ...... .. 314,356
@ Eng ine oil filling opening
(<t:::n) . . 308
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . . . 310
® Brake fluid reservoir (0)) . . . . . . . 31 1
The location of the engine oil filling hole and the coo lant expansion tank~
fig. 247 (items @and
@) may differ depending on the engine version .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS before check­
ing anything in the eng ine compartment
~ page 304.
306
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications .
The serv ice interval d isplay in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an o il change. We recommend that you
have you r oil changed by an author ized Audi Se rv­
i ce Adv isor.
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes, u se the Audi oil quality standard specif ied in the
tab~.
~

Checking and Filling
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo ling system is filled with a mixture
of pur ified water and coolan t addit ive at the fa c­
tory. This coo lant must not be not changed.
The coolant leve l is monito red throug h the . in­
dicator light~
page 31. Howeve r, we do recom­
mend occasionally check ing the coo lan t level
manually.
I f you must add coolant, use a m ixture of water
and coolant additive. M ixing the coolant additive
with d istilled wate r is recommended.
Coolant additive
The coolant additive is made of anti-freezing a nd
corros ion protection agents. Only use the fo llow­
ing coo lant add it ives. These additives may be
m ixed w ith each other.
Coolant additive Specification
G13
TL 774)
G12++ TL 774 G
The amount of coo lant add itive that needs to be
mixed w it h 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% m in. -13 °F
reg ions max. 45% (-25 °C)
Cold min. 50% max. -40 °F
reg ions max. 55% (-40 °C)
(D Note
- Befo re the start of winter, have your author­
i zed Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service
Fac ility check if the coolant additive in yo ur
vehicle matc hes the percentage approp riate
fo r the climate. Th is is especially important
when driving in co lde r climates.
- If the appropriate coolant additive is not
available in an emergency, do not add any
other additive. You cou ld damage the en-
310
gine . If this happens, only use water and re ­
store the correct m ixt ure ratio with the
specified coo lant add itive as soon as poss i­
ble.
- On ly ref ill with new coolant .
- Rad iator sealant mus t not be mixed wi th
the coolant.
Adding coolant
Fig. 24 9 Eng ine co mpart m ent: re lease button on coolant
expansio n tank
Check ing the engine coolant level
.,. Park your veh icle on a level surface.
.,. Switch the ignit ion off.
.,. Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
tank
c:> fig . 249 .
.,. The coolant leve l mus t be between the MIN and
MAX mar kings when the engine in co ld. Whe n
t he engi ne is warm i t ca n be sligh tly above the
MAX mar kin g.
Adding coolant
.,. Let the engi ne cool down.
.,. Place a cloth over the coo lant expansion tank
cap.
.,. Push the rele ase button¢
fig. 249 and carefu l­
ly unsc rew the cap to the left un til you feel re­
sis tance ¢,&. .
.,. Push the release button again and remove the
cap completely.
.,. Make sure that the fluid level remains stab le.
Add more coolant if necessary .
.,. Turn the cap to the right to secure it until you
feel res istance a second time.
Coolant loss usually ind icates there is a leak. Im­
med iate ly dr ive your vehicle to an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility ..,.