engine coolant AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2011 User Guide

___________________________________________ C_ h _ e_c _k _ i_n -=g .._ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g '-- ........
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehicle.
- Open the driver's door.
Fig. 218 Driver's side
footwell : engine hood
release lever
- Pull the release lever on the left under the instrument
panel ::::, fig . 218 in the direction of the arrow.
The hood pops up slightly under spring pressure. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 219 Release lever
under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure that the wind­
shield wipers are flat against the windshield. Otherwise, they
could damage the paint on the hood.
Pull up on the release under the hood::::, fig. 219 . This
releases the catch.
- Open the hood all the way::::,& .
& WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
• To reduce the risk of being burned, never open the hood if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the hood. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-Checking and filling
-------=------=---------------------------------------------------
Closing the engine hood
-Pull the hood down until the pressure from the struts is
reduced.
- Let the hood
drop down and latch in place . Do not try to
push it shut;
it may fail to engage=> &.
& WARNING
A hood that is not completely latched could fly up and block your
view while driving.
• When you close the engine hood, check it to make sure the
safety catch has properly engaged. The hood should be flush with
the surrounding vehicle body parts.
• If you notice while driving that the hood is not secured prop­
erly, stop at once and close it. •
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the engine
compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the engine compartment,
for example checking and filling different fluids, there is a risk of
injury, burns and accidents. To prevent personal injury always
observe the following WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
=> & .
& WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check anything under the hood :
• Turn off the engine.
• Remove the ignition key.
• Apply the parking brake.
& WARNING (continued)
• Move selector lever of automatic transmission to "P" (Park).
• Always let the engine cool down. Hot components will burn
skin on contact.
• To reduce the risk of being burned, never open the hood if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the hood.
• Keep children away from the engine compartment.
• Never spill fluids on hot engine components. They can cause a
fire.
• Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary electric fan is
temperature controlled and can switch on suddenly.
• Never open the coolant reservoir cap when the engine is still
warm. The coolant system is pressurized and hot coolant could
spray out.
• Protect your face, hands and arm from steam or hot engine
coolant by placing a thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
• If work on the fuel system or the electrical system is necessary:
-Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames. Fluids in
the engine compartment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher immediately available.
• To avoid electrical shock and personal injury while the engine is
running or being started, never touch: -Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage electronic ignition system.
• If you must perform a check or repair with the engine running: -First, fully apply the parking brake, move selector lever of
automatic transmission to "P" (Park). ..,

_____________________________________________ C_h _ e_ c_ k_in --= g'-- a_n _d_ f_i _ll _i_n -=g ::;__ ____.1111
& WARNING (co ntinued )
-Alway s use extreme caution to prevent clothing , jewelry , or
long hair from getting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other moving parts, or from contacting hot parts. Tie back hair
before start ing , and do not wear clothing that will hang or
d roop into the engine.
• Minimize expo sure to emis sion and chemical hazards~& .
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Engine exhaust, some of it s constituents, and certain vehicle
components contain or emit chemicals known to the State of Cali ­
fornia to cause can cer and birth defects and reproductive harm . In
addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and ce rtain products
of component wear contain or emit chemicals known to the State
of California to cause cancer and birth defects or othe r reproduc­
tive harm.
• Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms . Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
When adding fluids , a lways make sure that they are poured into the
proper co nta iner o r filler opening, otherwise serio us damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
<£> For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle floor pan from underneath
reg ula rly . If yo u see spot s from o il or o ther vehicle fluid s, have your
vehicle inspected by an authorized Aud i dea ler. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Engine compartment
These are the most i mportan t it ems that you can check.
Fig . 220 Typ ical layout for c ontainer s and engine oil filler cap
(D Jump start point( +) under a cover ........ .. .. .. .. . 293, 334
@ Brake fluid reservo ir ( ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
@ Engine oil f iller c ap
('1::r. ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 4
© Coolant ex pansion ta nk (-L ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 7
© Jump start point( -) w ith he x head screw ..... ... .. . 293 , 33 4
© Winds hield/head light washer container (0 ) . . . . . . . . 295
(j) Power steering reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Th e posi tion of the eng ine o il filling hole ~ fig. 220 (i tem @) can
differ depending on the eng ine des ign . ..,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

___ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you must change the engin e
oil in your vehicle your self:
• Wear eye protection.
• To reduce the ri sk of burns from hot engine oil, let the engine
cool down to the touch.
• When removing the oil drain plug w ith your finger s, stay as far
away as possible. Always keep you r forearm parallel to the ground
to help prevent hot oil from runn ing down your arm .
• Drain the oil into a containe r designed for this purpo se, one
large enough to hold at lea st the total amount of oil in your
engine.
• Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it well out of the reach of chil­
dren.
• Continuous contact w ith used eng ine oil is harmful to your
skin. Always protect your skin by washing oil off thoroughly with
soap and water.
0 Note
N ever m ix o il add itives w it h your eng ine oi l. These additives can
damage your engine and adverse ly affect your Audi Limited New
Vehicle Warranty .
ffi For the sake of the environment
• Before chang ing yo ur o il, firs t ma ke s ure you know w here yo u can
proper ly dispose of the used oi l.
• Always dispose of used eng ine o il properly . D o not dump it on
garden soi l, wooded areas, into open streams or down sewage drains.
• Recycle used engine o il by taking it to a used eng ine oil collection
facility in your area, or contact a serv ice stat io n. •
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo lant performs two functions: i t keeps the
en gine fro m overhe ating and i t protects the engine fr om
fre ezing in th e winter .
The cooling system is sea led and genera lly requ ires little attention .
Th e cool ing sy stem h as been filled at the f actory wit h a permanent
coo lant which does not need to be changed . T he coolant cons ists of a
mixt ure of water an d the manufacturer's glycol -basedcoolant ad di­
tive Gl2++ antifreeze w ith anticorros ion addit ives (50% for USA
mode ls; 60% for Canadian models). This mixture both ass ures the
necessary frost protect ion and p rotects meta l components in th e
eng ine's cooling system from co rrosion an d scaling. It also raises the
boiling point of the cool ant.
Do not red uce the concentration of the coolant in the summer by
add ing p la in water. The proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to maintai n antifreeze protection
and coo ling efficiency. If the coolant frost pro tect io n i s too low, t he
coo lant co uld free ze and damage t he veh icle heating an d eng ine
coo ling system.
For yea r- round drivi ng , antifree ze is added at t he factory for tempe r­
atures dow n to:
• - 31°F(- 35°C)USA
• -40°F ( -40°C) Canada .
You can mi x the Gl2+ + coo lant additive wit h other additives (G12 + or
Gl2) . Always check with you r autho rized Aud i dea ler .
in. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment , always
read and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "Working in the engine
compartment " on
page 280.

___________________________________________ C_ h _ e_c _k _ i_n -=g .._ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g '--- ........ 11'1
0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolant checked to see if the
coolant additive in your vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate
conditions. This is especially important if you live in a region where
the winter is extremely cold. If necessary, increase the proportion of
coo lant additive to 60% .
• When adding coolant additive to your cooling system, remember:
-We recommend using only coolant additive G12++ (check the
label) for your vehicle. This coolant additive is available at autho­
r iz ed Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can s ignificantly
reduce corrosion protection. The resulting corrosion can cause a
loss of coolant and serious engine damage.
• Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle 's
eng ine coolant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance.
Fig. 223 Engine
compartment: Coolant
expansion tank
Vehicle OP-eration
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=:> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 280.
-Turn off the ignition.
- Let the engine cool down .
- Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion tank
=:> fi.9. 223 and carefully twist the cap counter -clockwise
=> & .
- Read the engine coolant level in the open coolant expan­
sion tank=:> fig. 223. With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "min" and "max" markings. When
the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the
"max" marking.
The location of the coo lant expansion tank can be seen in the engine
compartment illustration =>
page 281.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be sw itched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warn ing light in the Auto-Check
System =>
page 31 will blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is an electric coolant
level sensor, we st ill recommend you check the coolant leve l from
t ime to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling system . In the event of
coolant loss , the cooling system should be inspected immediately by
your authorized Aud i dealer . It is not enough merely to add coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the boiling point of the
coo lant is exceeded as a result of overheating . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

___ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot. Reduce
the ri sk of scalding from hot coolant by following the se steps .
• Tu rn off the engine and allow it to cool down .
• Protect your face, hands and arms from e scaping fluid and
steam by covering the cap with a large , thick rag.
• Turn the cap slowly and very c arefully in a counter-clockwise
direction while applying light , downward pressure on the top of
the cap.
• To avoid being burned, do not spill antifreeze or coolant on the
exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain conditions, the
ethylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to yo ur vehicle 's engine
coo lant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse ly affect the func­
tion and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage no t c ove red by y our New Vehi cle Limited Warr anty. •
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyt hing in th e eng ine compartment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in "Wor king i n
t h e e ngine compa rtment" on page
280.
-Tur n off the e ng ine.
- Let t he engi ne co ol d ow n.
- Place a t hick rag over the coolant expans ion tank
=> page 2 87, fig . 223 a nd carefully turn the ca p cou nte r­
clo ckwise
=> & .
- Add coo lant .
- Tw ist t he cap o n agai n
tightly.
Replacement eng ine coolant must conform to exact specificat ions
~ page 28 6, "Coolant" . Even in an emergency, if coolant a dditive
Gl2 ++, Gl2+ or Gl2 is not available, do not use a d ifferent add it ive.
Use plain water instead until you can get the correct additive a nd can
restore the co rrect ra tio. This s hould be done as soon as possib le.
If you have lost a considerable amount of coolant, then you shou ld
add co ld a ntifree ze and cold wa ter only when t he e ngine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling .
Do not fill coolant above the "M AX" mark. Excess coo lant wi ll be
for ced out through t he p ress ure relief va lve in t he cap w hen the
eng ine becomes hot .
& WARNING
• The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot.
Reduce the risk of scalding from hot coolant by following these
steps.
-Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down.
- Protect your face , hands and arms from escaping fluid and
s team by covering the cap with a large, thi ck rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise
direction while applying light , downward pre ssure on the top
of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill ant ifreeze or coolant on
the exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire .
• Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store antifreeze
in its original
container and well out of the reach of children .
• If you drain the coolant , it mu st be caught and safely stored in
a proper container clearly marked "poison ".
~

___________________________________________ C_;_ h _.:. e_c _k _ i_n -=g ~ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g '--.......J-
0 Note
• Coolan t poll utes the environment and co uld cause an engine fire.
Excess coolant w ill be forced out throug h the pressure relief valve in
t he cap w hen the eng ine becomes ho t.
• If, i n an emer gency, only water can be adde d, the correct ratio
between wate r an d an tifree ze=>
page 28 6 must be restored as soon
as possib le.
<£> For the sake of the environment
Dra ined coolant should not be reused. A lways dispose of used coolant
w hile observ ing a ll enviro nmental regula tions. •
Radiator fan
The r adia tor fan switc hes on au tomatic ally by its elf .
Th e radiator fan is dr iven by the e ngine vi a the V-bel t. Th e v iscous
clutch regu lates the speed of the fan accord ing to the temperature of
th e co olan t.
An auxiliary e lectr ic rad iator fan* sw itches on a nd off depend ing o n
coo la nt temperat ure and other vehicle ope rating conditions .
After you sw itch t he engi ne off, the a uxiliary f an can con tinue r unning
for up to 10 minutes -even w ith the ignition off . It can even switch on
a g ain lat er by itse lf=> &, if
• the temperature of the e ngine coola nt rises due to the heat build ­
up from the eng ine in the engi ne compa rtment, o r
• the engine compartment heats up because the vehicle is parked in
intense s unlight .
& WARNING
• To reduce the risk of personal injury never touch the radiator
fan.
Vehicle OP-eration
& WARNING (continued )
• The auxiliary ele ctric fan is temperature controlled and can
switch on suddenly even when the engine is not running.
• The auxiliary radiator fan switches on automatically when the
engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will continue to
run until the coolant temperature drops. •
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake flu id level ca n be chec ked wit h a quick gl an ce.
Fig . 224 Engi ne
c ompartm ent : Brake
fluid re se rvoir
B efo re you check anyth ing i n the e ngine compartment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in " Workin g in
t h e e ng in e co mpartme nt" on
p age 280.
- Rea d the b rak e fl uid le ve l f ro m t he brak e fluid re serv oir
~ f ig. 224. The br ak e fl uid le vel mus t be be tw ee n the
" M IN " an d "MAX " m ar kin gs.
Th e br ake fl uid re se rvoir is loca ted at th e rear pa rt iti on of the engine
compartment on the left side=>
page 281. .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Checking and filling IJl!II
--------------------------------------------=------- =------
<£> For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of a battery, we recom­
mend your authorized Audi dealer change the battery for you.
Batte ries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be disposed
of properly in compliance with all environmental regulations.
Disposing of vehicle batter ies improperly is very dangerous to the
environment. •
Windshield/headlight washer
container
Fig. 226 Engine
co mp artmen t: Wind­
sh ield and headlight*
washer fluid container
The washer fluid container is marked with the symbol Q on
its cap.
- Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS => & in "Working
in the engine compartme nt" on
page 280 .
-Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer fluid. You can fill
the container to the top.
- Press the cap back onto the filler neck after filling the
container.
Vehicle OP-eration
You can find the reservoir capacity in the table in::::, page 342.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If possible, use soft water
to prevent scaling on the washer jets. Always add a glass cleaner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
0 Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or any other additives to fill up
the windshie ld washer reservoir .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

___ C_ o_n_ s _ u_m_ e_ r_ I_ n_ f_o _r_ m_ a_ t_io _ n _____________________________________________ _
• oil changes, and
• cl eaning or re placing t he air fi lter.
W For the sake of the environment
By reg ula rly m ainta ini ng yo ur vehicl e, you h elp ma ke sure th at emis­
sion standards are ma inta ined, thus mi nimizi ng adve rse effects o n
t he environmen t.•
Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
T he i ncreasing use of e lec tronics, soph is tica ted f uel inject io n a nd
em ission cont rol systems, and the gene rally increasing tec hnica l
c o m plex ity of to d ay' s automob iles, have ste adily re duced the s cope
of ma intenance and repairs wh ich can be carr ied o ut by vehicle
ow ne rs.
Also, safety and environmental co ncerns p lace very st ric t
limits o n the nature of re pairs and adjust ments to engi ne and trans­
mission parts which an owner c an per form .
Ma int ena nce, ad justments and repairs us ually r equire sp ecial tools,
test ing devices an d other e quipme nt available to s pec ia lly trai ne d
wo rks ho p pe rsonn el in order to assure p roper perfor mance, rel i­
ability and safety of the vehicle and its many systems.
Impro per m aintenan ce, a djustments an d repair s can im pair the ope r­
ation and reliability of your vehicle and even void your vehicle
wa rranty . Therefo re, proo f of se rvicing in accordan ce wi th the ma in ­
t enance schedule may be a condi tion fo r upholding a possib le
wa rranty cla im made w it hi n the wa rra nty period .
Above all, operat io nal safety can be adversely affected, crea ting
unnecessary risks for you and your passe nge rs.
I f i n do ub t abou t any se rvi cing, have it done by you r authorized Audi
dealer or a ny other pro perly eq uipped and qualified wo rkshop . We
st rong ly ur ge yo u to give you r a uth orized Aud i dea ler the opportun ity
t o pe rfor m all scheduled mainte nance a nd necessary repairs. Yo ur dea
ler has t he facilit ies , original parts a nd trai ned spec ia lists to keep
you r vehicle ru n ning pr operly.
Performing limited maintenance yourself
The follow ing pages des cribe a lim ited nu mber of pro ce dur es which
can be perfo rmed on your vehicle wit h ord ina ry tools, s houl d the need
a ris e a nd tra ined p erson ne l b e unavailable. Before perfo rm ing any o f
these procedures, always thorough ly r ead a ll of the applicab le text
a nd caref ully follow the ins truc tion s given. A lw ays r igoro usly o bserve
t he
WARNINGS prov ided .
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always read
and heed all WARNINGS=>
& and=> & in "W orkin g in t he engine
compartment" on
page 280.
& WARNING
• Serious personal injury may occur as a result of improperly
performed maintenance, adjustments or repairs.
• Always be extremely careful when working on the vehicle.
Always follow commonly accepted safety practices and general
common sense . Never risk personal injury .
• Do not attempt any of the maintenance, checks or repairs
described on the following pages if you are not fully familiar with
these or other procedures with respect to the vehicle, or are uncer­
tain how to proceed.
• Do not do any work without the proper tools and equipment.
Have the necessary work done by your authorized Audi dealer or
another properly equipped and qualified workshop.
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially
hazardous area . Never reach into the area around or touch the
radiator fan. It is temperature controlled and can switch on
suddenly -even when the engine is off and the ignition key has
been removed . The radiator fan switches on automatically when
the coolant reaches a certain temperature and will continue to run until the coolant temperature drops. _,,,

___ A_ l_. p_ h _ a_b_ e_ t_ic _a_ l_ in_ d_e _ x ____________________________________________ _
A
A/C mode ...................... 93, 100
Accessories ..... .................. . 345
Active rollover protection system ... ... 186
Retracting rollover protection . ..... 187
Adaptive cruise control ............ .. 116
Chang ing speed .................. 119
Dr iver information ............... 122
Driver intervention prompt ........ 126
Driving in traffic ................. 117
Driving program .. .. ............. 127
Error messages . .. ...... .... ..... 125
Open road ...................... 117
Override ................ ...... .. 117
Request for driver to assume control 117
Save speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Setting distance ................. 121
Setting time interval . ............. 121
Sett ings ... ..................... 127
Special driving situations ........ .. 127
Status messages ........ ......... 125
Switching on and off .............. 118
System limits ................ ... 127
T emporarily turning off ........... 120
warning/indicator lights ........... 123
Adaptive light ... ...... .............. 66
defect ive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
Adding Engine coolant .................. 288
Engine oil .. ...... ....... ..... ... 284
Windshield washer flu id ........ ... 295 Additional accessories
............... 345 Side airbags .. .. .. .. .. .. ......... 218
Additives We
ight-sensing mat .............. 222
Engine oil ........ .... .. .. .. .. ... 284 When must
the system be inspected? 210
Adjusting All wheel drive
.. .. .. .. .. ...... ... .. 246
Steering column .......... .. .. .. . 105 Winter tires
.. .. ................. 311
Adjusting front seats .......... ...... . 77 Alloy wheels
........... .. .... .... .. 266
Airbag Warning/indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. 14
Airbag system .................. 199, 219
Advanced Airbag System .......... 203
Advanced Airbag System components 206 Care .................... .. .... . 213
Child restraints .................. 223
Children ........................ 222
Components (front airbags) ... .. .. . 206
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat ............ 201
Disposal ........ .... ..... .. .... . 213
Front airbags .............. .. 203, 204
How do the front airbags work? ..... 208
How many airbags does my vehicle have? .
206
How the Advanced Airbag System compo- nents work together ........... . 207
Important safety instructions on the knee airbag system ............ ... .. . 217
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . 199
Indicator light ........ .. .. .. .... . 210
Knee airbags .................... 215
Monitoring . .. ............... ... 210
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light ..... 211
Repairs .. ........ ... ... .. .. .. .. . 213
Safety instructions ............. .. 212 Alternator
Malfunct ion .... .. .. .............. 29
Anti-freeze
See Eng ine cooling system ......... 286
Anti-glare inside day-night mirror ..... .. 72
Anti -lock brake system
How the ABS system works . . . . . . . . 245
Wa rning/indicator lights . .......... 15
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) How the system works ..... ... .. .. 242
Anti-theft systems Electronic immobilizer ............. 41
Ashtray ............................ 85
Asterisk What does it mean when something is
marked with an asterisk? . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Audi brak ing guard .................. 129
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Settings ........................ 131
Status messages ................. 131
Switching on and off ....... ... .. .. 131
Audi drive select Description ..................... 145
Setting the driving mode .......... 146
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature ..
343