check oil AUDI A4 2015 Owners Manual

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Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Safety belt pretensioners . . . . . . . . . . 142
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 144
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 165
Child safety seats ............ .. ... 171
Installing a child safety seat .. .. .. .. 175
L ATCH Lower anchorages and tether
for child ren. ............. .. .. .. .. 179
Additional Information
183
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 184
Notice about data recorded by the
Event Data Recorder and vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Electronic Stabili zation Control (ESC) . 185
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Electro -mechanical power assist,
dynamic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Driving with your quattro . . . . . . . . . . 190
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Driving and environment . . . . . 193
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Avoid damaging the vehicle. . . . . . . . . 193
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 193
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Shutting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Operate your vehicle economically and minimize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
allroad: Driving offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Table of contents 3
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
202
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 202
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 203
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
207
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Engine compartment ... ......... .. 214
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Battery ... .. .... .. ............. .
222
Windshield/headlight* washer container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Tire pressure monitoring system 257
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 260
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Space-saving spare tire (compact
spare tire) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Inflatable spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Inflating inflatable spare tire . . . . . . . 262
Changing a wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Fuses..... .... .... .............. 269
Bulbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Emergency situations ... ... .. . 274
General... .... .................. 274
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . 274
Starting with jumper cables . . . . . . . . 274
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Emergency towing with commercial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
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Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
A WARNING
- Always observe the warning in
c::> page 212 , before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself. Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant .
(D Note
-Mounting additional lights or accessories
in front of the air inlets reduces the cool­
ing effect of the rad iator. At high outside
temperatures or high eng ine load , the
engine could overheat.
- The front spoiler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving .
If the spoiler is
damaged , this cou ld reduce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat. Ask your authorized Aud i dealer for
assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
I f engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear . T he red area
at the end of the scale indicates maximum
perm issible engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position 0/5 or ease your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
@) Note
The tachometer needle@c::> page 10 ,
fig. 3 shou ld only briefly be in the red
zone: you could damage your engine! The
beg inning of the red zone varies depend-
ing on the engine .
@) For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
~ button
Fig. 4 SET button in th e ins trume nt cluster
The !SET ! button performs the following func­
tions:
Switching on time, date, temperature
display and odometer
The display appears for approximate ly 30 sec­
onds when you press the
I S ET ! button c::> fig . 4
with the ignit ion off .
Starting the Auto-Check sequence
The Auto-Check system constantly monitors
certa in individual functions and components
of the vehicle when the ignition is turned on
and when the vehicle is moving .
With the ignition turned on, you can start the "Auto-Check sequence" by pressing the
! SE T!
button . You can perform an Auto-Check se­
quence when the vehicle is stationary and the
ignition is turned on or when the vehicle is
moving slower than 3 mph (5 km/h).
In addition, the number of keys initialised for
your vehicle is displayed.
L2 3 /3 means that
three keys have been initialised . This feature
enables used car buyers to make sure they
have received all of the keys.
If you are given only two keys, for ins tance ,
you should take the vehicle and the ex isting
keys to an authorized Audi dealer to have the
missing key d isabled .
It is also important to
notify your insurance company about the loss.
Setting the speed warning
By pressing the !SET ! button briefly, you can
set threshold 1 of the speed warning wh ile
you are driving
c::> page 90 . By maintaining II>

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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
misfiring and fuel could enter into the ex ­
haust system . The catalytic converter
could then overheat and be damaged .
Warning/indicator
lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or
m alfunctions
c::> .&. .
Messages may appear with some indicator
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same time . The messages disappear again af­
ter a short t ime. To display a message again,
press the
I S ET I bu tton c::> page 11 . If several
malfunction s occur, each of the indicator/
warn ing lamps will be d isplayed in succession
for about two seconds at a time.
Some ind icators ligh ts in the display can turn
on in several colors.
A WARNING
- Failure to heed warning lights and other
important vehicle info rmation may result
in serious personal injury o r vehicle dam­
age.
- Whenever sta lled or s topped for repa ir,
move the vehicle a safe dis tance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
c::> page 51.
- T he engine compartment of any motor
vehicle is a poten tially hazardous a rea.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme ca u­
t ion when working under the hood
c::> page 212.
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on . T hese systems are marked
with a./ in t he followi ng tab les. If one of
these ind icator lights does no t turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system.
R ed indicator lights
-------------
U S A models:
Brake system ./
c::> page 15
Canada model s:
Brake system ./
c::>page 15
USA m odel s:
Electromechanical par king b rake
c::> page 16
Canada models :
Electromechanical parking brake
c::> page 16
Safety belts
c::> page 16
Electrome chanical stee ring ./
c::> page 190
Batte ry
c::> page 16
Eng ine oil pressure
c::> page 17
E ngine oil level
c::> page 17
Engine cool ing system
c::> page 17
Steering column lock
c::> page 18
Ignition lock
c::> page 18
USA model s:
Speed warning system
c::> page 89
Canada model s:
Speed warning system
c::> page 89
Adaptive cru ise control./
c::> page 104
Y ellow indic ator light s
-------------
Electro nic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ./
c::> page 18 ..,.

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Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
abi lity.
If th is message turns
off after a litt le while,
the battery charged enough whi le driving.
If the message does not turn
off, have your
authorized Audi dealer or qua lified workshop
correct the malfunction.
~ Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving
with a Low-oil-pressure indication is Likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Turn off engine! Oil pressure too low
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the oil pressure is too low.
.,. Pull
off the road.
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn
off the engine .
.,. Check the engine oil level ¢ page 216 .
.,. If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
oil ¢
page 216 . Make sure that the oil pres­
sure warn ing symbol. appears no longer
in the disp lay before you start driving again.
.,. If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light st ill turns on, turn the engine
off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
nal assistance.
(l) Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv·
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
l!I. By then , your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
~ Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If the indicator light and the message appear,
add engine oil immediately¢
page 214.
II Add oil, max XXXX l. You may cont. driv .
When the symbol l!I and driver message ap ­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity ¢
page 214.
-L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Turn off engine and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coolant temperature is too
high or the coolan t leve l is too low .
.,. Pull
off the road .
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Tu rn
off the engine .
... Check coolant level¢
page 218 .
.,. Add coolant if necessary¢ page 219.
.,. Continue driving on ly after the engine cool­
ant warning/indicator light goes out .
.,. Contact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion.
• Coolant temperature! Let engine run
with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, let the engine run at id le for a
f ew m inutes to coo l down .
_& WARNING
-If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the eng ine and turn on the hazard
warn ing lights
¢page 51, Emergency
flashers.
-

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Instruments and warning/indicator lights 21
The IJI symbol illuminates when there is an
engine control malfunction. The
[3i indicator
light in the instrument cluster also illumi­
nates . The engine speed is limited to the
speed d isplayed in the driver information sys­
tem . Keep in mind that the eng ine speed will
not exceed the value displayed in the drive r in­
formation system , for example when down­
shifting.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi ­
ately to have the malfunct ion corrected.
'l=cr .., Engine oil sensor
• Oil level! Sen sor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer and have the o il sensor
i nspected . Until you have th is done, check the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side
c::> page 216.
Bil Tank system
mJ Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are
about 2.1- 2.4 gallons (7 -9 liters) of fuel left
in the tank. Time to refuel
c::> page 209 .
DD Fuel tank system malfunction! Contact
dealer
If the indicator light turns on and th is mes ­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
tank system .
Drive to your authori zed Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
<:o Windshield washer fluid level
B Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illumina tes, add windshield
washer fluid to the washer system and also to the headlight washer system *
c::> page 225.
~ Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
There is a malfunction with the windshie ld
wipers .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
~/ }D 10$ Defective light bulb warning
If the f:I indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed. Th e message indicates the location of
the bu lb .
- If the
II indicator light also turns on, then
a fog light has failed . The position of the in­
dicator light corresponds with the location
on the vehicle .
- If the
IJ indicator light also turns on, then
a rear fog* light has failed . The position of
the indicator light corresponds with the lo­
cation on the vehicle.
T his warning can also occ ur if the light switch
is in an unengaged position between two sym­
bols.
Vehicle lights : System fault!
If the message appears, there is a malfunc­
tion in the headlights or light sw itch.
Drive to your au thorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-Light bulbs a re p ressurized and could ex­
plode wh ile they are being changed caus­
ing serious personal injury.
- Work with due care when hand ling the
high-voltage section of gas discharge
(xenon) lights*. Failure to do so could re­
sult in death or serious injury .
(D Tips
Have the bu lb replaced or the connection
r epaired by your authorized Audi Service
department .
i,0 Headlight range control
Applies to veh icles : w ith headli ght ra nge control
liJ Headlight range control defective !

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the symbol II illuminates, the dynam ic
headlight range cont rol is no longer wo rking
properly. Have the system checked and re­
pa ired at your author iz ed Audi dealer.
~O Adaptive Light
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive light
111 Aud i adaptive l ight: defective
If t he indicator lig ht t urns on a nd th is mes­
sage appears, t he re is a ma lfunction in the
adapt ive light system. The headlig hts still
function.
Go to an a uth o rized dea le rship to have the
headlights or the contro l unit for the adapt ive
light repa ired.
~ o Light/rain sensor
Applies to vehicles: with light/rain sensor
£I Automatic headlights/ automatic wipers
defectiv e
If the indicator light t urns on and th is mes­
sage appears, the lig ht/ra in sensor is n ot
f u nctioning cor rectly .
For safety reasons the low beams are turned
on permanent ly w ith the switch in AUTO .
H owever, you can c ontinue to turn the lights
on and off using the light switc h. You can still
con trol a ll funct ions tha t are in depe nden t of
the rai n sensor through the wi ndshi eld wipe r
l eve r.
Contact your author ized Audi dealer as soon
as possible to have the prob lem cor rected .
Q Adaptive dampers
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select and adaptive
dampers
H Suspension: System fault!
If t he
H symbol in the disp lay comes on,
there is a malfunction in the adaptive damp ­
e rs . Please go to an authorized Audi dea ler or
qua lified workshop to have the malfu nction
repaired.
I-: Sport differential
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select and sport dif­
ferential
Sport differential : System fault!
There is a malfunction with t he sport d iffe ren­
tia l.
D rive to your au thorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
Sport differential : Overheating
T he trans missio n tempera ture has inc reased
s ignifica ntly due to t he spor ty d riving manner .
Dr ive in a less sporty ma nner until the tem­
p era ture re tur ns to the normal range and t he
in dica to r li ght switc he s of.
_& WARNING ... -
Co ntac t your author ized Audi dealer or
qu alified wor kshop if the s port differential
i s faulty or malfunct io ning. T he repair
must be perf ormed by t rained personnel
usi ng the co rrect oil in o rder to ensure
safety.
~ Ignition lock
l3 Ignition lock defective
There is a malfunction in the e lectronic igni­
t ion loc k. Please go to a n author ized Audi
dealer or other qualified worksh op to have t he
malfu nction repa ired .
¢ Q Turn signals
Wh eneve r yo u use the left
Ill o r th e r ight 8]
tu rn s ignal, the in dicato r li ght blin ks. W he n
yo u use t he emerge ncy fla she rs, bo th indic a­
tor lights flash.
If one of the turn s igna l light bulbs bu rn o ut,
t h e tur n sig nal w ill bli nk twi ce as fast as no r­
m al. Ca ref ully dr ive to you r a utho rized Aud i
dealer imme diate ly to have the m alfunction
cor rected.

28 Driver information d isplay
Fuel economy messages
App lies to vehicles: with trip computer w ith eff ici ency
program
Fig. 16 Display: fuel economy message
F ue l economy messages are disp layed when
fuel consumption is increased by certain con­ ditions. If you follow these fuel economy mes­
sages, you can reduce your vehicle's consump­
tion of fuel. The messages appear automati­
cally and are only displayed in the efficiency program. The fuel economy messages turn
off
automatically after a certain period of time.
~ To turn a fuel economy message off immedi­
ately after it appears, press the lRESET I but­
ton
c::> page 25, fig. 11 @ , or
~ Press the function selection switch
c::> page 2 5, fig. 11 @ .
(D Tips
-Once you have turned a fuel economy
message
off, it will only appear again af­
ter you turn the ignition on aga in.
- The fuel economy messages are not dis­
played in every instance, but rather in in­
tervals over a period of time.
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due.
Fig. 17 Display: Service interval display
The schedule for the next o il change or inspec­
tion is ca lculated automatically and displayed
accord ingly. The d isp lay works in two stages:
Service reminder
30 days before the next service is due, a serv­
ice reminder appears in the display when you
turn on the ign ition
c::> fig . 17 .
After about 5 seconds the display switches
back to normal. The distance and time re­
main ing are updated each time the ignit ion is
turned on until the date due for serv ice is
reached.
Service due
When the due date for service is reached, the message
Service due! appears in the instru­
ment cluster immed iately after you turn on
the ignition. Additional ly, a warning tone
sounds. After about 5 seconds the disp lay
switches back to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or when an oil change or inspection is due,
can be shown in the rad io or MMI* display by
selecting the service interval display in the car
menu. Select !CAR I function button
> Service
interval display
o r! CAR I function button > Car
systems*
control button > Servicing &
checks.

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Resetting the service interval display
Your authorized Audi dealer w ill rese t the cor­
responding service schedule after performing
the appropriate service on your vehicle. Yo u
also have the possibility to reset the oil
change schedule after having performed an
oil change according to Audi specifications.
Select
I CAR I function button > Service interval
display > Reset oil change interval
or !CARI
function button > Car systems* control but­
ton
> Servicing & checks > Reset oil change
interval.
0 Note
- Only reset the oil change d isplay when
you have completed an oil change.
-If you disconnect the battery terminals,
no calculat ions can be made for the serv­
ic e interval display during this tim e and
no service rem inder will appear. Remem­
ber that observing the proper service in­
terva ls is vitally important to extending
the life of your vehicle, particularly the
engine, and maintaining its va lue. Even if
the mileage dr iven is low, the max imum
period of one year from one serv ice to
the next must not be exceeded .
(D Tips
The informat ion in the Service Reminder
remains stored even when the vehicle bat­
tery is disconnected.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ¢..ift in
the instrument cluster is part of the On-Board
Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light illuminates when
the ignition is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the idle has stabilized .
This indicates that the MIL is work ing proper­
l y.
Driver information display 29
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates while you are driv­
ing , a malfunction may exist in the engine sys ­
tem.
If the light illuminates, the catalytic con­
verter could be damaged.
Continue d rivin g
with reduced power (avoid­
ing su sta ined high speeds and/or rapid accel ­
erations) and have the cond ition corrected.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer.
If the light illuminates, the electronic speed
li miter may also be malfunct ioning. For more
information
c;,page 30, Electronic speed
limiter.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
c:;, page 210.
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 18 Location of Data Link Connector (D LC)
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your emission contro l system . Each
monitored component in your engine system
has been assigned a code. In case of a mal­
function, the component will be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memo ry .
The MIL light may also illuminate if there is a
leak in the on-board fuel vapor recovery sys­
tem. If the light illumi nates afte r a refueling,
stop the vehicle and make sure the fuel filler
cap is properly closed
¢ page 210.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can on ly be displayed using spe­
c ial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for 080). .,.

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the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regular intervals without the
driver noticing and provides for better brake response time under wet condit ions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used. Likewise,
you clean
off accumulated sa lt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious ap­
plications of the brake
i:> ,& .
Co rrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­ rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by brak ing
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
i:> ,& .
Fa ult s in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed
i:> ,& .
Low brak e flu id l eve l
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
leve l is monitored electronically .
Brake boo ste r
The brake boos ter increases the press ure that
you generate with the brake pedal. It works
only when the engine is running
. ¢ .&
Brake lining w ear statu s
Brake lining wea r may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condi tion of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces ­
sary, the whee l may be removed for this in­
spection
c> page 263, Changing a wheel .
Intellig ent technolog y 189
A WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "b roken -in" dur­
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal c ity dr iving .
You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly. This also
applies la ter when new pads are instal­
led.
- You should per form braking m aneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be p ut at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gea r or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, p remature wear and increased
s topping distance .
- Unde r ce rtain climatic and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa ­
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes w ill dry and ice coat­
ings w ill be cleaned
off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions .
- Driving for an extended period of time o n
salt-cove red roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
C lean
off accum ulated salt coa ting from
br ak e disc s and pad s wi th a few ca re ful
bra ke applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if yo u
install a diffe rent spoiler, be s ure the ai r
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed . Otherw ise the bra ke system could •
•

194 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it .
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi­
cle to dr ive through safely.
-
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic conv ert er) is function ­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in on env ironm entally sound manner.
,,. Always use lead-free gaso line Q page 207,
Fuel supply .
,,. Never run the tank down a ll th e way to emp ­
ty.
,,. Never put too much moto r oil in your engine
Q page 216, ~ Adding engine oil .
,,. Never try to push -or tow -start your ve hicle .
T he cata lytic converter is an eff ic ient "clean­
up" device built in to the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the polluta nts in the exhaust gas be ­
fore they are released into the atmosphe re . The exclus
ive use of unleaded f uel is critica lly
important for the life of the catalytic conv ert­
er and p roper funct ion ing of the eng ine .
A WARNING
=
-The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driving and after stop­
p ing the eng ine .
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle i n
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con­
ver ter or he at s hields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
CI) Note
- Be aware tha t just o ne tank filling with
leaded fu el w ill alre ady ser io usly de ­
grade the performance of the cata lytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the cor rect engine oil level
Q poge 216.
-Do not drive until the fuel t ank becomes
comple tely empty . The engine cou ld mis ­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and th is co uld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve­
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not contin ue to ope rate your veh icle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
co uld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis -
sion Control System: .,..