service AUDI A4 2016 Owner's Manual

Airbag system
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretens ioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regulat ions must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
cha nge the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preven t the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally insta l­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim comb inations that have
not been approved by Audi.
152
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic control module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from working
properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inte rfe re
w ith the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 156 S ide ai rbag locatio n in the dr ive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢ fig . 156 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors. They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags" located in the
rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly to
make certain that it is functioning proper ly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics). .,,.

Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Re corder
This vehicle is equipped wi th an Event Data Re ­
corder (EDR) . The main purpose of an E DR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash -like situa­
tions, such as an airbag deploym ent or h itting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand­
ing how a veh icle 's systems performed . The EDR
is designed to record data related to veh icle dy­
namics a nd safety systems for a sho rt period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less . The E DR in this
veh icle is designed to reco rd s uch data as :
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
at ing;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far ( if at all) the driver was depressing the
acce lerator and/or brake peda l; and,
- How fast the ve hicle was trave ling.
These data can help provide a better understand­ ing of the ci rc u mstances in which c rashes and in ­
juries occur. NOT E: EDR data are recorded by yo ur
veh icle only if a non-trivia l crash situat ion occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e .g .,
name, gender, age, and crash location) a re re­
corded . H owever , other pa rties , such as law en­
forcement, cou ld combine the EDR data w it h the
type o f person ally identifyi ng dat a routine ly ac­
qu ired dur ing a crash invest igat ion .
To read data reco rded by an EDR, specia l equip­
men t is req uire d, and access to the veh icle or the
E DR is needed. In ad dition to the vehicle manu­
facturer, other parties, s uch a s law enforcement,
that have t he specia l equipment, can read the in­
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the E DR.
Some s tate laws restrict the re trieva l or down­
loading of data stored by ED Rs insta lled in a vehi ­
cle fo r the express purpose of retrieving data af -
176
ter an accident or crash event withou t the own ­
er 's consent.
Audi will not access the EDR and /or sim ilar data
o r g ive it to others -
- unless t he ve hicle ow ner (o r lessee if the vehi­
cle has been leased) ag rees; o r
- upon the offic ial request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the jud icia l
discovery process.
- Audi may also use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety perfo rmance or
prov ide the data to a th ird party for research
purposes w itho ut identify ing t he specific vehi­
cle or info rmat ion about the ident ity of its own­
er or lessee and only afte r th e re co rded vehicle
d ata has been a ccessed.
Vehicle control modules
You r vehicle is also equ ipped with a number of
e lectronic cont rol modules for va rious vehicle
syste ms, such as engine ma nagement, em iss io n
contro l, air bag s, a nd safety be lts.
These electronic control modules record data
dur ing norma l vehicle operation t hat may be
n eeded by tra ined techn ic ians for d iagnost ic and
r ep air pur poses. The re cording capab ility of these
modules is lim ited to dat a (no sou nd is recor d­
ed). Only a sma ll amount of data is actually re ­
corded over a very limited period of time, or stor­
ed when a system fault is detected by a contro l
module . Some of the data stored may relate to
vehicle speed, direction, or braking, as well as re­
straint system use and performance in the event
of a crash . Stored data can also only be read a nd
down loaded w it h specia l equipment that is d i­
r ec tly connec ted to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be e quipped w it h Aud i con­
n ect . Yo ur use of certain Aud i connect fea­
tures requires wire less services that are p ro­
v ided by a third party wireless telecomm uni­
cations provider. Fo r de tails regarding how in ­
fo rmation obtained through Aud i connect is
collecte d, processe d, transmitted, use d, an d ..,.

Driving and th e en vironm ent
(D Tips
- Check the depth of the water before driving
through it .
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine
off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your veh icle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water because it
can cause corrosion .
Catalytic converter
It is very impor tant tha t your emission con trol
system (ca talytic converter) is functioning prop ­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner .
~ Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 198,
Fuel supply .
~ Never run the tank down a ll the way to empty .
~ Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 20 7, 9::?l Adding engine oil .
~ Never try to push- or tow-start you r vehicle.
The cata lytic converter is an efficient "clean-up"
dev ice bu ilt into the exha ust system of the vehi­
cle. The cata lytic conve rter burns many of the
pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re ­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly im­
portant for the life of the catalytic conve rter and
p roper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING ,..____ -
- The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or ope rate t he vehicle in areas
where t he hot exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, br ush, fue l spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani-
186
fold, exha ust pipes, cata lytic conve rter or
heat shields . D uring driving, the substance
used for undercoat ing could overheat and
cause a f ire .
Cl) Note
-Be aware that just one tank f illing wit h
leaded fu e l w ill already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 207.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis­
fire. Unbu rned fue l cou ld also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ign ition while the vehicle
is moving .
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherw ise fuel can
reac h the catalytic converter . T hi s could re ­
sult in overheat ing of the converter, requir­
ing its replacement.
- T o ass ure eff icient ope rat ion of the Emis­
sion Contro l System:
- Have you r vehicle maintained properly and
i n accordance wit h the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty & Ma intenance
booklet.
- Lack of proper ma intenance as well as im­
p roper use of the veh icle will impa ir the
function of the emission control system
and could lead to damage .
(® For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op­
erating properly, t he exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erating states. Th is depends on the sulfur
con tent of the fuel being used . Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help , or fi lli ng the tank
wi th lead-free super g rade g asoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wo uld like yo ur vehicle to remain inopera­
tive for a longer pe riod of time, con tact an Audi
o r other spec ia liz ed dealer. They can adv ise you ..,.

Driving and th e en vironm ent
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
.,. Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals.
By having your vehicle regu larly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it
runs properly and econom ically . The condition of
your veh icle not only affects its safety and ability
to hold its value, it also affects
fu el consump­
tion .
C he ck your oil e ach t ime you fill you r ta nk .
The amount of oil used is re lated to engine load
and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumpt ion of a new en­
g ine to reach its lowest val ue afte r a certa in mile­
age has been driven .
You must d rive you r vehicle about 3 ,000 miles
(5,000 k ilome ters) before you can p roperly as ­
sess o il cons umption .
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and engine
outpu t.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in you r Warranty
& Maintenance book ­
l et . La ck of p roper main tenance as well as
i mproper use of the vehicle will impa ir the
f u nct ion of the emission control system and
could lead to damage.
- Do not al ter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­ proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not a lter or remove any device, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other i mportant vehicle components.
188
· Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold
eng ine .
T he eng ine and catalytic converter have to reac h
their opt imal
operating temper atu re to reduce
fuel consumpt ion and noxious emiss ions effec­
tively .
Just after start ing, a cold engine in a mid-size car
on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles per
gallon (30-40 l/100 km) . After about a half a
mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100
km) . After about
2 .5 m iles (4 km), the engine is
at its proper operating temperatu re and fuel
economy has reached a no rma l level. So you can
see that you should avoid sho rt tr ips wheneve r
possible .
The
out sid e temperatur e is also cr it ica l in th is re­
gard. Your car cons umes more fue l in the winter
than in the summer.
allroad: Driving offroad
General information .
App lies to vehicles : allroad
When dr iving offroad, the functions for the elec­
tronic stabilization co ntrol (ESC) are expanded .
The ESC-Offroad-Mode ca n be activated in d riving
s ituations in which a wheel loc k or a d iffe rential
l ock f unct ion is needed ~
page 178. In addit ion,
you r A udi p rovides cont in uo us all whee l dr ive.
You r Audi i s how ever, not an offroad vehicl e.
Nev er dri ve the vehicl e in t errain whi ch i s not
suitable for the vehicl e, or whi ch exce ed s your
driving skills . Nev er take any unnece ssary ri sk s!
Afte r driving offro ad
- After driving offroad, remove branches and
other deb ris from the rad iator g rille , under­
body, and wheels. Look especially fo r objects
(s tones) that have been caught in the tire
t read.
- Clean the body and the ve hicle unde rbody and
inspect the ve hicl e for possible damages.
IJI>

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... avoid scratches, move the scraper only in
one direction and not back and forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from door win­
dows and mirrors using warm or hot water
because this could cause cracks to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window de­
fogger, do not apply any stickers on the
heating wires on the inside of the window.
- Decorative parts/trim
- Never use chrome care or cleaning prod-
ucts.
-Paint
- To reduce the risk of scratches, the vehicle
must be free of dirt and dust before pol­
ishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish or
wax the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do not
polish away rust spots.
- Remove cosmetics and sunscreen immedi­
ately- these could damage the paint.
-Displays
-To avoid scratches, do not use dry cleaning
methods on displays.
-Controls
- Make sure that no fluids enter the con-
trols, because this could cause damage.
- Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts or their compo­
nents chemically or with corrosive fluids
or solvents and never allow sharp objects
to come into contact with the safety belts.
This could cause damage to the belt web­
bing.
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connections, the retractors or the buckles,
have them replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
- Textiles/artificial leather/ Alcantara
- Never treat artificial leather/ Alcantara
with leather care products, solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, spot remove or similar
products.
- Have a specialist remove stubborn stains
to prevent damage .
Care and cleaning
-Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard
sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the
seat.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zippers,
rivets on clothing or belts can cause dam­
age to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for exam­
ple on clothing, can damage seat covers.
Make sure hook and loop fasteners are
closed.
- Natural leather
- Never treat leather with solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, spot remover or simi­
lar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zippers, rivets on clothing or belts can cause dam­
age to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard
sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the
seat.
- To help prevent the leather from fading,
do not leave the vehicle in direct sunlight
for long periods of time. If leaving the ve­
hicle parked for long periods of time, you
should cover the leather to protect it from
direct sunlight.
(D Tips
-Insects are easier to remove from paint that
has been freshly waxed.
- Regular waxing can prevent rust spots from
forming.
Placing your vehicle out
of service
If you would like to take your vehicle out of serv­
ice for a longer time, contact your authorized
Audi dealer or qualified repa ir facility. They will
advise you of important measures, su ch as corro­
sion protection, maintenance and storage proce­
dures. Also follow the information about the bat­
tery
~ page 212.
197

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... fill up at busy gas st ations where the season al
adjustm ent is mor e likely to be made in time .
(D Note
-Fu els con taining a high pe rcentage of etha­
no l such as ESQ and EBS may only be used in
vehicles with flexible fuel engines. Using high ethanol f uel in veh icles not equ ipped
with flexib le fue l engines can cause severe
engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­ quirements may cause corros ion and dam­
age to plast ic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the spec i­
fied c riter ia in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether or
not a particular fuel blend meets the spec i­
fications, ask your service station o r its fuel
supplier .
- Do not use fue l for wh ich the contents can­
not be identif ied .
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems result ing from the use of fuels differ ­
ent from those specif ied a re not the respon­
s ibility of Audi and are not covered under
t h e New Veh icle o r the Emiss io n Control
Syste m Wa rra nt ies.
- If yo u experience a loss of fue l economy o r
driveability an d pe rform ance pr oble m s du e
to t he use of one of these fuel blends we
,
recommend that you switch to unb lended
fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
Applies to vehicles: with flex ible fuel engine
You can recognize vehicles wi th a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the lab el on the inside of
the fuel filler flap.
Ve hicl es w ith flex ible f uel engines may be oper­
ated w ith b io -e thanol fuels such as EBS (85%
ethano l and 15% gasoline) or with un leaded gas­
oline (91 AKI/ROZ 95) . The ve hicle may a lso b e
operated with a mixtu re of these fuels.
Fuel and R efueling
Your fuel consumpt ion w ill increase when using
bio-ethano l fue ls due to th e lower amount of en­
ergy conta ined per un it vol ume in ethanol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in low
temperature s
Due to the chemica l composition of b io -ethanol ,
a certa in amount of fue l ends up in the engine o il
when driving short distances in very low temper­
atures . This fuel evaporates again when the en­
gine is warmed up.
II Please warm up engine .
If the drive r message appears in the instr ume nt
cluster disp lay, drive with a warm engine to re ­
duce the oil leve l.
(D Note
- N ever fill wi th metha no l o r with a higher
percentage of b io -ethanol than 85% (E85).
A highe r percentage of bio-ethanol in the
fuel can cause damage to the engine or to the fuel system.
- If you use on ly E85, it is recommende d to
fill the fue l tank complete ly w ith unleaded
premium g rade gasoline every 5,000 mi les.
- If you expe rience starting, rough id le or hes ­
itat ion d riveab ility prob lems, f ill the fuel
tank complete ly w ith unleaded p remium
grade gaso line and drive it norma lly until
t he gaso line is used. See your author ized
Audi dea ler if the problem persists.
- Inform your author ized Audi dealer that you
are ope rating o r have operate d the vehicle
w ith EBS.
- Read and follow the i nfo rmat ion and tips
abou t gasoli ne
<=:> page 198.
(D Tips
It may take longer to start the engine when
the outs ide temperat ure is very cold . If possi­
ble, use w inte rize d fue l if tempe ratures are
below free zing .
199

,....,
N
0
""' CX) ,....,
I.Cl U"I ,....,
I.Cl ,....,
Checking and Filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 181 Typical layout for containers and e ngin e oil fille r cap
(D Eng ine o il filler cap ( @ Jump start po int(+) under a cover
@ Brake fluid reservoir
((0) ...... .
@ Coolant expansion tank (- L) .... .
® Jump start point( -) with hex head 207
214,251
211 210
screw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214, 251
@ Windshield/headlight* washer con-
tainer
(W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
The position of the engine oil filling hole
c:> fig. 181 (item @) can differ depending on the
engine design .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c:> &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
The service interval display in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l change . We recommend that you
have your oi l changed by an authorized Audi Serv­
ice Advisor.
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oil quality standard specified in the
table .
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
205

Check ing and F illing
Using the proper engine oil is impo rtant for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your engine was facto ry-filled with a h igh-quality oi l
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
@) Note
Your Limited New Vehicle War ranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warran ty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil t hat ex-
p ressly complies with the Audi oil qua lity
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using a ny o ther oil can cause serious engine
d am age.
- D o not mix any lubricants o r other addit ives
i nto the engine oil. Doing so ca n cause en­
g ine damage.
(D Tips
I f you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble t hat meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requi res , you m ay ad d a tot al of
no more than 0.5 qu art /li ter o f a h igh-quality
"synthe tic"oil that meets t he following speci ­
fications.
- Vehicles w it h gasoline eng ine: AC EA A3 o r
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE 0W-30,
SAE SW -30 or SAE SW-40.
- Fo r more information about en gine o il that
has been approve d for your ve hicle, please
contact eithe r you r a uthorized Aud i dea ler
or A udi C ustome r Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www .audiusa .com or www.aud icanada .ca .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amoun t of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubr ication and coo l­
ing of in ternal engine components, all internal
combustion eng ines consume a certain amou nt
of oil. Oil co nsumption varies from engine to en­
g ine and may change significant ly over the life of
206
th e engine. Typically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
r=:> poge 185) consume more
o il dur ing the b reak-in per iod than they consume
after oil consumption has stabili zed .
U nder normal cond itions, the rate of oil con ­
sumption depends on the q ua lity and viscosity of
the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amo unt of o il di lution from water condensa ­
t ion or fuel residue a nd the oxidation level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wea r as mileage
builds up, the o il cons umption may increase ove r
t i me unt il repla ce m ent of wo rn components m ay
be come necessary .
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
sta ndard rate of o il cons umption can be estab­
li sh ed or spec ified . T he re is no alte rn ative to reg­
ul ar and frequen t checking of the oi l level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oi l leve l wa rning symbo l Ill
in the instrument clus ter lights up , you sho uld
c h eck t he o il level as soon as possible
r=:> page 207 . Top off the oi l at your ea rliest con­
venience
r=:> poge 207.
A WARNING
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
r=:> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203 .
@ Note
Driving wit h an insuffic ient oil level is like ly to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is not
an indicator of the oil level. Do not rely on
it . Instead, check the oil level in your en­
gine at regular intervals, preferably each
time you refuel, and always before going
on a long trip .
-If you have the impress io n your e ngine con­
sumes excessive amou nts of oil, we recom-
mend th at yo u consult an authori zed A udi .,.

Check ing and F illing
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come in
contact with the sewage network or the soil.
- Observe and fo llow legal regulations when
disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that hove your oil changed by on
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­
tion .
Before you che ck anything in the eng ine compart ­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS ¢ A
in Working in the engine comportment on
page 203.
The engine oil must be changed according to the i n tervals specified in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet . This is very important because the
lubricat ing propert ies of oil diminish gradually
during normal vehicle use.
Under some circ umstances the eng ine oi l sho uld
be changed more frequently. Change oil more of­
ten if yo u drive most ly short distances, operate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly
stop-and-go traffic cond it ions , or have your vehi­
cle where temperatures remain below freezing
for extended periods .
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
look dark after t he engine has been run ning for a
short t ime . T his is normal and is not a reason to
cha nge the oil mo re often than recommended .
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal, along
with the special tools and necessary expertise re­
qu ired, we strongly recommend that you have
your oil c hanged by an aut ho rized
Audi dealer o r
a qualif ied se rvice station .
If you choose to change your o il yourself , please
note the following important informat ion:
A WARNING
To re duce the risk of pe rsonal injury if you
must c hange t he engine oil in your ve hicle
yo urs elf:
- W ear eye protection .
208
-
-To reduce the r is k of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine cool down to the touch .
- W hen removing the oil drain plug with your
fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always
keep your forearm pa rallel to the ground to
he lp prevent hot oil from run ning down your
arm .
- Drain t he oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one large enough to hold at
leas t the tota l amou nt of oil in you r engine.
- Engi ne oil is poisonous . Keep it well out of
the reach of childre n.
- Continuous contact wit h used engine o il is
ha rmf ul to your skin. Always protect your
skin by washi ng oil
off thoroughly with soap
and wate r.
(D Note
Neve r mix oil additives with yo ur engine oil.
These additives can damage your e ngine and
adverse ly affect your A udi L imi ted New Vehi ­
cle Warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
-Be fore chang ing you r oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose o f
t h e used oil.
- Always dispose of used e ngine o il pro perly .
Do not d ump it on garden so il, wooded
areas, into op en streams o r down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used e ngine o il by tak ing it to a used
eng ine oil collect io n fa cil ity in you r area, o r
c o nta ct a servi ce st ation .
Cooling system
Coolant '
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from free zing in the winter.
The coolin g system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention .
The coo lin g sys tem h as been filled a t the fac to ry
wi th a pe rmanent coolan t which does not need to
be changed. The coo lant consists of a mixture of .,.

Check ing and F illing
The brake fluid rese rvoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the l eft
side ¢
page 205 .
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for alarm.
If th e b rake fl uid level fa lls considerably be low
the "M IN" mark, the b rake warning/ind icator
lig ht ( U.S. mode ls :
1111 , Canadian models:. )
will come on ¢
page 15. Do not contin ue to oper ­
ate the vehicle . T he comp lete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authori zed
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake flu id level is too low, the
b rake warning/indicator light will i llum inate.
Contact a n author ized Audi dealer
immediately .
{D) Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs mo isture from the air. If the
water content in the b rake fluid is too high, cor­
rosion in the brake system may resu lt afte r ape ­
riod of t ime. The boiling poi nt of the brake flu id
will also decrease cons iderably and decrease
b raking perfo rman ce.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every
two year s.
Always use new brake fluid wh ic h con­
forms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle Standard "FMVSS
1 16 DO T 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to reach,
therefore, we recommend that yo u have the
brake fl uid changed by yo ur autho rized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has t he corre ct tools, t he
right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed orig inal container out of
the reach of chi ldren!
212
- Bra ke fa ilure ca n result from old or inapp ro­
priate brake fluid . Observe these precau­
tions:
- Use only brake fluid t hat meets SA E speci­
fi ca ti on
J 170 3 and con forms to Federa l
Motor Ve hicle Standard 116 . Always check
wi th yo ur autho rized Audi dea le r to make
s ur e yo u are using the correct brake fluid .
The correct type of brake flu id is also ind i­
cated on the b rake fluid reservo ir .
- The brake fluid m ust be new . Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long .
This can se riously affect the efficiency of
the b rakes as well as your safety . This
could resu lt in an accident .
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your veh i­
cle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem o f proper d isposa l o f
brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls re­
q ui red a nd the necessary expertise, we rec­
omme nd that you have the bra ke f luid
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
, General information
U nder normal operating condit ions, the battery
i n your Audi does not need any maintenance.
With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the elect ro ­
lyte level c hecked by an au thorized Aud i dealer o r
qualified workshop. The electro lyte level shou ld
a lso be che cked each time the battery is c ha rged
~ page 214.
Have the batte ry chec ked when you take yo ur ve­
hicle in for service. You are we ll adv ised to re­
pla ce a battery tha t is older than 5 yea rs.
With certain types of airbag deployment, t he
batte ry is d iscon nected from the ve hicle electri­
ca l system for safety reasons ¢.&.
in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 151. .,.