oil level AUDI A4 2016 Owners Manual

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A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in ¢ page 203,
before opening t he hood and checking the
engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment. You
cou ld burn yourself. Let the engine cool off
firstsothatyoucannothearo rseeany
steam or engine coo lant.
0 Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories in
front of the air inlets reduces the cooling ef­
fect of the radiator. At h igh outside temper­
atu res or high engine load, the engine could
overheat.
- The front spoiler has been designed to prop­
erly distribute the cooling air when the vehi­
cle is moving. If the spoiler is damaged, this
could reduce the cooling effect and the en­
gine could then overheat. Ask your author­
ized Audi dealer for assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter )
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revo­
lutions per minutes).
If engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red area at
the end of the scale indicates maximum permis­
sible eng ine RPM after the break-in period. Be­
fore reaching this area, move the selector lever
to position D/5 or ease your foot off the accelera­
tor pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle@¢ page 10, fig. 3
should only briefly be in the red zone: you
could damage your eng ine! The beginning of
the red zone varies depending on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Instruments and indicator lights
~button
Fig. 4 SET button in the instrument cluster
The !SET I button performs the following func­
tions:
Switching on time, date, temperature
display and odometer
The display appears for approximately 30 sec­
onds when you press the
ISETI button¢ fig . 4
with the ignition off.
Starting the Auto-Check sequence
The Auto-Check system constantly monitors cer­
tain indiv idual 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
! SETI but­
ton. You can perform an Auto-Check sequence
when the vehicle is stat ionary 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
th ree keys have been initialised. This feature e na­
bles used car buye rs to make su re they have re­
ceived all of the keys.
If you are given only two keys, for instance, you
should take the veh icle and the existing keys to
an authorized Audi dealer to have the missing key
disabled. It is also important to notify your insur­
ance company about the loss.
Setting the speed warning
By pressing the ISETI button briefly, you can set
threshold 1 of the speed warning wh ile you are
driv ing
¢page 88. By ma intaining pressure on
11

Instruments and indicator lights
TPMS
14
USA models:
Anti-lock brak ing system (ABS) de­
fective,/
¢ page 19
Canada mod els :
Anti-lock brak ing system (A BS) de­
fective,/
¢ page 19
USA models :
Safety systems ./
¢page 19
Canada models :
Safety systems ./
¢page 19
Worn brake pads
¢page20
Elect romechan ical park ing brake
¢page 16
Tire pressure monitoring
system ,/
¢page 235
Tire pressure monitor ing system
¢page235
Electronic power control ./
¢page20
Malf unct io n ind icator Lamp (MIL)
,I
c::> page 20
Engi ne speed limitat ion
c::> page20
Engine oil level
c::> page 17
Engine oil sensor
c::>page20
Battery
c::>page 16
Tank system
c::>page20
Wa rm up engine *
¢page 199
Windshield washe r fl uid leve l
¢page 21
Windshield wipers
¢page 21
Remote control key
¢ page 83
Battery in remote control key
¢page 33
Defect ive light bulb wa rning
<=> page 21
Fog lights
¢page 21
Rear fog light(s)*
Head light range control*
<=> page 21
Adaptive light*
Light -/rai n sensor*
<=> page 21
Adaptive dampers*
¢page22
Sport different ial*
<=> page22
Ig nition loc k
¢page22
Steering co lumn lock
¢ page 18
Elec tromechanical stee ring, dy­
nam ic stee ring *,/
c>page 181
Transmission
- mu ltitronic, tiptronic
¢ page 96
-S tro n ic c::> page 96
Transmission
-S tron ic
¢ page 96
Other indicator light s _ ___::__ ________ _
Turn signals
<=>page 22
USA models : Cruise control
c> page88
Canad a mod els : Cruise control
¢ page88

9:::1: Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol re­
quires immediate service or repair . Driving with a
low-oil-pressure indication is likely to inflict se ­
vere damage to the engine.
• Turn off engine! Oil pressure too low
If the indicator lig ht t urns on and the message
appears, the oi l pressu re is too low.
~ P ull off the road.
~ Stop t he vehicle .
~ Turnoff the engine.
~ Check the engine oil level¢ page 207 .
~ If the engine oil leve l is too low, add engine oi l
¢
page 207 . Make sure that t he oil pressure
warning symbol. appears no longe r in the
display before you s ta rt driving ag ain.
~ If the engi ne oil leve l is cor rect and t he i ndic a­
tor lig ht still tur ns on, turn t he eng ine
off and
do not continue driving . Seek p ro fessional as ­
s istance .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is not
an indicator for a low engine oil level. Do
not rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, preferably each time you refuel, and always before
going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
Ill
requires oil refill or workshop service with ­
out delay . Do not wait until the red oil
pressure warning. starts to flash before
you respond to the low oil level warning
Ill . By then , your engine may already have
suffered serious damage .
~ . Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If the indicator lig ht and the message ap pear,
a dd engine o il i mm edi ate ly
¢page 205.
;:; Ill Add oil, max XX XX l. You may cont. driv .
0
~ When the symbol II and driver message appea r, ,....,
~ add the amount of oi l appea ring in the display at
:;;: the next opportunity¢
page 205. ,....,
Instruments and ind icator lights
-L Eng ine 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 message
appea rs, the coo lant tempe rat ure is too high o r
t h e coo lant leve l is too low.
~ Pull off the ro ad.
~ Stop the vehicle.
~ Tur noff th e engine.
~ Check coolant leve l¢ page 209 .
~ Add coolant if necessary¢ page 210.
~ Continue dr iv ing only afte r the e ngine coolant
warni ng/ indicator light goes out .
~ Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assis-
t ance if necessa ry.
If the engi ne coo lant level is correct , then t he ra ­
dia to r f an may be the cause of t he mal func tion.
• Coolant temperature! Let engine run with
vehicle stationary
If the indicator lig ht tur ns on and the messa ge
appea rs, let the engine run a t idle for a few mi ­
nutes to c ool down.
A WARNING
-- If yo ur vehicle should break down for me ­
cha nica l o r ot her reasons, park at a safe dis­
t ance from mov ing t raff ic, t urn off t he e n­
g in e a nd turn on the haz ard warning lights
¢ p age S O, Em ergency fla she rs.
- N ever open t he hood if you see o r hear
s te am or coo lant esca p in g fr om th e engine
co mpartm ent - you ris k being scald ed . W ait
un til yo u can no longe r see or hear steam or
coo lant escapin g.
- T he engine co mpart ment of an y vehicl e is a
d anger ous are a. B efore y ou perfo rm any
wo rk in the eng ine com partment, t urn of
the eng ine a nd a llow it to cool. Follow t he
warn ing stickers
¢page 203.
(D Note
Do not con tinue dr iv in g if the . symbol i llu-
minates. The re is a malf u nction in the engine
IJi,,,
17

Instruments and indicator lights
(0) Worn brake pads
EiJ Brake pads!
If the warn ing light illum inates, immed iate ly
contact your authorized A ud i dealer o r qualified
wo rkshop to have all brake pads inspected. O n
USA models the wa rni ng lig ht
EiJ comes on to ­
gethe r wi th the war ning l igh t
1111 . Both sets of
b rake pads on an ax le m ust always be rep lace d at
the same time .
A WARNING
Driv ing with bad bra kes can ca use a co llision
and ser ious personal in jury.
- If the wa rning light
EiJ and the warning
light
11111 ) w ith the message Brake pads !
comes on in the instrument cl uster display,
i mmediately contact your author ized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop to have all
bra ke pads checked o r rep laced if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the elec­
tronic power control .
-
The~ warni ng/indicator light (Electronic Powe r
Control) ill uminates when you switch the ign ition
on as a function check.
(D} Tips
If this wa rning/in dicator light ill uminates
wh ile you are driving, then there is a mal func­
tion in the eng ine electron ics. Have the ma l­
function corrected as soon as possib le by yo ur
author ized A udi dealer or a qualified repair fa­
cility .
0 Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunc tion Ind ica tor Lam p (M IL) is part of
the On-Boa rd Di ag nosti c (O BD II) system. The
symbo l
('4 lights up whe n the ignition is swi tch ­
e d on and wi ll turn off after the engine has sta rt·
e d and has sett led at a constant idle speed . This
i n dicates that the MIL is working p roperly.
l ) - : USA mode ls o nly
20
The wa rning lig ht ill uminates w hen the re is a
malfunction in the engine electronic system.
Contact yo ur aut ho rized Aud i dea le r and have the
malfunction corrected.
An impro per ly closed fue l filler cap may also
ca use the MIL light to illuminate ¢
page 200 .
For more info rm ation c::> page 29 .
!?) Engine speed limitation
App lies to vehicles : wi th engine speed limitatio n
lfl Do not exceed max. engine speed of XXXX
rpm
The lfl symbo l illu min ates when the re is an en­
gine co ntro l ma lf u nct ion. The~ indica tor ligh t
in the instrument clus ter also illum ina tes . T he
engine spee d is limited to the s peed displayed in
the d river info rmation system. Keep in mind t hat
the engine speed w ill not exceed the value dis ­
played in the driver information system, for ex­
amp le w hen downshifting.
D rive to your authorized A udi dealer immediate ly
to have the mal function cor rected .
~~. Engine oil sensor
• Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your author ­
i zed Audi dealer and have the oil sensor inspect­
ed. Until yo u have this done, chec k the oi l level
each time you refuel just to be on the safe side
¢ page 207.
Bu Tank system
Ii] Please refuel
If the indicato r light turns on for the first time
and t he message appea rs, the re are about
2.1- 2.4 gallons (7 • 9 lite rs) of fuel left in the
ta nk. Time to refuel¢
page 200 .
Ii] Fuel tank system malfunct ion! Contact deal -
er ..,.

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>

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 .,.

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dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that the
accurate measurement of oil consumption
requires great care and may take some
time. An authorized Audi dealer has instruc­
t ions about how to measure oil consump­
tion acc urately.
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 1 82 MMI D is pl ay: O il leve l indicator
Read o il level
• Park yo ur vehicle so that it is horizonta lly level.
• Shut the engine off when it is at operat ing tem -
perature .
• Switch only the ignition back on.
• Wait approx . two minutes .
• Se lect: Funct ion button
~ IC ~A ~R~ I > Oil level. Or
• Se lect: Funct ion but ton
ICARI > Car systems *
contro l butto n > Servicing & che cks > Oil leve l.
• Read the o il level in the MMI* Disp lay
r:::> fig. 182. Add engine o il if the bar o f the oil
level indicator is nea r "m in"
r:::> page 207
Depending on t he way the ve hicl e is driven a nd
the operati ng cond itions, o il cons umption can be
up to a 1/2 quart per 600 mi les (0 .5 liter per
1,000 km). Cons umption may be highe r within
the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
@ Tips
T he oi l level indicator in the M MI* Disp lay is
only an information d isp lay . If the oil leve l is
too low, a minimum o il warning appears in
the instrument cluster . Add oi l
r=>page 207.
If the hood has been opened, the current oil
level is shown i n the instrument cluster the
next time the ignition is sw itc hed on.
Checking and Filling
~ Adding engine oil
Fi g. 18 3 En g in e compa rtment: Cover o n the o il filler neck
• Before you check anything in the engine com­
pa rtment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203.
• Shu t the eng ine off.
• Uns crew the cap
'e::1': to the engine oil f illing
hole
r:::> fig. 183, ¢page 205, fig . 181.
• Carefully top off with 0 .5 quarts (0 .5 liters) of
the approp riate oil¢
page 205.
• Check the oil level again after two minutes
r=> page 20 7, Checking the engine oil level.
• Top off the o il agai n, if necessary.
• Screw the cap back on the fil ling ho le.
A WARNING
-
- Wh ile topping off, the o il must not com e in
con tact w ith ho t engine parts - fi re hazard!
- The o il filler cap must be p roperly secured
to p reve nt o il from being sprayed on the h ot
engine and exha ust system whe n the e ng in e
is ru nning - fire haz ard!
- I f you r skin has come in cont act wi th the en­
g ine oil, yo u m ust s ubsequently cleanse i t
thoroug hly.
CJ) Note
- Check the oil level using the ra dio or MMI*.
If the message
Please reduce oil level ap­
pea rs, con tact your authori zed A udi dealer
or qualifie d workshop to have excess oi l ex­
tracted if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the u se of oil
additives . They may damage the engine
and adve rsely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
207

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... specially conditioned water and the man ufactur­
er's g lycol-bas edcoo lant additive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA mod­
e ls; 60% for Canadian models). This m ixture
both assures the necessary frost protection and
protects metal components in the engine's cool­
ing system from corrosion and scaling.
It also
raises the boiling point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the coolant in
the summer by adding p lain water .
The propor­
tion of coolant addit ive must be at l eas t 50° /4
but not more th an 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
p rotection and cooling effic iency. If the coolant
frost protec tion is too low, the coolant co uld
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en­
gine cooling system.
F or yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to :
- -31 °F (- 35 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
Q &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your
vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate con­
dit ions. This is especially important if you
li ve in a reg ion where the w inte r is ext reme­
l y co ld. If ne cessary, in cre ase the proport io n
of coo lant add itive to 60%.
- When addi ng coolant addit ive to you r cool­
i ng system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant addi­
tive Gl2 ++ or Gl3 for your ve hicle. T his
coolant additive is available at authorized
Audi dea lers. Othe r types of antifreeze can
significant ly reduce cor ros ion p rotection .
Ch eck ing and Filling
The resulting co rrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator lea k sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra­
diator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling
system and cou ld resu lt in damage not cov­
ered by your New Veh icle Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
F ig. 184 En gin e co mpa rt men t: Cover o n the coo la nt ex ­
pans ion t ank
.. Before you check anything in the eng ine com ­
partment,
al ways read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
q ..&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203 .
.. Park your ve hicle on a leve l sur face .
.. Tu rn off the ignit io n .
.. Read the eng ine coolan t level from the coo lant
expansion tank
q fig . 184, Q page 205,
fig. 181 .
With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the " MIN" and "MAX" mark­
ings. 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
q page 205.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be switched off.
T he expansion ta nk in your veh icle is eq uipped
with an electric coo lant level senso r.
When the coolant leve l is too low , the warning
light i n the Auto-Check System
Q page 17 will
209

Check ing and F illing
blink until you add coolant and the level has been
restored to normal. Even though there is an e lec ­
tr ic coolant level sensor, we still recommend you
check the coo lant level from time to time.
Coolant los s
Coolant loss may indicate a l e ak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cooling
syst em should be insp ected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is not enough merely
to add coolant.
I n a
s e aled system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheating.
A 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 eng ine and allow it to cool
down .
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es­
caping fluid and steam by covering the cap
with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise direction wh ile apply ing
l ight, downward pressure on the top of the
cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti ­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or
hot eng ine parts . Under certain conditions,
the ethy lene g lycol i n engine coolant can
catch fire.
{Q) Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seala nt
to your veh icle's engine coolant . Adding radia­
to r repa ir fluid may adversely affec t the func­
tion and performance of yo ur cooling system
and could result in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine compart­
ment,
a lwa ys re ad an d heed all WARNINGS
210
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 203.
Requireme nt: The re must be a res idual amount
of coo lant in the expans ion tank
~CD-
.,,. Turn off the engine .
.,,. Let the engine cool down.
.,,. Place a thick rag over the coolan t expa nsion
tank ¢ page 209, fig. 184 and
carefull y turn
the cap counter-clockwise ¢.&_ .
.,,. Add coo lant mixed in the correct ratio
~ page 208, Coolant up to the MAX marking.
.,,. Make sure that the fluid level remains stab le.
Add more coolant if necessary .
.,,. Twist the cap on aga in tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to ex­
act specifications ¢ page 208, Coolan t.
We recommend using only coo lant additive
G l2 +
+ , Gl3
or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not use a
different additive . In an emergency use plain wa ­
ter unt il you can get the correct addit ive and can
restore the correct rat io. Th is should be done as
soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifreeze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use new engine coo lant when refilling .
Do not fi ll coolant above the "MAX " mark. Excess
coolant will be forced out th rough the pressure
relief valve in the cap when the engine becomes
hot.
A 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 a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap s low ly and very ca refully in a
counter-clo ckwise direction wh ile app ly ing
li ght, downward pressure on the top o f
the cap.
~