cooling AUDI A4 2017 Owners Manual

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

<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 a,
on a monochrome display. The. or u centra l
indicator light turns on at the same time to indi­
cate the priority of these ind icator lights.
Red indicator lights
--------------
Central indicator light
c::> page26,
Aud i pre sense*
c::> page 10 7
USA models:
Brake system ../
c::> page 29
Canada models :
Bra ke system ../
c::> page 29
USA models:
Electromecha nical parking brake
c::> page 30
Canada models:
Electromechanica l parking brake
c::> page30
Cooling system
c::> page 31
E ng ine oi l pressure
c::> page 32
Eng ine oil level
c::> page 32
Generator
c::> page 31
Safety belt
c::> page 31
Electromechanical steering../
c::> page 13 7
Steering lock
c::> page 32
E ng ine start system
c::> page32
Transmission
c::> page 87
Adapt ive cruise control*../
c::> page 98
Congestion assist*
c::> page 104 Cockpit overview
Ad B lue*
c::> page 300
Ad Blue*
c::> page 300
Yellow indicator lights
--------------
Central indicator light
c::> page 26
E lectronic Stabilization Contro l
(ESC)
c::> page 32
El ectronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ../
c::> page 32
Electronic Stabiliza tion Control
(ESC)
c::> page 13 5
Brake system
c::> page 33
USA models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)../
c::> page 32
Canada models:
Anti-lock b raking system (ABS)../
c::> page 32
Safety systems ../
c::> page 33
USA models:
Brake pads
c::> page 33
Canada models:
Brake pads
c::> page 33
El ectromechanical parking brake
c::> page 30
T ire pressure
c::> page 335
Tire pressure
c::> page 335
Engine control
c::> page 33
Engine contro l (diese l engine)
c::> page 33
27

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

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

Warm and cold
3 zone deluxe automatic climate control
Operating
.... M
~ a,
Fig. 73 3-zone de lu xe automat ic cl imate contro l; cockpit controls
Fig. 74 3-zone de luxe automatic cl imate contro l system: rear controls
Press the knobs, buttons or rocker switches to
turn the functions on or off . When the funct ion is
sw itched on, the LED in the respect ive button or
knob t urns on ¢
fig. 73. The rocker switches are
sensitive to touch. The driver and front passenger
settings can be adjusted separately.
You can adjust the settings for the rear of the ve­
hi cle
~ fig . 74 using the controls in the rear .
On right-hand drive vehicles*, the functions of
the rocker switched ® and ® are switched .
OFF
climate control system
You can switch the climate control system
on and off with the OFF button.
It is also switch- ed on when you press another button or a knob
.
Airflow from outside is blocked when the climate
contro l system is sw itched off .
A/C
Cooling mode
You can switch the cooling mode on or off using
the rocker switch ®· The air is not cooled and hu­
midity is not removed when cooling mode is
switched off. This can cause fog on the w indows .
Cooling mode switches off automatically when
the outside temperature is below zero.
A/Ceco
cooling mode*
You can switch the eco cooling mode on or off us-
ing the rocker switch ®· The climate control ..,.
69

Warm and cold
system operates most efficiently in eco cooling
mode.
A/C MAX cooling mode*
You can switch the maximum cool ing mode on or
off using the rocker switch@. Th e air is not
coo led and humidity is not removed when cooling
mode is switched off. This can cause fog on the
windows. Cooling mode switches off automati­
cally when the outside temperature is below
zero. When the cooling mode is switched on, the
vehicle interior is cooled as quickly as possible
and dehumidified .
c:E) Recirculation mode
In recirculation mode, the air inside the vehicle is
circu lated and filtered. This prevents the unfil­
tered air outside the vehicle from entering the
vehicle interior. We recommend switching recir­
culation mode on when dr iv ing through a tunnel
or when s itting in traffic
c::> ,&.
Using the button, recirculation mode is~ using
the button. You can also switch the recirculation
mode off by pressing the knob
(D :1E or the but ­
ton.
AUTO
Automatic mode
Automatic mode ma intains a constant tempera­
ture inside the vehicle. Air temperature, airflow
and a ir distribution are controlled automatically .
You can switch automatic mode on or off by
pressing the knob@.
Temperature
You can adjust the temperature between 60°F
( + 16°() and 84°F ( +28°() by turn ing the knob
(D . If outside of this range, LO or HI will appear
in the climate control system d isplay. In both
sett ings, the climate control runs constantly at
the maximum cooling or heating level. The tem­
pe rat ure is not regulated.
The temperature can be adjusted in the rear us­
ing the rear contro ls
c::> fig. 74 .
86'~ Blower
You can adjust the vo lume of air generated by the
blower to your preference using the rocker switch
70
@ . To have the blower regulated automatica lly,
press the knob
(D.
Air distribution
You can use the rocker sw itches @to adjust the
ven ts where the air w ill flow o ut of. P ress the
rocker switches @repeatedly until the desired
air distribution setting is disp layed in the climate
contro l system controls. To have the air distribu­
tion regulated automatically, press the knob
(D.
-Jit-OPEN/CLOSE the wide vent
You can open and close the wide vent in the cock­
pit using the rocker switch ®·
JI 8M Seat heating and ventilation*
If you press the button JI~ the seat heating/
ventilat ion is switched on at the highest leve l (3).
The LEDs indicate the temperature level. To re­
duce the temperature, press the button again. To
switch the seat heating/ventilation off, press the
button repeatedly unti l the LED turns off .
3%i Defrosting
The windshield and side w indows are defrosted
o r cleared of condensation as quick ly as poss ible.
The maxim um amount of air flows mainly from
the vents below the windshield . Recirculation
mode switches off. The temperature should be
set at + 72°F (22°() or higher. The temperature is
controlled automatically.
Defrost is sw itched on and off~ using the but­
ton. You can switch the function off by pressing
the knob
(D .
Applies to vehicles with windsh ield heating*:
when outside temperatures are low, the wind ­
shield heating is automatically switched on . If
you would like to switch the windshield defroster
on manually, press the button.~-The LED in the
button blinks.
Qii) REAR Rear window defogger
Press the button to switch the rear window de­
fogger !! on. It on ly operates when the engine is
running. It switches off automatically after 10 to
20 minutes, depending on the outs ide tempera­
ture.

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always che ck with the t rail ­
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck that all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If you r trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
90
The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use s afety chains be tween you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us­
i ng t he regular outs ide mirrors, then yo u
must in­
stall ex tended mirrors . It is impo rtant that you
al ways have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hi tc h, do not s tore
it i n y our vehicle. In case o f su dden brak ing,
the hitch could fly fo rward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra iler f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t rai le r i s he ld se curely in
pla ce to p reve nt i t from shi fting forwar d, bac k­
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driver messages on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towi ng a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure tha t
the coo ling system has enoug h fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire p ressure listed under "Full
load" on the t ire press ure label. The t ire pressure
1111-

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

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

and have the cooling system inspected. If the
cooling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheating and being pushed out of the cooling system.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure. Do
not open the coolant expansion tank cap
when the engine is hot. This increases the
risk of burns .
- The coolant add itive and the coolant can be
dangerous to your health. For this reason,
keep the coolant in the original container
and away from children. There is a risk of
poisoning.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of injury.
(D Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty. There may be a ir in the cooling sys­
tem, which increases the risk of engine dam­
age . If this is the case, do not continue driv­
ing . See an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a quick
glance .
Fig. 250 Engine compa rtment: Cover o n the brake fluid
rese rvoir
Before you check anything in the eng ine compart ­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
Checking and Filling
c::> .&. in Working in the engine compartment on
page 304.
" Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid
reservoir
c::> fig. 250, c::> page 306, fig. 247. The
brake fluid level must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The brake flu id reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the left
side
~ page 306 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls considerably below
the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indicato r
light (USA models:
11111 , Canada models : II>
will come on c::> page 29. Do not continue to oper­
ate the vehicle. The complete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/indicator light will illuminate .
Contact an authorized Audi dealer
immediately .
@ Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover.
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by on experienced
technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor­
rosion in the brake system may result after ape­
riod of time. The boiling point of the brake fluid
will also decrease considerably and decrease braking performance .
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every
two years .
Always use new brake fluid which con­
forms to Federal Motor Vehicle Standard "FMVSS
116 DOT 4" .
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach,
therefore, we recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by your authorized
Audi
dealer.
Your dealer has the correct tools, the
311