low oil pressure AUDI A5 COUPE 2012 Owners Manual

Driver information messages
Driver information messages are shown in the
instrument cluster display in addition to sym­
bols.
Fig. 25 Instrument cluster: SE T butto n
For example, if the transmission selector lever
is not in the
P position when the engine is
turned
off, the following message appears:
Shift to P, otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Doors do not lock
if lever is not in P.
The ignition key can on ly be removed with the
selector in this position. This and other mes­
sages are brought up if a function cannot be
carried out.
Driver messages and red symbols
If a red symbol appears in the display, a dr iver
message is a lso displayed automatica lly.
For example, the. symbol for a problem
with engine oil pressure appears in the dis­
play . The message :
Switch off engine and check oil level
The driver message in the display goes out af­
ter about
5 seconds . The driver message can
be disp layed again by brief ly pressing the
ISETI button i=> fig. 25.
Driver messages and yellow symbols
If a ye llow symbo l appears in the disp lay, a
driver message is also displayed automatica l­
l y.
F or example,
thi- 1-1 symbol appears in the
disp lay, ind icating low windshield washer flu­
id level. The following message also appears:
Please top up washer fluid
Driver information display 29
The driver message disappears after a few
seconds. The driver message can be displayed
again by br iefly press ing the
ISE TI button.
Red symbols
A red symbol means DANGER.
Fig. 26 D isp lay: Da nge r sy mb ol
.,. Pull off the road .
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn
off the engine .
.,. Check the malfunctioning system. Contact
your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
Red symbols indicate a prior ity 1 malfunction
- Danger!
With a priority
1 malfunction, a red symbol
appears in the uppe r center area of the dis­
play c>
fig. 26 . A driver message appears as
well to explain the ma lfunction in more de­
tail. When this symbol appears,
three warning
tones sound in succession . Th e symbol contin­
ues to flas h until the fault has been corrected.
If
several priority 1 malfunct ions are present,
the symbols appear in succession and remain
for about
2 seconds.
The driver wa rning goes out after about
5 sec­
onds, but it can be brought up again at any
time by pressing the
ISE TI button. c> page 29
Alternator failure
i=>page 30
USA models:
Brake system malfunction
i=>page 30

30 Driver in formation d isplay
Canada m odel s:
Bra ke system malfunction
c:>page30
Engine coolant level too low/en­
gine coolant temperature too
high
c:>page 31
Engine oi l pressure too low
c:>page 31
Refill engine oil now
c:>page32
Steering malfunction
c:>page 32
Ignition lock malfunction
c:>page32
0 Alternator malfunction
If the . symbol in the instrument panel dis­
p lay flashes, the n there is a malfunc tion in the
a lt ernator or the vehicle electron ics. A warn­
ing to the driver will appear, too. The driver
warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it
can be brought up at any time by pressing the
ISETI button again.
Usually, you can still drive to the next dea ler­
ship. T urn off all b ut the most necessary elec­
tr ica l cons umers, since these dra in the veh i­
cle's battery.
(J;) Note
If the . war ning symbol (coolant system
malfunction) also lights up on the instru­
ment panel during the trip
c:> page 31,
then you have to stop immediately and
turn off the eng ine. The coolant pump is
not working anymore--danger of damage
to the eng ine!
BRAKE/ Brake system malfunction
A malfunction in the brake system must be
repaired as soon as possible .
If the warn ing /indicator light-(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) in the instru- me
nt cluster flashes, there is a brake system
malfunction. A driver message appears as
we ll to exp la in the ma lfunction in more de ­
ta il. The dr iver warning goes out after about S
seconds, but it can be brought up at any time by press ing the
ISE TI button again .
Stop the Vehicle and Check the Brake
Fluid
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Check t he brake fluid level
c:> page 246 .
.,. Seek professional assistance if necessary .
Warning ! Fault in br ake system . Contact
workshop
.,. Drive ca refully to the nearest authorized
Aud i dea le r or other q ualified workshop and
have the malfu nction corrected
c:> &_ .
Parking b ra ke Plea se get to a repair shop
.,. If this symbol appears when the vehicle is
stat ionary or after the ignition is t urned on,
check to see if the par king brake can be re­
leased. Dr ive to a n author ized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop as soon as possi­
b le and have the malfunc tion cor re ct ed. If
t he par king b rake cannot be opened, t hen
take it to an expe rt at an authorized A udi
dea ler .
.,. If the symbo l appea rs whi le yo u are d riving,
it is possible that the traction contro l or the
emergency brake has malfunctioned. It is
possible that the parking brake cannot be
app lied. It is also possible that the parking
brake cannot be released after it has been
app lied. Drive to an autho rized Aud i deale r
or other qualified workshop to have t he mal­
fu nction corrected.
If the ABS system malfu nctions, the ABS
warning/indicator light illuminates togethe r
with the brake system ma lfunction w arning/
i ndica to r li ght
c:> .&..
A WARNING
-A lways observe t he warn ings in
c:> page 230, Engine compartment, be­
fore open ing the hood and check ing the
brake fluid.

-Driving wi th low brake fluid is a safe ty
haza rd. S to p the car and get professional
assistance.
- USA models: If the - warning light
and
the m warning light come on to­
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock­
up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an acc ident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, ha rd b rake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warn ing
ligh t. and the ABS warning light
[i]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard brak ing. Rear
wheel lock- up can cause loss of veh icle
control and an accident. Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your author­
ized Aud i dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applicat io ns.
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
If the . symbol flashes in the display , e ither
the eng ine coolant
temperature is too h igh or
the eng ine coolant
level is too low. A dr iver
message appears as we ll to explain the mal­
f u nction in more detail. The drive r warning
goes o ut after abo ut S seconds, but it c an be
b rought up at any time by press ing the
!SE Tl
button again.
Sw itch off engin e and check coolant lev el
.,. Pu ll off the road .
... Stop the veh icle .
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. Check coolant level¢
page 244.
.,. Add coolan t if necessa ry ¢ page 245 .
.,. Contin ue driving only after the eng ine cool ­
ant war ning/indicato r light goes o ut.
... Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler for as ­
s istance if necessary .
Driver information di spla y 31
If the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the ca use of the malfunc­
t ion .
_& WARNING
-If your vehicle should brea k down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the eng ine and tu rn on the haza rd
warn ing lights
~ page 52, Em ergency
flashers.
-
- Never ope n the hood if you se e or hear
steam or coo la nt escaping from the en­
gine com partmen t -yo u ris k being scald ­
e d . Wai t until yo u ca n no longer see o r
hea r steam o r coolan t escap ing.
- Th e engine compa rtme nt o f any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Be fore you perform
any wo rk in the engine compartmen t,
tur n of the engine and allow it to coo l.
Follow the warn ing stickers ¢
page 230,
Engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not continue driv ing if the . symbo l
ill uminates . There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
"t::7: Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving
with a low oil pressure indication is likely to
cause severe engine damage.
If the . symbo l on the d isplay flashes, the
engine oil pressure is too low. A driver mes­
sage appears as well to exp la in the malfunc­
tion in more detail. The driver warning goes
o ut after about 5 seconds, b ut i t can be
brought up at any t ime by pressing the
~ IS- ET~ I
bu tton aga in .
Switch off eng ine ! Oil pr essure too low
... Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn the engine off.
.,. Check the engine oi l level ¢
page 242.

32 Driver information display
• Co ntac t you r authorized Audi dea ler if nec -
essa ry .
Engine oil level too low
If th e e ngine o il leve l is too l ow, ad d eng ine
oil
<> page 242.
Engine oil level correct
If th e . symbo l flash es even t houg h the en ­
g ine o il lev el is co rrec t, p lease seek prof essio­
na l assis tan ce. Do not cont inu e dr iv in g. Do
no t leave the eng ine run nin g
idle, either .
{O) Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, che ck 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
II. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age .
~ . Fill engine oil now
WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If t he . symbo l lights up, t hen the oil has to
be rep lenished r ight now
c:> page 242 .
Q31-e Steering malfunction
If there is a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock, th e steering cannot b e
unlocked .
If th e . symbol in the disp lay blinks, there
is a malfunction in the elect ronic steer ing col ­
u m n lock. A dr iver message app ears as well to
explain the malfunc tion in mo re de ta il. The
dr iver war ning goes out after about 5 sec­
on ds, but it can be broug ht up a t any time by
p res sing t he
ISE TI bu tton again .
Stop the vehicle and turn off the engine.
Steering defective
• Obtain profess ional a ssista nc e.
• Do
not tow your ve hicle.
A WARNING
-
Your veh icle must not be towe d in t he
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering co lumn lock beca use it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering. I f it is
t o we d wit h the steeri ng locked, there is
t h e risk o f an accident.
I
{i) Tips
The symbol's ap pearance might be differ­
ent in some mode ls.
© -e Ignition lock malfunction
A malfunction in the ignition lock must be re ­
paired immediately.
If the . symbol in the display blinks , there
is a ma lf u nction in the e lectronic ignition lock .
A driver message appears as we ll to explain
t h e malfunction in mo re deta il. The dr iver
warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it can be b rought up a t any time by press ing the
ISE TI bu tton again
Defective ignition switch Get it serviced!
• Do not turn the e ngine off .
• Drive imme diate ly to a n author ized service
facility to have the malfunct io n corrected.
If there is a mal funct ion i n the elect ron ic ign i­
tion loc k, the ignition cannot be t urne d off .
D rive immed iate ly to an autho rized serv ice fa ­
c ili ty to have the cause of the malfunct ion c or­
rected.
On vehicles with conve nience key*, the engi ne
sho uld not be switched off us ing the start/
stop button because the engine cannot be
started again afte r the ignit io n h as been
switched off .

(D Tips
The symbol's appearance might be differ­ent in some models .
Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
Fig. 27 Display: Yellow warning symbo l
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 malfunc­
tion -Warning!
When a yellow warning symbol appears,
one
warning tone sounds. A driver message ap­
pears as well to explain the malfunction in
more deta il. The driver warning goes out after
about 5 seconds, but it can be brought up at
any time by pressing the
! SET I button aga in.
Check the funct ion displayed as soon as possi­
ble. The yellow symbol will not go out again
until the reason for the malfunction has been
corrected.
If several priority 2 malfunctions are present ,
the symbols appear in succession and remain
for about 2 seconds .
~~
Dynamic steering*
¢page34
•
Worn brake pads
¢page34
•
Battery voltage
¢page35
I:~
Defective light bulb*
¢page35
•
Check engine oil level
¢
page 36 or¢ page 36
Dri ver inform ation di spl ay 33
•
Engine oil sensor malfunction
¢page36
II
low fuel level
¢ page 35
•
Windshield washer fluid level
low
¢page35
e
Convenience key* Key not in vehicle
¢ page 34
m
light/rain sensor* defective
¢page34
II
Dynamic headl ight range control
defective
¢ page 36
m
Battery in remote control key
¢page38
rm
Electromechanical pa rking brake
¢ page 99
•
Engine speed limitation*
¢page36
r1i
adaptive light* defective
¢page 36
-
m
Ignition lock malfunction
¢page36
B
Adaptive dampers*
¢page36
m
Windshield wiper defective
¢page36
[ti
Significant loss of air pressure*
¢page 271
Tire pressure monitoring system*
11111 (malfunction)
¢page 271
rm
Automatic transmiss ion
malfunction
¢page 131

If the engine does not start immediately, stop
trying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the eng ine about 30 seconds later .
After a cold engine is star ted, there may be a
brief period of increased noise because oil
pressure must first bui ld up in the hydraulic
va lve adjusters. This is normal and not a cause
for concern.
Driv er m essa ge in th e in strument clu ster
disp lay
No ke y ident ified
This message appears when the
I S TAR T ENGINE STOP ! button is pressed if
there is no master key inside the vehicle or if
the system does no t recogni ze it. For exam­
ple, the master key cannot be recognized if it
is covered by an object (e .g . aluminum brief
case) which
screens the radio signal. Electron­
i c devices such as ce ll phones can also inter­
fere wi th the radio signal.
Press brake ped al to start engine
This message appears if you press the
I STAR T ENGIN E ST OP ! button to start the en­
g ine and do not depress the b rake pedal. The
engine can on ly be sta rted if the brake pedal
is depressed.
Press clutch ped al to start engin e
This message appears with a manual trans ­
miss ion when you press the
I S TAR T ENGIN E ST OP ! button to start the en­
g ine and do not depress the clu tch pedal. The
engine can on ly be started when the clutch
pedal is dep ressed .
Engage Nor P to st art engine
This message appears when attempting to
start the engine if the selector lever fo r the
automatic t ransmission is not in the
P or N
position . Th e engine can on ly be started w ith
the selector in these posit ions.
!II Key not in vehicle
This message appears along with the II! sym­
bo l if t he maste r key is removed from the ve­
h icle w ith the engine r unning. It is intended
On th e ro ad 95
to remind you (e .g. when changing dr ive rs)
not to continue the journey without the mas­
ter key.
If t he mas ter key is no longer in the ve hicle,
you cannot switch on the ignition after stop ­
ping the engine and you also cannot start the
engine aga in. Moreover, you cannot lock the
vehicle from the outside with the key.
Shift to P, oth erwise vehicle can roll away.
D oors do not lock if le ver i s not in P .
This message app ears for safety reasons
a long with a warn ing signal. It appears if the
selector leve r for the automa tic transmission
is not in the
P position when sw itching off the
ignition with the
I STAR T ENGIN E ST OP ! but­
ton . Move the se lector lever to the
P position,
othe rwise the veh icle is not se cured against
ro lling away. You also cannot lock the veh icle
u sing the lock ing b utton on the door hand le
or using the remote key.
Convenience key defective ! Use ignition
lock
T his message appears if the vehicle has to be
started not w ith the
I S T AR T ENGINE ST OPI
button but with the ig nition key.
A WARNING
- Never a llow the engine to run in confined
spaces - danger of asphyx iation.
- Never turn off t he engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotron ic only
work when the engine is runn ing . With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply
more force when steering or brak ing.
Since you can not steer and stop normal ­
ly, th is can lead to acc idents and serious
in ju ries .
(D Note
-Avo id h igh engine rpm, full thrott le and
heavy engine loads until the eng ine has
reached operating temperature - other-
w ise you risk engine damag e.
- T he engine cannot be started by pushing
o r towing the vehicle.
Ill-

208 Intellig ent technol ogy
,8. WARNING
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road condit ions permit .
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
you may cause an acc iden t!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . This cou ld cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumula te on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing fo r an extended period of time on
salt -covered roads w ithout using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­ creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­ est authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power .
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
runn ing
c> .&. .
,8. WARNING
-Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the bra ke pedal mus t be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un­ der braking .
-
The ABS contributes effect ively to vehicle con­
trol since it prevents the whee ls from
locking
when the brakes are applied. This means that
the ve hicle remains steerable and is less likely
to skid .
With AB S you do n ot need to pump the
brake . Ju st hold th e bra ke p edal down.
However, do not expect the ABS to s horten
braking distance under
all c ircumstances.
When driving on gravel or on new ly fallen
snow on top of icy surfaces, braking dis tance
may be even longer, therefore, under these
circumstances, it is especia lly important that
you drive s low ly and with great care.
How the ABS syst em work s
An automat ic check is made when a speed o f
about 12 mph (20 km/h) is reached. When
this happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an ind iv idual whee l begi ns to rota te too
s lowly in re lation to vehicle speed and tends
to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake pressure to prevent that whee l from locking . .,..

temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies wi th A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Yo ur Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re­
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
wa s pe rformed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle dep ends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to provide effective l ubrication and
cool ing of i nternal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a cert ain
amo unt of o il. Oil cons umption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in per iod (see
c::;, page 213) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the amb ient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac­
tors ar e the amount of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is s ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 241
wear as m ileage builds up, the oil consump ­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es ­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
Ill in the instrument cluster lights up, yo u
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
c::;, page 242. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
c::;, page 242.
A WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n the engi ne
compartment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS
c::;, .&. in Working in th e engine
c ompartment on page 23
7.
(D Note
D riving w ith a n insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause sever e damage to the engine .
(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 engine at regu lar intervals , pref­
erably each time you refuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression yo ur engi ne
c ons umes ex ce ssive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consul t an a uthor­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly d iagnosed. Keep in
mind that the accurate measu rement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some t ime. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil co nsumption accurately.
-
•
•

When the engine is warm, the level may be
slightly above the
"MAX" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration ¢ page 239.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System ¢page
31 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­ freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
Checking and filling 245
@ Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
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 anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ & in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 23
7.
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢ page
244, fig . 206 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise ¢
&_.
.,. Add coolant.
.. Twist the cap on again tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢ page
244, Coolant.
Even in an emergency, if coolant addi-
tive G12++, G12+ or G12 is
not available, do
not use a different additive. Use plain water
instead until you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio. This should
be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ...,
•
•

260 Tire s and wheel s
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to c heck t he tire pressure a nd add
air as required.
Driving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secure ly
mounted on the valve .
@I For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is ove rloaded w ill not ha ndle
well and is more difficult to stop. Over load ing
can no t on ly lead to loss of vehi cle contro l,
but can also damage important pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudd en deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are techn ically referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle W eight Rat ing
(" GVWR ").
T he "GVWR" incl udes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all f actory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load . T he maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is in tended to carry ("seating capacity") with a n
assumed weig ht of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for e ach
passenger at a des igna ted seat ing pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve ­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
tra iler hitch and the tong ue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
ve hicle load . T
he
Gro ss Axle We ight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weigh t Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located either
on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on the ins ide of
the fuel fi ller flap . Audi has
4 seating pos i­
t ions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for to tal
seat ing capac ity of 4 . Each seating position
has a seat belt ¢
page 154, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle 's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­ ried in the vehicle ( includ ing t he weight of a
t railer hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra ile r) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers w ho are
heavier tha n t he standard we ights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug ­
gage.
T he tire pressure label o n your Aud i also lis ts
the max imum combi ned weight of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
t h e vehicle can carry. Fo r the location of the
label ¢
page 256 , fig. 210.
A WARNING
-Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve-
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death .
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The b rakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be abl e to stop the
veh icle w it hi n a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s udden ly, incl uding a blowo ut
a nd sud den defla tion, causing loss of
con trol an d a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
i n g tr anspor ted - incl ud ing t he weight o f
a trailer hitch and the tongue we igh t of a
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