check engine AUDI A7 2013 Owner's Manual

Modern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan ­
tum leap in the last few years . Many synt hetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum­ based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"s ludge," that ove r time can lead to expensive
r epairs .
At the t ime of pri nting, engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, h owever, that every synthetic engine oil w ill
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oi l.
To help preve nt the format ion of harmful de­
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il conta iner labels may carry the specif ica­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion w ith other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity. The proper v iscosity grade oi l for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you dr ive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE SW40 across all tem ­
pe rature ranges for normal d riving conditions .
However, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade
SAE SW40 is not ava ilable, you can a lso use
viscosity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as
long as it meets Audi o il quality standard
VW 502 00 specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we st rongly recomme nd
that you always carry with you a n ext ra quart
Checkin g and fillin g 233
(li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 specificatio n, in case you have to
top
off the o il while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
confo rms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
spec ifications is available -may you top
off
with a h igh quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
spec ifications, but even then, only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SA E SW-30, or
SA E OW-40 . However, during the ent ire time
betwee n oil change in tervals, never top
off
wi th more than a total of 0.5 q t/ li ter engine
o il t hat does no t conform to A udi o il specifica­
tion VW 502 00.
Fo r more information abo ut eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t eit h er yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .a u diusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
T he eng ine oi l and o il f ilter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified i n your ve hicle's War ­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these interva ls - harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important beca use the lubricat­
ing propert ies of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you a re not sure when
yo u have your o il cha nged, ask your author­
i zed Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be changed more frequent ly.
Change oil more often if you dr ive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly under stop-and -go traff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
•
•

234 Checking and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfun ctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty &
Maintenance booklet . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re­
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢ page 204) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to wear as mi
leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent checking of the o il lev ­
el, see Note.
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possible
c:> page 235. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
c:> page 235.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 230.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause severe 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 regular intervals, pref­
erably each time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip.
- If you have th e impression your engine
consumes excessive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Audi
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of oil con­
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime. Your Audi dealer has in­
structions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurately.
-

Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 190 D is p la y : o il level indi ca tor
• Park your vehicle on a lev el surfac e.
• Shut the engine off when it is warm.
• Switch only the ignition b ack on.
• W ait approxima tely two minutes .
• Se lect :
ICARI function button > ( C ar)* sys ­
t e m s
control button > Se rvicing & c h ecks >
Oil l ev el.
• Check the o il leve l in the display ¢ fig. 190.
Add engine oil if the bar of the oil level indi­
cator is near "min "
¢page 235.
Depending on the way the veh icle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion
can be up to 1/2 q uart per 600 m iles (0.5 li ter
pe r 1,000 km) . Consumption may be higher
within the f irst 3 ,000 miles (5,000 km).
(D Tips
The oi l level indicator in the MMI Dis play is
only an in format ion disp lay . If the oil leve l
is low, a minim um oi l warni ng appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oi l
<=> page 235. If the hood has been opened,
the curre nt oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluste r the next time the ign ition is
sw itched on .
Checkin g and fillin g 235
Adding engine oil 'i=:1:
Fig. 191 Eng in e compa rtm en t: co ve r on the engine oi l
filler n eck
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment ,
alw ay s re ad and he ed all WARN­
INGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 230.
• Uns crew the cap ce:r. to the eng ine oi l filling
hole
¢ fig . 191, ¢fig. 189.
• Caref ully top off with the appropr iate oil in
0.5 liter doses .
• Check t he oil level aga in after two minutes
¢ page 235 .
• Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
A WARNING
-Wh ile topping off, the o il must not come
i n contact w ith hot engine parts -fi re
hazard!
- The oi l filler cap must be p roperly se­
cured to prevent oil from bei ng sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is runn ing -fire ha zard!
- I f your ski n has come in contact with the
engine o il, you mus t subse quently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Please reduce oil level appe ars,
c ontact yo ur a uth ori zed Aud i dea ler o r
ot her qualified workshop to have excess
oil ext racted if necessary.
- Audi d oes not re commend the u se of oil
additiv es. They m ay damage the engine
1111-

236 Check ing and filling
and ad versely a ffect yo ur New Vehicl e
W arr ant y.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network o r
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays rea d an d h eed all WARN­
INGS c::> .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 230.
The engine oil must be changed accord ing to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly during normal vehicle use .
Under some ci rcumstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe ­
riods .
Detergent addit ives in the oil w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­ n ing for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along w ith the special tools and necessary ex ­
pertise required , we strongly recommend that
you have your o il changed by an authorized
Audi de ale r or a qual ified servi ce station.
If y ou choo se to c hang e y our oi l y our self,
please note the followi ng important informa­
tion :
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­n ing down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmfu l to your sk in. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
with soap and wate r.
@ Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en­
g ine and adversely affect you r A ud i Limit­
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you can prope rly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engi ne oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in you r
area, or contact a service station.

Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
te cts the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
qu ires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coolant additive G13 ant ifreeze
w ith anticorrosion add itives (50% fo r USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models). This mix­
ture bot h assu res the ne cessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's coo ling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boili ng po int of t he
coolant.
D o not red uce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant addit ive must be at
least 50% but not mo re than 60 %
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -3 1°F (-35°C)USA
- -40 ° F ( - 4 0 °C) Canada.
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment , always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 230.
(D Note
- Befo re winter sets i n, have the coolant
chec ked to see i f th e coo lant ad dit ive i n
you r vehicle is suffic ient to meet the cli­
mate cond itions . T hi s is especially impor­
ta nt if yo u live in a regi on whe re the w in-
-
Checkin g and fillin g 237
ter is ex treme ly co ld. If necessary, i n­
crease t he p ro po rtion of coo lant additive
to 60%.
- W hen a dding coolant additive to yo ur
cooling system , remembe r:
- We recommend us ing on ly coo la nt ad­
di tive G 12++ or G 13 (check the labe l)
fo r you r ve hicl e. This coolant additive is
a v ailabl e at author ized Aud i de alers.
Ot he r ty pes of antifree ze can signifi­
cantly reduce corros ion p rotec tion. The
r es ulting co rrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serio us engine damage .
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to you r vehicle's engine coo lant .
Add ing radiator repair flu id may adverse ­
ly affect t he fu nction and performance of
your cooling system and cou ld result in
damage not covered by yo ur New Ve hicle
L imited Warranty .
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 19 2 Engine co mpart ment: cover on t he coo la nt
expansio n ta nk
Before you check a nyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS <=>&.
in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 230 .
.,. Park yo ur vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Switch off the ignition .
.,. Read the e ngine coolant level from the
coo la nt expansion tan k<=>
fig . 192,
¢ fig. 189 . With a cold engine, the coolant
level s hou ld be be tween the "m in" and
" max" mar kings. Whe n the engi ne is w arm,
Ill>-

238 Checking and filling
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 232.
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 16 will
illuminate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor , we
still recommend 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 .
(D 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 230.
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
fig. 192 and carefully twist the cap
counter-clockwise ¢,&. .
.,. Add coolant.
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 23 7, Coolant. We
recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G13 or in an emergency G12+. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water 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.
_& WARNING
-= -- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ..,_

scalding from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the engi ne and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escapi ng fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a cou nte r-clockw ise dir ect ion while
a pply ing lig ht, downwa rd p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an­
tifree ze o r coolan t on t he exh aust sys­
tem or ho t engine parts . Un der certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
gine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifree ze is poisono us. Always store an­
tifreeze in its or iginal co ntainer and we ll
o ut o f the reac h of children.
- If you drain the coolant , it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con ­
tainer clear ly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could ca use a n engine fire . Excess coo l­
ant wi ll be forced out through the pres ­
sure re lief va lve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added , the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze¢
page 237 must be re­
stored as soon as possib le .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be re used . Al­
ways dispose of used c oolant while observ­
ing all envir onmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automa tically by
itself
An auxiliary e lectric radiator fa n switches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and other ve hicle operating conditions.
Checkin g and fillin g 239
After you switch the engine off, the auxi liary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even w ith the ign ition off. It can even switch
o n again later by itself¢.& , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build- up from the engine in
the engi ne compartment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
&_ WARNING
--To reduce the risk of persona l in ju ry nev-
er touch the radiator fan .
- The a uxiliary electric fan is tempe rat ure
contro lled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certai n temperature and will
cont inue to ru n until the coo lant temper­
atur e drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
N
N
N
.,; 0:, a,
Fig. 193 Engin e co mpa rt m ent: cove r on t he bra ke fluid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment,
alw ays r ead and heed all WARN­
INGS c:> A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 230 .
.. Read t he brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c:> fig. 193, c:> fig. 189. The
brake fluid level must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings. .,..

24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
The location of the brake fluid reservo ir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢ page 232.
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.
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/ind i­
cator light
1111 (U .S . models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on¢
page 15. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an au thorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected . If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
indicator light w ill illuminate . Contact an au­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh , corros ion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
dec rease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
ev ery two year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which conforms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS
116 DO T 4".
The brake flu id reservoir can be difficult to
r each, therefo re , we recommend that you
have the brake fl uid changed by yo ur author­
ized
Audi d ealer. Your dea ler has the correct
too ls, the right brake fluid and the know -how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
-Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor ­
ed only in the closed orig inal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
caut ions: -
Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard
116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid . The correct type of
brake f lu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id reservoir.
- T he brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the bra kes ca n cause a vapo r lock if
the b rake fluid is left in the system too
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi ­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Bra ke fluid will damage the paint of you r
vehicle .
(® For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of p roper disposal
of b ra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
re commend that you have the brake fluid
changed by yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler.
Battery
General information
U nder normal ope rat ing cond itions , the bat­
tery in yo ur Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance. With
high o utside tempe ra tu res or
l ong daily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte level checked by a service fa­
cility. The electrolyte leve l should a lso be
checked each t ime the battery is charged
<=> page 243.
Have th e battery checked when yo u take your
veh icle in for service. You are well advised to
replace a battery that is o lder than S years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the veh icle elec­
trical system for safety reasons<=>.&
in Re­
pair , care and dispo sal of the airbags on
page
165.

242 Checking and filling
-Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open­ ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables .
- When working on the battery , be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury .
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ ble.
- Before performing any work on the elec ­
trical system, switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables - this could start a fire! -
Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery . It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis­ charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °C) .
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged .
There is the danger of an explosion! Al ­
ways replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING ....__
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac ­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems . Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise , you will dam­
age electronic components in the electri­
cal system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
- When opening the doors, the windows
lower approximately 10 mm automati­
cally. This function is not available when
the battery is disconnected, which
means there is a risk that the door seal
or the window could be damaged .

Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery .
Fig. 194 Eng ine co mpa rtmen t: connectors for a charg ­
er a nd jump sta rt cab les
A lwa ys re ad and heed all WARNING S below
c:> &. and c:> &. in Working on the battery on
page 241 .
.. Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con­
sumers .
.. Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery .
.. Open the engine hood
c:> page 230 .
.. Open the red cove r on the posit ive pole
c:>fig. 194.
.. Connect the charger connectors accord ing
to the instructions to the
jump start b olts .
(Bolts under the red cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head= "negative") .
.. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipmen t into the wall outlet and turn
it on
c:> 8_ .
.. Ma ke sur e t he charging rat e is not over
30 amp s/14 .8 Vol t.
.. When the batte ry is fully charged: Turn the
charging eq uipment off and remove the
ma ins lead from the wall outlet .
.. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
.. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
.. Close the hood
c:> page 2 31.
A discharged battery can free ze at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 F
0 (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempt ing to
charge it
c:> .&. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat-
Checkin g and fillin g 243
tery casing can be cracked due to ice fo rma ­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle cha rger ), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected f irst . The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is a lso not
necessary to disconnect the cab les.
Fast ch arging the batte ry (charging rat e
a bove 14.8 V olt s)
For technica l reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery .
A WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dangerous .
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu­
facturer when charg ing your battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ic h were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Cha rge the battery in a well ventilated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spar k. Do not smo ke. Hyd rogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger is ope rat ing.
- Fast cha rging a batte ry is dange rous and
should only be at tempted by a compe­
tent techn ic ian wi th the prope r equip­
ment .
- Ba ttery acid that may spi ll dur ing charg­
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu ­
tralize the ac id.