lock AUDI A8 2011 Repair Manual

212 Cleaning and protection
tem pera ture is high, it can be removed with a
p lastic scraper and a suitable solvent.
A WARNING
So lvents can be dangerous.
- Benzine is flammable and toxic. If you
use benzine for removing the wax, keep
sparks, f lame and lighted cigarettes
away. Never dump benzine on the
ground, into ope n streams or down sew­
age drains .
- Be sure to observe all safety and env iron­
menta l regulations. Follow all instruc­
t ions on the container.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
ot her information ¢
page 206.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Audi is a lso thor­
ough ly protected against corrosion.
Any damage to the under coating caused by
road hazards shou ld be repaired promptly.
A WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong pla­
ces can cause a f ire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on o r near the exha ust
man ifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shie lds. W hile driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
over heat and cause a fire .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
ot her information ¢
page 206.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and other cor ros ive ma ter ials wi ll
damage th e material in the exha ust ta il p ipes
if they are no t cleaned reg ula rly. Do no t clean
the tail p ipes with whee l cleaner, p aint po lish ,
ch rome polish or ot her abrasive cleaners .
C lean the tail p ipes with car care prod ucts
that are s uita ble for stain less stee l. Your a
uthorized Audi dea ler can provide clean ­
ing products that have been tested and ap­
proved for yo ur vehicle.
Care of interior
Infotainment components
T he M MI/RS E* display may be cleaned wit h a
soft clot h and commerci ally-available " LCD
cl eaner". The clot h should be co ated lightly
whe n the cleaning solution when clea ning t he
display.
T he M MI/RS E* con trols m ust be cleaned first
with a b rush so tha t d irt does not en ter the
u nit or enter between the buttons and the
ho using. T hen wiping the cont ro ls with a cloth
dampened with dish detergent and water is
recommended.
(D Note
To prevent scratches, only clean the dis­
p lay when it is dry.
- To prevent damage, make sure fluids do
not enter the contro ls .
· Aluminum trim
U se only neutral -pH products to remove spots
and deposits from a luminum surfaces.
Chrome care products and a lkaline cleaners
will attack a luminum surfaces and can dam­
age t hem over t ime.
A WARNING
A lways rea d and heed all WAR NIN GS an d
o ther in fo rmation
¢page 206 .
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabr ics and fab ric cover ings (e.g . seats, door
trim pa ne ls, etc.) sho uld be cleaned at regular
intervals wit h a vacuum cleaner . This removes
s ur face dirt particles which cou ld become em­
bedded in the fabric throug h use. Steam
cleaners should not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dir t deeper into the
fabric a nd lock it the re . ..,_

214 Cleaning and protection
leathe r, whi ch has a smooth surface and
comes in various co lors .
The intensity of the color determines the v is u ­
a l charac ter istics and appearance. If the sur­
face of the leather has a typical natu ral look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has been left in a relatively natural cond ition. This
leather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes well. F ine veins, closed grains, insect
b ites, skin folds , and subtle var iations in co lor
remain visible . These c haracteristics demon­
strate that the mater ia l is natural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col­
or fi nish . It is therefore more sensitive to soil ­
i ng and wear, w hich is something you need to
consider if ch ild ren , an ima ls or othe r factors
might prove to be particular ly hard on the
l eathe r.
By contrast, leat her types that are covered by
a co lored finish layer a re mor e durable . This
has a posit ive effect o n the leather's resist­
a nce to wear and soil ing in daily use. On the
o ther hand , the typical characteris tics of na tu­
ra l leather a re barely or not apparent. Howev ­
e r, this does not mean that the leather itself
is of infer ior quality.
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive na ture of the types of
l eather that Audi uses and the ir unique prop­
erties (such as sensitivity to oils, grease, soi l­
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care­
fu l w ith these leathers, and a ce rtain type of
care is required. For examp le, dark clot hing
materials can d iscolor leather sea ts (especial­
ly if such clot hing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and d irt part icles in po res,
folds , and seams can have a n ab ras ive effect
and can damage the leathe r sur face as well as
weaken seams.
The leather should be cleaned regula rly as
needed. After havi ng been used for a re lative ly
l ong time, yo ur leather sea ts will acqui re a
ri ch aged finish. This is a charac ter istic of n at­
u ra l lea ther and a sign o f true quality . In order to maintain the val
ue of this nat ural
product over the life of your vehicle, you
sho uld follow the recommendat ions be low :
(D Note
- To keep your leather from b leaching o ut,
do not allow it to be exposed to b right
sunlight for long periods of time . If you
have to leave the ve hicle parked outside
for long per iods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to sun ­
light .
- Sharp objects on cloth ing, such as zip­
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
leave permane nt sc ratches or sc rape
ma rks on the su rface of the leather.
(0 Tips
- After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leathe r preser­
vative c reme that contains UV-b locke rs
and tha t works into the leat he r. Thi s
c reme will nour ish a nd moistu rize the
leather, helping it to breathe and stay
supple. It a lso helps to build up a p rotec­
tive coating on the surface.
- Clean the leat her every 2 -3 months,
and clean any a reas that get soi led .
- Remove fresh ma rks made by ballpo int
pe ns, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as poss ible.
- P reserve the color o f the leather as need ­
ed by using a specia l co lore d leathe r care
creme to touch up areas of uneven color .
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural lea ther requires special care and at­
tention .
Normal cleaning
.. Clean soiled areas with a slightly moistened
cotton or woolen cloth . .,.

216 Cleaning and protecti on
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commercial cleaning spe­
cialist.
- Do not use br ushes, stiff sponges or sim­
ilarly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia ­
bly when needed .
> Keep belts clean.
> For cleaning, use a mild soap and wate r sol­
ution . Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight .
> Do not allow inertia reel safety be lts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
> Check the condition of your safety belts reg­
ularly .
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly.
.&_ WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anything that might damage your safety
belts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers would not be adequately pro­
tected in an acc ident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleani ng agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop­
ert ies which weaken the webbi ng.
- When cleani ng your safety belts, inspect
them for damage.
If you discove r dam­
age, see you r A udi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS and
other information
c:> page 206.
Cooler
A ppl ies to vehicles: with cooler
A layer of ice or frost in the cooler interferes
with its cooling performance .
Clean ing
The refr igerator sho uld be cleaned reg ularly.
> Wash the coo ler with lukewarm wate r and a
mild cleaning solution, if necessary.
> Then wipe the cooler dry.
> Dust and d irt will accumulate near the venti­
lation openings in the luggage compart­
ment due to normal cooler usage. This
should be cleaned regularly.
D ef rosting
> Switch the coo ler off c:> page 72.
> Remove any food or beverages and allow the
coo ler to defrost with the door open.
> W ipe the inside of the cooler dry and clea n
the cooler, if necessary .
Defrost the cooler if you will not be us ing it
for extended periods of time .
(D Note
- Do not try to speed up the defrosting
process by apply ing heat.
- To reduce the risk of persona l injury or
damage to the refr igerator,
- do not use any abrasive cleaners, sol­
vents, wax, agg ress ive clean ing solu ­
tions, solut io ns w it h strong frag rances,
etc.,
- d o no t clean the co oler w ith cleaning
tools su ch as s teel woo l.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en ­
gine comportment.
Alway s switch off the ignit ion b efor e cle an­
ing the engine
c:> ,&. .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the w indshield under the eng ine compart ­
ment . This prevents the wate r drain holes
from becom ing b locked, and it preve nts de­
br is from entering the vehicle inte rior through
the heat ing and ven tilat ion duc ts.
Corrosion protection
The eng ine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the factory .
ll-

-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac ­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 219
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec ­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more info rmation on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for deta iled
instruct ions see
¢ page 221 .
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 282.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
¢ page 218.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on board refuel­
li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collis ion. If you must
•
•

220 Fuel su ppl y and filli ng your fu el t ank
transport fue l to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al ­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers . Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
AS TM F852 - 86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty. The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring . Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage t he
catalyt ic converter.
Refuelling
Fig. 172 Rig ht rea r vehicle s ide: Ope ning t he fuel fille r
f lap
Fig . 173 Fuel filler fla p with attached fuel c ap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
fi ller flap is automatically un locked or locked.
Refue l the vehicle with the ignition switched
off.
Taking the fu el cap off
• Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it
q fig . 172 -arrow-.
• Unsc rew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel fill er flap
¢ fig. 173 . Refuell
ing proc edur e
• Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel fi ller neck as far as it wi ll
go .
• Sele ct a med ium r efuelling rate so that the
no zz le switches off automatically when the
tank is full .
Putting th e fu el cap ba ck on
• After filling your tank, twist the fuel filter
cap clockwise as far as it w ill go.
• Close the fue l fill er flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filter cap properly and completely. An improperly closed fuel fi ll­
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp
cc> page 2 7
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies .
- Fai lure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filter neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over­
flow. Fue l spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a ce llular telephone whil e re­
fue ling . T he electromagnet ic rad iat io n
can cause sparks that can igni te fuel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle whi le re­
fuel ing.
If in exceptional circumstan ces
you must get back in your vehicle while
ref ueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again . Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open f lame any­
where in or near your veh icle when refu­
eling or filling a portable fue l conta iner .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable

fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and co uld
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, yo u
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fi ll a po rtable fue l container
while it is anywhe re in or on the vehicle
(for examp le, in the luggage compar t­
ment, or on the tr unk). Static electric i­
ty can bui ld up while fi lling and can ig­
n ite fue l vapors causing a fire .
- Always p lace a portable fuel container
on the gro und before filling.
- Always keep the fi ller nozzle comp lete­
ly inside the po rtable conta iner before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
he lp prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fue l vapors are
h ighly f lammable .
- Always observe local and state/provi n­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
a nd tra nsporta tion of fuel co ntainers .
- Make certai n the fuel container meets
ind ustry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852 -86) .
(D Note
If any f uel has spilled onto t he car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
~ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle sw itches off automatically fo r the fi rst
time, the tank is full . Do not try to add
more fue l because fue l may spill out . In
add it io n, th e expans ion space in the fuel
t ank will be fi lled -cau sing the fue l to
overfl ow whe n it be come s w arm and pol ­
lu te the env iro nment.
Fuel suppl y and filling your fuel t ank 221
@ Tips
- Running your eng ine whi le refue lli ng
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to sp ill out of the tank. T his
would t hen shut off the fuel nozzle be­
f o re the ta nk is f ull.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the ign i­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
ot herwise not ind icate the correct fue l
lev el after ref uell ing .
- The fue l filler flap of yo ur vehicle is not
locked when you lock t he veh icle from
t he ins id e.
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail .
Fig. 1 74 R ig ht s ide tr im panel in t he luggage compart­
m en t: emerge ncy re lease mechan is m
The emergency release mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug ­
gage compar tment .
.,. Loosen the loop
¢ fig. 174 from t he reta iner
and then pull on the loop carefully
¢ (D.
.,. Press on the left side of the fue l filler door
to open
¢ page 220, fig . 172 .
(J) Note
Only p ull on the loop until yo u feel res ist­
a nce . You w ill not hea r it release. Other­
wis e yo u could damage the eme rg ency re­
l ease mec hani sm .

-Never smoke or work near heate rs or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately ava ilable.
- To avoid elect rical shock and persona l in­
jury while the engine is running or be ing
started, never touch:
- I gnition cables
- Othe r components of the high voltage
e lectronic ignition system.
- If you must pe rform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- F irst, fully apply the pa rking brake,
move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hai r from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. T ie back hair before
starting, and do not wear cloth ing that
will ha ng or droop into the eng ine.
- Min imize exposure to emission and
c h emical hazards
c:> &,.
A WARNING
California Propos ition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certai n veh icle components co nta in
or em it chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer a nd b irth d e­
fects a nd rep roduct ive ha rm. In addi tion,
c e rta in fluids cont ained in vehicle s and
c ertain p rod ucts of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of Ca lifo rnia to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac ­
cessories contain lead and lead com-
Checkin g and fillin g 223
poun ds, c hemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
([) Note
When adding fluids, always make su re that
they are poured into the p roper conta iner
or fi ller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect lea ks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regular ly. If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu­
i ds, have you r vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dea ler.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
t he st ruts is reduced.
.. Let the hood
drop down a nd l atc h in pla ce.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage ~ A_.
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and block your view while dr iv­
i ng.
- When you close the engine hood, chec k it
to make sure t he safety catch has prope r­
ly engaged. The hood shou ld be flush
with the surround ing vehicle body parts .
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured prope rly, stop at once and
close it. •
•

230 Check ing and filling
th e "min" and "max" markings. When the
engine is wa rm, the level may be slightly
above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment ill us­
tration ¢
page 224 .
To obtain an accurate read ing , the engine
must be switched
off .
The expans io n tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level se nsor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the A uto-Check System ¢
page 15 will
i llum inate u nti l 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 leve l
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolan t loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immedia tely
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough mere ly to add coolant.
I n a
se aled system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
T he cooling system is unde r pressure and
can get ve ry hot . Reduce the risk of sca ld­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by cove ring the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being b urned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot eng ine parts . Under ce rtai n condi -
'
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coo l­
ant can catch fire.
@ Note
Do not add any type o f radiato r leak sea l­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add ­
i ng radiator repa ir fluid may adverse ly af­
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Veh icle L imited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
222 .
• Turnoff the engine .
• Let the eng ine cool down.
• Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
c> page 22 9, fig . 180 and carefully
tw ist t he cap co unter-clockwise c> ,& .
• Add coo lant .
• Twist the cap o n again
tightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions ¢
page 229, Coolant .
Even in a n emerge ncy, if coo la nt addi-
t ive G 12++ , G12+ or G12 is not ava ilable , do
not use a d iffe ren t addit ive. Use plain water
instead unt il you can get the cor rect add itive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be don e as soon as possible.
If you have los t a consider able amount o f
coolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and cold wate r on ly when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling.
Do not f ill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex ­
cess coola nt w ill be fo rced o ut through the
pressure relief valve in t he cap when the e n-
gine becomes ho t.
Ill>

A 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 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 slowly and very carefully in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spi ll an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
g ine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool­
ant w ill be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve 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
Q page 229 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while obse rv­
ing all environmental regulations.
Checkin g and fillin g
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The rad iator fan is dr iven by the engine via the
V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the
coolant .
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ing cond it ions .
After you switch the engine
off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes - even with the ignition
off. It can even switch
on again later by itself
Q &., if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal in jury nev­
er touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certa in temperature and w ill
continue to ru n until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
231
•
•

232 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance .
Fig. 181 Engine compartme nt: markings on the brake
flu id reservoir
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 222.
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 181. The brake fluid
level must be between the "MIN" and
" MAX " markings .
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
c:::,page224 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . T hi s is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light. (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on ¢
page 14. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
t he water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period 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 conforms 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 author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, 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 original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can result from old or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal 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 fluid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . This can seriously affect the effi­
ciency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could result in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.