engine oil AUDI Q5 2014 User Guide

208 Driving and environment
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
The idling phase is automatically reduced for
vehicles with the Start-Stop -System* . It is ef­
fic ient to sw itch
off the eng ine in vehicles
without the Start-Stop-System* when stopped
at railroad crossings and long red lights. Turn­
ing the eng ine
off for just 30-40 seconds
saves more fuel than is burned by sta rting the
engine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to wa rm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However , wear
and nox ious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting. If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could resu lt in over­
heat ing or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
.,. Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects
fuel
consumption. Check
your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven .
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 mi les
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fuel consumption and en­
gine output .
(0 Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Ma in­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper ma inte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion control system and could lead
t o damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shie lds , switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
' Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips.
... Try to avoid driving sho rt distances w it h a
cold engine .
T he eng ine and catalytic converter have to
reach their optimal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and nox ious emis­
sions effectively.
Jus t after starting, a cold engine in a mid-s ize
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les
per gallon (30 -40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg .,..

-Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well 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
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only
be used in veh icles with flex ible fuel* en­
gines. Using high ethano l fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexib le fue l* engines
can cause severe engine damage .
- 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 fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supplier.
- 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 respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Veh icle 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.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 223
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
Applies to veh icles: w it h flex ible fue l en gin e
You can recognize vehicles with a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the label on the inside of
the fuel filler flap .
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op­
erated with bio -ethanol fuels such as E85
(85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) or with un­
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95) . T he vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption will increase when us­
ing bio-ethanol fue ls due to the lower amount
of energy contained per unit volume in etha­
nol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in
low temperatures
Due to the chemical composition of b io-etha ­
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in ve ry
low temperatures. This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
D Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay, drive with a warm en­
gine to reduce the oil level.
(D Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of b io-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A h igher percentage of bio-etha­
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fue l system.
- If you use only E85, it is recommended
to fill the fue l tank complete ly w ith un­
leaded premium grade gaso line every
5,000 miles.
- If you experience starting, rough id le or
hesitation driveability problems, fill the
fuel tank comp letely with unleaded pre­
mium grade gasoline and dr ive it nor­
mally until the gasoline is used. See your
authorized Audi dealer if the problem
pers ists.
•
•

232 Checking and filling
-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic trans- mission to P (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­ partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­ ant could spray out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running: -
First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of automatic trans­
mission to P (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards
c:> &, .
&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- 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 harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­
ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.

Checking and filling 233
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 198 Typical layout for contain ers and engine oil filler cap
(D Jump start point( +) under a cov -
er .. .. .. .. .............. .. 244, 284
@ Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) . . . . . . 241
@ Eng ine oil filler cap ("t=:?1) . . . . . . 236
@ Coolant expansion tank (J-) . . . 239
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw ..... .......... ..
244, 284
® Windshield/headlight washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
The pos ition of the engine o il filling hole
¢ fig. 198 (item @) can differ depending on
the engine design.
A WARNING
-
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations. This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage
intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a specia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera-
tion. .,..

234 Check ing and filling
Mo dern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based oils, 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 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diesel engine) to
he lp keep your vehicle's eng ine running
smoothly and help prevent the fo rmation of
harmf ul depos its , somet imes ca lled "sludge,"
that over t ime can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of printing , engine oils availab le in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifi cations of A udi oi l st andard VW 502 00
(vehicles wi th gasoline engine) or VW 507 00
(vehicles with diesel engine) are synthetic en­
gine oils . This does not mean, however, that
every synthetic engine oil will meet Aud i oil
standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gaso line
engine ) or VW 507 00 (veh icles w it h diese l
engine). So always be sure that you use an ap ­
proved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de­
posi ts use only oi l with the fo llow ing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil containe r:
- Aud i oil standard VW 50 2 00 (ga soline en ­
gine )
- Audi oil sta nd ard VW 50 7 00 (diesel en -
gine )
Oil container labe ls may carry the specif ica ­
tion s ingly or i n comb ination with other desig­
nations and oil q ua lity standards.
Visco sity
Eng ine oi ls are graded according to thei r vis­
cosity. The prope r viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climac tic or seasonal con­
d itions whe re you drive. You can use oi l w ith a
viscosity g rade of SAE 5W40 across all tem ­
perat ure ranges for normal driving conditions .
H oweve r, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SAE
5W40 is not avai lab le, you c an also use viscos- ity grade SA
E 5W -30 or SA E OW -40 as long as
it meets Audi oil q uality standard VW 502 00
(ve hicles w ith gasoline eng ine) or VW 507 00
(veh icles w ith diese l engine) specifications.
Beca use engine o il that meets the Audi oil
sta ndard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
that you a lways carry with you an extra qua rt
(liter) of oil tha t express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles w it h diesel eng ine) spec­
i fication, in case you have to top off the oi l
whi le on the road.
App lies to vehicle s with ga soline engin e on­
ly:
Only if the level of the o il is at or below the
min imum ma rk on the o il d ipstick· and no oi l
t h at expressly conforms to Audi o il standard
VW 502 00 spe cificat ions is ava ilable -may
you top off with a high quality engine oil, pre f­
erab ly synthetic -based, that meets ACEA A3
or API SM specifications, but even then, only
in v iscosity grades SA E SW-40, SA E 5W-30, or
SAE OW-40. However, during the entire time
betwee n oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a total of 0 .5 qt/liter engine
o il that does not conform to Audi o il specifica­
t ion VW 502 00 .
Applies to vehicles with diesel engine only:
Only if the level of the oil is at or be low the
min imum ma rk o n the o il dipstick - and no o il
that expressly conforms to Audi o il standard
VW 507 00 spec ificat ions is ava ilable - may
you top off wi th a h igh quali ty engine oil , that
meets ACEA C3 o r API CF specifications, bu t
even then, on ly in viscosity grades SAE
5W-40, SAE 5W-30, or SAE OW-40. However,
during the entire time between o il change in­
terva ls, never top off with more than a total
of 0 .5 q t/liter engine oil tha t does not con­
form to Audi oil specification VW 507 00 .
For more information about eng ine oi l that
has been approved for your veh icle, please
con tact e ither your au thorized Aud i dealer or
Audi Custome r Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
o r vis it our web site at www.audiusa .com or
www.aud icanada .ca. He re you w ill also find a
c ur rent l ist of oi ls (manufac turers, brand .,.

names etc.) that conform to Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hang ing th e engin e oil
The engine oil and oi l filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (kilomete rs) and
time inte rva ls specified in yo ur vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive eng ine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inter ­
va ls is so very important because the lubricat ­
ing properties of oi l decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author­
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l
should even be changed more frequently .
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and -go traffic con ­
d itions, or when you use your veh icle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing for a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often than
r ecommended.
Damage or ma lf u nction s du e to lac k of
ma intenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW S07 00 (veh icles with diese l engi ne). Yo ur
L im ited New Vehicle Warra nty does not cover
damage or ma lfunctions due to failure to fol­
l ow recommended maintenance and use re­
quirements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance book let.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover­ age un less you present to the dea ler proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that a ll
Checking and fillin g 235
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
· Engine 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 prov ide effective lubrication and
cooling o f inte rna l engine components, all in ­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change sign ificantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
Q page 205) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they consume after o il
consump tion has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oi l con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RP M (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
tempe rature a nd road conditions. Furt her fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from wa ter
condensation or fue l residue and the oxida ­
tion level of the oi l. 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 a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es­
tablished or spec ified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev­
el, see
Not e.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 236 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
~ page 236.
&_ WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compa rtmen t, always read and heed al l
WARNI NGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231 .
•
•

236 Checking and filling
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oi l level is like­
ly to ca use seve re damage to the eng ine.
@ 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 t ime you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amo unts of oi l, we
r ecommend that yo u consult an author ­
i zed Audi dealer to have the cause of
you r concern p rope rly diag nosed. Keep in
mi nd t hat t he ac curat e measure ment of
oi l co nsu mp tion re q uires grea t care and
may ta ke some time. A n author ize d Audi
dea ler has inst ructions about how to
measure oil consum ptio n accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 199 Di splay: O il leve l in dica tor
Read oil level
.. Park you r vehicle so that i t is hor izo nta lly
l evel.
.. Shu t the engine off when i t is at ope ra ti ng
temperature .
.. Swi tch on ly th e igni tion bac k on .
.. Wa it approx. two minutes .
.. Se lect :
I CAR ! funct io n button > Oil level. Or
.. Se lect :
ICAR ! function button> Car systems*
control button > Servicing & checks > Oil
level.
.. Read the oil level in the radio or MM I* Dis ­
p lay
r=> fig. 199 . Add engine o il if the bar of
the o il level indicato r is near "Mi n"
r=>page236.
The oil leve l needs to be checked at regu lar i n­
terva ls. The best times to do this are whenev­
er you refuel and prio r to long trips .
D epend in g on the w ay the vehicle is driven
and the ope rat ing cond itio ns, oi l cons umption
can be up to a 1/2 quart per 60 0 miles (O.S li ­
ter per 1,000 km). Consumption may be high­
er withi n the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
(!} Tips
The oil leve l indicator in t he radio or M MI*
D isplay is on ly an information display . If
the oil leve l is too low, a m inimum o il
war ning appea rs in the instrument cluster.
A dd oil ¢
page 236. If the hood has bee n
opened , the cur ren t oi l level is shown in
t he i nstr ume nt cl uster the next t ime t he
i gni tion is sw itche d on.
Adding engine oil 't:::r.
Fig. 2 00 Eng ine co mpa rtm ent : cove r on t he e ng in e o il
f il le r ne ck
B efo re you check anyth ing in the en gine com­
partment ,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231 .
.. Shu t the eng ine off .
.. Unscrew the cap
9::7; to the eng ine o il filling
hole ¢
fig. 200, r=> page 233, fig . 198 .
.. Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters)
of t he appropr iate oil¢
page 233.
.. Check the oi l level again after two minutes
¢ page 2 36 , Checking the engine oil l evel. II>

~ Top off the oil, if necessary.
~ Screw the cap back on the filling hole.
A WARNING
- While topping off, the oil must not come in contact with hot engine parts - fire
hazard!
- The oil filler cap must be properly se­ cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running - fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
(D Note
-Check the oil level using the radio or the
MM!*. If the message
Please reduce oil
level
appears, contact your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified workshop
to have excess oil extracted if necessary.
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
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,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Checking and filling 237
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
dition s, or have your vehicle where tempera ­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe­
riods.
Detergent addi tives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run ­
ning 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 with the special tools and necessary ex­
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following important informa­
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­ ning down your arm.
- Drain 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 well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil
off thoroughly
with soap and water.
•
•

238 Check ing and filling
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oi l, f irst make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden so il, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
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 tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q ui res little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ia lly condi tioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol -basedcoolant addi -
tive G l3 antifreeze with anticorrosion addi­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
models). This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling . It also raises the boil­
i ng po int of the coo lant .
Do not red uce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add iti ve mu st be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficie n­
cy.
If t he coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and engine cooling system. F
or year -ro und driving, antifreeze is added a t
the factory for temperatures down to :
- -31°F(-35° C)USA
- -40°F ( -40°C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended .
.&, WARNING
--
Before you c hec k anyth ing in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS~ .&.
in Working in the engine
compor tment on page 231 .
(J;) Note
-Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
yo ur vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate condi tions . This is especia lly impor ­
tant if you live in a region where the win ­
ter is extreme ly co ld . If necessary, in­
crease the p roportion of coo lant add itive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to yo ur
cooling system, remember :
- W e r ecommend using o nly coola nt ad­
d itive G l2++ or Gl3 for your veh icle.
T his coolan t additive is av ail ab le a t au­
thor ized Audi dealers. O ther types of
antifreeze can significant ly reduce cor ­
rosion protection . The resulti ng cor ro­
sion can cause a loss o f coolant and se­
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to your vehicle 's eng ine coolant.
Add ing radiato r repair flu id may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not cover ed by yo ur New Ve hicle
Limited Warranty.

Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 201 Eng ine co mpa rtme nt: cove r on the coola nt
exp ansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lway s re ad and he ed all WARN ­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231 .
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Turn off t he ignit ion.
.,. Read the eng ine coolant level from the cool­
ant expansion tank¢ fig . 201, ¢ page 233,
fig. 198 . With a cold eng ine , the coola nt
level should be between the "M IN " and
"MAX" markings . W hen the eng ine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "MAX"
marking.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration ¢page 233.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an e lectr ic coolant level sensor .
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto -Check System ¢ page 30 will
blink until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
a n elec tric coolant leve l sensor, we s till rec­
ommend you chec k the coolant leve l from
time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool-
Checkin g and fillin g 239
ing system shou ld be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
eno ugh merely to add coo lant .
In a
s ealed system, losses can occu r on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.
(D Note
Do not a dd any type o f radiator leak se al­
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add ­
ing radiator repa ir flui d may adverse ly af­
fect the funct ion and performance of yo ur
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com ­
partment,
always read and heed alt WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 231 .
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coo lant expansion
tank ¢ page 239, fig. 201 and
carefully turn
the cap counter -clockwise ¢
_& .
.,. Add coolant m ixed in the co rrect rat io
¢ page 238, Coolant.
.,. Twis t the cap o n aga in tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions ¢ page 238, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add itive
Gl2 ++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do not
use a different add itive . In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the correct addi­
tive and can restore t he cor rect ratio . Th is
sho uld be done as soon as possib le.
If you have lost a cons iderab le amount of
coolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly w hen the eng ine is cold.
Always use new engine coo lant when refill ing .
Do not fi ll coo lant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced o ut through the
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