check engine AUDI Q5 2015 Owner's Manual

Checking and Filling
-Always let the engine cool down. Hot com­
ponents 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 compart­
ment . Wait until no steam or coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully 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 auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm. The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant 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 electrical
system is necessary :
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames . Fluids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme­
diately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
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 transmission
to P (Park).
222
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from getting
caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or other
moving parts, or from contacting 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 chemi­
cal hazards
~ ,&. .
&, WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust , some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­ sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands after handling .
('.!) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage 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 fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi dealer.

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Checking and Filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the mos t important item s that you can check .
Fig. 197 Typical layou t fo r container s and e ngine oil filler ca p
(D Jump start point(+) under a cover 23 2, 272
@ Brake fluid reservoir (0) . . . . . . . . 229
@ Engine oil filler cap(~) . . . . . . . . 225
@ Coolant expansion tank (- L) . . . . . 227
® Jump start point(-) w ith hex head
s crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232, 272
@ Windshield/headlight washer con -
tainer
(Q) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
T he po sit ion of the engine oil filling hole
c:> fig. 197 (item @) can differ depending on the
engine design .
A WARNING
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 221.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact sp eci­
f ications.
T he service interval disp lay in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l chang e. We recommend that you
hav e your oil chang ed by an authori zed A udi Serv ­
ic e Advi sor .
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oil qua lity standa rd specified in the
tab~ .
~
223

Checking and F ill in g
Audi oil quality standard
Gas oline VW 502 00 or
engi ne
vw 504 00
Die sel
vw 50 7 00
e n g in e
Using the proper engine o il is important for the
functionality and serv ice life of the engine. Your
engine was facto ry-filled with a high-qua lity oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
& Ma intenance booklet.
- Use only a high qua lity eng ine oil that ex-
pressly complies w ith the Audi o il quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine.
Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requires, you may add a total of
no more than 0.5 quart/liter of a h igh-quality
"synthe tic"oil that meets the followi ng speci­
fications.
- Vehicles with gasoli ne engine: AC EA A3 o r
API SM wi th a viscosity g rade of SAE OW-30,
SA E SW-30 or SAE SW-40 .
- Vehicles wi th d iesel engine: AC EA C3 o r
API CF wi th a v iscosi ty grade of SA E OW-30
or SAE SW-30.
- Fo r more information abo ut eng ine oil t hat
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact eithe r your a uthorized Audi dea le r
or A udi Customer Relations at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.aud iusa.com or www .aud icanada.ca.
224
· 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 prov ide effective lubrication and coo l­
i ng of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion engines consume a certa in amount
of oil. Oil consumpt ion va ries from engine to en­
gine and may change sig nificantly over the life of
the engine. Typically, eng ines wi th a specified
break -in period (see¢
page 198) consume mo re
o il during t he b reak-in period than they co nsume
after oil consumption has stabilized .
Un der normal cond itions, the rate o f oi l con­
sumption depends on the q uality and viscos ity o f
the oil, the RPM (revolutions per min ute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amount of o il dilution from water condensa­
tion or fuel residue and the ox idat ion leve l of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may inc rease over
time unt il rep lacement of worn compone nts may
become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be estab­
li shed or spec ified. There is no alte rnative to reg­
u lar and frequent checking of the oil leve l, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l in
the i nstrument cluster
II lights up, you should
c h ec k t he o il level as soon as poss ible
cf> page 2 25. Top off the oil at your ear liest con­
venience
r:!> page 225.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed a ll WARN­
INGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 221.
(D Note
Driving wit h an insufficient oi l level is likely to
cause severe damage to the engine.
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@ 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 en­
gine at regular intervals, preferably each
time you refuel , and always before going
on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine con­
sumes excess ive amounts of o il, we recom­
m end th at you cons ult an a uthorized Aud i
deal er to have th e cau se of yo ur co nc ern
p ro perly di ag no se d . Keep i n mi nd th at the
a ccurate meas ureme nt o f oil c onsu mpti on
r equires great care and m ay ta ke some time.
An a uthorized Audi dea ler has i nstr uctions
abo ut how to meas ure o il cons umption ac­
curate ly.
Checking the engine oil level
F ig. 19 8 Disp lay: O il level indicator
Read oil level
.. Pa rk your vehicle so that i t is hor izont ally level.
.. Shu t the engine off when i t is at oper ating te m-
perature.
.. Switc h on ly the ignition back on.
.. Wa it approx. two minutes .
.. Se lect:
I CARI funct ion button > Oil level. Or
.. Select:
ICARI funct ion button> Car systems *
control button > Servicing & checks > Oil level.
.. Read the oil leve l in the radio or MMI* Display
¢ fig . 198. Add e ng in e oil if the bar of the oil
l evel i ndicator is nea r "M in"
9page 225.
The oil level needs to be c hec ked at regular inter­
va ls. The best t im es to do this are whenever you
ref uel and prior to long t rips.
Checking and Filling
D epend ing on the way t he vehicle is dr iven and
the ope rat ing cond itions, oil consumption ca n be
u p to a 1/2 quart pe r 600 miles (0 .5 liter per
1,000 km). Consumption may be higher within
the fi rst 3,000 mi les (5,000 km).
(D Tips
The oil leve l indicator in t he ra dio or MMI*
D isp lay is only an information display. If t he
o il level is too low , a minimum oi l warn ing ap­
p ears in the instrume nt cl uster. Add oil
¢ page 225. If the hood has been o pen ed,
t h e cur ren t oil leve l is shown in t he instru­
m ent cl uster the n ext tim e the ig niti on i s
sw itch ed on.
Adding engine oil 0 N ~ N ,;, a, co
Fig . 199
Engine compa rtment: cove r on th e e ng in e oi l fill­
er neck
Befo re you check a nyth ing in the engine compart­
ment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ & in Working in the engine compartment on
page 221 .
.. Shut the eng ine off .
.. Unscrew the cap
'l!:7-to the eng ine o il filling
hole
¢ fig. 199, 9page223, fig.197 .
.. Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters) of
the appropriate oil ¢
page 223 .
.. Check t he oil level aga in after two m inutes
<:> page 225, Checking th e e ngin e oil l eve l.
.. Top off the o il, if necess ary .
.. Scr ew the cap back on the filling hole.
& WARNING
-
- W hile to p pin g off , the o il m ust not come in
contact w ith hot e ngine parts - fire hazar d!
225

Checking and F ill in g
- The oi l fi ller cap mus t be pr operly secured to
p re vent 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 en­
gine oil, you must subsequently clea nse it
tho roughly .
CD Note
-Check the o il level using the radio or the
MMI*. If the message
Please reduce oil lev ­
el
appears, contact your authorized Audi
dealer or other qualified wo rkshop to have
excess oil ext racted if necessa ry .
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additive s. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle War ­
ranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circ umstances ca n the o il come in
contact w ith the sewage network o r the soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations whe n
dispos ing of empty oil co ntaine rs .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta ­
tion .
Before you check any thing in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS c> .&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 221 .
The engine oil must be changed according to the i n terva ls specified in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet . This is ve ry impo rtant because the
lubricat ing propert ies of o il diminish gradua lly
du ring normal ve hicl e use.
Unde r some circumstances the eng ine o il should
be changed more frequent ly. Change oil more of­
ten if yo u drive most ly short distances, operate
t he vehicle in d usty areas or unde r predom inan tly
s top-and-go traff ic co ndit io ns, o r have you r vehi ­
cle where tem peratures rema in be low freezing
for extended periods .
226
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
l ook dark after the engine has been running fo r a
short time. Th is is norma l and is not a reason to
c h ange the oi l more often than recommended.
Beca use o f the p rob lem of p roper disposal, along
with t he specia l too ls and necessary expertise re­
quired, we strongly recommend that yo u have
your oi l changed by an authori zed
Audi dealer or
a q ua lified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself , please
note the fo llow ing important info rmat ion:
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal inj ur y if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce t he risk of burns from hot eng ine
oil, let the engine coo l d own to the to uch.
-
- W hen removing the o il dra in p lug with your
fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always
keep you r forearm parallel t o the ground to
he lp prevent hot o il from running down your
arm .
- Dra in the oil i nto a container designed for
this purpose , one large enough to hold at
l e ast the tota l amount o f oil in you r engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out of
the reach of ch ildren .
- Continuous contact w it h used eng ine oi l is
ha rmf ul to your skin . Always protect your
skin by washi ng oil off tho roughly wi th soap
a nd wate r.
CD Note
N eve r mix oil additives with you r engine oil.
These add itives can damage your engine and
adverse ly affec t your Aud i Lim ited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changi ng your oil , first make sure
you know wh ere you ca n prope rly dispose of
t h e us ed oil.
- Always disp ose of used eng ine oil properly.
Do not dump it o n garden soi l, wooded

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areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used
engine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a service station.
Cooling system
Coolant
T he 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 sealed and generally re­
qu ires little attention .
T he cooling system has been filled at the factory
with a permanent coolant which doe s not need to
be changed . T he cool ant consists of a mixture of
specia lly condit io ned water and the ma nufactur ­
e r's g lycol-basedcoo lant additive G 13 antifreeze
w ith a nticorros ion add itives (50% for USA mod­
e ls; 60% for Canadian models) . Thi s m ixt ure bot h
a ssures the ne cessary frost protection and pro­
tec ts meta l components in the engine 's cooling
system from corrosion and sca ling. It a lso raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
D o not red uce the conce ntra tion o f th e coo lant i n
the summer by add ing p la in wa ter.
The propor­
tion of coolant additive must be at least 50% but not more than 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency . If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolan t could
freeze and damage t he vehicle heat ing and en­
g ine cooling system .
For yea r-round driving, antifree ze is added at the
factory for tempe ratu res down to:
- -31°F ( -35°C) USA
- - 4 0°F ( - 40°C) C anada .
I f yo u mu st add coo lant, use a m ixt ure of wate r
a nd coolant add it ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommende d.
_& WARNING
Be fore yo u check any thing i n the engine com ­
par tment, always read and hee d all WAR N-
Checking and Fillin g
IN GS ¢ .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 221.
@ Note
- Be fore winte r sets in , have the coo lant
checke d to see if the coolant additive in you r
vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate con­ diti ons. This is espec ia lly important if you
live in a region where the winter is extreme­
ly cold . If necessary, increase the p ropo rtion
o f coolan t addi tive to 60%.
- Whe n adding coolant additive to your cool­
ing system, remember :
- We recommend using o nly coo lan t add i­
tive G12++ o r G13 fo r yo ur vehicle . This
coolant ad dit ive is available at author ized
A ud i dealers . Othe r types of antifreeze ca n
significantly reduce cor rosion protect ion .
The resulting cor rosion can ca use a loss of
coolant a nd serious e ngine damage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra­ diat or repa ir flu id may adverse ly affect the
function and perfo rmance of your cooling
system and cou ld result i n damage not cov­
ere d by your New Vehicle Lim ited W arra nty .
Checking the engine coolant level
Th e engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 200 Engin e compar tmen t: cov er on th e coo lant ex pan ­
s io n ta nk
Befo re you ch eck a nyth ing in the eng in e compart­
me nt,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,& in Working in the engine compartmen t on
page 221.
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227

Checking and Filling
"'Park your vehicle on a level surface.
"'Turn off the ignition.
"'Read the engine coolant level from the coolant
expansion tank
c:> fig . 200, <=> page 223,
fig. 197. With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "MIN" and "MAX" mark­
ings . 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 illustration
<=> page 223 .
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
c::> page 29 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has been
restored to normal. Even though there is an elec­
tric 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 cooling
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 re­
sult of overheating.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant . Adding radia­
tor repair fluid may adversely affect the func­
tion 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 compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
228
c::> A in Working in the engine compartment on
page
221.
Requirement: There must be a residual amount
of coolant in the expansion tank
<=>(i) .
"'Turn off the engine.
"' Let the engine cool down.
"' Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
c::> page 22 7, fig. 200 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
c::> .&, .
"'Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
c::> page 22 7, Coolant up to the MAX marking.
"'Make sure that the fluid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary .
"'Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to ex­
act specifications
c::> page 22 7, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant additive Gl2+
+, Gl3
or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain wa­
ter 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 cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifree ze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Excess
coolant will be forced out through the pressure
relief valve in the cap when the engine becomes
hot.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scalding
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 applying
light, downward pressure on the top of
the cap.
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-To avoid being burned, do not spi ll 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.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti­
freeze in its original conta iner and well out
of the reach of ch ildren .
-If you drain the coolant, it must be caught
and safely stored in a proper container
clearly marked "poison" .
(D Note
-Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine .
If this is the case,
do not continue driving. Seek profess ional
ass istance.
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and could
cause an eng ine fire . Excess coolant will be
fo rced out through the pressure relief valve
i n the cap when the eng ine becomes hot.
- If, i n an emergency , only water can be add­
ed, the correct ratio between wa ter and an­
tifreeze
~ page 22 7 must be restored as
soon as possib le .
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always
dispose o f used coolant while observ ing all
environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self.
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V­
be lt . The viscous clu tch regulates the speed of
the fan ac cording to the temperature of the cool ­
ant.
An auxiliary e lectr ic rad iator fan* switches on and
off depend ing on coolant temperat ure and othe r
veh icle operating conditions.
Afte r you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan
can continue runn ing for up to 10 minutes -even
Ch eck in g and Fillin g
with the ignition off . It can even switch on again
later by itself¢& , if
- the temperatu re of the engine coo lant rises due
to the heat build- up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the
veh icle is parked in intense sun light .
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of persona l injury never
touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature con­ trolled and can switch on suddenly even
when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on auto­
matica lly when the engine coolant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a quick
glance .
Fig. 201 Engine compar tment : cov er on th e bra ke fluid
r e servoir
Before you check anyth ing in the engine compart ­
ment,
al way s read and h eed all WARNIN GS
¢ _.& in Working in the engine compartment on
page 221 .
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the b rake fluid
reservoir ¢
fig. 201, ¢ page 223, fig . 197 . The
brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN "
and "MAX " markings.
229

Checking and F ill in g
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on t he left
side ¢
page 223.
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.
If the b ra ke fluid level fal ls considerably below
the "MIN" mark, the brake warn ing/indicator
light (U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian models: . )
will come on¢
page 18 and ¢ page 28 . Do not
continue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop and
the cause corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/indicator light will illum i­
nate. Contact an authorized Aud i dealer
immedi ­
a tel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced technician.
Brake flu id abso rbs moisture from the a ir . If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor­ rosion in the b rake system may result after a pe ri­
od of time. The boiling point of the bra ke fluid
will also decrease conside rably and decrease
b ra ki ng per fo rmance .
Therefore, th e brake flu id must be changed
ev ery
tw o years .
Always use new b rake fluid w hich con­
forms to Fede ra l Motor Vehicle Standa rd " FMVSS
1 16 DOT 4".
The brake fluid rese rvoir can be difficult to reach,
therefo re, we recommend that yo u have the
b rake fluid changed by your authori zed
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has the cor rect too ls, the
right brake f luid and the know -how to do t his for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is po isonous. It must be stored
only in the closed orig inal container out of
the reach of children!
- Brake fai lure can result from old or inappro­
pr iate brake fluid . Observe these precau­
t ions:
230
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE spec i­
ficat io n
J 1703 and conforms to Federal
Motor Vehicle Sta ndard 116 . Always check
with your aut horized Aud i dea ler to make
su re you are using the correct brake fl uid .
The co rrect type of brake f lu id is also ind i­
cated on t he b rake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fl uid must be new. Heavy use of
the b rakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake fluid is left in t he system too long.
This can se riou sly affec t the efficiency of
the b rakes as well as yo ur sa fety. This
could result in an acc ident .
(D Note
Bra ke fluid will damage the pai nt of you r vehi­
cle.
@ For the sake of the environment
B ecause of the prob lem of prope r disposal of
b rake fluid as well as the spe cial tools re­
q ui red and the necessary ex pert ise, we rec ­
ommend that you have the brake f lu id
cha nged by yo ur autho rize d Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
U nder normal operat ing conditions , the battery
i n you r Aud i does not need any maintenance.
With
high outside tem pera tures or long d aily
drives we recommend that you have the e lectro­
l yte level checked by an a utho rized Audi dea le r or
qualified workshop. The electrolyte leve l should
a lso be checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 232.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your ve ­
hicle in for service. You a re well advised to re­
place a battery that is older than 5 years.
With cer tain types of airbag deployment, t he bat­
tery is disconnected from the vehicle elect rical
system for safety reasons
Q &. in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 165.
Hybrid drive *: yo u can find important information
abo ut the high voltage battery under ¢
page 98 . ..,.

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Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regula­
tors , for example) are lost if the battery termi­
nals are disconnected. These functions have to be
re learned after th e battery terminals are con­
nected again. To prevent this, the batte ry should
only be disconnected from the ve hicle electrical
system when absolutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, e lectrica l components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca­ pability over a longer period
c:> page 196.
Take into consideration that when you un lock
your veh icle, some convenience functions, such
as the interior lights or the power seat adjust­
ment, may not be available . The convenience
functions will be ava ilable again when you turn
on the ignition and start the engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop. This is because
more power is also consumed while starting, and
the headlights, rear window defogger, etc ., are
used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, part icu­
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
d istances . Let your authorized Aud i dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before w inter
sets in
c:> page 232. A well charged battery will
not only prevent s tarting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor. Before you check anything
in the lug gage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> ,&. .
Hybr id drive*: you can find important informat ion
about the high vo ltage battery u nder
c:> page 98.
Checking and Filling
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lectrica l
system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery :
Always heed the following WARNING SYM·
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
~
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al·
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
· sparks
· flames
· smoking.
~
When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children.
A WARNING
= -Whenever working on the battery or on the
e lectrica l system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire . Read and heed the fol­
lo w ing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat­
tery acid or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield yo ur eyes. Exp losive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns .
- Always wear g loves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings.
-If you get battery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immed iately r ins e with cold wa­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­
tent ion.
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
med ical attention immediate ly .
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
elec tric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
~
231