AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET 2013 Owners Manual

Checking and fillin g 209
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 177 Typical layout for containers and engine oil filler cap
(D Coolant expansion tank (- L) . . . 214
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ... ....... ........ ..
219, 256
@ Engine o il filler cap ( @ Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw ............ .... .
219,256
© Brake flu id reservoi r((())) . . . . . 216
® W indshie ld/headlight* washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
q .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 207.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil .
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
power p lant that was bu ilt 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 rig ht o il
and changi ng oil within the t ime and mileage
i n tervals printed in you r 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 w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera­
tion.

210 Check ing and filling
Modern 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 to he lp keep your vehicle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge ", that ove r time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of pr int ing , engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifi cations of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
a re synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every syn thetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de ­
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing specifi­
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il container labe ls may carry the specif ica ­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem ­
pe ratu re ranges for normal driving conditions .
However, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SA E
SW40 is not avai lab le, you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE SW -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specif ications .
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an ext ra quart (
li te r) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 spec ification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is a t or be low the
min imum mark -and no oi l that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available - may you top
off
with a high quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, tha t mee ts ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then , only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40 , SAE SW-30, o r SA E
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween oil change inte rva ls , never top
off with
more than a total of 0.5 q t/ liter engine o il
t h at does not con form to Audi oi l specification
vw 502 00.
For more informa tion about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, please
contac t either yo ur authorized Aud i deale r or
Audi C ustome r Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names e tc.) tha t conform to Audi oil s tanda rd
vw 502 00 .
Changing the engine oil
The eng ine oi l and oil fi lter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your ve hicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil ca n reduce eng ine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repa irs .
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­ ing proper ties of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­ ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld even be cha nged more frequent ly .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
sho rt distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly unde r stop-and-go t raff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..

temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies with A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War ­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re­
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
was pe rformed in a t imely 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 o rder to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, a ll in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certa in
amo unt of o il. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in period (see
¢
page 184) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac­
tors are the amount of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is s ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 211
wear as mi leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es ­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
1\1 in the instrument cluster lights up , you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 212. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 212.
A WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n the engine
compartment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine
c ompartment on page 207.
(D Note
Driving w ith 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 indi cator of the oil le vel. Do not
rely on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regu lar intervals, pref­
erably ea ch time you r efuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression you r engi ne
c ons umes ex cess ive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consul t an a uthor­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that the accurate measurement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some t ime. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
-
•
•

212 Checking and filling
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 178 MMI Display: Oil level in dicator
Read oil level
.. Park your vehicle so that it is horizontally
lev el.
.. Shut the engine off when it is at operating
temperature.
• Switch only the ignition back on.
• Wait approx. two minutes.
> Select: Function button ICARI > Oil level. Or
> Select: Function button ICAR I > Car sys-
tems *
control button > Servicing & checks >
Oil level.
.. Read the oil level in the MMI* Display
¢
fig. 178. Add engine oil if the bar of the
oil level indicator is near "min"¢
page 212
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
can be up to 1 quart per 600 miles (0.8 liter
per 1,000 km). Consumption may be higher
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
The oil level indicator in the MMI* Display
is only an information display. If the oil
level is too low, a minimum oil warning ap­
pears in the instrument cluster. Add oil
¢
page 212. If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluster the next time the ignition is
switched on.
~ Adding engine oil
Fig. 179 Engine compartment: Cover on the oil filler
n ec k
• Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ .A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 207 .
.. Unscrew the cap '1:::1: to the engine oil filling
hole
q fig. 179, q page 209, fig. 177.
.. Carefully top off with the appropriate oil in
0.5 liter doses.
.. Check the oil level again after two minutes
qpage212.
• Top off the oil again, if necessary.
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
.8_ 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
M Ml*.
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 circ umstances can the oil come
i n contact w ith the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We r ecommend that hove your oil changed by
on authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you check anything i n the engine com­
pa rtment,
alwa ys read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:> &. in Working in the engine comport­
men t on page 207.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . T his is very important
because the l ubricating proper ties of oil di­
minish gradua lly dur ing no rmal veh icle use.
Under some circ umstances the engine o il
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 traff ic con ­
d itions, or have your ve hicle where tempera­
tures remain below free zing fo r extended pe­
ri ods.
Detergent addi tives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing fo r a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often tha n
recommen ded.
Because of the problem of prope r disposal,
a long w ith the special tools and necessary ex­
p e rti se require d, we strong ly recommend tha t
you have you r o il change d by an author ized
Audi dealer or a q ualified service sta tion.
If you choo se to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following importa nt informa ­
tion :
Checkin g and fillin g 213
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal inj ury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect io n.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gi ne oil, let the engi ne cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in p lug with
your fi ngers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep you r fo rearm parallel to the
grou nd to help p revent hot o il from run­
ning down yo ur arm.
- Dra in the oil into a containe r designed
for this purpose, one la rge enough to
hold at least the tota l am ou nt of oi l in
your eng ine .
- E ngine oil is poisonous . Keep it we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Con tinuous contact wit h used eng ine o il
is harmful to yo ur ski n. A lways p rote ct
your skin by w ashing oil off tho ro ughly
wit h soap and wate r.
@ Note
N eve r mix oil addi tiv es with yo ur engine
oi l. These additives can damage your e n­
g ine and adver se ly affec t yo u r A udi L imit­
ed New Veh icle Warran ty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- B efore changi ng your oil, first make su re
yo u k now where yo u can prope rly dispose
o f t he used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine o il proper ­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed are as, into open streams o r down
sewage drains .
- Re cy cl e used engine oil by taking i t to a
used engi ne oil col lect ion facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
•
•

214 Checking and filling
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 sealed and generally re­
quires 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-basedcoolant additive G13 antifreeze with
anticorrosion add itives (50% for USA models;
60% for Canadian models). This mixtu re both
assures the necessary frost protection and
protects metal components in the engine 's
cooling system from corrosion and scaling. It
also raises the boiling point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 ° F ( - 3 S °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada .
_&. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 207.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions . This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in- crease the
proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad­
ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle.
This coolant additive is availab le at au­
thor ized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­
rosion protection. The resulting corro­
sion cah cause a loss of coolant and se­
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant .
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Veh icle
Limited Warranty.
· Checking the engine coolant level and
adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Fig. 180 E n g in e compart men t: Cover on the coo la nt
expansio n tan k
Fig. 181 En g in e compart men t: markings in the coo la n t
expansion tank
ll>

Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
al ways r ead and heed all W ARN­
ING S ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 207.
The "MIN" und "MAX" markings are found on
the bi-level disc in the interior of the coolant
expansion tank
¢ fig . 181.
.,. Park your vehi cle on a level sur face.
.,. Turn off the ignition .
.,. Let the engine coo l down .
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank and
c a refully turn the cap counter ­
clockwise ¢
.&,.
.,. Read the engin e coolant le vel inside the
coolant expans ion tank ¢
fig. 180,
¢ page 209, fig . 177. With a cold engine,
the coolant leve l should be between the
" M IN" and "MAX" mark ings
¢ fig. 181
-arrows- . When the eng ine is warm, the lev­
el may be slightly above the "MAX" marking.
.,. The MAX marking may be covered with a
maximum of 1 mm of coolant when yo u
fill
coolant .
.,. Twist the cap on again tightly.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
¢ page 209.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the engine
must be switched off .
The expans ion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor .
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the A uto-Check System¢
page 18 wi ll
b lin k until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to norma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we sti ll rec­
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the coo ling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool ­
i n g system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
Checkin g and fillin g 215
In a sealed system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.
Adding coolant
Rep lacement engine coolant must confo rm to
exact specificat ions¢
page 214, Coolant .
We recommend using only coo lant add itive
Gl2++, Gl3 or i n an emergency Gl 2+ . Do not
use a different add itive. In an emergen cy use
plain water until you can ge t the correct addi­
tive and can restore the correct ra tio. This
sho uld be done as soon as possib le .
If you have lost a cons iderab le amount o f
coolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld water on ly when the engine is cold.
A lways use
new engine coo la nt when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be fo rced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
_& WARNING
- Th e cooling system is un der pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these ste ps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap w ith a large, th ic k rag.
- Turn the cap s lowly and very carefully
i n a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being bu rned, do not spill an­
tifree ze or coolant o n the ex haust sys­
tem o r hot engine p arts. Under ce rtain
con ditio ns, the ethy lene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze i s poisonous. Always s tore an­
tifreeze in its original container an d well
out of the reach of children .
Ill-
•
•

216 Check ing and filling
-If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
-Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coo lant.
Adding rad iator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire . Excess cool­
ant wil l be forced out through the pres­
s u re re lief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency , only water can be
added, the correct ratio between wate r
and antifreeze
c::> page 214 must be re ­
stored as soon as possib le .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dra ined coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­ ing all environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself.
The radiator fan is dr iven by the engine via the
V-be lt . T he viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan accord ing to the temperature o f the
coolant .
A n auxiliary e lectr ic radiator fan* switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehi cle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can cont inue runn ing for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off.
It can even sw itch
on again later by itself
c::> .&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat bu ild-up from the eng ine in
the engine compartment, or -
the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
.&_ WARNING .........
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
contro lled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper ­
ature drops .
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fig . 182 Engin e compart men t: Cove r on the b rake flu­
id reservoi r
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
a lwa ys re ad and hee d all WARN­
ING S c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
207.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c::> fig. 182, c::> page 209,
fig . 177. The brake fluid level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the
left s ide
c::> page 209.
The fluid level may drop
slightly after some
t ime due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for a larm . .,._

If the brake fluid level falls considerably be ­
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light (U.S . mode ls:
1111 . Canad ian
models: .) will come on
¢ page 15. Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop and the cause co rrected . If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
in dicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an a u­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
@ Tips
The brake fluid rese rvoir is located unde r­
neath the cover.
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by on experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moistu re from the a ir. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
hi gh , corrosion in the b rake system may resul t
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of t he
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ver y two year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r ca n be difficult to
r eac h, therefore , we recommend th at yo u
h ave the brake f luid changed by yo ur autho r­
ized
Audi dealer . Your deale r has the correct
too ls, the right brake fluid and the know -how
to do th is for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is po isonous . It must be stor­
ed only in the closed orig inal container
out of the reac h of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old or inap­
propr iate brake fluid . Observe these pre­
caut ions:
- Use on ly bra ke fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Checkin g and fillin g 217
Federa l Moto r Ve hicle Standard 1 16 .
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the correct brake fluid . The correct type of
brake flu id is also ind icated on the
brake f luid rese rvoir .
- The brake fluid must be new . Heavy use
of the brakes ca n cause a vapo r lock if
the b rake fluid is left i n the system too
l ong. This can se riou sly affect the effi­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safe ty . T his co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
B ra ke fluid wi ll damage the paint o f you r
vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of proper disposal
of bra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
r ecomme nd th at yo u have the br ake fl uid
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
Un der normal operating cond itions , the bat­
te ry in you r Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance . With
high outside temperatures o r
long da ily d rives we recommend that you have
t h e e lectrolyte leve l chec ked by an au thori zed
A udi dealer or qualified workshop . The elec ­
trolyte leve l should also be checked each time
the batte ry is charged
¢ page 219.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your
vehicle in for se rvice. You are well advised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
Wi th cer tain types of airbag deployment, the
ba ttery is disconnected from the veh icle elec­
trical system for safety reasons¢.&
in Re ­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 151.
~
•
•

218 Check ing and filling
Di sconnect ing the batt ery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power window regu­
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not dri ven fo r lo ng period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer period
~ page 182.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment . The conven ience
functions will be ava ilable again when you
turn on the ignition and start the eng ine.
Winter operati on
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop . This
is because more power is also consumed while
start ing, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par­
ticularly in c ity traffic or when traveling only
short d istances . Let you r authorized Audi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat­
tery before winte r sets in
~ page 219. A well
charged battery w ill not only prevent starting
prob lems when the weather is cold, but wi ll
a lso last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low temperat ures, the
veh icle battery should be removed and
stored where it will not freeze. This w ill
prevent it from being damaged and hav ing
to be replaced.
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 any­
th ing in the luggage compartment,
read and
h ee d all WARNINGS
~ ,&,
Always heed the safet y warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec ­
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are ve ry
i mportant wh en wor king on the battery :
Alway s heed the following WARNING S YM­
BOLS and safety prec autions when working
on the battery .
® Always wear eye protection .
b.. Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al­
~ ways wear gloves and e ye protect ion.
-No
~ -sparks
-flames
--
-smoking.
A When a battery i s charged , it produ ce s
~ hy drogen gas which is e xplosi ve and
could cau se pe rsonal injur y.
--Always keep the battery well out of
® reach of children .
_& WARNING
=
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of i njury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other injury . -
-Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.