coolant temperature AUDI S4 2008 User Guide

Towing a trailer
234•
The trailer overrun brake must be set correctly. This is important
to ensure that the trailer can be br aked correctly, to avoid the vehicle
and trailer “jack-knifing” and to pr event excess braking of the trailer.
•
At low outside temperatures, both the towing vehicle and the
trailer should be fitted with winter tyres.
WARNING
It is essential that you adjust your speed to suit the weather, road
and traffic conditions. Do not let the trailer stabilisation system
tempt you into taking any risks wh en driving – this can cause acci-
dents.•
The ESP and trailer stabilisatio n system cannot defy the laws
of physics. This should be kept in mind, particularly on slippery
and wet roads and when towing a trailer with a light load.
•
The trailer stabilisation system is functional, regardless of
whether the trailer has a mechanical overrun brake or not.
•
The trailer stabilisation system is not always able to detect
swaying of trailers with a light load and will therefore not inter-
vene.
•
A trailer can still “jack-knife” on slippery roads with little grip,
even if the towing vehicle is eq uipped with the trailer stabilisation
system.
•
Trailers with a high centre of gravity may even tip over before
they start to sway sideways.
•
If you are not towing a trailer, but the trailer socket is being
used (e.g. for an illuminated bicycl e rack), the trailer stabilisation
system may be activated in extreme driving conditions.
•
Please note the additional information and warnings
⇒ page 234 .
Notes on towing
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care.Weight distribution
Try to avoid towing a loaded trailer with an unladen vehicle. If this
cannot be avoided, drive extra slowly to allow for the unbalanced
weight distribution.
Speed
The stability of the car and trailer is reduced with increasing speed.
For this reason it is advisable not to drive at the maximum permis-
sible top speed in unfavourable road, weather or wind conditions.
This applies especially on a downhill gradient.
You should always reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows
the slightest sign of swaying. Never try to stop the swaying by accel-
erating further.
Always brake in good time. If the trailer has an overrun brake, apply
the brakes gently at first and then firmly. This will prevent the jerking
that can be caused by the trailer wheels locking. Change down in
good time before going down a steep hill so that you can use the
engine braking effect to slow down the vehicle.
Swaying and pitching can be reduced by stabiliser aids. We recom-
mend having stabiliser aids installed when towing trailers with a
high trailer weight. They can be purchased and installed at an Audi
dealer.
Overheating
When climbing long hills in hot weather with the engine running
fast in low gear, you should keep an eye on the coolant temperature
gauge ⇒page 11 . Reduce speed immediately if the needle moves to
the top end of the scale. If the temperature warning lamp
 in the
instrument cluster should start flashing, stop the car and let the
engine cool down by running it at idling speed for a few minutes.
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Checking and topping up fluids
262
WARNING
•
The cooling system is under pr essure. Do not unscrew the cap
on the expansion tank when the engine is hot: you could be
scalded by escaping steam
•
The coolant and coolan t additive can be a health hazard. Store
the coolant additive in the original container in a safe place out of
reach of children – risk of poisoning.For the sake of the environment
Drained off coolant should not be used again. Drain off the used
coolant into a suitable container and dispose of it in the proper
manner (observe environmental regulations).Radiator fan
The radiator fan can start running spontaneously.The radiator fan is driven by the engine via a poly V-belt. The speed
of the fan is varied by a viscous clutch according to the temperature.
There is also an auxiliary electric fan, which cuts in automatically
whenever the temperature of the coolant and the engine compart-
ment rises above a certain level.
The auxiliary fan can continue to run for as long as 10 minutes after
stopping the engine – even after the ignition is switched off. It may
also start running suddenly ⇒ after a while if•
residual heat raises the coolant temperature, or
•
the hot engine compartment is ad ditionally heated up by the
sun.
WARNING
When working in the engine compa rtment be aware that the radi-
ator fan may start running suddenly – risk of injury.
Brake fluidChecking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked at a glance.– Check the fluid level on the brake fluid reservoir ⇒fig. 258. It should always be between the “MIN” and
“MAX” marks.In right-hand drive vehi cles the brake fluid reservoir is on the other
side of the engine compartment.
The fluid level may drop slightly after a period of time due to the
automatic compensation for brake pad wear. This is quite normal.
However, if the level goes down noticeably in a short time, or drops
below the “MIN” mark, there may be a leak in the brake system. If
the fluid level in the reservoir is too low, this will be indicated by the
brake warning lamp ⇒page 32 . If this should happen, take the car
to a qualified workshop immediately and have the brake system
inspected.
Fig. 258 Engine
compartment: Mark-
ings on brake fluid
reservoir
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Index
332CCapacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Car keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Care of vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Boot lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Deadlock mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Fuel tank flap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Manual locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Opening and closing windows . . . . . . 54
Sun roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Switches on driver's door . . . . . . . . . . 49
Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Cetane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Changing bulbs See Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Chassis number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Child safety seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Child seat categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
ISOFIX system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
On front passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . 211
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Child-proof catches Rear doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Cleaning Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Cleaning seat covers
Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Natural leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Textile covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Cleaning textile covers and trim parts . . 247
Clock, setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Closing Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Sun roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Coat hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Colour code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
coming home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Compact temporar y spare wheel
See Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Compartment for (sun)glasses . . . . . . . . . 91
Compass in mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Controls and displays Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Convenience open/close function . . . . . . 54
Cooling system Anti-freeze additive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Checking coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Coolant temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . 11
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Radiator fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Topping up coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Cruise control system
Adjusting stored speed . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Indicator lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Pre-selecting a speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Switching on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
See also adaptive cruise control . . . . 128
Cup holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Current fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
DDate display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Daytime running lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
DCP See Dynamic gear control program . 166
Deactivating front passenger's airbag . . 208
Deadlock mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 48
Defrosting windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98, 106
Deluxe automatic air conditioner . . . . . . . 93 Air distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Air outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Air outlets for rear passengers . . . . . . 99
Air recirculation mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Basic settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Blower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Defrosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Economical operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Heated rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Seat heating, front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
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