2010 AUDI S3 light

Checking and filling -
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0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolant checked to see if the
coolant additive in your vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate
conditions. This is especially important if you live in a region where
the winter is extremely cold. If necessary, increase the proportion of
coolant additive to 60%.
• When adding coolant additive to your cooling system,
remember:
-We recommend using only coolant additive G12+ + (check the
label) for your vehicle. This coolant additive is available at autho­
rized Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can significantly
reduce corrosion protection . The resulting corrosion can cause a
loss of coolant and serious engine damage .
• Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle's
engine coolant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and cou ld result
in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .•
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance.
Fig . 169 Engine
compartment : coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS==> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 224.
Turn off the ignition .
Read the engine coolant level from the coolant expan­
sion tank==> fig. 169. With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "min" and "max" markings. 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 225.
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 =>
page 30will blink until you add coolant and the
level has been restored to normal. Even though there is an electric
coolant level sensor, we still recommend you check the coolant 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 immedi­
ately 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 result of overheating.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea lant to your vehicle's engine
coolant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adversely affect the tune- _..
Vehicle care I I Technical data

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tion and performance of your cooling system and could resu lt in
d am age not co vered by yo ur Ne w Vehicle Li mited Warranty .•
Adding coolant
B e very caref ul whe n addin g engine c oo lant.
Before you check a nything in the e ngine compartmen t,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in "Work ing in
the en gine compartmen t" on
pa ge 224.
- Turn off the engine.
- Le t the engin e coo l down.
Place a thi ck ra g o ver th e c oolan t expansio n ta nk
=> pa ge 233, fi g. 1 69 an d carefully twi st th e cap coun te r­
cl ockwi se
=> &.
- Add cool ant.
- Twist the cap on aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to exact specifications
~ page 232, "Coolant". Even in a n eme rge ncy, if co olant add it ive
G 12++. G12+ or G 12 is not availab le, do
not use a diffe rent additive.
Use plain water instead unt il you ca n get the c orrect additive and
can restore the correct ratio . This should be done as soon as
possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of coo lant, then you should
add co ld antifreeze and cold water only when the engine is cold.
A lways use
new e n gin e c oolan t wh en refi llin g.
Do not fi ll coo lant above the "MAX" mark . Excess coolant will be
f o rced ou t through the pressure re lief va lve in the cap when the
engine becomes hot.
& WARNING
• The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot .
Redu ce 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 e scaping fluid and
steam by covering the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counter -clockwise
direction while applying light , downward pressure on the top
of the cap.
- To avoid being burned , do not spill antifreeze or coolant on
the e xhaust system o r hot engine parts . Under certain condi ­
tions , the ethylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire.
• Antifreeze is poisonous . Always store antifreeze in its original
container and well out of the rea ch of children.
• If you drain the coolant , it must be caught and safely stored in
a proper container clearly marked "poison".
0 Note
• Coo la n t po llutes t he environ ment and cou ld cause a n engine
fire . Excess coolant will be forced out through the pressure re lief
va lve in t he cap when t he eng in e b ecomes hot .
• I f, in an emergency, on ly water can be added, the correct ratio
be tween wa ter and antifree ze~
page 232 mus t be restore d as soon
as possib le .
'£> For the sake of the environment
D rained coolant should not be reused. Always d ispose of used
coo la nt whi le observing all e nvi ro n men tal reg ulat ions .•

Checking and filling -
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Radiator fan
The radiator fa n switches on au toma tically by i tself.
T he e lectric radiator fan is control led bythermoswitches that switch
on and off depending on coolan t and engine compar tm ent temper ­
atures .
An auxiliary e lectric radiator fan * switches on and off depending on
coolant temperature and other vehicle operation conditions.
After switching off the engine , the auxiliary fan -even with the igni ­
tio n off -ca n co ntinue runni ng for u p to 10 minutes. It can even
switch on again later by itself=>&, if
• the temperat ure of the engine coolant rises due to the heat
build -up from the engine in the engine compartment, or
• t he engine co mpart men t heats up because the vehicle is parked
in intense sunlight.
& WARNING
• To reduce the risk of personal injury never tou ch the r ad iator
fan .
• The auxiliary electric fan is temperature controlled and can
switch on suddenly even when the engine i s not running .
• The auxiliary radiator fan switches on automatically when the
engine cool ant reache s a certain temperature and will continue to
run until the coolant temperature drop s. •
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The bra ke flu id l evel can be che cke d wi th a q uick gla nce.
Fig . 17 0 Engine
co mpartment : brake
fluid re ser vo ir
Be fore yo u check anythin g in the e ng ine compar tm ent,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in "Working in
t h e eng ine compartment" on
page 224.
Read t he brake fl uid lev el from t he brake flui d res ervoir .
T he b rak e fluid l eve l must b e between the
"MI N" and
"M AX" markings => fig. 170.
The brake f luid reservoir is located at the rear pa rtit ion of the engine
compartment on the left side=> page 225.
T he fluid leve l may drop slightly after some time due to the auto ­
ma tic adjustment o f the brake pads. Th is is not cause for alarm .
I f the brake flu id leve l falls considerably below the "MIN" mark, the
brake warning/indicator light (U.S . models :
BRAKE, Canadian models:
ID ) will come on=> page 15 and=> page 30. Do not continue to
operate the vehic le . The complete brake system should be thor ­
oughly checked by an au thorized Audi dealer or other qualified
facility and the cause corrected. If the brake fluid leve l is too low, the .,,_
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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brake warning/indicator light will illuminate . Contact an authorized
Audi dealer
i m medi at ely.•
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced techni­
cian.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the ai r. If the water content in the
brake fluid is too high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time. The boiling point of the brake fluid wil l also
decrease considerably and decrease braking performance .
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
e ver y two years. Always
use new brake fluid which conforms to Federa l Motor Vehicle Stan ­
dard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4" .
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficu lt to reach , therefore, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by your autho­
rized
Audi d ealer. Your dealer has the correct tools, the right brake
fluid and the know-how to do this for you.
& WARNING
• Bra ke fluid i s poisonous . It mu st be stored on ly in the close d
ori ginal container out of the rea ch of children!
• Bra ke fa ilure can result from old or inappropri ate brake fluid .
Observe the se pre caution s:
- Use o nly brake fluid that meets SAE spe cifi ca tion
J 170 3 and
c onform s to Fed era l Moto r Vehic le Sta nda rd 116 . Always c heck
w ith your authori zed Audi de aler to m ake sure you are using
the correct brake fluid. The corr ect type of brake fluid i s als o
indi cated o n the br ake fl uid reser vo ir.
- The br ake flu id mu st be ne w. Hea vy use of the brake s can
c au se a vap or lo ck if the bra ke fluid i s left in the system too
long. Thi s can seriou sly affect the efficienc y of the brake s as
we ll as your safet y. Thi s co uld re su lt in an acci dent .
0 Note
Brake fluid wi ll damage the paint of your vehicle .
<£' For the sake of the environment
Because o f the problem of prope r disposal of brake flu id as we ll as
the special tools required and the necessary expertise, we recom ­
mend that you have the brake fluid changed by your authorized Audi
dea ler. •
Battery
General information
All w ork on the battery requires technical knowledge!
Fi g. 171 E ng ine
co mp artm ent (4 -
c yli nder engin e):
Bat tery w it h cove r"
The battery is located in the engine compartment~ fig. 171 and is
nearly
mai nten ance-fr ee .
The condition of the ba ttery is checked in the framework o f the
inspection. We recommend replacing batteries that are o lder than 5
years. .,

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Di sco nnecting the batt ery
Some vehic le functions (power window regulators, for example) are
lost if the battery termina ls are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals are connected again . To
prevent this, the battery should only be disconnected from the
vehicle el ectrical system if absolutely necessary.
Vehic les not driven f or lo ng peri o ds a nd sho rt -di stan ce
o pera tion
The battery can a lso become discharged with the veh ic le stationary
by id ling current consumers . When the vehic le is sta tionary
(planned event) during the
cold t ime of the year, you should remove
the battery and store it in a nonfreezing area . This way you prevent
that the battery "freezes" and thereby is destroyed . During the
w arm er time of the year it is sufficient to disconnect the negative
terminal from the battery . Occasionally charge even a disconnected
battery .
Wint er opera ti on
During the winter months, battery capacity tends to decrease as
tempera tures drop . This is because more power is a lso consumed
while starting, and the headlights, rear window defogger, etc., are
used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, particularly in city traffic or
when trave ling only short distances. Let your authorized Audi dea ler
check the capacity of the vehicle battery before w inter sets in
=>
page 239. A well charged battery will not only prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but w ill also last longer.
Replacin g battery
The new battery m ust h ave the same capacity , voltage (12 volts),
amperage, construction and p lug sea ling, as the orig inal battery.
Specif ications are listed on the battery housing. Batteries special ly
developed by Audi fulfil l the maintenance, output, and safety
requirements.
When instal ling the battery, make sure the ignition and all electrica l
consumers are switched off=>
(D.
We recommend that you use maintenance -free or c y c le -resis­
tant /leak -proof
batte ries according to the sta ndards TL 825 06 (from
December 1997) and VW 7 50 73 (from August 2001).
(D Note
• All work on the battery requires technical knowledge . Please
contact an Audi dealership or another authorized fac ility for ques ­
tions about the battery- danger of acid burns and exp losion hazard!
• The battery must not be opened! Do not try to change the
battery's liquid level, otherwise detonating gas wil l escape from the
bat tery -explosion hazard!
• The AGM battery in the luggage compartment cannot leak,
because the electrolyte for this battery is abso rbed in to a special
glass mat . This leak-proof battery must not be replace with a
conventiona l battery.
• Make sure the ventilation hose on the side of the battery is
connected, otherwise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
• Battery holder and terminals always have to be secured correctly .
• Before all work on the ba ttery follow the
warning s below=> & in
"Working on the battery" on
page 238.
Because of the problem of proper disposal of a battery, we recom­
mend your authorized Audi deale r change the battery for you .
Batteries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be
disposed of properly in comp liance with a ll environmental regula ­
tions . D isposing of vehicle batteries improperly is very dangerous to
the environment. Make sure that the removed batte ry cannot over ­
balance , otherwise sulfuric acid might escape! •
Vehicle care I t •

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Working on the battery
All work on the ba ttery requires technical knowledge! Be
espe cially careful whe n work ing on or near the ba ttery!
B efor e you ch eck any thing in t he e ngin e compa rtment ,
a lway s read and heed all WARNINGS~
& in "Work ing i n
the engin e compartme nt" on
page 224 .
Alway s heed th e safety warnings , when w orki ng on th e ve hi cle
b atte ry o r the veh icle e lectr ica l system to preve nt in jury.
The following WARNINGS are very important when
working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYMBOLS and safety pre ­
cautions when working on the battery.
@
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Always 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 chil­
dren.
& WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the electrical system,
there is the risk of injury , accident and even fire. Read and heed the
following WARNINGS :
& WARNING (continued)
• Always wear eye protection. Do not let battery acid or any lead
particles get on your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes . Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury!
• Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfuric acid can cause
blindness and severe burns.
-Always wear gloves 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, immedi ­
ately rinse with cold water for several minutes and get medical
attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid , seek medical attention
immediately .
• Do not expose the battery to an open flame , electric sparks or
an open light .
• Do not smoke.
• Do not interchange the positive and negative cables .
• When working on the battery , be sure not to short -circuit the
terminals with tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly , which could lead to damage or
explosion and personal injury .
• When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen gas which is
explosive and could cause personal injury.
• Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
• Before work is done on the electrical system , disconnect the
negative ground cable .
• Before performing any work on the electrical system , switch off
the engine and ignition as well as any electrical equipment. The
negative cable on the battery must be disconnected . If you are just
going to replace a light bulb , then it is enough to switch off the
lights.
• Before disconnecting the battery, switch off the anti-theft
alarm system! Otherwise you will set off the alarm.

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•
& W ARNING (continu ed )
• When disconnecting the battery , first disconnect the negative
cable and then the positive cable.
• Before reconnecting the battery, make sure all electrical
consumers are switched off. Reconnect the positive c able first and
then the negative cable . Never interchange the cables - this could
start a fire!
• Never charge a frozen or a thawed -out battery . It could
e x plode! If a battery has frozen , then it must be replaced . A
discharged battery can freeze over at 32 °F (0 °C I.
• Make sure the vent hose is always attached to the opening on
the side of the battery.
• Never use batteries whi ch are damaged. There is the danger of
an explosion! Always replace a damaged battery .
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Battery posts , terminals and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds , chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems . Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
• D o not disconnect the veh icle batt ery when the ignit io n is
switched on or when the engine is r unning, otherwise, you wi ll
damage electro nic co mponen ts in the el ectrical syst em.
• Applies to vehic les with 4 -cylinder engine: When work ing on the
e ngi ne, p rotect the bat te ry housi ng from ultr avio let ( UV) rays by not
parking the vehicle in direct sun light.
• If your vehicle is goin g to stand for a long per iod of t ime w it h out
being driven , protect the battery from "freezing", otherwise it wi ll
be damaged and w ill then hav e to be re placed. •
Applies to vehic les: with 4 -cyli nde r en gine
Charging of battery
A ll work on t he ba ttery req uires tech nical kno wledge !
A charged batte ry ensures goo d sta rtin g perfo rma nce. A
disc harge d ba tt er y ca n
freeze at temperatu res of only O °C.
A th awe d ba tter y must be re pl aced, as the batte ry hous ing
m ay be cracked due to freezi ng and coul d there fo re leak
acid .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS below ~ & and
~ & in " Workin g o n the batter y" o n page 238.
- S witc h off th e i gn itio n a nd all ele ctrica l co nsu m ers.
- Make sur e th e area is we ll ventilate d w he n you charge
t h e battery .
- Co nnect charg er c abl es.
Charger cables must always be
connected POSITIVE@ to POSITIVE @ and NEGATIVE
Q
to NEGATIVE Q.
- Swi tch o n th e char ger.
- M ake su re the c harg ing r ate is not ov er 6 am ps.
- Turn o ff t he char ger ~ & .
- Disco nnect the c harg er cabl es.
- Connec t both batte ry cables to t he b atter y if nece ssary -
first plu s, th en minu s.
The battery must not be opened! => 0 in "General info rmat ion" o n
page 236.
It is not necessary to remove t he batt ery from t he en gine compart ­
ment, and it is also not necessary to disconnect the cab les.
Norm ally, a batt ery sho uld be c ha rg ed a t no m ore th an 10 perc en t
of i ts rated capacity . _,.
Vehicle care
I t •

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For example, a charging current of 4.5 amps would be used on a
b att ery ra te d at 4 5 Ah. Rate d capacity o f the b attery in you r vehicl e
is liste d on t he batt ery housin g.
The batter y ca ps sho uld
not be o pene d wh en cha rgi ng a battery .
& WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous .
• Never charge a frozen battery . It may explode because of gas
trapped in the ice. Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first .
• Do not reuse batteries which were frozen . The battery housing
may have cracked and weakened when the battery froze .
• Charge the battery in a well ventilated area . Keep away from
open flame or electrical spark . Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas gener ­
ated by the battery is explosive .
• To reduce the danger of explosion , never connect or disconnect
charger cables wh ile the charger is operating .
• Fast charging a battery is dangerous and should only be
attempted by a competent technician with the proper equipment .
• Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solution of warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid .
0 Note
• Nev e r use a fast charger as a booster to start the engine. This will
seriously damage sensitive electronic components, such as control
units, re lays, radio, etc ., as wel l as the battery charger .
• T he vehicle may be optio nally equi ppe d wi th a ge l batt ery , w hich
can only be charged at a constant current -limited volta ge. To
prevent damage to the battery and the electronics system, a gel
battery that is connected must u nder no circumstances be cha rged
with a quick charger.
[ i ] Tips
T he ve hicle batte ry m ust no t be ch arged wit h a standard small
charger that p lugs into the cigarette lighter or out let .•
Windshield washer container
Us in g pla in wat er is not adequate for f illing t he wind­
shi eld w asher system.
F ig . 172 Engine
compartment : wind ­
s hield washer fluid
container
T he wind shi eld wash er fluid c onta iner i s l ocat ed o n the
ri ght side of the eng in e compartm ent ~ fig . 172. T he
w ash er fl uid co ntain er is marke d w it h t he symbo l~ is on
i t s c ap.
- Before you c heck a nythi ng in the e ngine co mpartment,
al way s
read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "W orking
i n th e engin e co mpa rtme nt" on
pa ge 224 .
-Lift t he fill er cap to ngue to ad d washer fluid . Yo u ca n fill
t h e co ntaine r to th e t op .
- Press the ca p back on to the filler neck aft er fi lling t he
conta iner.
You can find the reservoir capa city in the tab le in~ page 296.