2011 AUDI A3 service

_____________________________________________ D _r_ i_v _i_,ng and environment
& WARNING
• Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas where the hot
exhaust sy stem may come in conta ct with dry gra ss, bru sh, fuel
s pill or oth er mater ial wh ich can caus e a fire .
• Do not apply additional under co ating or ru stproofing on or
near the exhaust manifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic converter or
heat shield s. During driving, the sub stance u sed for undercoating
c ould overheat and cause a fire .
0 Note
• Be aware that j ust one tank fi lling w it h le aded fuel w ill already
seriously degra de the performance of the catalyt ic converter .
• Do not exceed the correct engine o il leve l~
page 23 2.
• Do not dr ive until t he f uel tank be comes comp lete ly empty. The
eng ine could misfire . Unburned fue l cou ld also get into the exhaust
sys tem and t his co uld cause t he ca talyt ic conver ter to ove rhe at.
• Do not t urn off the ignition while the vehicle is moving .
• Do not continue to operate your vehicle under these conditions, as
otherwise fuel can reach the cata lytic converter. This cou ld resu lt in
over heat ing of the converter, req uir ing its rep lacemen t.
• T o ass ure efficient operation of the Emission Contro l System :
- Have your ve hicle maintai ned properly and in accordance with
t he se rvi ce recommenda tions in your Warran ty
& M ain tenance
book let .
- Lack o f prope r mai ntena nce as well as improper use of the
vehicle w ill impa ir the f unct io n of the emission control system and
co uld lead to damage .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is operating p roperly, the
exhaust gas ca n have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some
ope rating states. This depends on the s ulfur content o f the fue l being
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
used
. Using a differe nt brand of fuel may help, or filling the tank with
lead-free supe r grade g asoline .•
A pp lies to ve hicle s: with d ie se l pa rtic ul at e f ilte r
Diesel particu ate filter
The diese l particulate filte r filters nearly all of the soot part icles out
of the exhaust. The filte r cleans itself a utomat ically under normal
dr iv ing cond itions . If the fi lter cannot clea n itself (for example,
because you are only driving short distances), the filter becomes
clogged w it h soot and the symbol fo r the diese l particulate fi lter
ill uminates ~
page 34.
& WARNING
• Do not park your vehicle over flammable materials such as
grass or leaves because the high temperature of the diesel partic­
ulate filter could start a fire .
• Do not apply an underbody prot ectant in the exhaust system
area or a fire could start.
[I) Tips
• When the diesel partic ulate f ilter becomes sat urated, the engine
speed increases to approx ima tely 1 ,S00 rpm w hile the vehicle is in
motion to initiate t he cleanin g of the diesel particulate fi lter auto ­
matically w it h out the wa rning lamp ligh ting up. If the war ning lamp
st ill appears, you sho uld drive to a qualified workshop. •
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or ove r curbs, steep ramps, etc .,
m ake ce rta in t hat low-ly ing pa rt s such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driving and environment
------------------------------------------------'
you start the engine and avoid running at high RPMs while the engine
is still warming up.
0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after starting. If warning
lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, which could result in
overheat 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 intervals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an authorized Audi dealer
helps to ensure that it runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not on ly affects its safety and ability to hold its value,
it also affects
fuel consumption .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new engine to reach its
lowest value after a certain mi leage has been driven.
You must drive you r vehicle about 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers)
before you can properly assess oil consumption.
Thi s also applies to fuel consumption and engine output.
0 Note
• Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with the
service recommendations in your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Lack of proper maintenance as well as improper use of the vehicle will
impa ir the function of the emission control system and could lead to
damage.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
Do not alter or remove any component of the Emission Control
System unless approved by the manufacturer.
• Do not a lter or remove any device, such as heat shie lds, switches,
ignition w ires, va lves, which are designed to protect your vehicle 's
Emission Control System and other important vehicle components.
Fewer short tr ips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high on short
trips.
- Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold engine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach their optimal oper­
ating temperature
to reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis ­
sions effectively .
• Just after starting, a cold eng ine in a mid-size car burns the fuel at
a poor rate of 6-8 miles per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). Half a mile down
the road, the mileage improves to 12 MPG (20 l/100 km). It will take
the engine no less than
two and a half miles (4 km) of driving to
warm up to its proper operat ing temperature and operate at an
economic mileage . This explains why taking the car for sho rt trips is a
rather wasteful convenience .
• Th e
outside temperature is also critical in this regard . Your car
consumes more fuel in the winter than in the summer.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic beh ind you using the regular
outs ide mirrors, then you
must i nstall extended mirrors. It is impor­
tant that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
& WARNING
After removing the trailer hitch, do not store it in your vehicle. In
case of sudden braking, the hitch could fly forward and injure you
or your passengers. •
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is lim ited to a typ ical class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in place to guard aga inst
shifting, be it fo rwa rd, backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ~ & in "Driving instruc­
tions".
Tire pressure
When towing a tra iler, inflate the tires of yo ur veh icle to the co ld tire
pressure listed unde r "Full load" on the sticker on the right doorjamb.
Inflate trailer tires to trai ler and tire manufacturers' specifications.
Lights
T he headlight settings sho uld be checked with the trailer attached
before driving off . Adjust as necessary so that you can see the road
ahead but not blind oncoming traffic.
Check p roper working of vehicle and tra iler lights.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Safety
chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connected from the trailer
to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough s lack in the chains to permit
turning corners . When you install safety chains, make sure they will
not drag on the road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue to prevent it from
dropping in case of separation from the hit ch. •
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care and
consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle and trailer,
please note the following:
- Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself is not
loaded .
- Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
- Observe speed limits.
- Do not drive at the maximum permissible speed .
- Always apply brakes early.
- Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribut ion
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results in a highly unstable
distribution of we ight. If th is cannot be avoided drive at very low
speeds only to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and control. This means that the
tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permiss ible
whi le keeping the trai ler as light as possible under the circumstances .
Whenever possible, transfer some cargo to the luggage compart-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Parking on a slope
Do not park with a trailer on a slope. If it cannot be
avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
-Apply the foot brake.
- Have someone place chocks under both the vehicle and the
trailer wheels.
- With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes until wheel
blocks absorb the load.
- Turn the wheels towards the curb.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Place an automatic transmission in
P, respectively a
manual transmission in first or reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
- Start the engine .
- Shift transmission into gear .
- Release the parking brake and slowly pull out and away from the wheel blocks .
- Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel blocks.
[I] Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automatic transmiss ion to P
before applying the parking brake and before blocking the wheels,
you may have to use more force later to move the leve r out of the
P
position. •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
• 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 fo r
winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest
that you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the seasonal adjustment is
more likely to be made in time.
0 Note
• Methano l fuels which do not meet these requirements may cause
corrosion and damage to plastic and rubber components in the fue l
system .
• Do not use fuels that fail to meet the specified criteria in this
chapter .
• If you are unab le to determine whether or not a particu lar fuel
blend meets the spec ifications, ask your serv ice 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 responsi­
bility of Aud i and are not covered under the New Vehicle or the Em is­
sion Control System Warranties.
• If you experience a loss of fuel economy or driveab ility and perfor­
mance problems due to the use of one of these fuel blends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended fuel.•
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufacturers is carbon deposit
build-up caused by the type of gasoline you use. Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another,
they have certain things
in common. All gaso line g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect on v ital engine parts,
such as fuel injectors and intake valves. A lthough most gasoline
brands include additives to keep eng ine and fuel systems clean, they
are not equally effective.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline, please go to the officia l
webs ite (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate fuels, built-up carbon
deposits can rob your engine of peak performance.
0 Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel quality is not covered by the
Audi New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Applies to veh icles: wit h diese l eng ine
Diesel fuel
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) sulfur content
15 ppm or less.
Th e ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) meets the ASTM-D -975 (grade 2).
Diesel fuel with a higher concentration than ULSD-Diesel No. 2
ASTM D975 and Bio-diesel with a higher concentration than S
%
like Bll, B20 or BlOO are strictly prohibited.
Service station fuel pumps are labeled with the correct fuel informa­
tion for easy recognition by the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fuel is being dispensed before
filling up your vehicle.
Service stations offering diesel fuel are generally located on truck
routes or major highways . D irectories of diesel fuel stat ions are
usually available at diesel fuel stations.

Checking and filling -------------- ------=------=:;______,.Jl':fffll
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehicle.
-Open the driver's door.
Fig. 159 Driver's side
footwell : engine hood
release lever
- Pull the release lever on the left under the instrument
panel ::::;, fig . 159 in direction of the arrow.
The hood pops up slightly und er spring pressure. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 160 Engine hood
release lever
Before opening the engine hood, make sure that the wind­
shield wipers are folded flat against the windshield. Other­
wise , they could damage the paint on the hood.
Pull the release lever::::;, fig. 160 in the direction indicated
by the arrow. This release the hook under the hood.
- Open the hood all the way.
& WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you!
• 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. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

___________________________________________ C..:__ h:..:.e ..:.c :..:. k.:.... i..:....n :..::g~ a:..:.n..:.... d::.:....: f..:. i.:..:ll :.:.i.:...:n ~g !...._.....Jfflll
& W ARNING (co ntinued )
-First, fully appl y the parking brake , move sele ctor lev er of
automatic tran smission to "P" (Park ); put manual transmis­
sion in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prev ent clothing , jewelry, or
long hair from getting caught in the radiator fan , V-belt s or
other moving p art s, or from contacting hot part s. Tie back hair
before starting , and do not wea r clothing that will h ang or
droop into the engine.
• Minimize expo sure to emission and chemical hazards~& .
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Engine exh aust, some of its constituents , and certain vehicle
c omponents contain or emit ch e mical s known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause can cer and birth defects and rep roductive harm . In
addition , certain fluids contained in vehicle s and certain product s
of component wear contain or emit chem icals known to the State
of California to cau se cancer and birth defect s or other reproduc­
tive harm.
• Battery posts, terminal s and related acce ssories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms . Wash hand s after
handling .
0 Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that they are pou red into the
proper co ntainer or filler opening, otherwise serio us damage to
vehicle systems w ill occur.
Vehicle OP-eration
ffi For the sake of the environment
To detect lea ks i n time, inspect the veh icle floor pan from unde rneath
reg ularly. If yo u see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have your
veh icle inspected
b y an au thori zed Au di dea le r. •
Engine compartment
A pp lies to vehicles : w it h 2.0 l t urbo. 4 -cyl ind er en gi ne
2.0 Liter, 4-cylinder turbo gasoline engine
(200 hp)
The se are the most importan t it ems that you can c hec k.
Fig . 16 1 Engi ne c om part men t: 2 .0 I , 4 -c yli nder t urbo
© Coolant expansion tank (-L ) ... ................. .
@ Windshield washer container (W ) .... .... .. .. .. .. .
® Engine oil dipst ick (orange) . ... .. .... .... ... ... . .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service 235
243 231 ~
iTechnical data

___________________________________________ C_ h_e _c _k_ i_n ~g_ a_n_ d_ f_ i_ll _i_n _g __ _
prevent the formation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"sludge," that
over time can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of printing, engine o ils available in the U .S. and Canada
that meet the exacting specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
(vehicles with gasoline eng ine) and VW 507 00 (vehicles w ith diesel
engine) are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, however, that
every synthetic engine oil will meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00
(gasoline engines) and VW 507 00 (diesel engines). So always be sure
that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful deposits use only oil with
the following specifications printed on the oil container:
• Gasoline engines: Audi oil standard VW 502 00
• Diesel engines: Audi oil standard VW 507 00
Oil containe r labels may carry the specification singly or in comb ina­
tion with other des ignations and oi l quality standards.
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their viscosity. The proper
viscosity grade oil for your engine depends on climactic or seasonal
conditions where you drive. You can use oil with a v iscosity grade of
SAE SW-40 across all temperature ranges for norma l dr iv in g cond i­
tions.
However, if eng ine o il viscosity grade SAE SW-40 is not available, you
can also use viscosity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as it
meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00 (vehicles w ith gasoline
engine) or VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine) specifications.
Because engine o il that meets the Audi oil standard may not be avail­
able everywhere when you need it, we strongly recommend that you
always ca rry with you an extra quart (liter) of oil that express ly
conforms to the VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline eng ine) or VW
507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine) specification, in case you have to
top off the oil while on the road .
Applies to vehicles with gasoline engine only: Only if the leve l of the
oil is at or below the minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
Safety first
that expressly conforms to Aud i oil standard VW 502 00 specifica­
tions is available -may you top off with a high quali ty engine oil, pref­
erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3, ACEA AS, ACEA BS or
API SL specifications, but even then, only in viscosity grades SAE SW-
40, SAE SW-30, or SAE OW-40. However, during the ent ire time
between oil change interva ls, never top off with more than a total of
0.5 qt/liter engine oil that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00.
Applies to vehicles with diesel engine only : Only if the level of the
oil is at or below the minimum mark on the oil dipstick -and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard VW 507 00 specifica­
tions is ava ilable -may you top off with a high qua lity engine oil, that
meets ACEA C3 or API CF specifications, but even then, on ly in
viscos ity grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE OW-40 . However,
during the entire time between oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a tota l of 0.5 qt/liter engine oil that does not
conform to Audi o il specification VW 507 00.
For more information about engine oil that has been approved fo r
your vehicle, please contact either your author ized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations 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 (manufact urers, brand names etc.) that conform to
Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline eng ine) or VW
507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed accord ing to the mileage
(kilometers) and time interva ls specified in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed these intervals -harmful
deposits from o ld engine oil can reduce engine performance and can
lead to expens ive engine repairs.
Chang ing the oil at the recommended intervals is so very important
because the lubricating p roperties of oil decrease g radua lly during
normal veh icle use. If you are not sure when you have your o il
changed, ask your authorized A udi Service Adv isor. ..,.
Vehicle care Technical data