2011 AUDI A3 check engine

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Adding engine oil 9=:7,
Fig . 16 5 Engine
c om partment : Oil filler
c ap loc atio n
Befo re you ch eck anyt hing i n th e eng ine compart ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS => & in "W orking in
t h e en gine compar tm ent" on
pag e 22 6.
- Stopp ing the e ngine.
- Unscrew the cap
=> fi g. 165.
- C arefully top off wit h the app ropriate oil i n 0.5 liter doses .
- Ch eck the oil lev el agai n afte r two minutes=>
pag e 231.
- To p of f t he oil ag ain, if neces sa ry .
- Screw the cap back on t he fi lling ho le a nd slide the oil
d ip st ic k i n as far as it will go.
& WARNING
• While topping off, the oil must not come in contact with hot
engine part s -fire hazard!
• The oil filler cap must be properly secured to prevent oil from
being sprayed on the hot engine and exhaust sy stem when the
engine is running -fire hazard!
& WA RNING (contin u ed )
• If your skin has come in contact with the engine oil , you must
subsequently cleanse it thoroughly .
0 Note
• The oi l level mus t not be above rang e@ -danger of converter or
eng ine damage! Contact a qualified workshop to draw off oil, if
nece ssary.
• Audi does not recommend the use of oil additives. They may
damage the engine and adversely affect your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
W For the sake of the environment
• Under no c ircumstances can the o il come in contact with the
sew age netwo rk o r the soil.
• Observe and follow legal regulations when dispos ing of empty oil
conta iners. •
Changing the eng ine oil
W e recommend th at have your oi l chan ged by an autho­
ri zed A udi de aler or a quali fied service station.
Before you check anything in the engine compar tment, always read
and heed all WARNINGS :::,
& in "Working in the engine compart­
ment" on
page 226 .
The eng ine oil must be changed according to the intervals specified in
your Warran ty
& M ainte nanc e bo oklet. This is very im po rta nt bec ause
the lub ricating properties of oil d imin ish gradually during normal
vehicle use .
Under some circumstances t he e ngine o il should be changed more
frequently. C hange o il more often if you drive most ly short dista nces,
operate the vehicle in dusty a reas or under p redo minan tly s to p-an d-

Checking and filling --------------~--!'WI
go traffic co ndi tio ns, or have yo ur ve hicle where temperat ures remain _.,
b el ow free zin g f or ext en ded p erio ds.
De terg en t addi tives i n the o il w ill make fr esh oil look dark af ter the
engine has been ru nning for a s hort time . T his is norma l an d is not a
re ason t o change the oil more oft en than r eco mme nde d.
Because of the p roblem of proper disposal, a long w ith the spec ia l
tool s and neces sar y experti se require d, we s tro ngl y rec ommend t hat
yo u have your o il cha nged by an a uth orized
Audi dealer o r a qua lified
service stat io n.
If you choose to change your oil yourself , plea se no te the followi ng
im po rtant i nformation:
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you must change the engine
oil in your vehicle yourself :
• Wear eye protection.
• To reduce the risk of burns from hot engine oil, let the engine
cool down to the touch .
• When removing the oil drain plug with your fingers, stay as far
away as possible. Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground
to help prevent hot oil from running down your arm.
• Drain the oil into a container designed for this purpose, one
large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in your
engine .
• Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of the reach of chil·
dren.
• Continuous contact with used engine oil is harmful to your
skin. Always protect your skin by washing oil off thoroughly with
soap and water.
Safety first
0 Note
Never m ix o il addi tives w it h your e ngi ne oil. These additives can
dama ge your engine and adverse ly affect yo ur Audi New Vehicle
Li mi ted Warr anty .
c£> For the sake of the environment
• B efore changi ng y our oil, firs t mak e sure you know w he re you ca n
prope rly dispose of the used oil.
• Alw ays dis pose of used eng ine oil prope rly. Do n ot du mp i t on
garden soi l, wooded areas, into open st reams or down sewage drains.
• Recy cle used engine o il by taking it to a used e ngine oil collectio n
facility in your area, o r contact a serv ice stat ion .•
A pp lies to ve hicles : w it h d iese l e ng in e
Important information for vehicles with
diesel engine when adding or changing
engine oil
On v eh ic le s wit h a di ese l en gin e alway s us e engin e oil t hat
co nfo rms t o Audi oi l sp ecifi ca tion VW 5 07 00 w hen
addin g or changing engine oil.
Vehicles with diese l engines require an d must always use special
eng ine oi l that con forms to Audi o il sp ecifica tion
VW 507 00 .
Never use any othe r kind of eng ine o il in your vehicle , not eve n to top
o ff t he o il level.
A t th e t ime o f pr inting , we a re aware that Castro[ ® produces engine
oil that confo rms to Au di oil s peci fica tion VW 507 0 0. T his oi l may
no t ye t be available throughou t North Ame rica . Ot her oil m anufac·
t u rers may offer eng ine oi l t h at con forms to A udi oi l sp ecification
VW 50 7 00 at this t ime or some f uture date . ..,
Vehicle care Technical data

IJIII Checking and filling
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Please be sure to consu lt with your aut horized Aud i dea ler for infor­
m ation and availabili ty of the proper engine oil fo r yo ur vehicle's
diesel engine and fo r the latest technical informat ion .
Beca use t his spec ia l engine o il may not be avai lab le when need it, we
s tr ong ly recommend t hat yo u alw ays car ry with yo u extr a qu art (liter)
of oil that conforms to A ud i oil specificat ion VW 507 00, in case you
have to top off o il wh ile on the road.
& WARNING
Failure to use engine oil for your diesel engine that expressly
conforms to Audi oil specification VW 507 00 can cause engine
failure on the highway that can cau se a cra sh and serious per sonal
injury.
• Never use any amount of engine oil in the diesel engine that
does not conform to Audi oil specification VW 507 00 .
• Always carry with you an extra quart (liter ) of engine oil that
conforms to Audi oil specification VW 507 00
in case you must top
off the oil while on the road .
& WARNING
Improperly stored items can become airborne missiles, flying
through the vehicle causing serious personal injury in the event of
hard braking or an accident. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
• Always store extra quart (liter ) of engine oil for your diesel
engine in its original oil container that is securely closed in the
luggage compartment. Make sure the container is securely stored
and mounted.
0 Note
• If you use engine oil that does not express ly co nform to A udi o il
spe cifica tion VW 507 00, very ser ious and ve ry expens ive da mage to
your vehicle's eng ine will occ ur. Eng ine damage caused by using the wrong engine oil
is not covered by your New Vehicle Lim ited
W arran ty.
• Not all comme rcia lly available oils conform to t his very rigid Audi
oil qua lity stand ard eve n th ough they may be sy nth et ic -b as ed and
have the same v iscosity .•
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo lant per forms t wo functions: i t keeps the
engin e fro m ove rhea ting and i t pro tec ts th e engine from
f ree zin g in t he win ter .
The cooling system is sealed and genera lly requ ires little attention.
Th e cooling system has been filled at the factory wit h a permanent
coo lant which does not need to be c hanged. The coolant cons ists of a
mixt ure of water an d the manufacturer's glyco l-basedcoolant ad di­
tive G12 ++ a ntifree ze with a nticorros ion addit ives (50% fo r USA
mode ls; 60% for Canadian models). This mixture both ass ures the
nece ssary frost protec tion and p rotects meta l components in the
eng ine's cooling system from corrosion and scaling. It also raises the
boiling poin t of the co olant.
Do not red uce the co ncent ration of the coolant in the summer by
add ing p la in water.
The proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60%
to ma inta in an tifreeze protectio n
and coo ling efficiency. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low, t he
coo lant co uld free ze and damage t he veh icle h eating and eng ine
coo ling system.
F or ye ar-round drivi ng, an tifr ee ze is add ed at t he fa ctory for tempe r­
atures dow n to:
• - 31°F( -35°C)USA
• -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada .

Checking and filling --------------------=------=:;______,.J VPII
You can mix the G12++ coolant additive with other additives G12+ or
Gl2. Always check with yo ur authorized Aud i dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS =>
& in "W orking in the engine
co mpartment " on
page 226.
0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolan t checked to see if the
coolant additive in your vehicle is sufficient to meet the clima te
conditions. This is especially important if you live in a region where
the winter is extremely cold . If necessary, increase the proportion of
coo lant 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
eng ine coolant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance.
Fig. 166 Engine
co mpartm ent: cool ant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS => & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 226.
- Turn off the ignition.
- Read the engine coolant level from the coolant expansion
tank=> fig. 166 . 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 expans ion tank can be seen in the engine
compartment illustration=>
page 227.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be sw itched off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped with an electric coolant
level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warn ing light in the Auto-Check
System =>
page 32 will blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is an elect ric coolant
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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level sensor, we still recommend you check the coolant leve l from
ti me to time.
Coolant loss
Coolan t loss may ind ic a te a leak in the coo ling sys tem. In the event of
coo lant loss, the cooli ng system should be inspected immed iately by
your au thor ized A udi dealer.
It is no t enough merely to add coolan t.
In a
s ealed system, losses can occur only if the boiling point of the
coo lant is exceeded as a res ult of overheating .
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to yo ur vehicle's engine
c oo lant. Addi ng radia tor repa ir fluid m ay adverse ly affect the fun c­
tion and perfo rmance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not cove red by yo ur New Vehi cle Lim ited Warranty .•
Adding coolant
B e very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyt hing in the eng ine compartment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in " Working i n
the e ngine compartment" on page
226.
-Tur n off the eng ine.
- Let t he engi ne c ool d ow n.
- Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion tank
=> pa ge 235, fig . 166 and carefully twist t he cap cou nte r­
clockwis e
=> &.
- Add coo lant.
- Tw ist the ca p on aga in
tightly .
Replacement eng ine coolant must conform to exact spec ificat ions
=> page 234, " Coolant" . Even in a n emergency, if coolant additive
Gl2 ++. Gl2+ or Gl2 is not available , do not use a d ifferent addit ive .
Use pla in w ate r ins tead until you can ge t the cor rect addi tive and can
restore the co rrect ratio . This sho uld be done as soon as possib le .
If you have lost a considerable amount of coolant, then you s houl d
ad d c old antifree ze and cold water only when the engine is cold .
Always use
new engine coo la nt w hen refilling .
Do not fill coolant above the "M AX" mark. Excess coo lant will be
forced out th rough the p ress ure relief va lve in the cap w hen the
eng ine becomes hot.
& 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.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill antifreeze or coolant on
the exhaust system or hot engine parts . Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylen e gly col in engine coolant can catch fire .
• Antifreeze i s poi sonou s. Always store antifreeze in it s original
container and well out of the reach of children.
• If you drain the coolant , it mu st be caught and safely stored in
a p roper container clearly marked "poison ".
(D Note
• Coolant pollutes the environment and could cause an engine fire.
E xcess coolant w ill be forced o ut thro ugh the pressure relie f va lve in
the cap when the e ngine becomes hot .
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• If, in an emergency, only water can be added, the correct ratio
between water and antifreeze=>
page 234 must be restored as soon
as possible.
~ For the sak e of the environment
Ora i ned coolant should not be reused . Always dispose of used coolant
while observing all environmental regulations .•
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by itself.
T he electric radiator fan is controlled by thermoswitches that switch
on and off depending on coolant a nd engine compartment tempera­
tures.
An auxilia ry e lectr ic rad iator fan* sw itches on a nd off depend ing on
coo lant temperature and other vehicle operation cond itions .
After switch ing off t he engine, the auxiliary fan -even with the igni­
tion off -can continue running for up to 10 minutes . It can even
switch on again later by itself=>& , if
• the temperature of the engine coolant rises due to the hea t build­
up from the engine in the engine compartment, or
• the engine compar tment hea ts up because the vehi cle is parked in
intense sunlight.
& WARNING
• To reduce the risk of personal injur y never tou ch the radi ator
fan .
• The auxiliary ele ctric fan i s temperatur e controll ed and can
switch on sudd enly even wh en the engine is not running .
• The auxiliary radiator f an swit che s on aut omati cally when the
engine coolant reaches a certain temp eratur e and w ill continue to
run until the coolant temperature drop s. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checke d with a quick glance.
Fig. 167 Eng ine
compartment : b rak e
fl uid res ervoi r
Before you check a nything in t he engine compartment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
the eng ine compartment" on
page 226 .
-Read the brake fluid level from the bra ke fluid reservoir.
The brake fluid level must be between the "MIN" and
"MAX" markings ~ fig . 167 .
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear partition of the engine
compartment on the left side=>
page 227.
The fluid level may drop
slightly after some time due to the auto­
m atic adjus tment of the brake pads. This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably below the "MIN" mark, t he
brake warning/ind icator light (U .S. models :
BRAKE, Canadian mode ls:
ill ) will come on=> page 15 and=> page 32. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle . The complete brake system should be thorough ly
chec ked by an au thor ized Aud i deale r o r other qualified facility and
the cause corrected. If the brake fluid leve l is too low, the brake .,,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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warning/ind icator light will illum inate. Contact an au thorized A ud i
d ealer
immediately .•
Changing brake fluid
H av e th e b rake flu id chang ed by an exper ienced tech ni­
ci an.
Br ake flui d abs orbs m oisture fro m the ai r. If t h e w ater con ten t in the
brake fl uid is too hig h, cor ros ion in th e brake system may res ult afte r
a p eriod of time. The boiling po int of t he br ake fl uid will al so decre ase
cons iderab ly and decrease brak ing perfo rma nce .
T he refo re, the brake fl uid m ust be c hanged
every two years . Always
use new brake fluid w hich conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle Stan­
dard "F MVSS 1 16 DOT 4".
Th e b rake fl uid r eservo ir can be diffi cult t o re ach, there fore, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by your author ized
Audi dealer . Your dealer ha s t he correc t tool s, the ri ght brake fl uid
and the know -how to do t his for you.
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored only in the closed
original container out of the reach of children!
• Brake failure can result from old or inappropriate brake fluid.
Observe these precautions :
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE specification
J 1703 and
conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116 . Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer to make sure you are using
the correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake fluid is also
indicated on the brake fluid reservoir .
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use of the brakes can
cause a vapor lock if the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . This can seriously affect the efficiency of the brakes as
well as your safety . This could result in an accident .
0 Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of you r ve hicl e.
<£' For the sake of the environment
Beca us e of the prob le m of proper dispo sal of b ra ke fl uid as well as
the spec ia l too ls req uired and the necessary expe rtise , w e r ecom­
me nd that you h ave t he brake fl uid chan ged by yo ur a uth oriz e d Audi
dea ler. •
Battery
General information
All wo rk on t he battery requires te chnica l k nowl ed ge !
Fig. 168 Engine
comp artment : Battery
with cover*
T he b att ery is lo cat ed in the e ng in e co mpar tmen t~ fig. 1 68 and is
nearly
maintenance-free.
Th e condition of the battery is che cked in the framewo rk of the
inspec tion .
Disconnecting the battery
The batte ry s ho ul d not be disconnected . Some vehicle funct io ns such
as powe r w indows are unavailable if the b attery te rminals a re discon -
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nected. These functions have to be relearned after the battery termi­
nals are connected again. To prevent this, the battery should only be
disconnected from the vehicle electrical system if absolutely neces­
sary.
Power window one-touch
up/down function
Reprogramming
~ page 51, "Reactivating the sys­
tem after battery disconnection"
Master key with remote control Synchronization~
page 43
Digital clock ~ page 9
ESP indicator light The indicator light goes out after
driving a few meters
Vehicles not driven for long periods and short­
distance operation
If you do not drive your vehicle for several days or weeks, e lectrical
consumers are gradually scaled back or switched off. Th is reduces
energy use and ensures the vehicle will be able to start after long
periods of time~
page 194. Some convenience functions such as
opening with the remote control key may not be available. These
convenience functions will be available again once you switch the
ignition on and start the engine. Even when consumers are switched
off, the battery will become deeply discharged by stand-by power
consumers if the vehicle is not driven for several months . Deep
discharging results in a chemica l reaction that destroys the inside of
the battery. The battery must be charged every month to prevent th is
~ page 241. Do not disconnect the battery or the anti-theft alarm
system* will not work.
Winter operation
Cold weather places higher demands on the battery. This results in
reduced starting abi lity. Have the battery checked and recharged if
necessary before the cold weather beg ins.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, part icularly in city traffic or
when travel ing on ly short distances. Let your author ized Audi dealer
Safety first
check the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter sets in
~ page 241. A well charged battery will not only p revent start ing
problems when the weather is cold, but will also last longer.
(D Note
• All work on the battery requires techn ical knowledge. Please
contact an Audi dealership or another authorized facility for ques­
tions about the battery- danger of acid burns and explosion hazard!
• The battery m ust not be opened! Do not try to change the
battery's liquid level, otherwise detonating gas will escape from the
battery - explosion hazard!
• The AGM battery in the luggage compartment cannot leak,
because the electrolyte for this battery is absorbed into a specia l
glass mat . This leak -proof battery must not be replace with a conven ­
tional 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 battery follow the
warnings below~ & in
"Working on the battery" on
page 239. •
Working on the battery
All work on the battery requires technical knowledge! Be
especially careful when working on or near the battery!
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always
read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 226 .
Always heed the safety warnings, when working on the vehicle
battery or the vehicle electrical system to prevent injury .
Vehicle care Technical data