2011 AUDI A3 checking oil

Vehicle operation ...... 188
Inte lligent tec hno logy ....... . 188
Notice abou t da ta recorded by
vehicle control modules . . . . . . . . 188
Electronic Stab ili z ati on Program
(ESP) ................ ........ 188
Braking ...................... 191
E lec tro-mec hanic al power assist 193
Dr iving with your qua ttro ® ...... 194
Energy management ........ ... 194
D rivi ng a nd env iro nm ent ...... 197
T he firs t 1,000 miles (1,500 km)
and af terwa rds ............... 197
Catalytic converter ...... ... ... 1 98
Diesel part iculate filter ......... 199
Avoid damaging the veh ic le ..... 199
Opera te your veh ic le econom ically
and m inimize pollution . . . . . . . . . 200
Trailer towing ................. 202
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Vehicle care .......... .... 206
Cleaning and protect ion .. ..... 206
G eneral informat ion . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Care of interior ........... ..... 213
F uel sup ply and filling y our fuel
tank ....... .............. ..... 219
Gasoline ..... ......... ....... 219
Diesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
F u el tank . ... ......... ........ 221
Checking and filling ........... 225
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
E ngine compartment .......... 227
E ngi ne oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Engine
cooling sys tem . . . . . . . . . 234
Brake fl uid ................... 237
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Windshield washer container . . . 243
T ires and whee ls .............. 245
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Tire pressure monitoring system 264
Do-it-yourself service . 270
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Jack, tools and spa re whee l . . . . . 270
Compac t spare wheel .......... 271
Wheel change ................ 272
Fuses a nd bul bs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
E lec trica l fuses ............... 281
Bulbs ........................ 285
E merg ency si tuati ons . . . . . . . . . 286
G eneral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Starting by pushing or towing
Starting with jumper cables ....
General info rma tion of starting
assistance .................. .
Us e of j umper cab les ......... .
Emergency tow ing w ith
comme rcial tow truck ........ .
Lif ting the vehic le ............ .
Technical data
General in formatn on
Explanation of technical data .. .
Vehicle identification ......... .
Weights .................... .
Dimensions 286
286
287
288
289
292
294
294
294
294
295
295
Table of contents
Data .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
200 hp , 2.0 liter 4-cyl. turbo
gasoline engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
140 hp, 2.0 TOI l iter 4-cyl. turbo
clean diesel engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
C o nsumer Inform ati on . . . . . . . 299
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Operating your vehicle outside the
U.S.A. or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Aud i Service Repair Manuals and
Li tera ture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Add itional accessories,
modif ications and parts
replacemen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Alphabetical index . . . . 304
Vehicle operation Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Engine cold
As long as the need le remains at the lef t en d of the gauge, the engine
s till has not reac hed its operati ng te mperature . Avoid hig h eng ine
speeds, heavy engine loads a nd heavy throttle.
Normal temperature
W hen the eng ine has reached its operating temperature, the need le
w ill move into the middle of the gauge and rema in there . If the
engine is working ha rd at high outsi de temperatures, the needle may
tur n further to the rig ht. Thi s is no cause fo r concern as long as the _F_
wa rning light in the i nstr ument cluster does not ill uminate.
Wh en the _;_ w ar ning light sta rts to fla sh, thi s can mea n one of two
things : either the coolant
temperature is too h igh, or t he coolant
level is too low => page 32.
& WARNING
• Always observe the warning in=> page 218, "Engine com part·
ment " before opening the engine hood and checking the engine
c oolant level.
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
see engine coolant dripping from the engine compartment. You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot
hear or see any steam or engine coolant.
0 Note
• Moun ting addition al lights or accessorie s in fron t of the a ir inlets
red uces the cooling effect of the radiator. At high o utside tempera ­
tu res o r high eng ine lo ad, t he e ngine cou ld over heat .
• The front spoi ler has been designed to prope rly d istribute the
c oo ling a ir w hen the vehicle is moving. If the spoiler is d amaged, this
co uld reduce the coo ling effect and the eng ine could t hen overheat.
Ask your au thor ized A udi d ealer for assist ance .•
Fuel gauge
T he f uel gauge wo rks only whe n the ignition is on.
W hen the nee dle rea ches the red area, t he war ning ligh t in t he ins tru­
ment cl uster will illum inate=>
page 34 . This mea ns you have
app roximate ly 1.8 gallons (7 liters) of f uel left in t he tank.
Time to
refuel!
The tota l tan k capacity of your vehicle is listed in => page 296 , "Data".
0 Note
Never run the ta nk completely d ry ! An irregular s upply of f uel can
c a us e eng ine mi sfir ing and f uel could ente r into t he e xhaus t system.
T he catalyt ic converter could the n overheat a nd be damaged. •
Speedometer with odometer
The spee do meter sh o ws you the ve h icle s pee d, an d th e
o do met er sho ws yo u ho w many mile s (k il om eters) you
have d riv en .
Fig. 4 Spee dometer
close-up : odometer
di splay
The o dometer and tri p odometer are located inside the speedomete r.
• USA mo dels - Mile s
• Canad ian models -Kilometers

Driver information display
Fuel supply too low I
When the symbol illuminates, this means there are about 2.6
gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the fuel tank. Time to refuel!
=;, page 221.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is ample fue l in the tank, and
the text
Tank system malfunction! Please contact workshop appears
in the display, there is a fault in the system. Contact a qualified work­
shop to have the fault rectified .•
App lies to veh icles: w ith eng ine speed limitat ion
Engine speed limitation ~
Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The symbol illuminates when there is an engine control malfunc­
tion. The indicator light
C in the instrument cluster also illuminates.
Th e eng ine speed is limited to the speed displayed in the driver infor­
mation system. Keep in mind that the engine speed will not exceed
the value disp layed in the driver information system, for example
when downshifting .
Please go to an authorized Audi dealer or other qualified workshop to
have the malfunction repai red. •
App lies to vehicles: with diesel eng ine and diesel particulate filter
Diesel particulate filter clogged
Particulate filter ! See owner's manual
If the indicato r light in the instrum ent cluster comes on, the
diesel particulate filter has become blocked with soot as the result of
constant short -distance driving. When the symbol illuminates,
you can alter your driving style to assist the filter self-cleaning
process. Drive for approximately 15 minutes in 4th or 5th gear (auto­
matic transm ission w ith the selector lever in the 5 posit ion) at a min
imum speed of 37 mph (60 km/h) and an engine speed of approx­
imate ly 2,000 RPM. The temperature increase that will result from
this can burn off the soot in the f ilter. The symbol will switch off when
the cleaning is successful. After a successfu l cleaning, there is no
need to bring the car to an authorized dealer or qualified workshop
because this is part of normal vehicle operation.
If the symbol does not switch off, see your authorized dealer or
other qualified workshop to have the problem corrected.
As long as the indicator light remains on (diese l particulate filter
plugged), you can expect increased fuel consumption and poss ibly
also a loss of engine performance.
For more information on the diesel particulate filter, refer to
=;, page 199.
& WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current weather, road and traffic
conditions . You should never disobey traffic laws in order to
follow driving recommendations. •
Checking the engine oil level ~-
'LF. Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If the ..:,; symbo l comes on, add 1 quart (1 liter) of oil at the next
opportun ity=-;,
page 232. •
Checking the engine oil level~
When the _ symbol illuminates, check the engine oil level as soon as
possible ~
page 231. Top off the oil at your earliest opportunity
=;, page 232. •

___ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
Under some circumstances the engine oil should even be changed
more frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly short
distances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or mostly under stop ­
and-go traff ic conditions, or when you use your vehicle where temper­
atures stay below freezing point for long periods .
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil look dark after the
engine has been run ning for a short time . This is normal and is not a
reason to change the oil more often than recommended .
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of maintenance
It is essentia l that you change your oi l at the recommended intervals
using only engine oil that complies with Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
(vehicles with gasoline engine) or VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel
engine). Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover damage
or malfunctions due to failure to follow recommended maintenance
and use requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's Manua l and
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. Your dealer will have to deny
warranty coverage unless you present to the dealer proof in the form
of Service or Repair Orders that all scheduled maintenance was
performed in a timely manner .•
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an adequate
amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and cooling of internal
engine components, all internal combustion engines consume a
certain amount of o il. Oil consumpt ion varies from engine to engine
and may change significant ly over the life of the eng ine. Typically,
engines with a specified break- in period (see~
page 197) consume
more oi l during the break-in period than they cons ume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil consumpt ion depends on the
quality and vis cosity of the oil, the RPM (revol utions pe r minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient temperature and road
conditions. Further factors are the amount of oi l dilution from water condensation or fuel residue and the ox
idation level of the o il. As any
eng ine is subject to wear as mileage builds up, the oil consumption
may increase over time until replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variab les coming into play, no standard rate of oil
consumption can be established or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil level , see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol in the instrument
cl uster .... lights up, you should check the oil level as soon as possible
with the oil dipstick~ page 231. Top off the o il at your earliest
convenience ~
page 232.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS~
& in "Work ing in the engine
compartment" on
page 226.
0 Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to cause severe damage
to the engine .
[ i ] Tips
• The oil pressure warning display 't::r. is not an indicator of the oil
level. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in your engine at
regular intervals, preferably each time you refuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip.
• If you have the impression your eng ine consumes excessive
amounts of oi l, we recommend that you consu lt your authorized Audi
dea ler to have the cause of your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in
mind that the accurate measurement of oil consumption requires
great care and may take some time . Your authorized Audi dea le r has
instructions about how to measure oil consumption accurately. •

Checking and filling --------------------=------=:;______,.J
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 163 Dipstick
(Version A): O il level
rang es
Fig. 164 Dipstick
(Version B) : Oil level
ranges
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always r ead and h eed all WARNINGS ~ & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 226.
D ete rmining oil l ev e l
- Park your vehicle so that it is horizontally level.
- While at operating state temperature, briefly let the
engine run at idle and then shut it off.
- Wait approx . two minutes.
Vehicle OP-eration
-Pull out the oil dipstick. Wipe off the oil dipstick with a
clean cloth, and slide it back in as far as it will go.
- Pull it back out and read off the oil level~ fig. 163 or
~ fig. 164. Top off the engine oil, if applicable
~ page 232 .
Oil level w ithin range @
- Do not add oil.
Oil level within range®
- You can add oil. A~erwards, the oil level should be within
range @.
Oil level within range ©
-You must add oil. A~erwards, the oil level should be
within range @.
The oil level needs to be checked at regular intervals. The best times
to do this are whenever you refuel and prior to long trips.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and the operating condi­
tions, oil consumption can be up to 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0.5 liter
per 2,000 km). Consumption may be higher within the first 3,000
miles (5,000 km). •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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
-------=:---- =------------------------------------
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 .

-Alphabetical inde x --!.-- _..;____ _______:_::.:...:.....:..:=-=.:...:.. ______________________ _
Central locking
panoramic sl iding sunroof closing .... 52
Certification . ..... .. .... .. ... ... ... 303
Chang ing a flat tire .. .. .. .. ......... 272
Chang ing engine oil .. .. .... ......... 232
Chassis Undercoat ing ... .. .. ...... ... . .. . 213
See also A udi magnetic ri de .... . ... 1 12
Checking Engine coo lant level ............ .. 235
Checking tire pressure ............. .. 252
Ch ild restra int
Danger of using child res traints in the front
seat . ... .... ... ... . .... ... .. .. 1 47
Child restraint system anchors ... .. .. . 180
Chi ld restra ints
Where can I get add it io na l info rmation
about ch ild restraints and the ir use? ...
186
Child safety ......... ... ... ... .. 1 67, 172
Convert ible lock ing retractor ... .. .. 1 77
Important safety inst ruct ions fo r us ing
child safety seats ............. .. 170
Important things to know when driving w it h children ............. .... .. 16 7
Inst alling a child res traint using the LA TCH
system .................... ... 183
Mounting and re leas ing the anchorage
hook . ....... .. ... . ..... .. .... 1 83
Tether anchors . .. .. .. .. .. ... .... 184
Tether straps .................... 184
Chi ld safety lock .............. .... ... 47 Chi
ld safety seats ... .. .. ... . ... .. .. . 172
Booster seats .... .. .. .. .. ... .... 175
Convert ible chi ld seats .......... .. 173
Convert ible lock ing retractor . . . . . . . 177
How do I properly install a child safe ty seat
. h. l 7 inmyve ice ............ .. .. .. . 170
Infant seats .............. .. ..... 172
Insta lling .... .... .. .. .. .... ..... 177
LATC H system .... .... .. .... .. .. . 183
Safety instruct ions .. .. .. .. .. .. ... 170
Chi ld seats
Lower anchorages ......... .. .. ... 182
Cle ani ng
Alcan ta ra (syn thetic suede) . .. .... . 217
E ngine compa rtme nit ... .. ... .. .. . 218
Exha ust ta il pipes .... ... . ... .. .. . 213
Fabrics and fabric coverings ... .... . 213
Instrument pane l ..... .... .. .. .. . 214
Inte rior ..... .. .. .. .. ...... ..... 213
Leather ......... .... .. .. .. .... . 216
Plastic and viny l .. ............. .. 210
Plastic parts ........... ... ...... 214
Safety belts ........... ... ... .... 217
T. t. nm s rips .... ...... ... . ... .. .. . 209
t rim str ips .. ............. .. .... . 210
Cleaning and protection ...... .. ..... 206
Climate controls . ... ... .. ... ... .. .. .. 95
Add itiona l heater . ... .. .. .. .. ... . 102
Air distribution .. ..... .... .. .. .. . 100
Air outlets .... ........... .. .... . 101
Air rec irculation ................. 100
Air rec irculat ion mode (manual) ... .. 99
AUTO (standard setting) .......... .. 98
Automatic a ir recircu lation .. .. .. .. .. 99 Controls ..
..... .. .. .. . ... ... .. .. . 97
Defrost ing/defogg ing ............. 98
Desc ription .. .. .................. 95
Fan .. ..... .. ... .. ... . .. .... .. .. 100
Key-coded set ting . .. ............. 1 02
Recommended se tt ings ........... . 95
Sett ing the tempera ture . .......... 98
Swit ching be tween Fahrenhe it and
Centigrade . .. .. .. .. .. .. ..... ... 99
Switching the a ir condit ion ing on and off .
97
Using the climate cont rol economically ..
10 1
Wa rm and co ld .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. . 95
Clock ................. ...... .... .. .. 9
Clu tc h pe dal
Indica to r li ght .. .. .. ..... .... ... .. 33
Coa t hoo ks . ................. ...... . 94
Cold t ire inflation p ressure ........... 249
c oming home . .. ...... ............. . 57
Compa rtments in t he door tr ims ....... 93
Compass mirror ... .. .. .. .. ... ..... .. 71
Comp liance ... .. ... ... ... ... ... .. .. 303
Consumer Information ........ .. 133, 299
Con ta ct ing N HTSA ....... ... .. .... .. 133
Conven ience close/open feature
Wi ndows ....... ......... ... .. ... SO
Convert ible child safety seats ......... 173
C onvert ible lo cking re tra cto r
A ct ivat ing .......... ...... ...... 1 79
Deac tiva ting ... .. .. .. .. ... .. . ... 180
Using to sec ure a child safety seat . . 177,
179