2012 AUDI A3 cooling

luggage compartment. Make sure the
container is securely stored and mount­
ed.
0 Note
-If you use engine oil that does not ex­
pressly conform to Audi oil specification
VW 507 00, very serious and very expen­
sive damage to your vehicle 's engine will
occur . Engine damage caused by using
the wrong engine oil is not covered by
your New Vehicle limited Warranty .
- Not all commercially available oils con ­
form to this very rigid Audi oil quality
standard even though they may be syn­
thetic-based and have the same viscosi­
ty.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
T he engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly­
col-based coolant additive Gl2++ antifree ze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix ­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine 's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling.
It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi­
cle heating and engine cooling system.
Checking and filling 203
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
--31°F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the Gl2 ++ coolan t additive with
other additives Gl2 + or Gl2. Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
-
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS~
& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 194.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the
win­
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G 12++ (check the label) for your
vehicle. This coolant additive is availa­
ble at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of antifreeze can significantly re­
duce corrosion protection. The result­
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool­
ant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­ ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
•
•

204 Checking and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 162 Engine compartme nt: coo lant expansio n tank
Before you check anything i n the eng ine com­
partment,
a lw ays rea d and h eed all WARN­
ING S ¢&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 194.
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.. Turn
off the ignit ion .
.. Read the eng ine coolant leve l from the
coolant expansion tank<=>
fig. 162 . With a
cold eng ine, the coo lant level should be be­
tween 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 illus­
tration
i:> page 196.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in yo ur vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto -Check System
c> page 17 w ill
blink until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to norma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
time to time.
Coolant lo ss
Coolant loss may indicate a le ak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dea
ler .
It is not
enough merely to add coolant .
In a
se aled system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
(D Note
Do not ad d any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant . Add­
i ng radiator repair fl uid may adverse ly af ­
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Veh icle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the eng ine com ­
partment,
a lw ays re a d and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 194 .
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
c::> page 204, fig . 162 and ca refull y
twist the cap counter-clockwise c::> A.
.. Add coo lant .
.. Twist the cap on aga in
tightly .
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
c::> page 203, Coolant.
Even in an emergency, if coolant addi-
t ive G12++ . G 12+ or G12 is not ava ilable, do
n ot use a d iffe rent addit ive. Use plain water
instead unt il you can get the correct add itive
and can restore the correct ratio. This shou ld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerab le amou nt of
c oolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifree ze
and co ld wate r on ly when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling .
Do not f ill coolant above the
"MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en -
gine becomes hot .
Iii>

& WARNING
-The cooling system is under p ress ure and
can get very hot . Reduce the risk of
sca ld ing from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Tur n off the engine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escap ing flu id and steam by cover ing
the cap wi th a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a cou nte r-clockw ise d irect ion w hile
ap ply ing ligh t, downw ard press ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an­
tifreeze o r coolan t on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
gine coolant can catc h fir e.
- An tifreeze is poisonous . Always store an ­
tifreeze in its or iginal co ntainer and we ll
o ut o f the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess coo l­
ant wi ll be forced out throug h the pres ­
su re re lief va lve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the cor rect ratio between water
and antifreeze
c:> page 203 must be re­
stored as soon as possib le.
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant shou ld n ot be re used. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while obse rv­
ing all environmental regulations.
Checkin g and fillin g 205
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The electric radiator fan is controlled by ther­
moswitches t hat sw itch on a nd off depending
o n coo lant and eng ine compartment tempera ­
tures .
An a uxiliary electric radiator fan* sw itches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle operat io n conditions.
After switching off the eng ine, the auxiliary
fan -even with the ignition off -can continue
runn ing for up to 10 minutes. It ca n even
switch on aga in later by itself
c:> A , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engi ne compartment , or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlig ht.
& WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal in ju ry nev­
er touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
contro lled a nd can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning.
- The a uxiliary radiator fa n sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certa in te mpera tu re and w ill
con tinue to ru n until t he coo lant temper­
a ture drop s.
•
•

26 6 Index
Changing engine oil
Chass is 201
Unde rcoat ing . ............. .. .... . 183
also refer to Aud i magnetic ride ... .... 95
Checking
Eng ine coolant level ........ .... ....
204
Checking tire pressure . ... .. .. ... ... . 218
C hi ld restra int
Danger of us ing c hild restra ints in the
front seat ... .... ..... ... .. .. .... .
123
Child restra ints
Where can I get add it iona l information
about child restra ints and their use? ..
160
Ch ild restra int system anchors ... .. ... 155
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143, 148
Convertible locking retractor . . . . . . . . . 152
Important safety instructions for using
chi ld safety seats ..................
146
Important things to know when dr iving
with children ............. .... ....
143
Install ing a child restraint using the
LA TC H system ............. ... .. ...
157
M ount ing and releasing the ancho rage
hook .. .... ... .......... .. .. .. .. .
157
158
158
Tether anchors
Tether straps
Ch ild safety lock
· ............... ..... 42
Child safety seats ................... 148
Booster seats .. .......... .. .. .... . 151
Convertible child seats .... .. .. .. .. . 149
Convertible locking retractor .. .. .. ... 152
H ow do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ........ .. .. .... .
146
Infant seats ...................... 148
Ins tall ing ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 152
LA T CH system .... ..... ... .. .. .... . 157
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Child seats
L owe r ancho rages ........ .. .. .... .
156
Clean ing
Alcantara (synthet ic suede) ..........
186
Eng ine compartment ...... .. .. .. .. . 187
Exhaust tail pipes .................. 183
Fabrics and fabr ic coverings .. .. .... . 184
Instrumen t panel .................. 184
Inter ior
L eather .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... .
. ... ... . ...... ... ... ...
' . .
183
186
Plastic and vinyl ..... .. ..... .... . .. 181
Plastic parts ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .. 184
Safety be lts ... .. ... ....... ... .. .. 187
trim strips
Tr im strips 181
181
Cleaning and protection .. ..... ... .. .. 178
Cl imate controls . .. ................ .. 79
Additional heater . ... .......... .. .. . 85
Air distrib ution . .. ............. .... . 83
Air o utlets · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ......... 84
Air recirculation . . .. ... ..... .... ... . 83
Air recircu lation mode (manual) . ... .. . 82
Automatic air recirculation ... .... . .. . 82
AUTO (standard setting) ........ .. .. . 81
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Defrost ing/defogging ............. .. 82
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Fan ......... ... .. .............. .. 83
Key- coded setting ... .......... .. .. . 84
Recommended settings ......... .... . 79
Setting the temperatu re ........ .. .. . 82
Switching between Fa hrenhe it and Centi-
grade . ... .... .. .. .... .... ... .. .. .
83
Switching the air conditioning on and off 81
Using the climate control economically . 84
Warm and cold . .. ............. .... . 79
Clock . ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 11
Clutch overheat ing ................. . 101
Coat hooks ..... .. ............. .... . 78
Cold tire infla tio n press ure ........ .... 216
coming home ... .................. .. 48
Compartments in the door trims ... .. .. . 77
Compass mir ro r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Compliance . .... .. ............. .... 262
Consumer Information. .. ..... .. 111,259
Contacting NHTSA ................. . 111
Convenience close/open feature
Windows . .... .. ............. .... .
44
Convertib le child safe ty seats ..... .. . . 149
Convertible locking retractor
At· .
c 1vatmg ... .. .. .. ... ....... ... . .
154
D t" t· eac 1va mg ... .. ............. .. .. 155
Using to secu re a child safety seat 1.52, 154
Coolant system ..................... 203
Cooling System
Expansion tank ... .. .... .... ... .. ..
204