2012 AUDI A3 oil temperature

names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hang ing th e engin e oil
The engine oil and oi l filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (kilomete rs) and
time inte rva ls specified in yo ur vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive eng ine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inter ­
va ls is so very important because the lubricat ­
ing properties of oi l decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author­
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oi l
should even be changed more frequently.
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when you use your veh icle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
l ong periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing for a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often than
r ecommended.
D amage or ma lf u nction s du e to lac k of
ma int enance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasolin e engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diese l engi ne). Yo ur
L im ited New Vehicle Warra nty does not cover
damage or ma lfunctions due to failure to fol­
l ow recommended maintenance and use re­
quirements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance book let.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover­ age un less you present to the dea ler proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that a ll
Checking and fillin g 199
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
· Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade ­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to prov ide effective lubrication and
cooling o f inte rna l engine components, all in ­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change sign ificantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
Q page 169) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they consume after o il
consump tion has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oi l con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature a nd road conditions. Further fac ­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from wa ter
condensation or fue l residue and the oxida ­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mi leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or spec ified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the oil lev­
el, see
Not e.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
Ill! lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
with the oil dipstick q page 200 . Top off the
o il at your earliest conven ience
Q page 200.
&_ WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed al l
WARNI NGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 194 .
•
•

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.
•
•

unbalanced, resulting in vib rations you can
usually feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels mus t be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on s teer ing, suspens ion
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Inco rrect whee l alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wea r, impair ing t he safety of the veh i­
cle. If t ires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Ve hicles w it h quattro ® must always have t ires
of the same s ize, construction and tread type.
F or details see
¢ pag e 166 .
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
tro l, a crash and serious persona l injury!
- Never drive a veh icle when the tread on
any t ire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard , they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydrop lan ing" and loss of
co ntrol.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to s udden tire failure
and loss o f vehicle con trol.
Tires and wheels 223
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 171 Tir e spec ification codes on t he sid ewall o f a
t ire
No . Desc ription
(D Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nomina l w idth of t ire in mill imeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Rad ial
® Rim diameter code
@ Load index and speed rating
(J) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Aud i Origina l tire
® Tire ply composition and materials
used
@
@
M axim um load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature
I
grades Maxim um permissible inflation p res­
sure
T he tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's des ign . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specia lly matched to the charac ­
teristics of the ve hicle and can make a major
contribution to good road holding and safe ..,.

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties :
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance Booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating. Improper fuel may cause engine
damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside of North America.
Consumer Information 259
Audi cannot be re sponsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Q) Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, serv ice or parts availab ility.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service manuals and lit­
erature are available to o rder from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regu lar mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and re liability .
For detailed vehicle maintenance consult your
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
amp le at extreme ly low outside temperatures,
in very dusty regions , when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some service work
shou ld be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or rep lacing the air fi lter.
@ For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your veh icle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus minimizing adverse
effects on the environment.
•
•

Index 267
-----------------------------------.......
Cruise control ... ... .... ... .. .. .. .... 94
Changing speed ... .... ... .. .. .. .... 94
Presetting your speed .... ... .. .. .. .. 95
Sw itching off ... .. .... ... .... .. .. .. 95
Sw it ching on .... ......... .... .. .. .. 94
Warn ing/ indicator lights ........ .... . 22
Cup holder ... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. .... 74
Cup holders fro nt .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. .. .. .. 74
Current fuel mileage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
D
Damping
refer to Audi magnetic ride . .. .. .. .. .. 95
D ata . ... .. .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. ... 257
Data recorder .. .... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. . 161
Date display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
D aytime r unning lights ...... .. .. .. .. .. 47
Daytime running lights (Canada) .. .. .. .. 47
D eclaration of compliance
Cell phone package .... ... .. .. .. .. . 262
E lectronic immobili zer ..... .. .. .. .. . 262
HomeLink ® univer sal remo te control . . 262
Remote control key ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 262
Tire pressure monitor ing system .... . 262
def What does this mean when it appears in
the trip odometer d isplay? . .. .. .. .. .. 12
D efective light bulb warning . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Defogging the windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Defrosting/defogging w indows ....... .. 84
D efrosting the w indow s ..... .. .. .. .. .. 8 2
Determin ing cor rect load limit . .. .. .. . 221
D iese l engine
Adding engine oil . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 202
Changing engine o il ....... .. .. .. .. . 202
Eng ine oil .. ............. .... .. .. . 202
D iese l fue l ... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 190
Diesel particu late filter . . . . . . . . . . 22, 17 1
Dig ita l clock ... .... .... ... .. .. .. .... 11
Sett ing the time .......... .. .. .. .. .. 11
Di git al compass ........... .. .. .. .. .. 59
Dimensions .................. .... .. 256
Dimming the rearview mirro r . . . . . . . . . . 54
Di pstick
Reading the d ipstick p roperly . .. .. .. . 200 D
irec t Shift Gearbox
Emergency re lease . .. ... .... ... .. .. 102
Distance ... .. .. .. ................. . 26
Doors, power locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Driver in format ion sys tem
Engine o il temperature display ... .. .. . 31
Gearshift indicator . .. ... .... ... .. .. . 24
Menu button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Open door or front lid warn ing ... .. .. . 23
Outs ide temperature disp lay . . . . . . . . . . 23
Red symbols ..... .. ..... ........... 13
Se rv ice interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Setting ... .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. . 28
Sound sys tem disp lay . ......... .. .. . 23
T rip comp uter .. .. ................. . 25
yellow symbo ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Driver Information System Menu disp lay .. .. .. . ... ...... ... .. . 27
Driver seat
refer to Seating position .......... .. 104
Driving safely ... .... . ... ...... ... .. 103
Drivi ng throug h wate r .............. . 170
D uplicate key . .. .. .... ............. . 34
E
Efficiency program ... . .. .. ... ... .. .. . 29
Fuel economy m essages ..... ... .. .. . 29
Other equipment . ................. . 29
E lapsed time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
E lectrically heated front seats . . . . . . . . . . 85
E lectro-mechanica l power assist . . . 17, 165
El ec tronic d ifferential lock ( EDL)
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 18
E lectronic immob ilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 36
E lectronic power contro l
EPC warn ing/ indicator light .. ... .. .. . 19
El ec tronic s peed limi ter .......... .. .. . 25
Elec tronic stab ilizat ion program (ESP)
Warning/ind icator lights ........... .. 18
Emergency flasher Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 22
E mergency flashe rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Emergency operation Rear l id ...... ... .. ................ 41
Emergency re lease for selecto r lever . ... 102
E mergency s tarti ng .... ............. 248
•
•

268 Index
Eme rgency towing ......... .. .. .... . 251
E ne rgy management ........... .. ... 167
Ba ttery power ........... .... .. .. . 168
Dr iver notific ation ...... .. .. .. .. .. . 16 8
Eng ine
4-cylinder diesel (140 hp) ....... .... 197
4-cyl ind er g asoline (200 hp) .. .. .. ... 196
Coolant .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 203
H ood .. ...... ........... .. .. .... . 194
Pr ehea ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Start ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 90
Starting with j umper cab les . ..... .. . 248
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
E ng ine compartmen t ................ 196
Safety instruc tions .......... .. .... . 194
Working in the engine compar tment .. 194
Eng ine coolant system ........... .... 203
Adding coo lant ............ ... .. .. . 204
Chec king coolan t leve l ..... .. .. .... . 204
Che cking the eng ine coolant leve l ..... 204
M alfunct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Radiator fan . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 205
E ng ine coolant temperature
Gauge ... .. ................ ... .. .. 11
Eng ine data .. ............... ...... . 257
Engine fault Warning light .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 20
E ng ine hood
C lo sing .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 194
Release lever . ........... .... .... . 194
Releasing and open ing . ... .. ... ... . 194
Eng ine malfunction (diesel engine)
War ning light ............ .. .. .... .. 20
Eng ine oil . ............... .. .. .... . 197
Adding .. .. ............... .... .. . 200
Addit ives . .. ................ ... ... 200
C hanging .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. . 20 1
Chec king the eng ine o il level .. .. .. .. . 200
Di ese l eng ine ............ .. .. .... . 20 2
I ndications and con ditions req uiring ex-
tra check ing . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 200
Oil consumption .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 199
Oi l grades . .... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 197
Recommended oil check intervals ..... 200
Specification and viscos ity .... .. .... . 197
Specifications Diesel engine .. .... ... 202
Specifications gasoline engine .. .. ... 197
Tempe ratu re d isplay ...... .. .. .. .. . . 31 E
ngine oi l leve l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
E ngine o il pressu re (malfunction) ....... 16
Engine oil sensor defective ............ 20
En gine preheate r .................... 86
C onnect ing . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 86
E ngine speed limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Environment Break-in per iod . .. ............. .... 169
Catalytic converter ............. .... 170
Diesel particulate f ilter ............ . 171
D ispos ing of your veh icle battery ... .. 210
D riv ing at high speeds .............. 172
D riving to minimize pollution and noise 171
F uel ............................. 192
F uel economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Leaks under your vehicle ..... ... .. .. 194
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up . 172
Proper d isposal of drained bra ke fluid . 206
Proper disposal of drained eng ine cool-
ant ............................. 204
Proper d isposal of drained eng ine
o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200, 201
Recycling used engine oil ............ 200
U nleaded fuel . ... ................ . 189
Wha t shou ld I do w ith an o ld b att ery? . 210
EPC
refer to E lect ron ic power co ntrol ... .. . 19
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ........ .... 161
E xh aus t tai l pipes
Cleaning .. .... .. ............. .... 183
Expansion tank .. .. ................ . 204
Exterior mirrors Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Dimming .......................... 54
Heating ........................... 53
F
Fahrenheit
Switching between Fa hrenhe it and Centi-
grade ....... .... .... ........... .. 83
F an
Adjusting the fan speed ...... .... . .. . 83
Climate controls ............... .. .. . 83
Radiator ......................... 205

Lifting jack .... .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 239
Lifting po ints ...................... 253
Light coming/leaving home ............... 48
Exterior lighting .......... .......... 48
Light/ra in sensor defective . ... .. .. .. .. 22
Lights .. .. ..... ........... ...... ... 47
E mergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
Fr ont fog l igh ts .......... .... .. .. .. 49
H eadlig hts ... .... .... ... .. .. .. .... 47
High beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47, 50
Instrument panel i llum ination . ... .. .. 49
Side marker lights ........ ...... .... 47
Turn signals .. ........... .. .. .. .... 50
Xeno n headlights ................... 47
L oading the l uggage compartment . ... . 109
L oading the roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Locking Manual back-up .......... .. .. .. .. .. 41
Power locking switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Rear lid .. ..... ........... ...... ... 40
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
Using the fo ld-out key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Lower universa l anchorage bars (Canada) 155
L ower universa l anchorages (Canada) 155
L uggage
Stowing . .. ..... ....... .... ... .. . 109
Luggage compartment
Cargo net .. ............. .... .. .... 69
Fasten ing eyes .................. ... 68
Increasing size ... .. ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 67
L ight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Re tractable cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Ski sack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
also refer to Loading the l uggage com ­
partment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
L umbar support ..................... 64
M
Maintenance ............... ...... .. 259
M alfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) . . 1 9, 25
M anual tra nsmission ................. 96
G ea rshift lever ........... .. .. .. .. .. 96
Master key . ................ ...... ... 35
Battery replacement ................ 35
Master key remote control ... .. .. .. .. .. 35
Inde x 271
Menu bu tton . ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 28
Menu display Drive r Infor mation Display ........... 27
Mirrors Activating the dig ital compass ........ 59
Adjus ting the exterior m irrors . . . . . . . . . 53
dimming ........ .. ................ 54
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 133
Mo unti ng hoo ks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
N
Natura l leather .. .. .. ..... .......... 185
New t ires and wheels ................ 223
N HT SA
Co ntacting . ... .... . ... ...... ... .. 111
Number of sea ts ... .. ............... 113
0
Occupant seating positions .......... . 104
Octane rating ....... . .. .. ..... ... .. 189
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Oil Wha t kind of oil should I put in my en-
gine? ........ ... .. ............... 197
also refer to Engine o il ... ... ..... .. 197
On-Board D iagnost ic System ........... 25
E lectronic speed limiter .............. 2S
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ..... 25
On-Boa rd Diagnostic System (OBD) ... .. . 24
Data Link Connector ( DLC) .... ... .. .. . 24
Open door o r fron t lid wa rn ing ......... 23
Operate your vehicle economically and
minimize pollution ... . .. .... ...... .. 171
Optional eq uipment
Marked with an asterisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
O ther equ ipment (e fficiency program) ... 29
Out lets ............................ 75
Outside ai r poll ution
How to prevent from entering the vehi-
cle ............................... 83
Outs ide mir ro rs
refer to E xterio r mi rro rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Outs ide temperature disp lay ......... .. 23
Owner's manual How the Owner 's Manual is organ ized ... 6
•
•