2012 AUDI A3 Check

196 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
2.0 liter 4-c tinder turbo gasoline engine (200 hp)
Applies to vehicles: with 2.0 l turbo, 4-cylinder engine
These are the most important items that you can check.
(]JD[) £. C. l"E. t .,.."-.., &t".
~ ------
fig. 157 Engine compartment: 2.0 L, 4-cylinder tu rbo
(!) Coolant expansion tank (- L) .. .
@ Windshield washer conta iner
( ffi
) ,... ...... ........... .... .
® Eng ine oi l dipstick (orange) .. .
@ Engine oil filler cap ('1:::r.) .. .. .
® Brake fluid reservo ir ((0)) .... .
@ Battery .. ..... ..... .... .. . .
204
211
200
200
206
207
A WARNING
-Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS c:> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 194.
-

Checking and fillin g 197
2.0 liter, 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine (140 hp)
Applies to vehicles: with 2.0 l TOI, 4-cylinder diese l-engin e
These are the most important items that you can check .
Fig. 158 Engine compartment: 2.0 l, 4-cylinder tu rbo
(D Coolant expansion tank ( ... t) .. .
@ Windshield washer container 204
Cw)
.............. ...... . . 211
@ E ng ine oi l dipstick (orange) . . . 200
@ Engine oil filler cap ("t!::r.) . . . . . 200
® Brake fluid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 206
® Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 194.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations . Th is eng ine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smoot hly and reliab ly. Choosing the right o il
and changi ng oil within the t ime and mileage
intervals printed in you r vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to ­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a specia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera­
tion.

198 Checking and filling
Mo dern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum ­
based engine oil, the oil that yo u use must
conform to Audi 's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline engine)
and VW 507 00 (vehicle with diesel engine) to he lp keep your vehicle's eng ine runn ing
smoothly and help prevent the fo rmation of
harmf ul depos its , somet imes ca lled "sludge,"
that over t ime can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of printing , engine oils availab le in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exa cting
specifi cations o f A ud i oi l st andard VW 502 00
(vehicles wi th gaso line engine) and
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diese l engine) are
synthetic engine oils . This does not mean,
however, that every synthetic engine oil wi ll
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (gasoline
engines) and VW 507 00 (d iesel engines). So
a lway s be sure that you use a n approved o il.
To help prevent the fo rmation of harmful de­
posits use only oil w ith the following specifi ­
c ations printed on the oil conta iner:
- Ga soline engines: Audi oil standard
VWS0200
- Die sel engines: Audi oil standard
vw 50 7 00
Oil container labe ls may carry t he specifica­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig ­
nations and oil qua lity standards.
Vi scosity
Eng ine oi ls are graded according to their v is ­
cosity . The proper v iscosity grade o il for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions w here you dr ive. Yo u can use oi l w ith a
viscosit y grade of SAE 5W-40 a cross all tem ­
perat ure ranges for normal d riving conditions .
H owever, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SAE
5W-40 is not ava ilable, you can a lso use vis­
cosity g rade SA E 5W-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as it meets A
udi o il quality standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles wit h gasoline engine) or
VW 50 7 00 (vehicles wit h diese l eng ine) spec ­
ifications.
Beca use engine o il that meets the Audi oil
sta ndard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
that you a lways carry with you an extra qua rt
( li ter) of oil that express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 (vehicles wit h gasoline eng ine) o r
VW 507 00 (vehicles w it h diesel eng ine) spec­
i fication, i n case you have to top off the oi l
wh ile on the road.
App lies to vehicle s with gasoline engin e on­
ly:
Only if the level of the o il is at or below the
min imum ma rk - and no o il that expressly
c onfo rms to Audi oil standa rd VW 50 2 00
specifica tions is available - may you top off
with a high quality engine o il , pre fera bly syn ­
t h etic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in viscosity
grades SAE 5W-40, SA E 5W-30, or SA E
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween oil change interva ls, never top off with
more than a total of 0.5 qt/liter engine o il
that does not confo rm to Aud i oil spec ification
vw 502 00 .
Applies to vehicles with diesel engine only:
Only if the level of the oil is at or be low the
min imum ma rk - and no o il tha t expressly
confo rms to Audi oil standa rd VW 507 00
spe cifications is available - may you top off
wi th a high quali ty engine o il, that meets
AC EA C3 o r API CF specifica tions, but even
then , on ly in viscosity grades SAE 5W-40 , SAE
5W-30, or SAE OW-40 . However, during the
entire t ime between oil change intervals, nev­
er top off with more than a tota l of 0.5 qt/li­
ter engine oil that does no t conform to Aud i
o il specification VW 507 00 .
For more information about eng ine oi l that
has been approved for your veh icle, please
contact e ither your au thorized Aud i dealer or
Audi Custome r Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
o r vis it our web site at www.audiusa .com or
www.aud icanada .ca. He re you w ill also find a
c ur rent l ist of oi ls (manufac turers, brand .,.

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 .
•
•

200 Checking and filling
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oi l level is like­
ly to ca use seve re damage to the eng ine.
@ Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. i s
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
r ely on it. Instead , check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref ­
erably each t ime you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amo unts of oi l, we
r ecommend that yo u consult your au­
thorized Aud i dea ler to have the caus e of
you r concern p rope rly diag nosed. Keep in
mi nd t hat t he accur at e measure ment of
oi l cons ump tion requires great care and
may ta ke some time. Yo ur autho rize d Au ­
di dea ler has inst ruct ions about how to
measure oil consumptio n accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 15 9 Dipstick (Ve rs io n A) : Oi l level ranges
Fig . 160 Dipstick (Ve rs io n B): Oil leve l ra nges
B efore you che ck any thing i n the eng ine com ­
p ar tmen t,
alway s read and heed all WARN-
INGS ~ .&. in Working in the engine comport ­
ment on poge 19 4.
Determining oil level
• Park yo ur vehicle so tha t it is hori zo ntally
level.
• Wh ile at ope rat ing st ate tempe rat ure,
briefly let the engine r un at idle and then
shut it off .
.. Wait approx. two minutes.
.. Pull out the oil dipst ick. W ipe off t he oil
d ipstick with a clean cloth, and slide it back
in as far as it w ill go.
• Pull it back out and read off th e oil level
~ fig. 159 or ~ fig. 160. Top off the eng ine
oil, if applicable ~
poge 200.
Oil level within range 0
.. Do not add oil.
Oil level within range@
• Yo u con add oil. Afterwords, the oil leve l
should be within range
G) .
Oil level within range 0
• Yo u must ad d oil. Afterwards, the oil leve l
should be wi thin r ange
G) .
The oil level need s to be checke d at regu la r in ­
te rva ls. Th e be st ti mes to do th is are w henev ­
er you refuel and prior to long trips .
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the ope ra tin g con ditions, oi l co nsumption
c a n b e up to 1/ 2 quar t pe r 600 mile s (0. 5 li ter
p er 2,000 km). Co nsumption m ay be hig he r
within the first 3,00 0 miles (5,000 km) .
'1:::7: Adding engine oil
Fi g. 16 1 Engine compa rtment: Oil filler cap location

Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always r ead and heed all W ARN­
ING S
¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 194.
.. Park your vehicle so that it is horizontally
level.
.. Stopping the eng ine.
.. Unscrew the cap
«t=;,. to the engine oil fill ing
hole
¢fig. 161 .
.. Carefully top off with the appropriate o il in
0 .5 lite r doses.
.,. Check the o il leve l again after two minutes
¢ page 200.
.,. Top off the oil again, if necessary.
.. Screw the cap back on the filling hole and
slide the oil dipstick in as far as it will go.
A WARNING
- While topping off, the oil must not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
- The oil filler cap must be properly se­
c u red to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the eng ine is running - fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact w ith the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it tho roughly .
(D Note
-The oil leve l must not be above range~
- danger of converter or eng ine damage!
Contact a qualified workshop to draw off
oi l, if necessary .
-Audi does not recommend the use of o il
add iti ve s. They may damag e the engine
and adve rsely affect you r New Vehicle
Limited Warranty .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the o il come
i n contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regu lations
when d isposing of empty oil containers.
Checkin g and fillin g 201
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
alw ays read and h eed all WARN­
INGS ¢
A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 194 .
The engine oil mus t be changed according to
the intervals spec ified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricat ing properties of o il di­
min ish g radually du ring normal vehicle use .
Under some c ircumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequent ly . Change
o il more ofte n if you drive mostly short d is­
tan ces, opera te the veh icle in dus ty a reas or
u nder p redominant ly stop -and-go traffic con­
ditions, or have you r vehicle where tempera ­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe­
riods .
Dete rgent additives in the oil will make fres h
o il look dar k after t he engine has been run ­
ning for a sho rt time. T his is normal a nd is not
a reason to change the oil more often t han
recommended.
Because of the prob lem of p roper disposal,
along with the specia l tools and necessary ex­
pertise req uired, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choo se to change your oil your self ,
please note the fo llowing important informa ­
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
•
•

202 Checking and filling
-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 run­
ning 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 children .
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off thoroughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used oil.
-Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
Important information for vehicles with
diesel engine when adding or changing
engine oil
App lies to vehicles: with diesel engine
On vehicles with a diesel engine always use
engine oil that conforms to Audi oil specifica­
tion VW
507 00 when adding or changing en­
gine oil.
Vehicles with diesel engines require and
must
always
use special engine oil that conforms to
Audi oil specification
VW 507 00 .
Never use any other kind of engine oil in your
vehicle, not even to top off the oil level.
At the time of printing, we are aware that Cas­
trol ® produces engine oil that conforms to Au­
di oil specification VW 507 00. This oil may
not yet be available throughout North Ameri­
ca. Other oil manufacturers may offer engine
oil that conforms to Audi oil specification
VW 507 00 at this time or some future date.
Please be sure to consult with your authorized
Audi dealer for information and availability of
the proper engine oil for your vehicle's diesel
engine and for the latest technical informa­
tion .
Because this special engine oil may not be
available when need it, we strongly recom­
mend that you always carry with you extra
quart (liter) of oil that conforms to Audi oil
specification VW 507 00, in case you have to
top off oil while on the road .
.&, WARNING
Failure to use engine oil for your diesel en­
gine that expressly conforms to Audi oil
specification VW 507 00 can cause engine
failure on the highway that can cause a crash and serious personal 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 (li­ ter) 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 in­
Jury:
-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 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.
•
•