2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET warning light

202 Trailer towing
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trai ler and t ire manufac ­
turers' specif ications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be espec ially car efu l when passing other
vehicles.
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loa ded trai ler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent poss ible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi- ble,
transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed . Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhi ll, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge~ page 12
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the d isplay turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ~
page 19 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
a trai ler because of the additional weight and ..,.

204 Care and cleaning
Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, prope r care helps to maintain your
vehicle's val ue . It can also be a requirement
when submitting warranty claims for corro­ sion damage and paint defects on the body.
The necessary care products can be obtained
from your authorized Audi dea ler . Read and
follow the instructions for use on the packag ­
ing.
A WARNING
- Us ing clean ing and care products incor­
rect ly can be dangerous to your hea lth.
- Always store cleaning and care products
out of reach of children to reduce the r isk
of po ison ing.
-
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not d ispose o f leftover cleaning and
care p rod ucts with household trash.
Car washes
The longer that deposits such as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road salt rema in on the
ve hicle, the more the surface can be dam­
aged . High temperatures such as those
caused by sunlight inc rease the damag ing ef­
fect .
Before washing, rinse
off heavy depos its with
p lenty of water .
Stubborn deposits s uch as bird droppings or
tree sap are best removed with plenty of wa­
ter and a m icrofiber cloth.
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stops be ing used for the season.
Pressure washers
When w ash ing your ve hicl es w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the oper ating instr uc­
tions provided with the pressure washer. This is especially important in rega rd to the p res- sure and sp
raying distance. Do not di rect the
stream of water directly onto seals for the
s ide windows, doors, luggage compartment
li d or hood or onto the tires, rubber hoses, in­
su lating materia l, the power top, sensors* or
camera lenses*. Keep a d istance of at least 16
i nches (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles .
T he wate r temperature m ust not be above
140
° F (60 °().
Automat ic car washes
Sp ray off the veh icle befo re washing.
Make sure that the w indows and power top
are closed and the winds hield wipers are
off.
Follow instructions from the ca r wash opera­
tor, especially if the re a re accessories attach­
ed to yo ur vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the veh icle starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free clean ing products .
Washing vehicle s with matte fini sh paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and fi nger ­
pri nts are best removed with a special cleane r
fo r matte finish paint .
Apply the prod uct us ing a microfiber cloth. To
avo id damag ing the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi­
c rofiber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy.

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Care and cleanin g 205
& WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operato r to reduce the risk
of accidents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the whee l housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter . The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat io ns.
{[) Note
- If you wash th e vehicle in an automatic
ca r wash, yo u m ust fold the exterior m ir­
ro rs in to reduce the r isk of damage to
the mirrors . Power foldi ng exterior m ir­
r o rs* must o nly be folded in and out us­
i ng the power folding function.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
th e veh icle in direc t sun ligh t. -
To reduce the r is k of damage, do no t
wash the powe r top with a pressure
washer.
- To reduce the r is k of damage to the sur­
face, do not use i nsect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surfac e, do not use polishi ng agents or
ha rd wax.
- Neve r use prot ective wax. It can de­
stroy the matte fin is h effect.
- Do not place any stickers o r magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w it h
ma tte fi nish pa in t. The pa int cou ld be
da maged whe n the stickers o r m ag nets
ar e removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash t he ve hicl e in facili ties spe cially
d es igned for th at p urpose . Th is will re duce
the r is k of d irty wate r contam ina ted with
oil from entering t he sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and caring for individua l vehi­
cle components, refe r to the fo llow ing tab les .
The informa tion contained there is s imp ly rec­
ommendations. Fo r quest ions or for compo -n
ents that are not listed , refer to an author­
i z ed Audi dea ler. Also follow the info rma tion
fo und in ~ &, .
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Wind shield wip-
Deposits ¢ page 54, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
er bl ade s
Headlights /
Deposits Soft sponge with a m ild soap solution3>
Tail lights
Sensors /
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth w ith a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ ice Hand brush/so
lve nt-free de -icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid
-free special cleaning so lu tion
E x haust tail Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for stainless steel, if
pipes necessary •
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Care and cleanin g 207
Component Situ ation Solution
D ispl ays
Deposits Soft clotlh with LCD cleaner
Controls Deposits Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Sa fet y bel ts Deposits Mild soap solution a>, allow to dry before letting them
retract
Te xtil es, Deposits adher ing to Vacuum cleaner
a rtificial l eather, the surface
Alc ant ara Water-based depos- Absorbernt cloth and mild soap solutional
its such as coffee,
tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Apply a mild soap solution al, blot away the disso lved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special depos its Spec
ial stain remover, b lot with absorbent material,
such as ink, nail po l- t reat afterward with mild soap solution, if necessary a)
ish, latex paint, shoe
polish, etc.
Natur al le ather Fresh stains Wool cloth with a m
ild soap solutional
Water-based depos- Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
its such as coffee, Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
tea, blood, etc.
Oi l-based deposits Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special deposits Spot remover suitable for leather
such as ink, nail po l-
ish, latex paint, shoe
polish, etc.
Care Regularly apply condit ioning cream that protects from
l ight and penetrates into the mater ial. Use specially-
colored conditioning cream, if necessary .
Car bon part s Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solut ion : max imum two tablespoons neutral soap in a liter of water
A WARNING
The windshield may not be treated with
water-repelling windsh ie ld coating agents.
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
da rkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is a lso
possible.
- Headlight s/tail light s
-
-Never clean headlights or tail lights
with a dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form.
-Wheels
- Neve r use any pa int polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repa ired immediately .
-Se nsor s/camera l ense s
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fan belt or other moving components or do not come into contact w ith hot
components. T ie back long hair before
beginning work and do not wear cloth­ ing that can hang down into the en­
g ine .
- Limit your exposure to exhaust and
chemicals to as short a time as poss ible
c::;, &. .
& WARNING
California P ropos ition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain veh icle components conta in
o r emit chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer and b irth de ­
fec ts and reproduct ive harm . In addition,
certain fluids conta ined in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­ pounds , chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer a nd reproduc ­
t ive harms . Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to m ix the
fluids up. Othe rwise severe malfunctions
and e ng ine damage will occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground un­
der your vehicle in orde r to detect leaks
quickly . If there are visible spots from oil
or other fluids, b ring your veh icle to an au­
thori zed Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility to be checked .
Checking and Fillin g 215
Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior .
Fig. 163 Se ct io n fro m t he dr iver 's footwell : release Lev ·
er
Fi g. 1 64 Rocke r sw it ch under t he hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint could be damaged .
... With the drive r's door open, pull the lever
be low the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
¢ fig. 163.
.,. Raise the hood slightly c::;, ,A .
.,. Press the lever under the hood upward
¢ fig . 164 . This releases the catch .
.,. Open the hood .
& WARNING
Never open the hood whe n you see that
steam or coo lant drips from the engine
compartment -there is a danger of b urns!
Wait unti l no steam or coolant flows o ut.
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coolant dr ips from the engine
compartment- there is a danger of burns! Wait until no steam or coo lant
flows out.
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Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interval display in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle w ill inform you when it
is t ime for an oil change. We recommend that
you have your o il changed by an author ized
Aud i Service Advisor .
If you have to top off the oil between oil
changes, use the Aud i oil quality standard
specified in the table .
Audi oil quality standard
G asoline
VW 502 00 or
e ngin e vw 504 00
Using the proper engine o il is important for
the functionality and service life of the en­
g ine . Your engine was factory-filled with a
hi gh-quality oil which can usua lly be used
throughout the enti re yea r.
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfun ctions due to
fa ilure to fo llow recommended ma in te­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let.
- U se only a high q uality eng ine oi l that ex ­
pressly comp lies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's en­
gine. Using any other oil can cause seri­
ous engine damage.
- Do not mix any l ubricants or other addi­
tives into the eng ine oi l. Doing so can
cause eng ine damage.
(D Tips
I f you need to add oi l and there is none
availab le that meets the Audi oil quality
standard your engine requires, you may
add a total of no more than 0.5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
t he follow ing specifica tions.
Checking and Fillin g 217
-Veh icles with gasoline engine : ACEA A3
or AP! SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE O W-30, SAE 5W -30 or SAE SW-40 .
- For more information about engine o il
that has been approved for yo ur vehicle,
please contact either your authorized
Audi dealer or Aud i Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site
at www .audiusa.com or
www.a udicanada.ca.
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 provide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in ­
te rnal combust io n engines consume a certa in
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion va rie s from
engine to engine and may change sign ifi can tly
ove r th e life of the engine. Typically, engines
wi th a spec ified break -in pe riod (see
¢ page 196) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they cons ume after oi l
consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate o f oi l con ­
s u mption depen ds on the q ual ity and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensa tion or fuel residue a nd the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wea r as m ileage builds up, the oil consump­
t ion may incre ase over time until replacement
of wo rn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es ­
tabl is h ed or spec ified. There is no alte rn ative
to regul ar and frequent che cking of the o il lev ­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning sy mbo l
Ill in the ins trument cl uste r lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 2 18 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 218 . ll-
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Adding coolant
Fig. 168 Eng ine co mpa rtme nt: m ark in gs on the cool­
ant expansio n tank
Read and following th e WARNING S before
checking anythi ng in the eng ine compartmen t
c::>page 214.
Checking th e engine coolant leve l
"'Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Switch the ign ition off.
"' Read the coo lant level on the coolant expan­
s ion tank
c::> fig. 168. The coolant level must
be between the markings whe n the eng ine
in cold. When the eng ine is warm it can be
slight ly above the upper marking .
Adding coolant
Requirement: There must be a residua l
amo unt of coolant in the expansion tank
c::> (D .
"'Let the engine coo l down .
"' Place a cloth over the coolant expa nsion
tank cap and unscrew the cap counter clock­
wise <=:>
A.
"'Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
c::>page 220 up to the upper marking.
"' Make sure that the fluid level remains sta-
ble. Add more coolant if necessary.
"' Clove the cap securely.
A coolant loss suggests a leak. Immediately drive your vehicle to an authorized repair fa­
cility and have the cooling system inspected.
If the cooling system is not leaking, a loss can
come from the coolant boiling through over ­
heat ing and being pushed out of the cooling
system.
Che cking and Fillin g 221
A WARNING
The cooling system is pressurized and can
become very hot. To reduce the r isk of
burns from hot coolant:
- Do not open the coolant expansion tank
cap with the engine hot . The re is a risk of
burns .
- Stop the engine and allow it to cool.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping coolant and steam by covering
the coolant tank cap with a large, th ick
cloth .
- Tu rn the coolant tank cap counterclock­
wise slowly and keep light pressure on
the cap.
- To reduce the risk of burns, do not allow
any antifreeze o r coolant to drip onto the
exhaust system or hot engin e compo­
nents . The ethy lene g lycol in eng ine
coo lant can catch fire under certai n cir­
cumstances.
- The coolan t addi tive and the coolant can
be dangerous to your health. For this
reason, keep the coo lant in the origina l
container away from ch ildren. There is a
risk of poisoning.
- When working in the engine compart­
ment, remember that the radiator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
sw itched off, which increases the risk of
personal injury.
(D Note
Do not add coolant if the expans ion tank is
empty. Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine. If this is the case,
do not continue dr iving. See an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa ­
c ility for ass istance.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ing condit ions .
IJJ,

222 Checking and Filling
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself
c:> .&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up beca use
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury
nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electr ic fan is temperature
contro lled and can switch on sudden ly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­ tomatically when the engine coolant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
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Fig . 169 Engine compartment : cove r on the brake flu id
r eservoir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN ·
INGS c:> page 214.
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c:> fig.169, c:>poge216 ,
fig. 165.
The brake f luid level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
c:> page 216 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . This is not cause for a larm.
If the brake f luid level falls
considerably be ­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light . (U.S. models)
I. (Canad ian
models) will come on
c:> page 18 . Do not con ­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali ­
fied facility and the cause corrected. If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator ligh t will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dea ler
immediately.
Changing brake fluid
Have the broke fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake f luid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time. The boiling point of the
brake fluid will also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
T he refo re, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years. Always use new brake fluid
wh ich conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
T he brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the b rake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
---Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed or iginal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap·
propriate brake flu id. Observe these pre·
cautions:
- Us e only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116.