2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET engine coolant

216 Checking and Filling
Closing the hood
,. Push the hood down until the force of the
strut is overcome.
,. Then lower the hood and let it fall into the
engine hood latch -you do
not have to press
on the hood after it is locked.~
A-
_& WARNING
If the hood is not latched completely, it
could fly up while you are driving and ob­
struct your vision .
Gasoline engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
-
-For safety reasons , the hood must a lways
be closed secure ly while driving. Because
of this, always check the hood after clos­
ing it to make sure it is latched correctly.
When latched correctly , the hood will be
f lush w ith the other body panels.
- If you notice that the hood is not latched
while you are dr iving, stop immediately
and close it, because this increases the
risk of an acciden t.
Fig. 165 Typica l locat ion of the reservoir, engine o il dipst ick, and engine o il filler open ing
@ Coolant expansion tank (- L) .. . 221 The engine oi l filler opening and the dipstick
@ Engine oil dipstick .......
... .
218 (items @ and @) c> fig. 165 may be located in
® Eng ine oil filler opening ('e::r.) 218 a different area depending on engine version.
© Brake fluid reservoir ((0) .. .. . 222 A WARNING
® Battery(+) under a cover .. .. . 224
® Body ground point(-) Read
and following the WARNINGS before
checking anything in the engine compart-
(J) Washer f luid reservoir (0) ... . 227 ment c> page 214.
® Fuse housing .......... .... . 269

220 Check ing and F illin g
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oi l, f irst make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden so il, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Cooling system
Coolant
The 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 sea led and generally re­
q ui res little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ia lly condi tioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol -based coolant addi -
tive G l3 antifreeze with anticorrosion addi­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
models). This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost pro tection and protec ts metal com­
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling . It also raises the boil­
i ng po int of the coo lant .
Do not red uce the concentr ation of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add iti ve mu st be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficie n­
cy.
If t he coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and engine cooling system. F
or year -ro und driving, antifreeze is added a t
the factory for temperatures down to :
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40°F ( -40°C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended .
.&, WARNING "---
Before you c hec k anyth ing in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS ~
page 214.
0 Note
- Before wi nter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
ma te conditions. This is especi ally impo r­
tan t if you live in a reg ion where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold . If necessary, in­
crease the p roportion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n adding coolant additive to yo ur
cooling system, remembe r:
- We recommend us ing on ly coola nt ad­
d itive Gl2++ or Gl3 (check the labe l)
fo r your vehicle. This coolant additive is
a va ila ble at au thorize d Au di dea le rs.
Other types of antifreeze can sign ifi­
ca ntly reduce corrosion p rotection. The
resu lting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to yo ur vehicle's engine coolant .
Add ing radiator repair f luid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and cou ld resu lt in
damage not covered by you r New Ve hicle
Limited Warranty.

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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
N
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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.

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The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-vo lts), amperage, construction
and p lug sealing .
When insta lli ng the bat tery, make sure the ig­
nition and all e lectr ica l consumers are switch­
ed off .
CD Note
Ma ke sure the vent ilat ion hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery acid can leak out.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author ­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you. Batter ies contain su lfuric ac id and
lead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in compliance with all environmental
regulations. D isposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to t he envi­
ronment.
Windshield washer container
F ig. 171 Engine co mpa rtment: cover on the windsh ield
an d headligh t* washer fluid reservo ir
The washer flu id containe r is marked with the
symbol~ on its cap ¢
fig. 171, q page 216,
fig. 165 .
.,. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS q page 214 .
.,. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can fill the container to the top.
.,. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after
filling the container.
Che cking and Fillin g 22 7
You can find the reservoir capacity in the table
in ¢
page 280 .
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
poss ible, use soft wa ter to prevent scaling on
washe r jets. Always add a g lass cleaner solu ­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
CD Note
- Do not mix eng ine coolant antifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir.
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
pai nt so lvents, there is a risk of damag­
ing the paint.

28 4 Con sum er Inf ormation
in P (Park position) and the park brake is
applied.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Changing the engine settings wi ll ad ­
versely affect emission levels . This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fue l consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when disposing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classif ied as Perchlo­
rate Material -spec ial handling may ap­
ply, see www .dtsc .ca .gov/hazardous ­
waste/perch lorate . When the veh icle o r
parts of the restraint system including
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten­
s ioners are scrapped, all appl icable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
a utho rized Audi dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories .
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety de ­
sig n features ensuring a high standard of ac­
tive and passive safety .
This safety could be compromised by non-ap­ proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason ,
if parts have to be replaced, p lease observe
the following points when installing addition­
a l accessories:
Approved Audi accessor ies and genuine Audi
parts a re ava ilable from authorized Aud i deal­
e rs. These dea
lers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly .
A WARNING
=
Using the wrong spare parts or using non-
approved accessories can cause damage to
the veh icle and ser ious perso na l injury .
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specia lly designed to be used on your ve­
h icle.
- Never install accessor ies such as tele­
phone crad les or beverage ho lders on a ir­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy ­
ment zones . Do ing so wi ll increase the
ris k of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c:::> page 214 .
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used o r if repair wo rk is not
performed ac cord ing to spe cified meth­
ods, this c an resu lt in seve re damage to
yo ur vehicle's eng ine and body (such as
co rrosion) and adversely affect yo ur vehi­
cle's warranty.
- If emergency repairs must be performe d
elsewhere , have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occ urs due to failure
to comply with these stipu lations.
Technical Modifications
Our guidelines must be complied with when
t echnical modifica tions are made.
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be-
fore start ing work on any modifications. ll>-

M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Cockpit (overview) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Cold tire inflation pressure ............ 235
Coming home ...... ..... .. .... .. .. .. 51
Compartments ............ .... .. .. .. 64
Compass in the mirror ........... .... . 57
Compliance .. .. .............. ... ... 285
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 134, 282
Consumption (fuel) ........ .. .. .. .. .. 27
Contacting NH TSA ............ ... .. . 134
Convenience key Emergency operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Indicator light ........... .. .. .. .. .. 81
Starting the engine (START ENGINE ST OP
button) .... .. .............. ... .... 78
Stopping the engine (S TART ENGINE
STOP button) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Switching the ignition on .. .. .. .. .. .. 78
unlocking/locking ........ .. .. .. .. .. 34
Convenience opening/closing
Convertible child safety seats
Convertible locking retractor .
. .. .. .. .. 39
176
Activating .. ................. .. .. . 182
Deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Using to secure a child safety seat l80, 182
Coolant
refer to Engine coolant ....... ... .. . 220
Cool ing mode (automatic climate control
system) . .. .. ................. .. .. .. 72
Cooling mode (manual climate control sys-
tem) .. .. .. .. .. ........ ... .. .. .. .. .. 71
Cooling system Adding coolant ........... .... .. .. . 221
Coolant level checking ..... .. .. .. .. . 221
Coolant temperature indicator .. ... ... 12
Indicator light ... .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. 19
Cornering light . ........... .. .. .. .. .. 50
C rash data recorde r (EDR) 188
Cruise control system Changing speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Description ............... ... ... ... 85
Preselecting speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Sw itching off . ........... .. .. .. .. .. 86
switch ing on ............. .... .. .. .. 85
Cup holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Current consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 27
Index 289
D
Data recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188, 194
Date display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Daytime running lights ........... .... . 49
Decla rat ion of compliance
Adaptive cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28S
Audi side assist .... .............. . 285
Cell phone package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Convenience key .... .............. . 285
Electronic immobilizer .......... .. .. 285
Homelink universal remote control . .. 285
Remote control key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Defective light bulb warning
Indicator light ... .. ................ 24
Defrost ing (windshield)
automat ic climate control system . . . . . 73
manual climate control system ........ 71
DEF (instrument cluster) ... .. .... .... . 11
Deluxe automatic climate control
refer to Climate control system (auto-
ma tic) ...... .. .. .. . ............... 72
Determining correct load limit ....... . 245
Digital compass . .. .. . ............ .. . 57
Dimensions . .. .. .. ................. 280
D imming the rearv iew mirror ..... .. .. . 56
Distance ......... .. ..... ........... 27
Door/rear lid warning 26
Door contact sw itch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Driver information system .......... .. . 26
CD/radio display .. .. . .. .. .. .... .... . 26
Door/rear lid warning ............... 26
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Ind icator lights .. .... ......... .... . 13
On-board computer ............ .. .. . 27
Outside temperature display . . . . . . . . . . 26
Service interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Using the mu ltifunction steering wheel . 26
Driver seating position ........... .... 127
Drive select
refer to Audi drive select ............ 107
Driving safely 126
Driving through water .. ......... .. .. 197
Driving time
Dust filter 27
refer to Pollutant
filter ............ .. 70
•
•

290 Index
E
ECO mode (automatic climate control sys -
tem) . ..... .. ................ ..... ..
72
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Description .............. .... .. .. .. 28
Fu el economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Other equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Electrical accessor ies
refer to Socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Electromechanical parking brake
refer to Parking brake ......... .... .. 82
Electromechanical steering ....... ... . 192
Indicator lights ................... 192
Electronic diffe rent ial loc k ... .. .. .. .. . 188
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Electronic immobilizer ...... .... .... .. 36
also refer to Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Electronic speed limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Electronic stabilization control (ESC)
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21
Sport mode ................ ..... . 189
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . . . 188
Emergency assistance ....... ... .... . 261
Emergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Emergency flashers
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
25
Emergency operation
Emergency braking function .... .... ..
84
Front passenger's door ...... .. .. .. . . 37
Luggage compartment lid .. .... .... . 261
Power top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
·th ' k
w1 convenience ey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Emergency release
Fuel filler door ........... .........
213
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Emergency starting ......... ... .... . 273
Emergency towing ... .. .... .. .. .. .. . 275
Energy management ....... .. .. .. .. . 193
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Engine
Coolant
.. .. ................ ..... . 220
Starting with jumper cables . ..... .. . 273
starting (button) ............. .... .. 78
Starting (driver messages with conven-
ience key) .. ........ ..... .. ........
81
start ing (key) . .. ...... .... ... .. .. .. 76
stopping (button) ............. ..... 79
stopping (key) ... ................ .. 78
Engine compartment
Closing the hood .............. .. ..
216
Open ing the hood ................. 215
Overview . ..... .. ................ . 216
Safety precautions ............. .... 214
Engine control (indicator light) ...... .. . 22
Engine coolant .. .. ............. .... 220
Radiator fan ... .. ... .......... .... 221
Engine oil . ..... .. ................ . 217
adding ....... .. ................ . 218
Changing ........................ 219
Checking the oil level ............... 218
Dipstick. .. .. .. .. ............ 216, 218
Indicator light . .. ... ......... ... .. . 20
Oil consumption .. ..... ..... ... .. .. 217
Specification and viscosity ... .. .. .. .. 217
Use ...... .... ................... 218
Engine speed limitation (indicator light) . 23
Environment
Break-in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
196
Catalytic converter ............. .. .. 197
Disposing of your vehicle battery . .. .. 226
Driving at high speeds ............ .. 198
Driving to minimize pollution and noise 198
Fuel economy . ... ....... ...... .. .. 198
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up. 199
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . 222
Proper disposal of drained eng ine oil .. 219
Unleaded fuel .... ................ . 210
What should I do with an o ld battery? . 226
EPC (engine contro l) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
ESC
Automatic post-collision braking sys-
tem .. ... ... .. .. .. ...... ....... ..
189
Electronic stabilizat ion control . .. .. .. 188
Sport mode . .. .. ... ....... ... .. .. 189
Event Data Recorder (EDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Exterior lighting . .. ... .......... ..... 49
Exterior m irrors
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
55
D. . 1mming .. .. ...... .. ... ... ... ..... 56
folding ... ................... ..... 55
Heating . .. ................... .... . 55