2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET check engine

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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Always check with your authorized Audi
deale r to make s ure you are using the
correct brake f luid. The correct type of
b rake fluid is a lso indicated on the
b rake fluid reservoir .
- The brake f luid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fl uid is left in t he system too
long. This ca n ser ious ly aff ect th e effi­
ciency of the bra kes a s well as yo ur
safety. This could resul t in an accid ent.
(D Note
Brake fl uid will damage the paint of your
ve hicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessa ry expert ise, we
recom mend tha t you have t he b rake fluid
changed by your aut hor ized Audi de aler.
Battery
General information
The batte ry in you r Audi does not need any
maintenance unde r
normal operating condi­
tions . Aud i recommends having the elect ro­
l y te level check by a n author ized Audi dealer
or author ized A udi Se rv ice F acili ty when there
a re
high outside tempe ra tur es or when dr iv ing
all day. The e lec trolyte level sho uld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 225.
Have the bat tery c hecked w hen you br ing yo ur
ve hicl e in for an inspec tion. I t is a good idea
to re place the battery if it is mo re than 5 years
old .
D uring certa in types of a irbag deploymen ts,
t he bat tery is disconnected from the vehi cle
e lectrical system fo r safety reasons ~ &.
in
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 162.
Checking and Fillin g 223
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehi cle fu nctions (such as power w in ­
dows) a re not ava ilable when the batte ry is
disco nnected . These fu nctions must be p ro­
grammed afte r the battery is reconnected . To
avo id hav ing to do this, only disconnect the
battery from the vehicle electrical system
whe n that is necessary to perform repairs .
To reprogram the functions, proceed as fo l­
lows:
Function Reprogramming
Power window one -¢ page 40, Correcting
touch up/down power window ma/-
function functions
Remo te control key If the vehicle does no t
or r
eact to the key, i t
convenience key must be synchronized
¢ page33
Dig ita l cl ock ¢pag e 10
ESC indicator light The indicator light
goes out after driv ing
a few meters
Not running the vehicle for long period s
of time
If you do not drive your vehicle fo r several
days or weeks, elect rical componen ts are
gradua lly reduc ed o r switched off. This re­
duces e nergy consumption and maintai ns the
vehicle 's ability to star t ove r a long per iod of
t ime ~
page 193. Some co nvenience func­
tions, s uch as in terior lighting or power sea ts*
may not work . These convenience functions
will be ava ilab le again once you switc h the ig­
nit ion on and sta rt the engine.
Winter operation
D uring the winte r mon ths, i t is common for
the battery capacity to dec rease as the tem ­
peratures become lower . This is because more
power is needed to start the vehicle and com ­
ponents such as the head lights and the rear
window defogger are used more frequently . .,..
•
•
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-Do not interchange the positive and neg­
ative cables .
- When working on the battery , be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca ­
ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec ­
trical system , switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a fro zen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
fro zen, then it must be replaced. A dead
battery can freeze over at 32°F (O°C) .
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion ! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
Checking and Filling 225
-Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems . Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en­ gine is running, otherwise, you will dam­
age electronic components in the electri­
cal system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven ,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fig. 170 E ngin e compar tmen t: co nn ecto rs fo r a charg­
e r and jump st art ca bles
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
c:::> ,& and c:::> ,& in Working on the battery on
page
224 .
.,. Switch off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers .
.,. Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery.
.,. Open the engine hood
c:::> page 215 .
.,. Open the red cov er on the pos itive pole
c:::> fig. 170.
.,. Clamp the cha rger termin al clamps as in­
structed on the
battery terminal(+) and on-
l y on the
body ground point(-) . .,._

226 Check ing and F illin g
• Only now plug the mains lead for the charg ­
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
iton ¢_& .
• M ake sure the ch arging rate is not o ver
30 amp s / 14. 8 Volt.
• When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equ ipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wa ll outlet .
• Now remove the clamps for the charg ing
equipment.
• Close the red cover on the posit ive po le.
• Close the hood
¢ page 216.
A discharged batte ry can fr eez e at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 F
0 (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it¢ .&. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Batt ery cha rg ing (Ma ximum cha rging rate
of
30 a mp s/ 14.8 Vo lt )
When charging at low voltages (e .g. w ith a
t ric kle char ger ), the battery cables do not
have to be d isconnected first . The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not
necessary to disconnect the cables .
Fas t ch arg ing th e batter y (charging r ate
above 14.8 Volt s)
For technical reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage g reate r than
14 .8 Volts to charge your veh icle's battery .
A WARNING
-
Charging a batte ry can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the batte ry charger manu­
facturer when charging your battery.
- Never charge a frozen battery .
It may ex­
plode because of gas t rapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen batte ry to thaw o ut first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro­
zen. The batte ry housing may have cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
tr ical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or d isconnect charger cables
while the charger is operat ing .
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent techn ic ian with the proper equip­
ment.
- Battery acid that may sp ill dur ing charg­
i n g should be washed off with a solut ion
of warm water and baking soda to neu­
tralize the ac id.
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the eng ine . Th is w ill seriously dam­
age sens it ive e lectronic components, such
as contro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the elect ri­
ca l ene rgy th rougho ut yo ur vehicle
¢page 193. The intelligent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem. To make sure the additional electrical en­
ergy is ava ilable once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you
install batteries of the same type and manu ­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your veh icle was de livered) . Specifi­
cations are listed on the batte ry housing. Your
a utho rized deale r must code the batte ry in
the energy management system to enab le you
to use the energy management functions cor -
rect ly after replacing the battery.
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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.

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Fuses and bulbs
Electrical fuses
Replacing fuses
Fuses that have blown will have metal strips
that have burned through.
Fig. 190 Steering column area: cover
Fig. 191 Left side of the engine compartment: fuse
cover
Fuses in the interior
The fuses are behind the cover in the steering
column area¢
fig. 190.
•Turnoff the ignition and the fai led e lectrical
equipment.
• Check the following table to see which fuse
belongs to the eq uipment
¢page 270.
• Remove the cover(" AIRBAG" label)
¢ fig . 190. Begin at the bottom right corner
-arrow-.
• Remove the plastic clip from the fuse panel
cover in the eng ine compartment ¢
fig. 191.
• Remove the blown fuse using the plastic
clamp and replace the f use with an ident ica l
new one .
• Install the cover .
Fuses and bulbs 269
Fuses in the engine compartment
•Tu rnoff the ignition and the failed electrical
equipment.
• Check the fo llowing tab le to see which fuse
be longs to the equipment¢
page 271.
• Remove the fuse panel cover¢ fig. 191.
• Remove the plastic clip from the fuse pane l
cover
¢ fig. 191.
• Remove the blown fuse using the plastic
clamp and replace the fuse with an identical
new one.
The indiv idual circuits are protected by safety
fuses. The fuses are located under the steer­
ing wheel beh ind a cover and in the left side of
the engine compartment .
_&. WARNING
-
Do not repair fuses and never replace a
blown fuse with one that has a higher amp
rat ing. This can ca use damage to the elec­
trica l system and a fire .
(D Note
-If there are multip le fuse values in a cell
in the follo w tables, for example
5/10/20, it is because of equipment-re­
lated differences. Replace the burned
fuse with an identical new one.
- If a new fuse should burn out again
shortly after you have insta lled it, have
the electrical system checked by your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility as soon as possible.
(D Tips
- The following table does not list fuse lo­
cat ions that are not used.
- Some of the following tables only apply
to in certain models or options.