2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET fuel

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-Do not smoke or have an open flame in
the area when fueling your vehicle or fill­
ing a fuel container because this
increases the risk of an explosion .
- For your safety, carrying fuel containers
in your vehicle is recommended. Wheth­
er full or empty, the container can leak
and cause a fire in the event of an acci­
dent .
- If you must make an exception and
transport a fuel container, note the fol­
lowing:
- Never f ill the fuel container with fuel
while it is in or on the vehicle. Static
electricity is discharged when filling
which can cause the fuel vapors to ig­
nite and increases the risk of an explo ­
s10n .
- Always place a fuel container on the
ground before filling .
- Always hold the fuel nozzle completely
in the fuel container when filling.
- If the fuel container is made of metal,
the fuel nozzle must always be in con­
tact with the container when filling it
with fuel. This prevents static electrici­
ty from discharg ing.
- Never sp ill fuel in the vehicle or the
luggage compartment. Evaporated fuel
is exp losive and increases the risk of
serious injury or death .
- Follow legal requirements when using,
storing and transporting fuel contain­
ers.
- Make sure the fuel container conforms
to indust ry standards (ANSI/ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
-Remove spilled fuel from vehicle paint
immediately, because it can damage
paint.
- Never drive until the fuel tank is com­
pletely empty. The irregular supply of
fuel that results from that can cause the
engine to misfire. Uncombusted fuel will
enter the exhaust system and increase
Checking and Filling 213
the risk of damage to the catalytic con­
verter.
@ For the sake of the environment
- If the fuel nozzle is used correctly , it will
indicate that the tank is full the first
time it switches off automatically. Do
not try to add more fuel, because it can
spill over. Also, the expansion space in
the tank will fill , which can result in fuel
spilling out when it becomes warm and
polluting the environment.
(D Tips
- If the engine is running while fueling, va­
pors can escape or the fuel can spill over .
Because of this, the fuel nozzle switches
off before the tank is full.
- Do not fuel the vehicle when the ign ition
is switched on . Otherwise, the fuel
gauge may not show the correct level af­
ter fueling the vehicle .
- The fuel filler door on your vehicle does
not lock when you lock the vehicle from
the inside .
Fuel filler door emergency release
If the central locking system is faulty, the
fuel filler door can be unlocked manually .
Fig. 162 Rear of the vehi cle: ri ght rea r seat folded for­
wa rd
The emergency release is located behind the
right rear seat .
The pull cable for the emergency release is lo­
cated on the cover .
.,. Remove the cover from the trim.

214 Check ing and F illin g
•Pullon the cover carefu lly ¢ fig. 162. The
tab on the cover must point forward in the direction you are pulling when pu lling on
the cover.
• To open the fuel filler door, press on the left
side
¢ page 212, fig . 160 .
{Q) Note
Only pull on the cover unt il you feel resist­
ance. You will not hear it release . Other­
w ise you could damage the emergency re­
lease mechanism.
Hood
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the engine compartment
F o r w ork in th e eng in e c omp artm ent su ch as
c h ecking and fi llin g fluid s, t he re i s a risk of
inj ury, sca lding, accid ents, a nd b urn s. Fo r
thi s re aso n, follow all the follow in g listed
war ning s and ge neral safety p recaution s.
T he engine compartment is a d ang ero us
area. ¢,& .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injur ies, complete the
following steps before opening the hood:
- Turn the engine off.
- Switch the ignition off.
- Set the parking brake.
- Place the selector lever in the P position .
- Let the engine coo l down.
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam o r coolant drips from the engine
c ompartment- there is a danger of
burns! Wait until no steam or coolant
flows out.
- Keep chi ldren away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill flu ids on a hot eng ine. These
fluids (such as the freeze protection con­
tained in the coolant) can catch fire .
- Avo id short circuits in the electrical sys­
tem, especially the battery . -
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.
- Never open the cap on the coolant ex­
pans ion tank when the eng ine is warm.
The cooling system is unde r pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms
from hot steam or coolant, cover the cap
with a large cloth when opening .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns .
- If tests need to be performed with the engine runn ing, there is add itiona l dan­
ge r due to moving components (such as
the ribbed belt, generator and radiator
fan) and from the high voltage ignit ion
system.
- Never reach into the radiator fan. The
electric auxilia ry fan is controlled by
temperature and can switch on sudden ly .
- Pay attention to the fo llow ing warnings
listed when work on the fuel system or
on the e lectrica l equipment is required.
- Always disconnect the vehicle battery
from the vehicle e lectr ical system
- Do not smoke
- Never work near open flames
- Always have a working fire exting uisher
nearby
- To reduce the risk of electric s hock and
inj ury, never touch the fo llowing compo­
nents when the engine is running or is
be ing started :
- Ig nition cable
- Other compone nts in the electronic
high voltage ign it ion system
- If you must check or perform work on the eng ine while it is runn ing:
- Set the parking brake and place these­
lector lever in the P (park) position
first.
- Always proceed with extreme caution
so that clot hing, jewe lry or long hai r do
not become caught in the radiator fan, ..,.

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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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218 Checking and Filling
A WARNING
Bef ore you check anything in the engine
compartme nt, always read and heed all
WARNI NGS ¢
page 214.
(D Note
Dr iving with an insufficient oil level is like­
ly to ca use severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressu re warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead, chec k the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref ­
erably each time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip.
- If you have the imp ress ion your engine
consumes excessive amounts of o il, we
r ecommend that yo u consult an aut hor­
iz ed Audi dealer to have the ca use of
you r concern p ro perl y diagnose d. Keep in
mind tha t the ac cura te measurement of
oi l co nsu mption requires great care and
may ta ke some time. An authorized Audi
dealer has instructions about how to
measure oil c onsumpt ion accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
F ig. 166 Eng ine o il d ip st ick: g uide for meas urin g the
o il level (exa mple)
Determining the oil level
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Let the engine run i n idle briefly whi le it is at
operating tempe rature and then shut the
engi ne off .
.,. Wait a pproxima tely two mi nutes . ..
Remove the oil dipstick . Wipe off the o il dip­
stick w ith a clean cloth and insert it all the
way in aga in .
.. Remove the dipst ick aga in a nd then read the
oil leve l¢
fig. 166 .
.,. Evaluate the oil leve l r::;, table on page 218.
Add eng ine o il if necessary r::;, page 218.
0 You must add oil. After adding oi l, the
level sho uld be in the
0 area .
@ You may add oil. After add ing o il, the
level shou ld be in the
0 area.
0 Do not add any o il.
The oil consumptio n of the e ngine may be up
to 1/2 q uart per 600 m iles (0.5 liter per
1,000 km), depend ing on driving style and
condit ions . Consumption may be higher du r­
ing the fi rst 3 ,000 m iles (5,000 km) . Because
of this, the eng ine oi l level must be checked
r e gularly. It would be b est to che ck each time
yo u ref uel your veh icle and befo re long dr ives.
Adding engine oil~
Fig. 1 67 Eng ine co mpa rtm ent: e ng in e o il fill er ope n­
in g cover
.,. Turn t he engine off .
.. Unscrew the engine oil fille r opening cap
'l::71 9 fig. 167, r::;,page 216, fig. 165 .
.. Carefully add 0 .5 q uart (0.5 liter) of the ap­
propriate oi l¢
page 217 .
.. Check the oil level aga in after two min utes
r::;, page 218, Checking the engine oil level.
.. Add oil, if necessary .
.,. Close the eng in e oil fill er cap and push the
dipstick a ll the way in. ..,.

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Bead
means the part of the tire that
is made of steel wires, wrapped
or reinforced by ply cords and
that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the
bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manu­
facturer for a tire of a designat­
ed size that has not been driven
for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before
the tire pressure is measured or
adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor
vehicle with standard equip­
ment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and cool­
ant, air conditioning and addi­
tional weight of optional equip­
ment.
Tires and wheels 231
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard tire. Extra load tires may be identi­
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capaci­
ty of a single axle system,
measured at the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total
loaded weight of the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two
adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that
a tire is rated to carry for a giv­
en inflation pressure. You may
not find this information on all
tires because it is not required by law.
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tire failure and loss of
control.
-Excessive speed and/over­ loading can cause heat
build -up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
-If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires
will wear prematurely and
the vehicle will not handle
well.
-If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a
wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the near­
est service station to check
the tire pressure and add air as required.
(D Note
Driving without valve stem
caps can cause damage to
the tire valves. To prevent
this, always make sure that
factory installed valve stem caps on all wheels are secure­
ly mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also
increase the fuel consump­
tion.
Tires and wheels 243
Tires and vehicle load limits
'
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehi­
cle and any tire can carry. Ave­
hicle that is overloaded will not
handle well and is more diffi­
cult to stop. Overloading can
not only lead to loss of vehicle
control, but can also damage important parts of the vehicle
and can lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and
sudden deflation that can cause
the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on
making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and every­
thing in and on the vehicle .
These load limits are technical­ ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the
weight of the basic vehicle, all
factory installed accessories, a
full tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum ""
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256 Tires and wheels
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sona l injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
l east.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13.5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
q 0 . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily .
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
@ Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correct ly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly . .,..

258 Tires and wheels
It is important that the inflation pressu re is
regularly checked and maintained at recom­
mended levels .
Fo r more informat ion please ask your A udi
dealer for more details .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
I n o rder to minim ize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces­
sary.
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Audi dealer . Replace a damaged
t ir e as soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause t ire failure.
If you believe that a
t ir e may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r more quickly than oth­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, while these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance ti
res or iginally installed on your vehicle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should equ ip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction unde r
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow o r all-season tires specified
for your vehicle, or thei r equivalent.
Refer to~ page
255 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflat ion pressure recommended
by the vehicle man ufactur er on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure labe l. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in ­
flation pressure label, you should determine
the proper t ire inflation pressure for those
t i res).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
t ir es is signif icantly under-inflated. According­
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper p ressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un ­
der -inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel eff iciency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv­
er's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not