2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET adding oil

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-Vehicles with a conven ience key
¢ page 79, Automatic start malfunction.
a System indicator light (MIL)
The system indicator light (MIL) is part of the
On Board Diagnostic system (OBD II). The
¢4 symbol turns on when the ign it ion is
switched on and turns off aga in once th e en­
g ine is started an d running at a st eady idle
speed. This ind icates that the M IL is funct ion­
ing cor rectly .
The indicator light turns on if there is a mal ­
function in the engine electronics . See an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Se rv­
ice Facility to have the malfunction co rrected.
The system indicator light (MIL) may turn on
if the fuel fille r cap is not closed correctly
¢ page 212.
For addit ional i nformation, refer to
¢ page 29.
!?) Engine speed limitation
Appl ies to vehicles: with engine speed limitation
(Ill Max. engine spee d: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatically lim ited to
the speed disp layed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over­ heat ing.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the eng ine is no longer in the cr it ica l tempera ­
ture range and you have released the accelera­
tor peda l.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by an eng ine control malfunction, the~ indi­
cator light also turns on. Make s ure the en­
g ine speed does not go above the speed dis­
p layed, for examp le when downsh ifting. Drive
to an author ized Audi dealer or author ized
Aud i Service Fac ility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
'l'.::r., Engine oil level (min.)
II Check oil level
In strum ent s an d indicator lamp s 23
You may cont inue driving for the time be ing.
Check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 217.
-If the eng ine o il level is too low, add eng ine
oil ¢page218 .
-If the eng ine o il level is correc t and the indi­
cato r light still turns on, drive at low engine
speed to the nearest authorized Audi dealer
or qualified repair facility.
~"" Engine oil sensor
• Oil le vel sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the engine oi l level has
failed. Drive to an author ized Audi dealer or
authorized Aud i Service Fac ility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
(D Note
Refe r to the description in the Owner's
M anual
¢ page 218 and ¢page 218,
Adding engine oil
Elil Tank system
liD Please refuel
If the indicator light turns fi rst turns on and
th is message appears, the tank conta ins the
follow ing amount of fue l:
- Front whee l drive: approximate ly 1. 8 ga l­
lons (7 liters)
-All wheel drive: approximately 2 .2 gallons
(8 . 5 liters)
liD Plea se refuel immediately
If the indicato r light turns on the message ap­
pears, the fue l tank is a lmost empty . Refuel
t h e ve hicl e immed iate ly.
liD Fuel tank malfunction! Please contact
Service
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunct ion in the
ta nk system .
•

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Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water or mud, the
braking effect can be reduced due to mois­
ture on the brake discs and brake pads. A
few careful brake applications should dry off the brakes.
([) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Determ ine the depth before driving
through water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water (corro­
s ion).
Catalytic converter
App lies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.,. Always use lead-free gaso line¢ page 210,
Fuel supply .
.,. Never run the tank down all the way to emp-
ty .
Dri ving and the en vironm ent 197
.,. Never put too much motor oi l in your engine
¢ page 218, Adding engine oil 't:::r..
.,. Never try to push- or tow -start your vehicle.
T he catalytic converter is an efficient "clean ­
up" device bui lt into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The cata lytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere .
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically important for the life of the catalytic convert­
er and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
The temperature of the exhaust system is h igh, both when driv ing and after stopping
the eng ine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustp roofing o n or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalyti c con­
verter or heat shields . Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
([) Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel w ill already ser iously de ­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the cor rect engine oil level
~page 218.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine cou ld mis ­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and th is cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel ..,_ •
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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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A WARNING ,~
- When adding oil, do not let oil drip onto
hot engine components. There could be
risk of a fire.
- You must secure the cap on the oil filler
opening correctly so that oil does not
leak out onto the hot engine and exhaust
system when the engine is running, be­
cause this is a fire hazard.
-Always clean skin thoroughly if it comes
into contact with engine oil.
(D Note
- The oil level must not be above the G)
range ~page 218, fig. 166, because this
can cause damage to the catalytic con­
verter or the engine. Contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility to have excess oil extracted if
necessary.
- Do not mix any additional lubricants into
the engine oil. Damage cause by such ad­
ditives is not covered by the warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Oil should never enter the sewer system
or come into contact with the ground.
- Pay attention to legal requirements
when disposing of empty oil containers.
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 anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
~ page 214.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis-
Checking and Filling 219
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe­ riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex­ pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself, please note the following important informa­
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch .
- 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.
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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,

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