2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET oil level

12 Instrum ent s and indicator lamp s
Fuel level
The display @
c;, page 10, fig. 3 only works
when the ignition is sw itched on . When the
d isplay has reached the reserve mark, the bot­
tom LED wi ll turn red and the
tD indicator
light turns on¢
page 23 . The bottom LED
blinks red when the fue l level is very low .
The on -board computer shows the range
based on the fuel leve l
c;, page 2 7, On-board
computer display.
F or the tank capac ity in yo ur vehicle , refer to
the Tec hnical Data ¢
page 280.
CJ) Note
Never d rive until the tank is completely
empty. The irregular supp ly of fuel that re­
sults from that can cause the engine to
misfire. Uncombusted f uel will then enter
the exha ust system. This can cause over­
heating and damage to the catalytic con­
verter .
Coolant temperature indicator
The coolant temperature ind icator @
c::> page 10, fig . 3 only works when the ignition
is switched on . T o prevent engine damage, ob­
serve the fo llow ing notes about the tempe ra­
ture ranges.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the engine has not reached operat ing
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
fu ll acce le rat ing and heavy engine loads.
Norm al range
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving condi­
tions. The L EDs higher up may turn on if the
engine is under heavy load or the o uts ide tem­
perat ure is h igh. This is not a cause for con­
cern as long as the. indicator light in the
display does not t urn on. Hot range
If the L
EDs in the upper area of the d isp lay
and the. indicator light in the instrumen t
cluster disp lay t urn on, the coo lant tempe ra­
ture is too high
c::> poge 19.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
c;, page 214 before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the eng ine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coo lant
dripping from the engine compartment .
You could burn yourself. Let the engi ne
coo l off first until you can no longe r see
or hea r steam or coolant escaping.
([) Note
- Add itiona l headlights and other compo ­
ne nts in front of the a ir intake impairs
the cooling eff ect of the coolant. This in­
creases the risk of the engine over heat ­
ing dur ing high outs ide temper atures
and heavy eng ine load .
- The front spoiler also he lps to distr ibute
cooling air correct ly wh ile driving.
If the
spoiler is damaged, the coo ling effect
wi ll be impai red and the risk of the en­
gine overheating will increase. See an au­
thorized Audi dealer o r authorized Aud i
Service Facility for ass istance.

16 Instruments and indicator lamps
or
·~
Lt
CD
TPMS
;
or
or
or Hill ho
ld*
Q page 22
Tire pressure monitoring system
,/
Qpage 258
Tire pressure monitoring system
Q page 258
Adaptive dampers*
Qpage25
Engine control (gasoline eng ine)
,/
Q page 22
Exhaust control system ,/
Qpage 23
Engine speed limitation
Qpage 23
Engine oil level (min.)
Qpage 23
~ -SE NSOR
or
or
or
or
or Engine
oil sensor
Qpage23
Engine temperature
Qpage 19
Battery charge level
Qpage20
Tank system
Qpage23
Washer fluid level
Qpage24
Windshield wipers
Qpage24
Steer ing,// s teer ing lock
Qpage 192
Steering lock
Q page21

20 Instruments and indicator lamps
_& WARNING
-Never open the hood if you can see or
hear steam or coolant escaping from the
engine compartment . This increases the
risk of burns. Wait until you no longer
see or hear steam or coolant escaping.
-
-The engine compartment in any vehicle
can be a dangerous area. Stop the engine
and allow it to cool before working in the
engine compartment. Always follow the
information found in
<:;>pag e 214, Work­
ing in the engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not continue driving if the. indicator
light turns on - th is increases the risk of
engine damage.
• Switch
off engine! Oil pressure too low
Stop the engine and do not continue driving.
Check the engine oil level
<:;>page 218.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 217. Only continue driving once
the indicator light turns off.
- If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, turn the engine
off
and do not continue driving. See an author­
ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Serv ice
Fac ility for assistance.
@ Tips
The oil pressure warning is not an oil level
ind icator. For this reason, check the oil lev­
el regularly.
0 Alternator/battery
• Alternator f ault: battery is not being
charged
There is a malfunct ion in the alternator or the
vehicle electrical system.
Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immed iately. Be­
cause the vehicle battery is draining, turn off all unnecessary electrical equipment such as
the
MMI. See your authorized Audi dea ler or a
qualified repair facility if the battery charge
l evel is too low.
(•] low battery charge: Battery will be
charged while driving
The starting ability may be impaired.
If this message turns off afte r a little while,
the battery has charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have and au­
thorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility repair the malfunction.
tli1 !I: Safety systems
The II (USA models) Im (Canada models)
indicator light monitors the safety systems.
Safety system
If the II (USA models)/ m (Canada models)
indicator light turns on or blinks, there is a
malfu nction in a safety system.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
_& WARNING
-Have the safety systems inspected imme-
diately. Otherwise, there is a risk that the
systems may not activate during a colli­
s ion, wh ich increases the risk of serious in­
jury or death.
4f-Front safety belt
The. indicator light stays on until the driv­
er's and front passenger's safety belts are
buck led. There is also a warning tone above a
certain speed .
(D Tips
For additional information on safety belts,
refer to¢
page 138.

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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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Corrosion
Leaving the vehicle parked for long periods of
time, low mi leage and avoiding heavy braking
can contribute to corrosion on the brake ro­
tors and dirty brake pads.
If you usually avoid heavy braking or if there is
corrosion present, occasiona l heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the
brake rotors and pads~,& .
Brake system malfunction
if you notice that the brake pedal t ravel has
suddenly gotten larger, then a brake circuit
may have failed . Drive to you r authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the problem corrected. On the way
there, drive with reduced speed and keep in
mind that a long braking distance and in­
creased pressure on the brake pedal will be
necessary .
Low brake fluid level
When the brake fluid level is low, ma lfunc­
tions in the brake system may occur . The
brake fluid level is electronically monitored.
Brake booster
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you
apply to the brake pedal. It only works when
the eng ine is running.
A WARNING
-You should on ly perform braking maneu­
vers to clean the brakes when the road condit ions perm it . Never put others on
the road at risk -never forget the risk of
acc idents!
- On steep slopes, reduce the speed and
select a lower gear or lower selector lev­
er posi tion. Drive as little as possible
wh ile pressing the bra ke peda l and avoid
putt ing your left foot on the brake pedal
whi le driving. This could ca use the brakes
to overheat and impair the efficiency of
the brakes.
- Do not let the brakes "grind" by always
keeping yo ur foot on the brake peda l.
Smart Technolog y 191
This can cause the brakes to overheat in-,
crease wear and increase braking dis­
tance unnecessar ily.
- Certain weather and operating condi­
tions such as driving through water, driv­
ing in heavy rain or driving after washing
your veh icle can impa ir the effectiveness
of the brakes. In the winter, ice may
bui ld up on the brake pads, rotors and
drums . Check these components by brak­
ing caref ully. App lying the brakes care­
fu lly several times dries the brakes and
removes ice build-up .
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be
impaired by driving for long stretches on
roads covered with salt without using the
brakes. You can remove salt deposits
from the brake rotors and pads by care­
fully applying the brakes several times.
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you in­
stall another spoiler, make sure the front
wheel brakes are ventilated properly.
Otherwise, the brake system could over­ heat, wh ich reduces their effectiveness .
- Failure of a brake circuit impa irs braking
performance, wh ich increases braking
d istance . Avoid driving the vehicle and
have it towed it to the nearest author­
i z ed Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility.
- Do not let your veh icle roll w ith the en­
gine switched off under any circumstan­
ces .
- If the brak e booster is not working, you
wi ll have to press much harder on the
brake peda l to compensate for the lack
of the booster.
(D Note
-Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing
the pedal lightly when braking is not
really necessary. This causes the brakes
to overheat and increases braking dis­
tance and causes wear.
- Before driving on a long stretch with
steep s lopes, reduce your speed and shift
to the next lower gear This makes use of
the engine brak ing effect and relieves ..,.
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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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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. ..,.