2015 AUDI A3 check engine

12 Instrum ent s and indicator ligh ts
bottom LED illuminates red and the indicator
light
ti appears ¢ page 24 . The bottom
LED blinks red when the fuel level is very low.
The poss ible range based on the current fue l
leve l is shown in the on-board computer
¢ page 2 7, On-board computer display .
The fuel tank capacity of your veh icle is in the
techn ica l data ¢
page 266.
(1) Note
Never drive with the tan k completely emp­
ty. An irregu la r fuel supp ly can ca use the
eng ine to misfire. This leads to uncom­
busted fuel in the exhaust system. This
can cause overheating and damage to the
catalyt ic converter.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant temperature gauge@
¢
page 10 , fig . 3 only functions when the ig­
n ition is switched on . To prevent engine dam ­
age, observe the follow ing important points
concerning the temperature ranges.
Cold r ange
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the engine has not reached operat ing
temperature yet . Avoid high eng ine speed, full
throttle, and heavy eng ine load.
Norm al ra nge
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 LEDs higher up may turn on when
the eng ine is under heavy load or the exter ior
temperature is high . Thi s is not a cause for
concern as long as the. indicator light in
the disp lay does not turn on .
Hot range
If the LEDs in the upper area of the display
and the. indicator light in the instrument
cluster display turn on, the coolant tempera­
ture is too h igh ¢
page 20.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ing in
¢
page 210 before opening the hood
a nd checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the eng ine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment .
You could bur n yourself. Let the engine
coo l off first u ntil yo u can no longer see
or hear steam or coolant escaping.
([) Note
-Add itional headlights and other compo­
nents in front of the a ir intake reduces
affect of the eff iciency of the coolant. At
hig h ou tside air temperat ures and wi th
heavy eng ine load, there is a ris k of the
eng ine overheating .
- T he front spoiler ensures the correct dis­
tribution of cooling air while driving . If
the spoi ler is damaged, the effect of the
coolant can be reduced and there is a risk
of the engine overheating. See your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility .
Shift indicator
Applies to veh icles: w ith shift indicator
This indicator can help conserve fuel.
Fig. 6 Inst rume nt cl uster: shift recommendat ions in
t ip tronic mode (a utomatic transmission)
N
"' s > o:> tD
When the selector lever is in D/S, the S tronic
transmission shifts up or down automat ica lly.
If you wish to shift the gears manually
¢ page 110, Shifting manually (tiptronic

14 Instruments and indicator lights
> Service intervals > Reset oil change inter­
val.
(D Note
- Only reset the oil change disp lay w hen
you have completed an o il change .
- Maintain ing the service intervals is of vi­
ta l importance for the life and value of
you r vehicle espec ially the engine . Serv­
ice interva ls shou ld not be exceeded,
even by a short distance .
- If the vehicle battery is disconnected,
the timing for the next oil change wi ll be
i nterrupted.
If the vehicle is stationary
for a long time, have all scheduled serv­
ices performed.
- Even if the mileage driven is low, the
maximum period of one year from one
service to the next must not be exceed­
ed.
{!) Tips
Do not reset the disp lay between oil
changes, otherwise the d isplay w ill be in­
correct .
Indicator lights
Descript ion
Fig. 9 Instrument cl uster : example of a display for
vehicles wit h a mo nochrome d isplay.
@ Indicator light
@ Driver message
© Status line:
-• Im, Central indicator light or addi­
tional display for the active system such
as -
• (USA models) /. (Canada mode ls)
electronic parking brake
- II (USA models) Jil (Canada mode ls)
Cruise control system*
-•III active lane assist*
With some indicator lights @ the
central in­
dicator light ©. or
U also appears.
When the central ind icator light © turns on,
pay attention to the additional informat ion in
the instrument cluster display @ and @.
In addition to the indicator lights in the dis­
play, there are others located inside the tach­
ometer and the speedometer. They blink or
turn on to display additional functions or mal­
funct ions. For some indicator lights, dr iver
messages @ also appear briefly. A warning
tone sounds at the same time.
If there is more than one malfunct ion, the in­
dicator lights will tu rn on one after the other
for a short time.
The indicator lights and messages in the dis ­
play can be rep laced by other displays .
If the
indicator light @ is replaced, the central indi­
cator light@remains on until the malfunc­
tion is corrected.
In the driver information system, you can dis­
play the messages again
c:> page 2 7, Opera­
tion.
Overv iew
Some indicator lights turn on briefly as a func­
tion check when you switch the ignition on.
T hese systems are marked with a./ in the fol ­
lowing tables. If one of these indicator lights
does not turn on, there is a malfunction in
that system .
Depending on the vehicle equipment, your ve­
hicle has either a monochrome or multicol-
ored display in the instrument cluster. For
monochrome displays, the ind icator light @ is
only displayed in white
c:> page 14, fig . 9 . To
identify the priority of this indicator light, the
central indicator light© turns on at the same ..,.

-If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
when stationar y or after swit ching the
ign it ion on ,
check if you can release the
parking brake. If you cannot re lease the
parking brake, see your authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified repair facility . If the park­
i ng brake can be released and the message
appears again, drive to your author ized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility to have the
ma lfu nction corrected.
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
whi le driving , hill start ass ist or the
eme rgency braking function may not be
available. It may not be possible to set the
parking b rake or release it once it has been
set . Do not park you vehicle on slopes and
see your authorized Audi dealer or qua lified
repair fac ility for assistance.
(USA models): If the warning light . and the
warning light
El appear together, immedi­
ately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qua lified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
c:> page 22.
A WARNING
-Follow the warnings on c:> page 210,
Working in the engine compartment
be­
fore opening the hood and checking the brake flu id leve l.
- If the brake system warn ing light does
not turn off or turns on wh ile driving, the
brake fl uid in the reservoir is too low and
this could cause an accident. Stop the ve­
hicle and do not continue driving. See
yo ur autho rized Aud i dealer or qualified
repa ir facility.
- If the brake system indicator light t urns
on together with the ABS and ESC indica­
tor lights, the ABS/ESC regulating func­
t ion may have fa iled. Functions that sta­
bilize the vehicle are no longer availab le .
Th is co uld cause the rear of the veh icle to
swerve, wh ich increases the risk that the
vehicle will slide. Dr ive carefully to the
nearest authorize d Aud i dealer o r othe r
qualified repair facility and have the mal­
f unction corrected .
Instruments and indicator ligh ts 19
PARK/( ®)/~ Electromechanical parking
brake
If the indicator light . (U SA mode ls) •
(Canada models) turns on, the pa rking brake
was set .
If the parking brake is set when the
ignition is sw itched off, the indicator light
turns off after about 20 seconds.
• (USA model s)/. (Can ada model s) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too steep
When the indica tor l igh t bli nks and this mes­
sage appears, there is not enough braking
power to keep the vehicle from ro llin g . T he
brakes have overheated. The vehicle could roll
away even on a sma ll incline.
• (USA model s)/. (Canada model s)
Plea se pre ss brake pedal to release the pa rk­
ing brake
T o re lease the par king brake, press the brake
pedal and press the~ button at the same
time, or start driving w ith hi ll start assist
¢ page 77, Starting from a stop.
ml Parking brake !
There is a parki ng b rake ma lfunction . Drive to
you r aut ho rized Aud i dea le r or qualified repa ir
facility immed iate ly to have the malfunction
correc ted.
liJ Parking bra ke: limited functionality
There is a parking brake ma lfunction. Drive to
an authorized Audi dea le r or qualified repa ir
facility immed iate ly to have the malfunction
corrected .
Parking bra ke: not applied !
When this message appea rs, set the pa rking
brake if necessary.
fll ( USA model s) 1mE (Can ada mod els)
Pl ea se relea se parking brake .
When this message appea rs, re lease the par k­
i ng brake.
fll (USA models ) /K@» ( Canada mod els ) Park-
ing brake auto release una va ilable ..,. •

20 Instruments and indicator lights
When this message a ppears, first press the
b rake peda l and then release the parking
b rake .
113 (USA models)/K@'A ing brake malfunction! Anti-towing alarm
blocked
Ill ( USA models) t6] (Canada model s) Park­
ing brake: not applied!
113 ( USA models) t6J (Canada models) Cau­
tion : Vehicle parked too steep
113 (USA models) t6] ( Canada models ) Park­
ing brake is applied
When th is message appears, first press the
b rake pedal and then release the parking
brake if necessary .
(D Tips
More information on the pa rking brake
c::;,page 76.
- l Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant lev­
el!
The coolant leve l is too low or the coolant
temperature is t oo high .
D o not cont inue driving and turn off t he en­
g ine. Check the coolant leve l
c::;, page 216 .
-If the coolant leve l is too low, add coo lan t
c::;, page 217 . Only continue driv ing if the in­
dicato r light tur ns off .
- If the coolant leve l is co rrect, then the mal ­
function may be caused by fai lure of the
coolant fan. Do not continue dr iv ing. See
yo ur authorized Aud i dea le r or qualified re ­
pair fac ility .
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationary
L et the eng ine run at idl e for a few minu tes to
coo l down .
A WARNING
-Never open the eng ine hood if y ou see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coo la nt
d ripping from t he e ngine compartment .
You could bur n yourse lf . What until you
ca nno t see or hea r any coolant co min g
ou t.
- T he engi ne compa rtment o f eve ry ve hicl e
is a dange rou s ar ea . B efo re perfo rmin g
wo rk in t he eng ine com par tmen t, tur n
t he eng ine off and let i t co ol d own. A l­
ways follow t he i nfo rmat ion foun d in
c::;, page 210 , Working in the engine
compartment .
(D Note
Do n ot con tinue dr iv ing whe n the . indi­
cator light turns on . There is a ris k of dam ­
a g ing t he engine .
• Switch off engine! Oil pressure too low
Turn off the en gine and do not co nti nu e dr iv­
ing. Check the eng ine oil level
c::;, page 21 5.
- If the en gin e o il level is too low, ad d eng in e
oil
c::;, page 212 . Only cont inue drivin g if the
in di cator light tu rns off.
- If the en gine oil level is co rrec t and the in d i­
ca to r lig ht still turns on, tu rn t he engine off
an d do not cont inue driv ing . See your au ­
thorized A udi deale r or qualifie d repair fa ­
cility.
(D Tips
The oi l press ure warn ing is not an oil level
i ndicato r. For this reas on, chec k th e o il lev­
e l reg ularly .
D Alternator/battery
• Alternator fault: The battery is not being
charged
There is a malfunction in the al ternator or the
vehicle e lectr ica l system .

Drive to yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler or quali ­
fied repair facility immediately. Because the
ve hicle battery is dra ining, turn off all unnec ­
essary electrical eq uipment such as the MMI.
See your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
repair facility if the battery charge level is too
low.
(•) Low battery charge : Battery will be
charged while dri ving
There may be limited starting ab ility.
If th is message tu rns off after a litt le w hile,
the battery has charged eno ugh whi le dr iving .
I f the message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qua lified workshop
cor rect the malfunc tion.
ii!.(' Safety systems
The fl (USA models)/ EI (Canada mode ls) in ­
dicator light monitors the safety systems .
Safety system
If the fl ( U SA mode ls)/ E,I (Canada models)
i ndicator light t urns on or b links, the re is a
mal func tion in the sa fety system.
D rive to you r autho rized Aud i deale r o r quali­
fied repair fac ility immediately to have t he
mal funct ion cor rected.
_& WARNING
Have the safe ty system checked, othe rwise
there is a risk that the system may act ivate
during an acci dent, which puts lives at r is k!
,{f. Front safety belt
The . indicator light turns on until the safe­
ty belts on the driver's and passenger's side
are buckled. There is a lso a warn ing tone
above a certai n speed.
For addit iona l information on safety be lts,
refer to
<=:> page 131.
Instrument s and indicator ligh ts 21
~ - Electronic steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defe ctive
There is an electron ic steering column lock
malfu nction. You cannot turn the ignition on.
Do
not tow yo ur vehicle because it cannot be
steered. See your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repair facility .
Im Steering lock: system fault! Please con ·
tact Service
T here is an electronic steering column lock
malfunction.
Drive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or qu alifie d
repair fac ility immedia tely to have t he mal­
f unction corrected .
A WARNING
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock. There is a risk of an
accident.
© -I =e Engine start system
-
• Engine start system malfunction! P lease
contact S erv ice
Do not sw itch the ignition off because yo u
may not be able to switch it on again.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer or quali ­
fied repai r facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
Ill/ l3 Engine start system malfunction!
Plea se contact Service
T he re is a malfunction in the eng ine start sys ­
tem .
- Ve hicles w ith an ignition
<=:> page 71, Auto­
matic start malfunction
- Ve hicles a with co nvenience key
<=:> page 73, Automatic start malfunction
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or qualified
repair fac ility immediately to have the mal ·
funct io n corrected . •

inspected. On USA models the warning light
[IJ comes on together with the warning light
• . Both sets of brake pads on an axle must
always be rep laced at the same time.
_& WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a coll i­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the warning light
[IJ and the warning
light
. l) with the message Brake pads!
comes o n in the instrument cluste r dis­
play, immed iately contact your au thor­
i z ed Audi dea le r or q ualified wor kshop to
have all bra ke p ad s ch ecked or rep laced if
necessary.
· ~ Hill hold
Hill hold a ssis t: un available
If th e> #j •ndicato r light turns on and this
message appea rs, hill ho ld is not available.
II Manual control!
If this message appears, press the b rake ped·
al.
Continue driving w ith the help of the parking
brake ¢
page 76.
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
If the ~ indicator light turns on there is a
malfunct ion in the engine control.
D rive s low ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
q ua lified repair faci lity to have the engine
checked .
I f the ~ indica to r li ght turns on when you
start the engine, there is a malfunction in the
l aunch contro l. To start the engine, follow
these steps:
- Vehicles wi th a mechanical ignition
¢ page 71 ,
-vehicles wi th a compor t igni tion
c:> page 73.
1) . : USA mode ls onl y
Instrument s and indicator ligh ts 23
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfun ction Indi cato r Lamp ( MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Diagnos tic (OBD II) sys tem.
T he sym bo l
('4 lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will tur n off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed . This indicates that the MIL is work ing
properly.
T he wa rning lig ht ill uminates when the re is a
malfunction in the engine electronic system .
Contact your a uthorized Aud i dea ler and have
the malfunction corrected.
If the fuel fille r cap is closed incor rect ly, this
may also cause the MIL to turn on
c:> poge 208.
For more information ¢ page 29 .
!7, Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: wi th engine speed lim itatio n
(m Max. engine speed: XXXX rpm
T he eng ine speed is automatically limi ted to
the speed displayed in the driver info rm ation
system . This pro te cts the engine from over ­
heating.
T he eng ine speed l imi ta tion dea ctivates on ce
the engine is no longer in the cri tical tempera ­
tu re range and yo u have re lease d the acce lera ­
tor pedal.
If t he engine speed limi tat ion was act iva ted
b y an engine cont rol m alfunc tio n, the ~ indi­
cator light also turns on. Make sure the en ­
gine speed does not go above the speed dis­
played, fo r example when downshifting . Drive
to yo ur authorized Aud i dea le r or qualified re ­
pair facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
~. Engine oil level (min.)
El Check oil level
•

24 Instruments and indicator lights
You may continue driving for the time being .
Check the oil level as soon as possible
¢ page 212.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
oi l
¢ page 215.
-If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, drive at low engine
speed to the nearest authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified repair facility.
_..,. Engine oil sensor
II Oil level sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the engine oil level has
failed. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or
qua lified repair faci lity immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
Q;) Note
Pay attention to the description in the
Owner 's Manual
¢ page 215 and
¢ page 215, Adding engine oil "l::;1:.
Bil Tank system
RD Please refuel
When the indicator light turns first turns on
and this message appears, the tank contains
the following amount of fuel:
- Front wheel drive : approximately 1.8 gal­
lons (7 liters)
- All wheel drive: approximately 2.2 gallons
(8 .5 liters)
RD Fuel tank malfunction! Please contact
Service
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the
tank system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer or quali­
fied repair facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
@) For the sake of the environment
Fuel should never enter the sewer system
or come into contact w ith the ground.
(D Tips
More information on refueling is available
on page ¢
page 207.
~ Washer fluid level
m Please add washer fluid
Fill the washer fluid with the ignition switched
off ¢
page 224.
• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper: system fault!
There is a malfunction with the windshie ld
wipers .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied repair facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
~ Defective light bulb warning
Applies to vehicles: wit h drive r info rmatio n system
If the S:i indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed. The message ind icates the location of
the bulb .
Replace the bulb immediately.
Vehicle lights: system fault!
There is a malfunction in the headlights or
light switch. Drive to an author ized Audi deal­
er or qualified repair facility immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
_&. WARNING
- Light bulbs are under pressure and can
explode when bu lbs are replaced -risk of
inj ury.
- With gas-discharge lamps* (xenon head­
lights), the high -voltage component
must be hand led appropriate ly. Other­
wise, there is a risk of fatal injury.
-

Opening and closing
Central locking
Key set
Fig . 16 Your vehicle key set
The key set contains two remote contro l keys
or convenience keys*. To fold the key out or in,
press the release button
q fig. 16 -arrow-.
Remote control key or convenience key
The convenience key is a vehicle remote con ­
trol key with special functions ¢ page 34,
Locking and unlocking with convenience key
and
q page 73 , Starting and stopping the
engine (vehicles with a convenience key).
With the remote control key, you can lock and
un lock the vehicle centrally and start the en­
gine.
Number of keys
You can check the number of keys assigned to
your vehicle in the MMI. This allows you to
make sure you have received a ll of the keys
when you purchase a used vehicle. Select: Sys­
tems control button or Car Systems
> Service
& control> Programmed keys .
Replacing a key
If a key is lost, see an authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified repair facility. Have this key deac­
tivated. It is important to br ing all keys with
you.
If a key is lost, you should report it to
your insurance company .
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized use of
the vehicle . The vehicle may not start if anoth -
Opening and closing 31
er radio device such as a key for another veh i­
cle or a transponder is located on the key ring.
Data in the remote control key or
convenience key
While driving , service and maintenance -rele ­
vant data is continuously stored on your re­
mote control key or convenience key*. Your
Audi serv ice advisor can read out this data and
tell you about the work your vehicle needs.
_& WARNING
- Always take the vehicle key with you
when leaving the vehicle, even for a
short period of time. This applies partic­
ularly when children remain in the vehi­
cle. Otherwise the children could start
the engine or operate electrical equip­
ment such as power windows.
- Do not remove the key from the ignition
lock until the vehicle has come to a com­
plete stop. Otherwise, the steering col­
umn lock could engage suddenly and in­
crease the risk of an accident.
{i) Tips
The operation of the remote control key
can be temporarily disrupted by interfer­
ence from transmitters in the vicinity of
the veh icle working in the same frequency
range (for example, a cell phone or radio
equipment).
Central locking system description
You can lock and unlock the vehicle centrally .
There are different ways, depending on vehicle
equipment:
- Remote control key¢ page 33
- Lock cylinder on the driver's door
q page 35, or
- Sensors in the front door handle on vehicles
with convenience key* q page 34,
- Power locking switch inside¢ page 35.
•