2015 AUDI A3 light

,&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm .
- 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 harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to mix the
fluids up. Otherwise severe malfunctions and engine damage will occur.
@) For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground un­ der your vehicle in order to detect leaks
quickly .
If there are visible spots from oil
or other fluids, bring your vehicle to an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility to be checked.
Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior.
Fig. 147 Sect ion of the driver's footwell: release lever
Checking and Filling 211
Fig. 148 Rocke r switch un der t he hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged .
The hood can only be released with the driv­
er's door open .
.,. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the direction of the arrow¢
fig. 147 .
.,. Raise the hood slightly¢,&. .
.,. Press the rocker switch under the hood up ­
ward
c:> fig. 148. This releases the catch.
.,. Open the hood .
.&, WARNING
Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coolant drips from the engine
compartment- there is a danger of burns!
Wait until no steam or coolant flows out.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
Closing the hood
.,. Push the hood down until the force of the
strut is overcome . -
.,. Then lower the hood and let it fall into the
engine hood latch -you do
not have to press
on the hood after it is locked. ¢ ,&. .
.&, WARNING -
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and block your view while driv­ ing.

214 Checking and Filling
you have your oil changed, ask your author­
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods .
Detergent additives in the o il wi ll 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 .
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00. Your Lim ited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fa ilure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage un less yo u present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re­
pair Orders that all schedu led maintenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components , a ll in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certain
amount of o il. Oil consumption var ies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the eng ine . Typically, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 193) consume more oil during the
b reak-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized. Under
normal conditions, the rate o f oil con ­
s u mption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolut ions 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
co nd ensat ion or fuel residue and the oxida­
t ion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wea r as mileage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard ra te of oil consumpt io n can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent check ing of the oil lev­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
Ill in the instr ument cl uster light s up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possible
¢
page 215. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
~ page 215.
A WARNING
-~
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
page 210.
(D Note
Driving wit h an insufficient oil level is like­
l y to cause severe damage to the engine.
(D Tips
-The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead, check 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 impression your engine
consumes excessive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you consult an author­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in
mind that the accurate measurement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some time. An authorized Audi ..,.

The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of spec ia lly conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol-based coolant addi-
tive Gl3 antifreeze with anticorros ion addi ­
tives (50% fo r USA models; 60% for Canadian
models) . This mixture both assures th e neces­
sary frost protect ion a nd p rotects me tal com ­
ponents in the engine 's coo ling system from
corrosion and scaling.
It al so raises the boil­
ing po int o f the coo lant .
D o no t reduce the concentration of t he coo l­
an t in the summer by ad ding plain w ate r.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
lea st 50 % but not more than 60%
to main­
tain ant ifreeze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low ,
the coolant cou ld free ze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system.
F or yea r-round driv ing, antifreeze is added at
the facto ry for temperatures down to:
- -3 1 °F ( -3 5°C) USA
- -4 0°F ( -4 0°C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a m ixture of wa ­
ter and coolant addit ive. M ixing the coolant
addi tive wi th dist illed wate r is recom mend ed.
_& WARNING
Bef ore yo u check any thing in the e ngine
comp artme nt, alw ays re ad and hee d all
WARN INGS
¢page 210.
(D Note
- B efo re winter sets in, have the coolant
c hec ked to see if the c oolan t ad dit ive i n
you r vehi cle is su fficient t o mee t the cl i­
mate cond itions. This is especially impor ­
tant if yo u live in a region whe re the win­
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in ­
crease the proport ion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- W hen addi ng coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive Gl2 ++ o r Gl3 ( check t he label)
-
Che cking and Fillin g 21 7
for you r vehi cle. This coolan t additive is
avai lab le at authorize d Audi dea le rs .
Ot her types of antifreeze ca n sig nifi­
cantly reduce corros io n protection. The
res ulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serio us e ngine da mage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
ant to you r vehicle's engine coolant .
Add ing radiator repair flu id may adverse ­
ly affect t he function and performanc e of
yo ur cooling sys tem and co uld resu lt i n
damage not covered by yo ur New Ve hicle
L imi ted W arranty.
Adding coolant
Fi g. 152 En gine co mpa rtment: markin gs on t he coo l­
an t e xpan sio n t ank
Befo re you check a nyt hing in the eng ine com ­
partment ,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ page 210.
Checking the engine coolant level
.,. Park yo ur vehicle o n a level su rf a ce .
.,. Switch t he ignition off.
.,. Read t he coolant leve l on the coo lant expan­
sion tank ¢
fig. 152. The coolant leve l must
be between the markings when the engine
in cold. When the engine is warm it can be
slightly above the upper mark ing .
Adding coolant
Req uirement : There m ust be a res idual
amount of coo lant in the expansion tank
c::> Q) .
.,. Le t the engine cool down.
.,. Place a clot h over the coo lant expans ion
tank cap a nd u nscrew the cap co unterclock-
wise
c::> _& . ..,.

218 Check ing and F illin g
• Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢page 216 up to the upper marking.
• Make sure that the fluid level rema ins sta-
ble. Add more coolant if necessary.
• Clove the cap securely.
A coo lant loss suggests a leak. Immediately
drive your vehicle to an authorized repair fa­
cility and have the coolant system inspected.
If the coolant system is not leaking, a loss can
come from the coolant cooking through over­
heat ing and being pushed out of the coolant
system.
.8, WARNING
The cool ing system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps .
- Do not open the coo lant expansion tank
cap with the engine hot . There is a risk of
burns.
- T urn off the engine and allow it to cool
down .
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- T urn the cap slowly and ve ry carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avoid being b urned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coo lant on the exhaust system
or hot eng ine parts. Under certain condi­
t ions, the ethylene g lycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
- The coo lant add itive and the coolant can
be dange rous to your hea lth. For th is
reason, keep the coolant in the or ig inal
conta iner away from children. There is a
risk of poisoning.
- Whe n work ing in the engine compart­
ment, remembe r that the radiator fan
can swit ch on even if the ignition is
switched off, wh ic h increases the risk of
persona l inju ry .
(D Note
Do not add coo lant if the expansion tank is
empty. Air cou ld enter the cooling system
and damage the engine. If this is the case,
do not continue dr iving. See your author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified repair fac ility .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
An a uxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ing condit ions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxi liary
fan can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even w ith the ignition off.
It can even switch
on again later by itself¢.&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build- up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
.8, WARNING ,-
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev-
er touch the radiator fan.
- The a uxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning.
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.

Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig . 153 Engine co mpa rtment: cove r on the b rake f lu id
reservo ir
B efore you check anything in the engi ne com­
partment,
alwa ys read and heed all WARN ·
INGS r:=:,page 210 .
~ Read the brak e fluid level from the brake
fluid reservo ir
r:=;, fig . 153, r:=:, page 212,
fig. 149 .
The brake f luid leve l mus t be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX " ma rkings.
The location of the brake flu id reservo ir can be
seen in the engi ne compa rtment illust ra ti on
¢ page 212 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the b rake pads . Thi s is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be ­
low the "MIN" mark, the b rake wa rning/ind i­
cato r light . (U .S . models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on
r:=;, page 18 . Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized A udi dealer or other quali­
f ied fac ility and the ca use corrected . If the
br ake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indica tor light w ill illuminate. Contact an au·
thor ized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid abso rbs moist ure from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
Che cking and Fillin g 219
high, co rrosion in the brake system may resu lt
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake f lu id will also decrease conside rably and
decrease braking performance.
T herefore, the brake fluid must be changed
eve ry two year s. Always use new brake f luid
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoi r can be difficu lt to
reach, therefore, we recomm end that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
i z ed
Audi dealer . Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake flu id 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 containe r
out of the rea ch of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
p rop riate brake f lu id. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SAE
spec ificat ion
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Ve hicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
cor rect bra ke fluid. The cor rect type of
brake f luid is also i nd icated on t he
brake f lui d rese rvoir.
- The bra ke flu id must be new. Heavy us e
of the brake s can cause a vapo r lock if
the b ra ke fluid is left i n the system too
l ong . This can se riously affect the effi ­
ciency of the brakes as we ll as your
safety . This co uld resu lt i n an accident .
(D Note
Brak e fluid will dam age the pa int of your
vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of proper disposal
o f bra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary exper tise, we
recommend that yo u have the brake flu id
changed by yo ur authorized Audi dea ler.

220 Checking and Filling
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte­
nance. With
high outs ide temperatu res or
long daily drives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility. The e lectrolyte level shou ld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
c:>page222.
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service. You are well advised to replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
With certain types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec ­
trica l system for safety reasons
c;, .&. in Re­
pair , care and disposal of the airbags on
page 156.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions such as power win­
dows are unavai lable if the battery termina ls
are d isconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery terminals are con­
nected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
To reprogram the functions, proceed as fol­ lows:
Function Reprogramming
Power window one-c;, page 40, Correcting
touch up/down power window mal-
function functions
Remote control key If the vehicle does not
or react to the key, it
convenience key must be synchroni zed
c:>page 33
Digital clock c:>page 10
ESC indicator light The indicator light
goes out after driving
a few meters
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, e lectrica l compo­
nents are gradually sca led back or switched
off. This reduces energy consumption and
maintains starting capability over a longer pe­
riod
c;, page 190. Some of the conven ience
functions may not operate, such as the interi­
or lights or power seat adjustment. The con ­
venience functions will be availab le aga in
when you switch on the ignition and start the
engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop. This
is because more power is also consumed wh ile
sta rting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc. , are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumpt ion, par­
ticularly in city traffic or when traveling only
short distances. Let your authorized Aud i
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat­
tery before winter sets in ~ page 222. A well
charged battery will not on ly prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer.
A WARNING -
-Work on the battery requ ires expert
know ledge. Contact your authorized Audi
dealer qualified repair facility for infor­
mat ion regarding the vehicle battery.
There is a risk for chemical burns or ex­
p losions.
- Never open the vehicle batte ry . Do not
try to change the battery electrolyte lev­
el. Otherwise explosive gas will escape
from the battery and increase the risk of
an explosion .
(i) Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery should be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will ..,.

prevent it from being damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is loca ted in the luggage compart­
men t under the floor. Before yo u check any­
thing in the l uggage compartment,
read and
hee d all WARNINGS
¢ _A .
Always heed the sa fe ty warning s, when work­
i ng on the vehicle battery or the vehi cle elec ­
trica l system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
impo rtant when working on the battery:
Alway s heed th e following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and saf ety precaution s when working
o n the b att ery.
®
Always wear e ye protection.
A
Batter y ac id contains sulfu ric acid .
Always w ear glo ves and e ye p rote c-
t ion .
@
No
- spark s
- flames
- smo king.
~
Wh en a battery i s charge d, it produ -
ce s hy d rogen ga s whi ch i s ex plo siv e
and could cau se perso na l injur y.
®
Alway s keep the b atter y w ell o ut of
r e ach of childr en.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the bat tery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS :
- Always wear eye p rotection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
yo ur sk in or clothing. Sh ield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
-
Checking and Fillin g 221
-Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection.
Do no t tilt the ba ttery because acid
could leak out of the ventilat ion open­
ings .
- If you ge t bat tery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
med ical attention .
- If you should ingest any batte ry acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the ba tte ry to an open
f lame, e lectric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke.
- Do not in terchange t he positive and neg-
ative cables.
- When working on t he battery, be su re
not to short-cir cuit the termina ls w ith
too ls or othe r metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and pe rsonal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal inju ry.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the elect rical sys ­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca ­
ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec­
trical system, switch off the engine and ignit ion 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
e nough to switc h 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 negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the battery, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch­
ed off. Reco nne ct the pos it ive cable first
•
•
•

230 Tire s and wheel s
you have stored . The system does not recog ­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressu re monito r­
ing system w ill be impaired if you store nor­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢.&. .
See the il lustration¢
fig. 156 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side 8-pillar (color of
the actua l labe l and exact location on the ve­
hicle wi ll vary slightly).
Note that the followi ng tab le is accurate at
the time o f go ing to press and is subject to
Model / Tire de
signation
change. In the event of discrepancies, the t ire
pressure label is located on the driver's side 8-
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressu res for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as original
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A3: 225 /45 Rl 7 91 Y
32 220 29 200 35 240 35 240 1
.8 lit er High P erform ance
4 -cy lind er
22 5/40 R18 92Y XL
Hi gh Perfo rmance
35 240 32 220
35 240
35 240
2
2 5/45 Rl 7 91H
35 240
32 220 39 270 39 270 All S
ea son
2 25 /40 R18 92H XL
35 240 32 220 39 270 39 270 All Season
2 35/35 Rl 9 91 Y XL
32 220 29 200 35 240
35 240 High Performan
ce
C o mp act spar e whe el
60 420 60 420
60 420 60 420 11
25/70 R 18
A 3: 225 /45 Rl 7 91Y
33 230 30 210 36 250 36 250 2.0 liter High Perfo rman ce
4 -cy linder
22 5/40 R18 92Y XL
High Performan ce
33 230 30 210 36 250 36 250
225 /45 R1 7 91H
36 250 33 230 41 280 41 280 All Seaso n
225 /40 R18 92H XL
36 250
33 230 41 280
41 280 All Seaso n
23 5/3 5 R1 9 9 1 Y XL
33 230 30 210 36 250 36 250 High P erformance
C o m pact spa re w heel
60 420 60 420 60 420 60 420 1125 /70 R18
X L= reinf orced or extra lo ad tir e. It m ay als o a ppe ar as x l, EX TRA L OAD , or RF on the ti re side-
wall .