2015 AUDI A3 warning

208 Checking and Filling
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers . Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty . The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter.
Fueling procedure
Fig. 144 Rig ht rear side of the vehicle: opening the
fue l filler door
Fig. 145 Fu el filler door w ith atta ched fuel cap
The fuel filler door is unlocked or locked by
the central locking system.
Opening the fuel filler door
.,. Press the left side of the fuel filler door to
open it -arrow-
c::> fig . 144 .
• Unscrew the tank cap counterclockwise.
• Place the cap from above on the open fuel
filler door
c::> fig . 145. Closing the fuel cap
.,.
Turn the fuel cap clockwise until you hear it
lock.
.,. Close fuel filler door until it latches.
Once the pump nozzle switches off , the fuel
tank is "full". Do not fill the tank more. Other­
wise the expansion space in the tank will be
filled.
The correct fuel type for your vehicle can be
found on a label located on the inside of the
fuel filler door. Additional information on fuel
c::>page206.
The fuel tank capacity of your vehicle is in the
Technical Data c::> page 266.
To avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap properly
and completely. An improperly closed fuel fill­
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp
c::> page 29
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to
over­
flow. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while re­
fueling. The electromagnetic radiation can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va­
pors and cause a fire .
- Never get back into your vehicle while re­
fueling . If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
refueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors released during refueling .

210 Check ing and F illin g
Only pull on the loop until you fee l 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 engine co mpartm ent such as
c h ec king an d filling fluids, there i s a ri sk of
inj ury, sca lding, a ccid ent s, and b urn s. For
t hi s re ason , fo llow all th e followin g lis te d
warn in gs a nd ge neral safe ty pr eca utions.
Th e e ngine compartment is a d ange rous
area .¢ .& .
&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury, before you
check anyth ing under the hood:
- Turn the engine off.
- Set the parking brake.
- Place the selector leve r in the P position.
- Remove the ignit io n key .
- Let the engine coo l down.
- To reduce the r isk 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 hea rd before ca re­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep chi ldren away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never spill flu ids on a hot engine. These
fluids (such as the freeze protection con­
tained in the coolant) can catch fi re.
- Avoid short circuits in the electrical sys­
tem, especially the battery.
- When working in the engine compart­
ment, remembe r that the radiator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
switched off, which increases the risk of
persona l injury . -
Never open the cap on the coolant ex­
pans ion tank when the eng ine is warm.
The coolant system is under 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 itional dan­
ger due to moving components (such as
the ribbed belt, generator and radiator
fan) and from the high voltage ignit ion
system.
- Never touch the rad iator fan . The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Pay attention to the fo llow ing warnings
listed when wo rk on the fuel system or
on the e lectr ica l equipment is req uired.
-A lways disconnect the vehicle battery
from the vehicle electr ical system
- Do not smoke
- Never work near open flames
- Always have a wo rk ing fire exting uisher
nearby
- To avo id e lectr ica l sho ck and pe rsonal in­
jury whi le the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ign it ion cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the eng ine running:
- First, fully app ly the parking brake,
move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always use extreme caut io n to prevent
cl othing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-be lts
o r other moving parts, o r from contact­
ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards¢,& . ..,.

,&_ 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.

212 Checking and Filling
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­
ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it.
Fig. 149 Typ ica l locat ion of the reservoir, en g in e oil d ipstick, and engine o il filler opening
(D Coolant expansion tank (- L) .. .
@ Engine oi l dipstick ... .... .. . .
® Engine oil filler opening (~) .
@ Brake fluid reservo ir ((0)) .. .. .
® Battery(+) under a cover .. .. .
@ Body ground point(-)
0 Washer f luid reservoir (~) ... .
@ Fuse housing ....... .... ... .
2 17
215
215
219
221
224
255
The engine oil filler opening and the dipstick (items ® and @)
c::> fig. 149 may be located in
a different area depending on engine version .
A WARNING ,...,___ -
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> page 210.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The eng ine in your Audi is a sophisticated
power plant that was built to exacting specifi ­
cations . This engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and v iscosity so that it can run
II>-

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 ..,.

dealer has instructions about how to measure oil consumption accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
Fi g. 150 O il dip stick: O rienta ti on ass ist an ce for mea s·
ur ing t he oil leve l
Dete rmining th e oil l evel
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• Let the engine run in id le briefly while it is at
operating temperature and then shut the
engine off.
• Wait approximately two minutes .
• Remove the oil dipst ick. W ipe off the oil dip·
stick with a clean cloth and inse rt it all the
way in again.
• Remove the dipstick again and then read the
oi l level ¢
fig. 150 . Add more engine o il, if
necessary ¢
page 215.
Oil level in the G) area
• Do not add any o il.
Oil level in the @area
• You may add oil. After adding oil , the level
shou ld be in the@area.
Oil l evel in th e@ area
• You must add oil. After adding oil, the level
shou ld be in the@area.
D epending on the way the vehicle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumptio n
can be up to a 1/2 quart per 600 mi les
(0.5 liter per 1,000 km) . Consumption may be
h igher with in the first 3,000 miles (5,000
km) . Because of th is, the engine oil leve l must
be checked regularly . It would be best to
check each time you refue l your veh icle and
befo re long drives.
Che cking and Fillin g 215
Adding engine oil 'i=:1:
Fig. 151 E ng in e compa rtm en t: en gin e o il fil ler o pen ·
in g cover
• Tur n the engine off.
• Unscrew the engi ne oil filler opening cap
~ ¢ fig.151, ¢page 212, fig. 149 .
• Carefully add 0.5 q ua rts (0.5 liters) of the
appropriate oil¢
page 212 .
• After two m inutes check the oil leve l again
¢ page 215, Checking the engine oil level .
• Add oil, if necessa ry.
• Close the eng ine o il filler cap and push the
d ipstick al l the way in.
A WARNING
- When adding oil, do no t let o il drip o nto
hot engine components. There could be
ris k of a f ire.
- T he o il filler cap mus t be p roperly se·
cured to preven t oil from bei ng sprayed
on t he hot engine a nd exhaust system
when t he engine is running -fire haza rd!
- Always clean s kin th oroughly if it comes
into contac t with engine oil.
(D Note
- T he oil level cannot be above the@
range, beca use thi s ca n cause damage to
t he cat alytic conve rter or the engine .
Contact yo ur autho rize d Audi deale r o r
qualified repair facility to have excess oil
extracted if necessary.
- Do not mix any addit io na l lubr icants into
the engine oil. Damage cause by such ad·
ditives is not covered by the warranty .
1i1J>

216 Check ing and F illin g
@ For the sake of the environment
-Oil should never enter the sewer system
or come into contact with the ground .
- Pay attentio n to lega l requ irements
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,
a lways r ea d and heed all WARN­
ING S
r=>page 210.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in you r Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly during norma l veh icle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
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 eng ine has been run­
n ing 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 w ith the special tools and necessary ex­
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have you r o il changed by an author ized
A udi de ale r or a q ual ified servi ce station.
If yo u choo se to c hang e your o il yo urse lf,
please note the following important informa­
tion :
.8, WARNING
To reduce the ris k of persona l injury if yo u
m ust change the engine oil in your veh icle
yourself : -
Wear eye protection .
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en -
gine oi l, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to
hold at least the tota l amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out
of the reach of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmful to your sk in . Always protect
your skin by washing oil
off tho roughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Aud i Limit­
ed New Veh icle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make sure
yo u know where you can properly dispose
of the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oil proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open st reams o r down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used eng ine oil collect io n fac ility in you r
are a, or contact a se rvice station.
coolant 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 sealed and genera lly re-
quires little attention. .,..

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::> _& . ..,.