2015 AUDI A3 battery

156 Airbag system
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­ lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop. -
Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once.
After an airbag has been deployed, it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially
for your Audi model version. Replace­
ment of complete airbag systems or air­
bag components must be performed by
qualified workshops only . Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE­
CORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­ nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified technicians who have the ex­ perience, information and special tools
necessary to perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see

Your vehicle is equipped w ith an intelligent
energy management system for distrib uting
e lectricity. This sign ificantly improves the
start ing ability and increases the battery life.
The energy management system Is made up
of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic ene rgy man agement.
Battery diagnosis
The b attery diagnos is determines the ba tte ry
cha rge leve l. The sensors de termine the bat ­
tery vo ltage, the battery c urrent , and the bat ­
tery temperature . The c urrent charge level
and the performance of the battery are deter­
mined based on th is.
Idling current management
The idling current ma nagement decreases the
ene rgy used whi le par ked . W it h the engine
switche d off, it ma nages the ene rgy distribu ­
tion to the d ifferent e lectr ica l components.
Date from battery d iagnosis is taken into ac­
count for th is .
D epending on t he battery charge level, elec­
tr ica l equipment is sw itched off one item after
the ot her, to prevent the battery from dra in­
i n g a nd to retain the starting abil ity.
Dynamic energy management
W hile dr iving, dynamic energy management
d istributes the approp riate amount of energy
to the electrical equipment. It contro ls the
battery c harge level so that more energy is
n ot used the n is being generated in o rder to
main tain an opt imal batte ry charge level.
{!) Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome
the laws of physics . Note that the charge
l eve l and length of the battery life are
li mi ted.
- Wh en the star ting ability is endangered,
the (•) indica to r li ght turns on
9page20.
Smart Technolog y 191
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority .
A lot of stress is placed o n the batte ry when
driv ing s hort d ista nces, in traffic, and at cold
times of the year . A lot of e ne rgy is used but
li ttle is generated .
It is also cr it ica l when the
engine is not r unning but electr ical eq uip­
ment is switc hed on. In this case, e nergy is
u sed but none is gener ated.
In si tuat ions like this , energy management
will active ly r egu lated t he di st ribution of e n­
ergy.
Long periods without use
If you do not d rive your vehicle for several
days or weeks, elect rical eq uipment is gradu­
a lly scaled back or sw itched off. This reduc es
energy u se and en sures the ve hicl e w ill be
a ble to s tart aft er long per iod s of ti me . S ome
co nve nience fun ctions such as ope ning wi th
the remote con tro l key may not be available.
T hese convenience functions
will be ava ila bl e
again once you switch t he ignit io n on and
start the eng ine.
With the engine switched off
F o r example, if you listen to the r adio w hen
th e engine is swi tc h ed off, the bat tery will
drain .
If the st arting ability is en dangere d due to the
energy cons umption, an error message ap­
p ears in vehicles wi th a driver informat ion sys ­
tem *.
T he mess age s hows th at y ou n eed to s tart t he
engine in order to c harge t he battery.
With the engine running
Althoug h elec trical en ergy is g enerate d while
driv ing , th e bat tery ca n dra in . T his can happen
whe n littl e e ne rgy is ge nera ted, a nd much is
u sed and th e ch arge leve l o f th e batt ery is no t
o ptimal.
IJI>
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192 Smart Technology
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tem­porarily sca led back or switched off . Heating
systems in particu lar require a great deal of
energy. I f you notice, for example, that the
seat heating* or rear window defroster is not
working, then it has been temporarily reduced
or sw itched off . These systems are available
again as soon as the energy ba lance has been
restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle
speed has slightly increased . That is normal
and no cause for concern . Due to the in­
creased idling speed, the additional required
energy will be generated and the battery will
be charged.

can reach the catalytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System :
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lac k of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
t he funct ion of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@) For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Cont ro l System is
operating properly, t he exhaus t gas can
have a s ulfu r-like exhaust gas smell unde r
some operating states. This depends on
the s ulfur content of the fue l being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Placing your vehicle
out of service.
I f you wou ld like to take your vehicle out of
service for a longer t ime, contact your aut hor­
iz ed A udi dealer or qualified repair facility .
They will advise you o f important meas ures,
such as cor rosion protection, maintenance
and storage procedures. Also follow the infor ­
mat ion about the battery¢
page 220.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle , as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
F ue l economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and t ires largely
depend on three factors:
Dri ving and the en vironm ent 195
-your personal d riving s tyle
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitat io ns
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive econom ically , yo u can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent . This sec­
tion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your po cketbook.
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRO NM EN TAL PROT ECTI ON AG ENC Y
( E PA) and Transpo rt Canada may no t cor re­
spond to your actual consump tion on the
r oad, which will va ry depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.. Avo id u nnecessary accelerating and brak ing.
Vehicles use the mos t fu e l when they are ac­
ce lerating. If you anticipate what is going to
happe n next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, acce lerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce le rat ing gently re duces fue l cons ump ­
tion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust em iss ions an d en­
gine noise inc rease disproportionate ly at high
speeds . If you drive at approximately three
quarte rs of top speed, fuel consumption wi ll
be reduced by one ha lf. Never drive faster
IJ,-
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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>-

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 ..,.