2015 AUDI A3 fuel cap

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

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
•

Other equipment
Applies to vehicles: with driver information system
Fig. 1 4 Instrument cluste r: other e quipmen t (e xam­
p le)
~ Turn the menu thumbwheel@¢page 27,
fig. 11 while in the efficiency program until
t h e other eq uipme nt affect ing consump tion
appears .
Other equipmen t that is curren tly affecting
fuel cons umption is listed in t he eff iciency
p rog ram. The display shows up to three other
items of equipment @. The equipment using
the most f uel is listed first . If more than thr ee
items us ing fue l are switched on, the equip­
ment that is cu rrently using the most fuel is
d isplayed .
A scale @ also shows the current total con ­
sumpt ion of all other equipment .
Fuel economy messages
Applies to vehicles: with driver information system
Fi g. 15 Instrum ent clus ter: e conomy m essa ge (e xam­
p le)
Fue l economy messages are displayed when
fuel consumption is increased by certain con ­
d itions .
If you follow these fuel economy mes­
sages, you can reduce your vehicle's cons ump­
tion of fuel. The messages appear automati-
Dr iver in formation system 29
ca lly and are only displayed in the efficiency
program . The fue l economy messages t urn off
automat ica lly after a certain per iod of t ime .
~ To turn an economy message off immed iate­
ly a fter it appears, press any button on the
mu ltifunction steer ing wheel.
(D Tips
- Once yo u have tur ned a fuel economy
message off, it will o nly appea r again af­
ter you turn the ignition on again.
- T he f ue l economy messages are not dis ­
played in every instance, but rather in in ­
tervals over a period of t ime.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL )
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ¢• in
the instr ument cluste r is part of the On-Board
Diagnost ic (O8D
II) system .
T he warning/i ndicator light ill uminates when
the ignit ion is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the id le has stabilized .
This indicates that the MIL i s working proper­
ly.
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates while you are driv­
ing, a malfunction may exist in the engi ne sys­
tem.
If t he light illuminates, the ca talytic con­
verter could be damaged .
Continue driving
with reduced power (avo id­
ing sustained high speeds and/or rapid accel­
erations) and have the cond ition corrected .
Contact your authorized Audi dea ler .
I f the light illuminates, the electronic speed
limiter may also be malfunct io ning . For more
informa tion
c> page 30 , Electronic speed
limiter* .
If the fuel filler cap is closed incorrectly, this
may also cause the MIL to turn on
c> page208.

Safety central locking
Applies to vehicles: with safety central lock ing
Safety central locking provides the possib ility,
to only unlock the driver's door and the fuel
fil ler door. The rest of the vehicle remains
lock ed.
Unlocking the driver's door and the fuel
filler door
.,. Press the remote contro l key or convenience
key ~ button
once or turn th e key once in
the opening direction.
Unlocking all doors , the luggage
compartment lid and the fuel filler door
.,. Press the remote control key or convenience
key ~ button
twice within five seconds or
turn the key
twice within five seconds in the
opening direction.
When unlocking just the driver's door, the an­
ti-theft alarm system* is also immediat ely de­
activated .
I n vehicles with an MMI, you can directly ad­
just the safety central locking
~ page 36.
Front passenger's door and rear doors
emergency locking
All doors must be locked separately if the
power locking system fails.
Fig. 23 Emergency door locking
..,
0 0 >
::l
The drive r's door can be locked using the door
lock cylinder ~
page 35.
The emergency lock on the other doors is lo­
cated on the side of the front passenger's and rear doors. It is only visible when the door is
open .
Opening and closing 3 7
.,. Pull the cover cap out of the opening.
.,. Insert the key bit in the slot inside and turn
the key all the way to the right (right door)
or left (left door).
Once the door has been closed, it can no lon­
ger be opened from the outside. The door can
be unlo cked and opened from the inside by
pulling the door handle once .
If the child safety lock on the rear doors is ac­
tivated, pull the inner door handle first. Then
you can open the door from the outside.
Luggage compartment
Lid
Opening and closing the luggage
compartment lid
Fig. 24 Luggage compart ment lid: opening (ha ndl e)
Fig. 25 Luggage compartment lid/grip: clos ing
Opening the luggage compartment lid
.., 0 > co a:,
.,. Press and hold the l= I button on the remote
contro l key for at least one second, or
.,. Press the handle in the luggage compart­
ment lid
q fig. 24.

60 Seats and st o rage
loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly . Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down.
,. Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
evenly .
,. Always attach items to the roof rack securely
before you d rive off.
The maximum perm iss ible roof we ight is
165 lb (75 kg ). The roof weight is the total of
the we ight of the roof rack, the attachments
and the cargo you are carry ing. You m ust also
not exceed the maximum load weight for the
roof rack you are using.
When us ing a roof rack system which has a
l owe r load carry ing capac ity, you must not use
up the total max imum pe rm issib le load carry ­
i ng capac ity specified above. Instead, you
should load the roof rack system only to the
maximum capacity specified by the manufac­
turer of the roof rack system.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fail
during hard braking or in a collision and
cause se rious personal injury .
- Make sure the roof rack is insta lled exact­
ly as specified above¢
page 59.
-Always use suitable mounting straps for
securing items to the roof rack to help
prevent items from shift ing o r fly ing for­
ward.
- Items on the roof rack must always be sec urely mounted.
- The use of a roof rack can negative ly af­
fect the way a vehicle handles . Ca rgo
that is larg e, heavy, bulky, long o r flat
will have a g reater negative influence on
the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
gravity and overal l handling. Always
dr ive slowly, avo id sudden braking and
maneuvers when transporting cargo on
the roof of your vehicle.
- Never exceed the maxim um permissible
load carrying capacity of the roof of your
veh icle, the permissible axle weights and
the permissible total weight of your vehi­ cle ¢
page 265, Weights.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
As a result of the increased wind resist­
ance created by a roof rack, your vehicle is
us ing fuel unnecessarily . So
remove the
r oof rack after using it .
Luggage compartment
loading luggage compartment
Luggage items must be stowed securely.
Fig . 5 4 Place heavy objects as far forward as possible.
Note the following to preserve the vehicle's
good handling characteristics.
,. Distribute the load as even ly as possib le.
,. Place heavy objects as far forward as possi ­
ble ¢
fig. 54.
,. Secure luggage items with the cargo net* or
w ith non-elastic retaining straps to the tie­
down rings*
¢page 62.
A WARNING
-Loose objects in the l uggage compart­
ment can slide about suddenly and a lter
the vehicle's hand ling cha racteristics.
- Loose objects in the passenge r compart­
ment can fly forward during abr upt ma­
ne uvers o r acci dents and inj ure occu­
pants.
-

Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well for winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over , we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stations where the sea­ sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
Q;) Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo ­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specificat ions, ask your service station or
i ts fuel supp lier .
- Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified .
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­
lems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have cer tain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec­
tive.
Checking and Filling 207
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www .toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your engine of peak performance.
CJ) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for detailed
instructions see
c::> page 209.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve ­
hicle in
c::> page 266.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
tells you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c::> page 206 .
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on board refuel­
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly .
A WARNING ~
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision . If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower, ..,.
•
•
•

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 .

-Never smoke or have an open flame any­
where in or near your vehicle when refu­
eling or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container . This will
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers.
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
Checking and Filling 209
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
@ Tips
-Running your engine while refuelling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spill out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be­
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not indicate the correct fuel
level after refuelling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside.
Fuel filler door emergency release
If the central locking system is faulty, the
fuel filler door can be unlocked manually .
Fig. 146 Rig ht rea r lu g g ag e compar tme nt: emergency
release
The emergency release mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug ­
gage compartment .
.,. Remove the cover in the side panel.
.,. Loosen the loop from the retainer and then
pull on the loop carefully -arrow -
c:>(D . The
fuel filler door is released .
.,. To open the fuel filler door, press on the left
side
c:> page 208, fig. 144 . i,..