2015 AUDI A3 oil viscosity

smoothly and reliably. Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion .
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan ­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils available today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based oils , making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum­ based engine oil , the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"sludge", that over time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of printing, engine oils available in
the U.S. and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00 . So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful de­ posi ts use only oil with the following specifi­
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica­
tion singly or in combination with other desig­
nations and oil quality standards.
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their vis­
cosity . The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasonal con­
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all tem­
perature ranges for normal driving conditions.
Checking and Filling 213
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
5W40 is not available , you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE 5W -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart
(liter) of oil that expressly conforms to the
VW 502 00 spec ificat ion, in case you have to
top off the oil while on the road .
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark -and no oil that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available - may you top off
with a high quality engine oil , preferably syn ­
thetic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM specifications, but even then, only in viscosity
grades SAE 5W-40 , SAE SW-30, or SAE
OW-40. However, during the entire time be­
tween oil change intervals, never top off with
more than a total of 0.5 qt/liter engine oil
that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or v isit our web site at www.audiusa .com or
www .audicanada .ca. Here you will also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your veh icle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter-
vals is so very important because the lubricat­
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when .,..
•
•
•

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 ..,.

276 Index
E
ECO mode (automatic climate control sys -
tem) . ..... .. ................ ..... .. 67
EDL
refer to Electronic differentia l lock . .. . 185
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Description . ...... .......... ... .. .. 28
Fuel economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Other equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Electrical accessories
refer to Socket ............. .. .... .. 56
Electromechanical parking brake
refer to Parking brake ............... 76
Electromechanical steering .. .. .. .. .. . 189
I ndicator lights .......... .. .. .... . 189
Electronic differential lock ... .... .... . 185
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Electronic immobilizer ....... ... .... .. 36
also refer to Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
E lect ronic interaxle differential lock .... 185
Electronic speed limiter ..... .. .. .. .. . . 30
Electronic stabilization control (ESC)
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) ... 185
Emergency assistance .......... .... . 246
Emergency flasher .......... ... .... .. 43
Emergency flashers
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Emergency operation Emergency braking function .. .. .. .. . . 78
Front passenger's door/rear doors . . . . . 3 7
L uggage compartment lid ........ .. . 246
Panorama sunroof ........ .. .. ...... 41
with conven ience key .... .. .. .. .. .. . . 75
Emergency release Fuel filler door .............. ... ... 209
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Emergency starting ........ .. .. .. .. . 259
Emergency towing ......... .. .. .. .. . 261
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Engine Coolant .. .. ..................... . 216
Starting with jumper cables .... .... . 259
starting (button) . .. ...... .. .. .. .. . . 73 Starting (driver messages with conven-
ience key) ..... .. ................ .. 75
starting (key) . ... ................ .. 70
stopping (button) ............. ..... 74
stopping (key) ................ ..... 72
Engine compartment
Closing the hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Opening the hood ................ . 211
Overview .. .... .. ... .......... .... 212
Safety precautions ............... .. 210
Engine control (indicator light) . . . . . . . . . 23
Engine coolant .. .. .......... ... .. .. 216
Radiator fan ... .. ... .......... .... 218
Engine oil .. ................... .... 212
adding . .. .. .. .. ... .......... .... 215
Changing . ...... ... ......... ... .. 216
Checking the oil level ... ..... ... .. .. 215
Dipstick... .. .. .. .... .... .... 212, 215
Indicator light .................... . 20
Oil consumpt ion .. ............. .. .. 214
Oil grades ..... .. ............. .... 212
Specification and viscosity ........ ... 212
Use ..... ..... .. .. .............. . 215
Engine speed limitation ( indicator light) . 23
Environment Break -in per iod . .. ... ....... ... .. .. 193
Catalytic converter ....... ...... .. .. 194
Disposing of your vehicle battery ..... 223
Driving at high speeds .......... .... 195
Driving to minimize pollution and noise 195
Fuel economy .... ................ . 195
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up . 196
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . 219
Proper disposal of drained engine oil .. 216
Unleaded fuel .... ... .......... .... 206
What should I do with an old battery? . 223
EPC (engine control) ................ .. 23
ESC Electronic stabilization control ... .. .. 185
Post-coll is ion brake assist ..... .. .. .. 186
Sport mode ... .. ................ . 187
ESP
refer to ESC ... .. ..... ..... ... .. .. 185
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ............ 185
Exhaust tail pipes cleaning ........... 202
Exterior lighting ... ..... ..... ... .. .. . 42