2015 AUDI Q3 warning light

166 Trailer towing
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Tr aile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­
ble for your vehicle and trailer and mu st be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
h itch with a removab le ball mount. A lways
check with the trai ler h itch manufact urer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hi tch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system . No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that all hitch
mounting bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer h itch ball mount. This prevents the
h itch from causing damage should your veh i­
cle be struck from behind
¢ A .
Traile r brak es
If your tra iler is equipped w ith a braking sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to a ll
regulat ions . The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A .
Saf ety ch ain s
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trai le r.
Trail er light s
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wi ring, switches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
us ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors .
It is important
that you always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- I f a trai ler has electrical brakes p lease
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory -fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
- Never install a "weight distributing" or
"load equalizing" trailer hitch on your ve­
h icle. The vehicle was not designed for
these kinds of trailer h itches. The h itch
attachment can fail, caus ing the trailer
to tear loose from the veh icle.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance
label on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must
never be exceeded under any c ircumstan­
ces. Exceeding the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating of yo ur vehicle is likely to damage
your vehicle, and such damage will not
be covered by yo ur Limited New Ve hicle
Warranty . Exceeding the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating will a lso change the per­
formance and handling characteristics of
your veh icle, wh ich could cause a crash
resulting in serious injury or death.
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168 Trailer towing
• Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
• Always apply brakes early.
• Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c:> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner. If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instrument cluster starts flashing., pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
different weight distribution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
celerate as fast as you normally would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.

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Vehicle care and cleaning 171
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy .
A WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents .
- To reduce the r isk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be de layed due to moisture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
([) Note
-If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir­
rors in to reduce the ris k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior mir ­
rors* must only be folded in and out us ­
ing the power folding function. -
To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or
hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte finish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fin ish paint. The paint could be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities spec ially
designed for that purpose . This will red uce
the r isk of dirty water contam inated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehi­
cle components, refer to the following tab les .
The information contained there is simply rec­
ommendations . For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed,
refer to an author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop. A lso
follow the information found in ¢ ,& .
Cleaning exterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades
Dirty Q page 4 7, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with
a m ild soap solutiona>
tail lights
Sensors/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent -free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road salt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for stainless steel, if
pipes necessary
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Vehicle care and cleaning 173
Component Situation Solution
Te xtile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vinyl, the surface
Alcantara Water-based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona>, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona>, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Natural leather Fr es h stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona)
Water-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc . dried sta ins: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc .
Care Regularly
apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon parts Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons neut ral soap in 1 quart (I liter) of water
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water-repelling windshie ld coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is also
possible.
- Headlights/tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
w ith a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form .
-Wheels
-Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately.
- Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
len s. This could cause the lens to crack .
IJII>
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Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 1 43 Dr iver's side footwell: eng ine hood release
lever
F ig . 144 Re lease lever un der the engine hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged .
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
c> fig. 143.
.. Raise the hood slightly c> .&,
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
c> fig. 144 . This releases the catch .
.. Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- T o reduce the r is k of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolan t escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard be fore care­
fully opening t he hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 179
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he stru ts is reduced.
.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage¢ .&,.
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood , check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­
ly engaged. The hood shou ld be flush
with the surround ing vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iving that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whene ve r you must pe rform an y wo rk in the
eng ine compa rtment , for e xample check ing
and filling different fluids, there is a risk of
injury , burns and accidents. To prevent per­
so nal injury alway s observe th e foll owing
WARNINGS . Th e engin e compartm ent of an y
v e hicle i s a ha zardou s area
c> .&, .
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, be fore yo u check any­
thing under the hood:
- Tu rn off the engi ne .
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake .
- Move selector leve r of automatic trans-
miss ion to "P" (Park) .
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components w ill bur n skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escaping from the eng ine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or

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temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies wi th A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War ­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re­
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
wa s pe rformed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle dep ends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of i nternal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a cert ain
amo unt of o il. Oil cons umption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in per iod (see
c::;, page 161) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the amb ient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac­
tors ar e the amount of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is s ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 183
wear as m ileage builds up, the oil consump ­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es ­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
E\I in the instrument cl uster lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
c::;, page 184. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
c::;, page 184.
A WARNING
Before you c heck anythi ng i n the engine
com partment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS
c::;, .&. in Working in th e engine
c ompartment on page 179.
(D Note
D riving w ith an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause sever e damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil le vel. Do not
re ly on it. In stead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref­ erably ea ch time you refuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression you r engi ne
c ons umes ex ce ss ive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt an author ­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly d iagnosed. Keep in
m ind that the accurate measu rement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some t ime. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
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level should be between the "MIN" and
"MAX" markings. When the engine is warm,
the level may be slightly above the "MAX"
marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
<=> page 181.
To obtain an accurate reading , the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System <=>
page 14 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn
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 .
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
Checking and filling 187
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
([) Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add- ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment ,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS <=>
A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 179 .
Requirement: There must be a residual
amount of coolant in the expansion tank
<=> (D.
.,. Turn off the engine.
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
<=> page 186, fig . 148 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
<=> .&_ .
.,. Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
<=> page 186, Coolant up to the MAX mark­
ing.
.,. Make sure that the fluid level remains sta-
ble. Add more coolant if necessary.
.,. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications
<=> page 186, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant additive
G12 ++, G13 or in an emergency G12 +. Do
not
use a different additive. In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the correct addi­
tive and can restore the correct ratio. This
should be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling . .,.
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188 Checking and filling
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure re lief valve in the cap when the en ­
g ine becomes hot.
A WARNING
- The coo ling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the eng ine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a co unte r-clockwise d irection while
apply ing light, downward press ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spi ll an ­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
g ine coolant can ca tch f ire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its original container and we ll
o ut of the reac h of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con­
ta iner clear ly ma rked "poison".
(D Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tan k
i s empty. A ir could enter the cooling sys­
tem and damage the eng ine. If this is
the case, do not continue driving. Seek
professional assistance.
- Coolant po llutes the e nv ironment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess coo l­
ant will be forced ou t through the pres ­
su re re lief v alve in the ca p when the en­
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an emergen cy, only water can be
added, the corre ct ratio be twee n wa te r
and antifr eeze¢
page 186 must be re ­
stored as soon as possib le .
{® For the sake of the environment
D rained coo lant should not be reused . A l­
ways d ispose of used coolant whi le observ­
i ng a ll environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
T he rad iator fan is driven by the engine v ia the
V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the spee d
of the fan acco rding to the temperature of the
coolant.
An a uxiliary electric radiator fan* sw itches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle ope rat ing condit ions .
A ft er yo u sw itc h t he eng ine
off, the aux iliary
f an can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even wit h the ignition
off. It can even switc h
on again later by itself¢.&. , if
- t he tempe rature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build -up from the engine in
the engine compa rtment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in i ntense sunlig ht.
A WARNING ~
- To reduce the risk of perso na l inj ury nev -
er touch the radiator fan.
- The a uxiliary electric fan is tempe rat ure
contro lled and can sw itch on sud denly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reac hes a certa in temperature and will
continue to ru n until the coolant temper­
ature drops.