2015 AUDI Q3 engine oil

158 Intellig ent technolog y
brake discs and pa ds with a few caref ul
brake a pplicat ions.
- If you damage the front s poiler, or if you
insta ll a different spoiler, be su re the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed. Otherwise the brake system could
ov erhe at r educi ng the eff ect iveness of
t h e enti re brak e system.
- Failure of one brake ci rcuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­ creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
wor kshop.
- Never let the vehicle rol l to a stop w ith
the engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed conside ra­
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Electromechanical
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver 's steering movements .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Ind icator light s and messages
• Steering fault! Do not drive vehicle !
If this indicator light tu rns on and stays on
and this message appears, t he power steering
may have fa iled.
Stop the vehicle in a safe locat ion as soon as
possib le . Do
not continue driving . See your
author ized Audi dealer or other qua lified re­
pa ir facility for assistance .
If the indicator light turns on, the steer ing
may be more d ifficu lt to move or more sensi­
tive than usual. The steer ing may also be at an
angle when dr iving st raight . Drive slowly to you
r authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lf u nction
corrected.
l ;:!" ij Steering lock : S ys tem fault! Please con­
tact de aler.
The re is an elect ron ic steering column lo ck
malfunction .
Drive to an author ized Audi dealer or qualified
r epair fac il ity immediate ly to have the mal­
funct ion corrected.
(D Tips
If the . or ,To n ind icator light only stays
on for a short t ime, yo u may continue dr iv­
i ng.
Driving with your
quattro
Applies to veh icles: w ith all-w hee l d ri ve
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
Wi th a ll-w heel d rive, power is dis trib ute d to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See a lso
¢ page 153.
The all -whee l dr ive concept is des igned for
high eng ine power. Your veh icle is except ion ­
ally powerfu l and has excellent d riving charac­
terist ics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precaut ions¢ .&..
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, eve n wit h
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheel s.
See also ¢ page 210, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this norma lly also app lies to ve hicles

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than
2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
From 600 to 1 ,000 miles (1,000 to
1,500 kilometers ):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum perm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after br eak-in period
.. Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
Afte r the break- in peri od
.. Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un­
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale
c.> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en ­
g ine's interna l friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken in . How well this break -in process is done de ­
pends to a considerable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 k ilome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduc ed. However , th ese rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine.
Driving and environment 161
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
reduces noise and protects the environ­
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 ki lo­
meters) after fitting.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be sure to remember
this dur ing the f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llowing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are d rivi ng on poo r roads, or over
cu rbs, steep ramps, etc., make certa in that
low- ly in g parts s uch as spo ile rs and ex ha ust
system parts do not bottom o ut and get dam ­
aged.
Th is is espec ially true for veh icles with low­
s lung chassis (spo rts chas sis)* and fully load ­
ed vehicles.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­ trol system (catalytic converter) is function ­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead -free gasoline c'.> page 175,
Fuel supply .
.. Never r un the tank down all the way to emp­
ty.
.. Never put too much motor o il in your engine
c.> page 184, 'l::1: Adding engine oil .
.. Never try to push -or tow-sta rt you r vehicle . I),
•
•

162 Driving and en vironm ent
The cata lytic converter is an efficient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the veh icle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalytic convert­
er and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
-The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driv ing and after stop­
ping the engine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail p ipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the veh icle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can
c ause a fi re.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on o r near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaus t pipes, catalytic con­
verte r o r heat shie lds. D uring driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware th at just one tank fi lling with
leaded fue l will already seriously de ­
grade the performance of the catalytic
conve rter .
- Do not exceed the correc t engine oil leve l
~page 184.
-Do not drive un til the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned f uel could a lso get into
the exhaust system and this could cause
the catalyt ic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignit ion while the ve­
hicle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate yo ur vehicle
u nder these conditions , as otherw ise fuel
can reac h the catalytic converter. This
could result in overheat ing of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement. -
To assu re efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System :
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance w ith the service rec­
ommendat ions in your Warranty &
M ain tenance book let.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
i mproper use of t he vehicle wi ll impair
the function of the em ission cont ro l
sys tem an d could lea d to damage.
~ For the sake of the environment
Eve n when the Emiss io n Control System is
ope rat ing proper ly, the exha ust gas c an
have a sul fur- like ex haust gas smell under
some ope rat ing states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used. Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or f illing the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer per iod of time, contact an
Audi or other specialized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e .g . corro­
s ion p revention, maintenance and sto rage .
Pay attent ion to additional info rmat io n con­
ce rn in g the battery. Refe r to~
page 190.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
Gene ral
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, e nvir onme nta l impact, and
we ar on your eng ine, b rakes and tires la rgely
depend on three fac to rs:
- your personal driving style
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitations

164 Driving and en vironm ent
The amount of oil used is related to eng ine
load and speed.
I t is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest val ue after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3 ,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess o il cons umption .
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en­
g ine output .
0 Note
-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your War ranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as imp roper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not a lter or remove any component of
the Emi ssion Contro l System unless ap­
proved
by the manufacturer.
- Do not a lter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
va lves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emiss ion Control System
and other important veh icle compo­
nents .
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
• Try to avo id driving sho rt distances with a
cold eng ine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach their optimal
ope rating tempe ratu re to
reduce fuel con sumption and noxious emis­
sions effect ively.
Just after starting, a cold engine in a mid-size car on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km) . After about a
half a m ile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2. 5 miles (4 km), the engine is at its proper operating tempera
­
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal
l evel. So you can see that you should avo id
short trips whenever possible.
T he
out sid e tempe rature is also critical in this
regard . Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the s ummer.
Driving offroad
General information
When driving off road, the functions fo r the
electron ic stabiliza tion control ( ESC) are ex­
panded . The ESC-Offroad-Mode can be activat­
ed in driving situations in which a wheel lock
or a differential lock function is needed
c> page 155.
Your Audi i s howev er, n ot an offroad vehicle.
Ne ver dri ve the vehicle in te rrain wh ich i s n ot
suitable for the vehicle , o r w hich ex ceeds
y ou r driv ing skill s. Ne ver tak e an y u nneces ­
s ar y risk s!
Aft er d riving offroad
-After driving offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the radiator gri lle, under ­
body, and wheels. Look especially for objects
(stones) that have been caught in the tire
tread.
- Clean the body and the vehicle underbody
and inspect the vehicle for possible damag­
es.
- Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and the license plate .
- Pe rform a brake test (especially after driving
through water).
A WARNING
- Be especially aware and attent ive when
driving under difficult condit ions . Dam­
ages to the vehicle and injur ies may oc­
cur when driv ing at an excessively high
speed or with incor rect driving maneu­
vers.
- Always adjust you r speed and hand ling
to the roads, terrain, t raff ic and weather
~

180 Checking and filling
coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­ ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery .
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of automatic trans­
mission to "P" (Park) .
-Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get- ting caught in the
radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or 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
c> A .
A 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 adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­
ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.

M N M N
0 ::i co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Checking and fillin g 181
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 14 5 Typical layout for containers and engine oil filler cap
(D Coolant expansion tank (- L) . . . 186
@ Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . 184
@ Eng ine oi l filler cap ('t::r.) . . . . . 184
@ Brake fl uid reservoir (0)) . . . . . 189
® Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er, ....................... 192, 228
@ Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw, . .. ..... ... .. .. . 192, 228
(J) Windshield washer conta iner
Cw) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
The position of the engine o il filling hole
(item @) can differ depending on the engine
des ign .
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
~ .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 179.
-
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 p lant that was bu ilt to exacting specifi­
cations. This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the rig ht o il
and changi ng oil within the t ime and mileage
in tervals printed in you r vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to ­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a specia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera-
tion. .,..

182 Checking and filling
Mo dern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based o ils, 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 yo u use must
conform to Audi 's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to he lp keep your vehicle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge ", that ove r time can lead to expensive
r epairs .
At the time of pr int ing , engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifi cations of A udi oi l standard VW 502 00
a re synthetic engine oils. This does not mean,
however, that every syn thetic engine oi l wi ll
meet A udi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de ­
posi ts use only oi l with the fo llow ing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il container labe ls may carry the specif ica ­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion with other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity. The proper v iscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem ­
pe ratu re ranges for normal driving conditions .
However, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SA E
SW40 is not avai lab le, you ca n also use viscos­
ity grade SAE SW -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality sta ndard VW 502 00
specif ications .
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 ext ra quart (
li te r) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 spec ification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is a t or be low the
min imum mark -and no oi l that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specificat ions is available - may you top
off
with a high quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, tha t mee ts ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then , only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40 , SA E SW-30, o r SA E
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween oil change inte rva ls , never top
off with
more than a to ta l of 0.5 q t/ liter engine o il
t h at does not con form to Audi oi l specifica tion
vw 502 00.
For more informa tion about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t either yo ur authorized Aud i deale r or
Audi C ustome r Re lations at 1 (800) 82 2-2834
or visit o ur web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names e tc.) tha t conform to Audi oil s tanda rd
vw 502 00 .
Changing the engine oil
The eng ine oi l and oil fi lter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your ve hicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil ca n reduce eng ine performance and
can lead to expensive eng ine repa irs .
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­ ing proper ties of oil decrease gradually d uring
norma l veh icle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­ ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld even be cha nged more frequent ly .
Change oil more often if you drive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the ve hicle in dusty
areas o r most ly unde r stop-and-go t raff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
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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