2015 AUDI Q3 Owners Manual

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Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is un­
leaded premium
grade gasoline. Audi recom­
mends using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
with a minimum octane rating of 91 AKI (95
RON) . For more information on TOP TIER De­
tergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label locat­
ed on the inside of the fuel filler flap. This rat­
ing may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using un­ leaded regular gasoline with a minimum oc­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON. However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octane fuel will slightly re­
duce engine performance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso­
line is available throughout the USA, Canada,
and in most European countries. We recom­
mend that you do not take your vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehi­
cle, see~
page 176.
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to
resist engine damaging "knock" caused by
premature ignition and detonation. Therefore,
buying the correct grade of gasoline is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane ratings that can usually be found on the filler
pump:
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 175
- Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti Knock Index= (R+M)/2 = (RON
+MON)/2
RON= Research Octane Number
MON= Motor Octane Number.
@ Note
-Do not use any fuel with octane ratings
lower than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise
expensive engine damage will occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of
leaded gasoline will severely damage
your vehicle's catalytic converter and its
ability to control exhaust emissions.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with
alcohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blended mixture meets the
following criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not contain more than 15%
ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
•
•

176 Fuel suppl y and fillin g your fu el tank
Many gaso line grades are blended to perform
especially we ll 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.
@ 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
spec ified criter ia in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
spec ificat ions, ask your service station o r
i ts fuel supplier .
- Do not use fuel for wh ich the contents
cannot be identified .
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Ve hicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy
or driveabil ity and performance prob­
l ems due to the use o f 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 .
A lthough gasoline grades diffe r from one
manufac turer to another, they have certa in
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause depos its to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves . Although most gasoline
b rands include additives to keep eng ine and
fuel systems clean , they are not eq ua lly effec­
tive. 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 o f using inadeq uate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob your engine of peak performance.
(D Note
- Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty .
- Do not add afte rmarket fuel additive
produc ts to your f uel tank .
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
s ide panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for detailed
instruct ions see o page 178.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
o page 235 .
The label on the inside of the f uel fi ller flap
te lls you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fue l specifications,
see
c:;, poge 175.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refuel­
ing vapor recovery system . This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and pollut ing 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.
.&_ WARNING
Under normal operating cond itions, never
carry addit ional fue l conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other conta iners used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con-
tainers, fu ll or empty, may leak and could ..,.

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cause a fire in a co llision. If you must
transport fue l to use for yo ur lawn mowe r,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers . Make certain the con­
t ainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
AS TM F 852 -86).
(D Note
Never drive yo ur vehicle unt il the fuel tank
is completely empty . The irregular supp ly
of fuel can cause misfi ring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalyt ic converte r.
Refueling
Fig. 140 Rig ht rea r veh icle s ide: Opening t he fuel f iller
fl ap
Fi g. 14 1 Fu el filler fla p with attach ed fu el c ap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
f ill er flap is automatically unlocked or locked .
Refue l the vehicle with the ignition turned
off.
Tak ing th e fuel cap off
• Press the left side of the fue l filler flap to
open it ¢
fig . 140 -arrow- .
• Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and
hang it on the fuel f iller flap ¢
fig. 141.
Fuel suppl y and filling your fuel t ank 17 7
Refueling procedure
• Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel fi ller neck as far as it wi ll
go .
• Select a medium refueling rate so that the
no zz le switches off automatically when the
tank i s full .
Putting th e fuel cap bac k on
• After filling your tank, twist the fuel cap
clockw ise as far as it will go .
• Close the fue l filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spill ing or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
completely . An improper ly closed fuel filler
cap may also cause the MIL lamp ¢
page 26
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies .
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fue l to spray out of filler neck or to over­
flow. Fue l spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a ce llu lar telephone while re­
fue ling. The electromagnet ic rad iation
can cause sparks that can ignite f uel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into yo ur vehicle while re­
fuel ing.
If in excep tional 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 electr icity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open f lame any­
where in or near your veh icle when refu ­
eling or filling a portab le fuel conta iner .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not t ravel with a portable

1 78 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
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
F8S2 -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
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.
(D Tips
- Running your engine while refueling may
cause vapors to escape or even cause
fuel to spill out of the tank. This would
then shut off the fuel nozzle before the
tank is full .
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion turned on. The fuel gauge may oth­ erwise not indicate the correct fuel level
after refueling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside .
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
Fig. 142 L uggage compart men t: E mergency opening
o f fuel fille r flap
The emergency opening mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug ­
gage compartment .
.,. Open the right side trim panel.
.,. Loosen the strap from its bracket and pull
on it
r::';> fig. 142 . Now you can open the fuel
filler flap as usual.

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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

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.

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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 .,..