2015 AUDI Q3 service

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

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If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumption by 10-15 percent. This sec­
tion will give you some tips on how you can help the environmen t and your pocketbook.
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, wh ich will vary depend ing upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, tr ip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessa ry accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac ­
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus , accelerate less. Let the vehicle coas t
whenever poss ible -for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.,. Try and keep well be low your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment. Fue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
g ine no ise increase d isproportionately at high
speeds . If you dr ive at approximately three
qua rters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be red uced by one half. Never dr ive faste r
than the posted speed limi t and wea ther con­
ditions permit.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 163
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle .
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the
eng ine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when wa it ing for tra ins to pass at rail ­
road crossings, or at t raff ic lights that have
l ong waits on red . T u rning the eng ine off for
just 30-40 seconds saves mo re fuel tha n is
bur ned star ting the engine again.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is runn ing at id le. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especia lly hig h
when the eng ine is wa rm ing up. So yo u shou ld
drive away as soon as yo u start the engine and
avoid r unning at high rpms whi le the engine is
still warming up.
(D Note
D o not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting. If warning lights sho uld come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, w hich could res ult in over­
heating or other damage to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
.,. Have you r veh icle serviced at regu lar inter-
vals.
By having your ve hicle reg ularly serviced by an
a uthorized Audi dea le r helps to ensure that it
runs properly and econom ica lly. The cond ition
of your veh icle not only affects its safety and
ability to ho ld its va lue, it a lso affects
fuel
con sumption .
Chec k your o il each t ime you fill your tank.
Ill-
•
•

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
~

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 ..,.

and adve rsely affect you r New Vehicle
Wa rrant y.
@) For the sake of the environment
-Un der no ci rc u mstances can the o il come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
par tment,
a lways rea d and he ed all WARN ­
INGS ~&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 179.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly stop-and-go traff ic con­
d itions, or have your veh icle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe ­
riods.
Detergent additives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­ n ing for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposa l,
along w ith the special tools and necessary ex ­
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have you r oi l changed by an authorized
~ Au di de ale r o r a qual ified servi ce station.
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If you choo se t o c ha ng e y our o il your self ,
please note the followi ng important informa­
tion :
Checkin g and fillin g 185
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help p revent hot oil from run­
ning down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one la rge enough to
hold at least the tota l amount of oi l in
your eng ine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact wit h used eng ine o il
is harmful to your s kin. A lways protect
your skin by washing oil off tho ro ughly
with soap and water.
@ Note
Neve r mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
g ine and adversely affec t you r Au di L imit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you c an properly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains .
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collect ion facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
•
•

190 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Unde r normal operating conditions, the bat ­
tery in your A udi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the elect ro lyte level checked by an authorized
Aud i dea ler o r qualified workshop . The elec­
trolyte leve l sho uld a lso be c hecked each t ime
the battery is c harged
c::> page 192.
H ave the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a bat tery that is older tha n 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system fo r safety reasons
c::> & in Re ­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 126.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle functions (power w indow regu­
lato rs, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re discon nected. These functions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry terminals a re
c onnec ted agai n. T o prevent this, the battery
should o nly be di sconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec trica l syste m when absolu tely necess ary
for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
I f yo u do not dr ive you r vehicle over a pe riod
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical co m po­
n en ts are gr adually cu t back o r swi tched off .
T his reduces energy cons ump tion and main ­
tains sta rting capab ility over a lon ger perio d
c::> page 159 .
Some o f the conven ien ce f unct ions m ay no t
ope rate, su ch as the in ter ior lights o r the power seat adjus
tment . The convenience
funct ions wi ll be available again when yo u
tu rn on the ign ition and sta rt t he engine .
Winter operation
During the w inte r mon th s, batt ery c apac ity
tends to dec rease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed w hile
starting, and the headlights, rear win dow de­
f ogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessa ry powe r consumpt ion, pa r­
ticu lar ly in ci ty traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances . Let yo ur autho rized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before w inter sets in
<=:> page 192. A well
charged battery will not on ly prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
w eeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
s tored w her e it w ill not freeze. This will
preve nt i t fr om be ing d amaged and having
t o be repla ced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
T he battery is loc ated in the luggage compar t­
ment under the floo r. B efo re you che ck any­
t hi ng in the luggage co mpartmen t,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
c::> .&_ .
Always heed t he safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle ba tte ry or the vehicle e le c­
t ric al sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM ·
BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection .

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,...., ..,., ,....,
-If the ti re is not flat and y ou do not have
to change a wheel immed iate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves . To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secu re ly
mounted on the va lve .
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight t hat any veh icle and any t ire ca n car ry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in ­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the ve hicle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making sure th at load limits are
no t exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle. These
load limits a re tech nica lly referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
ve hicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of f uel, oil, coo lant and othe r fluids plus
max imum load. The maximum load includes
the number o f passenger s that the ve hicl e is
intended to carry ("se ating capacity") w it h an
assumed weig ht o f 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the tota l weight of any luggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
Tire s an d wheel s 203
loaded tra ile r must be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Ax le Weight Rating (" GAWR") is
the max imum load th at can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and t he
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are l iste d on the
s af ety comp liance s tic ke r la bel lo cated on the
driver's side 8 -pillar . Yo ur Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear fo r
total seating capacity of 5. Eac h seating posi ­
tion has a seat be lt
c::> page 104, Safety bel ts.
T he fac t that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car ­
ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trai ler hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra ile r) is lim ited . The more passen ­
gers in the vehicle or passe ngers w ho are
heavi er than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be ca rried as lug­
gage.
T he t ire pressure label o n your Aud i also lis ts
the max imum combined weight of a ll of the
occupants and l uggage or o ther cargo t hat
the ve hicl e can carry . Fo r th e lo cat ion of the
l abel
c::> page 199, fig . 152.
A WARNING
-=
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve -
h icle cont ro l, a c rash or other accide nt, se ­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight than your vehicle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
veh icle from handling pr oper ly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
ve hicle w it hi n a safe distance.
- Tires o n a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail s uddenly, incl uding a blowout
a nd sudden defla tion, causing loss of
con trol an d a crash . ..,.
•
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Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 154 Tire tread: tread wea r in dica tors (TWI)
Fig. 155 Rotating t ires for more even wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
r::!;> fig. 154 run ning across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the tire . Marks on
the t ire s idewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced.
Different figures may apply in other countries
r::!) &.
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tir e blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
r::!;> page 201.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Tires and wheels 205
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rota­
tion inte rvals. Please remember the follow ­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service interva ls o utlined in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufactu rer 's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles w ith front-wheel dr ive exper ience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all w heel drive (quattro) .
- Please rotate tires as shown
r::!;> fig. 155.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
r::!;> page 223 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new veh icles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details
see r::!) page 158. 111>