2015 AUDI Q3 engine

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~ To upshift, push the selector lever fo rward
to the plus position
0 ~ fig. 88.
~ To downshift, push the lever to the minus
posit ion
Q .
Gea r se lection with shift paddl es*
The shift padd les are act ivated when these­
l ector lever is in D/S or the tiptronic manual
shift program .
~ To upsh ift, touch the paddle on the right 0
~ fig. 89.
~ To downshift, touch the padd le on the left
Q .
~ If you do not press a shift paddle within a
short time while in the D/S position, the
transmission will return to automa tic mode .
To keep shifting using the shift paddles, move the selector lever to the right out of
the D/S position .
T he transmission automatically shifts up or
down before critical engine speed is reached .
The transmission only a llows manua l shifting
when the engine speed is within the permit­
ted range .
(D Tips
-When yo u sh ift into the next lower gear,
the transmiss ion will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
v ing the engine .
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will sh ift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- Tiptronic is inoperat ive when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode .
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you depress the accelerator pedal be­
yond the resistance po int, the automat ic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­ pending on vehicle speed and engine speed .
The upshift into the next higher gear takes
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 85
place once the maximum specified engine
speed is reach ed.
A WARNING
P lease note that the drive wheels can spin
if kick-down is used on a smooth slippery
road -there is a risk of skidding.
Transmission malfunction
l'!J Tran smission overh eating! Please stop
ve hicl e!
The transmission temperature has increased
s ignificantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty ma nner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
@ Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you should take the vehicle to an
a uthorized Audi dea le rship as soon as pos­
sible to have the condition cor rected.

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-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 107 Unbelted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 108 The vehicle cras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
ergy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
SO km/h), the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 107, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving just before the crash, until something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 108.
Safety belts 105
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision.
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle . In a frontal colli­
sion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was travelling just before
the crash . Of course, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col­
lisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 109 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is v io lently
t hrown forward
Fig . 110 A rear pa ssenger not wearing a safety belt
w ill fly fo rwa rd and str ike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves . Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained ..,_

106 Safety belts
occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 109. This imp act
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
t hey had just before the crash.
Never rely on a irbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and othe r passen­
gers ~
fig. 110. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true !
Fig. 111 Driver is co rr ect ly re strain ed in a sudd en brak­
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement tha t can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing " the kinetic energy over a longer
period of ti me, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags , for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is no t enough decelera tion
through impact to the front of the vehicle .
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

152 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
E ve nt Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data
Recorder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR
is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like
situations, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in
understand ing how a veh icle's systems per­
formed. The EDR is designed to record data
re lated to vehicle dynamics and safety sys­
tems for a short period of time, typically
30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in you r vehicle were
operating;
- Whether or not the d river and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was dep ress ing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better under­
stand ing of the cir cumstances in which crash­
es and injuries occur . NOTE : EDR data are re­
corded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving conditions and
no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) are recorded. However,
other parties, such as law enforcement, cou ld
comb ine the EDR data with the type of per­
sonally identifying data routinely acquired
during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required, and access to the vehi­
cle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the ve­ hicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law
enforcement, that have the special equip­
ment, can read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR. Some state
laws restrict the retrieval or down­
loading of data stored by ED Rs installed in a
vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving
data after an accident or crash event without
the owner's consent .
Audi will not access the EDR and/or simi lar
data or g ive it to others -
- un less the vehicle owner (or lessee if the ve ­
hicle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the ord er of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the ju­
dicia l discovery p rocess.
- Aud i may also use the data for research
about vehicle operat ion and safety perform­
ance or provide the data to a third party for
research purposes without identifying the
specif ic vehicle or information about the
identity of its owner or lessee and only after
the recorded vehicle data has been ac­
cessed.
Vehicle control modules
You r vehicle is also equ ipped with a number of
electron ic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emis­
sion control, airbags, and safety belts.
T hese electronic control mod ules record data
during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic
and repair purposes. The recording capability
of these modu les is limited to data (no sound
is recorded). Only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very lim ited period of
t ime, or stored when a system fault is detect­
ed by a contro l modu le. Some of the data
stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction,
o r braking, as well as restraint system use and
performance in the event of a crash. Stored
data can also only be read and downloaded
with special equipment that is directly con-
nected to the vehicle. .,..

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@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Aud i connect
features req uires wireless serv ices that are
provided by a third party wireless telecom­
municat ions provider. For details regard­
ing how information obtained through
Aud i connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contra ct w ith the wire less telecom ­
municat ions provider and the "About A udi
connect" tab in your vehicle's MMI:
!MENU !
button > Audi connect > About Audi con·
nect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects
certain difficult driv ing s ituations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of cont ro l and helps you to get the vehicle
back under control by select ively brak ing the
wheels, and/or red ucing engine powe r and
p roviding steering assistance to help hold the
ve hicle on the driver's intended course . The in­
dicator light
m in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
phys ics. It will not a lways be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
h elp you master situat ions where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of fr iction of
the road surface. When there is a sect io n of
d ry road that is s udden ly cove red with water,
slush o r snow, ESC canno t perform the same
way it would on the dry su rface.
If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a c ush ion of wate r in­
stead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because con-
Int ellig ent technolog y 153
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast corner ing, particular ly on wind ing
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult dr iv ing s ituations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions . ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical lim its, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a veh icle
o n the road if road departu re is a result of
driver ina ttent io n. Instead , ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering i nputs to
help keep the vehicle go ing in the intended di­
rect ion. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake ass ist sys­
tem, ant i-slip regu lation (ASR), electron ic dif­
ferential lock (EDL), electron ic interaxle d iffe r­
ential lock*/se lective wheel torque co ntrol*
and hill descent assist. ESC is swit ched on a ll
the time. In ce rtain sit uat io ns when yo u need
less traction, you can sw itch off ASR by press­
ing the b utton
[fil ¢ page 155, fig. 13 7. Be
s u re to switch ASR on again when you no lon­
ger need less traction .
Anti-lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locki ng up
when b raking. The vehicle can st ill be stee red
even during hard braking . App ly steady pres­
su re to the brake peda l. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake a ssis t sy ste m
The brake ass ist system can decrease braking
distance . It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal unti l the situation is over. .,,.
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154 Intellig ent technolog y
Anti-slip r egulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the o ther d rive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive* . This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h).
I n extreme cases , ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
El ectron ic inte ra xle diff ere ntial lock */
se lec tive wheel t orque contr ol*
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
wheel drive) or the select ive wheel torque
control (all-wheel drive) operates when driv­
ing through curves. The front wheel on the in·
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked select ively as needed .
This minimizes s lid ing in the front wheels a nd
allows for more p rec ise driving through
curves. The app licab le system may not acti­
vate when driving in wet or snowy conditions .
A WARNING
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, the electronic inter­
axle differentia l lock* /selective whee l
torque control* and the hill descent as­
sist cannot overcome the laws of physics.
Th is is especially important on slippery
o r wet roads . If the systems begin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you should im­
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks .
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle cont ro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast , espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys­
tem, ASR, EDL and the electronic inter­
axle d ifferential lock*/selective wheel
torque control* cannot prevent colli­
sions .
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow .
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance systems t hat cannot al­
ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correct ly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
cal tires. D ifferent tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working .
-If the ind icator light DJ or Ell (USA
mode ls)/ lCO)J there may be a malfunction~
page 16.

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Intelligent technolog y 155
Switching on /off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 137 Center console,~ OFF button
The follow ing s ituations are excep tions where
it may be useful to switch on offroad mode to
allow the whee ls to spin:
E SC Stufen
Offroad mode on
-Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow chains
- Dr iving downh il l wh ile brak ing on loose
ground
- Dr iving on rough terrain when much of the
car's weight is lifted off the whee ls (axle ar­
tic ulat ion)
Offro ad mode off
Beha vio r
The ESC and ASR stabiliza tion funct ions The fu ll stab iliza tion f unction of the ESC
are limited¢ &..
Op erat ion Press the W button.
Indicat or Bturns on.
light s
Dr ive r m es- Sta biliza tion control (ESC ): Offroad
s age s Warning! Redu ced stab ilit y
_& WARNING
Yo u should only sw itch offroad mode on if
your driving abilities and road conditions
permit.
- T he stabilization function is limited
when offroad mode is switched on . The
driving whee ls cou ld spin and the vehicle
cou ld swerve, especially on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces.
- You should on ly sw itch offroad mode on
when driving offroad. and ASR
is available again.
Press the
W button again.
II turns off .
Stabilization contr ol (ESC ): On
Hill descent assist
The hill descent assist makes it possible to
drive down an incline at a constant speed.
Fig. 138 Cente r console : hill desce nt assist button
.,. Press the [el button in the center conso le
¢ fig. 138 or on the shift gate. The button
w ill illuminate.
.,. Press the button again to switch it off. The
diode in the button will go out.
IJi,,-

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Effect of w ate r and ro ad salt
In certain situa tions, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, after overnight
condensation or after washing your car, the braking effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads. The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake applications.
At higher speeds and with the windshield wip ­
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regular intervals w ithout the
driver noticing and provides for better brake response time under wet condit ions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven o n a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Likewise,
you clean
off accumulated sa lt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few caut ious ap­
p lications of the brake¢.&. -
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the b rake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regular ly or
only for short t rips with little use of the
brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­ rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by b rak ing
fi rm ly a few times from a modera tely high
speed¢ .&..
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed¢&. -
Low brake fluid le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. T he brake fluid
level is monitored electronically .
Brake boo ster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate with the brake pedal. It works
only when the engine is running .¢ .&.
Int ellig ent technolog y 157
Brak e lining we ar status
B rake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection o f the condition of the brake pads
thro ugh the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spection
¢ page 218, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken-in" dur­
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal c ity dr iving .
You can compensate for this by pressing
the brake pedal more firmly. This also
applies la ter when new pads are instal­
led.
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gea r or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to overheat, p remature wear and increased
s topping distance.
- Unde r ce rtain cl imati c and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa­
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winte r, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, lin ings,
discs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes w ill dry and ice coat­
ings w ill be cleaned
off after a few care­
ful brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accum ulated salt coating from
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