2015 AUDI Q3 ignition

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-A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas­
senger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-mat in the seat and regis­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air­
bag System . The heavier weight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re­
straint in your vehicle . To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor :
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child re ­
straint belt path~&_ .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat .
.. You should hear a "clicking " noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt . You should no longer be able to
Child Safety 145
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled quickly.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
_&. WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im­
properly installed child restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
-Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position and securely latched
into place and cannot fold forward . Oth­
erwise, the seatback with the child safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an accident or other emer­
gency situation .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used¢
page 133. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 114, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
-
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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
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Vehicle care and cleaning 171
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy .
A WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents .
- To reduce the r isk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be de layed due to moisture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
([) Note
-If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir­
rors in to reduce the ris k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior mir ­
rors* must only be folded in and out us ­
ing the power folding function. -
To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or
hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte finish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fin ish paint. The paint could be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities spec ially
designed for that purpose . This will red uce
the r isk of dirty water contam inated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehi­
cle components, refer to the following tab les .
The information contained there is simply rec­
ommendations . For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed,
refer to an author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop. A lso
follow the information found in ¢ ,& .
Cleaning exterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades
Dirty Q page 4 7, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with
a m ild soap solutiona>
tail lights
Sensors/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent -free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road salt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for stainless steel, if
pipes necessary
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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
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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

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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.

186 Checking and filling
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
qu ires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coo lant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of spec ially conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol-basedcoolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi­
tives (50% for USA models; 60% for Ca nada
models) . This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling.
It a lso raises the boil­
ing point of the coo lant.
Do not reduce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and engine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
I f you must add coo lant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 179.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
-
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate conditions . This is especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a reg ion where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant add itive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle.
This coolant additive is available at au­
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­ rosion protection. The resulting corro­
sion can cause a loss of coolant and se­
rious engine damage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair flu id may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 148 E n gin e compart men t: Cover on the coo la n t
expans io n tank
.,. Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~ ,& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 179.
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Tur n off the ignition.
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the coo l­
ant expansion tank
c:> fig . 148, c:> page 181,
fig. 145.
With a cold engine, the coolant Iii>-