2015 AUDI Q3 engine

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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 .,..

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temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies wi th A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War ­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re­
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
wa s pe rformed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle dep ends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of i nternal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a cert ain
amo unt of o il. Oil cons umption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in per iod (see
c::;, page 161) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the amb ient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac­
tors ar e the amount of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is s ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 183
wear as m ileage builds up, the oil consump ­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es ­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
E\I in the instrument cl uster lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
c::;, page 184. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
c::;, page 184.
A WARNING
Before you c heck anythi ng i n the engine
com partment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS
c::;, .&. in Working in th e engine
c ompartment on page 179.
(D Note
D riving w ith an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause sever e damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil le vel. Do not
re ly on it. In stead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref­ erably ea ch time you refuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression you r engi ne
c ons umes ex ce ss ive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt an author ­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly d iagnosed. Keep in
m ind that the accurate measu rement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some t ime. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
-
•
•

184 Checking and filling
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 1 46 Oil d ipst ick : Or ientat ion ass ista nce for meas ­
u ri ng the oil level
Determining the oil level
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Let the engine run in id le briefly while it is at
opera ting tempe ratu re and then sh ut the
engine off.
.,. Wait approximately two minutes .
.,. Remove the oil dipst ick. Wipe off the oil dip­
stick with a clean cloth and insert it all the
way in again .
.,. Remove the dipstick again and then read the
oil level
c> fig. 146. Add more engine o il, if
necessary ~
page 184.
Oil level in th e (v are a
.,. Do not add any o il.
Oil level in the @area
.,. You may add oil. After adding oil, the level
sho uld be in the~ area .
Oil level in the 0 a rea
.,. You must add o il. After add ing o il, the level
should be in the~ area.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion
can be up to a 1/2 qua rt per 600 mi les
(0 .5 liter pe r 1,000 km) . Consumption may be
hi gher wit hin the fi rst 3,000 mi les (5,000
km) . Because of this, the engine oil leve l must
be checked regular ly. It would be best to
check each time you refue l your vehicle and
before long drives.
~ Adding engine oil
F ig. 147 En g in e compart ment: Cover on the o il filler
n eck
.,. Before yo u check anything in the engine
compa rtme nt,
alwa ys read and h eed all
WARNINGS ~ A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 179 .
.,. Shut the engine off.
.,. Unscrew the cap
't!::?: to the engine oi l filling
hole
c> fig . 147, c> page 181, fig. 145 .
.,. Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters)
of the appropr iate oil
c> page 181 .
.,. Check the oi l level again after two mi nutes
c> page 184 .
.,. Top off the oil aga in, if necessary .
.,. Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
A WARNING
-Wh ile topping off, the oil m ust not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
- The oi l filler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is runn ing - fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine o il, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil level using the radio o r
MMI*. I f the message
Please redu ce oil
level
appea rs, contact your authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop to
have excess oil extracted if necessary .
-Audi does not recommend the use of o il
additives. They m ay damage the engine ..,.

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.
•
•

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>-

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level should be between the "MIN" and
"MAX" markings. When the engine is warm,
the level may be slightly above the "MAX"
marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
<=> page 181.
To obtain an accurate reading , the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System <=>
page 14 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
Checking and filling 187
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
([) Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add- ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment ,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS <=>
A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 179 .
Requirement: There must be a residual
amount of coolant in the expansion tank
<=> (D.
.,. Turn off the engine.
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
<=> page 186, fig . 148 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise
<=> .&_ .
.,. Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
<=> page 186, Coolant up to the MAX mark­
ing.
.,. Make sure that the fluid level remains sta-
ble. Add more coolant if necessary.
.,. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications
<=> page 186, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant additive
G12 ++, G13 or in an emergency G12 +. Do
not
use a different additive. In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the correct addi­
tive and can restore the correct ratio. This
should be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling . .,.
•
•

188 Checking and filling
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure re lief valve in the cap when the en ­
g ine becomes hot.
A WARNING
- The coo ling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the eng ine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a co unte r-clockwise d irection while
apply ing light, downward press ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spi ll an ­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
g ine coolant can ca tch f ire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its original container and we ll
o ut of the reac h of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con­
ta iner clear ly ma rked "poison".
(D Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tan k
i s empty. A ir could enter the cooling sys­
tem and damage the eng ine. If this is
the case, do not continue driving. Seek
professional assistance.
- Coolant po llutes the e nv ironment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess coo l­
ant will be forced ou t through the pres ­
su re re lief v alve in the ca p when the en­
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an emergen cy, only water can be
added, the corre ct ratio be twee n wa te r
and antifr eeze¢
page 186 must be re ­
stored as soon as possib le .
{® For the sake of the environment
D rained coo lant should not be reused . A l­
ways d ispose of used coolant whi le observ­
i ng a ll environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
T he rad iator fan is driven by the engine v ia the
V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the spee d
of the fan acco rding to the temperature of the
coolant.
An a uxiliary electric radiator fan* sw itches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle ope rat ing condit ions .
A ft er yo u sw itc h t he eng ine
off, the aux iliary
f an can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even wit h the ignition
off. It can even switc h
on again later by itself¢.&. , if
- t he tempe rature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build -up from the engine in
the engine compa rtment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in i ntense sunlig ht.
A WARNING ~
- To reduce the risk of perso na l inj ury nev -
er touch the radiator fan.
- The a uxiliary electric fan is tempe rat ure
contro lled and can sw itch on sud denly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reac hes a certa in temperature and will
continue to ru n until the coolant temper­
ature drops.