2015 AUDI S3 coolant

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"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer t ires to tra iler and t ire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make su re they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and traile r, p lease note the following:
~ Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
~ Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles.
~ Observe speed limits .
~ Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
~ Always apply brakes early.
~ Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con ­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent poss ible and permiss i­
ble, wh ile keeping the trailer as light as poss i­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi-
Trailer towing 203
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the mo re difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissib le speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhi ll, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperatu re gauge <=> page 12
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem ­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to .<=>
page 20.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
a trailer because of the additional weight and ..,.
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~ If there was no Ad Blue left in the tank and a
range of
O mi (0 km) was displayed in the
instrument cluster, switch the ignition on
for about 15 seconds before starting the en­ gine.
_& WARNING
Ad Blue can irritate the skin, eyes and res­piratory system. If there is contact with
the fluid, flush immediately with plenty of
water. Consult a physician if necessary.
(D Note
- Only use Ad Blue that conforms to the standard ISO 22241-1. Do not mix any
additives with the Ad Blue and do not di­lute it with water .
- Do not add Ad Blue to the diesel tank or
add diesel fuel to the Ad Blue tank. Mix­
ing can lead to damage to the engine
and the Ad Blue tank system. Warranty
does not cover damage caused by this.
- AdBlue attacks surfaces such as painted
vehicle components, plastic and carpet.
Remove the fluid as quickly as possible
with a damp cloth and plenty of cold wa­
ter. If the Ad Blue has already crystal­ lized, use warm water and a sponge .
AdBlue residue that is not removed will
crystallize and can damage the affected
surface .
- Do not store the refill bottle in the vehi­ cle. If it leaks, the escaping Ad Blue could
damage the vehicle interior.
- Do not allow AdBlue to come into con­
tact with clothing . If there is contact
with the fluid, flush immediately with
plenty of water.
@ Tips
- You can obtain refill bottles from an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
- Follow the AdBlue manufacturer's in­
structions for use and storage.
Checking and Filling 217
Hood
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in
the engine compartment
For work in the engine compartment such as
checking and filling fluids, there is a risk of
injury, scalding, accidents, and burns. For
this reason, follow all the following listed
warnings and general safety precautions.
The engine compartment is a dangerous
area.
c::> .&. .
_8 WARNING
To reduce the risk of injuries, complete the
following steps before opening the hood:
- Turn the engine off.
- Switch the ignition off.
- Set the parking brake.
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Let the engine cool down.
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coolant drips from the engine
compartment- there is a danger of burns! Wait until no steam or coolant
flows out .
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on a hot engine . These
fluids (such as the freeze protection con­
tained in the coolant) can catch fire .
- Avoid short circuits in the electrical sys­
tem, especially the battery .
- When working in the engine compart­
ment, remember that the radiator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
switched off, which increases the risk of
personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant ex­
pansion tank when the engine is warm.
The cooling system is under pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms
from hot steam or coolant, cover the cap
with a large cloth when opening.
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Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior.
Fig. 157 Sect ion from the driver's footwe ll: release lev·
er
F ig. 158 Rocker switch un de r the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged.
• With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever
below the instrument pane l in the direction
of the arrow
¢ fig. 157.
• Raise the hood slightly c;, &_ .
• Press the lever under the hood upward
c;, fig . 158. This releases the catch .
• Open the hood .
Che cking and Fillin g 219
A WARNING
Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coo lant drips from t he e ngine
compartment· there is a danger of burns!
Wait unti l no steam or coolant flows o ut.
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coo lant dr ips from the engine
compa rtment- the re is a dange r of
bu rns! Wai t until no ste am or coo lan t
flows o ut.
Closing the hood
• Push the hood down unti l the fo rce of the
strut is overcome .
• Then lower the hood and let it fall into the
engine hood latch -you do
not have to press
on the hood after it is locked.
c;, &_ .
A WARNING
If the hood is not latched complete ly, it
could fly up while you are dr iv ing and ob­
struct you r vis io n.
- For safety reasons, the hood must always
be closed secure ly wh ile d riving. Because
of this, always check the hood after clos­
ing it to make sure it is lat ched co rrectly.
When latched correc tly, the hood will be
f lush w ith the othe r body panels .
-If you no tic e th at t he hood is not latched
while you are dr iving, stop immedi ately
and close it, because this increases the
ris k of an accident .

220 Checking and Filling
Gasoline engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 159 Typical locat ion of th e reservo ir, engine oi l d ipstick, and engine oil filler opening
CD Coolant expansion tank ( ... L) ... 226 The eng ine oi l filler opening and the d ipstick
@ Engine oil dipstick
...........
223 (items® and @)¢ fig. 159 may be located in
® E
ngine oi l filler open ing
('t=r.) 223 a different area depending on engine version.
© Brake fluid reservoir ((0) .. .. . 227 A WARNING
® Battery(+) under a cover 229 .. ... -
® Body ground point(-) Read
and following the WARNINGS before
checking anyth ing in the eng ine com part-
(j) Washer fluid reservoir(<$) . ... 232 ment ¢ page 217.
® Fuse housing ............. .. 276

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Checking and Fillin g 221
Diesel engine compartment overview
The most important check points .
Fig. 160 Typical locat ion of th e reservo ir, engine oil dip stick, and engine oil filler opening
(D Coolant expansion tank (J-) .. .
@
®
©
®
®
0
®
Eng ine oi l dipstick .......... .
E ng ine o il filler opening
('!=r.) .
Brake fluid reservoir ((0))
Battery(+) under a cover .....
B ody ground point(-)
Washer f luid reservoir(~)
F use housing .............. .
226
223
223
227
229
232
276
The engine oil filler opening and the dipstick
(items @ and @)¢
fig. 160 may be located in
a different area depending on eng ine ve rsion .
A WARNING
Read and following the WARN INGS before
checking anything in the engine compa rt­
ment
¢page 217.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interva l disp lay in the instrument
cluster of yo ur vehicle will inform you when it
is time for a n oil change . We recomme nd that
you have your oil changed by an author ized
Audi Se rv ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the o il between oi l
c hanges, use the Audi o il quality sta ndard
spec ified in the tab le .
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
Diesel vw 507 00
eng ine
...

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Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oi l into a conta iner designed
for this p urpose, one large eno ugh to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engi ne.
- Engine oil is poisono us. Keep it well out
of the reach of c hildren .
- Cont inuo us contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
you r sk in by washing oil off thoroug hly
with soap and water .
(D Note
Never mix oil addit ives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect y our Aud i Limit­
ed New Vehicle Wa rra nty .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oi l, f irst make sure
you know whe re you can proper ly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always d ispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dum p it o n ga rden so il, wood ­
ed a reas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine o il by taking it to a
u se d engine oil collection facility in your
a rea, or contact a servi ce station .
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 sea led an d generally re ­
q uir es little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the f ac­
tory with a pe rm anen t coo lan t which does no t
n eed to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of specia lly conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glyco l-based coo lant add i-
tive Gl3 antifree ze with ant icorros ion addi-
Checking and Fillin g 225
tives (50% for USA mode ls; 60% fo r Canadian
models) . This mixture both ass ures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com ­
ponents in the eng ine's cooling system from
corros io n and scaling. It also raises the bo il­
ing point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool ­
ant in the s ummer by adding p lain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50°/o but not more than 60 %
to main­
ta in antifreeze protect io n and cool ing eff ic ien­
cy . If the coo lant frost p rotection is too low ,
t he coo lan t could freeze and damage the vehi ­
cl e heating and engine cooling sys tem.
Fo r year- round drivi ng, a ntifreeze is added at
the factory fo r temperatures down to:
- -31 °F
< -3s0c) u sA
- -40°F ( - 40°C) Canada.
If you must ad d coo lant, use a mixture o f wa ­
te r and coolant additive. Mixing the coo lant
additive with dist illed water is recommended.
A WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNI NGS
c:> page 217.
-
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate condit ions. This is especially impor­
t ant if you l ive i n a region where the win-
t er is extremely cold. If necessary, in-
c rea se t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
t o 6 0% .
- Whe n ad d ing coolant addi tiv e to yo ur
c ooling sys te m , reme mbe r:
- We recommend using on ly coo lant ad­
d itive Gl2 ++ or Gl3 (check the labe l)
for your vehicle. This coolant additive is ava ila ble at autho rized Aud i dea le rs .
Othe r ty pes of antifreeze ca n sig nifi­
cantly reduce cor ros io n protec tion . The
r esu lting co rrosion can cause a lo ss of
c o o lant a nd serio us e ng ine da mage.
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226 Checking and Fill in g
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your ve hicle's engine coolant.
Adding rad iator repair fluid 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.
Adding coolant
Fig . 164 Engine co mpa rtment: mark in gs on the coo l­
ant expans ion tank
R ea d a nd f ollow ing th e W ARNING S before
checking anything in the eng ine compartment
¢ page 217.
Ch eck ing t he e ngi ne coolant level
"Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Switch the ign ition off .
" Read the coo lant level on the coolant expan­
s ion tank ¢
fig. 164. The coo lant level must
be between the markings when the eng ine
in cold. When the engine is warm it can be
sl ightly above the upper marking .
Adding coolan t
Requirement : There must be a residual
amount of coolant in the expansion tank ¢(D .
.. Let the engine cool down.
" Place a cloth over the coolant expansion
tank cap and unscrew the cap counterclock­
wise ¢&_ .
.. Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢ page 225 up to the upper marking.
.. Make sure that the fluid level remains sta­
ble. Add more coolant if necessary.
" Clove the cap securely. A coolant loss suggests a
leak. Immediately
drive your vehicle to an authorized repair fa­
c ility and have the cooling system inspected.
If the cooling system is not leaking, a loss can
come from the coolant boiling through over­
heating and being pushed out of the cooling
system.
A WARNING
The cooling system is press urized and can
become very hot. To reduce the r isk of
b urns from hot coolant:
- Do not open the coolant expansion tank
cap with the engine ho t. T here is a risk of
burns.
- Stop the eng ine and a llow it to cool.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping coolant and steam by covering
the coolant tan k cap with a large, th ick
cloth.
- Turn the coolan t tank cap counterclock­
wise slowly and keep light pressure on
the cap .
- To reduce the risk of burns, do not allow
any antifreeze or coolant to drip onto the
exhaust system or hot engine compo ­
nents. The ethy lene g lycol in engine
coo lant can catch fire under certain cir­
cumstances.
- The coolant additive and the coolant can
be dangerous to your health . For this
reason, keep the coo lant in the origina l
container away from ch ildren . There is a
risk of poisoning.
- When working in the engine compart­
ment, remember that the rad iator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
sw itched off, which increases the risk of
pe rsonal injury.
(D Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine .
If this is the case,
do no t continue dr iving. See a n author ized
A udi dealer or authori zed Aud i Service Fa­
cility for assist ance.

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Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolan t temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions .
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself<=>.& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
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Fig. 165 Engine compa rtment: cove r on the brake fluid
rese rvoir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS r::;, page 217 .
Checking and Filling 22 7
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir <=>
fig. 165, <=> page 220,
fig. 159.
T he brake fluid level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be seen in the engine compartment illustration
<=>page 220.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light . (U.S. models)
I. (Canadian
models) will come on
c:> page 18 . Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected . If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time. The boiling point of the
brake fluid will also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you.
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