2015 AUDI S3 SEDAN Owners Manual

with the ignition off. It can even switch on again
l ater by itself~.& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due to the heat bui ld-up from the eng ine in the en ­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compar tment heats up because the
vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING , --
- To reduce the risk of personal injury never
touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary e lectric fan is temperature con­
trolled and can switch on suddenly even
when the engine is not running.
- The aux iliary radiator fan switches on auto­
matically when the engine coo lant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 163 Engine compa rt m ent: cove r on the brake fluid
reservo ir
N N -N
"' :ll
Before you check anything i n the engine compa rt­
ment,
al ways re ad and h eed all W ARN INGS
~page 198.
... Read the brake fluid level from the b ra ke fluid
reservoir
r¢ fig. 163, r:¢ page 200, fig. 157. The
brake f luid leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fl uid reservo ir can be
...., seen in the engine compartment illustration
N
~ r¢ page 200.
co
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rl
Check in g and Fillin g
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for a larm.
If the brake f luid leve l falls considerably below
the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indicator
light
1111 (U.S. mode ls) I. (Canadian models)
will come on
~ page 17. Do not continue to oper­
ate the vehicle . The comp lete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified fac ility and the
cause corrected . If the brake flu id level is too low,
the brake warning/indicator light wi ll illuminate .
Contact an a uthorized Audi dea ler
immedi ate ly .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the
water content in the brake flu id is too hig h, cor­
ros ion in the brake system may result after a per i­
od of t ime. The bo iling po int of the brake fluid
will a lso decrease cons iderab ly and decrease
braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
e ve ry
tw o years .
Always use new brake flu id which co n­
forms to Federal Motor Vehicle Standard "FMVSS
116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icu lt to reach,
therefore, we recommend tha t you have the
brake flu id changed by you r authorized
Audi
de aler.
Your dea le r has the correct tools, the
right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you .
A WARNING
- -
-Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed original conta iner out of
the reach of children !
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inappro­
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau­
tions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SA E spe ci­
ficat ion
J 1703 and conforms to Federa l
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with your a uthorized Audi dea ler to make
~
207

Checking and F ill in g
sure you are using the correct brake f luid .
The correct type of brake fluid is also indi­
cated on the brake fluid reservoir .
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long.
This can ser iously affect the effic iency of
the brakes as well as your safety . This
could res ult in an accident.
(D Note
Brake flu id will damage the paint of your vehi­
cle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l of
brake fluid as well as the spec ia l tools re-
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec ­
ommend tha t you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
The battery in yo ur Audi does not need any ma in­
tenance under normal operating conditions. Aud i
recommends having the electro lyte level check by
an author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Service Fac ility when the re a re
high outside tem­
pe ratu res or when dr iv ing a ll day. The electroly te
leve l sho uld also be checked ea ch t ime the bat ­
t ery is charged
9 page 210 .
Have the battery checked when you br ing you r ve­
hicle in fo r an inspec tio n. It is a good idea to re­
p la ce the batte ry if i t is more than 5 ye ars old .
During certai n types of a irbag dep loyments, the
battery is disconnect ed from the vehicle electr i­
cal system fo r safety reasons
9 .&. in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 163.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle functions (such as power windows)
are not ava ilable when the batte ry is disco nnect­
ed. These functions must be programmed after
the ba ttery is reconnec ted. To avoid havi ng to do
t his , on ly disconnect the b attery from the veh icle
208
electrica l sys tem when that is necessa ry to pe r­
form repairs.
To reprogram the func tion s, proceed as fo llows:
Function Reprogramming
P owe r window one-
9 page 41, Correcting
to uch up/down f unc-power window malfunc-
tion tions
Remote control key o r If the vehicle does not
Conve nience key reac t to the key , it must
be synchronized
9 page 35
Digita l clock 9 page 10
ESC indi cato r light The ind icator lig ht goes
o ut afte r driving a few
meters
Not running the vehicle for long periods of
time
If you do not d rive yo ur vehicle for several days or
weeks, e lectr ica l components are gradua lly re­
duced or switched off. Th is red uces energy con­
s u mption and maintains the vehicle's ability to
start over a long per iod of t ime ¢
page 128.
Some conven ience functions , such as inter ior
li ght ing or power seats* may not wo rk . These
convenienc e functions w ill be availabl e agai n
o nce you swi tch the ig nition on and sta rt the en ­
gine.
Winter operation Du ring the winter months , it is common for the
batte ry capaci ty to dec rease as the tempe rat ur es
become lower . This is because more powe r is
needed to start the vehicle and componen ts such
as the he ad lights and the rear window defogger
are used more frequent ly.
Avoid using powe r unnecessar ily, especially in
c ity dr iv ing o r o n short trips . H ave yo ur au thor­
iz ed Audi de aler or author ized A udi Se rv ice Facili­
ty check the ba ttery capacity before the start of
winter ¢
page 210. A well-charged battery will
not only reduce starting problems in co ld weath­
er, but it will a lso last longer .

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A WARNING ,~
- Work on the battery requires expert knowl­
edge. Contact an authorized Aud i dealer or
authorized Audi Service Fac ility for informa­
t ion regarding the v ehicl e batte ry. There is a
risk for chemical burns or e xplosions.
- Never open the vehicle battery . Do no t try to
change the batte ry elect ro lyte level. Other­
wise ex plosive gas will e scape from the bat­
tery and increase the r is k of an explosion.
@ Tips
If your vehicle is not driven for severa l wee ks
in very cold tempe ratu res, remove the battery
and store it in a pla ce where i t will no t freeze.
This preven ts the bat tery from being d am­
aged and needing to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The bat te ry is loc ated in t he luggage compart­
men t under the floor. Before yo u check any thing
i n the l uggage comp artme nt,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
q ,&. .
Always heed the sa fety warning s, when working
on the vehicle battery o r th e veh icle elec trical
sys tem to preven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when work ing on the battery:
Always he ed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety pre caution s wh en working on
the battery .
®
Always wear eye protect ion.
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al ·
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
• sparks
- flame s
- smok ing.
Checking and Fillin g
&
When a battery is charged, it produce s
-hydrog en gas which i s explo siv e a nd
c ould cau se p ers onal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of
reach of children .
A WARNING ..,__ -
Whenever working on the battery or on the
electr ica l system, the re is the risk of in jury,
accident and even fi re. Read and heed the fol­
l ow ing WARNI NGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat­
tery ac id or a ny lead particles get on your
skin o r clothing. Shield yo ur eyes. Exp losive
gases can ca use blindness or o ther in jury.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfuric
acid can ca use b lindness and severe burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because ac id could leak
out of the ventilation openings.
- If you get battery ac id in your eyes or on
your s kin, immed iate ly r inse with cold wa­
ter fo r several minutes and get medical at­
tent ion.
- If you shou ld ingest any battery acid , seek
med ica l attent io n immed iate ly.
- Do not expose the batte ry to an open flame,
electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and nega-
tive cables .
- When working on the battery , be s ure not to
short-c ircuit the terminals with tools or oth­
er metal objects . This would ca use the bat­
tery to heat up very quickly , which could
lead to damage or exp losion and perso nal
in jur y.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy­
drogen gas which is e xplos ive and could
cause persona l injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negat ive g round cab le.
- Before performing any work on t he e lectr i­
cal system, sw itch
off the engine and igni-
tion as well as any electrical equ ipme nt. The .,..
209

Checking and Fill in g
negative cable on the battery must be dis·
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights .
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm .
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cable and then the
posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnect ing the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off . Re ­
connect the pos itive cable first and then the
negative cable . Never intercha nge the ca­
bles -th is could star t a fire!
- Never charge a froze n or a thawed-out bat­
te ry.
It co uld explode! If a batte ry has fro­
zen, then it m ust be repl aced. A d isc harged
b at tery can free ze over at 3 2 °F (0 °C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery .
- Never use batte ries which are damaged.
T he re is the danger of an explos ion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
_& WARNING
California P ropos ition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts , termina ls and re lated acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds ,
chemicals known to the Sta te of C alifornia
to cause ca nce r and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after hand ling.
(D Note
- Do not d isconnect t he ve hicle battery when
the ignition is o n or when the engine is run ­
ning, othe rwise , you w ill damage electronic
components in the electrical system .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without be ing driven, p rotect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re­
placed.
210
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­
tery .
Fig. 16 4 En g in e compa rtmen t: connecto rs fo r a c harg er
and jump start c ables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
c> .& and q .& in Working on the battery on
page 209 .
.,.. Switch off the ignition and all elec trical con­
sumers.
.,.. Make s ure the area is we ll ventilated when you
charge the battery .
.,.. Open the eng ine hood
q page 199 .
.,.. Open the red cover on the positive pole
q fig. 164 .
.,.. Clamp the charge r te rm inal clamps as inst ruct­
ed on the
battery terminal (+ ) and o nly on the
body ground point (· ).
.,.. On ly now plug the mains lead for the charging
equ ipmen t in to the wall outlet and turn it on
~ .& -
... Make sure the charging rate is not ov er
30 amps / 14 .8 Volt .
.,.. When the bat tery is fully cha rged : Tur n the
charg ing equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet.
.,.. Now remove the clamps fo r the charging equip -
ment .
.,.. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
.,.. Close the hood
c> page 200.
A d ischarged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 F
0 (0 °C) . Allow a frozen battery to
thaw complete ly before attempting to charge it
~ .&. . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery aga in because the battery casing ..,_

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1.1'1
1.1'1
,....,
can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps / 14.8 Volt)
When charging at
low voltages (e.g . with a trickl e
charger ), the battery cab les do not have to be
d isconnected first. The battery caps shou ld
not
be opened when charg ing a battery .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not nec ­
essary to disconnect the cables .
Fast charging the battery (charg ing rate
a bo ve 14.8 Volt s)
F or technical reasons do not use a battery charg­
er that us es voltage greater than 14 .8 Volts to
charge your vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always fo llow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur­
er when charging y our battery.
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al­
low a frozen battery to thaw o ut first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were frozen .
The battery hous ing may have cracked and
weakened when the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area .
Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark . Do not smoke. Hyd rogen gas generat ­
ed by the battery is explos ive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never co nnect or disconnect cha rger cables while
the cha rger is operating .
- Fast charg ing a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
tec hnician with the p roper equipment .
- Battery acid that may spill during charg ing
should be washed off w ith a so lution of
wa rm water and baking so da t o n eutrali ze
t he a cid .
Checking and Fillin g
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This will ser iously damage sensi­
tive electronic components, s uch as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
charger .
Battery replacement
The new bat tery mus t hove the some specifica­
tions and dimensions as the original equipmen t
battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
responsible for distributing the electrical energy
t h roughout your vehicle
Q page 128 . The intelli ­
gent energy management system w ill keep the
engine batt ery charged better than vehicles with­
out this system. To ma ke s ure t he add it iona l elec­
t rical energy is av ailabl e once again afte r yo u
have changed the battery, we recommend tha t
yo u install batteries of the same type and man u­
facture on ly (the same as those insta lled at the
t ime yo ur vehicle was delivered). Specifications
are listed on the battery hous ing . Your author­
ized dealer must code the battery in the energy
manageme nt system to enab le you to use the en­
ergy ma nagement fu nctions cor rectly afte r re­
plac ing the battery .
The new battery mus t have the same capacity ,
vo ltage (12 -volts), amperage, construction and
plug seal ing.
When install ing the battery, make sure the ign i­
t ion and all electr ica l consumers are switched off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilat ion hose on the side of
the battery is connected, otherwise f umes or
battery acid can lea k out.
~ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the prob lem of proper disposal of
a battery, we recommend you r authorized
A udi dealer change the battery for you. Bat­
teries contain sulfur ic acid and lead and must
always be dispose d of properly in complia nce
with a ll envi ronm ental regulations. Disposing ..,.
211

Checking and Filling
of vehicle batteries improperly is very danger­
ous to the environment.
Windshield washer system
F ig . 165 Eng ine compartment: washer fluid reservoir cap
M
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"" 00 a,
The washer fluid reservoir O contains the wind­
shield washer fluid¢ page 200, fig. 157. Reser­
voir capacity¢ page 260.
"' Read and follo w all
WARNINGS before working
in the engine compartment ¢page
198 .
... Open the cap .
... Add the washer f luid and close the cap .
To reduce the risk of lime scale depos its on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium. Always add a window cleaner to th
water. It should contain freeze protection in the
winter.
(D Note
- Never add radiator anti-freeze or other addi­
tives to the washer fluid.
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint solvents, there is a risk of damaging
the pa int.
212
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve­
hicle is due for service.
Fig. 166 Instrument cluster: Service interval display (ex·
amp le)
Fig. 167 Display in the MMI panel: service interval display
(example)
l6 M 0 ;:;. co m
The service interval display works in two stages:
-Inspection or oil change reminder: After a cer ­
tain distance driven, a message appears in the
instrument cluster display each time the igni­
tion is switched on or off¢ fig. 166. The re­
maining distance or time is disp layed briefly.
- Inspection or oil change due: If your vehicle
has reached an inspection or oi l change interval
or both intervals at the same time, the mes­
sage:
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due!
appears briefly af­
ter switching the ignition on/off.
Checking service intervals
You can check the rema ining distance or time un­
til the next oil change or next inspection in the
MMI
¢ fig. 167. Select the I MENU I button> Car>
Systems*
control button > Service & control >
Service intervals.

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1.1'1
1.1'1
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Resetting the indicator
Your authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility will reset the service interval dis­
play after performing service.
If you perform an oil change yourself to the Audi
specifications, you must reset the service interval
display.
To reset the display, select the
I MENU I button>
Car > Systems* control button > Service & con­
trol
> Service intervals > Reset oil change inter­
val.
(1) Note
- Only reset the oil change indicator if the oil
was changed.
- Following the service intervals is critical to
maintaining the service life and value of
your vehicle, especially the engine. Even if
the mileage on the vehicle is low, do not ex­
ceed the time for the next service.
- Calculating the time to the next oil change
is interrupted when the vehicle battery is
disconnected. If the vehicle is not driven for
a long period of time, check the mainte­
nance schedule so that you can follow the
maintenance intervals.
Checking and Filling
213

Tires and wheels
Tires and wheels
Wheels
General information
~check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, crac ks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob­
jects from the tire tread.
~ If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap­
proach the curb at an angle.
~ Have faulty tires or rims re­
placed immediately.
~ Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
~ Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled.
~Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as possible.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical i n those seasons. Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
i ng the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de­ crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
214
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold tem­ peratures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter driving condi­
tions. The surface of the rims does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam­
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 168 Tire specification codes on the
sidewall of a tire .,_