2015 AUDI S3 SEDAN check engine light

Instruments and indicator lights
reached the reserve mark, the bottom LED will
turn red and the
ljJ indicator light turns on
¢
page 23. The bottom LED blinks red when
the fuel level is very low.
The on-board computer shows the range based
on the fuel level¢
page 28, On-board comput­
er display.
For the tank capacity in your vehicle, refer to the
Technical Data
¢ page 260.
(D Note
Never drive until the tank is completely emp­
ty. The irregular supply of fuel that results
from that can cause engine misfires. Uncom­
busted fuel will then enter the exhaust sys­
tem. This can cause overheating and damage
to the catalytic converter.
Coolant temperature indicator
In vehicles without a coolant temperature indica­
tor, an indicator light. will turn on when the
coolant temperature is too high ¢
page 19. Re­
fer to ¢(1) .
The coolant temperature indicator @c:>
page 10,
fig . 3 only works when the ignition is switched
on . To prevent engine damage, please observe
the following notes about the temperature rang­
es.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge turn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­ perature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, full accel­
erating and heavy engine loads.
Normal range
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture once the LEDs up to the center of the gauge
turn on under normal driving conditions . The
LEDs higher up may turn on if the engine is under
heavy load or the outside temperature is high.
This is no cause for concern as long as the. in­
dicator light in the instrument cluster does not
turn on.
12
Hot range
If the LEDs in the upper area of the display and
the . indicator light in the instrument cluster
display turn on, the coolant temperature is too
high
c:> page 19 .
A WARNING
-Never open the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This increases the risk of
burns. Wait until you no longer see or hear
steam or coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dangerous area . Stop the engine and al­
low it to cool before working in the engine
compartment. Always follow the informa­
tion found in ¢
page 198, Working in the
engine compartment.
(D Note
- In vehicles with a boost pressure indicator* ,
this indicator replaces the temperature dis­
play. To promote a long engine service life,
avoiding high engine speeds, full accelera­
tion and heavy engine loads during approxi­
mately the first 15 minutes when the en­
gine is cold is recommended . The amount of
time until the engine is warm depends on
the outside temperature . Check the engine
oil temperature* if necessary .
c:> page 30
-Auxiliary headlights and other accessories in
front of the cooling-air intake impair the
cooling effect of the coolant. This increases
the risk of the engine overheating during
high outside temperatures and heavy engine
load.
- The front spoiler also helps to distribute
cooling air correctly while driving. If the
spoiler is damaged, the cooling effect will
be impaired and the risk of the engine over­
heating will increase. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance.

....,
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@ Tips
Diesel engines: Due to the high efficiency of
these engines, the engine may not a lways
reach operating temperature in cold outside
temperatures. This is normal and not a cause
for concern.
Indicator lights
Description
Fig. 6 Instrument cl uster : example of a d isplay in vehicles
wit h a mo noc hro me display
@ Indicator light
® Message
© Status line:
-• ID Central indicator light or addition­
al d isplays for active systems such as
- - (USA models)
I. (Canada models)
electromechanical parking brake
- [ij;(i)~14 (USA models) / Iii (Canada models)
cruise control system*
- • I. Active lane assist*
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or mal­
functions.
The
central indicator light@ • or a also
turns on with some indicator lights@.
I f the centra l indicator light @turns on, check
the additiona l information in the instrument
cluster display @ and @.
In addition to the indicator lights in the display,
there are add it ional ind icators in the tachometer .
They blink or turn on to ind icate functions or mal­
functions. Messages @ may also appear briefly
Instruments and indicator lights
with some indicato r lights. A warning tone a lso
sounds at the same time.
If t here are mult iple malfunctions, the indicator
lights will appear br iefly one after another in the
display.
T he ind icators and messages in the display can be
covered over by other displays . In cases where
the indicator light @is covered over, the centra l
indicator light@will remain visible until the
malfunction is repaired .
T he messages can be displayed again in the driv­
er information system
~ page 28, Operation.
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check the
function of that system when you switch the igni­
tion on . These systems are marked with a./ in
the following tables. If one of these indicator lights does not turn on, there is a malfunction in
that system .
Your vehicle has either a monochrome display or a multicolored display, depending on vehicle
equipment . In a monochrome display, the indica­
tor lights @ only appear in white
Q page 13,
fig . 6. The central indicator light ©. / D also
appea rs to indicate the prio rity of these indicator
lights. Refer to the explanations for red or yellow
indicator lights.
Examples of indicator lights in a monochrome
display:
11 @ Priority 1 (high priority)
. © Refer to
red indicator lights
m@ Pr iority 2 (medium priority)
II ©
Refer to yellow indicator lights
D@ Pr iority 3 (low priority)
These are i nformative indicator
-- © lights
13

Instruments and indicator lights
Drive to your authorized Audi dea le r or a uthor ­
ized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunct ion corrected
¢ .&. .
1111 (USA m od els) /. (C an ada mod els) Park­
ing brake sy stem f ault! See owner' s manual
- If the indicato r light and the message appear
wh en th e vehi cle is stationar y or aft er swit ch­
ing the ignit ion on ,
check if you can release the
parking b rake . If you cannot re lease the parking
brake, see your authorized A udi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility. If you can re lease
the parking brake and the message st ill ap­
pears, see an authori zed Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunct ion corrected .
- If the indica tor light and message appear
whil e
driving ,
the hill start assist or emergency brak ­
i ng function may be malfunct ion ing . It may not
be possib le to set the pa rking brake o r release
i t once it has been set. Do not pa rk your ve hicle
o n hill s and see an authorized Audi dea ler or
authorized Audi Service Fac ility for assistance .
If the
1111 and El warning lights turn on to­
gethe r, take you r veh icle to a n author ized Audi
dealer o r autho rized Aud i Service Faci lity immedi­
ately to have the b rake pads inspected
¢ page 21 .
There is a lso a war ning tone when the lights t urn
on .
_& WARNING
- Read and fo llow ing the warn ings in
¢ page 198, Working in the engine com­
partment
before opening the hood and
check ing the brake fluid level.
- If the brake system indicator light does not
turn off or it turns on wh ile driving, the
brake flu id leve l in the reservo ir is too low,
and this increases the r isk of an accident.
Stop the vehicle and do not continue dr iv­
ing . See an author ized Audi dealer or au­
tho rized Aud i Service Fac ility for assistance.
- If the brake system indicator light tu rns on
together with the ABS and ESC ind icator
lights, the ABS/ ESC regu lating fu nction may
be malfunctioning. Functions th at stabilize
18
the vehicle are no longer ava ilable . This
could cause the rear of the vehicle to
swerve, which increases the r isk that the ve­
hicle will slide. Drive carefully to the nearest
author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Fac ility and have the malfunction
corrected.
PARK/(®)/ ~ Electromechanical parking
brake
If the -(U SA mode ls) /. (Canada mode ls)
indicato r light turns on, t he parking brake was
set.
- (USA model s) / . (Canad a model s) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicato r ligh t blink s and the message ap­
pe ars, there is no t eno ugh braking powe r to se ­
cu re the vehicle. The brakes have overheated. The
vehicle could ro ll away even on a sma ll incline.
- (USA mod els ) /. (Canada model s)
Plea se pr ess brak e pedal t o rel ease parking
br ake
To re lease the park ing brake, press the brake ped­
al and p ress the~ button at the same time, o r
star t driving with hill start assist
¢page 80,
Starting from a stop.
Ill Parking brak e!
There is a malfunc tion in the parking brake. Drive
to an authorized Aud i dea ler or authorized Audi
Service Facility immed iately to have the malfunc­
tion co rrected .
Ill Parking brake: limited functionality !
There is a malfunction in the parking brake. Drive
to an authorized Audi dea ler or a uthori zed Audi
Service Facility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunc­
tion correc ted.
!~;1 ;1J: );J;13~ ( USA models ) / ¢@'A Plea se relea se parking brake .
Release the par king brake if this message ap ­
pears.
lt1 ;1J :);tJ :H ( USA m odels ) / iiJ (Canada models)
Parking brake aut o release unavailable
...

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1.1'1
1.1'1
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If th is message appea rs, press t he b rake pe da l
f ir st and the n re lease the par king brake .
IZ,;11:);MJ~ (USA models) / [i] (Canada models)
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
I f the indicator lig ht blinks and t he messag e ap­
pea rs, there is no t enoug h bra kin g power to se­
cure the vehicle. The b rakes have ove rhe ate d. T he
ve hicl e c ould r oll aw ay even on a sm all incli ne.
l:(;1;1:t:);MJ~ (USA models ) / [i] (Canada models)
Parking brake is applied
I f th is message appears , press t he brake pedal
f ir st and the n re lease the par king b rake if neces ­
sa ry .
(D Tips
For addit io nal information o n the park ing
b ra ke, re fe r to ¢
page 78.
_L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant level!
The coolant leve l is too low or the coolant tem­
pe ra tu re is too hig h.
Do not cont inue driving and switc h the engine
off. C hec k the coolant leve l¢
page 205.
- If the coolant leve l is too low, add coolant
¢ page 206 . Only cont inue driv ing once t he in­
dicator light turns off.
- If the coolant is at the correct level , the prob­
l em may be ca used by a ma lf u nction in the radi­
ator fan. Do not cont inue driv ing. See an au­
t h orized Aud i dea le r or authorized Audi Service
Fac ility for assistance .
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationary
L e t th e en gine cool by r unnin g it in idle for a few
minutes .
A WARNING
-Never open t he hoo d if you ca n see o r hear
steam o r co olant escap ing from the engine
compartment. T his i ncreases the ris k of
bur ns. Wai t until yo u no lo nger see o r hear
steam o r co olan t escap ing .
Instruments and indicator lights
-The engine compa rtment in any vehicle ca n
be a dange ro us area . Sto p the engine and a l­
low it t o cool befo re working in the engine
compa rtment. Always follow the informa­
tion fo u nd in ¢
page 198, Working in the
e ngine compartment .
(D Note
Do not cont inue dr iv ing if the . indicato r
li g ht tur ns on -this inc reases the r isk o f en­
g in e damage.
"1::::7: Engine oil pressure
• Switch off engine! Oil pres sure too low
St op t he engine and do not cont inue drivi ng .
Ch eck the eng ine oi l level
¢ page 203.
- If the engine o il level is too low, add eng ine oi l
¢ page 201 . Only continue dr iving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
- If the engine o il level is co rrect and the indica­
to r li ght still turns on, turn t he e ngine off and
do not cont inue drivi ng. See an authorized Aud i
dea le r or a uth o rized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r as­
sis tance .
(D Tips
The oil pressu re war ning is not an oi l level i n­
dicator . Always chec k the o il l ev el re gular ly .
0 Alternator/battery
• Alternator fault : battery is not being charg­
ed
T he re is a malfunction in the al ternator or the ve ­
hicle e lectr ica l system .
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or autho rized
Audi Serv ice Facility immed iately. Because t he ve­
hicle battery is d ra ining, turn off all unnecessary
elect rical e quipment suc h as th e MMI. Seek pro­
fe ssional ass istance if t he battery charge lev el is
too low.
(•) Low battery charge: Battery will be charged
while driving
The starting ab ility may be impaired.
19

Instruments and indicator lights
-If the warnin g light EiJ or the warning
light
11111 ) w ith the message Brake p ads!
comes on in the instrument cluster display,
immediately contact your author ized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop to have all
brake pads checked o r replaced if necessary.
·~ Hill hold
Hill hold assi st: unavailable
If the ll ind icator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, hill hold is not ava ilable.
II Manual control!
If thi s message appears, press the b rake peda l.
Continue dr iv ing with the help of the parking
b ra ke
¢ page 78
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith gaso line engine
If th e ~ indica tor ligh t turns on if there is a
malfunct ion in the engine contro l.
D rive s low ly to an author ized A udi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Se rv ice Facility to have the eng ine
checked.
I f the ~ indicator light turns on when you sta rt
the eng ine, the re is an automatic start ma lf u n c­
tion. To sta rt the eng ine, fo llow these steps:
- Vehicles with a mechanical igni tion
c:> page 73, Automatic start malfunction
- Vehicles with a conven ience key c:> page 76,
Automatic start malfunction .
W Engine control (diesel engine)
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith d iesel e ngi ne
T he engine is prewa rming if t he II indicato r
light t urns on when the igni tion is sw itched on .
If the indicator lig ht blinks while dr iv ing , th e re is
a ma lfunct ion in the engine cont ro l.
l) - : USA mode ls onl y
22
Drive slowly to an a uthorized Audi dea ler or au ­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the mal­
funct ion corrected .
I f the
II ind ic a tor light tu rns on w hen yo u start
t h e engine, t here is a n automatic start mal func ­
tion . To start the engine, follow these ste ps:
Vehicles with a mechanical ignition ¢
page 73,
vehicles with a convenience key c:> page 76
o System indicator light (MIL )
The system indicator light (MIL) is part of the On
Board Diagnostic system (OBD II). ThP
¢..ifi sym ­
bo l turns on whe n the ignition is switched on and
tu rns off agai n once t he eng ine is started and
r un ning at a steady id le speed. This ind ic a te s th at
t h e MIL i s func tioning correc tly.
The ind icator light turns on if there is a malfunc­
t ion in t he engine electronics. See an author ized
A udi de aler or au thori zed A udi Service Faci lity to
h ave the mal funct io n corrected.
The system indicato r light (MIL) may turn o n if
the f ue l filler cap is not closed co rrectly
¢page 192.
For additional information, refer to c:> page 25.
... Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles : wit h diese l eng ine a nd diese l particulate
filter
• Part iculate filter: System fault See owner's
manual
The diese l part icu late filter requires regenera ­
tion. To support the filter's self-cleaning f unc ­
tion:
D rive for app roximately 15 minutes at 40 mph
(60 km/h) o r above in the S se lector lever posi ­
tion. Keep the eng ine speed around 2,000 RP M.
The temperat ure increase that w ill result from
th is can burn off the soot in the filter. The ind ica­
tor light w ill turn off when the cleani ng has com-
pleted successfully. .,..

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If the indicator light does not turn off, drive im­
mediately to an authorized Audi dea ler or author ­
ized Audi Service Facility to have the malfunction
corrected.
_& WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic conditions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order to
follow driving recommendations .
@ Tips
For additional information on the diesel par­
ticulate filter, refer to¢
page 195.
!7l Engine speed limitation
A pplies to vehicles: with eng ine spee d limitat ion
(II Ma x. engine speed: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatically limited to the
speed displayed in the driver information system.
This protects the engine from overheat ing .
The engine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longer in the critical temperature range and you have released the accelerator ped­
al once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by
an engine control malfunction, the~ indicator
light also turns on . Make sure the engine speed
does not go above the speed d isplayed, for exam­
ple when downshifting. Drive to an author ized
Aud i dealer or autho rized Aud i Service Facility im­
mediately to have the malfunct ion corrected.
~ .. Engine oil level (min.)
l!I Check oil level
You may continue driving for the time being.
Check the oil level as soon as poss ible
¢page 201.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine oil
~page 203.
- If the engine oil level is correct and the indica ­
tor light st ill turns on, drive at low engine
speed to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility .
Instruments and indicator lights
'I::?;."', Engine oil sensor
• Oil level sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the engine oi l level has
failed. Drive to an author ized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
• Oil level sens.: oil change necessary. Please
contact Service
The engine oil level is too high.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
(D Note
Refer to the description in the Owner's Man­
ual~
page 203, Checking the engine oil level
and¢ page 203, Adding engine oil Bil Tank system
D Please refuel
If the indicator light turns first turns on and this
message appears , the tank contains the fol low­
ing amount of fuel:
- Front wheel drive: approximate ly 1.8 gallons (7
liters)
- All whee l dr ive: approximately
2.2 gallons (8.5
liters)
Hid Please refuel immediately
If the indicator light turns on the message ap­
pears, the fuel tank is almost empty. Refuel the
vehicle immediately.
D Fuel tank malfunction! Please contact Serv­
ice
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears:
- there is a malfunction in the fuel tank system,
or
- in vehicles with diesel engines, water may have
collected in the fuel fi lter.
1111>
23

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1.1'1
1.1'1
,....,
If you anticipate w hat you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fue l
consumption by 10-15 percent. Th is sect ion will
g ive you some tips on how you can help the envi­
ronment and your pocketbook.
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
and Transport Canada may not correspond to
your actual consumption on the road, which
w ill vary depend ing upon vehicle load and
speed, road and weather conditions, trip
length, e tc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating.
.. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating. If you anticipate what is going to happen next, you will need to brake less and, thus, accel­
erate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possi­ b le -for example when you see that the next traf­
fic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
.. Try and keep well be low your car's max imum
speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consumpt ion,
engine wear, and does not d isturb the env iron­
ment .
Fue l consumption, exha ust emissions and eng ine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approx imately t hree quarters of
top speed, fuel consumpt ion w ill be reduced by
one half . Never dr ive faste r than the posted
speed limit a nd weather conditions perm it.
Dri ving
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel .
.. Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving
the vehicle .
.. Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the en-
gine run at idle.
It is efficient to switch off the engine when stop­
ped at ra ilroad crossings and long red lights.
Turning the engine off for just 30-40 seconds
saves more fuel than is b urned by starti ng the
engine aga in .
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is ru nning at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are espec ia lly hig h when
t h e engine is warming up. So you should d rive
away as soon as you sta rt the eng ine and avoid
run ning at high rpms w hile the eng ine is s till
warmi ng up .
@ Note
Do no t leave eng ine idl ing una ttended afte r
s ta rtin g.
If war ning lig hts s hou ld come on to
i ndica te imprope r operat ion, they would go
u nheede d. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheat ing or oth­
er damage to the ve hicle or other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot
of fuel.
.. Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ular in tervals.
B y havi ng your ve hicle regu la rly se rv iced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re that it ru ns p rope rly
and economically. The condi tion of your veh icle
not only affects its sa fety and ability to ho ld i ts
val ue, it also affects
fuel consumption.
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amou nt of oi l used is re lated to engine load
and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new en­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certai n m ile-
age has been dr iven. ...,
71

Automatic transmission
than approximately 2 seconds when the brake
pedal is not pressed.
Interlock button
The interlock butto n in the selector lever handle
p revents you from moving the selector lever in­
advertently while in some selector lever posi ­
t ions . The positions that require the interlock
button to be pressed are marked in co lor in the il­
lustration
c::> fig. 73.
Ignition key safety interlock*
You can only remove the key from the ignition af­
ter sw itching the ign ition off if the selector lever
is in the P position. The selector lever will be
locked in the P posit ion as long as the key is not
in the ignition .
A WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. c::> & in Se­
lector lever positions on page 82.
@ Tips
- If the selector lever does not engage, there
is a malfunction. The engine is disabled to
prevent the vehicle from driving off uninten­
tionally. Press the brake pedal br iefly to al­
low the selector lever lock to engage again.
- If the vehicle does not move forward or in
reverse even though a drive position is se­
lected, proceed as follows:
- >If the vehicle does not move in the desired
direct ion, the system may not have engaged
the drive pos ition correctly. Press the brake
pedal and select the drive position again.
- >If the veh icle still does not move in the de­
sired direct ion, there is a system malfunc­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for ass istance
to have the system checked.
84
Driving tips
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmissio n
The transmission shifts up and down automati­
cally when in the driving gears .
Fig. 74 Sec tion of t he ce nter conso le: se le ct or lever with
interloc k button
The engine will only be able start when the selec­
tor lever is in the P or N positions . At low temper ­
atures (be low 14 °F (-10 °C)), the engine can only
be started when the selector lever is in the P po­
sition.
Starting from a stop
"' Press and hold the brake pedal.
"' Press and hold the interlock button in the selec­
tor lever hand le, select the desired selector lev­
er position such as D
c::> page 82 and release the
lock button.
"' Wait a moment until the transmission shifts .
You will notice a slight movement when the
gear engages .
"' Release the brake peda l and press the accelera­
tor pedal
c::> ,&. .
Stopping temporarily
"'Keep the veh icle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traff ic lights .
"' Do not press the accelerator peda l when doing
this.
"' To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop­
ping on steep incl ines
c::> ,&. .
"'The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the acce lerator pedal. Requirement: The door
must be closed.