2015 AUDI S3 SEDAN engine overheat

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.

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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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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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

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Stopp ing /p ark in g
If the se lector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle cou ld roll.
In vehicles with a convenience key*, the message:
Shift t o P, o ther wis e vehi cle c an roll away .
D oo rs do not lo ck if l ever i s not i n P
appears . You
will also hear a warning tone.
~ Press and ho ld the brake pedal c:> A ­
~ Set the parking brake.
~ Se lect the P selector lever pos ition.
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the b rake pedal to hold the vehi­
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
c:> A -Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in­
creasing the engine speed
c:> @ .
Starting on an incline in vehicl es without H ill
H old *
~ Set the parking brake.
~ With the driving gear se lected, press the accel ­
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake releas­
es automatically . Requ irement: The door must
be closed .
Starting o n an incline in veh icles with Hill
Hol d*
~ With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal
c:> page 80, Hill hold.
Under certain circumstances, (such as driving in
the mountains or towing a tra iler), it may be use­
ful to sw itch temporarily to the manual sh ift pro­
gram in order to adjust the gears to the driving
conditions by hand~
page 87.
When parking on a level surface, simply place the
selector lever in the P position. On inclines, acti­
vate the parking brake first and then move the
selecto r lever to the P position~
page 78. This
prevents the locking me chanism from being load­
ed too heavi ly and wi ll make it easier to move the
selector lever out of the P posit ion .
Aut omatic transm issio n
A WARNING
-The vehicle can roll even when the engine is
sw itched off.
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serious injuries.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine running while in gear. If you must leave your
veh icle when the engine is running, set the
parking brake and move the selector lever to
the P position.
- Power is still transferred to the wheels when
the eng ine is running at idle. To prevent the
veh icle from "creeping", you must keep your
foot on the brake when the engine is run­
n ing and the selec to r l ever is in the D, Sor R
position or "tiptronic" mode is selected .
- Do not inadvertently press the accelera tor
pedal when the vehicle is stationa ry. Other­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could res ult in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the eng ine is
running.
- Never engage the R or P selector level pos i­
tions while dr iv ing.
It could cause a crash.
- Before driving down a steep s lope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"t iptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake system.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in place with the foot brake or pa rking brake to prevent it from ro lling
back.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a slipping clut ch. The cl utch opens au tomati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . The
mJ indicator light turns on
and a message appears
c:> page 88 when
the clutch is overloaded .
85

Automatic transmission
-If the engine must run while you are work­
ing in the engine compartment with the
hood open, make sure a gear is not engag­
ed . The selector lever must be firmly in the
P position and locked in place and the park­
ing brake must be set ¢
page 198. Other­
wise, the vehicle could begin moving when
the engine speed is high, even with the
parking brake set.
0 Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­
lected. This can cause the automatic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Ac­
tivate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped and the selector lever is in the N
position will damage the automatic trans­
mission because it is not lubricated under
those circumstances.
- The transmission can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic . When the
5] or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool¢
page 88.
-Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped will damage the S tronic trans­
mission because it is not lubricated
¢ page 2 54, Towing with a tow truck.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake only re­
leases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tron ic transm ission
The hill descent control system assists the driv­
ing when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in the Dor S position and you press
86
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the incline. Hill
descent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brakes. Because hill de­
scent control cannot shift down farther than 3rd
gear, it may be necessary to shift into tiptronic
mode in very steep areas . In this case, shift into
1st or 2nd gear in tiptronic mode to use the en­
gine's braking force to relieve the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢
page 94, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set .
&_ WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.

Automatic transmission
Launch Control-Program
Applie s to v ehi cles: w ith launch control
The Launch Control Program enables maximum
acceleration .
Requirement: The engine must be at operating
temperature and t he steering wheel must not be
turned.
.,. With the engine running, press the
!~OFFI but­
ton briefly one time
l) .
.,. Pull the selector lever back out of the O/S posi­
tion briefly to select the S position, or press it
toward the right into the tiptronic position or
select the
Dynamic driving mode in drive se­
lect*
~page 112.
.,. Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least 1 sec­
ond.
.,. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot until the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.,. Remove your left foot from the brake.
_.&. WARNING
- Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and traf-
fic conditions allow it and other drivers will
not be endangered or impacted by your driv­
ing and the vehicle's acceleration.
- Please note that the drive wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
l .1'3 OFF ! button briefly to turn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The transmission temperature may increase
significantly after using the launch control program. If that happens, the program may
1l In vehicles w ith a d rive r infor matio n syste m, a n ESC light
in t he instrument clus ter s tays o n co ntinuo usly and t he
message
Stabilization control (ESC): sport. Warning! Re·
stricted stability
appears temporarily.
88
not be available for a few minutes. It will be
available again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch control
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased wear.
Emergency mode
App lies to vehicles : wi th S t ro ni c t ra nsmi ssio n
In the event of a system malfunction, there is an
emergency program .
If all of the selector lever positions are highlight­
ed with a light background in the instrument
cluster display, there is a system malfunction and
the S tronic transmission is running in the emer­
gency program. The vehicle can still be driven in
emergency mode, but only with reduced speed
and not in all gears. In some cases, the vehicle
cannot drive in reverse .
(D Note
If the transmission runs in emergency mode,
drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
Transmission malfunction
• Transmission malfunction! Please stop the
vehicle and select P
There is a malfunction in the transmission. Park
the vehicle securely and do not continue driving.
See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
• Transmission overheating! Please stop the
vehicle!
The transmission is too hot and can become dam­
aged. Stop and let the transmission cool with the
engine running (at idle) in the P selector lever po­
sition. Then the indicator light and the message
turn off, drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have.,.

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the malfunction corrected. If the indicator light
and the driver message do not turn off, do not
continue dr iv ing. See an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
rm Transmission malfunction: you can continue
driving
Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
rm Transmission malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized
Audi Service Fac ility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
rm Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving in D until engine off
Drive the vehicle away from moving traffic and
park. See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Fac ility for assistance.
rm Transmission overheating! Please adapt
driving style
Continue driving moderate ly. When the indicator
light turns off, you can continue driving normally.
rm Transmission: Please press brake pedal and
select gear again
If the transmission malfunctions because the
temperature is too high, a message appears
when the transmission is coo led.
Selector lever emergency re lease
Appl ies to vehicles: with S tronic transm ission
If the vehicle's power supply foils, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency.
"'
"'
"' Fig. 77 Selector lever: removing the cove r rl
Automatic transmission
Fig. 78 Selector lever: u sing the emergency release to
move out of the Park position
The emergency release mechanism is located in
the right area under the selector lever shift gate.
Using the emergency release can be complicated.
We recommend contacting your authorized Audi dealer for assistance, if necessary.
The screwdriver from the vehicle too l kit located
in the luggage compartment is needed to for the
emergency release
c> page 241. Use the flat side
of the reversible screwdriver blade .
Removing the selector lever cover
.. Set the parking brake «Ell c> A to secure your
vehicle from rolling.
.. Insert the flat side of the screwdriver s ideways
in the slot near the shift cover and pry the shift
cover up ¢
fig. 77 .
.. Pull up the co rners of the sh ift cover carefully
with your hands and fo ld it over the shifter
knob ¢
fig. 78.
Selector lever emergency release
.. Press and hold the yellow release button with
the screwdriver ¢
fig. 78.
.. Press the release button in the selector lever ®
and
move the lever into the N position.
.. Clip the shift cover back into the shift gate after
using the emergency release.
If the vehicle must be pushed or towed due to a
power failure (for example, the battery is dead),
the selector lever must first be
moved to the N
position using the emergency release mecha ­
nism .
89