2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET check engine light

Instruments and indicator lights
Coolant temperature indicator
The coolant temperature indicator@¢ 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 ac­
celerating 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 conc ern as long as the. in­
dicator light in the instrument cluster does not
turn on.
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
¢ page 16.
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 escap ing .
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dangerous area. Stop the engine and
allow it to cool before working in the engine
compartment. A lways follow the informa­
tion found in ¢
page 188, Working in the
engine comportment.
(D Note
- 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
12
high outside temperatures and heavy en­
gine load.
- Th e 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 .
Indicator lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or mal­
functions.
Messages may appear with some indicator lights.
A warning signal will sound at the same time. If
there is more than one malfunction, the indicator lights will turn on one after the other for a short
time . The indicator lights and messages in the in­
strument cluster display can be covered by other
displays .
The messages can be displayed again in the driv­
er information system*. With the multifunction
steering wheel, select the tab for indicator lights
and messages
c:> page 24 .
Some indicator lights in the display can display in
several colors.
& Central indicator light
If the . or D indicator light turns on, check
the instrument cluster display for more informa­
tion.
App lies to: vehicles wi th mo nochrome disp lay
If a message appears together with a central in­
dicator light. or
D. the central indicator light
will indicate the priority of the warning. If a
white indicator light also appears , the central in­
dicator light will have its own color . For example,
i'"
@I ::ippears together with., read the descrip­
tion for •.

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& Brake booster
Brake servo: limited functionality. You can con­
tinue driving. Contact Service
There is a malfunction in the brake booster if this
message appears. The brake booster is available,
but its effectiveness is reduced. Braking behavior
may be different from how it normally functions
and the brake pedal may vibrate.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
BRAKE/((D) Brake system
If this indicator light turns on, there is a malfunc­
tion in the brake system.
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models)
Please stop vehicle and check brake fluid level!
Stop the vehicle and check the brake fluid level.
See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance if necessary.
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models)
Brake: malfunction! Please park vehicle safely
If the . indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a brake booster malfunc­
tion .
If the ABS indicator light
rJ]) (USA models) /
[I] (Canada models), the ESC indicator light J.il
and the brake system indicator light 1111 (USA
models)/ . (Canada models) turn on and this
message appears, then the ABS, ESC and braking
distribution are malfunctioning
c::> .&..
Do not continue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance
c::> .&. .
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models) Park­
ing brake system fault! See owner's manual
- If the indicator light and the message appear
when the vehicle is stationary or after switch­
ing the ignition on,
check if you can release the
parking brake . If you cannot release the park­
ing brake, see your authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility . If you can re-
Instruments and indicator lights
lease the parking brake and the message still
appears, see an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
- If the indicator light and message appear
while
driving,
the hill start assist or emergency brak­
ing function may be malfunctioning. It may not be possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set . Do not park your vehicle
on hills and see an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
Applies to: USA models
If the 1111 and EiJ indicator lights turn on at the
same time, the brake pads are worn
<::>page 19.
.&_ WARNING
-Read and follow the warnings in
c::> page 188, Working in the engine com­
partment
before opening the hood and
checking the brake fluid level.
- If the brake system indicator light does not
turn off or it turns on while driving, the
brake fluid level in the reservoir is too low,
and this increases the risk of an accident.
Stop the vehicle and do not continue driv­
ing. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
- If the brake system indicator light turns on
together with the ABS and ESC indicator
lights, the ABS/ESC regulating function may
be malfunctioning. Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer available . This
could cause the rear of the vehicle to
swerve, which increases the risk that the ve­
hicle will slide. Do not continue driving. See
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility for assistance.
PARK/(®)/i®J, Electromechanical parking
brake
If the - (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
indicator light turns on, the parking brake was
set .
- (USA models) /. (Canada models) Cau-
tion: Vehicle parked too steep .,..
15

Instruments and indicator lights
If the i ndicator lig ht blinks and t he message ap ­
pears, the re is not enough bra king power to se ­
cure the vehicle. The brakes have overheated. The
ve hicle co uld ro ll away even on a small incline .
-(USA models)/. (Canada models)
Please press brake pedal to release parking
brake
T o re lease the pa rking brak e, press the br ake
pedal an d pres s th e ~ button at the same time,
or start driv ing with hill start ass ist
¢ page 74,
Starting from a stop .
Ill Parking brake!
There is a malfunc tion in th e park ing b ra ke . Dr ive
t o an author ized Audi dealer or au thor ized A udi
S erv ice Fa cil ity immedi ately to ha ve t he m alfunc­
t ion correc ted.
Ill Parking brake: Limited functionality!
There is a malfunction in the park ing brake. Dr ive
to a n author ized Audi dealer or author ized A udi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have t he m alfunc­
tion cor rec ted .
IZ!il:t:l;U:o (USA models ) / Ill (Canada models )
Please release park ing brake
Release the par king brake if t his message a p­
pears .
!1J;jl:l;J;1:0 (USA models) / K@j Parking brake: auto release unavailable
If thi s m essage a ppe ars , pr ess the bra ke ped al
fir st and t hen release the p arking br ake.
IZJ;J:t :);Jj3~ (USA models) / K@j Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
I f th e i ndicator lig ht blinks and t he message ap­
pears, the re is not eno ugh bra king power to s e­
cure the vehicl e. The bra kes have overhea ted. T he
ve hicl e co uld roll aw ay eve n on a s mall i nclin e .
IZJ;jl :);tJ3~ ( USA models ) / Ii] (Canada models )
Parking brake is applied
I f th is message appears, press the brake pedal
fi rst and the n release the pa rking brake if neces ­
sary.
16
(D Tips
F o r additional informat ion on t he parking
br ake, refe r to ¢
page 73 .
-L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant level!
The coo la nt level is too low.
D o not con tinue dr iv in g and swi tch th e e ngi ne
off.
Check the coola nt level ¢
page 195 .
-If the coo lant level is too low, add coolant
¢
page 195. Only continue dr iving once the in­
dicato r ligh t turns off.
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with veh icle stationary
Let the engine ru n at idle fo r a few mi nutes to
cool off, until the in dicator lig ht t urns off.
- If the in dicat or ligh t doe s not tu rn off , d o n ot
cont inue driving the veh icle. S ee an au thorized
Audi dea le r or a uth orized Audi Service Facility
for assistance.
.8_ WARNING
- Never open the hood if you can see or hea r
steam or coo la nt escaping from t he e ng in e
compa rtm ent. This increases the ris k of
burns. Wait until you no lo ng er see o r hear
s t ea m or coo la nt escaping.
- The engine compa rtment in any vehicle can
b e a da nge rous a rea . Stop the engi ne and
allow it to coo l b efo re wor king in the en g in e
com partm ent . Alw ay s follo w the inf orma­
t io n found in
r::!> pag e 188 , Wo rking in the
engine com par tment.
(D Note
D o not con tinue dr iv ing if the . indicato r
li g ht turns o n as thi s incr ease s th e ris k o f en­
gin e dama ge.
• Switch off engine! Oil pressure too low .,.

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Stop the engine and do not continue driving.
Check the engine oil leve l
~page 193.
- If
the engi ne oil level is too low, add engine oil
~page 191. Only cont inue driving once the in­
dicato r light turns off.
-If the engine oil level is correct and the indica­
tor light sti ll turns on, turn the eng ine off and
do not continue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
sistance.
The oil pressure warning is not an oi l level in­
dicator. Always check the oil level regu larly.
0 Alternator/battery
• Alternator fault: battery is not being charg­
ed
There is a malfunction in the alternator or the ve­
hicle electrical system .
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler o r authorized
Audi Servic e Facility immediately. Turn off all un­
necessary electrical equipment because it wi ll
drain the battery. See your authorized A udi deal ­
er or authori zed Audi Service Facility if the bat­
tery charge level is too low.
(•) Low battery charge : Battery will be charged
while driving
The start ing ability may be impaired .
I f th is message turns off after a little while , the
battery charged enough while d riving.
If the message does not turn off, have and au­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Faci lity repair the malfunction .
~/ !{' Safety systems
The II (USA models) Im (Canada mode ls) indi­
cato r light monitors the safety systems.
Safety system
If the II (USA models) Im (Canada models) in­
d icator light turns on or blinks, there is a mal­
function in a safety system.
Instruments and indicator lights
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
A WARNING ~ -
Have the safety systems inspected immedi­
ately. Otherwise, there is a r isk that the sys­
tems may not activate during a collision,
which increases the risk of serious injury or
death .
4'-Front safety belt
The . indicator light stays on until the dr iver's
and front passenge r's safety belts are buckled.
Above a certa in speed , there will also be a warn­
ing tone .
(D Tips
For additional informat ion on safety belts, re­
fer to~
page 135 .
@-e Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
There is a malf u nction in the electron ic steering
lock. You cannot turn the ignition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered . See an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
!II Steering lock: system fault! Please contact
Service
There is a malfunction in the electron ic steering
lock.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
A WARNING ~ -Do not tow your vehicle when there is a mal­
function in the electronic steering lock -this
in creases the risk of an acc ident.
17

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A WARNING ,~
If the ~ (USA models) /. (Canada mod­
els) brake system indicator light turns on to­
gether with the ABS and ESC indicator lights,
the ABS/ESC regulat ing funct ion may have
fai led. Functions that stabilize the vehicle are
no longer available. This could cause the vehi­
cle to swerve, which increases the risk that
the vehicle will slide. Drive carefully to the
nearest author ized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility and have the malfunction corrected.
@ Tips
For additional information on ESC and ABS,
refer to¢
page 116.
{0} Brake pads
IJ Brake pads!
The brake pads are worn.
Drive to an autho rized Aud i dea le r or authorized
Aud i Service Faci lity immediately to have the
b ra ke pads checked.
Applies to: USA models
The IJ indicator light turns on together with the
~ indicator light
·~ Hill hold assist
Hill hold assist: unavailable
If thP&) indicator light tu rns o n and this mes­
sage appears, hill hold is not available.
II Manual control!
If this message appears, press the brake pedal.
Continue driving w ith the help of the park ing
brake. ¢
page 73
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
Applies to: veh icles with gasoline engines
If the ~ indicator light turns on if there is a
malfunction in the engine control.
Instruments and indicator lights
Drive slowly to an authorized Audi dea ler or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the engine
checked .
If the~ indicator light turns on when you start
the engine, there is an automatic start malfunc­
tion. To start the engine, fo llow these steps:
- Vehicles with ignition lock¢
page 68, Auto-
matic start malfunction
- Veh icles with a conve nience key¢ page 70,
Automatic start malfunction.
a System indicator light (MIL)
The system indicator light (MIL) is pa rt of the On
Board Diagnostic system (OBD II) . The
II! sym­
bol turns on when the ignition is switched on and
turns off again once the engine is started and
running at a steady idle speed. This indicates that
the MIL is functioning correctly .
The indicator light turns on if there is a malfunc­
t ion in the engine electronics . See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility to
have the malfunction corrected.
The system indicator light (MIL) may turn on if
the fuel filler cap is not closed correctly
¢ page 186.
For additional information, refer to ¢ page 21.
!? Engine speed limitation
Applies to : vehicles with engine speed limitation
(II Max . engine speed: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatically limited to the
speed displayed in the driver information system.
This protects the engine from overheating.
T he eng ine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longer in the critical temperature
range and you have re leased the accelerator ped ­
al once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by
an engine control malfunction, the~ indicato r
light also turns on . Make sure the engine speed
does not go above the speed displayed, for exam-
ple when downshifting. Drive to an authorized .,.
19

Instruments and indicator lights
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility im­
m ediately to have the malfunction corrected.
~ i. Engine oil level (min .)
Ill Check oil level
You may continue driving for the time being.
Check the engine oil level as soon as possible
r::!) page 191.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine oil
¢page 193 .
-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.
~ .... Engine oil sensor
• Oil level sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the engine oil level has
failed. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
(D Note
Refer to the description in the Owner's Man­
ual ¢
page 193, Checking the engine oil level
and adding oil.
Bil Tank system
D Please refuel
If the indicator light turns first turns on and this
message appears, the tank contains the follow ­
ing amount of fuel :
- Front wheel drive: approximately 1.8 gallons (7
liters)
- All wheel drive: approximately 2.2 gallons (8.S
liters)
D Please refuel immediately
If the indicator light turns on the message ap ­
pears, the fuel tank is almost empty . Refuel the
vehicle immediate ly.
D Fuel tank malfunction! Please contact Serv­
ice
20
If the indicator light turns on and this message
appears, there is a malfunction in the tank sys­
tem.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected .
@ For the sake of the environment
Fuel should never enter the sewer system or
come into contact with the ground.
(D Tips
More information on refueling is available on
page
¢page 185.
.. Washer fluid level
C·w$ Please add washer fluid
Fill the washer fluid for the windshield washer
system and the headlight washer system* when
the ignition is switched off¢
page 202.
• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper: system fault!
There is a malfunction with the windsh ield wip­
ers .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected .
~ Defective light bulb warning
Applies to: vehicles with driver info rmation system
If the J:i indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed . The message indicates the location of the
bulb.
Replace the bulb immediately.
Vehicle lights: system fault!
There is a malfunction in the headlights or the
light switch. Drive to an authori zed Audi dealer or
authorized Aud i Service Facility immediately to
have the malfunction corrected .
...

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Central locking switch
Fig. 18 Dr ive r's door: cent ral loc king sw itch
.,. To lock the veh icle, press the@! button ¢,&. .
.,. To unlock t he ve hicle, press the~ button
qfig . 18 .
When locking the vehicle with the centra l locking
switch, the follow ing applies :
- Open ing the door and the l uggage compart­
ment lid from the
outside is not possible (for
security such as when stopped at a light) .
- The LED in the central locking switch turns on
when all doors are closed and locked.
- You can open the doors individually from the
inside by pull ing the door handle.
- In the event of a crash with a irbag dep loyment,
the doors un lock automatically to a llow access
to the vehicle.
A WARNING
- The power locking sw itch works w ith the ig­
nition off a nd automatically locks the entire
vehicle wh en the@! button is p ressed.
- The centra l locking switch is inoperative
when the veh icle is locked from the o utside.
- Locked doors make it mo re difficult fo r
eme rgency wor kers to get into the vehicle,
wh ich puts l ives at risk . D o not leave anyone
be hin d in th e veh icl e, especially children .
(!) Tips
Your veh icle w ill lock a utomat ica lly at a speed
of 9 mph (15 km/h)¢
page 27. You can un­
loc k the vehicle again using the ce ntral loc k­
ing ope ning f unct ion .
ll Thi s fun ctio n is not a vail able in all coun tries.
Open ing and closing
Setting central locking
In the MMI, you can set which functions are con­
trolled by the central locking system .
.,. Select: the I CAR ! funct ion button > (Car) Sys ­
t e ms *
control button > Vehicle settings > (Cen­
tral locking)* .
Door unlocking * -
you can decide if All doors or
only the
Driver door shou ld unlock. The luggage
compartment lid also un locks when
All i s select ­
ed . If you se lect
Driver i n a vehicle wi th a conve n­
i ence key*, o nly the doo r whose handle you p ull
will unlock .
Wi th the
Driver settings, all doors a nd the lug ­
gage compartment lid will un lock when yo u press
the ~ button on the remo te contro l key tw ice or
tu rn t he key in the door lo ck cylinde r in the twice
in the ope ning direc tion wi thin two secon ds.
Tone when locking -when checke d off ,/, a tone
will sound wh en yo u loc k the vehicle
1>.
Fold mirrors * -if you select On , the outside m ir­
rors w ill fold in automatically when you press t he
~ but ton on the remote cont ro l key ¢ page 47 .
Electronic immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized use of
your v ehicle .
A microchip in the key automatically deactivates
th e e lectron ic immobilizer when the key is locat­
ed in the veh icle. If you remove the key from the
vehicle, the elec tronic im m ob ilizer act iva tes
again au tomatically .
A WARNING
Alw ay s t ake t he key w ith y ou whe never y ou
l e ave y our veh icle. The elec tron ic immo bili zer
c an be deactiv ated wit h th e key, so this c ould
make it possible fo r unauthorized persons to
start the engine an d operate veh icle systems
such as the powe r windows or sunroof. This
can increase the risk of se rious injury.
31

Driving
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fuel
consumption by 10-15 percent. This section will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi­ ronment and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc.
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 ­
ble -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 below your car's maximum
speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­ ment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by
one half . Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather conditions permit.
66
· Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel .
.. Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle .
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
It is efficient to switch off the engine when stop­
ped at railroad crossings and long red lights.
Turning the engine off for just 30 -40 seconds
saves more fuel than is burned by starting the
engine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high when
the engine is warming up . So you should drive
away as soon as you start the engine and avoid running at high rpms while the engine is still
warming up .
@ Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot
of fuel.
.. Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi dealer helps to ensure that it runs properly
and economically. The condition of your vehicle
not only affects its safety and ability to hold its
value, it also affects
fuel consumption.
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine load
and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new en­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mile -
age has been driven . ..,.