2016 AUDI A3 coolant

Checking and Filling
Diesel engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 194 Typical location of the rese rvoir, engine o il dipstick, and engine oil fille r opening
(D Coolant expansion tank (- L) .. ...
@
®
©
®
®
0
®
Engine oil dipstick ............ .
Engine oil filler opening
(9=:r.) .. .
Brake fluid reservoir ((0))
Battery(+) under a cover
Body ground point( -)
Washer fluid reservoir
(q) ..... .
Fuse housing .. .............. .
245
242
242
246
248
251 291
The engine oil fi ller opening and the dipstick
(items @ and @)¢
fig. 194 may be located in a
different area depending on engine version.
,& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS before check­
ing anything in the engine compartment
¢page 236.
240
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
The service interval display in the instrumen t
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l change. We recommend that you
have your oi l changed by an authorized Audi Serv­
ice Advisor.
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oil quality standard specified in the
table .
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
Diesel vw 507 00
engine

Checking and Filling
-To reduce the risk of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine cool down to the touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with your
fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always
keep your forearm parallel to the ground to
help prevent hot oil from running down your
arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of
the reach of children .
- Continuous contact with used engine oil is
harmful to your skin. Always protect your
skin by washing oil off thoroughly with soap
and water .
CD Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and
adversely affect your Audi Limited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changing your oil, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine oil properly.
Do not dump it on garden soil, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used
engine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a service station.
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the factory
with a permanent coolant which does not need to
be changed. The coolant consists of a mixture of
244
specially conditioned water and the manufactur­
er's glycol-based coolant additive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA mod­ els; 60% for Canadian models). This mixture
both assures the necessary frost protection and
protects metal components in the engine's cool­
ing system from corrosion and scaling. It also
raises the boiling point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coolant in
the summer by adding plain water.
The propor­
tion of coolant additive must be at least 50%
but not more than 60%
to maintain antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency. If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolant could
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en­
gine cooling system.
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to:
--31°F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant additive. Mixing the coolant additive
with distilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
~ page 236.
CD Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your
vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate con­ ditions. This is especially important if you
live in a region where the winter is extreme­
ly cold.
If necessary, increase the proportion
of coolant additive to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your cool­
ing system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant addi­
tive Gl2++ or G13 (check the label) for
your vehicle. This coolant additive is avail­
able at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of antifreeze can significantly re­
duce corrosion protection. The resulting

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corrosion can cause a loss of coolant and
serious engine damage .
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant . Adding ra­
diator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling
system and could result in damage not cov­
ered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Adding coolant
F ig . 198 Engine compa rtment: mark in gs on t he coo lant
expa nsion tank
Read and follow the WARNINGS before check­
ing anything in the engine compartment
¢ page 236, Working in the engine compart­
ment.
Checking the engine coolant level
• Park your vehicle on a level surface .
• Switch the ignition off .
• Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
tank
¢ fig. 198 . The coolant level must be be­
tween the markings when the engine in cold .
When the engine is warm it can be slightly above the upper marking.
Adding coolant
Plug-in hybrid drive*: your vehicle has two cool­
ant expansion tanks that are separate from each
other. The smaller of the two expansion tanks
must not be opened
¢ page 108. Read and fol­
low the important safety precautions ¢
A in
Coolant on page 109.
Requirement: there must be a residual amount of
coolant in the expansion tank ¢(D .
• Let the engine cool down .
Checking and Filling
• Place a cloth over the coolant expansion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counterclockwise
¢ A .
• Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢
page 244 up to the upper marking.
• Make sure that the fluid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary.
• Close the cap securely .
A coolant loss suggests a leak. Immediately drive
your vehicle to an authorized Audi dealer or au ­
thorized Audi Service Facility and have the cool­
i ng system inspected. If the cooling system is not
leak ing, a loss can come from the coolant boiling
through overheat ing and being pushed out of the
cooling system .
,&_ WARNING
-= -The cooling system is pressurized and can be­
come very hot. To reduce the risk of burns
from hot coolant:
- Do not open the coolant expansion tank cap
with the engine hot. There is a risk of burns.
- Stop the engine and allow it to cool.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es-
caping coolant and steam by covering the
coo lant tank cap with a large, thick cloth.
- Turn the coolant tank cap counterclockwise
slowly and keep light pressure on the cap.
- To reduce the risk of burns, do not allow any
antifreeze or coolant to drip onto the ex ­
haust system or hot engine components.
The ethylene glycol in engine coo lant can
catch fire under certain circumstances .
- The coolant additive and the coolant can be
dangerous to your health . For th is reason,
keep the coolant in the original container
away from children. There is a risk of poi­
soning .
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, wh ich
increases the risk of persona l injury.
(J) Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system and
damage the eng ine.
If this is the case, do not ..,_
245

Checking and Filling
cont inue driving. See an authorized Audi deal ­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility for assis­
tance .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on outomotico/ly by it­
self.
An auxiliary elect ric radiator fan sw itches on and
off depend ing on coolant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fa n
can cont inue runn ing fo r up to 10 minutes -even
with the ignition off . It ca n even switch on again
later by itself¢.&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant r ises due
to the heat bu ild -up from the engine in the e n­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the
vehicle is parked in intense sunlight .
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of pe rsonal injury never
touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly even
when the eng ine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on auto­
matically when the engine coo lant reaches a
certain tempe rature and w ill cont inue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
F ig . 19 9 Engine co mpar tment: cove r o n t he b rake fluid
r e servo ir (example)
246
-
Before yo u check any thing in the engine compart ­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ page 236, Working in the engine comport­
ment .
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake f luid
reservoir ¢
fig. 199, ¢ page 239, fig. 193 (ga­
soil engine) or ¢
page 240, fig. 194 (diesel en­
gine). The brake fluid level must be between
the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The location of the brake fl u id reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment i llustration
q page239.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time
due to t he automatic adjustment of the brake
pads. This is not ca use for a larm.
If t he brake fluid level falls considerably below
the "M IN" mark, the brake warning/indicator
li ght ~ (U.S. models)
I. (Canadian models)
will come on
q page 18 . Do not continue to oper­
ate the vehicle . The complete brake system
shou ld be thorough ly checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified fac ility and the
cause corrected .
If the brake fl uid level is too
l ow, the bra ke war ning/ indicato r light w ill illumi­
na te. Cont act an a uthor ized Audi dealer
immedi­
atel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician.
B rake fl uid abso rbs moistu re from the air. If the
wa ter con ten t in the brake fluid is too high, cor­
r osion in the bra ke system may res ult after ape­
riod of time. The boi ling po int of the brake fluid
will a lso decrease considerably and decrease
bra king performance.
Therefore, the bra ke fluid m ust be changed
every
two year s. Always use new brake f luid which con­
forms to Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard " FMVSS
116 DO T 4" .
The brake fluid reservoir can be diffic ult to reac h,
the refore, we recommend that you have t he
brake fluid changed by your author ized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has the correct tools, the

Tires and wheels
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehic le manufac­
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilo­
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle with standard equipment in­
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weight of
op tional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in-
2 56
flation pressures than t he corre­
sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl" , "EXTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating
("GAWR" )
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system , measured
at the tire-ground interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max im um total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load tha t a
tire is rated to carry for a given in­
flation pressure. You may not find
this informat ion on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
t he maximum permissible infla­
tion p ressure for that tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:

The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle . If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­ sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
Tires and wheels
that less weight can be carried as luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 263,
fig. 204.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to
carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to- tal load being transported -,..
267

Technical data
Vehicle identification
F ig . 237 Vehi cle Ide ntif icatio n Number (VlN) plate : loca·
t ion on dr iver 's side dash pane l
XXXXX XX -X -XXXX XXX XX
CD+ ~t :1:: xxxxxxxx xx x xxxxxxxx
T VP /fffl XXX XXX
XX XXXXXXX XX X X XX
XXX
K W XXX
®i ~:J ·f lfils~~ XXXX XXX XXX
®-+ ~N:a=i~l xxxx ; xxxx xxx ; xx
II.· AUSS, I OPTIONS
E0A
7D5 4UB 6XM 5SG 5RW
2EH J0Z lLB l
A S lBA
3FC SMU 7Xl
F0A 9G3 0G7 0YH 0JF
TL6 3KA 8EH UlA X98 QZ7
lXW 803 908 824 020
7T6 CV7 7K0 4X3 2K2
3L4
4KC 3Y0 413 502
lSA 7GB 01A 4G0
XX. X XX X XX X xxxx
Fig. 238 Th e ve hicle iden tifica tion label- inside the lug­
gage co mpartment
Veh icle Identification Number (VlN )
The Vehicle Identific ation N umbe r is lo cate d in
d if f eren t places:
- u nder the w indshield on the dr iver's side
c:> fig. 23 7.
- in the M MI: Select: the I MENU I button >Car >
Sy stems *
control b utton > Service & control >
;::: VIN number .
~ -on the vehicle identification label. CX)
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Technical data
Vehicle identification label
T he vehicle identi fica tion label is lo cate d in t he
l uggage compa rtment in the sp are whee l we ll.
T he lab el
c:> fig. 238 shows the fo llow ing vehicle
da ta:
(D Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
@ Vehicle type, eng ine output, transm ission
@ Engine and transmission code
@ Paint numbe r and in terior
® Optional equipment numbers
T he inf ormation of the veh icle identification label
can al so be fo und in your W arranty
& M ainte ­
nance booklet.
Safety compliance sticker
The safety co mpliance sticker is yo ur ass ura nce
t h at your new vehi cle complies w ith all appli cable
Fede ral Motor Vehicle Safety Stand ards which
we re in effe ct at t he tim e the veh icle w as manu ­
fac tured. Yo u ca n fi nd this sticker on the door
jamb on the driver 's side. It shows the month and
year of production and t he ve hicle identification
number of your vehicle (perforation) as well as
t h e Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing (GVWR) and the
G ross Axle We ight Rati ng (GAWR).
H igh- voltage warning label
T he high-voltage wa rnin g labe l is located in the
engine compartment next to the engine hood re­
lease. The spark ignition system complies with
t h e Canadian standard ICES-002.
Weights
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating (GVWR), and
t h e Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for front
and rear a re listed on a sticker on the door jamb
o n the driver 's side .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating includes the
weight o f the basic vehicle plus f ull fuel tank, oil
and coolant, p lus maxim um load, which includes
passenger weight (150 lbs/68 kg per des ignated
seat ing pos it ion) and luggage weight
c:> .&, . .,.
301

today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners.
Also, safety and
environmental
concerns place very strict limits
on the n ature of repairs and adjustments to en­
gine and transmission parts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re­
quire special tools, testing devices and o ther
equipment available to specially trained work ­
shop personnel in order to assure proper per­
formance, reliability and safety of the vehicle and
its many systems.
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliability of your
vehicle and even void your vehicle warranty .
Therefore, proof of servicing in accordance with
the maintenance schedule may be a condition for upholding a possible warranty claim made within
the warranty period.
Above all , operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, creating unnecessary risks for you and
your passengers.
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your authorized Audi dealer or any other properly equipped and qualified workshop. We strongly urge you to give your authorized Audi dealer the
opportunity to perform all scheduled mainte­ nanc e and necessary repairs. Your dealer has the
facilities, original parts and trained specialists to keep your vehicle running properly .
Performing limited maintenance yourself
The following pages describe a limited number of
procedures which can be performed on your vehi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personnel be unavailable. Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
oughly read all of the applicable text and careful­ ly follow the instructions given . Always rigorously
observe the
WARNINGS provided .
Before you check anything in the engine com-
,.., partment, always read and heed all WARNINGS
N
~ c::> .&. and c::> page 236.
co ,...., Consumer information
A WARNING
-Serious personal injury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad ­
justments or repairs .
- Always be extremely careful when working
on the vehicle. Always follow commonly ac ­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mon sense. Never risk personal injury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs described on the following pages if you are not fully familiar with these
or other procedures with respect to the ve­ hicle, or are uncertain how to proceed.
- Do not do any work without the proper tools
and equipment. Have the necessary work
done by your authorized Audi dealer or an­
other properly equipped and qualified work­
shop.
- The engine compartment of any motor vehi­ cle is a potentially hazardous area. Never
reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan.
It is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly - even when the en­
gine is off . The radiator fan switches on au ­
tomatically when the coolant reaches a cer­
tain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
- Always switch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle .
-Always support your vehicle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle . The jack supplied with the vehi­
cle is not adequate for this purpose and
could collapse causing serious personal in­
jury.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels are always securely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission selector
lever (automatic transmission) is in P (Park
position) and the park brake is applied .
II>
307