2016 AUDI Q3 warning

Driving and th e en vironm ent
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­ proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Em ission Control System and other
i mportant vehicle components.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on shor t trips.
... Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold
engine.
The engine and catalyt ic converter have to reach
their optimal
ope rating temperature to reduce
fue l cons umption and nox ious emissions effec­
tively .
J ust after starting, a co ld eng ine in a m id -s ize ca r
only achieves a f uel economy of 6-8 miles p er
ga llon (30 -40 l/100 km). After about a half a
mile ; fu e l economy cl imbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100
km). After about
2.5 miles (4 km), the engine is
at its prope r operating temperature and fuel
economy has reached a normal level. So you can
see that you sho uld avoid short t rips whenever
possible.
The
outsid e temperature is also critical in this re ­
gard . Your car consumes more fuel in the w in ter
than in the summe r.
Driving offroad
General information
When driving offroad, the f unctions for the elec­
tron ic stabili zation control (ESC) are expanded.
ESC offroad mode can be activated in dr iving sit­
uations in which a whee l lock o r a d ifferent ial
lock fu nction is needed
r=.> page 152.
However, your Audi is not an offroad vehicle.
Never drive the vehicl e in terra in which is not
suitabl e for the vehicle, or which exceeds your
driving skills. Never take any unnecessary ri sks!
162
After driving offroad
- After driving off road, remove branche s and
other deb ris from the rad iator g rille, under ­
body, and w heels . Look especially fo r objects
(stones) that have been caught in the tire
tread.
- Clean the body and the ve hicle unde rbody and
i nspect the ve hicle for possible damages.
- Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and t he license plate.
- Per form a brake test (especia lly after d riving
throug h water) .
A WARNING
-Be especially aware and attentive when d riv ­
ing under diff icu lt cond itions. Damages to
the vehicle and injur ies may occur when
driving at an excess ively high speed o r with
incor rect d riving maneuvers .
- Always ad just yo ur speed and handling to
the roads, terra in, traffic and weathe r con ­
d itions . D rive especially s low if offroad wi th
low visibility.
- Please note that t he wheels can sp in mo re
and the vehicle can swerve when in ESC off­
road mode , espe cially when the road is slip­
pe ry o r has loose surfa ce m aterial.
- Driv ing stability is reduce d in the ESC
Off­
road mode.
@ For the sake of the environment
Avo id harm ing t he env ironmen t and take na­
ture into co nsideration .
(D Tips
Only drive where it is allowed and always stay
on the provided roads and paths .
Driving information
There is only one right way to drive in difficult
conditions: slowly and with caution!
Observe the following when driving on unpaved
r oads :
Ill-

~ Never drive the vehicle in terrain which is not
suitable for the vehicle, or which exceeds your
driv ing skills. Never take any unnecessary risks!
~ Drive slowly and ca utiously!
~ Pay atten tion to the gro und clearance of your
vehicle! The clearance may vary depending on
the load, ground composition and the environ­ ment. The driver is therefore responsib le for
deciding whether a vehicle can handle a specific
s ituation.
~ Activate the E SC off ro ad mode as needed
¢ page 152 .
~ Use the hill de scent a ssis t when driving down
steep slopes
¢ page 153.
Difficult t errain
Never drive in areas that are not familiar to you
and drive slowly when
off road and be prepared
and expect the unexpected (e .g . potholes, bou ld­
ers, tree stumps, etc .)
To prevent the ve hicle from bottoming and avo id
damage to the unde rbody, you should drive
straight across severe bumps in the gro und with
on ly one side of the vehicle so that only two of
you r wheels cross the bumps.
Drive quick ly throug h sandy or marshy off-road
sections and do not stop, if at all possible.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage whe n
d riving through wa ter, for example on flooded
r oads:
- The wate r must not be any higher tha n the bot­
tom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than walking speed .
A WARNING
After driving through water o r mud, the brak­
ing effect can be reduced due to mo isture on
t he bra ke discs and b rake pads. A few caref ul
brake applications should dry off t he brakes.
Veh icle components such as the engine,
tra nsmission , suspens ion or electr ical system
can be severe ly damaged by dr iv ing t hrough
water.
Driving and the envir onment
{!) Tips
- Determine the depth before driving through
water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safe ly.
- Avoid dr iv ing through salt water (corrosion).
163

Trailer mod e
Trailer mode
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Tr aile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your veh icle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount . Always check w ith the t rail­
er hitch man ufact urer to make su re that you are
using the co rrect hitch .
Do not use a bump er hit ch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From t ime to t ime, check that a ll hitch mount ing
bolts rema in securely fastened.
When you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from caus ing damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
164
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between you r vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wiring , switches, and relays.
M irrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outs ide mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
- If a tra ile r has e lectr ica l brakes p lease no te
t hat these brakes are not activated by the
factory-fit ted contro l unit -risk of accident!
- After removing the trai ler hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch co uld fly forward and in ­
jure you or yo ur passengers.
- Never install a "we ight distribu ting" or
"load eq ualizing" trailer hitch on your vehi­
cle. The vehicle was not designed for these
kinds of trailer hitches. The hitch attach­ ment can fail, caus ing the tra iler to tear
loose from the vehicle.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance la­
be l on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must never
be exceeded under any circumstances . Ex­
ceed ing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing of
your veh icle is likely to damage yo ur vehicle,
and such damage will not be covered by
your Limited New Vehicle Warranty . Exceed­
ing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating will al ­
so change the performance and handling
characteristics of your vehicle, which could
cause a crash result ing in serious injury or
death.

Trailer mod e
Weight d istribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easie r to operate and con trol.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keeping the trai le r as light as possib le under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observ ing tongue load requ ire­
ments and vehicle loading considerat ions.
Spee d
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or w ind
conditions are unfavorable - part icularly when
goi ng downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediatel y if the tra iler
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the sway ing by acc ele rating .
Observe speed lim its. In some areas, speeds for
veh icles towing trailers are lower than for regular
ve hicles.
A lways app ly brakes early. When driving down­
h ill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the veh icle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temp era ture
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im­ mediately and/or turn off the air conditioner.
If the coo lant temperature warning light in the
instr ument cluster starts flashing., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci-
166
-
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
You r vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because o f th e additiona l weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will g reatly depend on how carefu l­
l y you load your trai ler and operate your rig.
Before yo u actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep practicing unti l you have be­
come complete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer genera lly requires steer­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in fro nt of you . You will need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­ erate as fast as you normally wo uld beca use of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a trailer du ring the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trai le r, your Au di may requi re
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
t ra load ¢
page 232.

Care and cleaning
Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, prope r care helps to maintain your vehi ­
cle's value.
It can a lso be a requirement when
submitting war ranty claims for cor rosion damage
and pa int defects on the body.
The necessary care prod ucts can be obtained
from your authorized Audi dealer o r authorized
Aud i Service Facility. Read and follow the instruc­
tions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
- Using cleaning and care products incorrectly
can be dangero us to your hea lth .
- Always store clean ing and care products out
of reach of children to reduce the r isk of po i­
so ning .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferab ly use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not dispose of leftove r clean ing and care
products wit h household t rash.
Car washes
The longer that deposits remain on the veh icle,
the more the surface may be damaged. High
temperatures such as those caused by sunlight
increase the damaging effect.
Before washing, rinse
off heavy deposits with
p lenty of water.
Stubborn deposits s uch as bird droppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water and a mic rofibe r cloth.
A lso, wash the underside of yo ur vehicle once
road sa lt stops being used for the season .
Pressure washers
When washing your veh icles with a pressure
washer, always follow t he ope ra ti ng inst ructions
p rovided w ith the pressure washer. This is espe­
cially important in regard to the pressure and
spraying distance . Do not a im the spray directly
at seals on side windows, doors, the hood, the
168
rear lid or the sunroo f* or at tires rubber hoses I I
insulating material, sensors* or camera lenses* .
Keep a distance of at least 16 inches (40 cm) .
Do no t remove snow and ice with a pressure
washe r.
Neve r use rota ry no zzles or high pressure noz­
z les.
The water temperatu re must not be above 140 °F
(60 °().
Automatic car washes
Spray
off the vehicle before washing.
Make su re that the windows and roof * are closed
and t he windshie ld wipers are
off . Follow instruc ­
tions from the car wash operato r, especially if
there are accessories attached to your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes.
Washing
by hand
Clean the vehicl e starting from the top and work­
in g down using a soft sponge or cleaning br ush .
Use solvent-free cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by
hand
To avo id damaging the paint w hen washing, fi rst
remove dust and large pa rt icl es from your vehi­
cle. Insects, grease spots and fingerprints are
best removed with a special cleane r for matte
finish paint .
Apply the p rodu ct using a microfiber cloth. To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the vehicle thorough ly w ith wate r. Then
clean using a neutra l shampoo and a soft m icr o­
fiber cloth .
R inse the ve hicle thorough ly again a nd let it air
dry. Remove any water residue using a leather
cloth.
A WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition is
off and follow the instr uctions from the car
-

Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
T ex til es
Deposits adhering to Vacuum cleaner
art ifici al leat her, the surface
A lcan tara Water-based depos- Absorbent cloth and mild soap
solutional
its such as coffee,
tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Apply a mild soap solution al, blot away the dissolved oil or
such as oil, make-up, dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
etc.
Special deposits such Special stain remover, b lot with absorbent material, treat
as ink, nail polish, la-afterward with mild soap solution, if necessary al
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Natu ral le ath er Fresh stains Wool cloth with a mild soap solution al
Water-based depos-Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
its such as coffee, Dried sta ins: stain remover su itable for leathe r
tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable for
such as oil, make-up, leather
etc . Dried stains : grease dissolving spray
Special deposits such Spot remover suitable for leather
as ink, nail polish, la-
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Ca re Regularrly apply cond itioning cream that p rotects from light
and penetrates into the ma ter ial. Use spec ially-colored con-
ditionirng cream, if necessary.
Carbon p art s Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
a) Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons of neutral soap in 1 q uart (1 liter) of water
.8, WARNING
The windshield may not be trea ted with wa­
ter-repelling windshield coating agents. Un ­
favorable cond itions such as wetness, dark­
ness, or low sun can result in increased glare.
Wiper blade chatter is also possible.
@ Note
- Headlight s/tail li ghts
- Never clean headlights or tail lights with a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that con­
tains alcohol, because they could cause
cracks to form.
- Whe els
-
- Never use a ny pa int polish or other abra­
sive materials .
- Damage to the protect ive layer on the
rims such as sto ne ch ips or scratches must
be repaired immediately .
-Sen sor s/camera lenses
-Neve r use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens . This
could ca use the lens to crack .
- Neve r use ab rasive cleaning materials or
a lcohol to clean the camera lens . This
could cause scratches and cracks .
-Door window s
-Remove snow and ice on windows and ex-
terior mirrors w ith a plast ic scraper. To
171

Fuel and Refueling
CJ) Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­
quirements may cause corrosion and dam­
age to plastic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the speci­
fied criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether or
not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
fications, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier .
- Do not use fuel for which the contents can­
not be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems resulting from the use of fuels differ­
ent from those specified a re not the respon­
s ibilit y of Audi and are not covered under
the New Vehicle or the Emission Control
System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy or
driveability and performance prob lems due
to the use of one of these fuel blends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufactur­
ers is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manu­
facturer to another, they have certain things in
common. All gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on vita l engine
parts, such as fuel injectors and intake valves. Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to
keep eng ine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline . For more information on TOP TIER Deter ­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website
(www.toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using in adequate
fuels, built -up carbon deposits can rob your en­
g ine of peak performance .
174
(D Note
-Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Vehi­
cle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel additive prod­
ucts to your fuel tank .
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
s ide panel behind the fuel filler flap .
If the power locking system should fail , you can
still open the flap manually -for detailed instruc ­
tions see
Q page 176.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle in
¢ page 230.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap tells
you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For more in­
formation about fuel specifications, see
¢ page 173.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refueling
vapor recovery system. This feature helps to pre­
vent fuel vapors from escaping from the tank and polluting the envi ronment while you refuel your
vehicle . In order to fill the tank properly while
protect ing the env ironment, please follow this
refueling procedure carefully.
A WARNING
Under normal operat ing conditions, never ca r­
ry additional fu el containers in your car. Gas
canisters and other containers used to trans­
port fue l can be dangerous . Such containers,
fu ll or empty, may leak and could cause a fire
in a collision. If you must transport fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc .,
be very careful and always observe local and
state laws regarding the use, transportation
and storage of such fuel containers . Make cer­
tai n the container meets industry standards
(ANSI/ASTM F8S2 -86) .

.... N
c:i ::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
(D Note
Never d rive your vehicle unti l the fuel tank is
completely empty. The ir regu lar supply of
fue l can ca use misfir ing. Gasoline co uld enter
the ex haust system and damage the catalyt ic
converter.
Refueling
F ig . 14 4 Rig ht rea r ve hicle side: Open ing the fue l fill er flap
F ig. 1 45 Fu el fil ler fla p w ith attached fuel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel fill­
er flap is automatically un locked or locked . Re­
fuel the vehicle with the ignit ion turned
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
• Press t he left side of the fue l filler flap to open
it
¢ fig. 144-arrow-.
• Unscrew fue l cap counter-clockwise and hang it
on the fuel filler flap
¢ fig. 145.
Refueling procedure
• Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline pump
into the fuel filler neck as far as it will go .
• Select a medium refueling rate so that the noz­
zle switches
off automatically when the tank is
f ull.
Fuel and Refueling
Putting the fuel cap back on
• After fi lling your tank, twis t the fuel c ap cloc k-
w ise as far as i t will go.
• Close the fue l filler flap .
T o avo id f uel spilling or evaporat ing from the fuel
tank always close f ue l cap prope rly and com­
pletely . An im properly closed f uel fi ller cap may
also cause the MIL lamp¢
page 25 to come on.
A WARNING
- -
Improper refueling or handling of f ue l can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns .
- Fue l is highly flammable and can cause se ­
vere burns and other injuries.
- Fa ilure to shut the engine
off while refue l­
ing and/or to inse rt the pump nozzle f ully
into the f ue l filler neck cou ld cause fuel to
spray out of fi ller neck or to overflow. Fue l
spray and ove rflowing fuel can cause a f ire.
- Never use a cellular telephone while refue l­
i n g . The electromagnetic rad iat io n can
cause sparks t hat can ignite fuel vapors and
cause a fire.
- Never get back into yo ur vehicle whi le refu­
eling . If in excep tional circ umstances you
m ust g et ba ck in yo ur vehicle wh ile refuel­
i n g, make certa in tha t yo u close the doo r
and touch me tal to di scha rge s ta ti c elec tric­
ity before tou ching the fi lle r n ozzle a gain.
Stat ic elect ricity ca n cause s parks that can
ignite fue l vapors released duri ng refuelin g.
- Never smo ke or have an open flame any­
where i n or near your vehicle when ref ueling
or fi lling a portab le fuel container.
- For your safety, we strong ly recommend
that you do not trave l w ith a portable fuel
container in your veh icle. The container, full
or empty may leak and co uld cause a fire,
especia.lly in a crash.
- If , under except ional circumstances, you
m ust t ransport a portable fuel contai ner,
p lease observe the following :
- Neve r fill a por table f ue l con tai ner w hile it
i s an ywhe re in or on t he vehicle (f or exam­
p le, in the l ugg age compa rtment, o r on
the trun k). Static electricity can build up
~
175