2016 AUDI Q3 Owners Manual

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.
T he 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
specially condit ioned water and the manufactur ­
er's glycol-basedcoolant add itive G 13 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (SO% for USA mod­
e ls; 60% for Canada models) . This mixt ure bot h
assures the necessary frost protec tion and pro­
tects meta l components in the engine's cooling
system from corrosion and scaling . It also raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
D o not red uce the concent ration of the coolant in
the summer by add ing p la in water.
The propor­
tion of coolant addit ive mu st be at least 50 %
but not more than 60 %
to mainta in antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency. If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolant could
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en­
g ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to :
- -31° F(- 3S°C)USA
- -4 0 ° F ( - 40 °C) Can ada.
If you must add coolant, use a m ixture of water
and coolant addit ive. M ixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommended .
_& WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n t he engine com­
partment, a lways read and heed a ll WARN ­
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 177 .
(D Note
-Befo re winter se ts in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in you r
vehicle is sufficient to meet the cl imate con -
Check ing and Filling
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 us ing only coolant add i­
tive G12+ + or G13 fo r yo ur vehicle. This
coolant addit ive is avai lab le a t aut horized
A udi dealers . O ther types of antifree ze can
significantly reduce corrosion pro tect ion .
The resulting 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 cou ld resu lt in damage not cov­
ered by your New Veh icle Limited Warra nty .
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 1 52 Engin e compar tmen t: Cover o n the coo la n t ex ­
pans ion tank
.. Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment,
always r ead and h eed all WARN­
INGS ¢ ,A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 177 .
.. Par k your veh icle on a leve l sur face.
.. Tur n off t he ignit io n .
.. Read the eng ine coolan t leve l from the coo lant
expansion tank
¢ fig . 15 2, ¢ page 179,
fig. 149 .
With a cold engine, the coo lant level
should be b etween the "MIN" and "MAX" mark­
ings. When the eng ine is warm, the level may
be slightly above the "MAX" marking. .,..
183

Check ing and F illing
The location of the coolant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
c::> page 179.
To obtain an accura te reading, the eng ine must
be switched off .
The expans io n tank in your vehicle is equipped
with a n elec tric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the war ning
lig ht in the Auto-Check System
c::> page 14 will
blin k until you add coo la nt and the level has bee n
restored to normal. Even t hou gh the re is an e lec­
tr ic coolant level sensor, we still re commend you
check the coo lant level from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. I n the event of coolant loss, the cooling
system should be inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is not enough me rely
to add coolant.
I n a
se aled system, losses can occur only if the
boi ling point of the coo lant is ex ceeded as a re ­
sul t of over heat ing.
A WARNING
T he cooling system is unde r pressure and can
get very hot . Red uce the risk of scalding from
hot coolant by following these steps.
- Turn off the eng ine and a llow it to cool
down .
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es ­
caping fluid and steam by cove ring the ca p
with a la rge, thick rag.
- Turn the cap s lowly and very ca refu lly in a
counter-clockwise direction w hile ap ply ing
light, downwa rd pressure o n the top of the
cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exha ust system or
hot eng ine parts. Under certain conditions,
the ethy lene g lycol in e ngine coolant can
catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiato r leak sealant
to your veh icle's engine coolant. Adding radia-
184
tor repair fluid may a dverse ly affect the func ­
tion and performance of your coo ling system
and could result in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Befo re yo u check any thing in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
c::>
A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 177.
Requireme nt: The re mus t be a res idual amo unt
of coolant in the expans ion tank
c::> (D .
""Tur n off t he engine .
"" Let the eng ine cool down.
"" Pla ce a thick rag over the coolan t ex pan sio n
tank
c::> page 183, fig. 152 and carefull y turn
the cap counter-clockwise
c::> ,&. .
""Add coolant m ixed in the cor rect rat io
c::>page 183, Coolant up to the MAX ma rking.
"" Make sure that the fluid level remains stab le.
Add more coolant if necessa ry .
"" Twis t the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Replacement eng ine coolant must conform to ex­
act specifications
c::> page 183, Coolant.
We recommend using only coo lant ad ditive G 12+
+ , G13 or in an emergency G12+. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain wa­
te r unt il you can get the cor rect addit ive and ca n
r esto re the cor rect rat io. Thi s should be done as
soon as possib le.
If you have lost a considerable amount of coo l­
an t, then you s hou ld add co ld a ntifreeze and cold
water only whe n the engine is co ld.
A lways use
new engine coo lant when ref illing.
Do no t fill c oolant above the "MAX" mark . Excess
coolant will be forced out th rough the pressure
r elief valve in the cap when the engine becomes
hot.
~

A WARNING ,~
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald ing
from hot coolant by following these steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect you r face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by cover ing the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise d irection while applying
light, downward p ressure on the top of
the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or
hot engine parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in eng ine cool­
ant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti­
freeze in its orig inal container and well out
of the reach of children.
- If you dra in the coolant, it must be caught
and safely stored in a proper conta iner
clearly marked "poison".
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty. Air cou ld enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine. If this is the case,
do not continue driving . Seek professional
ass istance.
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and could
cause an eng ine fire. Excess coolant will be
fo rced o ut through the pressure relief valve
i n the cap when the e ng ine be comes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only wate r can be add­
ed, the co rrect r atio betwee n wate r and an­
tifree ze
Q page 183 must be res to red as
soon as possib le.
{® For the sake of the environment
Dra ined coolant sho uld not be reused. Always
disp ose of used coolant while obse rving all
....
"' environment al regulat ions. ci ::, co .... N -
Ch eck ing and Filling
Rad iator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self .
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V­
belt. The viscous clutch regulates th e speed of
the fan accord ing to the temperature of the cool­
ant .
An auxiliary e lectr ic radiator fan* switches on and
off depending on coo lant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine
off, the auxiliary fan
can continue running for up to 10 m inutes -even
with the ignition
off. It can even switch on aga in
later by itself
Q .& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due
to the heat build-up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up beca use the
veh icle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the r isk of persona l injury neve r
touch the radia to r fan .
- The auxiliary e lectr ic fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on s uddenly even
when the engine is not ru nning .
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on auto­
mat ically when the eng ine coolant reaches a
certa in temperature a nd will continue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
185

Checking and Filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a quick
glance.
Fig. 153 Eng ine compartment: Cover on the brake fluid
r eservoir
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 177.
., Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid
reservoir
<=> fig . 153, ¢page 179, fig . 149 . The
brake fluid level must be between the
" MIN"
and "MAX " markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the left
side ¢
page 179 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably below
the ' 'MIN" mark, the brake warning/indicator
light (USA models:
1111 , Canada models:. )
will come on¢
page 13 . Do not continue to oper­
ate the vehicle . The complete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/indicator light w ill illuminate.
Contact an author ized Audi dealer
immediately.
(D} Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover.
186
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor­
rosion in the brake system may result after ape­
riod of time . The boiling po int of the brake fluid
will a lso decrease considerably and decrease
braking performance.
Therefore , the brake fluid must be changed
every
two years .
Always use new brake fluid which con­
forms to Feder-al Motor Vehicle Standard "FMVSS
116 DOT 4 ".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach ,
therefore, we recommend that you have the
brake fluid changed by your author ized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has the correct tools, the
right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed original container out of
the reach of children!
- Brake fai lure can result from o ld or inappro­
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau­
tions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE speci­
fi cation
J 1703 and conforms to Federal
Motor Veh icle Standard 116. Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer to make
sure you are using the correct brake fluid .
The correct type of brake f luid is also indi­
cated on the brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new . Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long .
This can seriously affect the efficiency of
the brakes as well as your safety. This
could result in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehi-
cle .
lilJJ,

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of
brake fluid as we ll as the special toots re­
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec­
ommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your authorized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery
in your Audi does not need any maintenance.
With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the electro­
lyte level checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop. The electrolyte level should
also be checked each time the battery is charged
c> page 189.
Have the battery checked when you take your ve­
hicle in for serv ice. You are well advised to re­
place a battery t hat is older than 5 years.
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the vehicle electri­
cal system for safety reasons
c> & in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 125 .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regula­
tors, for example) are lost if the battery termi­ nals are disconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery terminals are con­
nected again. To prevent th is, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectr ica l
system when abso lutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or sw itched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca­
pability over a longer pe riod
c> page 157.
Some of the conven ience functions may not oper­
ate, such as the interior lights or the power seat
adjustment. The convenience functions will be
available again when you turn on the ignition and
start the engine.
Checking and Filling
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop . This is be­
cause more power is also consumed while start­
ing, and the headlights, rear window defogger,
etc., are used more often.
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, particu­
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
distances . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter
sets in
c> page 189. A well charged battery will
not only prevent starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the ve­
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it w ill not freeze. This will prevent it
from be ing damaged and having to be re­
placed.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the engine compart­
ment . Before you check anything in the engine
compartment ,
read and heed all WARNINGS
c>,& ,
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the veh icle electrical
system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM·
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection .
187

Check ing and F illing
@
No
- sp ark s
- flam es
- smoking.
£
When a bat tery is charg ed, it produc es
hydr og en gas which i s ex plo sive and
could c aus e pe rs onal injury .
®
Alwa ys keep the b atter y well out of reach
of chil dren.
A WARNING
Whenever work ing on the battery or on the
elect rical system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and
even fire. Read and heed the fol­
lowing WARN INGS :
- Always wea r eye protection. Do not let bat­
te ry acid or any lead pa rticles get on your
sk in or cloth ing . Sh ield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury .
- Battery acid con tains su lfu ric acid. Sulfur ic
acid c an cause blindness and
severe bu rns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection. Do
no t tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilat ion open ings .
- If you get battery ac id in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­ tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and nega-
t ive cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to
short-circuit the term inals with tools or oth ­
er metal objects. Th is wou ld cause the bat­
tery to heat up very quickly, which could
lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury .
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy ­
drogen gas which is explosive and could
ca use personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the reach of ch ildre n.
188
-
-Before wo rk is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative gro und cable.
- Before performing any work on the e lectri­
cal system, switch off the engine and ign i­
tion as well as any electrical equ ipment . The
negat ive cab le on the battery must be dis­
connected . If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before d isconnecting the battery, switch off
the an ti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cab le and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnect ing the battery, make sure
all electr ica l consume rs a re switched off .
Reconnect the positive cable firs t and then
the negative cable . Never in terch ange t he
cables -this could sta rt a fire!
- Never cha rge a frozen or a thawed-ou t bat­
tery . It cou ld explode ! If a ba ttery has fro­
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32°F (0°C) .
- Make sure the
vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery .
- Never use bat ter ies which are damaged.
There is the danger of an exp losion! Always
replace a damaged battery .
A WARNING
Califo rnia Proposition 65 Warning :
- Ba tte ry posts, te rm inals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State o f Cali fornia
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is switched on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise, you will damage
electronic components in the electrical sys­
tem .
- If your veh icle is go ing to stand for a long
period of time w ithout being driven, protect ..,.

.... N
c:i ::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
the battery from "freez ing", otherwise it
will be damaged a nd will then have to be re­
placed .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­
tery.
Fi g. 1S 4 Engine co mpartme nt: Connectors fo r charger and
j u mpe r cables
Alwa ys read and heed all WARNINGS be low
¢ A and ¢ A in Working on the battery on
page 188.
.. Turn off the ignition and all e lectrical consum­
ers.
.. Make s ure the area is well venti lated when yo u
charge the battery.
.. Open the engine hood
¢ page 177.
.. Open the cover on the posit ive pole ¢
fig. 154.
.. Connect the charger co nnectors accord ing to
the instructions to the
jump start bolt s. (Bolts
u nder the cove r= "posit ive", Bo lts with hex
head= ''negat ive").
.,. Only now pl ug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall ou tlet and turn it on
¢ .,&. .
.. Make sure the ch arging rate is not over
30 amp s/14.8 Volt.
.. When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet .
.,. Now remove the clamps fo r the charging equ ip-
me nt.
.. Close the cove r o n t he posit ive pole.
.. Close the hood
¢ page 177.
A discharged ba ttery can
fre eze at temperatures
of only 32 °F (0 °C) . A llow a frozen batte ry to
Checking and Filling
thaw completely before a ttempting to charge it
¢ & . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery aga in beca use the battery casing
can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak
battery ac id .
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps /14 .8 V olt)
When charging at /ow voltages (e.g. w ith a t ric k­
le charge r),
the battery cables do not have to be
disco nnected f irst . The battery caps should
not
be opened when charging a battery .
It is not necessa ry to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment.
Fa st charging the batt ery (cha rging rate
above 14 .8 Volt s)
For technical reasons do not use a battery charg­
er that uses vo ltage greater than 14.8 Volts to
charge your veh icle's battery .
A WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dange rous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by t he battery cha rge r manufactur­
er when charging yo ur battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
p lode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al­
low a froze n battery to thaw out first .
- Do not reuse batteries which were frozen .
The batte ry hous ing may have c racked and
weakened when the battery froze .
- Charge the battery in a well ve ntilated area .
Keep away from open flame or electrical
spa rk. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas generat­
ed by the batte ry is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of exp losion, never
connect or d isconnect charge r cables while
t he charger is ope ra ting.
- F ast charg ing a battery is d ange rous and
should only be at tempted by a competen t
technici an with the prope r equipmen t.
- Ba ttery a cid that may spill duri ng cha rging
should be washe d off w it h a so lution of
warm water and baking soda to neutra lize
the acid.
189

Check ing and F illing
CJ) Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This will serious ly damage sensi­
tive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica­
tions and dimensions as the original equipment
battery .
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
responsible for distributing the electrical energy
throughout your vehicle
¢ page 157. The intelli ­
gent energy management system wi ll keep the
engine battery charged better then veh icles w ith­
out this system. To make sure the addit ional
e lectrica l energy is available once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at the
time your veh icle was delivered). Specifications
are listed on the battery housing. Your author­
ized Audi dealer must code the battery in the en­
ergy management system to enable you to use
the energy manageme nt functions correctly after
replacing the battery.
If it is not possible to use a battery of this type,
the new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-volts), amperage, construction and p lug sealing.
When installing the battery, make sure the igni­
tion and all electrical consumers are turned off.
@ Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the side of
the battery is connected, otherw ise fumes or
battery acid can leak out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of
a battery, we recommend your authorized
Audi dea ler change the battery for you. Bat­
teries contain sulfuric ac id and lead and must
always be disposed of properly in compliance
190
with all environmenta l regulations. Disposing
of vehicle batteries improperly is very danger­
ous to the environment.
Windshield washer system
Fig. 155 Eng ine compartment: washe r fluid reservoir cap
M N
-N ,.:
"' m
The washer fluid reservoir O contains the wind­
shield washer flui d¢
page 179, fig. 149. The res­
ervoir capacity is found in
¢ page 230.
To reduce the risk of lime scale depos its on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium . Always add window cleaner to the wa­
ter. When the outside temperatures are cold, an
anti-freez ing agent shou ld be added to t he water
so that it does not freeze .
(D Note
-The concentration of anti-freezing agent
must be adjusted to the vehicle operating
conditions in the respective climate. A con­
centration that is too high can lead to vehi­
cle damage.
- Never add radiator anti-freeze or other addi­
t ives to the washer fluid.
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint solvents, because th is could damage
the paint.