2016 AUDI Q3 coolant level

Instrumen ts and ind icator ligh ts
Instruments and indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster overview
The instrument cluster is the central information center for the driver.
Fig. 3 Instrument cluster overv iew
(D ISETI button .... ........... .. .
@ Tachometer .... .. .. ..... .... .
@ Engine coolant temperature gauge
@ Turn signal ind icator lights ..... .
® Disp lay w ith:
- Driver informat ion system .... .
- Indicator lights .. ..... ... .. .
- Fuel leve l*
- Odometer
® Tachometer
(J) Fue l level .............. ..... -
® Trip odometer reset button
(D Tips
22
11
10
40
20
11
1 1
23
11
23
The instrument ill umination for the needles
and dia ls t urns on when the igni tion is tur ned
on and the lights are tur ned off . The illumina­
tion for the dia ls reduces automatically and
eventually turns off as brightness outside in­
creases. This function reminds the driver to
turn the headlights on at the appropriate
time.
10
Coolant temperature indicator
"'
"' N
0
;::) a,
"'
The coolant temperature indicator@~ page 10,
fig . 3
only operates when the ign ition is switched
on. To prevent engine damage, please observe
the following notes about the temperature rang­
es .
Cold range
If the needle is at the bottom of the gauge, the
engine has not reached operating temperature
yet. Avoid high engine speeds, full accelerating
and heavy engine loads.
Normal rang e
The engine has reached operating temperature
when the needle moves into the center of the
gauge under norma l dr iving condit ions. The nee­
dle may move farther to the right on the gauge
with heavier engine load at high outside temper­
atures . This is no cause for concern as long as the
• indicator light in the instrument cluster does
not turn on . If the needle is fa r over on the r ight
s ide of the gauge and the . indicator light tu rns
on, then the coolan t temperatu re is too high
~ page 14. ..,.

& WARNING
-Always observe the warning in ¢ page 177,
before opening the hood and checking the
engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment. You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off
firstsothatyoucannothearorseeany
steam or engine coolant .
(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 overheat ing during
high o utside temperatures and heavy en-
gine load.
- The front spoiler also helps to distr ibute
cooling air correctly wh ile driving .
If the
spo ile r i s damaged, the cooling effect will
be impaired and the risk of the engine over­
heating will increase . See an a uthorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance .
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev­
olutions per minute (RPM).
You shou ld sh ift to the next lowest gear when
the eng ine speed is be low 1 500 RPM. The beg in­
ning of the red zone in the tachometer indicates
the maximum permissible engine speed for all
gears once the engine has been broken in and
when it is warmed up to operating temperature. Before reaching this zone, you should sh ift into
the next highest gear , select the D selector lever
position, or remove your foot from the accelera­
tor pedal.
CT) Note
The needle in the tachometer@¢ page 10,
fig . 3
may only be in the red area of the gauge
for a short time or the re is a r isk of engine
damage. The locat ion where the red zone be­
gins varies depend ing on the engine.
In strum ents an d ind ic a to r ligh ts
{® For the sa ke of the en vironment
Upshifting ear ly helps you to save fue l and re­
duce operating noise.
Fuel level
The fue l level indicator on ly operates when the
ignition is sw itched on . The
rD ¢ page 17
turns on if the reserve quantity of fuel is reached .
For the tank capacity in your veh icle, refer to the
Techn ica l Data ¢
page 230.
(D Note
Never drive until the tank is comp letely emp­
ty. The irregu lar supply of fuel that res ults
from that can cause the engine to m isf ire.
Non-combusted fuel will then enter the ex­
haust system . This can cause overheat ing and
damage to the catalyt ic converter.
Indicator lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or mal­
funct ions¢ .&..
With some indicator lights, messages may ap­ pear and warning signals may sound. The indica­
tor lights and messages in the display can be cov­ ered by other displays . Displaying driver messag­
es again ¢
page 21, Operating using the wind ­
shield wiper Lever,
¢ page 21, Operating using
the multifunction steering wheel.
Some indicator lights are shown in multip le col­
ors in the instrument cluster display.
& WARNING
--
- Fa ilure to heed wa rning lights and other im­
portant vehicle information may resu lt in
serio us pe rsonal inj ur y o r vehicle damage.
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair,
move the vehicle a safe d ista nce off the
road, stop the engine, and tu rn on the
emergency fl ashe r ¢
page 42 .
11

Instruments and indicator lights
-If the indicator light and the message appear
while d riving , the emergency braking function
may not be ava ilab le . It may not be possib le to
set the parking brake or release it once it has been set. Seek professiona l assistance.
(USA models) : If the warning light
1111 and the
warn ing light
[I] appear together, immed iate ly
contact your authori zed Audi dealer or qualified
workshop to have all brake pads inspected
,:::;, page 16.
When the light comes on, an audib le wa rning sig­
na l is also given.
A WARNING
- Always observe the warnings in
,:::;, page 177, before opening the hood and
check ing the b rake fl uid .
- Driving with low brake fl uid is a sa fety haz­
ar d. Stop the car and get professional ass is­
tance.
- If the 1111 (USA models) ;III (Canada mod­
els) brake system i ndicator lig ht t urns on to­
ge th er wit h the ABS an d ESC indica to r
l igh ts, the ABS/ ESC regulating functi on may
have failed. Func tions tha t st abilize the ve­
hicle are no longe r available. This cou ld
ca use the vehicle to swerve and increase the
risk of sliding . Stop the car and get profes­
sional assistance .
- If the bra ke warn ing/indicator light does
not go o ut after a few seconds and the park­
ing brake is released, or lights up while you
are driving, t he flu id leve l in the brake fluid
rese rvoir is too low. If you believe that it is
safe to do so, proceed immediately a t low
speed to the nearest au thori zed Audi dealer
o r qualifie d works hop and have the brake
sys tem inspe cte d.
- Always keep in min d that afte r sev era l brake
applica tions, you w ill need greate r pressure
on the brake pedal to stop yo ur vehicle. Do
not rely on straine d brakes to respond w ith
ma ximum stopping power in critical situa ­
t ions . You must allow for increased braking
distances. The extra distance used up by
fading b rakes could lead to an acc ident.
14
PARK!< ®> Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the elec­
tromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light - (USA models) ;Ill
(Canada mode ls) tu rns on, the park ing brake was
set .
- (USA models);lll (Canada models) Press
brake pedal to release parking brake.
To release the parking b rake, press the brake
pedal and press the button(®) at the same time
or start driving with starting assist
c::;, page 72,
Starting from a stop.
Ill Parking brake: System fault! See owner 's
manual.
I f the Ill ind ic a tor light turns on and t his mes ­
sage appea rs, there is a par king bra ke m alfu nc­
tion . Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop imme diate ly to have the ma l­
funct ion corrected.
(D Tips
M ore information on the par king brake
c::;, page 71 .
-F-Cooling system
• Turn off engine and check coolant level.
The coo lant level is too low.
Do not con tinue dr iving and swit ch t he engine
off. Che ck the coolan t l evel
c::;, page 183 .
-If the coo lant level is too low, add coolant
c::;, page 183 . Only continue dr iving once the in­
dicato r light turns off.
• Coolant temperature! Let engine run with
vehicle stationary .
Let the engine run at idle fo r a few min utes to
cool off, until the indicator lig ht turns off .
- If the ind icator light does not turn off, do not
cont inue driving the veh icle. See an a uthorized
Audi dea le r or a uthorized Audi Service Facility
for assistance. ..,.

& WARNING
-Never open the hood if you can see or he ar
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This inc reases t he risk of
burns . Wa it until you no longe r see or hea r
steam o r coolant escap ing .
- The engine compartment in any veh icle can
be a dangerous area. Stop the eng ine and
allow it to coo l before working in t he engine
compartment . A lways fo llow the informa­
ti on foun d in ¢
page 177 .
(D Note
Do not contin ue d riving if the. indicator
light turns o n -thi s increases the r isk of en­
gi ne damage.
"t!:r. Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol re­
quires immediate service or repair . Driving with a
low-oil-pressure indication is likely to inflict se­
v e re damage to the engine .
• Turn off engine! Oil pressure is too low.
Tur n off the engine an d do not cont inue d riving .
C hec k the engine oil leve l¢
page 181.
- If the engine oil leve l is too low, a dd engine o il
¢
page 181 . Only cont inue driv ing if the ind i­
cator lig ht t urns off.
- If the engine oil leve l is correc t and the i ndica ­
tor light sti ll tur ns on, turn the eng ine off and
do not continue driving . See you r auth orized
Audi dealer or qualif ied repa ir facility.
@ Tips
-The engine oil pressure symbol. is not
an indicator for a low engine oil level. Do
not rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, preferably
each time you refuel, and always before
going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
Ill
requires oil r efill or workshop service with­
out delay . Do not wait until the red oil
pressure warning. starts to flash before
you respond to the low oil level warning Instruments and ind
icator lights
IIJ. By then, your engine may already have
suffered serious damage.
0 Battery
The . warn ing/ indicato r light illum inates when
you sw itch on the ig nition and m ust go out after
t h e e ngine has started .
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being charg­
ed .
If the indic ator ligh t turns on and the message
appea rs, the re is a ma lfunction in t he generator
o r vehicle e lectr ica l system.
D rive to your au thor ized A udi dealer or qu alified
wor kshop im medi ate ly. Bec au se the vehicle bat­
te ry is d ischa rgin g, turn off all u nnecessary elec­
t rical eq uipment such as the rad io . Seek p rofes­
s iona l assistance if the battery charge level is too
low.
(•) Low battery charge: Battery will be charged
while driving .
If the indic ator ligh t turns on an d the mess age
appea rs, there may be limi ted sta rting abili ty .
If this message turns off after a little whi le, the
ba tte ry ch arge d eno ugh while dr iv ing .
If the message does not turn off, have yo ur au ­
t h orized Audi de aler or q ual ified works hop cor ­
r ec t t he ma lf u nct ion.
4t Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to put
on your safety b elt.
The . war ning/ indicator light illum inates when
t h e ignit io n is switched on to remind t he driver
and any front passenge r to put on the safety be lt.
Addi tionally , a n acous tic w arnin g (go ng) will also
sou nd.
@ Tips
Fo r mor e In forma tion ¢ pag e 104, Saf ety
bel t warning light .
15

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.
~

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 nature 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 other
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 nance 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
c::> .&. and c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 177. 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 and the ignition key has been re­
moved. The radiator fan switches on auto­
matically when the coolant reaches a certain
temperature and will continue to run until
the coolant temperature drops.
- Always remove the ignition key before any­
one 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.
233

Consumer inf orm ation
@ For the sake of the env ironment
- Changing the engine settings wi ll adversely
affect emission levels. Th is is detrimental to
the environment and increases fuel con­
sumption.
- A lways observe environmental regu lations
when disposing of old engine o il, used brake
fl ui d, d irty engine coolant, spent batteries
or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers mig ht be classified as Perchlorate Mate­
rial -special handl ing may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
r ate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modu les
safety be lts wi th pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicab le laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your deal­ er perform this service for you.
Accessories and technical changes
Additional accessories and parts replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer before
purchasing accessories.
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety design
features ensuring a high standard of active and passive safety.
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap­
proved changes to the vehicle . For this reason, if
parts have to be replaced, please observe the fo l­
lowing points when insta lling addit ional accesso­
ries:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are available from author ized Audi dealers.
These dealers also have the necessary facilities,
too ls and trained specialists to install the parts
and accessories properly.
234
A WARNING
-
Using the wrong spare parts or using non-ap-
proved accessories can cause damage to the
vehicle and serious personal injury.
- Use only accessories expressly approved by
Aud i and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessor ies have been spe­
cially designed to be used on your vehicle.
- Never install accessor ies such as telephone
cradles or beverage holders on airbag covers
or w ith in the airbag deployment zones. Do­
ing so will increase the risk of injury if a ir­
bags are triggered in an accident!
- Before you check anything in the eng ine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
Qpage 177.
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not per­
formed a ccording to specified methods, this
c an resul t in severe damage to you r vehi­
cle's eng ine and body (such as corrosion)
and adve rsely af fect your vehicle's war ranty.
- I f emergency repai rs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle exam ined by an
authorized A udi dealer as soon as possib le .
- T he manuf acture r ca nnot be held liable for
damage which occurs d ue to failure to com ­
ply with these stipulations.
Technical Modifications '
Our guidelines must be complied with when tech ­
nical modifications are made .
Always consult an a uthorized Audi de aler bef ore
sta rt ing work on any modifica tions.
This will help ensure that vehicle fu nction, per­
fo rmance and safety are not impaired
Q ,& .
Attempting to work on electronic components
and the software used with them can cause mal­
funct io ns. Because of the way elect ronic compo­
nen ts a re interconnected with each othe r, such
malfunc tions c an also have an adverse affect on
othe r systems that are not d irectl y involved. This ..,.