2016 AUDI Q3 oil level

& 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

& 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

.... N
ci ::, co .... together with the warning light 1111 . Both se ts
of brake pads on an axle must a lways be replaced
at the same time.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can ca use a co llision
and ser ious personal in jury.
- If the warning light
EiJ and the wa rning
light
11111> w it h the message Brake pads!
comes o n in the inst rument cluste r display,
immediately contact your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop to have all
bra ke p ads checke d or rep lace d if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the elec ­
tronic power control .
-
The [m warning/ indicator light (Electronic Power
Control) ill uminates when you switch the ig nition
on as a function check.
I f th is wa rn ing/indicator light illuminates w hile
you are driving, then there is a malfunct io n in the
engine electronics . Have t he malfunct io n correct­
ed as soo n as poss ible by your authorized A udi
deale r or a qua lified re pair facili ty.
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfu nction Ind icator Lamp (M IL) i s part of
t he On-Boar d Diag nostic (O BD II) syste m. T he
symbo l¢• lights up when the ign ition is swi tc h ­
ed on and wi ll tu rn off afte r the engine has sta rt ­
ed an d has sett le d at a constant idle speed. This
ind icates that the MIL is work ing properly.
The warning ligh t illuminates when there is a
malfunct ion in the eng ine e lectron ic system.
Contact your author ized Audi dealer an d have the
mal funct ion corrected.
An imprope rly closed fuel fille r cap may a lso
cause the MIL li ght to illum inate
c:; page 175 .
For mo re informa tio n ¢ page 25.
N
:=: 1) - : USA mode ls onl y
Instruments and ind icator lights
!'? , Engine speed lim itation
Applies to vehicles: with engine speed limitation
II! Do not exceed max. engine speed of XXXX
rpm
The II! symbol illumi nates when t here is an en­
gine co ntro l ma lf u nct io n. Th e
[m indicator light
i n th e i nstr ument clus ter also illumi nates. The
engi ne speed is l imited to the speed displ aye d in
t h e d river informat ion sy stem . K eep in min d that
t h e engine speed w ill not exceed the va lue dis ­
played in the d river info rmation system, for ex­
amp le when downshifting.
Dr ive to your authori zed A udi dea ler imme diate ly
to have t he mal func tion cor rec ted.
~ -Engine oil level
1!1;111 Check oil level.
If the indic ator ligh t an d the message appea r,
add engi ne oil immedi ately
c:; page 17 9.
~e, Engine oil sensor
•• Oil level sensor: System fault!
If the symbol illumi nat es, c onta ct yo ur au th or­
ized Audi de aler a nd h ave the oil sensor ins pect­
ed. Unti l yo u have this done, check the oi l leve l
each time you ref uel j ust to be on the safe side
c:; page 181.
~ Tank system
ti Please refuel
If the indicato r light turns on for the first time
and t he message appea rs, the re are about
1.8 - 2.2 gallons (7.0 -8.5 liters) of fuel left in
the tan k. Time to refue l
c:;page 174.
ti Fuel tank system malfunction! Contact deal­
er.
If t he indic ator ligh t turns on and this message
appea rs, there is a ma lf u nction in the tan k sys ­
tem .
17

intervals and fac ilitat es a better reaction time for
the brak es in wet weather.
The braki ng effect can also be red uced if you are
driving on salted roads and you do not apply the b rakes for long periods of time . The layer of salt
on th e brake rotors and brake pads must be worn
off first when the brakes are applied~&, .
Cor ro sion
Leaving the vehicle par ked for long periods of
time, low m ileage and avo iding heavy brak ing
can contribute to corros ion on the brake rotors
and dirty brake pads.
If you usually avo id heavy b raking or if there is
cor ros io n present , occasional heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
rotors and pads~&, .
Brake system malfunct ion
if you notice that the bra ke pedal travel has sud­
denly
go tten larger , the n a brake circu it may have
failed ~&. .
Low brake fluid level
When the brake flu id level is low , malfunct ions in
the brake system may occ ur. The brake flu id leve l
i s elect ronically mo nitored .
Brake booster
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you ap­
p ly to the brake pedal.
It only works when the en ­
g ine is running ~&, .
Brak e lining we ar status
Brake lining wea r may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
~ page 213, Replacing wheels .
.8, WARNING
-New bra ke pads don 't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "bro ken- in" dur ing
the init ial 250 m iles ( 400 km). Yo u can
compensate for this by p ressing the brake
peda l more firm ly . T his also applies later
when new pads are installed .
Intelligent Technology
- You shou ld pe rform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system
only if road condit ions permit . Other road
users must not be put at r isk -you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift tra nsmission in to a lower
gea r or lower dr iving range . Do not r ide the
b rakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. Th is co uld cause t he b rakes to ge t
hot and dim inish b raking effic ien cy.
- D o not " ride the bra kes " by rest ing you r foot
on the ped al when you do no t intend to
brake . T his may ca use the brakes to ove r­
heat, premature wear and increased stop ­
ping distance .
- Under cer tain clima tic and ope rating condi­
tions such as passing t hrough water, driving
in heavy rain o r after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re­
duced. In winter, ice can accumu late on the
brake pads, lin ings, discs and drums . Care­
fully apply brakes for a test . Brakes will d ry
and ice coat ings will be cleaned off after a
few ca refu l bra ke applications .
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your b rakes can also affect braking eff icien cy.
Clea n off acc umulated salt coat ing fr om
b rake discs an d pads w ith a few careful
brake applicat ions .
- If you damage the front s poile r, or if you in­
s t all a different spoiler, be s ure the a ir flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed. Other­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc­
ing the effectiveness of the ent ire brake sys­
tem.
- Fai lu re of one brake circ uit w ill impa ir the
braking capability resulting in an increased
stopping distance . Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest authorized
Aud i deale r or qualified worksho p.
- Never let the ve hicle roll to a stop with the
e ngine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed cons iderab ly
harder to make up for the lack of booster
assis tance .
155

Check ing and F illing
Audi oil quality standard
Gas olin e
VW 502 00 or
engi ne vw 50400
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high-quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year .
Q) Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set fo rth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Wa rranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high qua lity eng ine oi l th at ex-
pressly complies with the Audi oil qua lity
stan dard specified for your vehi cle's engine.
Using any o ther oil can cause serious engine
damage .
- Do not mix any lubricants o r other addit ives
i nto the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
I f you nee d to add oi l and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi o il qu ality st andard
your engine requires, you may ad d a total of
no more than 0 .5 quart/liter of a high-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci­
fications.
- ACEA A3 o r API SM with a viscosity g rade of
SAE OW-30, SAE 5W-30 or SAE 5W-40.
- For more information about engine oi l that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dea ler
or Audi Custome r Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www .aud icanada .ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubrication and cool­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
180
combust ion engines consume a certa in amo unt
of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to en­
gine and may change significantly over the life of
the engine. Typically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
c:::;, page 159) consume more
o il dur ing the break-in per iod than they consume
af ter o il consumption has stab ilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity of
the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
wh ich the engine is operated, the amb ient tem­
perature and road condit ions. Further factors a re
the amount of o il di lution from wate r co ndensa­
tion or fue l resid ue an d the oxidation level of the
o il. As any engine is sub ject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oi l cons umption may increase over
time unt il replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be estab­
li shed or specified. The re is no alternative to reg­
u lar and frequent checking of the oi l level, see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l Ell
in the instrument cluster lights up, you sho uld
check the oil level as soon as possible
c:::;, page 181. Top off the oil at your earliest con­
venience
c:::;,page 181.
A WARNING
Before you check anyth ing in the e ng ine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
I NGS
c:::;, .&. in Working in the engin e compart­
ment on page 177.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insuffic ient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing d isplay. is not
an indicator of the oil level. Do not rely on
it. Instead, check the oil level in your en­
g ine at regular int ervals , pr eferably each
time you refuel, and alway s before going
on a long trip .

.... N
c:i ::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
-If yo u have the impression your engine con ­
sumes excessive amounts of oil, we recom ­
mend that you consu lt an autho rized Aud i
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly d iagnosed . Keep in mind that the
accurate measurement of oil consumption
r equ ires great care and may take some
time . An authorized Audi dea ler has instruc­
tions about how to measure oil consump­
tion a ccura tely .
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 1 50 G uide fo r d ete rm ini ng le v e ls on t he o il d ips tic k
(exam ple)
Det ermining the oil level
.,. Park yo ur veh icle on a level su rface .
.. Let the engine run in id le briefly while it is at
operating t emperature and then shut the en­
gine off .
.. Wait approx imately two minutes.
.. Remove the o il dipstick . W ipe off the oil d ip­
stick with a clean cloth and insert it all the way
in again .
.,. Remove the dipstic k aga in a nd then read the oil
level. Add e ngine o il if necessary
r=;, page 181.
Oil level in the~ area
.. Do not add any oil.
Oil level in the @ area
.. You may add o il. After add ing oi l, the leve l
sho uld be in the
G) area.
Oil l evel in the@ area
.,. Yo u m ust add o il. After adding oil , the level
should be in the
G) area.
Checking and Filling
T he oil consumpt ion of the engine may be up to
1/2 quart per 600 miles (0 .5 liters/1,000 km),
depending on driving style and ope rational cond i­
tions. Consumption may be higher during the
first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) . Because of th is, the
engine oil level must be checked regularly . It
would be best to check each time you refuel your
vehicle and before long dr ives.
~ Adding engine oil
Fi g. 15 1 En g in e co mpa rtm ent: Cove r on the oil f iller nec k
.. Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 177 .
.,. Shu t the eng ine off .
.,. Unscrew the cap~ to the engine oil fi lling
hole
r=;, fig. 151, r=;,page 179, fig . 149 .
.. Carefully top off with 0 . 5 quarts (0 .5 liters) of
the appropriate oil¢
page 179 .
.. Check the oi l level again after two minutes
¢page 181.
.. Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
.,. Screw the cap back on the fi lling ho le .
_& WARNING
- W hile topping off, the o il must not come in
con ta ct with hot e ngine parts - fi re hazard!
- The oi l filler cap must be p rop erly secured
to p revent o il from being sprayed on the hot
engine and exha ust system whe n the eng ine
is ru nning -fi re haz ard!
- If you r skin has come in contac t wit h the en­
g in e oil, yo u m ust s ubsequently clea nse i t
thoroug hly.
~
181

Check ing and F illing
CJ) Note
- Check the oil level us ing the radio or MMI*.
If the message Please reduce oil l evel a p­
pears, contact your authorized Audi dealer
or qual ified workshop to have excess oil ex­
tracted if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use o f oil
add itives. Th ey may dam age the eng ine
and ad ve rse ly aff ect your N ew Vehicl e
Warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the o il come in
contact with the sewage network or the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations when
dispos ing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­ tion .
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine compart­
ment,
a lways r ead and heed all WARNINGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 177 .
The engine oil must be changed accord ing to the
intervals specif ied in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet. This is very important because the
lubricat ing propert ies of oil d iminish gradually
du ring normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the eng ine o il should
be changed more frequently . Change oil more of­
ten if you drive mostly short distances, ope rate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly
stop-and-go traffic cond it ions, o r have your vehi­
cle where temperatu res remain below freezing
for extended periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
look dark afte r the engine has been ru nning fo r a
short t ime. This is no rmal and is not a reason to
change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the prob lem of proper disposa l, along
with the special tools and necessa ry expe rt ise re­
qu ired, we s trong ly recommend that you have
182
you r oi l changed by an authorized Audi d ealer or
a qua lified service station.
If you choo se to chang e your oil your self, please
note the follow ing important information:
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of persona l injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in yo ur vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection .
-
-To reduce the r isk of b urns from hot engine
oil, let the engine cool down to the touch.
- When removing the oil d rain plug with yo ur
fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always
keep your forearm parallel to the gro und to
he lp prevent hot oil from running down your
arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one la rge enough to hold at
least the tota l amount of oil in your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of
the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine o il is
harmf ul to your skin. Always protect your
skin by washing oil off thoroughly with soap
and water .
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and adverse ly affect your Audi Limited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
@I For the sake of the environment
- Before chang ing you r oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine o il properly.
Do not dump it on garden soi l, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine o il by tak ing it to a used
eng ine oil collect ion fac ility 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.
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. .,..
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