2017 AUDI A3 SEDAN light

Check ing and F illing
Checking and Filling
Fuel
Gasoline grade
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith gaso li ne engines
The correct gasoline grade is stated on the inside
of the fuel filler door .
The vehicle is equipped with a catalytic converter
and must only be driven w ith
unleaded ga soli ne.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline. Additional information on TOP TIER Deter­
gent Gaso line can be found on the offic ial web­
site (www .toptiergas.com) .
The individua l gasoline grades are differentiated
by
octane ratings . This value is given with (R +M)/
2 equating to AK I or in RON.
The fo llow ing headings match the co rrespon ding
sticker in the fue l fi ller door .
UNLEADED FUEL ONLY MIN . (R+M) /2 87
Regular/ MIN. RON 91 Regular
Use regu lar gaso line with minim um 87 AKI/
9 1 RON ~@ .
The max imum engine power is only reached if
p rem ium gasol ine 91 A KI/ 95 R ON is used.
UNLEADED FUEL ONLY PREMIUM MIN. (R
+M) /2 91 / SUPER MIN. RON 95
Using premium gasoli ne with m inim um 91 AKI/
9 5 RON is recommended.
If premium gasoline is not available, yo u can also
use reg ula r gasoline 87 AKI/ 91 RON . However
this does reduce t he engine powe r slight ly.
CD Note
- Fil li ng the tank just one ti me with leaded
f u el or other meta llic additives will caus e
p ermanent deteriorat io n to the cata lyt ic
conve rter func tion.
- When gasoline with an octane rati ng that is
too low is used , h igh speeds o r heavy engi ne
l o ad can lead to engi ne d am age.
312
(D Tips
The vehicle may be filled with fuel that has a
h igher octane rating than what is requi red by
the eng ine.
Blended gasoline
App lies to : vehicles wit h gasol ine engi ne
U se of g asoline conta ining alcohol or MTBE
(methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al ­
cohol o r MTBE (commonly referred to as oxygen­
ates) if the blended m ixt ure meets the fo llow ing
c rit er ia:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
-Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
-Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of ga soline and ethanol (grain alcoh ol or
ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knoc k index must be 87 A KI or h igher.
- Blend must not conta in more t han 15% etha-
nol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
-Blend mus t contain no t more t han 15% M TBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or s umme r dr iv ing . D ur ­
i ng seasonal change-ove r, we s ugges t that you
fill up a t busy gas stat io ns where the seaso nal
adjustment is mo re l ikely to be made in t ime .
CD Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­
quireme nts may cause cor rosion and dam­
age to plas tic and rubber componen ts i n t he
fue l system.
- Do not use f ue ls that fa il to meet t he speci­
fie d cr iteria in th is ch ap ter.
...

Checking and Filling
Opening and closing the hood
The hood is released from inside the vehicle .
M ~
-...::;:;========-d ~
Fi g. 269 Sect ion from th e driver's side footwell: release
l ever
F ig. 270 Rocker switc h under the hood
m
Read and f oll ow all W ARNINGS before checking
anything in the engine compartment
q page 316, Working in the engine comport­
ment .
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the w indshield . Otherwise the paint could be
damaged.
Open ing the ho od
App lies to vehicles w ith plug-in hybrid drive *:
switch the ignition off before re leasing the hood
318
so that the gasoline engine does not start auto­
matically .
.,. With the drive r's doo r open, pull the lever be­
low the instr ument pane l in the d irection of the
arrow
q fig. 269.
... Raise the hood slightly 9 .&, .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
qfi g. 270. This releases the catch .
... Open the hood .
Closing the hood
... Push the hood down unti l you override the
force of the strut .
... Let the hood fall lightly into the latch . Do not
press it in .
q .&,.
A WARNING
--Never open the hood when there is steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment, because there is a risk that yo u could
be bu rned. Wait unt il no steam or coolant is
escaping.
- For safety reasons, the hood m ust always be
closed securely while driv ing. Because of
this, always c heck the hood after closing it
to make sure it is latched correctly. The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you notice that the hood is not latched while you are driving, stop immediate ly and
close it, because driving when the hood is
not latched increases the risk of an accident.
- If the hood is not latched comp letely, it
could f ly up while you are driving and ob­
struct your vision.

Checking and Filling
front of the engine compartment¢ page 319,
fig.271.
Audi recommends
~ castroL //g/:fl;[ff}g f'rf!J7.f'"«JD,'1A1.
Audi recommends Longlife high performance
engine oil from Audi Genuine Parts
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and s ervice life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high -quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year .
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet .
-Use only a high quality engine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage.
-Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi oil quality standard
your engine requires, you may add a total of
no more than 0.5 qt (0.5 l) of a high-quality
"synthetic"oil that meets the following speci­
fications.
-ACEA A3 or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30, SAE 5W-30 or SAE 5W-40.
-For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer
or Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www .audiusa.com or www .audicanada.ca .
320
· Engine oil consumption
T he engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool oil of
its moving ports .
In order to provide effective lubrication and cool­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combustion engines consume a certain amount
of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to en­ gine and may change significantly over the life of
the engine . Typically, engines with a specified
break-in period
(see ¢ page 74) consume more
oil during the break-in period than they consume
after oil consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity of
the oil , the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road conditions. Further factors are
the amount of oil dilution from water condensa­
tion or fuel residue and the oxidation level of the
oil. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase over
ti me until replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of oil consumption can be estab­
lished or specified . There is no alternative to reg­
ular and frequent checking of the oil level , see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol II
in the instrument cluster lights up, you should
check the oil level as soon as possible
¢ page 321. Top off the oil at your earliest con­
venience
¢ page 321.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ page 316.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the engine.
IJII,

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@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changing your oil, first make sure
you know where yo u can properly dispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine oil prope rly .
Do not dump it on garden soil, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used engine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a serv ice stat ion.
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo ling system is filled with a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac­
tory. This coo lant must not be not changed.
The coolant leve l is monitored through
the . in­
d icator
light ¢ page 28. However, we do recom­
mend occasionally checking the coo lant level
manually.
I f you m ust add coolant, use a m ixture of water
and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with distilled water is recommended.
Coolant additive
The coolant addi tive is made of anti-freezing and
cor ros ion pro tection agents. Only use the follow­
ing coolant additives . These additives may be
mixed with each other.
Coolant additive Specification
G13 TL 774 J
G12++ TL 774 G
The amount of coo lant additive that needs to be
mixed with water depends on the climate where
the vehicle will be operated .
If the coolant addi­
tive percentage is too low, the coolan t can freeze
and damage the engine.
Checking and Filling
Coolant Freeze protec-
additive tion
Warm regions min.40% min. -13 °F
max. 45% (-25 °()
Cold reg
ions min. 50% max. -40 °F
max . 55 % (-40
°()
(D Note
-
Before the start of winter, have an a uthor ­
ized Aud i dea ler o r authorized Audi Serv ice
Facility check if the coo lant additive in your
vehicle matches the percentage appropriate
for the climate. This is especially important
when driving in colder climates.
- If the appropriate coo lant additive is not
available in an emergency, do not add any
other additive. You could damage the en­
gine . If this happens, on ly use water and re­
store the correct mix tu re ratio with the
specified coolant add it ive as soon as poss i­
ble.
- Only refill w ith new coolant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with
the coolant .
Adding coolant
Fig. 27 4 En g in e compa rtment: ma rkings on the coolant
expansion tank
Observe the safety precautions ¢ page 316,
Working in the engine compartment.
Checking the engin e coolant level
.. Park the vehicle on a level su rface .
.. Switch t he ignit ion off.
.. Read the coolant level on the coolant expans ion
tank ¢ fig. 2 74. The coolant leve l must be be -
tween the ma rkings when the engine in cold .
..,
323

Checking and Filling
When the engine is warm it can be slightly above the upper marking.
Adding coolant
Plug-in hybrid drive* : Your vehicle has two cool­
ant expansion tanks that are separate from each
other. The smaller of the two expansion tanks
must not be opened
¢ page 104. Read and fol­
low the important safety precautions ¢
A in
Coolant on page 105 .
Requirement: there must be a residual amount of
coolant in the expansion tank
¢ (D .
~ Let the engine cool down.
~ Place a cloth over the coolant expansion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counterclockwise
¢_&. .
~ Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢page 323 up to the upper marking.
~ Make sure that the fluid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary.
~ Close the cap securely.
Coolant loss usually indicates there is a leak . Im­
mediately drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
and have the cooling system inspected.
If the
cooling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheating
and being pushed out of the cooling system.
.,&. WARNING
The cooling system is pressurized and can be­
come very hot. To reduce the risk of burns
from hot coolant:
- Do not open the coolant expansion tank cap
when the engine is hot. This increases the
risk of burns.
- Stop the engine and allow it to cool.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es-
caping coolant and steam by covering the
coolant tank cap with a large, thick cloth.
- Turn the coolant tank cap counterclockwise
slowly and keep light pressure on the cap.
- To reduce the risk of burns, do not allow any
antifreeze or coolant to drip onto the ex­
haust system or hot engine components.
324
The ethylene glycol in engine coolant can
catch fire under certain circumstances.
- The coolant additive and the coolant can be
dangerous to your health. For this reason,
keep the coolant in the original container
and away from children . There is a risk of
poisoning.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of injury.
(D Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system and
damage the engine . If this is the case, do not
continue driving . See an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility for assis­
tance.
- Before the start of winter, have an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility check if the coolant additive in your
vehicle matches the percentage appropriate
for the climate. This is especially important
when driving in colder climates.
- If the appropriate coolant additive is not
available in an emergency, do not add any
other additive. You could damage the en­
gine. If this happens, only use water and re­
store the correct mixture ratio with the
specified coolant additive as soon as possi­
ble .
- Only refill with new coolant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with the coolant.
· Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on and
off depending on coolant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan
can continue running for up to 10 minutes
-even
with the ignition off.
It can even switch on again
later by
itself ¢.& , if .,..

a, a, ..... N
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- the temperature of the engine coolant r ises due
to the heat bui ld-up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment , or
- the engine compartment heats up because the
vehicle is parked in intense su nlight .
_& WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury never
touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary elect ric fan is temperature
contro lled and can switch on suddenly even
w hen the eng ine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on auto­ matically when the engine coo lant reaches a
certain temperature and will cont inue to run
until the coolant temperat ure drops.
Brake fluid
Fi g. 27 5 Engine co mpartment: cap on b rake f lu id reservoir
Observe the safety p recau tions ¢ page 316,
Working in the engine compartment .
Checking the brake fluid level
Read the brake f lu id leve l on the brake fl uid res­
e rvo ir
Q page 319 , fig. 271. The bra ke fluid level
must be be tween the M IN and MAX m ark ings
¢ _& .
The brake fluid level is mon itored a utomat ica lly .
Changing the brake fluid H ave the brake fluid changed regularly by an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility .
-
Checking and Filling
A WARNING
=
-If the brake fluid level is below the MIN
marking, it can impair the brak ing effect
and d riving safety, wh ich increase the risk of
a n accident . Do no t continue dr iving . See a n
a uthor ized Audi dealer or author ized A udi
Serv ice F acility for a ssistance.
- I f the b rake fl uid is old, b ubbles may form
i n t he bra ke sys tem dur ing heavy bra king.
This wo uld impair braking per formance an d
d riving safety, which increases the r is k of an
accident.
- T o ensu re the brake system fu nctions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids that comp ly
with VW standard 501 14 or F M VSS -116 DOT 4.
(D Note
- If the brake flu id leve l is above the MAX
marking, bra ke f luid may leak o ut over the
edge of the reservo ir and result in damage
to the vehicle.
- Do not get any b rake fl uid on the vehicle
paint, because it wi ll corrode the paint.
Battery
General warnings about batteries
B ecause of the complex power supp ly, all work
o n batter ies such as d iscon necti ng, replac ing,
etc. should only be performed by an authori ze d
Audi dealer or au thor ized A udi Service Fac ility
Q _& .
The term "veh icle batte ry" refe rs to the 1 2 Vol t
battery in your vehicle .
P lug- in hybr id driv e*: For important informat ion
abou t the high-vol tage batte ry, refe r to
Qpage 94.
Detail ed warnings fo r the vehicle battery :
®
Wear eye protect ion.
A
Battery acid is h ighly corros ive. Wear pro-
tect ive gloves and eye protection.
@
F ir e, sparks, open flame and smoking are
forbidden .
325

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N .... 0 N > 00
Windshield washer system
Fig. 277 Engine co mpa rtment: washer fluid reservoir cap
Observe the safety precautions ¢ page 316,
Working in the engine compartment.
M N
-N ~
"' a,
The windshield washer f luid reservoir~ contains
the cleaning solution for the windshield and the
headlight washer
system* ¢ page 319, fig. 2 71 .
The reservoir capacity can be found in
¢page 375 .
To reduce the risk of lime scale deposits on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calc ium . Always add window cleaner to the wa­
ter. When the outside temperatures are co ld, an
anti-freezing agent should be added to the water
so that it does not freeze.
CD 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 veh i­
cle damage.
- Never add radiator anti-freeze or other addi­
tives to the washer fluid.
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint solvents, because this could damage
the paint .
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve­
hicle is due for service .
The service interva l display works in two stages:
- Inspection or oil change reminder: after a cer-
ta in distance driven, a message appea rs in the
Checking and Filling
instrument cluster display each time the igni­
tion is switched on or off. The remaining dis­
tance or time is disp layed briefly.
- Inspection or oil change due: if your vehicle
has reached an inspection or oil change interval
or both intervals at the same time, the mes­
sage
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due!
appears briefly af­
ter sw itching the ignition on/off.
Checking service intervals
You can check the remaining distance or time un ­
til the next oi l change or next inspection in the
Infotainment system. Select in the Infotainment
system: the
! MENUI button> Vehicle> left con­
trol button
> Service & checks > Service inter­
vals.
Resetting the indicator
An authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility will reset the service interval dis­
play after performing service .
If you have changed the oi l yourself, you must re­
set the oil change interval.
T o reset the disp lay, select in the Infotainment
system: the
! MENUI button> Vehicle> left con­
tro l button
> Service & checks > Service intervals
> Reset oil change interval.
CD Note
-Only reset the oil change indicator if the oi l
was changed.
- Following the service intervals is critical to
maintaining the function, service life, and
value of your vehicle, especially the engine.
Even if the mileage on the vehicle is low, do
not exceed the time for the next service.
327

Wheels
Wheels
Wheels and Tires
General information
~check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob­
jects from the tire tread.
~ If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap ­
proach the curb at an angle.
~ Have faulty tires or rims re­
placed immediately.
~ Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
~ Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled .
~ Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as possible.
(i}) Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical i n those seasons. Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
i ng the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de­ crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
328
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter driving condi­
tions. The surface of the r ims
does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for th is and
could be permanently dam­
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 278 Tire specifi cation codes on the
sidewall of a tire
.,._