2017 AUDI A3 SEDAN check engine light

e-tron
The power meter gives feedback about the pa rt ic ­
ular accelerator pedal position and shows the
cur rent demand
(%) fo r electric ity or fuel rega rd ­
less of which engine is active.
An economica l driv ing and recupe ra tion range is
shown i n green
r:!> page 101, Energy recovery (re­
cuperation). A driving range that is not economi­
cal is shown in orange.
CD Ve hicl e no t drive ready (O FF)
@ Recuperation (CHARGE)
® Ve hicl e ready to d rive ( READY) o r
c oastin g
@ Effic ient driving w ith electric moto r
and/or gasoline eng ine (EFFICIEN-
CY)
® Ec onomic driv ing while t he e lectr ic
mot or or g asoline e ng in e is i n th e
p a rt ial power range
® D riving in full power range
0 100 % outp ut
® Boosting -the elect ric motor as-
sists the gasoline engine (BOOST)
® H igh-voltage battery cha rge level
@ EV mo de: a ct ive av , standby, c::§V
or cur rently unavailable. ~v
@ Speed limit for elect ric driv ing in EV
m ode (80 mph/ 130 km/h)
Indicator lights and messages
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith p lug -in hybr id drive
A lso note the in dica to r li ghts in r:!> page 24.
The gaso line engine is active when the
111 indica­
to r ligh t turns o n.
./. Drive system: system fault! Safely park
vehicle
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys ­
tem . T he br ake booster and the powe r steering
may stop wor king. Stop the veh icle immediately
or as soon as possib le . Park the vehicle in a safe
p lace o utdoors that is not near buildi ngs, roof
overhangs, carports o r similar structures . Sw itch
the ig nition off . Have the problem cor rected by
an a uthor ized A udi dealer or au thor ized A udi
S erv ice Facil it y .
98
•• Electric system: overheated. Safely park
vehicle and check coolant
The coolant level is too lo w or the coo lan t tem­
p er at ure is too hig h.
Stop t he vehi cle in the o utdoors as soon as it is
safely possib le. Swi tch t he ig nitio n off.
Read the important safety precautions
r:!> .& in
Coolant on page 105 and check the coolant level
r:!> page 104.
If the coolant level is OK, the malfunction may be
ca used by the system ove rheating . Let the vehi­
cle's e lectr ic dr ive system coo l dow n for so me
t im e.
If the message turns off after coo ling down and
switching the ignition back on, you can continue
driv ing . Co ntac t an author ized Audi dealer or au ­
t h orized Audi Serv ice Facili ty immedia tely to have
t h e malfunct io n co rrecte d.
If the indicato r light stays on , contact an autho r­
i zed Audi dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Facili­
ty.
11;11 D rive system: system fault! Please con­
tact workshop
There is a ma lf u nction in t he p lug -in hy brid sys ­
tem. D rive to an authorized Aud i deale r or au ­
thorized Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunct ion co rrected.
11;11 Drive system: system fault! Restart not
possible. Please contact workshop
There is a ma lf u nction in the plug-in hybrid sys ­
tem. Do not ope n the hoo d. Drive to an a uth o r­
i zed Audi dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Facili ­
ty immediate ly to have the malfuncti on correct­
ed.
11;11 Battery temperature too low. Engine
start not possible . See owner's manual
The o utsid e tem per atur e is too low. The veh icle
can no longer s tart at tem peratures be low -18 °F
(-28 ° C). Contact an author ized A udi dea ler or au ­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility.
•
POWER LIMIT Warning! Limited power

e-tron
The gasoline engine is no longer available be­
cause th ere is not enough fuel. Drive immediately
to a gas station.
Fuel filler door emergency release
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith plug- in hy brid drive
You must use the emergency release to open the
fuel filler door when there is a malfunction
c::> page315 .
The tank is not vented. You can only fill a small
amount of fuel in the tank.
~ Fill only until the automatic fuel pump nozzle
turns off for the first time when it is operated
correctly.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
(D Tips
Pressure can escape if you open the tank cap
after using the emergency release. This can
create noises.
Charging
General information
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith p lug -in hybrid drive
Two options are available for charging the vehi­
cle:
- Charge at a public charging station with a spe­
cial charging cable*
c::> page 108.
- Charge with household and industrial power
sockets using the Audi e-tron charging system
c::> page 108.
Environmental conditions when using the
Audi e-tron charging system
-Operating temperature : -13 °F (-2 5 °C) to 9 5 °F
(+35 °C)
- Humidity: S% to 95%, non-condensing
- 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) maximum above
sea level
- Protected against dust and spray (IP54 (USA:
enclosure 3 R))
106
Warnings when using the charging system
&
Surfaces can become very hot when
in direct sunlight.
&~
Incorrect use increases the risk of
electric shock.
~"4
Do not use any extensions cords or
cable reels.
~
Do not use any travel adapters.
~~
Do not use any power strips.
~~~
Do not use any charging cables with
damage to the electronics or the
connecting wires.
.&_ WARNING
-
Sockets that are installed incorrectly can
cause electric shock or fire when charging the
high-voltage battery using the vehicle charg ­
ing connection.
- Installation and setup of the household con­
nection for the Audi e-tron charging system
may only be performed by a qualified elec­
trician. The qualified electrician is thereby
fully responsible for adhering to applicable
standards and regulations.
- Make sure that the selected charging con­ nection is suitable for drawing 16 amps .
- Make sure that the household socket is
grounded and shielded from water.
- Always check the functionality of the GFI
outlet before connecting the charging cable.
- Never use a damaged GFI outlet.
- The Audi e-tron charging system may only
be used with a properly grounded power
network. It cannot be used with non­
grounded power networks (such as IT net­
works).
- Please follow the safety precautions in the
assembly instructions for the Audi charging
dock* or the Audi charging clips*.
.&_ WARNING
If you are not familiar with the socket or the
electrical installation or it has not been
checked by qualified experts, never use it for

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always che ck with the t rail ­
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck tha t all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind
c> ,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
120
The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system.
Safety chains
A lways use s afety chains between you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your Aud i dea le r fo r cor rect wir ing,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us­
i ng t he regular outs ide mir rors, then yo u
must in­
stall extended mirro rs . It is impo rtant that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
&, WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tr ailer hi tch, do not s to re
i t i n yo ur vehicle. In case o f su d den braking,
the hitch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra iler f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t rai le r i s he ld se curely in
pla ce to p revent i t from shi fting forward, bac k­
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer c> &.
in Driving instructions on page 121.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure tha t
the coo ling system has enoug h flu id.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inf late the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full load" on the label
c> page 336. Inflate trailer

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working p roperly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect ­
ed from the tra iler to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
in g corners . When you install safety cha ins, ma ke
sure they w ill not drag on the road when yo u are
driving .
The chains shou ld cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separat ion
from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keep ing the tra iler as light as possib le under the
circumstances. Whenever possib le, t ransfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle whi le observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
conditions are unfavorable
-particu larly when
going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the s lightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Tra iler towing
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fa il.
Coolant temperature
T he coo lant tempe rature gauge ~ page 11 must
be observed carefully . The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed
immediately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
play turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer
to . ~page 28.
A WARNING ,-
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because of the addit ional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy will g reatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate yo ur rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practic ing until you have be­
come complete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a t railer genera lly requires steer ­
i ng action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You will need more
.,,.
121

@ Tips
-You can cance l the automatic brake activa­
tion w ith increasing bra king fo rce if you ap­
ply the brakes y ourse lf or accelerate cons id­
erab ly.
- In some sit uations, rea r cross-traffic assist
may warn yo u even if there is no cross traffic
i n a cr itical a rea , for examp le w hen back ing
i nto a parki ng space or ma neuver ing.
- The rea r cross-traffic ass ist also switches off
whe n you switch off the ESC.
- The rea r cross traffic assist switches on and
off thro ugh the pa rking aid
qpage 146.
- The system is not available when towin g a
trailer.
Messages
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with Audi side assist
If t he side assist switches off automatically, a
message appea rs in the ins trumen t clus ter dis ­
pl ay.
@j Aud i side assist: System fault!
The system can not guarantee that it wi ll detect
ve hicles co rrectly and it has switched off. The
sensors have been moved o r are faulty. Have t he
system checked by an authorized Audi dea ler or
author ized Audi Service Facility soon .
@j Audi side assist: currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
@j Audi side assist: currently unavailable. Sen­
sor vision restricted due to surroundings . See
owner 's manual
The radar senso r vis io n i s im paire d. Do not cove r
the area i n front of t he senso rs with bike wheels,
stickers, dirt o r othe r objects. C lean the area in
fron t of t he senso rs, if necessary
q page 140,
fig. 147.
@j Audi side assist: currently unavailable
S ide assis t cann ot be swi tched o n at thi s time be­
c a use t here is a mal func tion (fo r ex amp le, the
~ ba ttery ch arge level may be too low) .
....
~ @j Audi side assist: unavailable in towing mode
....
~ @j Audi side assist: unavailable in towing mode
00
Assistance systems
Sid e ass ist swi tches off automatically a fter a
s h ort time when a factory -insta lled tra ile r h itch
i s connected to the e lectrica l connecto r on the
t railer . T here is no gua rantee the system will
switch off when using a retrofitted trailer h itch.
Do not use side assist when tow ing a trailer .
Ill Rear parking aid : obstacle detection restrict­
ed
T he rea r cross -tra ffic ass is t is not available. Ei­
t h er th e ESC is sw itched off, or the rada r senso rs
may be cove red by a bike rack, st icke rs, leaves,
snow o r other objects. Switch the ESC on, or
clean the area in front of the senso rs if necessa ry
q page 140, fig . 147. If t his message continues
to be displayed , dr ive immed ia tely to a n author­
iz ed Audi dea ler or author ized Audi S ervic e Facili­
ty to ha ve the m alfunc tion re paire d.
Audi drive select
Introduction
Applies to : vehicles wit h Audi drive se lec t
Audi dr ive select makes it poss ible to experience
diffe rent types of vehicle settings in one vehicle.
T he dr iver can select from three modes,
Comfort ,
Auto
and Dynamic , using t he r:;~, bu tton in the
c en te r c onsole o r by usin g the Info ta in m ent sys­
te m. T hi s a llow s yo u t o swi tch between a sporty
and a com fo rt ab le driv ing mode, fo r ex am ple. In
t h e
Individual* mode , the settin gs ca n be adjus t­
ed to yo ur persona l preferences . T his makes it
p oss ible to com bine settings such as a spo rty en­
gine setting with light steer ing.
Description
App lies to : vehicles wi th Audi drive se lect
The veh icle set up i n eac h mode depends on the
vehicle's features. However, the eng ine a nd
stee ring are always affec ted .
Engine and automatic transmission
Depend ing on the mode, the engine an d auto­
matic transm ission* respond more q uickly o r in a
more ba la nced manner to acce lerato r pedal
movements . In the sporty dynam ic mode, th e
t ransm iss io n shifts at higher spe ed ranges .
..,.
143

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,