2017 AUDI Q3 service

Check ing and F illing
CJ) Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­
q uirements may cause corros ion and dam­
age to plast ic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the speci­ fied criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether or
not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
ficat ions, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier .
- Do not use fuel for wh ich the contents can­
not be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­ lems result ing from the use of fue ls differ­
ent from those specified a re not the respon­
s ibility of Audi and are not covered under
the New Veh icle o r the Emiss ion Control
System Warra nties.
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy or
driveability and pe rformance prob lems due
to the use of one of these fuel b lends, we
r ecommend t hat you swi tch to u nblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufactur ­
ers is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use .
A lthough gasoline grades dif fer from one manu­
facturer to another, they have certain things in
common. All gaso line grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on v ita l eng ine
parts, such as fue l injectors and intake valves. Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to
keep eng ine and fuel systems clean, they a re not
equa lly effective .
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline . For more i nformation on TOP TIER Deter ­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website (www.toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using inadequate
fue ls, built -up carbon depos its can rob your en­
g ine of peak performance .
156
(D Note
-Damage o r mal func tion d ue to poor f uel
quality is no t covered by the Audi New Vehi­
cle Lim ited Warranty .
- Do not ad d aftermar ket fuel addi tive prod ­
ucts to your fue l tank .
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rea r
s ide panel behind the fuel fille r flap .
If the power lock ing system shou ld fail , you can
still open the flap manually -fo r detailed instruc ­
tions see
Q page 158.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle
i n
¢ page 216.
The label o n the inside of the f uel fi ller flap tells
you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For more in ­
format ion about fuel specifications, see
¢ page 155.
You r vehicle f uel tank has an on-board refueling
vapor recovery system. T his feature helps to pre­
vent fue l vapors from escaping from the tank and
polluting the enviro nment wh ile you refue l your
vehicle . In order to fill the tank proper ly wh ile
protect ing the e nvir onment, please follow th is
r efue ling p rocedure carefully.
A WARNING
U nder no rmal opera ting co nd itions, neve r ca r­
r y addi tional f uel con tainers in your car. Gas
caniste rs and o ther con tainers used to trans ­
port fue l can be dangero us. Such containe rs,
f ull or empty, may leak and could cause a fi re
in a co llision. If you must transport fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc .,
be ve ry ca reful and always observe local and
state laws regarding the use, transportation
and storage of such fuel containers . Make cer­
tai n the co ntai ner mee ts industry s tandards
(A NS I/AS TM F 8S2 -86) .

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pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critically im­
portant for the life of the catalytic converter and
proper functioning of the engine .
~ WARNING
-The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
- Never touch the exha ust ta il pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exhaust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush, fuel spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproof ing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or
heat shields. During dr iv ing, the substance
used for undercoating could overheat and
cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just o ne tank filling with
lead ed fue l will already ser iously degrade
the pe rformance of the catalytic co nverter .
- Do not exceed the correct eng ine o il level
c::;, page 164.
- Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and th is cou ld cause the
c ata lytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition whi le the vehicle
i s mov ing.
- Do not continue to operate your veh icle un­
der these cond it ions, as otherwise fue l can
r each the cataly tic conve rte r. This cou ld re­
s ul t in ove rheating of the converter, req uir­
i ng its re placement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Em is ­
s ion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet.
-
Ch eck ing and Filling
-Lack of proper ma intenance as well as im ­
p roper use of the vehicle w ill impair the
f u nct ion o f the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
® For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is op­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
su lfur -like exhaust gas sme ll under some op­
erating states. This depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help, or f illing the tank
wi th lead-free supe r g rade gasoline.
Engine compartment
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the
engine comportment
For work in th e engine compartm ent su ch as
che cking and filling fluids, there i s a ri sk of in­
jury, scalding , accident s, and burn s. For thi s
reason , follow all the warnings and gene ral
s afety p re caution s prov ided in the following in·
formatio n. The engine compartment is a dan­
gerous area on the vehicle.
c::;, .&. .
A WARNING
-- T urn the engine off.
- Sw itch the ignition off.
- Set the parking brake .
- Move the selector lever into t he P position .
- Neve r open the hood whe n there is steam o r
coo lant escaping from the engine compart ­
ment, because there is a risk that you could
be burned. Wait unt il no steam or coolant is
escaping.
- Let the eng ine cool down.
- Keep children away from the eng ine com -
partment.
- Never sp ill fluids on a ho t engine. These flu ­
ids (such as the anti -freezing agent con ­
tained in the coolant) can ignite .
- Avoid short c ircui ts in the elect rical sys tem.
- W hen working in the engi ne comp artme nt,
remember that the radiator fan can swi tch
159

Checking and Filling
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant expan­
sion tank when the engine is warm. The
cooling system is under pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms from
hot steam or coolant, cover the cap with a
large cloth when opening.
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances . This increases the risk of
burns.
- If tests need to be performed with the en­ gine running, there is additional danger due
to moving components (such as the ribbed
belt, alternator and radiator fan) and from
the high-voltage ignition system .
- Do not under any circumstances activate the throttle inadvertently (for example, by hand
from the engine compartment) if the vehi­
cle is stationary but the engine is running
and a gear is engaged. Otherwise, the vehi­
cle will start to move immediately and this
could result in an accident.
- Pay attention to the following warnings list­
ed when work on the fuel system or on the
electrical equipment is required.
- Do not smoke .
- Never work near open flames.
- Always have a working fire extinguisher
nearby
- To reduce the risk of electric shock and in­
jury, never touch the following components when the engine is running or is being start­
ed:
- Ignition cable - Other components in the electronic high-
voltage ignition system
- If you must check or perform work on the
engine while it is running:
- Set the parking brake and place the selec­
tor lever in the P (park) position first .
- Always proceed with extreme caution so that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not
become caught in the radiator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do
not come into contact with hot compo­
nents . Tie back long hair before beginning
160
work and do not wear clothing that can
hang down into the engine .
- Limit your exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as possible
c:> ,& .
-All work on the battery or electrical system
in your vehicle can result in injuries, chemi­
cal burns, accidents or burns. Because of
this, all work must be performed
only by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility .
A WARNING
California Proposition 6S Warning:
- Engine exhaust , some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm . In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm .
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces ·
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to mix the flu­ids up. Otherwise severe malfunctions and en­
gine damage will occur .
@I For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground under
your vehicle in order to detect leaks quickly. If
there are visible spots from oil or other fluids, bring your vehicle to an authorized Audi deal ­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility to be
checked .

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A udi rec ommend s
@;Cilstrot /Jgjgf ~ f'r,w.~7dr,,'1AJ.
A ud i re commends Longlife high p erform ance
e ngi ne oil from A udi Gen uin e P art s
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 .
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 Aud i Owner's
Manual a nd Warranty & Mai ntenan ce booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Aud i oil q ual ity
standard specified for your vehicle's engine. Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage .
- Do not mix any l ubricants or othe r addi tives
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 quart/liter of a high-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci­
fications.
- ACEA A3 or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE OW-30, SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- For more information about engine oi l that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact e ither your authorized Audi dea ler
or Audi Customer Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or vis it our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www.aud icanada .ca.
Ch eck ing and Filling
Engine oil consumption
The 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 effect ive lubrication and cool­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion eng ines consume a certa in amount
of oil. Oil consumption varies from eng ine to en­
gine and may change s ign ificantly over the life of
the engine. Typ ica lly, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
q page 58) consume more
oi l during the break -in period than they consume
after oil consumption has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the q uality and viscosity o f
the oil, the RPM (revol utions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amount of oil dilution from water condensa­
tion or fuel residue and the oxidation level of the o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase over
time unt il replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of o il consumption can be estab­
li shed or spec ified . T he re is no alte rnative to reg­
u la r and frequent checking of the oi l level , see
Note .
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning symbo l !I
in the instrument cluster lights up, you sho uld
check the o il level as soon as possible
q page 164. Top off the o il at your earlies t con­
venience.
A WARNING ~
Before you check anything in the engine com-
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
q .&. in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 159.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine. ..,.
163

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increases the risk of catalytic converter and/
or engine damage. Do not start the engine. Contact an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have excess
engine oil extracted if necessary.
- Do not mix any additional lubricants into
the engine o il. Damage caused by such addi­
tives is not covered by the warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Engine o il should never enter the sewer sys­
tem or come into contact with the ground under any circumstances.
- Pay attention to legal requirements when
dispos ing of empty oil containers.
@ Tips
The engine oil consumption may be up to
0.5 quart/600 m iles (0.5 liter/1,000 km), de­
pending on driving style and operating condi­
tions. Consumption may be higher during the
fi rst 3,000 miles (5,000 km). The engine o il
level must be checked regularly.
It would be
best to che ck each t ime you refue l yo ur vehi­
cle and before long dr ives.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­ tion.
B efore you check a nyth ing in the eng ine compart­
ment,
alw ay s read and heed all WARNINGS ~ .&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 159.
The engine oil must be changed according to the
inte rvals spec ified in you r Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet. This is very important because the
l ubri cat ing propert ies of o il diminish gradually
d uring normal vehicle use.
Unde r some ci rcumstances the eng ine o il should
be changed more frequently. Change oil mo re of ­
ten if yo u drive mos tly short distances, ope rate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominant ly
stop -and -go traffic condit ions, or have your vehi­
cle where temperat ures remain below freezing
for extended periods.
Ch eck ing and Filling
Detergent add itives in the oi l will make fresh oil
l ook dark after the engine has been running for a
short time . This is normal and is not a reason to
change the oi l more often than recommended.
Beca use of the problem o f proper disposal, along
with the specia l too ls and necessary expertise re­
quired, we strongly recommend that yo u have
your o il changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or
a qual ified service stat ion.
If you choo se to change you r oil yourself , please
note the following important info rmation:
A WARNING "--
To reduce the risk of persona l injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
-
- To reduce the r is k of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine coo l down to the touch.
- When remov ing the oil drain plug w ith your
f ingers, stay as far away as possib le. 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 large enough to hold at least the tota l amou nt of oil in you r engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of
the reach of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used engine o il is
harmf ul to your skin. Always protect your
skin by wash ing oil off thoroughly with soap
and wate r.
«I) Note
Neve r mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and
adverse ly affect yo ur Audi limited New Vehi­
cle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before chang ing yo ur oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly d ispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine o il properly .
Do not dump it on ga rden soil, wooded
165

Check ing and F illing
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 service station .
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo ling system is filled wi th a mixture
of pur ified w ate r a nd coolan t addit ive at the fa c­
tory . T h is coo lant must not be not changed.
The coolant leve l is monito red throug h the . in­
d icator light~
page 13 . Howeve r, we do re com­
mend occasionally check ing the coo la nt level
manually.
I f you must add coolant, use a m ixt ur e of wa ter
and coolant addit ive. M ixing the coolant additive
with d istilled wate r is recommen ded .
Coolant additive
The coolant additive is made of a nti-freezi ng a nd
corros ion protection agents . Only use the fo llow­
i n g coolant add it ives. These additives may be
mixed w it h each other.
Coolant additive Specification
G13 TL774J
G12++ T
L 774 G
The amount of coo lant additive that needs to be
mixed wit h wate r depends on the climate where
the vehicle will be operated . If the coolant addi ­
tive percentage is too low, the coolant can freeze
and damage the engine.
Coolant Freeze protec-
additive tion
Warm reg ions min . 40% m in . -13 °F
max . 45% (
- 25
°()
Co ld regions min. 50% max
. -40 °F
max. 55% (-40 °()
0 Note
- Befo re the start of winter, have your author­
i zed Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service
Fac ility check if the coolant additive in you r
166
vehicle matches t he percentage app ropriate
for the climate . This is especially important
when driving in colder climates.
- If the app ropriate coo lant additive is not
available in an eme rgency, do not add any
other additive. You could damage the en­
gine. If this happens, only use water and re­
store the correct m ixture ratio with t he
specified coo lant add itive as soo n as poss i­
bl e.
- Only ref ill w ith new coolant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with
the coolant.
· Adding coolant
Fi g. 14 3 En gin e compartment: coo lant expa nsio n ta nk
cove r
Observe the safety precautions ~.& in Working
in the engine compartment on page 159 .
Checking the engine coolant level
.. Park the vehicle on a level surface .
.. Switch the ignit io n off.
.. Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
t ank ~
page 162, fig. 140. The coolant leve l
m ust be be twee n the m arkings when the en­
gi ne i n co ld. W hen t he engine is warm it can be
slightly above the upper mar king.
Adding coolant Requirement: there must be a residua l amount of
coolan t in the expansion tank ~(}).
.,. Let the engi ne cool down .
.. Place a clot h over the coolant expans ion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counte rclockw ise
~ .& -

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~ Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢ page 166 up to the upper marking.
~ Make sure that the fluid level rema ins 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 authori zed 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 be ing pushed out of the cooling system.
.&, WARNING
The cool ing system is pressu rized and can be­
come very hot. To reduce the r is k of burns
from hot coolant :
- Do not open the coo lant 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 .
- T urn the coo lant tank cap co unterclo ckwise
slowly and keep light pressu re on the cap .
- T o reduce the risk of burns , do not allow any
antifreeze o r coolant to drip onto the ex­
haust system or hot engine components.
T he ethylene glycol in engine coolant can
catch fire under certain circumstances .
- T he coo lant add itive 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 .
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
cont inue driv ing . See an authorized Audi deal -
Check ing and Filling
er or authorized Aud i Service Facility for assis ­
tance .
- Before the start of winter, have your author­
ized Aud i dea ler or a uthorized Audi Serv ice
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 appropr iate coo lant add itive is not
availab le 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 m ixtu re ratio with the
specified coolant add it ive as soo n as poss i­
ble .
- Only refill w ith new coolant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with
the coolant .
Radiator fan
T he radiator fan switches on automatically by it ­
self.
An auxiliary e lectr ic radiator fan switches on and
off depend ing on coolant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan c a n continue running for up to 10 m inutes - even
with the ignition off . It can even switch on aga in
later by itself ¢.& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due
to the heat build-up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up bec ause the
veh icle is parked in in tense sunlight.
.&, WARNING
--
- To reduce the r isk of personal injury never
touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary e lectr ic fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on s uddenly even
when the engine is not runn ing .
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on auto ­
mat ica lly when the eng ine coolant reaches a
certa in temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops .
167

Checking and Filling
Brake fluid
N
N
~ N ,l: a, CXl
Fig. 14 4 Engine compartment: cap on brake fluid reservoir
Observe the safety precautions c:::> .&. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 159.
Checking th e br ake fluid l evel
.- Read the brake fluid level on the brake fluid
reservoir
c:::> page 162, fig . 140 . The brake fluid
level must be between the MIN and MAX mark­
ings
c:::> ,&. .
The brake fluid level is monitored automatically .
Chang in g the b ra ke flu id
Have the brake fluid changed regularly by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility .
A WARNING
-If the brake fluid level is below the MIN
marking, it can impair the braking effect
and dr iving safety, which increase the risk of
an accident. Do not cont inue driving . See an
authorized Aud i dealer or autho rized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
- If the brake fluid is o ld, bubbles may form
in the b rake system du ring heavy b raking.
This would impair brak ing performance and
driving safety, which increases the risk of an
accident.
- T o ensure the brake system functions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids t hat comply
with VW standard 501 14 or
FMVSS-116 DOT 4.
(D Note
-If the brake fluid level is above the MAX
mark ing, brake fluid may leak out over the
168
edge of the reservoir and result in damage
to the vehicle.
- Do not get any brake fluid on the vehicle
paint, because it will corrode the paint.
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of the comp lex power supp ly, all wo rk
on batter ies such as d isconnecting, replacing,
etc. should
only be performed by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility
c:::> &. .
The term "veh icle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
ba tte ry in your vehicle.
D etail ed warning s for th e vehicle batte ry:
®
Wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid is highly corrosive. Wear pro-
tect ive gloves and eye protection.
@
Fire, sparks, open flame and smoking are
forbidden .
&
A highly explosive m ixture of gases can
form when charging batter ies.
@
Keep children away from battery acid and
batteries.
A WARNING
All work on the battery or electrical system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chem ica l
bu rns, acciden ts or burns. Because of this, all
wo rk mus t be performed
only by an autho r­
i zed A udi dealer or authorized Aud i Service
Facility.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Batte ry posts, te rm inals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
-