2018 AUDI A3 SEDAN engine coolant

Checking and Filling
-Do not a pply u nder body protectant in t he
exhaust system area, because this increases
the risk of fire.
On Board Diagnostic
System (OBD)
The On-Board Diagnostic System monitors the
engine and transmission componen ts that influ ­
ence emissions.
F ig . 2 64 Footwell o n left s ide o f th e veh icle : co nn ect io n
port fo r the O n-Boa rd D iagno stic Syste m (OBD)
On-Board Diagnostic System
Engine data can be read out at the On-Board D i­
agnostic System connec tion po rt usi ng a special
tes ting device
~ fig . 264.
Indicator light
If thP ¢.j indicato r light bli nks or tu rns o n, there
is a malfunction that is causi ng poor emissions
qua lity and tha t could damage the ca talytic con­
ve rte r.
Drive s lowly to an author ized A udi dealer or au ­
thor ized Audi Se rvice Facility to have the ma l­
function co rrected .
The indicator light can also tur n on if t he fuel fill­
er cap is not closed
correct ly ~ page 315.
A WARNING
Incorrect use of the connection port fo r the
O n- Board Diag nostic System can ca use mal­
functions, which can then result in ac ciden ts
and ser ious injuries.
-Only allow a n author ized Audi dealer or au­
t h o riz e d Aud i Ser vice Faci lity to re ad o ut the
engi ne dat a.
318
-
Engine compartment
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the
engine compartment
For work in the engine compartment, such as
checking and fill ing fluids, there is a risk of in­
jury, scalding, accidents , and burns . For thi s
reason, follow all the w arnings and general
safety p re caut ion s prov ided in the following in­
formation. The engine compartment is a dan­
gerous are a.
~ .&,.
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injur ies, comp lete the
follo wing steps before opening t he hood:
- Tur n t he engine off.
- Switch the igni tio n off.
- Set the park ing brake.
-Move the selector lever into the P position.
-N ever open the hood when there is steam o r
coo lant escaping from t he engine compart­
ment, because there is a risk that yo u could
be burned . Wait unt il no steam or coolant is
escapi ng.
- L et the eng ine cool down .
-Keep children away from the eng ine com-
pa rtment .
-Never sp ill fluids on a hot engine . These flu­
ids (such as the anti-freezing agent con­
tained i n the coolant) ca n ignite .
- Avoid short c ircuits in the electrical system .
-When working in the engine compa rtment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, wh ich
increases the r isk of persona l injury .
-Never open the cap on the coolant expan­
sion tan k when t he engine is warm . The
coo ling system is under p ressure.
-To protect your face, hands , and a rms from
hot steam or coolant , cover the cap wit h a
large cloth when op ening .
-Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the r isk of
burns .

Checking and Filling
Opening/closing the hood
The hood is released from inside the vehicle .
Fig. 265 Sect ion from th e driver's side footwell: release
l ever
F ig. 266 Rocker switc h under the hood
Read and foll ow all WARNINGS before checking
anyth ing in the eng ine compartment
~ page 318, Working in the engine comport­
ment .
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the windshield . Otherwise the pa int could be
damaged .
Opening the hood
Applies to vehicles w ith plug-in hybrid dr ive:
switch the ignition off before re leasing the hood
320
so that the gasoline engine does not start auto­
matically .
.,. With the drive r's door open, p ull the lever be­
low the instrument pane l in the d irec tion of the
arrow ~ fig. 265 .
... Raise the hood slightly c:> .&, .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
<=:> fig. 266. 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.
<=:> .&, .
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 burned. 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 hec k t he hood after closing i t
to make sure it is latched correctly. The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you no tice 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 wh ile you are driving and ob­
struct your vision.

LL co .... N
" N .... 0 N > co
Checking and Filling
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points .
Fig . 267 Typical location of the reservoi r, engine oil d ipst ick, and engine oil f iller open ing
(D Coolant expans ion tank (-L) ¢ page 325
@ E ngine oi l dipstick¢ page 322
® Engine oil filler opening ("e::r.) ¢ page 322
@ Eng ine oi l label* w ith VW standard
¢ page 321
® Brake fluid reservoir (0}) ¢ page 326
@ Applies to: vehicles w ith jump start point(+):
jump start point(+) under a cover
¢page 327, ¢page 375
0 Applies to: vehicles with the vehicle battery
in the engine compartment: vehicle bat­
tery(+) under the battery
cover¢ page 327,
¢page375
@ Bodygroundpoint(-) ¢page327,
¢ page375
® Washer fluid reservoir (0) ¢ page 328
@ Fuse housing ¢ page 3 71
The oil dipstick( @) and the engine oil fi ller
opening( @)¢ fig. 267 may be located in differ- ent places within the engine compartment de­
pending on the engine version .
,8. WARNING
Read and follow a ll WARNINGS before check­
i ng anything in the engine compartment
¢page 318 .
(D Tips
Applies to: vehicles with p lug-in hybrid dr ive:
note the informa tion for the coo lant expan­
s io n t ank
in¢ page 102 and for the vehicle
batte ry (+) in
¢page 102 .
Engine oil
If the engine oil level is too low
If you need to add engine oil, use an o il that i s
listed on the st icker .
The sticker is located at the
front of the eng ine
compartment ¢ page 321,
fig. 267.
321

Check ing and F illing
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 lw ays re ad and h eed all WARNING S c> .&
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 318.
The engine oil must be changed accord ing to the
intervals specif ied in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet. This is very impo rtant because the
lubricat ing p ropert ies of o il d iminish gradually
du ring normal vehicle use.
Under some c ircumstances the eng ine o il should
be changed more frequently . Change oil more of­
ten if you d rive most ly short distances, ope rate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominant ly
stop -and-go traffic cond it ions, o r have yo ur vehi ­
cle where temperatures remain below freezing
for extended periods .
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh o il
look da rk afte r th e e ng ine
has been run ning fo r a
short time. This is norma l and is not a reason to
change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the prob lem of p roper d isposa l, along
with the special tools and necessa ry expe rt ise re ­
quired, we strong ly recommend that you have
your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or
a qualified service station .
If you choo se to change your oil your self , please
note the fo llowing important information:
A WARNING
T o red uce the risk of personal injury if you
must c hange the engine oil in your veh icle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection .
-To reduce the risk of bu rns from ho t engine
oi l, let the engine cool down to the touch .
-
-When removing the o il drain pl ug with you r
fingers, stay as far away as possible . A lways
keep your forearm paralle l to the ground to
help prevent hot oi l from running down your
arm.
324
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one large 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 oi l is
harmf ul to your skin. Always protect your
skin by washing oil off thoroughly with soap
and water .
@ 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 .
{® For the sake of the environment
- Before chang ing your oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine o il properly.
Do not dump it on garden so il, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
dra ins.
- Recycle used eng ine o il by tak ing it to a used
eng ine oi l collect ion fac il ity in your area, or
contact a service station .
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine cooling system is filled w ith a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac­
tory. This coolant must not be not changed.
The coo lant level is monitored thro ugh
the . in­
dicator light
c> page 25. However, we do recom­
mend occas ionally checking the coolant leve l
manually.
If you must add coo lant, use a mixture of water
and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant add itive
with dist illed water is recommended.
1111-

LL co .... N
" N .... 0 N > co
Coolant additive
The coolant additive is made of anti-freezing and
corrosion protection agents. Only use the follow ­
ing coolant additives . These additives may be
mixed with each other .
Coolant additive Specification
Gl3 TL 774 J
Gl2++ TL 774 G
The amount of coo lant add itive 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 coolant can freeze
and damage the engi ne.
Coolant Freeze protec-
additive tion
Warm min
.40% m in. -13 ° F
regions (-25 °C)
max. 45%
Cold min. 50% max . -40 °F
reg ions (-40 °C)
max. 55%
(D Note
- Before t he start of winter, have an author­
i zed Audi dealer or author ized Audi Se rvice
Facil ity check if the coolant additive in yo ur
vehicle matches the percentage appropriate
for the climate . Th is is especially important
when driving in co lder climates .
- If the appropriate coolant additive is not available in an emergency, do not add any
other additive. You co uld damage the en­
gine. If this happens, only use water and re­
store the correct mixture ratio with the
spec ified coolant additive as soon as possi­
ble .
- Only refill with new coo lant .
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with
the coolant.
@ Tips
App lies to: RS models: In certain weather
conditions, moisture such as rain or snow may
evaporate on the rad iator after stopping the
Chec king and Filling
vehicle . This may cause s team to escape from
the front of the vehicle .
Adding coolant
Fig . 270 E ng in e co mpa rtment: ma rkings o n th e coo lant
expansio n
tan k
Observe the safety precautions r:::;, page 318,
Working in the engine compartment .
Checking the engin e coolant level
.,. Park the vehicle o n a level surface.
.,. Switch t he ignit ion off.
.,. Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
tank
r:::;, fig. 2 70. The coolant level must be be­
tween the markings when the eng ine in cold .
W hen the eng ine is warm it can be slig htly
above the upper marking.
Adding coolant
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive:
your vehicle has two coolant expans ion tanks
that are separate from each other. The smaller of
the two expansion tanks must not be opened
r:::;, page 102. Read and follow the important safe­
ty preca utions
r:::;, .&. in Coolant on page 103 .
Requirement: there must be a residua l amount of
coolant in the expansion tank
c::> (D .
.,. Let the eng ine cool down.
.,. Place a cloth over the coolant expansion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counterclockw ise
c::> .&_ .
.,. Add coo lant m ixed in the cor rect ra tio
r:::;, page 324 up to the upper m arking .
.,. Make sure that the f lu id leve l remains stab le.
Ad d mo re coolant if necessa ry.
.,. Close the cap securely.
325

Checking and Filling
Coolan t loss usu ally indicates there is a leak. Im ­
m ed iately drive your v ehicle to an authorized
Aud i dea ler or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility
and have the cooling system inspected. If the
coo ling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheating
and be ing pushed out of the cool ing system.
.&_ WARNING
- The coo ling system is under pressure . Do
not open the coolant expans ion tank cap
when the eng ine is ho t. This inc reases the
risk of burns .
- T he coo lant add itive and the coolant can be
d angerous to your healt h. For this reason,
keep the coolant in the origina l container
and away from children . There is a risk of
poisoning .
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the rad iator fan can switch
on even if the ign ition is switched off, which
increases the risk of in jury .
-
CD 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
cont inue driving. See an authorized Audi deal­
er or author ized Audi Service Facility for assis­
tance .
Brake fluid
Fig. 271 Eng in e co mpar tment : cap on b rake flu id r eservo ir
O bserve the safety precautions ¢ page 318,
Working in the engine compartment .
326
Checking the brake fluid level
Read the b rake fluid level on the br ake fluid res­
ervoir ¢ page 321, fig . 267. The brake f lu id leve l
must be between the MIN and MAX markings
¢ ,& .
The brake f lu id leve l is monito red automa tically .
Changing the brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed regularly by an au ­
thorized Aud i dea ler or authorized Audi Service
Facility.
.&_ WARNING
- I f the b rake fl uid leve l is below the MIN
marking, i t can impair the bra king effec t
and driving safety, wh ich increase the r isk o f
an accident. Do not continue driving . See an
authorized A udi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance.
- If the brake fl uid is old, b ubbles may form
in the brake system dur ing heavy braking.
This would impair braking performance and
driving safety, which increases the risk of an
accident .
- To ensure the brake system functions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids that comp ly
w ith VW standard S0 l 14 or
FMVSS- 116 DOT 4 .
CD Note
-If the brake f luid level is above the MAX
marking, brake fluid may leak o ut over the
edge of the reservoi r and result in damage
to the vehicle .
- Do not ge t any brake fl uid on the vehicle
pai nt, b ecause it w ill co rrode the paint .
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of t he comp lex power supp ly, all work
on batter ies such as d isconnecting, replacing ,
etc., shou ld
only be pe rformed by an authori zed
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility
¢ _& . ~

Consum er Info rmation
today's automobi les, have steadi ly red uced the
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by veh icle owners.
Al so , sa fet y and
en vironmental
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and adjustments to en­
g ine and transmission parts w hich an owner can
perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re­
qu ire special tools, testing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work ­
shop personnel in order to assure proper per­
forma nce, re liab ility and safety of the ve hicle and
its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliab il ity of your
ve hicle and eve n void your vehicle warra nty .
Therefo re, proof of se rvicing in accordance w ith
the m aintenance schedule may be a condition fo r
up hold ing a possible wa rranty claim made wi thin
the warranty pe riod.
Above all, ope rational safety can be adversely af­
fected, c re ating unnecessa ry risks fo r you and
your passengers.
I f in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any other prope rly
eq uipped and qualified workshop . We strongly
urge yo u to g ive your author ized Audi dealer the
opportunity to perform a ll scheduled mainte ­
nance and necessary repairs. Your dealer has the
facilities, origina l parts and tra ined specialists to
keep your veh icle running properly.
Performing limit ed maint enanc e yourself
The fo llowing pages describe a limited number of
procedures whic h can be performed on your ve hi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
tra ined personnel be unava ilable. Before per ­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
ough ly read all of the app licab le text and carefu l­
ly follow the instructions g iven . Always rigorously
observe the
W ARNINGS prov ided .
Befo re yo u check an ything in the engine com ­
partment , alway s read and h eed all WARNINGS
c> .&. and c> page 318 .
384
A WARNING
-Ser ious personal injury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or repairs .
- Always be extreme ly careful when work ing
on the vehicle . Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mon sense. Never r is k personal in jury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs described on the following pages if you are not fu lly fam il iar with these
or other procedu res with respect to the ve­
hicle, or are uncertain how to proceed.
- Do not do any work wi thout the prope r tools
and eq uipmen t. H ave the necessary wo rk
done by your authorized Audi dealer or an ­
other properly equipped and qualified work­
shop.
- The engine compartment of any motor vehi ­
cle is a potentially hazardous area . Never
reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan. It is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly - even when the en­
gine is off . The radiato r fan switches on au­
tomatically when the coolant reaches a cer­
tain tempe rature and w ill cont inue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
- Always sw itch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your vehicle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle. The jack supp lied with the veh i­
cle is no t adequate fo r th is pu rpose and
could collapse causing serious personal in­
jury .
- If you must wor k unde rneath the vehicle
w ith the wheels on the g round, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels a re always sec urely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic t ransm iss ion) is in P (Park
position) and the pa rk b rake is applied .
Ill>

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
@ For the sake of the environment
-Changing the engine settings wi ll adversely
affect emission leve ls. Th is is detrimental to
the env ironment and increases fuel con ­
sumption.
- A lways observe environmenta l regu lations
when disposing of old engine o il, used brake
flu id, d irty engine coolant, spent batteries
or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Mate­
rial -spec ial handl ing may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca .gov/hazardouswaste/perch lo­
r ate. When the vehicle or pa rts of t he re­
stra int system includi ng a irbag mod ules
s af ety be lts with pretens ioners a re scrap ­
ped, a ll applicab le laws and regulations
must be observed. Your a uthorized Audi
dealer is fam iliar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your dea l­
er perform this service for you.
Accessories and
technical changes
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult on authorized Audi dealer before
purchasing accessories.
Audi ve hicles that are constructed with advanced
materials like Steel/Aluminum (Hybrid construc­
tion), Aluminum (Aud i Space Frame), and/or Alu­
minum/Carbon Fiber (Ultra Advanced Light
We ight Materials) are as unique as the ir dr ivers .
Therefo re, the ava ilability of certain parts needed
for repa ir , restorat ion, or reconstruction w ill be
rest ricted , or pa rts will be unava ilable, if the ve ­
hicl e is not repa ired at an a uthorized Aud i co lli­
sion repair facility . This includes but is not limi t­
ed to structura l parts which require specia lized
training and equipment to restore their crash ­
worthiness back to the original NHTSA and IIHS performance.
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety design
features ensuring a high standard of active and passive safety.
Con sum er In form ation
This safety could be compromised by non -ap ­
proved changes to the vehicle. For t his reason, if
parts have to be rep laced, p lease observe the fol ­
lowing points when install ing additional accesso­
ries:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are avai lab le from authorized Aud i dea lers.
T hese dea le rs a lso have t he necessa ry fa cilit ies,
tools and trained specialists to install the pa rts
and accessories proper ly .
A WARNING
--
Using the wrong spare parts or using non -ap­
proved accessories can cause damage to the
vehicle and serious personal injury.
- Use on ly accessories expressly approved by
Aud i and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessor ies have been spe­
cially designed to be used on your vehicle.
- Do not use license p late brac kets in the
front area that are d ifferent from the one
installed at the factory, or add additional
li­
cense plate brackets.
- Never install accessor ies such as telephone
cradles or beverage holders on airbag covers
or w ith in the airbag deployment zones. Do­
ing so will increase the risk of injury if a ir­
bags a re tr iggered in an accident!
- Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine
compa rtment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
~page 318.
@ Note
- If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repa ir work is not per­
form ed according to specified methods, th is
c an result in seve re damage to you r vehi­
cle's eng ine and body (s uch as cor rosion)
and adve rsely affec t your ve hicle's warranty.
- If emergency repa irs m ust be pe rformed
elsew here, have the vehicle ex am ined by an
authorized A udi dealer as soon as possib le .
- Th e manufac ture r ca nnot be he ld liable fo r
damage wh ic h occur s d ue to fail ure to com ­
ply with these stipulations.
385