2018 AUDI A3 SEDAN warning

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
¢ _& . ~

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The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
batte ry in your vehicle.
Appl ies to: vehicles w ith plug-in hybrid drive: you
can find important informa tion abo ut yo ur high­
voltage battery in
r=> page 92.
Detail ed warning s for the vehicle battery :
~
Always wear eye protect ion .
&
Battery acid is high ly corrosive. Always
wea r protect ive g loves and eye protect ion .
.
®
Fire, spa rks, open flame and smoking are
forbidden .
A
A highly exp losive mixt ure of gases can
form when charging ba tte ries.
®
Always keep children far away from bat-
tery electrolyte and the battery .
~
Always follow the instructions in the oper -
ating manual.
A WARNING
All work on the battery or electrical system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chemical burns, accidents or burns. Because of this, all
work m ust be perfo rmed
only by an author­
ized Aud i dea le r or autho rized Aud i Serv ice
Facili ty.
A WARNING
Cali fornia P roposi tion 65 Warn ing:
- Battery posts, termina ls and re lated acc es­
sories contain le ad and lead compounds,
c hem ica ls known to the St ate of C alifornia
to cause cance r and rep roductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
If the veh icle w ill be par ked for long periods
of t ime, pro tect it agains t the col d so that i t
w ill not be destroyed by "freezing"
q page 32 7, Charging the vehicle battery .
Checking and Filling
Charging the vehicle battery
Applies to: veh icles w ith vehicle battery in t he e ng in e com ­
partment
Fig . 272 En g in e co mpa rtm en t: c onnect ions for charge r
a nd j ump start c abl e
Applies to: vehicles w ith jump s ta rt point(+)
Fig . 2 73 Engin e compar tm ent: c onn ect io ns fo r charge r
a n d j ump s ta rt c able
Observe the safety precautions r=>page 318,
Working in the engine compartment .
Vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive*: r=> page 102,
Jump s tar t.
Requirement: only use chargers with a ma ximum
charging current of 30 amp s/14.8 Volt s.
The ve­
hicle battery cab les remain connected.
Depend ing on the engine, the battery is located
in the engine compartment or i n the l uggage
compartment. For vehicles w ith the battery in
the luggage compartment, a jump start point
that is also used for battery charg ing is located i n
the engine compartment . The battery is a lways
charged in the eng ine compartment. The g round
poin t
0 is always loca ted on the vehicle chass is .
.,. Read the warnings r=> .&.. in General warnings
about batteries on page 32 7
and r=> .&._.
.,. Switch off the ig nitio n and all electrical equ ip­
ment .
.,. Open the hood r=> page 320.
327

Check ing and F illing
~ Applies to: vehicles with the vehicle battery in
the engine compartment: open the battery cov­
er
¢ fig. 272 .
~ Applies to: vehicles with jump start point(+):
open the cover on the posi tive term inal
¢ fig . 273 .
~ Clamp the charger terminal clamps as instruct­
ed on the
p os itiv e t erminal (+ ) and only on the
bo dy ground p oin t(-).
~ Inse rt the powe r cable for the charg ing device
into the socket and switch the device on.
~ At the end of the charging process, switch the
charger off and pull the power cab le out of the
socket.
~ Remove the charger terminal clamps.
~ Applies to: vehicles with the vehicle battery in
the engine compartment: fold the cover back
on the battery correctly .
~ Applies to: vehicles with jump start point(+):
close t he cover on the positive term inal.
~ Close the hood ¢ page 320.
A WARNING
-A highly exp losive mixture of gases can form
when charging batteries . On ly charge the
vehicle battery in well -venti lated areas.
- A drained vehicle battery can freeze at tem ­
peratures around 32
QF (0 QC). A frozen or
thawed vehicle battery must not be charged
and must not be used anymore. If ice forms,
the battery housing can crack and battery electrolyte can leak out, which increases the
risk of a n explos ion and chemical burns .
Contact an autho rized Aud i deale r or au ­
tho rized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r more info r­
mation .
-Do not connect o r disconne ct the c ha rg ing
cable while charg ing beca use th is increases
the risk of an exp losion.
(D Tips
-Only charge the vehicle battery through the
con nections in t he e ng ine compartment.
-Read all of the manufacture r's instructions
fo r th e cha rger befo re charg ing t he ve hicle
battery.
32 8
Windshield washer
system
Fig . 274 En gin e compar tmen t: w inds hield was he r fl ui d
cove r (example)
Observe the safety precautions ¢ page 318 ,
Working in the engine compartment .
M N
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"' "' m
The windshield washer fluid reservo ir W contains
the cleaning solution for the w indshield and the
headlight washer system*
¢ page 321, fig . 267 .
The reservoir capacity can be found in
¢page 382.
To reduce the risk of lime scale depos its on the
sp ray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium . Always add w indow cleaner to the wa­
ter . When the outside temperatures are cold , an
ant i-freez ing agent sho uld be added to t he wate r
so that it does no t freeze.
@ Note
-Th e concentration of ant i-freez ing agent
must be adjusted to t he ve hicle operat ing
c ondi tions i n the respective clima te . A con ­
centration t hat is too high can lead to vehi ­
cle damage .
-Never add radia to r an ti- free ze o r o ther ad di­
t ives to the washer fluid.
-Do not use a glass clea ner th at conta ins
paint so lvents, because t his could damage
the paint.
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve ­
hicle is due for service .
The service interval display works in two stages: .,.

Wheels
Wheels
Wheels and T ires
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.
_&. WARNING -
-Never drive faster than the maximum permitted speed
for your tires. This could cause
the tires to heat up too much.
This increases the risk of an
accident because it can cause
the tire to burst .
-Always adapt your driving to the road and traffic condi-
330
tions . Drive carefully and re­
duce your speed on icy or slip­
pery roads . Even winter tires
can lose traction on black ice.
(@ Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical
i n those seasons . Aud i recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
ing the winter months . Low
temperatures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
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
t ions. The surface of the r ims
does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam ­
aged by road salt or similar
substances.

Wheels
maximum permissible road
speeds . See also ¢
A in General
information on page 330 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into co ntact with the road.
Tread separat ion
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
pr incipal grooves designed to g ive
a vis ual indication of the degrees
of wear of the tread . See
¢ page 339, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measu r­
ing tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel ­
oped by the United States Nat ion­
a l Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration ( NHTSA) tha t is designed
to he lp buyers make relative com-
33 6
parisons among tires . The UTQG
is not a safety rat ing and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed number of miles (kilo meters) or perform in acer ­
t ain way . It simply g ives tire buy ­
ers add itiona l information to
combine with other considera ­
tions , such as price, brand loyalty
and dealer recommendations. U n­
de r UT QG, tires a re graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas: treadwear, tract ion, and tempera ­
ture res istance. The UTQG info r­
mation on the tires , molded into
the si dewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number".
It beg ins with the letters
"DO T"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal s tandards. The next
two numbers or le tters indicate
the plant whe re it was ma nufac ­
tured, and t he last four num bers
represent the week and year of
manufacture. Fo r example,
DOT ... 2217 .. .
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week o f 2017. The
other numbers are ma rketing co­
des that may or may not be used
~

Wheels
.,.Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original Tires. If you would like to use different tires, please
note that the tires may perform
differently even if they are the
same size
¢ 11:,. .
.,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­
sult with an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur­
chase¢ ,&.
Because the spare tire* is differ­
ent from the regular tires instal­
led on the vehicle (such as winter
tires or wide tires), only use the
spare tire* temporarily in case of
emergency and drive carefully
while it is in use. It should be re­
placed with a regular tire as soon
as possible.
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel
drive: all four wheels must be
equipped with tires that are the
same brand and have the same
construction and tread pattern so
that the drive system is not dam­
aged by different wheel speeds. For this reason, in case of emer­
gency, only use a spare tire* that
338
is the same circumference as the
regular tires.
~ WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­ tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you
select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ
greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more than six years old when abso­
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
...

Wheels
front and rear axles are the same
size¢&.
Rotating the tires regularly is rec­
ommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate the tires,
install the tires from the rear axle
on the front axle and vice versa.
This will allow the tires to have
approximately the same length of
service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 368.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hidden . Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may
indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately.
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out­
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed .
340
.&_ WARNING
-Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can increase the risk of an
accident because it has a neg­
ative effect on handling, driv­
ing through curves, and brak­
ing, and because it increases
the risk of hydroplaning when
driving through deep puddles.
- Applies to: RS models: de­
pending on the equipment,
the widths of the standard
summer tires may be different
on the front and rear axles.
The wider tires are mounted
on the front axle. The tires
must not be rotated .

Tire pressure
Fig. 277 Driver's side B-pillar: tire pres­
sure label
"' -,------------~ ,::
9c:==. ~: I :.:: I :.. I ) @ l8 n. _____________ ....., _ _. . ... _ ..
vi ................ ~--"""""' ..... .... ..
TR IIZl 00lO '1111. NaSIUl'll ,,._U DNlNIIONS .......,,.DUftillUSAAIOIJ
-KPA. -PSI
Fig. 278 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la­ bel. The label is located on the
8-
pi llar ¢ fig. 2 77, ¢ fig. 2 78. The
location may vary depending on
the model.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded
¢ table
on page 342.
If driving the vehi­
cle when fully loaded, you must
increase the tire pressure to the
~ maximum specified pressure ¢,&. .
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Checking/correcting tire
pressure
Wheels
11>(heck the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it
before every long drive.
11>Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm.
11>(heck the label¢ fig. 2 78 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
11>(orrect the tire pressure if nec­
essary.
11>Store the new tire pressure in
the Infotainment system
¢ page 349 or ¢page 352.
11>(heck the pressure in the emer­
gency tire* /spare tire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper­
ature that is specified for the
tire.
A WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of an accident. Read and follow the important safe­
ty precautions
inc:::> page 343,
Tires and vehicle load limits.
341