2018 AUDI A3 SEDAN engine overheat

u. 00 .-<
@ Left additional display (divided in
two sections in the enhanced view)
There may be addi tional indicato r lights in the
tachomete r@ , the speedome ter
(i) , th e sta tus
line ® and, depending on the instrument clus ­
ter, above or below the central
area @.
The fo llow ing pages will primar ily show ill ustra ­
tions of the mu lti-co lor ana log ins trumen t clus ­
ter* . The display and/o r posit ion of t he e lement
shown may vary in monochrome instrument cl us­
ters or in the A udi v irtual cockpit* .
(D Tips
-Depending on vehicle equipment, the in ­
str ument ill umination (need les and gauges)
may t urn on when the lights are off and the
i gnition is sw itched on. The illumination for
t h e gauges reduces automat ica lly and even­
tua lly turns off as br ightness outside in­
creases . This func tion rem inds the dr iver to
tu rn t he low beams on at the app ropr iate
t im e.
-You can select the units used for tempe ra­
tu re, speed and othe r measureme nts in t he
Infotainment system
¢page 2 43 .
Coolant temperature indicator
The coolant temperatu re display (D ¢ page 10,
fig. 4
or ¢ page 10, fig . 3 only functions when
the ignition is switc hed on . To prevent engine
damage, please observe the following notes
about the temperature ranges.
Cold rang e
If onl y the L EDs at the bottom o f th e ga uge tu rn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem ­
pe rature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, full ac ­
celerat ing and heavy engine loads .
Normal range
The engine has reached its oper ating temper a­
ture once the LEDs up to the center o f th e ga uge
turn on. If
the . indicator lig ht in the instru­
ment cluster display turns on, the coolant tern -
~ perature is too high ¢ page 25 .
N .-< 0 N > 00
Coc kpit o ver view
Vehicles without a coolant temperature
indicat or
T he . indicator light t urns on when the coolant
temperat ure is h igh
¢ page 25. Refer to ¢(!) .
(W} Note
-Aux iliary headlights and ot her accesso ries in
fro nt of t he coo ling-air intake impa ir th e
cooling effect o f the coo lant. This increases
the risk of the engine overheating dur ing
hig h outside temperat ures and heavy en­
gine load .
-The front spoi ler a lso helps to distribute
cooling a ir correctly while driv ing. If the
spoiler is damaged, the coo ling effec t w ill
be impa ired a nd the r isk of the eng ine ove r­
heating w ill increase. See an autho riz ed
Aud i dea ler or a uthor ized Audi Se rvice Fa ­
ci lity for assis tan ce .
-Vehicles without a coolant temperature dis­
play: to promote a lo ng e ngine serv ice li fe,
a voiding h igh engine spee ds, full acce lera ­
tion and heavy engine loads during app rox i­
mate ly the first 15 minutes when the en ­
gine is cold is recommended. The amount of
t ime that the eng ine is co ld depends on the
outside temperature.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev­
olutions per minute (RPM).
T he beginning of t he red zone in the tachometer
indicates the maxim um permissible engine speed
for all gea rs once the engine has bee n broken in
and when it is warmed up to operating tempera­
ture . Before reach ing the red zone, you sho uld
sh ift into the next h igher gear, choose the "D" or
" S" se lecto r lever pos it io n, or remove yo ur foot
from the ac cele ra tor ped al.
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
Depend ing on the vehicle equipment, there a re
diffe rent display fo rmats
available ¢ page 95. ...,
11

Cockpit overv iew
CD Note
The needle in the tachometer @ Q page 10,
fig. 4 or¢ page 10, fig. 3 may only be in the
red area of the gauge for a short time or there
is a risk of engine damage. The location where
the red zone beg ins varies depending on the
eng ine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early helps you to save fuel and re­
duces operating noise .
Fuel level
The display@¢ page 10, fig. 4 or ¢ page 10,
fig. 3 only functions when the ign ition is swi tch­
ed on . When the display has reached the reserve
mark, a red LED appe ars and the
rD indica to r
light t urns on ¢
page 28. The LED blinks red
when the f uel level is very low .
For the tank capacity in yo ur vehicle , refer to the
Te chnical Data
¢ page 38 2.
CD Note
Never d rive until the tank is comple tely emp­
t y. The irregular supp ly of fuel that resul ts
from that can ca use engine misfi res . U ncom­
bus ted fuel will the n enter the e xhaus t sys ­
tem . This can cause overheating and damage
to the cata lytic conve rter .
Odometer
Fig. S Instru me nt clust er: odo meter
12
Trip odometer and odometer
The trip odometer shows the dis tance driven
s ince it was last reset. It can be used to measure
short d istances.
The trip odometer ca n be reset to zero by p ress­
i ng t he rese t button ®¢
page 10, fig. 4 or
¢page 10, fig. 3.
The odometer shows the total d istance that t he
vehicle has been drive n.
Malfunction indicator
If there is a malfunction in the instrument clus­
te r,
DEF will appear in the trip odome ter display .
Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possi­
ble.
Outside temperature display
If your vehicle i s sta tionary or if yo u are driv ing at
very low speeds, t he temperature d isplayed may
be slight ly higher than the actual temperatu re
outside due to the heat radiating from the en ­
gine .
At temperatures be low 41 °F (+S °C), a snowf lake
symbol appears in front of t he temperature dis­
play ¢.&. .
A WARNING
Do not assume the roads are free of ice based
on the outside tempe rature disp lay. Be aware
that t here may be ice on roads even when the
outside temp erature is around 41 °F (+5 °C)
and that ice can increase the risk of accidents .

Cockpit overv ie w
Drive s low ly to an authorized A udi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the engine
checked.
EPC Engine control
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engines
If the ~ indicator light turns on if there is a
malfunct io n in the engine control.
Drive s low ly to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility to have the engine
checked.
! ?' Engine speed limitation
Applies to: vehicles with engine speed limitation
(II M ax imum engine sp eed: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatica lly limited to the
speed d isplayed in the instrument cluster. Th is
protects the engine from overheating.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longer in the critical temperature range and you have released the acce lerator ped ­
al once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by
an engine contro l ma lfunction, the
II or ~ in­
d icator light also turns on. Make sure the eng ine
speed does not go above the speed displayed, for
example when downsh ift ing . Drive to an author­
ized Aud i dealer or authorized Aud i Serv ice Fac ili­
ty immediately to have t he malfunct ion correct­
ed.
'!=:?' ., Engine oil level (MIN)
Applies to: vehicles with oil level warning
Ill Check oil level
You may continue d riving for the t ime be ing .
C heck the engine oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 321.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine o il
¢ page 322 , Checking the engine oil level .
-If the engine oil level is correct and the indica­
tor light st ill turns on, drive at low eng ine
speed to an authorized Aud i dealer o r autho r­
ized Audi Se rvice Facility.
28
II Oil l evel s ystem : malfun ction! Plea se con­
tact Service
The sensor to check the eng ine o il level has
failed . D rive to an author ized Audi dealer or au­
t h orized Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have
t h e malfunct ion cor re cted.
(Llj) Note
Refer to the descr ipt ion in the Owne r's Man­
u a l
¢ page 322, Checking the engine oil lev­
el.
ju Tank system
Vehicles with p lug -in hybrid dr ive *: ¢ page 103.
ll'J Pleas e refuel
The first t ime the indicator light turns on and the
message appears, there are approx imately 1.8
gallons
(7 liters) of fuel in the tank o n front
whee l dr ive vehicles, or app roxi mately
2. 2 ga l­
l ons
(8.5 lite rs) of f uel in the ta nk on a ll wheel
d rive ve hicles.
ll') Please refuel immediatel y
If the indicato r light turns on the message ap­
pears, the fuel tank is a lmost empty . Refue l the
vehicle immediately .
ll') Tank system: malfunction! Please cont act
Ser vice
There is a ma lfunction in the f uel tank system .
D rive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
Audi Se rvice Fa cility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction correc ted.
(D Tips
F o r more info rmation on f ueli ng, see
¢ page 315.
,. Washer fluid level
If the C·w$ indicator light turns on, the washer flu­
id is almost out. Fill the washer fl uid for the
winds hield washer system and the headlight
..,.

Driving
When not being used, a roof rack should be re­
moved to decrease the wind resistance of the ve­
hicle. This will save you approximately 12% fuel
at speeds from 62
-75 mph (100 -120 km/h).
Save energy
The engine drives the generator, which generates
electricity; the fuel consumption also increases
with the demand for electricity. Therefore, switch
electrical equipment
off when you no longer
need it. Examples of equipment that uses a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating* .
(D Note
-Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on
to indicate improper operation, they would
go unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other prop­ erty.
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in your Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let . Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system and
could lead to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other
important vehicle components.
@ Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc.
74
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel position
The steering wheel position is fully adjustable up
and down and forward and back.
Fig . 83 Steering column : steering column adjustment lever
.. Tilt the lever -c> fig. 83 downward¢ ,&..
.. Bring the steering wheel into the desired posi­
tion.
.. Push the lever against the steering column un­
til it is secure.
A WARNING
Incorrect use of the steering wheel adjust­
ment and an incorrect seating position can
cause serious injuries.
- Only adjust the steering column when the veh icle is stationary so that you do not lose
control of the vehicle.
-
-Adjust the driver's seat or steer ing wheel so
that there is at least 10 inches
(25 cm) dis­
tance between your chest and the steering
wheelr::!>page250, fig. 217. If you do not
maintain this distance, the airbag system
will not be able to provide its full protec­ tion.
c:> page 250, fig. 217.
- If your physical characteristics prevent you
from sitting at least 10 inches
(25 cm) or
more away from the steering wheel, see if
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility can provide adapters that will help.
- If your face is level with the steering wheel,
the airbag does not provide as much protec­
tion during a collision. Always make sure
that the steering wheel is level with your
chest.

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-Power is still transferred to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the brake when the en­
gine is running and the selector lever is in
the "D", "S" or "R" position or "tiptronic"
mode is selected.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
peda l when the vehicle is stopped if a gear is
engaged. Otherwise the risk of an accident
increases because the vehicle will start to
move immediately, even if the parking brake
is set.
- To reduce the risk of an accident, do not
press the acce lerator pedal when changing
the selector lever position while the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
- Never engage the "R" or "P" selector leve l
positions while driving. It could cause a
crash.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"ti ptron i c".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
downhill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in p lace with the foot brake or
park ing brake to prevent it from rolling
back.
- Never hold the veh icle on an incline with a
sl ip ping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. The
ml indicator light turns on
and a message appears
¢ page 89 when
the clutch is over loaded .
{LlJ) Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
ho ld the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
ce lerator pedal while a driving gear is se ­
l ected. This can cause the automatic trans ­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
Driving
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped while the selector lever is in the
"N" position will damage the automatic
transmission, because it is not lubricated
under those circumstances
¢ page 3 78,
Towing with a tow truck.
- The transmission can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic. When the
ml or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool¢
page 89.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake only re­
l eases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
App lies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmiss ions
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor lever is in the "D" or "S" posit ion and you
press the b rake pedal. The transmission auto ­
matically se lects a gear that is suitab le for the
hill. Hill descent contro l tries to ma inta in the
speed achieved at the time of braking, within
physical and technica l limitations. If may still be
necessary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Because hill descent control cannot shift down
farther than 3rd gear, it may be necessary to
shift into tiptronic mode in very steep areas . In
th is case, shift into 2nd or 1st gear in t iptronic
mode to use the engine's braking force to rel ieve
the brakes.
Hill descent control switches
off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢ page 120, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set .
.,,.
87

e-tron
For additional information, see ¢ page 17, Trip
computer (Audi virtual cockpit).
~ Applies to: vehicles with analog instrument
cluster: Open the
Tachometer display by turn­
ing the left thumbwheel on the multifunction
steering wheel.
When opening the driver's door, the charge level is shown in the instrument cluster when the igni­
tion is switched on, or the charge level and the
remaining charge time for the high -voltage bat ­
tery is displayed when charging .
The power meter gives feedback about the partic­ ular accelerator pedal position and shows the
current demand
(%) for electricity or fuel regard­
less of which engine is active.
An economical driving and recuperation range is
shown in green
¢ page 99, Energy recovery (re­
cuperation) .
A driving range that is not economi­
cal is shown in orange .
(D Vehicle not drive ready (OFF)
@ Recuperation (CHARGE)
@ Vehicle ready to drive (READY) or
coasting
© Efficient driving with electric motor
and/or gasoline engine (EFFICIEN­
CY)
® Economic driving while the electric
motor or gasoline engine is in the
partial power range
@ Driving in full power range
0 100% output
@ BOOST: the electric motor supports
the combustion engine
® High-voltage battery charge level
@ EV mode: active a=,v, standby, a=,v
or currently unavailable. ~v
@ Speed limit for electric driving in EV
mode (80 mph/ 130 km/h)
Indicator lights and messages
Applies to: vehicles with plug -in hybr id drive
Also note the indicator lights in¢ page 20.
The gasoline engine is active when the II'§] indica­
tor light turns on.
96
•• Drive system: system fault! Safely park
vehicle
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys­
tem. The brake booster and the power steering
may stop working. Stop the vehicle immediately
or as soon as possible. Park the vehicle in a safe place outdoors that is not near buildings, roof
overhangs, carports or similar structures. Switch
the ignition off. Have the problem corrected by
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
•• Electric drive: overheated! Safely stop
vehicle and check coolant
The coolant level is too low or the coolant tem­
perature is too high.
Stop the vehicle in the outdoors as soon as it is
safely possible. Switch the ignition off.
Read the important safety
precautions ¢.& in
Coolant on page 103
and check the coolant level
¢page 102.
If the coolant level is OK, the malfunction may be
caused by the system overheating. Let the vehi­
cle's electric drive system cool down for some
time .
If the message turns off after cooling down and
switching the ignition back on, you can continue
driving. Contact an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
If the indicator light stays on, contact an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty.
lltll Drive system: system fault! Please con­
tact workshop
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys­
tem . Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
1/1111 Drive system: system fault! Restart not
possible. Please contact workshop
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys­
tem. Do not open the hood. Drive to an author- ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
.,,_

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
¢ _& . ~