AUDI Q3 2015 Owners Manual

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@ Tips
-Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period o f your vehicle .
- If you tow a t railer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 23 7.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. Apply the foo t brake .
.,. Have someone place chocks under bo th t he
vehicle and the trai ler whee ls .
.,. With chocks in p lace, slowly re lease the
brakes unti l th e wheel chocks abso rb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Move t he se lecto r leve r to P.
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move t he selector lever to D/S .
.,. Re lease the park ing brake and slowly pull
out and away from the whee l choc ks .
.,. Stop and have someone retrieve the w heel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the sele ctor lever of t he a uto­
mat ic t ransm ission to P before app lying
t he p ark ing brake an d befo re blocking the
wheels, you may have to use mo re force
later to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion.
Trailer towin g 169
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170 Vehicle care and cleaning
Vehicle care and
cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
ve hicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when subm itting warranty claims for corro ­
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care prod ucts can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified workshop . Read and follow t he in ­
structions fo r use on the pac kaging .
A WARNING
-Us ing cleaning and care products incor­
rect ly can be dange rous to your he alth .
- Always store cleaning and care products
o ut of rea ch of children to redu ce the r is k
of po ison ing.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents .
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p rod ucts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer that depos its suc h as insects, bird
d roppings , tree sap o r road salt rema in on the
ve hicl e, the more the su rface can be dam­
aged. High tempe ra tur es such as those
c a used by s unligh t incr ease the damag ing e f­
fect.
B efore was hing, wet heavy deposits w ith p le n­
ty of water.
Stubbor n depos its suc h as bird dropp ings or
tree sap are b est r emoved with plenty of wa­
ter a nd a m icrofiber cloth.
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stops be ing used fo r th e season .
Pressure wa shers
When washing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instruc -t
ions provided with the pressure washer. This
is especia lly important in regard to the pres­
s ur e and spraying distance. Do not a im the
spray direct ly at sea ls on side windows, doors,
t h e hood, the rear lid or the sunroof* or at
t ires, rubber hoses, insu lating material, sen ­
so rs* o r camera lenses*. Keep a d ista nce of at
l east 16 inches (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer .
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz ­
z les.
T he wate r temperature m ust not be above
140
°F (60 °().
Automatic car washes
Sp ray off t h e ve hicle befo re washing.
Make sure that the w indows and roof* are
closed and the winds hield wipers a re off. Fo l­
low instructions from the ca r wash operator,
espe cially if there are ac cesso ries attached to
yo ur vehicle.
If possible, use car wash es that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the ve hicle starting from the top and
worki ng down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush . Use solvent -free clea ning products .
Washing vehicle s with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
you r vehicle . Insects, grease spots and fi nger­
pri nts are best remov ed w ith a special cleane r
fo r matte finish paint .
Apply t he prod uct us ing a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damaging the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly wi th water. Then
clean usi ng a neutral shampoo and a soft mi -
c rofiber cloth . .,.

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Vehicle care and cleaning 171
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy .
A WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents .
- To reduce the r isk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be de layed due to moisture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
([) Note
-If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir­
rors in to reduce the ris k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior mir ­
rors* must only be folded in and out us ­
ing the power folding function. -
To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or
hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte finish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fin ish paint. The paint could be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities spec ially
designed for that purpose . This will red uce
the r isk of dirty water contam inated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehi­
cle components, refer to the following tab les .
The information contained there is simply rec­
ommendations . For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed,
refer to an author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop. A lso
follow the information found in ¢ ,& .
Cleaning exterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades
Dirty Q page 4 7, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with
a m ild soap solutiona>
tail lights
Sensors/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent -free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road salt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for stainless steel, if
pipes necessary
•
•

172 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Decorative
Dirty Mild soap solutional, a cleaning solution suitab le for
parts/ sta inless steel, if necessary
trim
Paint
Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the vehicle data label, re-
pair with touch up paint¢
page 234
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately
Rust film Rust
film remover, then protect with hard wax; for ques-
tions, refer to an authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
workshop
Corrosion Have it removed by an autho rized Aud i dealer or quali-
fied workshop
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No shine even T
reat with suitable polish; then app ly paint protectant if
though paint has the polish that was used does not contain any protec-
been protected/
tant
pa int looks poor
Desposits such as in- Dampen with water immed iate ly and remove with a mi-
sects, bird drop- crofiber cloth
pings, tree sap and
road salt
Grease-based con- Remove immediately with a mild soap solutiona> and a
taminants such as soft cloth
cosmetics or sun-
block
Carbon parts Dirty Clean tlhe same way as pa inted parts ¢ page 170, Car
washes
a l Mi ld soap so lution: maximum two tab lespoons neut ra l soap in 1 quart (1 lite r) of water
Cleaning interior
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative Dirty Mild soap solutional
parts/
trim
Plastic parts
Dirty Damp cloth
Heavily soiled Mild soap solutional, solvent-free plast ic cleaning solu-
t ion, if necessary
Displays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Safety belts Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract

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Vehicle care and cleaning 173
Component Situation Solution
Te xtile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vinyl, the surface
Alcantara Water-based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona>, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona>, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Natural leather Fr es h stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona)
Water-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc . dried sta ins: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc .
Care Regularly
apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon parts Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons neut ral soap in 1 quart (I liter) of water
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water-repelling windshie ld coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is also
possible.
- Headlights/tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
w ith a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form .
-Wheels
-Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately.
- Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
len s. This could cause the lens to crack .
IJII>
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174 Vehicle care and cleaning
- Never use abrasive cleaning materials
or alcohol to clean the camera lens.
This could cause scratches and cracks.
- Windows
- Remove snow and ice on windows and
exterior mirrors with a plastic scraper.
To avoid scratches, move the scraper only in one direction and not back and
forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from win­
dows and mirrors using warm or hot
water because this could cause cracks
to form .
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any stickers on
the heating wires on the inside of the
window.
- Decorative parts/trim
- Never use chrome care or cleaning
products.
- Paint
-To reduce the risk of scratches, the ve-
hicle must be free of dirt and dust be­
fore polishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish
or wax the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do
not polish away rust film .
- Remove cosmetics and sunblock imme­
diately . Otherwise, the paint could be
damaged.
- Displays
- To avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays.
- Controls
- Make sure that no fluids enter the con-
trols, because this could cause dam­
age.
-Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts or their com­
ponents chemically or with corrosive
fluids or solvents and never allow sharp objects to come into contact
with the safety belts. This could cause
damage to the belt webbing. - If there is damage to the webbing, the
connections, the retractors or the buck­les, have them replaced by an author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Textiles/Vinyl/Alcantara
- Never treat Vinyl/Alcantara with leath-
er care products , solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or similar
products.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry
the seat.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zip­
pers, rivets on clothing or belts can
cause damage to the surface .
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for ex­
ample on clothing, can damage seat
covers . Make sure hook and loop fas­
teners are closed.
- Natural leather
- Never treat leather with solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
similar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zip­
pers, rivets on clothing or belts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry
the seat.
- To help prevent the leather from fad­
ing, do not leave the vehicle in direct
sunlight for long periods of time. If leaving the vehicle parked for long pe­
riods of time, you should cover the
leather to protect it from direct sun­
light.
(D Tips
- Insects are easier to remove from paint
that has been freshly waxed.
- Regular waxing can prevent rust film
from forming.

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Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is un­
leaded premium
grade gasoline. Audi recom­
mends using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
with a minimum octane rating of 91 AKI (95
RON) . For more information on TOP TIER De­
tergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label locat­
ed on the inside of the fuel filler flap. This rat­
ing may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using un­ leaded regular gasoline with a minimum oc­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON. However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octane fuel will slightly re­
duce engine performance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso­
line is available throughout the USA, Canada,
and in most European countries. We recom­
mend that you do not take your vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehi­
cle, see~
page 176.
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to
resist engine damaging "knock" caused by
premature ignition and detonation. Therefore,
buying the correct grade of gasoline is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane ratings that can usually be found on the filler
pump:
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 175
- Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti Knock Index= (R+M)/2 = (RON
+MON)/2
RON= Research Octane Number
MON= Motor Octane Number.
@ Note
-Do not use any fuel with octane ratings
lower than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise
expensive engine damage will occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of
leaded gasoline will severely damage
your vehicle's catalytic converter and its
ability to control exhaust emissions.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with
alcohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blended mixture meets the
following criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not contain more than 15%
ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
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176 Fuel suppl y and fillin g your fu el tank
Many gaso line grades are blended to perform
especially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stations where the sea­ sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
@ Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo ­
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
spec ified criter ia in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
spec ificat ions, ask your service station o r
i ts fuel supplier .
- Do not use fuel for wh ich the contents
cannot be identified .
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Ve hicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy
or driveabil ity and performance prob­
l ems due to the use o f one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use .
A lthough gasoline grades diffe r from one
manufac turer to another, they have certa in
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause depos its to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves . Although most gasoline
b rands include additives to keep eng ine and
fuel systems clean , they are not eq ua lly effec­
tive. Audi recommends using
TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period o f using inadeq uate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob your engine of peak performance.
(D Note
- Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty .
- Do not add afte rmarket fuel additive
produc ts to your f uel tank .
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
s ide panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for detailed
instruct ions see o page 178.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
o page 235 .
The label on the inside of the f uel fi ller flap
te lls you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fue l specifications,
see
c:;, poge 175.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refuel­
ing vapor recovery system . This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and pollut ing the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
.&_ WARNING
Under normal operating cond itions, never
carry addit ional fue l conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other conta iners used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con-
tainers, fu ll or empty, may leak and could ..,.

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"' rl
"' rl
cause a fire in a co llision. If you must
transport fue l to use for yo ur lawn mowe r,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers . Make certain the con­
t ainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
AS TM F 852 -86).
(D Note
Never drive yo ur vehicle unt il the fuel tank
is completely empty . The irregular supp ly
of fuel can cause misfi ring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalyt ic converte r.
Refueling
Fig. 140 Rig ht rea r veh icle s ide: Opening t he fuel f iller
fl ap
Fi g. 14 1 Fu el filler fla p with attach ed fu el c ap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
f ill er flap is automatically unlocked or locked .
Refue l the vehicle with the ignition turned
off.
Tak ing th e fuel cap off
• Press the left side of the fue l filler flap to
open it ¢
fig . 140 -arrow- .
• Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and
hang it on the fuel f iller flap ¢
fig. 141.
Fuel suppl y and filling your fuel t ank 17 7
Refueling procedure
• Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel fi ller neck as far as it wi ll
go .
• Select a medium refueling rate so that the
no zz le switches off automatically when the
tank i s full .
Putting th e fuel cap bac k on
• After filling your tank, twist the fuel cap
clockw ise as far as it will go .
• Close the fue l filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spill ing or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
completely . An improper ly closed fuel filler
cap may also cause the MIL lamp ¢
page 26
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies .
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fue l to spray out of filler neck or to over­
flow. Fue l spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a ce llu lar telephone while re­
fue ling. The electromagnet ic rad iation
can cause sparks that can ignite f uel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into yo ur vehicle while re­
fuel ing.
If in excep tional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while refueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again . Static electr icity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open f lame any­
where in or near your veh icle when refu ­
eling or filling a portab le fuel conta iner .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not t ravel with a portable

1 78 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­ nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F8S2 -86) .
d) Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint .
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
(D Tips
- Running your engine while refueling may
cause vapors to escape or even cause
fuel to spill out of the tank. This would
then shut off the fuel nozzle before the
tank is full .
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion turned on. The fuel gauge may oth­ erwise not indicate the correct fuel level
after refueling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside .
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
Fig. 142 L uggage compart men t: E mergency opening
o f fuel fille r flap
The emergency opening mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug ­
gage compartment .
.,. Open the right side trim panel.
.,. Loosen the strap from its bracket and pull
on it
r::';> fig. 142 . Now you can open the fuel
filler flap as usual.