service AUDI Q3 2015 User Guide

48 Clear vis ion
authorized Audi dealer for replacement
blades.
(D Note
- The w indshield wiper blades mus t on ly
be replaced when in the service position!
Otherwise , yo u risk damaging the paint
on the hood or the w indshield wiper mo­
tor.
- You should not move yo ur vehicle or
press the windshield wiper lever when
the wiper arms are folded away from the
windsh ield. The w indshield w ipers would
move back into the ir o riginal position
and could damage the hood and w ind­
s h ield.
- To he lp prevent damage to the wiper sys­
tem, always loosen blades which are fro­
z en to the windsh ield before operat ing
wipe rs.
- To he lp preven t damage to w iper blades,
do not use gasoline, ke rosene, pa in t
th inner, o r othe r solvents on or nea r the
wiper b lades .
- To he lp prevent damage to the wiper
arms or other components, do not at ­
tempt to move the wipers by hand .
@ Tips
-Commercial ho t waxes applied by auto­
matic car washes affect the how easily
t h e glass s urface can be cleaned.
- You can also use the service pos ition, for
example, if you want to protect the
windshield from icing by usi ng a cover.
- You cannot activate the service posit ion
when the front lid is open.
Replacing the rear w iper blade
C
Fi g. 47 Rear w iper : Removing th e w ipe r blade
Remov ing the wiper bl ad e
.,. Fold the windshie ld wiper arm away from
the windshield.
.,. Pull the wiper blade and holder out of the
mount .
Attach ing the w iper blade
.,. Press the wiper b lade ho lder in the arrow di·
rection
¢ fig. 47 into the mount .
.,. Fold the windshie ld wiper arm back onto the
w indshield.
A WARNING
-For safety reasons, the windshie ld w iper
b lades should be replaced once or tw ice
eac h yea r.
Digital compass
Switching the compass on and off
Applies to vehicles: wit h digi tal compass
The compass direction is shown in the rear­
view mirror.
F ig. 48 Rea rv iew mirr or: d ig ital compass act ivated
-

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Warm and cold Climate control
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the a ir in the veh icle inter io r.
It is the most effect ive when the windows and
sunroof are closed . If the re is a build-up of
h eat inside the vehicle, ventilation can help to
speed up the cooling process .
Condensat ion from the cooling sys tem can
drip and form a puddle of water under the ve­
hicle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak .
Pollution filter
The po llution filte r removes impuri ties, such
as dus t and po llen, from the air.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at
the intervals spec ified in you r Wa rra nty
&
M aintenance book let, so tha t the air condi­
tioner can prope rly work .
If you drive your vehicle in an area with h igh
a ir po llution, the fi lter may need to be
changed more frequent ly than specified in
your Aud i Warr anty
& Ma intenance booklet. If
in doubt, ask your authorized A udi Service Ad ­
visor for advice .
A WARNING
Reduced visibility is dangero us and can
cause accidents.
-
- For safe dr iv ing it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con­
densation.
Warm and c old 63
-Comp letely fam iliarize yourse lf with the
proper use and f unct ion of the heat ing
a nd venti lation system and especially
how to defog and defrost the w indows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer
system in freez ing weather unt il you
have warmed the w indshield first, using
the heating and ve ntilation system. The
washer sol ution may freeze on the wi nd­
shie ld and re duce visib ility.
0 Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner
has been damaged, switch t he system
off to avoid furt her damage and have it
in spec ted by a q ual ified dea lership.
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re­
quire specia l te ch nical know ledge and
speci al to ols. Conta ct an autho rized Aud i
dea ler fo r ass istance.
(® For the sake of the environment
B y reducing the a mou nt of f uel you use,
you also reduce the amount of pollu tants
emitted in to the air.
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lots ( in fro nt of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de­
br is in order to maintain the proper f unc ­
t ion of the climate control sys tem.
- T he e nergy m ana gement system m ay
switch the seat heating * or rear window
defroster off temporari ly . These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been resto red.

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-Improper reliance on the side assist sys­
tem can cause collisions and serious
personal injury:
- Never rely only on side assist when
changing lanes.
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all vehicles un­
der all conditions- danger of accident!
- Please note that side assist indicates
there are approaching vehicles, or
vehicles in your blind spot, only after
your vehicle has reached a driving speed
of at least 19 mph (30 km/h).
- In certain situations, the system may not
function or its function may be limited.
For example:
- if vehicles are approaching or being left
behind very quickly. The display may
not turn on in time.
- in poor weather conditions such as
heavy rain, snow or heavy mist .
- on very wide lanes, in tight curves or if
there is a rise in the road surface .
Vehicles in the adjacent lane may not
be detected because they are outside
of the sensor range.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. This can affect the system .
Have your authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility check their
function.
(D Tips
- If the window glass in the driver's door
or front passenger's door has been tint­
ed, the display in the exterior mirror may be misinterpreted.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions~
page 240.
Audi side assist 77
Activating and deactivating
App lies to vehicles: wit h Aud i side ass ist
Fig. 83 Driver's door: Side assist bu tto n
.,. Press the button ~ A in General informa­
tion on page 76
to switch the system on/off.
The LED in the button turns on when side
assist is switched on .
Adjusting the display brightness
Applies to vehicles: wit h Aud i side ass ist
The signal brightness can be set in the info­
tainment.
.,. Select: !CAR ! function button > Systems or
Car Systems control button > Vehicle set­
tings
> Audi side assist .
The display brightness adjusts automatically
to the brightness of the surroundings, both in
the information and in the warning stage . In
very dark or very bright surroundings, the dis­ play is already set to the minimum or maxi­
mum level by the automatic adjustment. In
such cases, you may notice no change when
adjusting the brightness, or the change may
only be noticeable once the surroundings
change.
Adjust the brightness to a level where the dis­
play in the information stage will not disrupt
your view forward.
If you change the bright­
ness, the display in the exterior mirror will
briefly show the brightness leve l in the infor­
mation stage. The brightness of the warning
stage is linked to the brightness in the infor­
mation stage and is adjusted along with the
information stage adjustment . .,,.

78 Audi side assist
- Side assist is not active wh ile you are
making the adjus tment.
- Your settings are automatically sto red
and ass igned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with Audi side assist
If s ide ass ist switches off by itse lf, t he LED in
the butto n tur ns off a nd a message will ap­
pear in t he instr ume nt cl uster d is p lay:
Audi side assist: Unavailable. Sen sor view
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not
c o ver the area in fr ont of the senso rs with bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c::;, page 76, fig . 82.
Audi side as sist: Unavailable.
Side assist cannot be switched on tempo rari ly
beca use there is a malfunctio n (for example,
the battery charge leve l may be too low).
Aud i side assist: System fault!
The system ca nnot guara ntee that it w ill de­
tect ve hicles co rrectly a nd it is switched off .
The sensors have been displaced or are faulty.
H ave the system checked by an authorized
Aud i dea le r or aut horized Aud i Service Fac ility
soon .
Audi side assist: Unavailable when
towing.
Side assist sw itches off automatically whe n a
factory -insta lled trailer hitch is connected to
the ele ct rical connector on t he trailer . There is
n o guara ntee the system will switc h off whe n
usi ng a retrofit ted traile r hi tch . D o not use
si de assis t whe n towing a trailer .

110 Safet y belt s
• Let the belt wind up on the ret ractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the veh i­
cle is moving. Doing so will increase your
r isk of being injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
-
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust­
ment, the three point safety belt strap rout­
ing can be fitted to the shoulder area, accord­
ing to body size .
~ 0 0 6
Fig. 116 Safety belt heig ht adj ustme nt for th e fro nt
seats -loop -around fittings
.. (0
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body
c:> .&. in Safety belt
position on page 109.
• Push
the loop-around fittings up c:> fig. 116
@, or
• squeeze together the(!) button, and push
the loop-around fitt ings do wn@ .
• Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged.
.&, WARNING
Alw ays read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other impo rtant informat ion
¢ page 107.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjust­
ment of the seat can also be used to adjus t
the posit ion of the safety be lts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can o nly
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body . Improper seat ing pos itions reduce
the effectiveness of safety be lts and will even
i ncrease t he risk of inju ry and death by mov­
ing the safety be lt to crit ica l areas o f the
body. Improper seating positions also in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an a irbag deploys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is respons ible for the safety of
all veh icle occupants and especially for chil­
dren . Therefore:
• Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c:> ,&. .
.&, WARNING
Improperly worn safety be lts increase the
r isk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always ma ke sure that all vehicle occ u­
pants are co rrectly restra ined and stay in
a correc t seating position whe never the
veh icle is being used .
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS a nd
o ther important inform ation
¢page 107.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety
belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is act ivated by sen­
sors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
grea t severity and in a rollover. This tightens
the belt and t akes up belt slack¢.&.
in Service .,._

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and disposal of safety belt pretensioner on
page 111.
Taking up the slack helps to reduce
forward occupant movement during a colli­
sion.
(D Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat­
back that has been folded forward.
@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be activated once .
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions and in accidents in­
volving very little impact force, the safe­
ty belt pretensioner are not activated.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are
activated, a fine dust is released. This is
norma l and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The relevant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped. An au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop is familiar with these regulations
and will be pleased to pass on the infor­
mation to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
mental and other regulations if the vehi­
cle or individual parts of the system, par­
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this
service for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretension er
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the safety belts on your Audi. Installing, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing of belt pretens ion­
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent it from working correctly in a colli­
sion.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis-
Safety belts 111
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment .
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing a safety belt pretensioner from activating when needed
or activating it unexpectedly :
- The belt pretensioner system can be acti­
vated only once . If belt pretensioners
have been activated, the system must be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety be lt system.
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired . Spe­
cial procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has an Audi approved re­
pair manual, training and special equip­
ment necessary.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca . gov/hazard o u swa ste/ per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed . Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform th is service fo r you. •
•

162 Driving and en vironm ent
The cata lytic converter is an efficient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the veh icle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalytic convert­
er and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
-The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driv ing and after stop­
ping the engine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail p ipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the veh icle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can
c ause a fi re.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on o r near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaus t pipes, catalytic con­
verte r o r heat shie lds. D uring driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware th at just one tank fi lling with
leaded fue l will already seriously de ­
grade the performance of the catalytic
conve rter .
- Do not exceed the correc t engine oil leve l
~page 184.
-Do not drive un til the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned f uel could a lso get into
the exhaust system and this could cause
the catalyt ic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignit ion while the ve­
hicle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate yo ur vehicle
u nder these conditions , as otherw ise fuel
can reac h the catalytic converter. This
could result in overheat ing of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement. -
To assu re efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System :
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance w ith the service rec­
ommendat ions in your Warranty &
M ain tenance book let.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
i mproper use of t he vehicle wi ll impair
the function of the em ission cont ro l
sys tem an d could lea d to damage.
~ For the sake of the environment
Eve n when the Emiss io n Control System is
ope rat ing proper ly, the exha ust gas c an
have a sul fur- like ex haust gas smell under
some ope rat ing states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used. Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or f illing the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer per iod of time, contact an
Audi or other specialized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e .g . corro­
s ion p revention, maintenance and sto rage .
Pay attent ion to additional info rmat io n con­
ce rn in g the battery. Refe r to~
page 190.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
Gene ral
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, e nvir onme nta l impact, and
we ar on your eng ine, b rakes and tires la rgely
depend on three fac to rs:
- your personal driving style
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitations

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If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumption by 10-15 percent. This sec­
tion will give you some tips on how you can help the environmen t and your pocketbook.
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, wh ich will vary depend ing upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, tr ip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessa ry accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac ­
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus , accelerate less. Let the vehicle coas t
whenever poss ible -for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.,. Try and keep well be low your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment. Fue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
g ine no ise increase d isproportionately at high
speeds . If you dr ive at approximately three
qua rters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be red uced by one half. Never dr ive faste r
than the posted speed limi t and wea ther con­
ditions permit.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 163
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle .
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the
eng ine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when wa it ing for tra ins to pass at rail ­
road crossings, or at t raff ic lights that have
l ong waits on red . T u rning the eng ine off for
just 30-40 seconds saves mo re fuel tha n is
bur ned star ting the engine again.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is runn ing at id le. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especia lly hig h
when the eng ine is wa rm ing up. So yo u shou ld
drive away as soon as yo u start the engine and
avoid r unning at high rpms whi le the engine is
still warming up.
(D Note
D o not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting. If warning lights sho uld come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, w hich could res ult in over­
heating or other damage to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
.,. Have you r veh icle serviced at regu lar inter-
vals.
By having your ve hicle reg ularly serviced by an
a uthorized Audi dea le r helps to ensure that it
runs properly and econom ica lly. The cond ition
of your veh icle not only affects its safety and
ability to ho ld its va lue, it a lso affects
fuel
con sumption .
Chec k your o il each t ime you fill your tank.
Ill-
•
•

164 Driving and en vironm ent
The amount of oil used is related to eng ine
load and speed.
I t is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest val ue after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3 ,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess o il cons umption .
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en­
g ine output .
0 Note
-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your War ranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as imp roper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not a lter or remove any component of
the Emi ssion Contro l System unless ap­
proved
by the manufacturer.
- Do not a lter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
va lves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emiss ion Control System
and other important veh icle compo­
nents .
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
• Try to avo id driving sho rt distances with a
cold eng ine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach their optimal
ope rating tempe ratu re to
reduce fuel con sumption and noxious emis­
sions effect ively.
Just after starting, a cold engine in a mid-size car on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km) . After about a
half a m ile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2. 5 miles (4 km), the engine is at its proper operating tempera
­
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal
l evel. So you can see that you should avo id
short trips whenever possible.
T he
out sid e tempe rature is also critical in this
regard . Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the s ummer.
Driving offroad
General information
When driving off road, the functions fo r the
electron ic stabiliza tion control ( ESC) are ex­
panded . The ESC-Offroad-Mode can be activat­
ed in driving situations in which a wheel lock
or a differential lock function is needed
c> page 155.
Your Audi i s howev er, n ot an offroad vehicle.
Ne ver dri ve the vehicle in te rrain wh ich i s n ot
suitable for the vehicle , o r w hich ex ceeds
y ou r driv ing skill s. Ne ver tak e an y u nneces ­
s ar y risk s!
Aft er d riving offroad
-After driving offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the radiator gri lle, under ­
body, and wheels. Look especially for objects
(stones) that have been caught in the tire
tread.
- Clean the body and the vehicle underbody
and inspect the vehicle for possible damag­
es.
- Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and the license plate .
- Pe rform a brake test (especially after driving
through water).
A WARNING
- Be especially aware and attent ive when
driving under difficult condit ions . Dam­
ages to the vehicle and injur ies may oc­
cur when driv ing at an excessively high
speed or with incor rect driving maneu­
vers.
- Always adjust you r speed and hand ling
to the roads, terrain, t raff ic and weather
~

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 ..,.