check engine AUDI S3 2015 Owner's Guide

226 Checking and Fill in g
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your ve hicle's engine coolant.
Adding rad iator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Adding coolant
Fig . 164 Engine co mpa rtment: mark in gs on the coo l­
ant expans ion tank
R ea d a nd f ollow ing th e W ARNING S before
checking anything in the eng ine compartment
¢ page 217.
Ch eck ing t he e ngi ne coolant level
"Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Switch the ign ition off .
" Read the coo lant level on the coolant expan­
s ion tank ¢
fig. 164. The coo lant level must
be between the markings when the eng ine
in cold. When the engine is warm it can be
sl ightly above the upper marking .
Adding coolan t
Requirement : There must be a residual
amount of coolant in the expansion tank ¢(D .
.. Let the engine cool down.
" Place a cloth over the coolant expansion
tank cap and unscrew the cap counterclock­
wise ¢&_ .
.. Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢ page 225 up to the upper marking.
.. Make sure that the fluid level remains sta­
ble. Add more coolant if necessary.
" Clove the cap securely. A coolant loss suggests a
leak. Immediately
drive your vehicle to an authorized repair fa­
c ility and have the cooling system inspected.
If the cooling system is not leaking, a loss can
come from the coolant boiling through over­
heating and being pushed out of the cooling
system.
A WARNING
The cooling system is press urized and can
become very hot. To reduce the r isk of
b urns from hot coolant:
- Do not open the coolant expansion tank
cap with the engine ho t. T here is a risk of
burns.
- Stop the eng ine and a llow it to cool.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping coolant and steam by covering
the coolant tan k cap with a large, th ick
cloth.
- Turn the coolan t tank cap counterclock­
wise slowly and keep light pressure on
the cap .
- To reduce the risk of burns, do not allow
any antifreeze or coolant to drip onto the
exhaust system or hot engine compo ­
nents. The ethy lene g lycol in engine
coo lant can catch fire under certain cir­
cumstances.
- The coolant additive and the coolant can
be dangerous to your health . For this
reason, keep the coo lant in the origina l
container away from ch ildren . There is a
risk of poisoning.
- When working in the engine compart­
ment, remember that the rad iator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
sw itched off, which increases the risk of
pe rsonal injury.
(D Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine .
If this is the case,
do no t continue dr iving. See a n author ized
A udi dealer or authori zed Aud i Service Fa­
cility for assist ance.

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Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolan t temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions .
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself<=>.& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
N
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Fig. 165 Engine compa rtment: cove r on the brake fluid
rese rvoir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS r::;, page 217 .
Checking and Filling 22 7
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir <=>
fig. 165, <=> page 220,
fig. 159.
T he brake fluid level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be seen in the engine compartment illustration
<=>page 220.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light . (U.S. models)
I. (Canadian
models) will come on
c:> page 18 . Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected . If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time. The boiling point of the
brake fluid will also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you.
II>-

228 Check ing and F illin g
8_ WARNING
-Brake fluid is poiso nous. It must be sto r­
ed only in th e closed original container
out o f the reach of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
caut ions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake flu id. The correct type of
brake fluid is also indicated on the
b rake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong. This can serious ly affect the effi­
ciency of the bra kes as well as yo ur
safety . This could result in an acc ident.
@ Note
Brake flu id will damage the paint of your
veh icle.
@i For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the ne cessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
The battery in your Audi does not need any
maintena nce under
normal operating condi­
tions. Aud i recommends having the elect ro­
l yte level check by a n author ized Audi dealer
or author ized Audi Se rv ice Facili ty when there
are
high outside temperat ures or when driving
all day. The e lectrolyte level shou ld a lso be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 230.
Have the batte ry checked when yo u bring your
vehicle in for an inspection . It is a good idea
to replace the battery if it is more than 5 years
o ld.
D uring certain types of airbag deployments,
the battery is disconnected from the vehicle electrical system for safety reasons¢
& in
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 160.
Di sconnecting the battery te rminals
Some vehicle functions (such as power win ­
dows) are not avai lable when the battery is
disconnected. These functions must be pro­
grammed after the battery is reconnected. To
avo id hav ing to do this, only disconnect the
battery from the vehicle electrical system
when that is necessary to perform repairs .
To reprogram the functions, proceed as fol­
lows:
Function Reprogramming
Power window one-¢ page 44, Correcting
touch up/down power window ma/-
function functions
Remote control key
If the vehicle does not
or r
eact to the key, it
convenience key must be synchronized
¢ page37
Dig ita l cl ock ¢page 10
ESC indicator light The indicator light
goes out after driving
a few meters
Not running the vehicle for long periods
of time
If you do not drive your vehicle fo r several
days or weeks, electrical components are
gradua lly reduced or switched off. This re­
duces e nergy consumption and maintains the
vehicle's ability to start over a long per iod of
time
¢ page 194. Some convenie nce func­
tions, such as interior lig hting or power seats *
may not work. These convenience functions
will be ava ilable again once you switch the ig-
nition on and start the engine. .,.

230 Checking and Filling
-Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ ble.
- Before performing any work on the elec­
trical system, switch off the engine and ignition as well as any electrical equip ­
ment . The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected . If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable .
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dead battery can free ze over at 32°F (O°C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery . A WARNING
-California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems . Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en ­
gine is running, otherwise, you will dam­
age electronic components in the electri­
cal system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fig. 166 E ngin e compart men t: co nnecto rs for a charg­
e r and jump st art ca bles
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
~ .&_ and q .&_ in Working on the battery on
page 229.
~ Switch off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers.
~ Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery.
~ Open the engine hood q page 219 .
~ Open the red cover on the positive pole
qfig. 166 .

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~ Clamp the charger terminal clamps as in ­
structed on the
b atter y ter min al (+ ) and on­
ly on the
body ground point (·).
~ Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on
c:> ,.&. .
~ Mak e sure the charging rate i s not o ver
30 amp s / 14.8 Volt .
~ When the batte ry is fully charged: Turn the
c harging equ ipment off a nd remove the
mains lead from the wall outle t.
~ Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
~ Close the red cover on the positive po le.
~ Close the hood <=> page 219.
A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 F
0 (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempt ing to
charge it
c:> &. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery cas ing can be cracked due to ice forma­
tion and can leak battery acid.
B atter y ch arging (Ma ximum charging rate
of
30 amps / 14.8 Volt)
When cha rging at low voltages (e .g. w ith a
tric kle charger ), the battery cables do not
have to be d isconnected first. The batte ry
caps sho uld
not be opened when charging a
battery .
It is not necessary to remove the batte ry from
the luggage compa rtment, and it is also not
necessa ry to disconnec t the cables.
Fa st charging the b attery (charging rate
above
14.8 Volts )
For technica l reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage g reate r than
14.8 Volts to charge your veh icle's battery.
WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always fo llow the oper ating instructions
provided by the battery charge r manu­
fact urer when charging your battery.
Checking and Fillin g 231
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger is ope rat ing.
- Fast charging a batte ry is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent techn ic ian with the prope r equip­
ment.
- Battery acid that may spi ll dur ing cha rg­
ing should be washed off wi th a solut io n
of wa rm w ater and baking soda to neu­
trali ze the ac id.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast cha rger as a boost er to
star t the engine. This w ill ser iously dam­
age sens it ive e lectronic componen ts, su ch
as cont ro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip ­
ment battery.
Inte lligent energy management in your vehi­
cl e is responsible for dist ributing the elect ri­
ca l energy throughout yo ur vehicle
<=> page 194 . The intelligent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem . To make sure the additional electrical en­
ergy is ava ilab le once again after you have
changed the batte ry, we recommend that you
insta ll batteries of the same type and manu-
factu re on ly (the same as those installed at
IJI,,
•
•
•

232 Check ing and F illin g
the time your vehicle was delivered) . Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery housing. Yo ur
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management functions cor­ rectly after replac ing the battery .
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-volts), amperage, construct ion
and plug sealing.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the ig­
n ition and all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch­
ed off.
Make sure the venti lation hose on the side
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposa l
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you. Batter ies contain su lfuric ac id and
lead and must always be disposed of prop ­
erly i n compliance w ith all environmental
regu lations . D ispos ing of vehicle batteries
improper ly is very dangerous to t he envi­
ronmen t.
Windshield washer
container
M N ~ N
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F ig . 167 Eng ine compa rt m ent: cove r on the w indshi eld
an d h ead ligh t* washer f lu id re servo ir
The washer f luid container is marked with the
symbo l won its cap ¢
fig. 167, ¢ page 220,
fig. 159.
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢ page 217 .
.. Lift the fi ller cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can f ill the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the filler neck afte r
filling the conta iner .
You can find the reservo ir
capacit y in the table
in c:>
page 288.
Clean water should be used when filling up . If
poss ib le, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washer jets . Always add a g lass cleaner solu­
t ion (with frost protection in the w inter) .
(D Note
- Do not mix engine coolant ant ifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the w ind­
shield washer reservoir .
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint so lvents, there is a risk of damag­
ing the paint.

2 76 Fuses and bulbs
Fuses and bulbs
Electrical fuses
Replacing fuses
Fuses that have blown will have metal strips
that have burned through.
Fig. 186 Steering column area: cover
Fig. 187 Left side of the engi ne co mpar tmen t: fuse
cover
Fuses in the interior
The fuses are behind the cover in the steering
column area
¢ fig. 186.
"'Turn off the ignition and the failed electrical
equipment.
"'Check the following table to see which fuse
belongs to the equipmen t
¢page 277.
"'Remove the cover ("AIRBAG" label)
c:> fig. 186. Begin at the bottom right corner
-arrow- .
"' Remove the plastic clip from the fuse panel
cover in the eng ine compartment
c:> fig. 187.
"' Remove the blown fuse using the plast ic
clamp and replace the f use with an ident ica l
new one.
"'Install the cover.
Fuses in the engine compartment
"'Turn off the ignition and the failed electrical
equipment.
"' Check the following table to see which fuse
belongs to the equipment
c::;, page 2 78.
"'Remove the fuse panel cover ¢fig. 187 .
"'Remove the plastic clip from the fuse panel
cover
c:> fig. 187.
"' Remove the blown fuse using the plastic
clamp and replace the fuse with an identical
new one.
The indiv idual circuits are protected by safety
fuses. The fuses are located under the steer­
ing wheel beh ind a cover and in the left side of
the engine compartment .
_&. WARNING
-
Do not repa ir fuses and never replace a
blown fuse with one that has a higher amp
rating. This can cause damage to the elec­
trica l system and a fire.
(D Note
- If there are multip le fuse values in a cell
in the follow tables, for examp le
5/10/20, it is because of equipment-re­
lated differences. Replace the burned
fuse with an identical new one .
-If a new fuse should burn out again
shortly after you have installed it, have
the electrical system checked by your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility as soon as possible .
(D Tips
- The following table does not list fuse lo­
cations that are not used.
- Some of the following tables on ly apply
to in certain models or options.

280 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicles w ith an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pus hing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the en­
g ine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specif ications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
na l clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minu s(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
inju ry. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your veh icle's battery.
- Always shield you r eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just be low 32 °F (0 °C). Before connecting a
jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery complete ly, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the battery.
- The vo ltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of d ifferent voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an exp losion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen batte ry. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an exp losion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis ­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
¢page 217.
(D Note
-App lying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
contro l units, relays, radio, etc .
- Th ere must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current cou ld already start to f low as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. .,.

28 2 Em ergency sit uat ions
installed. Make sure the cables do not get
caught in moving engine components .
11. Sw itch the heater fan and rear window de-
froster
off.
12. Close the battery cover.
The battery is vented to the outside so that
not gases enter the passenger compartment.
Make sure that the connected positive termi­
nal clamps on the jump start cable have suffi­
cient contact with metal.
A WARNING
Follow the warn ings and instructions from
the jump start cable manufacturer to re­
duce the risk of ser ious injuries and vehicle
damage.
If you are uns ure about anyth ing,
call roadside assistance.
- T he jump start cables must be long
enough so that the vehicles do not
touch.
- Route the jump sta rt cab les so they can­
not get caught in the moving parts in the
engine compartment .
- Always read and follow the warn ings be­
fore checking anything in the engine compartment ¢
page 217.
([) Note
Correctly jump start cables incorrect ly can
destroy the a lternator .
- Always connect the positive terminal(+)
to the positive terminal( +) and the neg­
at ive termina l(- ) to the negative termi­
nal(-) on the body ground point, b ut not
the negative termina l on the battery.
- Make sure the screw plugs on the battery ce lls are insta lled securely.
If not, tig ht­
en the plugs before connecting the
clamps to the negat ive terminal on the
battery.
- Please note that the connecting process
described be low for the jump start ca­
bles is intended for when your vehicle is
being jump started . If you are jump
starting another vehicle, do not connect
the negat ive cab le to the negative termi­
nal (-) on the drained battery, but rathe r connect it to a
large metal component
that is bolted securely to the engine block, or to the engine block itsel f. If the
battery in the vehicle being jump started
is not vented to the outside, there is a
risk of explosion due to hydrogen gas .
- Make sure that the connected positive
terminal clamps have sufficient contact
w ith metal.
- Do not use the battery negative terminal
for jump start ing or a malfunct ion could
occur in the vehicle electrical system.
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow ­
ing .
The following information is to be used by
commerc ial tow truck operators who know
how to operate the ir equipm ent safely .
-Never tow your Aud i. Towing will cause
damage to the engine and transmission.
- Never wr ap the s afet y chains or winch ca ­
bles around the b rake lines.
- To p re v ent unnece ssary damage , your Aud i
must be transpo rted with a flat bed truck.
- To load the vehicle on to the fl at bed, u se
the towing loop found in the vehicle tools
and attach to the front or rea r ancho rage
c;,page 283 and c;,page 283.
A WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas­
sengers . Never allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle be ing towed, fo r any reason.
-

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fall fro m a lift if the re is a c hange in ve­
h icle we ight d istr ibut ion a nd ba lance.
This might happen, for e xamp le, w hen
heavy compone nts such as the engi ne
b lock or transmiss io n are removed .
- Whe n remov ing heavy components li ke
t hese, ancho r vehicl e to hoist o r add cor­
r es pond ing w eig hts to mai ntain the cen ­
t e r of g ravity . Othe rwise, the v ehicl e
m ight til t or slip off th e hois t, causi ng
serious person al inju ry.
(D Note
- Be awa re of the fo llowing po in ts befo re
li fting the vehicle:
- The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from unde rneath the engine
oil pan, the transmission housing, the
front or rear axle or the body side
members. This could lead to serious
damage .
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame , a rubber pad must be
inserted between the floor jack and
the lift points.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the vehicle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity
of the hoist.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
ensure that there is sufficient clear­ ance between the hoist and low parts
of the vehicle .
Emergency situations 285
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