check oil AUDI S3 2015 Owners Manual

12 Instrum ent s and indicator lamp s
Fuel level
The display@ Q page 10, fig. 3 only works
when the ignition is sw itched on . When the
d isplay has reached the reserve mark, the bot­
tom LED wi ll turn red and the
tD indicator
light turns on
Q page 24 . The bottom LED
blinks red when the fue l level is very low .
The on -board computer shows the range
based on the fuel leve l
Q page 2 8, On-board
computer display.
F or the tank capac ity in yo ur vehicle , refer to
the Tec hnical Data
Q page 288.
CJ) Note
Never d rive until the tank is completely
empty. The irregular supp ly of fuel that re­
sults from that can cause the engine to
misfire. Uncombusted f uel will then enter
the exha ust system. This can cause over­
heating and damage to the catalytic con­
verter .
Coolant temperature indicator
In vehicles without a coolant temperature in­
d icator , an indicator l ight . will turn on
when the coolant temperature is too h igh
Q page 20. Refer to Q Q) .
The coolant temperature ind icator @
c::> page 10, fig . 3 only works when the ignition
is switched on . T o prevent engine damage, ob­
serve the fo llow ing notes about the tempe ra­
ture ranges.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the engine has not reached operat ing
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
fu ll acce le rat ing and heavy engine loads.
Norm al range
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving condi­
tions. The L EDs higher up may turn on if the
engine is under heavy load or the o uts ide tern- perature is h
igh. This is not a cause for con­
cern as long as th e . indicator light in the
display does not turn on.
Hot range
If the L EDs in the upper area of the disp lay
and the. indicator light in the instrument
cluster disp lay t urn on , the coo lant tempera ­
ture is too high
c::> page 20.
A WARNING
I-
- Always observe the warn ing in
c::> page 217, before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the eng ine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coo lant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourse lf . Let the engine
coo l off f irst unti l yo u can no longe r see
or hea r steam or coolan t escap ing.
Q) Note
- In vehicles w ith a boost pressure indica­
to r*, this indicator replaces the tempe ra­
t ur e display. To promote a long engine
service life, avoiding h igh engine speeds,
full acceleration and he avy eng ine lo ads
during approximately the first 15 m i­
nutes when the engine is co ld is recom ­
mended. The amount of time until the
eng ine is warm depends on the outside
temperat ure. Check the engine oil tem­
perature* if necessary.
c::> page 32
- Add itiona l head lights and other compo­
nents in front of the air intake impairs
the cooling effect of t he coolant. This in­
creases the risk of the engine overheat­
ing during high outs ide temperatures
and heavy eng ine load.
- T he front spoiler also he lps to d istr ibute
cooling ai r correctly wh ile driving. If the
spoiler is damaged, the coo ling effect
w ill be imp aired and the risk of the en­
gine overhea ting will increase . See an au­
thorized Audi dealer or autho rized Audi
Service Facility for assistance . ...,

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@ Tips
Diesel engines: Due to the high efficiency
o f t hese engines, the eng ine may not al ­
ways reach operating temperature in cold
outs ide temperatur es. T his is normal a nd
not a cause for co nce rn.
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your
vehicle is due for service.
F ig . 6 In stru ment cluste r: serv ice inte rval d isp lay (ex­
ample)
F ig . 7 Display in the MMI panel: service interva l display
(example)
The se rv ice interva l display wo rks in two
stages:
- In spection or oil change reminder: A ft er a
c e rt a in dis tance dr iven, a message a ppears
in t he i nstr ument cluster d isp lay each t ime
t h e i gnition is switched on or off~
fig. 6.
The remaining distance or t im e is d isplayed
br iefly.
- Inspection or oil change due : If your vehicle
is due for an inspection or o il change or
bot h, a message appears br iefly in the in­
strument cluster display when switching the
ignition o n or off:
Inspection due! or Oil
Instruments and indicator lamps 13
change due! or Oil change and inspection
due!.
Checking service intervals
You can check th e rema ining dis tance o r time
u nti l the next o il change or nex t inspec tion in
t h e MM I
~ fig. 7. Sele ct the I M ENU I but to n >
Ca r > Systems * control button > Service &
control > Ser vice intervals .
Resetting the display
Y ou r auth or ized Audi dea ler or author ized
A udi Se rv ice F acili ty w ill reset the service in ­
te rva l display a fter performi ng service.
If you perfo rm an oil ch ange yourself to the
A udi spe cifica tions , yo u can reset you servi ce
i n terval disp lay.
T o reset t he di splay, select the
I ME NU I bu tton
> Car > System s* cont ro l button > Service &
control > Service intervals > Re set oil change
interval.
(D Note
- On ly r eset t he oil cha nge i ndicat or if th e
oi l was cha nged.
- Following t he serv ice intervals is critical
t o m ain ta ining the se rv ic e life a nd value
of your v ehicle, especi ally th e e ngine.
E ven i f the mileage on the vehicle is low,
do n ot exceed t he time fo r th e nex t serv ­
ice.
- C alcula ting the time to the next oil
ch ange is inter rupted whe n the vehicle
battery is disconnected. If t he vehicle is
n ot d riven for a long pe riod o f time,
check the ma intenance sc hedule so t hat
yo u ca n follow the maintena nce inter­
vals.

20 Instruments and indicator lamps
ltJ;):t :1;034 ( USA model s) / ml (Canada mod­
els) Caution : Vehicle parked too steep
When t he i nd ic ator light blinks and th is mes­
sage appears, t here is no t eno ugh braking
power to keep the ve hicl e from rolling . The
b rakes have overheate d. The vehicle cou ld roll
away even on a small incline .
ltJ;)i:j;lJ34 ( USA model s) / ml (Canada mod­
els) Parking brake is applied
I f t his message appea rs, press t he b rake pedal
fi rst and then re lease the par king brake if nec­
essa ry.
@ Tips
F or addit ional info rmation on the pa rk ing
brak e, refer t o¢
page 80.
...L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant lev­
el!
T he coolant leve l is too low or the coolant
temper ature is too high .
D o not cont inue d riving and swi tc h the eng ine
o ff. C hec k the coolant leve l¢
page 225 .
-If the coolant leve l is too low, add coolant
<=> page 226 . O nly con tinue driv ing o nce the
indicator light turns off.
- If the coolant leve l is correct, the problem
may be ca used by a ma lf u nction in the radia­
tor fan . D o not cont inue driv ing . See an au­
t h o rized Aud i dea le r or a uth o riz ed Aud i
Se rv ic e Fa cili ty for ass ist ance.
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationary
Let the eng ine run at id le for a few minutes to
coo l down .
A WARNING
- Never op en the hood if you ca n se e or
h ear st ea m or coo la nt escaping from the
eng ine com pa rtm ent. This in cre ases t he
r isk of burn s. Wai t unti l you no longe r
see o r hear steam o r cool ant esca ping.
-
'
- The engine compa rtment in any vehicle
can be a dangerous area. Stop the engine
a nd allow it to cool befo re working in the
e ng ine compartment. A lways foll ow the
info rmation found in
~ page 217, Work ­
ing in th e engin e compartm ent.
(D Note
Do n ot cont inue dr iv ing if the . indicato r
lig ht tur ns on -this inc reases the r isk o f
engine damage.
"1::::7: Engine oil pressure
• Switch off engine! Oil pres sure too low
St op t he engine and do not cont inue drivi ng.
Check the eng ine oi l level
r=> page 223 .
- If the engine o il level is too low, add eng ine
oil
r=> page 221. Only co nti nu e driving once
the indicator light turns off.
- If the engine o il level is co rrect and the indi­
cator light still turns on, turn the eng ine off
and do not cont inue driv ing . See an author­
ized Aud i deale r or au tho rized Aud i Service
Facili ty for ass ista nce.
(i) Tips
The oil pressu re war ning is not an oi l level
i ndica to r. For th is reason, c hec k t he o il lev­
e l reg ularly .
' 0 Alternator/battery
• Alternator fault: battery is not being
charged
The re is a malfunction in the alternator or th e
vehicle e lectr ica l system .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately . Be ­
ca use the v ehicl e batte ry is drain ing , turn off
all unnecessa ry el ectrical eq uipm ent such as
t h e M MI. See yo ur aut ho rized Aud i de aler o r a
qualifie d repa ir fa cili ty if the b attery ch arge
l evel is too low .
(•) low battery charge: Battery will be
charged while driving

24 Instruments and indicator lamps
the filter. The indicator light will turn off
when the cleaning has completed successful­
ly.
If the indicator light does
not turn off, drive
immediately to an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility to have the
malfunction corrected .
.&_ WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic conditions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order
to follow driv ing recommendations .
(D Tips
For additional information on the diese l
particulate f ilter, refer to¢
page 199.
!?i Engine speed limitation
App lies to vehicles: with engine speed limitation
Ill Max. engine speed: XXXX rpm
-
The engine speed is automatically limited to
the speed displayed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over­
heating .
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the c ritical tempera­
ture range and you have released the accelera­
tor pedal.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the
Di indi­
cator light also turns on. Make sure the en­
g ine speed does not go above the speed dis ­
played, for example when downsh ifting . Drive
to an authorized Audi dealer or author ized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
~"' Engine oil level (min.)
l!I Check oil level
You may continue driving for the time being.
Check the oil level as soon as possible
¢page 221.
-If the engine oi l level is too low, add engine
oil
¢ page 223.
-If the engine oi l level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, drive at low engine
speed to the nearest authorized Audi dealer
or qualif ied repair facility .
~w, Engine oil sensor
• Oil level sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the engine oi l level has
failed. Drive to an author ized Audi dealer or
authori zed Aud i Service Facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
• Oil level sens.: oil change necessary.
Please contact Service
T he eng ine oi l level is too high.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Fac ility imm ediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
Bl Tank system
D Please refuel
If the indicator light turns first turns on and
t his message appears, the tan k contains the
following amount of fuel:
- Front wheel dr ive : approximately 1.8 gal­
lons (7 liters)
- All wheel dr ive : approximately 2.2 gallons
(8 .5 liters)
II] Please refuel immediately
If the indicator light turns on the message ap­
pears, the fuel tank is almost empty. Refuel
the vehicle immed iate ly.
D Fuel tank malfunction! Please contact
Service
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs:
- there is a malfunction in the fuel tank sys­
tem, or
- in vehicles with diesel engines, water may
have collected in the fuel fi lter.

200 Driving and the environment
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerati ng. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, accelerate less. let the vehicle coast
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. F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
gine noise increase disproportionately at hig h
speeds . If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never dr ive faster
tha n the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
.. Sh ut the engine off when you are not dr iving
the vehicle.
.. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle.
It is efficient to switc h off the engine when
stopped at railroad crossings and long red
lights. Turning the engine off for just 30-40
seconds saves mo re fuel than is burned by
start ing the eng in e again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
d rive away as soon as you sta rt the eng ine and
avoid ru nning a t high RPM wh ile the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine i dling unattended af­
ter start ing. If wa rning lights sho uld come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat , w hich could result in over­
hea ting o r othe r damage to the veh icle or
othe r property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
.. Have your ve hicle serviced at regu lar inter-
vals.
Having your veh icle regu larly serviced by an
authorized Aud i dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and econom ica lly. The cond it io n
of your veh icle not on ly affects its safety and
ability to ho ld its va lue, i t also affects
fuel
c onsumption .
Check your oil each t ime you fill your tank.
The amount of oi l used is re lated to engine
l oad and speed.
It is normal for the oil consump tion of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven .
You m ust drive your ve hicle abou t 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion .
T his also ap plies to fue l consumption and en ­
gine o utp ut.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta in ed properly
and i n acco rdance with the service rec­
ommendations in you r W arranty
& Main­
t enance boo klet. l ack of proper ma inte ­
nance as well as im proper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion cont ro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.

Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well 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.
Q;) 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
specified criteria in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specificat ions, ask your service station or
i ts fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­
lems due to the use of 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 .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
M
N fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec-o
iii tive. ,...., \!) ..,.,
M ..,., ,....,
Checking and Filling 211
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 of using inadequate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your engine of peak performance.
CJ) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
App lies to vehicles : wit h diese l eng ine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel)
No. 2 . The ULSD No. 2 meets the ASTM D975.
Diesel fuel with concentrations of biodiesel
higher than 5
% such as B11, B2O or B1OO are
strictly prohibited.
Service station fuel pumps are labeled with
the correct fuel information for easy recogni­
tion by the user.
If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fuel is
being dispensed before filling up your vehicle.
ULSD No. 2 may not be available outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav­
eling to other countries.
ULSD No. 2 can become thicker in very cold
temperatures, and this can impair the en­
gine's starting and running. Depending on the
season, gas stations provide ULSD No . 2 that
flows better in cold temperatures so that you
can continue operating your vehicle as usual.
(D Note
- Your vehicle's diesel engine was de­
signed solely for use with ULSD No. 2.
Therefore, never use gasoline, heating
oil, other fuels or flow improvers. These
contain substances that will severely
damage the fuel system and the engine.
Such damage will not be covered by your
New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
ll>
•
•
•

218 Check ing and F illin g
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. Th is increases the
risk of burns.
- If tests need to be performed with the
engine running, there is additional dan­
ger due to moving components (such as
the ribbed belt, generator and radiator
fan) and from the high voltage ign ition
system .
- Never reach into the rad iator fan . The
electric auxiliary fan is controlled by
tempe ratu re and can sw itch on suddenly.
- Pay attention to the following warn ings
listed wh en work on the fue l system or
on the electrical equipment is required.
- Always disconnect the vehicle battery
from the vehicle electrical system
- Do not smoke
- Never work near open flames
- Always have a working fire extinguisher
nearby
- To reduce the r isk of electric sho ck a nd
injury, never touch the following compo­
nents when the engine is running or is
being started:
- Ignition cable
- Other components in the electronic
h igh voltage ignition system
- If you must check or perform work on
the engine while it is running:
- Set the parking brake and place these­
lector lever in the P (park) posit ion
first.
- Always proceed with ext reme caut ion
so that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not become ca ugh t in the radiator fan,
fan belt o r other moving components
or do not come into contact with hot
components . Tie back long hair before
beginning work and do not wear cloth­
ing that can hang down into the en­
g ine.
- Limit your exposure to exhaust and
chemica ls to as short a time as poss ible
~ .&. -
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 6S Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certa in flu ids contained i n veh icles and
certain products o f componen t wear con­
tain or emit chemic als known to t he
State of California to ca use cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive ha rm .
- 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 harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to mix the
fl ui ds up . Otherwise severe ma lf u nctions
and engine damage w ill occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
You sho uld reg ularly chec k the ground un­
der your vehicle in order to detect leaks
quick ly. If there are visib le spots from oil
or other fluids, br ing your vehicle to an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qua lified repair fa­
cility to be checked .

220 Checking and Filling
Gasoline engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 159 Typical locat ion of th e reservo ir, engine oi l d ipstick, and engine oil filler opening
CD Coolant expansion tank ( ... L) ... 226 The eng ine oi l filler opening and the d ipstick
@ Engine oil dipstick
...........
223 (items® and @)¢ fig. 159 may be located in
® E
ngine oi l filler open ing
('t=r.) 223 a different area depending on engine version.
© Brake fluid reservoir ((0) .. .. . 227 A WARNING
® Battery(+) under a cover 229 .. ... -
® Body ground point(-) Read
and following the WARNINGS before
checking anyth ing in the eng ine com part-
(j) Washer fluid reservoir(<$) . ... 232 ment ¢ page 217.
® Fuse housing ............. .. 276

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Checking and Fillin g 221
Diesel engine compartment overview
The most important check points .
Fig. 160 Typical locat ion of th e reservo ir, engine oil dip stick, and engine oil filler opening
(D Coolant expansion tank (J-) .. .
@
®
©
®
®
0
®
Eng ine oi l dipstick .......... .
E ng ine o il filler opening
('!=r.) .
Brake fluid reservoir ((0))
Battery(+) under a cover .....
B ody ground point(-)
Washer f luid reservoir(~)
F use housing .............. .
226
223
223
227
229
232
276
The engine oil filler opening and the dipstick
(items @ and @)¢
fig. 160 may be located in
a different area depending on eng ine ve rsion .
A WARNING
Read and following the WARN INGS before
checking anything in the engine compa rt­
ment
¢page 217.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interva l disp lay in the instrument
cluster of yo ur vehicle will inform you when it
is time for a n oil change . We recomme nd that
you have your oil changed by an author ized
Audi Se rv ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the o il between oi l
c hanges, use the Audi o il quality sta ndard
spec ified in the tab le .
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
Diesel vw 507 00
eng ine
...

222 Check ing and F illin g
Using the proper engine o il is important for
the functionality and service life of the en­
g ine. Your engine was factory-filled with a
high-quality oil which can usua lly be used
throughout the entire year.
0 Note
Your L imited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfunctions due to
fai lure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex­
pressly complies w ith the Audi o il quality
standard spec ified for your veh icle's en­
gine. Using any other oil can cause seri­
ous eng ine damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants o r othe r addi­
tives into the eng ine o il. Doing so can
ca use engine damage.
If you need to add oi l and there is no ne
availab le tha t mee ts the Audi oil qua lity
s tandard your engine requires, yo u may
add a tota l of no more than 0 .5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
the following specifications.
- Vehicles with gaso line engine: ACEA A3
or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30, SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- Vehicles with diesel engine: ACEA C3 or
API CF with a v iscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30 or SAE SW-30.
- For more information abo ut eng ine oil
that has been approved for your vehicle, please contact either your a uthorized
Audi dealer or Audi Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site
at www.audiusa .com or
www.aud icanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports .
In order to provide effective lubricat ion and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in­
ternal combust ion e ngines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion va ries from
engi ne to engine and may change sig nifican tly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break -in period (see
¢ page 197) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they cons ume after oi l
consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate o f oi l con ­
s u mption depends on the q uality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensation or fue l residue a nd the oxida­
t ion level of the oil. As any eng ine is subject to
wea r as m ileage builds up, t he oil co nsump ­
t ion may increase over time until replacemen t
of worn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es­
tabl ished o r spe cified . There i s no alte rnative
to regu lar and frequent che ck ing of the o il lev ­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil leve l wa rning symbo l
Ill in the inst rument cl uste r lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
i=> page 223 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
i=> page 223 .
A WARNING
--
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢ page 217.
(D Note
Driving wit h an insufficient o il level is like -
l y to cause severe damage to the engine.
liJJ,