2009 AUDI S3 brakes

Safety belts i
This warning/indicator light reminds you to put on your
safety belt.
Th e ,{f. warning/indicator light illuminat es when the ignition is
switched on to remind the driver and (on USA models only) any front
passenger to put on the safety belt. Additionally, an acoustic
warning (gong) will also sound.
For more Information:::::, page 137, "Safety belt warning light-*-"·•
Brake system
BRAKE (USA models) / (CD) (Canada models)
This warning/indicator light illuminates when the brake
fluid level is too low or when there is a malfunction in the
ABS, or when the parking brake is set.
The light illuminates when the ignition is turned on. It goes out after
the engine has been started and the parking brake is fully released.
This indicates that the brake warning light is functioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking or the parking brake is applied, there may be a malfunction
in the electrical system. In this case, contact your Audi dealer. If the brake system warning/indicator light flashes, there is a brake
system malfunction.
If the ABS fails, the ABS warning /indicator light (USA
models)/
.J (Canada models) flashes together with the brake system
warning/indicator light:::::,& .
(USA models): If the warning light
BRAKE and the warning light
illuminate together, immediately contact your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop to have all brake pads inspected
=:> page 32.
When the light comes on, an audible warning signal is also given.
Controls and equip ­
ment
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Parking brake set
The BRAKE or CCi)) (Canada) warning/indicator light illuminates when
the parking brake is set:::::,&.
& WARNING
• USA models : If both the BRAKE warning light and the
warning light come on at the same time, the rear wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Lock-up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your
vehicle repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
application.
• Canada models: If both the brake warning light CCi)) and the ABS
warning light come on at the same time, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking. Lock-up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your
vehicle repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
application
• If the brake warning/ indicator light does not go out after a few
seconds and the parking brake released, or lights up while you are
driving, the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop and have the brake system inspected.
• Always keep in mind that after several brake applications, you
will need greater pressure on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle .
Do not rely on strained brakes to respond with maximum stopping
power in critical situations. You must allow for increased braking
distances. The extra distance used up by fading brakes could lead
to an accident. •
I • •

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Anti-lock brake system
~ _ (USA models)/ .... (Canada models)
This warning/indicator light monit ors the A BS and the
electronic differenti al lock (EO L).
The ,I<-warning light wi ll come on for a few seconds when the igni ­
tion is switched on. The light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is completed.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
• t he war ning/in dicat or li ght does not illuminate when yo u switc h
on the ignition .
• th e warning/indicator l ig ht doe s no t go out after a few sec onds.
• the warning/indicator light illum inates while driving.
Without the electronic assistance of the ABS , the brake system will
still respond and br ake the car. Have the brake system che cked and
restored to its full performance by an authorized Audi dealer a s
soon as possible.
For more information regarding the ABS see
=> page 194 .
Since any malfunction of the ABS also affe cts the ESP, that system's
warning symbol •
=> page 13 will light up along with the A8~/
I':!. (Canada models) warning light.
Unspecific malfunction in the brake system
If bo th the brake warn ing lig ht=> page 15and the wa rn ing l ight
il luminate when the parking brake is released, the likely cause is a
serious m alfun ction in t he brake system beyond an inoperative ABS
=> & .
If an unspec ific defect in the brake sys te m i s indica ted, the e ntire
brake system is likely to be affected and you
must expect degraded
bra ke response and performance.
Since any malfunc tion of the ABS a lso effects the ESP, that system's
warning symbol ~=> page 13 will light up along with the ~1
J
(Canada models) warning light . Malfun
ction in the ele ctronic differential lock
(EDL )
The two syste ms E DL and ABS in te ract. F or th is rea son th e,. ::,
warning li ght/
~ (Canada mode ls) wi ll come on to ind icate a
m alf unctio n in the EDL system =>
page 191 . See your a uthor ized
Aud i dea ler as soon as poss ib le.
& WARNING
• If the / .t (Canada models} warning light does not go out ,
or if it comes on while driving , the ABS system is not working
properly . The veh icle can then be stopped only with the brakes
operating without ABS support . You will not have the protection
ABS provides. Contact your authori zed Audi dealer as soon a s
possible .
• USA models : If both the BRAKE warning light and the
warning light come on at the same time, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel brake lock -up can
cause loss of veh icle control and an accident . Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake application .
• Canada models : If both the brake wa rning light {(j)) and the ABS
warning light come on at the same time , the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel brake lock -up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an accident . Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
application. •
Electro-mechanical power assist / ~
If the i ndicator ligh t illum inates w hile you a re driving, ther e is a
malfunction in the e lectro -mechanica l steering . If the indicator light
is showi ng ....,, , ther e may be a r educ tion i n po w er s teerin g assist. I f
the indicator light is showing @, there may be a total loss of power
s teer ing assis t. The stee ring must be i nspec ted i mme diately by a ._

Driver information display
low oil level warning . By then , your engine may alre ady have
suffered seriou s damage. •
Applies to vehic les: w ith eng in e spee d lim itat ion
Engine speed limitation 1<
Engine speed ma ximum XX.XX RPM
The J symbo l illuminate s when there is an engine cont rol malfunc ­
tion . T he indicator l ight
..J., in the instrument cluster also illum i­
nates. The engine speed is limited to the speed displayed in the
d river in for mation system. Keep in mind tha t the engine speed w ill
not exceed the va lue displayed in the driver information system, for
example when downshifting.
Please go to an authorized Audi dealer or other qua lified workshop
to have the ma lf u nct ion re paired. •
Fuel supply too low
When th e L symbol illuminates, this mea ns th ere are about 2 .6
gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the fuel tank . Time to refuel!
~ p age 220 .
If the symbol l ights up, eve n when there is ample fuel in the tank,
and the text
Tank system malfunction! Please contact workshop
appears i n the d is pl ay, ther e is a fau lt in the syste m. C ontac t a qual ­
ified workshop to have the fault rectified. •
Checking the engine oil level .2'..
~ Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If th e sy mbol co mes o n, a dd 1 q uart (1 lit er) of oil a t the next
opportunity~
page 230 . •
Checking the engine oil level ~
When the symbol illuminates, c heck the engine oil level as soon
as po ssi ble~
page 22 9. Top off t he o il at your ear liest o pp o rt un ity
~ page 230 . •
Engine oil sensor defective ...
If the -symbol illuminates, contact your authorized Audi dea ler
an d h ave the oil se nso r ins pected. •
Worn brake pads
-Brake pads!
If the warn ing light illuminates, immediate ly contact your autho ­
riz ed Aud i dea ler o r qua lifi ed worksh op to have all bra ke pads
inspected. On USA models the warning light comes on together
with the wa rning ligh t
BRAKE . Both sets of brake pads on an ax le m ust
a lways be replaced at the same time .
& WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a collision and serious personal
injury.
• If the warning light
C. and the warning l ight BRAKE1l with the
message Brake pads! comes on in the in strument cluster display ,
immediately conta ct your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop to have all brake pads checked or replaced if necessary .•
1 1 BRAK£ : USA mod els only

• ..__O_ n_ t_h _ e_ r_ o_ a_ d ____________________________________________________ _
0 Note
Do not stop the engine immediately after hard or extended driving.
Keep the engine running for approximately two minutes to prevent
excessive heat build-up. •
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the vehicle from
rolling away unintentionally.
Setting the parking brake
Fig . 114 Center
console: Parking brake
set
- Pull the parking brake lever all the way up.
Releasing the parking brake Pull the parking brake lever up slightly
and press the
release button at the same time=> fig. 114 -arrow-.
Keep the release button pressed and lower the parking
brake=>
& -
If you should drive off with the parking brake still set, a warning tone
will sound and the following will appear in the instrument cluster to remind you to release the parking brake:
Parking brake set
The parking brake warning comes on only after you have driven for longer than 3 seconds and faster than 5 mph (5 km/h).
The parking brake warning light Brake (USA)/
{CD) (CON) illuminates
when the parking brake is set and you switch on the ignition.
& WARNING
Always release the parking brake completely . A partially engaged
brake will overheat the rear brakes, reduce their effectiveness and
cause excessive wear. This could lead to brake failure and an acci­
dent.
0 Note
Only after the vehicle has come to complete stop, should you firmly
set the parking brake and either move the gearshift lever into 1st .
gear (manual transmission) or move the selector lever into "P"
(Automatic transmission). •
Parking
To prevent a parked vehicle from rolling away, there are a
few things you should do.
When you park your vehicle, do the following:
- Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
- Set the parking brake firmly.
- Move the selector lever into the
P position (automatic
transmission)
or move the gearshift lever into 1st. gear
(manual transmission) => &. .,_

• .___O_ n_ t_h _e _ r_o _a_ d __________________________________________________ _
CRUISE (US model)/ r,,f (Canadian model) will also light up in the
instrument cluster.
& WARNING
• Always pay attention to traffic even when the cruise control is
switched on. You are always responsible for your speed and the
distance between your vehicle and other vehicles.
• For safety reasons, the cruise control should not be used in the
city, in stop-and-go traffic, on twisting roads and when road condi­
tions are poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
planing) -risk of accident.
• Turn off the cruise control temporarily when entering turn
lanes, highway exit lanes or in construction zones.
• Please note that inadvertently "resting" your foot on the accel­
erator pedal causes the cruise control not to brake. This is because
the cruise control is overridden by the driver's acceleration.
[ i J Tips
• Vehicles with manual transmission : You can attain the set speed
only if the currently engaged gear allows it and the engine is not
stressed. Shifting to a higher or lower gear promptly will allow the
engine to run smoothly.
• The cruise control cannot maintain a constant speed when
driving downhill. The vehicle will accelerate under its own weight.
Downshift to a lower gear or use the brakes to slow down. •
Changing speed
- Press lever in the 0 or Q direction~ page 113, fig. 116
to increase or decrease your speed.
Release the lever to save that speed .
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/h) by lightly pressing
the lever. If you keep the lever pressed down, you will alter your
speed in 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down to increase your
speed, e .g. if you want to pass someone. The speed you saved
earlier will resume as soon as you release the accelerator pedal.
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by 5 mph (10 km/h) for
longer than 5 minutes, the cruise control will turn off temporarily.
The symbol will go out but the saved speed will be retained. •
Presetting your sp eed
You can preset your desired speed while the vehicle is not
moving.
- Turn on the ignition.
Pull lever into position
G) ~ page 113, fig. 116.
Press the lever in the
0 or Q direction to increase or
decrease your speed.
- Release the lever to save that speed.
This function makes it possible, for example, to save the speed you
want before driving on the highway. Once on the highway, activate
the cruise control by pulling the lever toward
G) . •
Switching th e system off
Temporary deactivation
Press the brake pedal, or
- Keep the clutch pedal pressed down
longer, or
Press the lever into position
0 (not clicked into place)
~ page 113, fig. 116, or ._

....... _T _r_a _ n_ s_m _ i_s _s _i_o _n ______________________________________________________ _
Stopping on an incline
- Always hold the vehicle wi th t he foot bra ke or parking
b rake in orde r to prevent "rollback"=> &. Do
not try to
preve nt the ve hicle f ro m rolling back by rewi ng the
e ngin e while it is in ge ar.
Starting on a hill
-App ly the hand bra ke firm ly .
- With th e en gin e in g ea r, gradua lly accelera te an d re le as e
th e han d brake .
The engine can only be started wi th th e selector lever i n P or N
=> pa ge 109. At low ambient temperatures (14 °F / -1 0 °C), it is only
po ss ibl e to s tart the e ng ine wi th the selec tor leve r in P .
Whe n pa rki ng on leve l g ro und, i t is su fficien t to plac e th e se lec tor
lever in P. On a steeply s lop ing road, you should first app ly the
pa rk in g br ake fi rmly and then p lace th e selec tor lever in P. T hi s w ay ,
you do not overload the pawl mechanism and it is easier to move
th e s elector lever out of P .
& WARNING
• Never leave your veh icle with the engine running while in gear .
If you must leave your vehicle with the engine running, set the
parking brake and engage the park lock.
• When the engine is running and the transmission is in gear (0 ,
S or R l or in "tiptronic " mode , it is essential that you stop the
vehicle with the footbrake . When idling , the transmission of power
does not stop completely -the vehicle "creeps ".
• Do not accelerate when you change the sele ctor lever position
with the vehicle stationary and the engine running -risk of an acci ­
dent!
• Never place the selector lever in the R or N po sition while the
vehicle is moving -risk of an accident !
& WARNING (continued)
• If you have to bring your vehicle to a stop while on an incline,
keep the foot brake depressed all the way down so that the vehicle
does not start to roll backward . You should never hold the vehicle
using the clutch pedal if you are going to be stopped on an incline .
If you do , the clutch will start to slip when it overheats caused by
the constant overload. This is dangerous because if the vehicle starts to roll backward , you could c ause an accident . If the clutch
should start to slip , you will feel the vehicle "jerk" and the selector
lever display will start blinking .
• Before driving down a steep slope , reduce your speed and shift
i nto a lower gear with "tiptronic ".
• Do not ride the brakes or apply the brake pedal too often or too
long . Constant braking causes the brakes to overheat and
substantially reduces braking performance, increa ses braking
distance or causes complete failure of the brake system . •
Ap plies to veh ic les: wit h S tronic tra nsmiss io n and Hi ll Desce nt Assis t
Hill Descent Assist
Hi ll D esce nt Ass ist help s the driv e r w hen driv ing down
i nc lin es .
Hill Descent Ass is t is activated by press ing th e brake wh ile
descending when the selector lever is in
D /S . The S tronic t ransmis ­
s io n auto mati ca lly s hifts dow n to a ge ar s uita ble for the incl in e. Hill
Descent Assist attempts to maintain the current vehicle speed when
th e br akin g occu rs, as far as phys ical an d techn ica l lim it s a llow . It
may be necessary to adjust the speed using the brakes .
H ill Descent As sist switc hes off when the inc line leve ls out or when
the gas pedal is pressed.
On vehicles with cruise control*=>
page 113, Hill Descent Assist is
a lso ac tiva ted wh en th e spe ed is s et.
~

Transmission -_______________ ___.
& WARNING
Hill Descent Assist cannot overcome physical limitations, so it
may not be possible to maintain a constant vehicle speed under all
circumstances. Always be ready to apply the brakes. •
Applie s t o veh ic les : w iths tron ic @
tiptronic operation
Tiptronic allows the driver to shift gears manually.
Contro ls and eq uip­
ment "'
"' ...
-a: ., m
Fig
. 123 Center
console: Manual
shifting (tiptronic)
Fig . 124 Display :
Manual shifting
(tiptronic)
Switching to manual
Push the selector lever to the right from D. As the trans­
mission has switched, 6 5 4 3 2 1 appears in the display,
w ith the gear that is engaged highlighted.
Upshifting Tap the selector lever forward (in the tiptronic setting)
=> fig. 123 0-
Downshifting
Tap the selector lever backward (in the tiptronic setting)
o .
Switching to manual can be carried out with the vehicle stationary
as well as moving.
When accelerating, the transmission shifts into the next gear in
gears 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 shortly before the maximum permissible
engine speed is reached.
If you have selected a lower gear than the current one, the transmis­
sion will only shift down when the engine cannot be overspeeded .
If kick -down is actuated, the transmission shifts into a lower gear
independently of speed and engine rpm. •
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data

actual vehicle behavior. If the two do not match, for example when
th e vehicle begins to skid, ESP brakes the appropriate wheel auto­
matical ly .
The vehicle is stabilized again by the forces acting on the wheel
during braking. With an oversteering vehicle (tendency for the rear
end to skid out of the curve), the brake application is mainly at the
front wheel on the outside of the curve, with an
understeering
vehicle (tendency to run wide in the curve) at the rear wheel on the
inside of the curve or additionally at the other wheels as needed.
This brake application is accompanied by noises.
ESP works in conjunction with ABS=>
page 194. If there is malfunc ­
tion in the ABS, ESP is also inoperative.
Activating
The ESP is automatica lly activated when the engine is started, and
it performs a self-test. As soon as the test is completed, the system
is in normal operating mode. With ASR deactivated, or with ESP/ASR
deactivated, pressing the button=>
page 190, fig. 163 returns the
system to normal operation.
Deactivating
ESP should normally be activated at all times because this ensures
optimum vehicle stability. Only in certain exceptional cases it does
make sense to deactivate Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) or the Elec­
tronic Stability Program (ESP) by pressing the button =>
page 190,
fig. 163. Both deactivation stages can only be activated from normal
mode .
Deactivating ASR
Tap the switch . Deactivation is indicated by slow flashing of the ESP
lamp in the instrument cluster. In certain situations (e .g. driving
with snow chains, in deep snow or on loose ground, or when
rocking the car free), it may be necessary to deactivate ASR.
Deactivating ESP/ASR
Press the button for more than 3 seconds. Deactivation is indicated
by the ESP lamp in the ins trument cluster staying on permanently .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Intelligent technology
This
deactivates the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) in addition to
ASR. No Elec tronic Stability System operation and no Anti -Slip
Regulation is available across the entire speed range; ASR and ESP
are activated only when the brakes are used for the duration of the
braking action and remain active until a stable vehicle condition has
been reached. There is no driving situation which requires ESP to be
deactivated, so this should only be done if the driver's skill and the
traffic situation permit.
& WARNING
• The limits of physics cannot be suspended by ESP. Even in vehi­
cles with ESP. you should always adapt your driving to road and
traffic conditions. This is particularly true on a slippery and wet
road . Do not be tempted by the increased safety provided to take
risks -danger of an accident!
• Please note that when ASR or ESP /ASR is deactivated , the drive
wheels can spin on icy and slippery roads and the vehicle can
break away -danger of skidding!
[ i ] Tips
In the event of a defect in Audi magnetic ride, it can happen that
ASR and ASR/ESP cannot be deactivated, or they are activated auto ­
matically in the deactivated state.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the rotational
speed of the drive wheels.
General notes
The electronic differential lock (EDU helps the car to start moving,
accelerate and c limb a gradient on surfaces providing poor or
a lmost no grip . Without EDL , this would be difficult, if not impos ­
sib le.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data