2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET wheel

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In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -
even if it
i s the same mode l
Qpage 284.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
control, a collision and ser ious personal in­
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
o iled,
even if tightened to the spec ified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bo lts that belong to the
rim being ins talled.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque fo r the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tigh teni ng tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving . If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel ca n be­
come loose .
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi­
b le with a torque wrench -prefe rably by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thorough ly
tested and been selected spec ifically for your
model for the ir superb performance, road feel
Tire s an d wheel s 257
and handling under a variety o f driving condi ­
tions. Ask your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspec t ratio of these tires is ind icate d
by a numera l of
55 or le ss in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage.
Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularl y sens it iv e to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tir es are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pr essure i s
regularly checked and ma intain ed . Tire pr es­
s ure s should be checked at lea st on ce a
month and alway s bef ore a long trip
~ page 240 , Checking tire pressure .
A Word about Low Aspect Ratio and High
Performance Ti res
Hig h pe rformance tires are des igned for bet­
ter performance and handling in warm cli­
mates. When driving in cold, snowy or icy
weather, you sho uld equ ip your vehicle w it h
four all-season or winter tires, which
offer
better traction under those condit ions. We
suggest you use the Audi recommended win­
te r or a ll-season tires specified for you r Audi.
High performance tires a lso have a lower as ­
pect ratio that aids performance and han­
dling . Driving over rough or damaged road
surfaces, as well as debr is, cu rbs and other
obstacles can cause serious damage to
whee ls, tires, vehicle body, and suspens ion
parts . B e carefu l to avo id road hazards and re­
du ce your speed , espec ia lly if your vehicle is
equipped wi th low prof ile tires .
Please a lso remember when making your se­
lection that, wh ile these tires deliver respon­
s ive handling, t hey m ay ride less comfo rtably
and make more noise than o thers . Finally,
these tires may wear more quickly than other
c h oices.
IJJ>
•
•
•

258 Tires and wheels
It is important that the inflation pressu re is
regularly checked and maintained at recom­
mended levels .
Fo r more informat ion please ask your A udi
dealer for more details .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
I n o rder to minim ize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces­
sary.
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Audi dealer . Replace a damaged
t ir e as soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause t ire failure.
If you believe that a
t ir e may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r more quickly than oth­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, while these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance ti
res or iginally installed on your vehicle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should equ ip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction unde r
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow o r all-season tires specified
for your vehicle, or thei r equivalent.
Refer to~ page
255 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflat ion pressure recommended
by the vehicle man ufactur er on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure labe l. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in ­
flation pressure label, you should determine
the proper t ire inflation pressure for those
t i res).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
t ir es is signif icantly under-inflated. According­
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper p ressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un ­
der -inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel eff iciency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv­
er's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not

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reached the level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your veh icle has also been equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicato r to indica te when
the system is not operating properly . The
TPMS malfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure tellta le . When the sys­
tem detects a malfunct ion, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then
remain cont inuous ly illuminated. This se ­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists .
When the malfunct ion indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
sig nal low t ire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installa tio n of replace­
ment or a lternate tires or whee ls on the veh i­
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct ion ing
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
tellta le after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction .
Fig . 177 In strum ent clus te r: indica tor l igh t w ith mes ­
sage
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the t ire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
d iv idual tires . If the pressure changes in one
Tire s an d wheel s 259
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay with an indicator light
ti] and a message c:::> fig . 177. If only one tire
is affected, the locat ion of that tire will be in­
dicated. The message turns off after a few mi­
nutes . You can d isplay the message aga in
c:::> page 2 8 .
The tire pressures must be stored in the menu
display again each time the pressures change
(sw itching between partial and full load pres ­
sure) or after chang ing or replacing a t ire on
your vehicle
c:::> page 260 . The t ire press ure
monitori ng system only monito rs the tire
pressure yo u have stored . Yo u can find the rec ­
ommended t ire press ures for your vehicle on
the labe l on the driver 's doo r pillar
c:::> page235 .
Tire t read circumference and vib rat ion charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressu re
warning if :
- I f the tire pressure in one or mo re tires is
t oo low,
- the t ire has structural damage,
-The tire was replaced or the t ire p ressure
changed and it was not stored again
c:::> page 260 .
-The spare tire is installed .
Indicator light s
ti]-Loss of pressure in at least one tire c:::> &.
Check the tires and replace or repair if neces­
sary. Check/correct the pressures of all four
tires . Then store the t ire pressures in the MMI
c:::> page 2 60 .
DI (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) T ir e
press ure: S ystem malfunct ion!. If Ill ap­
pears afte r switching the ignition on or while
driv ing and the
ti] indicator l ight in the in­
str ume nt cluster b links for app rox imately one
minute and then stays on , the re is system
malfunction. Try to s to re the co rrec t ti re pres­
s u res
c:::> page 260. If the indicator light does
turn off or tu rns on again after a short period
of time, drive to yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler
or qualified repa ir facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunction corrected. .,..
•
•
•

260 Tire s and wheel s
& WARNING
-If the tire pressure warning light ti] in
the instrument cluster turns on, the
pressure in one or more tires is too low.
Reduce the vehicle speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers . Stop as soon as possible,
check the t ire and inflate the tire to the
correct pressure, which is specified on
the tire pressu re labe l on the veh icle
<:?page 235. Driving with a t ire with low
pressure causes the tire to overheat and
can res ult in failure of the tire . Low pres ­
sure can a lso have a negat ive effect on
the driving and braking behavior of the
vehicle.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the t ire pressures regularly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor ind i­
cator may be de layed .
- Ask your author ized dealer if r un-flat
t ires may be used on your vehicle.
- The tire pressure monitoring system can
also stop work ing when there is an ESC
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or
"RO" ¢ page 248 have been matched
with your A udi tire pressure monitoring
system. We recommend that you use
these tires.
- The tire pressure monitoring system can
on ly mon itor the t ire pressure of the
driving tires . Check the tire pressu re of
the spa re wheel in the luggage com part­
ment so tha t if ne cessary i t is ready for
u se.
-
Storing tire pressures
Applies to vehicles: wit h tire press ure mo nitor ing system
A change in tire pressure or a change in tires
must be stored in the system.
The tire pressure is stored in the MMI.
.. Ma ke s ure before storing that the ti re pres ­
sures of a ll four tires meet the specified va l­
ues and are adapted to the load. Otherwise
the system could malfunction
¢ page 235.
.. Switch t he ignit ion on.
.. Select: the
I MENU I button > Car > Systems *
contro l butto n > Service & control > Tire
pre ssure monitor > Store tire pre ssure >
Yes , st ore n ow .
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressures if snow
cha ins a re i nstalled. O therw ise the system
could m alfun ction.

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What do I do now? Luggage compartment
lid emergency release
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle .
Fig. 178 Rear lid: emergency release lock cylinder
.,. Insert the key into the lock cylinder near the
hand le .
.,. Turn the key counterclockwise .
General information
.,. Park the vehicle as far as possib le from mov­
ing traff ic in the event of a flat tire. In the
event of a flat tire, park the vehicle on a lev­
el surface. It you are on a steep incline, be
especially careful.
.,. Set the parking brake .
.,. Switch the emergency flashers on .
.,. Put on a reflective vest, if avai lable .
.,. Set up the warn ing t riang le, if available .
.,. Have the passengers exit the vehicle. They
shou ld move to a safe place, for example
behind a guard rail.
.&_ WARNING
Pay attention to the steps above . They are
for your protection and the for the safety
of other drivers.
.&_ WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
ser ious personal inju ries .
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can-
What do I d o now ? 261
not attain the necessary tightening tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy veh icles o r other loads; you risk i n­
juring yourself .
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise , there
is a pote ntia l risk for injury .
- Never use the jack supplied with your Aud i on another vehicle , part icularly on a
heav ier one. The jack is only su itable for
use on the veh icle it came with .
a) Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certai n models only or
are opt ional ext ras.
- Before stor ing the jack*, ma ke sure it is
wound back down as far as it w ill go.
Equipment
Vehicle tool kit
Applies to vehicles: with vehicle tool kit
Fig. 179 Luggag e compar tment: cargo floor cover
folde d upward
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover
¢fig . 179 .
Hook the plast ic hook CD into the luggage
compartment seal.

262 What do I do now ?
Cargo flo or cover
,. Hang the plastic hook on the l uggage com­
partment weather str ip -arrow-. ¢
fig. 179
Spare tire
General information
Applies to vehicles: wit h space -sav ing s pare tire (com pact
spare t ire)
Fi g. 180 Luggage co m pa rt m en t: cargo f loo r cover
folded upward
F ig . 181 Compact spare t ire
T he spare tire ¢ fig . 181 is intended for short­
term use only. Have the damaged tire checked and replaced if necessary by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified repair facility as soon
as poss ible .
There are some restrictions on the use of the compact spare tire. The compact spare t ire
has been designed specifically for your type of
vehicle . Do not replace it w ith the spare t ire
from another type of veh icle .
Remo ving the spa re tir e
,. Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle.
,. Hang the plastic hook on the luggage com­
partment weather strip @ ¢
fig. 180.
,. Remove the subwoofer*, if necessary
Q page 263 .
,. Turn the large screw counter-clockwise . ,.
Remove the spare ti re .
Snow chains
For techn ical reasons, the use of snow chains
o n the compact spa re tire is not perm itted .
If you have to drive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel in place of a rear tire. Install the snow chains on the
rear tire that you removed, and install that in
place of the front tire that fa iled.
A WARNING
- After insta lling a spare tire, the tire pres ­
sure must be checked as soon as possi­
b le. The tire press ure is available on
¢ page 235 , fig. 173
-If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It shou ld be
replaced as soo n as poss ible with the
normal wheel and tire.
-After mounting the compact spare tire, the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as possible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare t ire must be
4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk having an acc ident .
- Do not dr ive faste r than
50 mph (80 km/
h) . Yo u risk having an accident .
- Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
b rak ing, and fast cornering. You risk hav­
ing an accident .
- Never d rive using more than one spare
wheel and ti re . You r isk having an acc i­
dent .
- Normal summer or winter t ires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
nm.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted .
If it is ne cessary to d rive wi th tire c ha ins,
t he spare w heel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front whee l
m ust t hen be insta lled in p lace of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing .,.

the tire chain before mounting the wheel
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident.
Never store the inf latab le spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­
ment.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
Removing the subwoofer
A pp lies to vehicles: with s ubwoofer
The subwoofer must be removed before the
spare wheel* can be removed.
Fig. 182 Spare wheel well: subwoofer
Removing the subwoofer
• Lift the cargo floor c:, page 262, fig. 180.
• Pull the latch (D c:> fig. 182 toward the ca­
ble.
• Press the locking tab @down .
• Remove the connector @ and set the re-
moved cable aside.
• Remove the bolt@.
• Carefully remove the subwoofer.
Installing the subwoofer
• Carefully place the subwoofer n the rim
well. The word "FRONT" on the subwoofer
must face forward .
• Insert the connector that was removed .
• Secure the subwoofer with the bolt.
~ • Fold the cargo floor cover back into place.
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What do I do now? 263
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop c:> _&..
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)
c:> _&..
• Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> _&. .
• Move selector lever to position P c:> ,&..
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack c:, page 261 and the spare tire
r:> page 262 out of the luggage compart­
ment .
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
-If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the eme rgency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
-

264 What do I do now?
-Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tir e in the luggage com­
partment ¢
page 132.
Changing a wheel
When you change o wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For
more details see also¢
page 264, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 265,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 265 .
3. Locate the proper mount ing point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢page 266.
4. Raise the car with the jack ¢ page 266.
5. Remove the
wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare ¢ page 267.
6. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
7 .
Lowe r the vehicle with the jack.
8 . Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all whee l bolts c::> page 265.
9. Replace the decorative wheel cover*.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information
c::> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page
266 and c::> page 268.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tir e in the luggage com­
partment ~
page 132 .
• Check the tire pressure on the spare wheel
i mmediately after mount ing it.
• As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torques
on a ll wheel bo lts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
• Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as poss i­
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, they should be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked.
- After changing a whee l, the tire pressure
in all four tires must be checked/correct­
ed and the tire pressure monitoring indi­
cator must be stored in the MMI
c::>page260.
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: wit h decorative whee l covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 183 Chang ing a wheel : Remov ing th e w heel cover
Removing
.,. Insert the hook (provided with the vehicle
tool kit) in the hole in the whee l hub cover .
.,. Pull
off the decorative wheel cover
c::>fig.183.