2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET warning

Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear- facing child rest raint sys ­
tems come with a tether . P lease read and
heed the child res traint system manufactur­
er 's instructions carefully to determine how to
prope rly install the tether.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can b e kill ed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad­
v a nced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety sea t or infan t carrier w ith g reat
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety se at
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
- If you mus t inst all a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat beca use of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position a nd
have t he a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional in formation about ch ild restrai nt select ion, in­
stallat ion a nd use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat
i s the one that fits your child and fits in your
ve hicle, and that you wi ll use correctly and
consistently .
Try before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin· M N i s tration ,....
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Te l.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
www.nhtsa.gov
Child Sa fet y 187
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www.safe kids.o rg
Safet y BeltSafe U.S .A
T el.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747 -SANO (Spanish)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
T el.: 1 -800 -333-0371 o r ca ll
1-613-998-86 16 if yo u are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
menu.htm
Audi Cu stomer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
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Stee ring re comm endat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by
changing the steering torque.
Selective wheel torqu e control
Select ive wheel torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in­
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
This a llows more precise driving in curves.
Automatic post -collisi on brakin g system
The "Automatic post-collision braking system "
can help to reduce the risk of slidi ng and of
other coll is ions afte r an accident. I f the airbag
con tro l modu le detects a collision above ace r­
tain vehicle speed, the vehicle is braked by the
ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the braking force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle
electrical system are not functioning.
A WARNING
-The ESC and its integrated systems can­
not overcome the limits posed by natura l
physical laws. This is especially impor ­
tant on s lippery or wet roads. If the sys-
Switching on/off
Sm art Te chnol og y 189
terns beg in acting to stabilize your vehi­
cle, you should immediately alter your
speed to match the road and traffic con­
ditions . Do not let the increased safety
provided tempt you into taking r isks .
This could increase your risk of a co lli­
SIOn.
- Please note the r isk of a coll is ion increas­
es when driving fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to objects ahead.
The ESC and its integrated systems can ­
not a lways prevent collisions -there is
still a risk of accidents!
- Press the accelerator pedal caref ully
when acce lerating on even, slippery sur­
faces such as ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even when these control systems are installed and this can affect
driving stability and increase the r isk of a
coll is ion.
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels are equipped w ith
identical tires. Different t ire sizes can
lead to a reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working.
- If the
Bl or [I] indicator light appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 21.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
gi
Fig. 159 Upper c ente r conso le: ESC button
The ESC is designed to funct ion in levels . De­
pend ing on the level that is selected, the sta­
bilization funct ion of the ESC is lim ited or
swi tched off . The amoun t of stabilization con­
trol wi ll differ depending on the level.
In the follow ing unusual situations it may
make sense to switch the ESC sport mode on
to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
IJJ-

190 Smart Technology
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASR on
Beha vior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization funct ion The full stab ilization f unc-
tion funct ions are lim ited is not ava ilable
c> .&. . ESC tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ _&. . and ASR are sw itched off. available agai n.
Operation Press the l.i; OFF ! button P ress and hold the 1.i; OFFI Press the l.i; OFF ! button
briefly. button lo
nger than 3 sec-
again.
onds.
Indicator II turns on. II and jf'ill•lH * tu rn on. II turns off or fl and
light s jf 'ill•li~* t ur n off.
Dr iver mes- Stabilization control Stab ilizat ion control Stabilization control
sages (ESC ): sport. Warning! (ESC ): off . Warning! Re- (ESC ): on
R estricted stability stricted stability
_& WARNING
You should only switch spor t mode on o r
switch ESC/ASR o ff if your driving abiliti es
an d road condi tions perm it.
- T he s tabilization func tio n i s limite d
whe n spor t mode is sw itche d on. T he
dr iv ing whee ls co ul d spin an d the vehicle
cou ld swe rve , especia lly on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces.
- The re is no vehicle stabilization w hen
ESC/ASR a re switched off .
@ Tips
- ESC/ASR c ann ot b e swi tc h ed off o r spor t
mode canno t be sw itche d on i f the cr uise
control system * or the a dapt ive cr uise
control * is switc hed on .
- Mal func tions in the Audi magne tic ride
may make it impossib le to sw itch t he
ESC/ASR off or to switch sport mo de on.
Brakes
New brake pads
-
N ew brake pads do not achieve their fu ll brak­
ing effect d urin g the first
400 km. They must
be "broken i n" first. However, yo u can com­
pensate for the slightly reduced braking force
by pressing fi rmly on t he brake pedal. Avo id
heavy brak ing dur ing the break- in period.
Wear
Brake pad
wear is largely dependent on the
way the vehicle is dr iven and on operati ng
condit io ns. This is especially true if you are
driv ing frequent ly in t he ci ty and o n curves or
with a spor ty d rivi ng s tyle.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when bra king depending on
the speed , braking force and outside condi­
t ions such as tempe rature and hum id ity.
Effect of water and road salt
In certa in situations, for examp le after dr iv ing
t hr ough water, in heavy rain, after overnight
condensation or after was hing your car, the
braking effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads. The
brakes must be "d rie d" first with a few carefu l
brake applicat ions .
At highe r speeds and with the winds hield wip­
ers tu rned on, the brake pads press against
the b rake ro to rs fo r a short a mount of t ime .
T h is act ion which is not felt by the d river hap­
pen s at reg ular i nte rvals an d facilit ates a bet­
te r rea ction t ime for the br akes in we t we ath­
er.
T he bra king effect can a lso be redu ced if you
are dr iv ing o n sal ted roads a nd you do not a p­
ply the br akes fo r long periods of time. The
l aye r of sa lt on the b rake roto rs and pads
must be wo rn off first when t he b rakes are ap -
plied. ..,..

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Corrosion
Leaving the vehicle parked for long periods of
time, low mi leage and avoiding heavy braking
can contribute to corrosion on the brake ro­
tors and dirty brake pads.
If you usually avoid heavy braking or if there is
corrosion present, occasiona l heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the
brake rotors and pads~,& .
Brake system malfunction
if you notice that the brake pedal t ravel has
suddenly gotten larger, then a brake circuit
may have failed . Drive to you r authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the problem corrected. On the way
there, drive with reduced speed and keep in
mind that a long braking distance and in­
creased pressure on the brake pedal will be
necessary .
Low brake fluid level
When the brake fluid level is low, ma lfunc­
tions in the brake system may occur . The
brake fluid level is electronically monitored.
Brake booster
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you
apply to the brake pedal. It only works when
the eng ine is running.
A WARNING
-You should on ly perform braking maneu­
vers to clean the brakes when the road condit ions perm it . Never put others on
the road at risk -never forget the risk of
acc idents!
- On steep slopes, reduce the speed and
select a lower gear or lower selector lev­
er posi tion. Drive as little as possible
wh ile pressing the bra ke peda l and avoid
putt ing your left foot on the brake pedal
whi le driving. This could ca use the brakes
to overheat and impair the efficiency of
the brakes.
- Do not let the brakes "grind" by always
keeping yo ur foot on the brake peda l.
Smart Technolog y 191
This can cause the brakes to overheat in-,
crease wear and increase braking dis­
tance unnecessar ily.
- Certain weather and operating condi­
tions such as driving through water, driv­
ing in heavy rain or driving after washing
your veh icle can impa ir the effectiveness
of the brakes. In the winter, ice may
bui ld up on the brake pads, rotors and
drums . Check these components by brak­
ing caref ully. App lying the brakes care­
fu lly several times dries the brakes and
removes ice build-up .
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be
impaired by driving for long stretches on
roads covered with salt without using the
brakes. You can remove salt deposits
from the brake rotors and pads by care­
fully applying the brakes several times.
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you in­
stall another spoiler, make sure the front
wheel brakes are ventilated properly.
Otherwise, the brake system could over­ heat, wh ich reduces their effectiveness .
- Failure of a brake circuit impa irs braking
performance, wh ich increases braking
d istance . Avoid driving the vehicle and
have it towed it to the nearest author­
i z ed Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility.
- Do not let your veh icle roll w ith the en­
gine switched off under any circumstan­
ces .
- If the brak e booster is not working, you
wi ll have to press much harder on the
brake peda l to compensate for the lack
of the booster.
(D Note
-Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing
the pedal lightly when braking is not
really necessary. This causes the brakes
to overheat and increases braking dis­
tance and causes wear.
- Before driving on a long stretch with
steep s lopes, reduce your speed and shift
to the next lower gear This makes use of
the engine brak ing effect and relieves ..,.
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192 Smart Technology
the brakes. If you need to brake addition­
ally, brake in intervals and not continu­
ously.
(D Tips
- If the brake booster is not working, you
must press the brake pedal with much
more force then norma l.
- If you retrofit your vehicle with a front
spoiler, wheel covers or similar items,
make sure that the air flow to the front
wheels is not interrupted. Otherwise the
brake system can become too hot.
Electromechanical
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
The vehicle still has full steering functionality if the power steering fai ls or when the engine
is stopped (towing). To steer, you must apply
much more force than usual.
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering may have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See an authorized
Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Service Facility
for assistance.
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
There is a malfunct ion in the electron ic steer­
ing lock. You cannot turn the ign ition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. See an authorized Aud i dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Serv ice Facility for ass istance.
'I j Steering malfunction: you can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on, the steering
wheel may be more difficult to move or more sensitive than usual.
The stee ring wheel may
also be at an angle when driving straight.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified wo rkshop to have the malf u nct ion
corrected.
II Steering lock : system fault! Please con­
tact Service
There is a malfunction in the electronic steer­
ing lock .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING ,___
Have the system malfunction corrected as
soon as possible by an authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility,
as this increases the risk o f an accident.
@ Tips
If the . or ,~ n ind icator light only stays
on for a short tim e, you may continue dr iv­
in g.
All wheel drive
(quattro)
Applies to vehicles: with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are pow­
ered.
General information
In all whee l drive, the driving power is divided
between a ll four wheels . This happens auto­
matically depending on your driving behavior
as well as the current road conditions. Refer
to
¢ page 188, Electronic stabilization con­
trol (£SC) .
The all wheel drive concept is designed for
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerful and has excellent driving charac­
teristics both under normal driving cond itions
and on snow and ice . Always read and follow
safety p recaut ions
Q ,& . .,.

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Winter tires
By using all wheel drive, yo ur vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in winter
conditions. However, in winter we recommend
using winter or all season tir es on
all four
wheels, because this will imp rove the broking
effec t.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains
must also be used on vehicles with a ll whee l
drive ¢
page 256, Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles w ith all wheel dr ive, only wheels
with the same rolling circumference should be
used . Avoid wheels with different tread
depths ¢
page 248.
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad veh icle -there is
not enough ground clearance. For t his reason,
avoid difficult terrain. Refer to ¢
page 280.
.&_ WARNING -
-Also , in vehicles with all whee l drive,
adapt your driving style to the current
road and traff ic conditions. Do not let
the increased safety provided tempt you
into taking risks.
- The brak ing ability of your vehicle is lim­
ited to the traction of the wheels . In this
way, it is not different from a two wheel dr ive vehicle. Do not be tempted to ac­
celerate to a h igh speed when the road is
slippery th is increases the risk of an acci­
dent.
- Note that on wet streets, the front
wheels can "hydroplane" if driving at
speeds that are too high. Unlike front
wheel drive vehicles, the engine does not
rev higher suddenly when the vehicle be­
gins hydroplaning. For this reason, pay
attention to the road conditions regard­
less of your speed .
Smart Technolog y 193
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages
the electrical energy distribution and optimiz ­
es the availability of electrical energy for
starting the engine.
When a vehicle with a conventional energy
system is not driven for a long time , the bat­
tery is drained by equipment (for example the
immobilizer). In certain circumstances, there
could may no t be enough energy to start the
engine .
Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent
energy management system for distr ibut ing
electric ity. This significantly improves the
starting ability and increases the battery life.
The energy management system Is made up
of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
The battery diagnosis determines the battery
charge level. The sensors determine the bat­
tery voltage, the battery current, and the bat­
tery temperature. The current charge leve l
and t he performance of the battery are deter­
mined based on this.
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the
energy used while parked. With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy distribu­
tion to the different elect rical components.
Date from battery diagnosis is taken into ac ­
count for this.
Depend ing on the battery charge leve l, elec­
trical equip ment is switched off one item after
the other, to prevent the battery from drain­
ing and to retain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy management
While driv ing , dynamic energy management
distributes the appropriate amount of energy
to the e lectr ica l equipment . It controls the
battery charge level so that more energy is .,. •
•
•

194 Smart T echnol ogy
not used then is being generated in o rder to
maintain an optimal battery charge level.
(D Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome
the laws o f physics. Note that the charge
l evel and length of the battery life are
li mited .
- When the starting ability is endangered,
the (•) indicator light turns on
c> page20.
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority .
A lot of stress is p laced on the battery when
driving short distances, in traffic, and at co ld
times of the year. A lot of energy is used but
little is generated.
It is also critical when the
engine is not running but electrical equip­ ment is switched on . In this case, energy is
used but none is generated .
In situations like this, energy management
will actively regulated the distribut ion of en­
ergy.
L ong periods wi thout u se
If you do not drive your vehicle for several
days or weeks, e lectrica l equipment is gradu­
ally sca led back or switched off. This reduces
energy use and ensures the vehicle will be
able to start after long periods of time. Some
conven ience functions such as opening with
the remote control key may not be ava ilable.
These convenience functions w ill be availab le
again o nce you swi tch the ign ition on and
start the engine.
With the engine switched off
For example, if you listen to the radio when
the eng ine is sw itched off, the battery w ill
d rain .
A warning text w ill appear if energy consump­
tion could impair starting ab ility .
The message shows that you need to start the
engine in order to charge the battery.
With the en gine running
Although e lectrical energy is gene rated while
driving, the battery can dra in. This can happen
when litt le energy is generated, and much is
u sed and the charge leve l of the battery is not
optimal.
T o restore the balance of ene rgy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tem­
porari ly scaled back or switched off. Heating
systems in particular require a great deal of
energy. If you notice, for example, that the
seat heating* or rear window defroster is not
worki ng, then it has been temporar ily reduced
or switched off . These systems are available
again as soon as the energy balance has been
resto red.
In add ition, you may notice that the idle
speed has slightly increased. That is normal
and no cause for concern. Due to the in­
c reased idling speed, the additional required
energy w ill be gene rated and the battery will
be charged.
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control
modules
E v ent D ata Reco rder
This vehicle is equ ipped with an Event Data
Recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR
is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like
situations, such as an a irbag deployment or
hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in
understanding how a vehicle's systems per­
formed . T he EDR is des igned to record data
related to vehicle dynam ics and safety sys­
tems fo r a short period of time, typically
30 seconds or less . The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in your vehicle were
operating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenge r
safety belts were b uckled/fastened;

196 Driving and the environment
Driving and the
environment
The first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the fir st 600 miles
( 1,000 kilometers):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
... Do not d rive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM.
... Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 mile s (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
... Speeds can gradually be increased to the
max imum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
.,. Do not rev the eng ine up to high speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transm ission is i n N (Neutra l) or in gear.
After the break-in period
... Do not exceed maximum engine speed un­
der any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ome ter scale
c:> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's interna l friction is higher tha n later
when all the movi ng pa rts have been broke n
in . How w ell this break- in process is do ne de­
pends to a conside rable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven during the first 1,0 00 miles
(1, 500 k ilome ters).
0 Note
E xtremely high engi ne speeds are auto­
mat ic all y reduced. However, these RPM
lim its are progr amme d for an eng ine t hat
is broken in, no t a new engine .
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily hi gh en­
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves fuel,
r educes no ise and protects the environ­
ment.
, New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive
part icu larly caref ul for the first 350 miles
(500 kilomete rs) afte r fitt ing.
A WARNING
N ew tires tend to be slipp ery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be s ure to remember
this dur ing the fi rst 350 mi les ( 500 kilo ­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
braking .
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full bra king effect dur ing the fi rst 250 m iles
(400 kilomete rs) afte r they a re insta lle d.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be­
f o re t hey have optima l grab
c:> A .
During the break- in period, you should avoid
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include , for example, sudden hard b rak­
i ng, in particular at very high speeds or, for
example, on mounta in passes .
A WARNING
New b ra ke pa ds don't have t he bes t stop­
pi ng power and m us t be "broke n-in " dur­
i ng the in itial 1 00 to 150 mi les (15 0 to
2 00 k ilometers) of no rma l city driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing t he
br ake pe da l mo re f irm ly . This also applies
l ater when new pads are installed.