2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET change time

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A WARNING ,~
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve­
hicle handles. To help reduce the r isk of a
loss of control leading to ser ious personal
injury:
-Always keep in m ind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
vehicle handling:
- Always distr ibute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as poss ible.
- Never exceed the Gross Ax le Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left do or jamb. Exceeding per­
missib le we ight standards can cause the
vehicle to s lide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing co
page 126.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from be ing drawn into the veh icle, always
keep the rea r lid closed while dr iving.
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
cl osed.
- If you absolutely must drive w ith the rear
l id ope n, observe the follow ing notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power top,
- Open all air ou tlets in the instrument
panel,
- Sw itch off the air recircu lation,
- Set the fresh ai r fan to the h ighest
speed.
A WARNING
Alw ays m ake s ure th at the doors, all win­
dows, the power top an d the re ar lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce th e
Dri ving s afe ty 133
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used .
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and loc ked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child cou ld craw l into the vehicle thro ugh
the luggage compartment and close the
rea r lid becoming t rapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious pe rsonal inj ury.
- Never let ch ildren play in or around the
veh icle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restra ined in one of
the vehicle's seating pos it ions.
(D Tips
- Air circulati on helps to reduce window
fogging . S tale a ir escapes to the outside
through ven ts in the t rim panel. Be sure
t o keep these slots free an d ope n.
- T he tire pressure m ust correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
t ire pressure label. T he tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pilla r.
T he tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended co ld tire inflation pressures fo r
the vehicle at its maxim um capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures f or nor­
ma l load cond itions, p lease see chapter
co
page 235.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the t ie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly co
page 132, Loading the luggage com­
partment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean th at
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi-
cle w ill become heavy m issiles that can cause .,.. •
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158 Airbag sys te m
sudden maneuver . Objects near the
air bags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the s eat is re­
cli ned .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the
front passenger seat could cause the ca­
pacitive senso r in the seat to s ignal to
airbag system that t he seat is occupied
by a person whe n it in fa ct is not, o r th at
the person on the sea t is he avie r than he
or s he actually is. The change in electric
capacitance because of such objects can
cause the passenger front airbag to be
t ur ned on when it sho uld be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
worked w ithout ob jects on the seat .
- Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenge r seat that will
cause the capaci tiv e passenge r detection
system in the s eat to s ignal to the A irbag
System that t he seat is occupied by a
perso n when it is not, or to sign al that it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the person actually sitting on the
seat . The prese nce of an o bject co uld
cause the passenger front a irbag to be
t u rned on when it sho uld be off, or co uld
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
differe nt from the way it wou ld have
worked w it h out the object on the sea t.
.&, WARNING
The fine dust created when a irbags deploy
can ca use b reathing problems for peop le
w ith a hi story of ast hma o r othe r brea th ­
ing conditions .
- T o redu ce the r is k of breathing p rob lems,
th ose w it h a sthma or o ther resp iratory
condit ions shoul d ge t fresh a ir right
away by gett ing out of the vehicle o r
opening windows or doo rs .
- If you are in a coll is ion in which a irbags
dep loy, wash yo ur hands and face w ith
mild soap and water befo re eating . -
Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the res id ue s hould get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli Airbag monitor ing indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advance d Airbag System as well as the
s ide airbags and side curta in a irbags w ith
eject ion mit igat ion features (including the
electron ic contro l unit, se nsors a nd system
wiring) are all mon itored continuously to
make su re that t hey are functioning p roperly
whenever the ignition is on. Eve ry time you
tu rn o n the ignition, the airbag sys tem indica ­
tor light II will come on fo r a few seconds
(funct ion check) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II:
- does not come on when the igni tion is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the igni tion, or
- comes on while driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator lig ht w ill first sta rt flashing to
catch t he d rive r's a ttent io n and the n stay on
c onti nuously to serve as a constant rem inder
to have the sys tem inspected immed iate ly.
If a malfunction occurs that tu rns the front
airbag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay
o n wheneve r th e ign ition is on.

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on the front passenger seat that might cause the capa citive passenger detecti on
system to miscalcu late electrical capac i­
tance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need Airb ag Sys­
tem has changed while the vehicle is
moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light b links for about S seconds to catch
the driver's attent ion. If this happens, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the steps described above .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is sitting on the front passen­ ger seat after taking the steps descr ibed
above, make sure the adult is properly
seated and restrained at one of the rear seating pos it ions. Have the a irbag sys­
tem inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on the
front passenger seat .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
c> page 20
turns on when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r. It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inf late when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld.
A WARNING
If the front airbag infla tes, a ch ild witho ut
a c hild restraint , or in a rearwar d-fac ing
child safety seat , or in a forward-facing
child rest raint that has not been properly
installed will be serio usly injured and can
be killed.
-
A irbag system 16 1
-Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced A irbag System, make
certa in that all children, espec ia lly 12
yea rs and younger, always ride on the
back seat prope rly rest rained for their
age and size .
- Always install forward o r rear-facing
child seats on the rear seat -even with
an Advan ced A irbag System.
- I f you must install a rearwa rd-facing
child seat on the front passenger seat because of ex ceptio nal circumstances
an d the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and s tay on, immedi ate­
ly install the rear -facing child seat in a
rea r seating pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by you r Audi dealer.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust install a forwar d-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as fa r away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make su re that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on a nd stays on all the time when­
eve r the ignit ion is switched on .
A WARNING
=
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an a dult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rea r seat ing pos itions .
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea ler before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat .
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection sys ­
tem dete rm ines that the front passenger
seat is empty, t he fronta l airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay
on.
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-Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in ave­
hicle
¢ page 138, Safety belts,
¢ page 146, Airbag system and
¢ page 169, Important things to
know.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3-and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates . In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride. The front
seat is not the safest place fo r a child in a for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
Child Safety 1 71
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a
capacitive passenger detection system in the
front passenger seat cushion that can detect
the presence of a baby or a child in a child re­
straint system on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system
registers the changes that result in an electri ­
cal field when a child, a child restraint, and a
baby blanket are on the front passenger seat .
The change in the measured capacitance due
to the presence of a child, a child restraint,
and a baby blanket on the front passenger
seat is related to the child restraint system resting on the seat . The measured capacitance
of a child restraint system varies depending
on the type of system and specific make and model.
The electrical capacitance of the various
types, makes, and models of child restraints
specified by the U.S.National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NH TSA) in the relevant
safety standard are stored in the Advanced
Airbag System control unit together with the capacitances typical of infants and a 1-year
old child. When a child restraint is used on the
front passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Advanced Airbag System compares
the capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection system with the data
stored in the electronic control unit.
Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in excep­
tional circumstances you must use it on the
front passenger seat, ca refully read all of the
information on child safety and Advanced Air-
bags and heed all of the applicable ..,.
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188 Smart Technology
Smart Technology
Information about
data recorded by
vehicle control
modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with a crash data
recorder. This device is insta lled by some vehi­
cle manufacturers to record data about crash ­
es so tha t it can be analy zed later. Crash data
recorders are also called "Event Data Record­
ers (EDR)" .
In some legal jurisdictions, it is not permitted
to access or download data recorded by pre­
installed crash data recorders in order to eval­
uate a crash without clear consent of the vehi ­
cle owner .
Your veh icle is not equipped with a crash data
recorder. However it does contain a var iety of
e lectronic control modules for various vehicle
systems such as eng ine funct ion, exhaust
treatment or airbags and safety belts .
These electron ic control modules record vehi­
cle data during normal driv ing for diagnosis
and repair purposes. The recording capab ility
of the electron ic control modules is lim ited to
data only- no sound is reco rded.
If t he control
mo dule detects a sys tem m alfu nction or other
change in sta tus, a very lim ited amount of da­
ta is recorded for an extreme ly sma ll period of
time . Data t hat is recorded in s uch a case may
include veh icle speed, driving direction, the
load on the brakes and head restraints and
performance in the event of an acc iden t or
other change in status . The stored data can
only be read o r down loaded w ith specia l dev i­
ces.
Electronic stabilization
control (ESC)
Description
The E lectronic Stabilization Cont rol (ESC) con­
tr ibutes to d river safety. It reduces the risk of
slipp ing and improves driving stability. ESC detects critical situations such as the veh
icle
oversteering and understeering or the whee ls
are spinning . The vehicle is stabilized by ap­
plying the brakes or reducing engine torq ue.
Once the ESC is activated, the ind icator light
Bl blinks in the instrument cluster .
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti -lock braking s ystem (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking when
braking . The vehicle can still be steered even
during hard braking . App ly steady pressure to
the brake peda l. Do not pump the peda l. A
puls ing in the brake peda l ind icates that the
system is act ing to stabilize the ve hicle.
Brake assi st sy st e m
The brake assist system can decrease braking
distance .
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You m ust press and hold the
brake pedal until the dangerous situation is
over . In vehicles with adaptive cruise control*,
the brake assist system is more sens it ive if the
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti-slip regu lation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin sp inning and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
sta rt , accelerate and dr ive up inclines .
Electronic differenti al lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes whee ls that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with
all wheel drive *). This function is not ava ilable
at h igher speeds .
In extreme cases, EDL automatically sw itches
off to keep t he b rake on the braked wheel
from overheat ing. The ve hicle is still working
co rrect ly. EDL w ill switch o n aga in automat i­
ca lly when cond itions have ret urned to no r-
mal. .,._

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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 cer tain
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
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec­
tive.
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.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for detailed
instructions see~
page 213.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve ­
hicle in
~ page 280.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
tells you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
~ page 210 .
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on board refuel­
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly .
A WARNING ~
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision . If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower, ..,.
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Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interval display in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle w ill inform you when it
is t ime for an oil change. We recommend that
you have your o il changed by an author ized
Aud i Service Advisor .
If you have to top off the oil between oil
changes, use the Aud i oil quality standard
specified in the table .
Audi oil quality standard
G asoline
VW 502 00 or
e ngin e vw 504 00
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
hi gh-quality oil which can usua lly be used
throughout the enti re yea r.
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfun ctions due to
fa ilure to fo llow recommended ma in te­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let.
- U se only a high q uality eng ine oi l that ex ­
pressly comp lies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's en­
gine. Using any other oil can cause seri­
ous engine damage.
- Do not mix any l ubricants or other addi­
tives into the eng ine oi l. Doing so can
cause eng ine damage.
(D Tips
I f you need to add oi l and there is none
availab le that meets the Audi oil quality
standard your engine requires, you may
add a total of no more than 0.5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
t he follow ing specifica tions.
Checking and Fillin g 217
-Veh icles with gasoline engine : ACEA A3
or AP! SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE O W-30, SAE 5W -30 or SAE SW-40 .
- For more information about engine o il
that has been approved for yo ur vehicle,
please contact either your authorized
Audi dealer or Aud i Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site
at www .audiusa.com or
www.a udicanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in ­
te rnal combust io n engines consume a certa in
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion va rie s from
engine to engine and may change sign ifi can tly
ove r th e life of the engine. Typically, engines
wi th a spec ified break -in pe riod (see
¢ page 196) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod 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 depen ds on the q ual ity 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
condensa tion or fuel residue a nd the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wea r as m ileage builds up, the oil consump­
t ion may incre ase over time until replacement
of wo rn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es ­
tabl is h ed or spec ified. There is no alte rn ative
to regul ar and frequent che cking of the o il lev ­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning sy mbo l
Ill in the ins trument cl uste r lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 2 18 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 218 . ll-
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A WARNING ,~
- When adding oil, do not let oil drip onto
hot engine components. There could be
risk of a fire.
- You must secure the cap on the oil filler
opening correctly so that oil does not
leak out onto the hot engine and exhaust
system when the engine is running, be­
cause this is a fire hazard.
-Always clean skin thoroughly if it comes
into contact with engine oil.
(D Note
- The oil level must not be above the G)
range ~page 218, fig. 166, because this
can cause damage to the catalytic con­
verter or the engine. Contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility to have excess oil extracted if
necessary.
- Do not mix any additional lubricants into
the engine oil. Damage cause by such ad­
ditives is not covered by the warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Oil should never enter the sewer system
or come into contact with the ground.
- Pay attention to legal requirements
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
~ page 214.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis-
Checking and Filling 219
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe­ riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex­ pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself, please note the following important informa­
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch .
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off thoroughly
with soap and water.
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