2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET check engine

34 Openin g and clo sing
• To open the luggage compartment lid, press
and hold the~ button © for at least one
second .
• To tr igger the alarm , press the red
iPANICI
button @. The vehicle horn and emergency
flashers turn on .
• To turn off the alarm, press the red
IPANICI
button @again .
If the vehicle is unlocked and a door or the luggage compartment lid are not opened
within 45 seconds, the vehicle locks aga in au­
tomatically. This feature prevents the vehicle
from being ac cidentally left un locked over a
l ong period of time. This does not apply if you
p ress the
i""' I button © button for at least one
second.
F o r vehi cles with
sa fet y c entr al loc king (selec­
tive unlocking) ¢
page 37, only the driver's
door and the fue l filler door are opened by
pressing the~ button @ once, and the ent ire
vehicle unlocks wh en the button is pressed
twice.
A WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. ¢ Lo_ in
Key set on page 31
@ Tips
- Only use the remote control key or con­
venience key w ith in v iew of the veh icle.
- Do not use the remote control when you
are inside the vehicle. Otherwise, you
could unintentionally lock the veh icle. If
you then tried to start the engine or
open a door, the a la rm would be trig­
gered. If this happens, press the un lock
button@.
- The vehicle can only be locked when the
se lector lever is in the P posit ion .
- Only use the panic function in an emer­
gency .
- For information on add itiona l remote
control key o r convenience key functions,
r efer to ¢
page 39, Convenience open­
ing/closing.
Locking and unlocking with the
convenience key
Applies to vehicles: with convenience key
The front doors and the luggage compart­
ment lid can be unlocked and locked without using the remote control key.
F ig . 20 D river 's doo r: locking the vehicle w ith the co n­
ven ie n ce key
0 0
I
• To unlock the door automatically, grasp the
driver's or front passenger's door handle
¢ fig. 20 .
• To open the door, pull the door hand le.
• To unlock or open the luggage compartment
lid, press the handle in the luggage com­
partment lid
¢ page 38, fig. 24 .
• To lock the veh icle, bring the selector lever
into the P position, close the door and touch
the sensor on the dr iver 's door handle
o ne
time. Do not hold the door handle while do­
ing this.
Only the front doors and luggage compart­
ment lid can be unlocked or locked . The re­
mote control key must be w ith in a range of
abo ut 5 ft (1.5 m) from the door o r the rear
li d. It ma kes no d ifference whethe r the re­
mote control key is in your jacket pocket,
purse or briefcase.
If you ho ld the door hand le wh ile loc king, th is
c a n p revent the lo ck ing f unct ion.
The door cannot be opened for a brief period directly after locking it . Th is allows you the
oppo rtun ity to check that the driver's door is
locked.
The sett ings in the MMI specify if the entire
vehicle or one of the doors is unlocked when
unlocking the vehicle ¢
page 36.

84 Driving
Emergency braking function
This is used if the conventional brake system
fails or locks up.
... To brake your veh icle in an emergency, pu ll
the @switch ¢
page 82, fig. 82 and hold it
pulled .
... As soon as you releas e the @ switch or ac-
cele rate, the braking p rocess stops.
Pulling and holding the @switch while driv­
in g at a speed of about 2 mph (3 km/h) or
h igher in itiates the emergency b rak ing func­
tion . The vehi cle is braked at all fou r whee ls
by activat ing the brak ing hydrau lics. The brake
performance is s imilar to heavy bra ki ng. ¢.&.
To help prevent act ivat ing the emergency
b rak ing by mis take, an audib le wa rning tone
(b uzzer) sounds when the @switch is pulled.
E me rgency braking s tops as soo n as the @
switch is released or the accelerator peda l is
p ressed.
&_ WARNING
Emergency braking shou ld only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake
pedal has failed or the brake pedal is ob­
structed . Du ring emergency braking, your
vehicle will brake similar to heavy braking.
ESC and the assoc iated components (ABS,
ASR, EDL) cannot overcome the laws of
physics. In corners and w hen road or
weather conditions are bad, a full brake
application can cause the vehicle to skid or
the rear end to b reak away, which increas­
es the risk of an acc ident.
Hill hold
Applies to vehicles: with H ill Hold
Hill hold makes it easier to start on hills .
Requirement: The driver door must be closed
and the engine must be r unning .
The system is act iva ted when the brake pedal
i s pressed wh ile the veh icle is s ta tionary .
To prevent the vehicle from ro ll ing back when
start ing , the bra ke power is he ld for a br ief moment afte
r releasing the brake pedal. D ur­
ing t his time, you can easi ly begin to move
you r vehicle .
A WARNING
"---
-The intelligent technology of Hi ll Hold
cannot overcome the limitations im­ posed by natural physical laws . The in­
creased comfort offered by H ill Hold
should not cause you to take safety r is ks.
- Hill Hold cannot hold the vehicle in all
h ill sta rt situations (fo r example, if the
g round is slippery o r icy).
- If you do not beg in moving immediately
after releasing the brake pedal, the vehi­
cle could begi n to roll ba ckward unde r
certain ci rc u ms tances. Press the brake
pedal or set the pa rk ing brake immedi­
ately.
- If the eng ine "stalls", press the b ra ke
pedal or set the pa rking brake immedi ­
ately.
- Starting on inclines in stop-and-go t ra f­
fic: To help prevent the vehicle from ro ll­
in g back when starting, press and ho ld
the brake pedal fo r several seconds when
the vehicle is stationary.
(D Tips
You can find o ut if yo ur vehicle is equ ipped
with Hill Hold by checking at an a uthorized
A udi dealer or qualified repair facility.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified maximum speed .
The speed warning system war ns you if you
are exceeding the maximum speed that you
have set . You will hear a warning tone when
yo ur speed exceeds the stored value by ap­
proximate ly 3 mph (3 km/h). The . (U SA
models)/ . (Canada models) ind icator light
and the message
Speed limit e xceeded! ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display at the
same time. The./. indicator light turns ..,.

112 Autom atic tr an smi ssion
position longer than approximately 2 seconds
when th e brake pedal is not pressed.
Inter lock butt on
The interlock button in the selector lever han­
d le prevents you from moving the selector
lever inadvertently while in some se lecto r lev­
er positions. The positions that require the in ­
terlock button to be pressed are marked in
color in the illustration
c::> fig. 106 .
Ignition k ey s afe ty inte rloc k*
You can only remove the key from the ignition
after switching the ignition off if the se lector
lever is in the P position. The selector lever
will be locked in the P position as long as the
key is not in the ign ition.
_&. WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. c::> .& in
Selector lever positions on page 110.
(D Tips
- If the se lector lever does not engage,
there is a malfunction. The engine is dis­
abled to prevent the vehicle from driving
off unintentionally. Press the brake pedal briefly to allow the selector lever lock to
engage aga in .
- If the vehicle does not move forward or
in reverse even though a drive position is
se lected, proceed as follows:
- >If the veh icle does not move in the de­
s ired direction, the system may not have
engaged the dr ive position co rrectly.
Press the brake pedal and select the
drive position again.
- >If the veh icle st ill does not move in the
desired direction, there is a system mal­
f u nct ion . See an a uthorized Aud i dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance to have the system checked.
Driving tips
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
The transmission shifts up and down auto­
matically when in the driving gears .
Fig . 107 Sect io n of the cente r co nsole: se lector leve r
w ith interlock b utto n
The eng ine will only be able start when these­
lector lever is in the P or N positions. At low
temperatures (below 14 °F ( -10 °C)), the en­
gine can only be started when the selector
lever is in the P pos it ion.
St arting from a stop
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.,. Press and hold the interlock button in the
selector lever handle, select the desired se ­
lector lever pos ition such as D
c::> page 11 0
and release the lock button.
.,. Wa it a moment until the transmission
shifts . You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
.. Release the b rake peda l and press the acce l­
erator pedal
c::> _A .
Stopping t emporarily
.,. Keep the veh icle stat iona ry using the brak­
ing pedal, fo r example at traffic lig hts.
.,. Do not press the accelerator peda l when do­
ing this.
.,. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
start driv ing, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines
c::> _A .
.,. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the acce lerator pedal. Requ irement:
The driver's safety belt must fastened and
the dr iver's door must be closed . .,._

M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
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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M N
" > co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
a n d driving instr uctions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns .
Trailer towin g 201
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Alw ays use saf ety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra iler lights must meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check with your Audi dea ler fo r cor re ct
wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must i nsta ll ext ended mir rors . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis ion to the rear .
.8, WARNING
-
Afte r removing the trailer hit ch, do no t
s tore i t in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
b raking, the h itch cou ld fly forwar d an d in­
ju re you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a ty pical
cl ass 1 or class 2 tra ile r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the loa d in the tr aile r is held secure ly
i n place to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 20 2.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
perfo rmance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the coo ling syst em has enough
f lui d.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer , inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under .,..
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202 Trailer towing
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trai ler and t ire manufac ­
turers' specif ications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be espec ially car efu l when passing other
vehicles.
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loa ded trai ler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent poss ible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi- ble,
transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed . Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhi ll, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge~ page 12
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the d isplay turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ~
page 19 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
a trai ler because of the additional weight and ..,.

210 Checking and Filling
Checking and Filling
Fuel supply
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is un­
leaded premium
grade gasoline . Audi recom­
mends using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
with a minimum octane rating of 91 AKI (95
RON). For more information on TOP TIER De­
tergent Gasoline, please go to the off icia l
website (www.toptiergas.com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can a lso be found on a label locat­
ed on the inside of the fuel filler flap. This rat­
ing may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using un­ leaded regular gasoline with a minimum oc­
tane rating of
87 AKI/91 RON. However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octane fuel w ill slightly re­
duce eng ine performance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso­
line is available throughout the USA, Canada,
and in most European countries. We recom­
mend that you do not take your vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable .
For more informat ion on refueling your vehi­
cle, see
c:> page 211 .
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to
res ist engine damaging "knock" caused by
premature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buying the correct grade of gasoline is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance .
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane
ratings that can usually be found on the filler
pump:
- Prem ium Grade : 91- 96 AKI -
Regular Grade:
87 -90 AKI
E xplanation of the abbreviations:
AK I=
Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON
+MON)/2
RON= Research Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use any fuel w ith octane rat ings
lower than
87 AK I or 91 RON otherwise
expensive engine damage will occur .
- Do
not us e leaded gasoline. The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
your vehicle's catalytic converter and its
ability to control exhaust emissions.
Blended gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with
alcohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blended mixture meets the
follow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol -
vents .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
-Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not co nta in more than 15%
ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
-Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline

M N
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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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