2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET towing

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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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 ..,.

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different weight distribution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy wi ll greatly depend on how
carefu lly you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become comp letely familiar with the way
your vehicle- trailer combination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is d ifficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler generally requires
stee ring action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turn ing radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
celerate as fast as you normally would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, allow
p lenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 282 .
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If i t can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol ­
lowing:
When parking:
.. Apply the foot brake.
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels.
Trailer towing 203
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.. Apply the parking brake.
.. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When re starting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Select the
0/5 selector lever position.
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
matic transmission to
P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
lat er to move the lever out of the
P posi­
tion.
•
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246 Tires and wheels
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­ duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
.,.Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 248, fig. 176) to de­
termine the designated load
rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends
on a lot of different things in­
cluding proper installation and
balancing, correct tire pressure
and driving style.
Fig. 174 Tire tread: tread wear indi­
cators (TWI)
Fig. 175 Rotating tires for more even
wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehi­
cle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm)
high "wear indicators"
¢ fig. 174 running across the
tread. Depending on the make,
there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the
tire. Marks on the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions
of the tread wear indicators.
Worn tires must be replaced. Different figures may apply in
other countries
¢ .&. .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes
premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out. For this
reason, tire press ure must be
checked at least once a month
¢page 240.

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.
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Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumper cables to start the en­
gine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
nal clamps which are distinctly marked :
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black.
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
injury. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shield your eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before
Emergency situations 273
connecting a jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery completely, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin. Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the battery.
- The voltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of different voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an explosion and personal in­
JU ry.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
-Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an explosion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢
page 214.
(D Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
control units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,. •
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•

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installed. Make sure the cables do not get
caught in moving engine components .
11. Sw itch the heater fan and rear window de-
froster off.
12. Close the battery cover.
The battery is vented to the outside so that not gases enter the passenger compartment.
Make sure that the connected positive termi­
nal clamps on the jump start cable have suff i­
cient contact with metal.
A WARNING
Follow the warn ings and instructions from
the jump start cable manufacturer to re­ duce the risk of serious injuries and vehicle
damage .
If you are uns ure abo ut anything,
call roadside assistance.
- T he jump start cables must be long
enough so that the vehicles do not
touch.
- Route the jump sta rt cab les so they can­
not get ca ught in the moving parts in the
engine compartment .
- Always read and follow the warnings be­
fore checking anything in the engine
compartment <=>
page 214.
(D Note
Correctly jump start cables incorre ctly can
destroy the a lternator .
- Always connect the positive term inal(+)
to the positive terminal( +) and the neg ­
ative termina l (-) to the negative termi ­
nal(-) on the body ground point, but not
the negative termina l on the battery.
- Make sure the screw plugs on the batte ry
ce lls are insta lled securely. If not, tight­
en the plugs before connecting the
clamps to the negat ive termina l on the
battery.
- P lease note that the connecting process
described be low for the jump start ca­
bles is intended for when your vehicle is
being jump started. If you are jump
starting another vehicle, do not connect
the negat ive cab le to the negative termi­
nal(·) on the drained battery, but rathe r
Emerg en cy si tuation s 275
connect it to a large metal component
that is bolted securely to the engine
bloc k, or to the engine block itsel f. If the
battery in the vehicle being jump started
is not vented to the outside, there is a
r isk of explosion due to hydrogen gas.
- Make sure that the connected positive
terminal clamps have sufficient contact
with metal.
- Do not use the battery negat ive terminal
for jump start ing or a malfunct ion could
occur in the vehicle electrical system.
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow ­
ing .
The following information is to be used by
commerc ial tow truck operators who know
how to operat e th eir equipment safely.
- Never to w you r Aud i. Towing will cause
damage to the engine and tran smission.
- Nev er wra p the s afety ch ains or wi nch ca­
bles a round the brake li nes.
- To p revent unnece ssary dam age , your Aud i
must be t ranspo rted with a flat bed truck.
- To load the vehicle on to the fl at bed , us e
the towing loop fo und in the vehicle tool s
and attach to the front o r rear anchorage
<=> page 2 76 and <=> page 2 76.
A WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas­
sengers. Neve r allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle be ing towed, fo r any reason.
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