2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET Owners Manual

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than the posted speed limit and weather con­
ditions permit. Reducing unnecessary idling
Even wh en your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
.,. Shu t the engine off when you a re not dr iv ing
the vehi cle.
... Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle.
It is effic ient to switch off the eng ine when
stopped at railroad crossings and long red
lights. Turning the engine
off for just 30-40
seconds saves more fu el than is burned by
starting the engine again.
It takes a long time fo r the engine to wa rm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However , wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is wa rming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the eng ine and
avoid running at h igh RPM while the engine is
still warm ing up.
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting. If warning lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
p roduces heat, which cou ld result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other prope rty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
.,. Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals.
H aving your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . T he condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects fuel
c onsum ption.
Dri ving and the en vironm ent 199
Chec k your oil e ach t ime you fill your tank.
T he amou nt of oi l used is re lated to engine
load a nd speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output .
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Ma in­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion cont ro l system and cou ld lead
t o damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as hea t shie lds, switches, ign ition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips.
... Try to avoid dr iving sho rt distances with a
cold engine .
T he eng ine and catalytic conve rter have to
reach their optimal operati ng t emperature to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis­
sions effectively.
Just after starting, a co ld eng ine in a mid-s ize
ca r only achieves a fuel economy of 6 -8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg ..,.
•
•
•

200 Driving and the environment
(20 l/100 km). After about 2.5 m iles (4 km),
the engine is at its proper operating tempera­
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possible.
The
outside temperature is also critical in this
regard. Your car cons umes more fuel in the
winter than in the summer.

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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 .,..
•
•
•

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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•

204 Care and cleaning
Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, prope r care helps to maintain your
vehicle's val ue . It can also be a requirement
when submitting warranty claims for corro­ sion damage and paint defects on the body.
The necessary care products can be obtained
from your authorized Audi dea ler . Read and
follow the instructions for use on the packag ­
ing.
A WARNING
- Us ing clean ing and care products incor­
rect ly can be dangerous to your hea lth.
- Always store cleaning and care products
out of reach of children to reduce the r isk
of po ison ing.
-
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not d ispose o f leftover cleaning and
care p rod ucts with household trash.
Car washes
The longer that deposits such as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road salt rema in on the
ve hicle, the more the surface can be dam­
aged . High temperatures such as those
caused by sunlight inc rease the damag ing ef­
fect .
Before washing, rinse
off heavy depos its with
p lenty of water .
Stubborn deposits s uch as bird droppings or
tree sap are best removed with plenty of wa­
ter and a m icrofiber cloth.
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stops be ing used for the season.
Pressure washers
When w ash ing your ve hicl es w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the oper ating instr uc­
tions provided with the pressure washer. This is especially important in rega rd to the p res- sure and sp
raying distance. Do not di rect the
stream of water directly onto seals for the
s ide windows, doors, luggage compartment
li d or hood or onto the tires, rubber hoses, in­
su lating materia l, the power top, sensors* or
camera lenses*. Keep a d istance of at least 16
i nches (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles .
T he wate r temperature m ust not be above
140
° F (60 °().
Automat ic car washes
Sp ray off the veh icle befo re washing.
Make sure that the w indows and power top
are closed and the winds hield wipers are
off.
Follow instructions from the ca r wash opera­
tor, especially if the re a re accessories attach­
ed to yo ur vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the veh icle starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free clean ing products .
Washing vehicle s with matte fini sh paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and fi nger ­
pri nts are best removed with a special cleane r
fo r matte finish paint .
Apply the prod uct us ing a microfiber cloth. To
avo id damag ing the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi­
c rofiber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy.

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Care and cleanin g 205
& WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operato r to reduce the risk
of accidents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the whee l housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter . The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat io ns.
{[) Note
- If you wash th e vehicle in an automatic
ca r wash, yo u m ust fold the exterior m ir­
ro rs in to reduce the r isk of damage to
the mirrors . Power foldi ng exterior m ir­
r o rs* must o nly be folded in and out us­
i ng the power folding function.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
th e veh icle in direc t sun ligh t. -
To reduce the r is k of damage, do no t
wash the powe r top with a pressure
washer.
- To reduce the r is k of damage to the sur­
face, do not use i nsect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surfac e, do not use polishi ng agents or
ha rd wax.
- Neve r use prot ective wax. It can de­
stroy the matte fin is h effect.
- Do not place any stickers o r magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w it h
ma tte fi nish pa in t. The pa int cou ld be
da maged whe n the stickers o r m ag nets
ar e removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash t he ve hicl e in facili ties spe cially
d es igned for th at p urpose . Th is will re duce
the r is k of d irty wate r contam ina ted with
oil from entering t he sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and caring for individua l vehi­
cle components, refe r to the fo llow ing tab les .
The informa tion contained there is s imp ly rec­
ommendations. Fo r quest ions or for compo -n
ents that are not listed , refer to an author­
i z ed Audi dea ler. Also follow the info rma tion
fo und in ~ &, .
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Wind shield wip-
Deposits ¢ page 54, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
er bl ade s
Headlights /
Deposits Soft sponge with a m ild soap solution3>
Tail lights
Sensors /
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth w ith a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ ice Hand brush/so
lve nt-free de -icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid
-free special cleaning so lu tion
E x haust tail Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for stainless steel, if
pipes necessary •
•
•

206 Care and cleaning Component Situation Solution
Powe r top
Deposits Clean water, power top cleaning product,
if necessary.
Clean with the g rain of the fab ric using a soft br ush and
allow to air dry .
Wind deflector Deposits W
ater, m ild soap so lution, if ne cessa rya>
Decorative Deposits Mild soap solution a) if necessary a clea ning so lution
parts/ s u itable fo r stai nless stee l
trim
Paint
Paint damage Refer t
o the paint number on the vehicle data la bel, re-
pair
wi th touch up pa int c:> page 279
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immed ia tely
Surface rust R ust remove r, then protect wit h hard wax; for ques-
t ions, refer t o an a uthorized Audi dealer.
Cor rosion Have i t removed by an autho riz e d Aud i deal er.
Wate r no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean pa int
N o shi ne even
Treat w ith suitable po lish; then app ly paint protectant if
tho ugh paint has the polish that was used does not contain any protec-
been p rotected/ tant
pa int looks poo r
Deposi ts such as in- D
ampen wi th w ater immed iate ly and remove with a m i-
sects, bird drop -
crofiber clot h
pi ngs , tree sap a nd
road salt
G re ase-base d con- Re
move immedia tely wi th a mild soap so lu tion a) and a
ta minant s su ch as so ft clo th
cosme tics or sun -
bloc k
Carbon parts Deposits clean the same way as pai nted pa rts c:> pag e 204, Car
washes
Decorative dee· Deposits Soft sponge w
ith a m ild so ap solution a>
als
a) Mild soap so lu tio n: max imum tw o tab les poon s neut ral s oap in a lite r of wa te r
Internal cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Deposits Glass cleaner, then w ipe dry
Decorative Deposits Mild soa
p solutional
parts/
trim
Plastic parts
Deposi ts Damp clo th
Heavier deposits Mild soap solution a>, detergent-free p lastic clea ning
so lution, if necessary