2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET lights

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 .,..
•
•
•

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 ..,.

M N
" > co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
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 •
•
•

M N
" > co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Care and cleanin g 207
Component Situ ation Solution
D ispl ays
Deposits Soft clotlh with LCD cleaner
Controls Deposits Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Sa fet y bel ts Deposits Mild soap solution a>, allow to dry before letting them
retract
Te xtil es, Deposits adher ing to Vacuum cleaner
a rtificial l eather, the surface
Alc ant ara Water-based depos- Absorbernt cloth and mild soap solutional
its such as coffee,
tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Apply a mild soap solution al, blot away the disso lved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special depos its Spec
ial stain remover, b lot with absorbent material,
such as ink, nail po l- t reat afterward with mild soap solution, if necessary a)
ish, latex paint, shoe
polish, etc.
Natur al le ather Fresh stains Wool cloth with a m
ild soap solutional
Water-based depos- Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
its such as coffee, Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
tea, blood, etc.
Oi l-based deposits Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special deposits Spot remover suitable for leather
such as ink, nail po l-
ish, latex paint, shoe
polish, etc.
Care Regularly apply condit ioning cream that protects from
l ight and penetrates into the mater ial. Use specially-
colored conditioning cream, if necessary .
Car bon part s Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solut ion : max imum two tablespoons neutral soap in a liter of water
A WARNING
The windshield may not be treated with
water-repelling windsh ie ld coating agents.
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
da rkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is a lso
possible.
- Headlight s/tail light s
-
-Never clean headlights or tail lights
with a dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form.
-Wheels
- Neve r use any pa int polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repa ired immediately .
-Se nsor s/camera l ense s
•
•
•

M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
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-
•
•
•

M N
" > co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Always check with your authorized Audi
deale r to make s ure you are using the
correct brake f luid. The correct type of
b rake fluid is a lso indicated on the
b rake fluid reservoir .
- The brake f luid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fl uid is left in t he system too
long. This ca n ser ious ly aff ect th e effi­
ciency of the bra kes a s well as yo ur
safety. This could resul t in an accid ent.
(D Note
Brake fl uid will damage the paint of your
ve hicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessa ry expert ise, we
recom mend tha t you have t he b rake fluid
changed by your aut hor ized Audi de aler.
Battery
General information
The batte ry in you r Audi does not need any
maintenance unde r
normal operating condi­
tions . Aud i recommends having the elect ro­
l y te level check by a n author ized Audi dealer
or author ized A udi Se rv ice F acili ty when there
a re
high outside tempe ra tur es or when dr iv ing
all day. The e lec trolyte level sho uld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 225.
Have the bat tery c hecked w hen you br ing yo ur
ve hicl e in for an inspec tion. I t is a good idea
to re place the battery if it is mo re than 5 years
old .
D uring certa in types of a irbag deploymen ts,
t he bat tery is disconnected from the vehi cle
e lectrical system fo r safety reasons ~ &.
in
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 162.
Checking and Fillin g 223
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehi cle fu nctions (such as power w in ­
dows) a re not ava ilable when the batte ry is
disco nnected . These fu nctions must be p ro­
grammed afte r the battery is reconnected . To
avo id hav ing to do this, only disconnect the
battery from the vehicle electrical system
whe n that is necessary to perform repairs .
To reprogram the functions, proceed as fo l­
lows:
Function Reprogramming
Power window one -¢ page 40, Correcting
touch up/down power window ma/-
function functions
Remo te control key If the vehicle does no t
or r
eact to the key, i t
convenience key must be synchronized
¢ page33
Dig ita l cl ock ¢pag e 10
ESC indicator light The indicator light
goes out after driv ing
a few meters
Not running the vehicle for long period s
of time
If you do not drive your vehicle fo r several
days or weeks, elect rical componen ts are
gradua lly reduc ed o r switched off. This re­
duces e nergy consumption and maintai ns the
vehicle 's ability to star t ove r a long per iod of
t ime ~
page 193. Some co nvenience func­
tions, s uch as in terior lighting or power sea ts*
may not work . These convenience functions
will be ava ilab le again once you switc h the ig­
nit ion on and sta rt the engine.
Winter operation
D uring the winte r mon ths, i t is common for
the battery capacity to dec rease as the tem ­
peratures become lower . This is because more
power is needed to start the vehicle and com ­
ponents such as the head lights and the rear
window defogger are used more frequently . .,..
•
•
•

....,
N
r--. > co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
-Do not interchange the positive and neg­
ative cables .
- When working on the battery , be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca ­
ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec ­
trical system , switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a fro zen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
fro zen, then it must be replaced. A dead
battery can freeze over at 32°F (O°C) .
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion ! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
Checking and Filling 225
-Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems . Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en­ gine is running, otherwise, you will dam­
age electronic components in the electri­
cal system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven ,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fig. 170 E ngin e compar tmen t: co nn ecto rs fo r a charg­
e r and jump st art ca bles
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
c:::> ,& and c:::> ,& in Working on the battery on
page
224 .
.,. Switch off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers .
.,. Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery.
.,. Open the engine hood
c:::> page 215 .
.,. Open the red cov er on the pos itive pole
c:::> fig. 170.
.,. Clamp the cha rger termin al clamps as in­
structed on the
battery terminal(+) and on-
l y on the
body ground point(-) . .,._

2 70 Fuses and bulbs
Interior fuse assignment
No. Equipment Ampere
Fl 3 Adaptive dampers contro
l
20
module
Fl4 Climate
control system
30
blower
Fl S E
lectronic steering column
10
lock
Fl6 MM I area 7.5
Fl7 Instrument cluster 5
Fl8 Rearview camera
7.5
F l9 Convince key
system control
7.5
module, tank system
F20 Tank system
7.5
F23 E
xterior lighti ng, heated
40
washe r fl ui d nozzles
Panorama sunroof/ power
F24 top control module, power 20/30
Fig. 192 Vehicle inter ior : fuse assignment top latch (Cabriolet)
No. Equipment Ampere
F25 Door/dr
iver's side doors (for
30
example power windows)
Fl Engine components 30 F26 Seat heat
ing 30
F2 Seat adjustment 10 F27
Sound-amplif
ier
30
F3 Hydraulic pump
cover (Cab-
40
riolet) F28
Power top control module,
5
elect ro ni cs (Cabr io let)
F4 M
M co ntrols, M MI-compo-
7.5
nents F29
Inte
rior lights
7.5
F3 1 E xterior lighting
40
F5 Gateway
5
F32 Driver ass istance systems 7.5
F 6 Anti-theft a
larm system
s F33 Airbag 5
Climate/heating control, se-
Button illumination, coils
lector lever (automatic
for upper cab in heating relay
F7 transmission), park ing heat- 10
er, rear window heater re lay F34 (Cabriolet) and socket relay,
7.5
in ter ior sound, back-up light
coil switch, temperature sensor,
Diagnosis, electrical parking oil level sensor
F 8 brake
switch, light switch,
10
rain/ light sensor, interior
light ing Diagnosis, headlight range
F35 co
ntrol system, a ir quality
10
sensor, a utomat ic dimming
F9 Steering column
switch
1
module
Fl0 D isp lay 5 rearview mir
ror
F36 Right
corner ing light/ right
15
LED-headlight
Fll Reversible driver's
side safe-
25
ty belt tensioners F37
Left corner
ing light/ left
15
L E D- headlight
Fl 2 M MI area 15/20