2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET warning light

110 Automatic transmission
Automatic
transmission S tronic-transmission
Introduction
Appl ies to vehicles: with S tro nic tr ansmiss ion
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronical­
ly-controlled DSG transmission called S tronic.
Two independent clutches transfer the power
between the engine and transmission. It al­
lows the vehicle to accelerate without a no­
ticeable interruption in traction .
The transmission upshifts or downshifts auto­
matically. The driving style continuously influ­
ences the selection of the driving program.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economica l
driving mode. The transmission upshifts at a
lower RPM and downshifts at a higher RPM to
improve fuel efficiency.
The transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac­
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera­
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) o page 115,
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode).
Selector lever positions
A pp lies to vehicles: with S tro nic tr ansmiss ion
Fig. 105 Instrument cluste r: selector leve r positions
The instrument cluster display shows the cur­
rent selector lever position and current gear .
P -Park
The wheels are mechanically locked in this po­
s iti on. You can only shift into Park when the
vehicle is
stationary o &..
To shift in and out of the P selector lever posi­
tion, press the interlock button in the selector
lever
while pressing the brake peda l.
R- Reverse
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed
o &. .
To select the R selector lever position, press
the interlock button
while pressing the brake
pedal. The back-up lights switch on in the R
pos ition if the ignition is switched on .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this position.
D/S - Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S selector lever position, the trans ­
mission can be operated either in the normal
D mode or in the S sport mode. To select the S
sport mode, pull the selector lever back brief­
ly. Pulling the lever back again will select the
normal D mode . The instrument cluster dis­
play shows the selected driving mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv­
ing style .
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes full use of the engine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeable when
acce lerat ing .
To move from selector lever position N to D,
you must press the brake pedal and the vehi­
cle must be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/
h) or be stationary
o &. .
,&. WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS.
- The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched
off. .__ _____________ __J~

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 . .,._

114 Automatic tran smi ssion
the overload. The ml indicator light
turns on and a message appears
¢ page 116 when the clutch is overload­
ed .
- If the engine must run while you are
working in the eng ine compartment with
the hood open, make sure a gear is not
engaged. The selector lever must be
firmly in the
P pos it ion and locked in
place and the pa rking brake must be set
¢ page 214. Otherwise, the veh icle
cou ld beg in moving when the eng ine
speed is high, even with the parking
brake set.
@ Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator peda l while a driving gear
i s selected. This can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat and can dam­
age it. Set the park ing brake or press the
brake pedal to prevent t he veh icle from
r o lli ng .
- Allow ing the vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
i n the N pos ition will damage the auto­
matic transmission beca use it is not lu­
bricated unde r those circu mstances.
- The transm ission can ove rheat and be
damaged under certa in driving and traf­
fic conditions such as frequent starts,
creeping for a long time, or s top-and -go
traff ic. W hen the
ml or . indicator
li ght turns on, stop the vehicle at the
next oppo rtunity and let the transmis ­
s ion coo l
¢ page 116 .
- Allow ing the ve hicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped w ill damage the 5 tron ic
transmission because it is not lubricated
¢ page 2 75, Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake re­
leases automatically only when the driver's
door is closed and dr iver's safety be lt is
fastened.
Hill descent control
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tronic transm iss io n
Hill descent control assists the driver when
driving down hills .
Hill descent contro l is activated when these­
lector lever is in the Dor 5 position and you
press the brake pedal. The transm ission auto­
matically selects a gear that is su itab le for the
incl ine. Hill descent cont ro l tries to ma inta in
t h e speed ac hieved at the t ime of b raking,
within physica l and tec hni cal limitations. If
may sti ll be necessary to ad just the speed
with the brakes . Because hill descent control
cannot shift down farther than 3rd gea r, it
may be necessary to sh ift into t iptronic mode
i n very steep areas . In this case, shift into 1st
or 2nd gear in t iptron ic mode to use the en­
gine's brak ing force to relieve the brakes .
Hill descent contro l sw itches off once the h ill
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise contro l system*
¢ page 85, hill descent control is also activat ­
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING
--
H ill descent control cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be ab le
to maintain a constant speed unde r a ll
conditions. A lways be ready to apply the
b rakes.

116 Automatic tran smi ssio n
Launch Control-Program
Ap plies to vehicles: with launch co ntrol
The Launch Control Program enables maxi­
mum acceleration .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
• With the engine running, press the
l~ OFFI
button briefly one time ll .
• Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S
position briefly to select the S position, or
press it toward the rig ht into the tipt ronic
pos it ion or select the
dynami c driving mode
in drive select*
~ page 107.
• Press the brake peda l firmly with your left
f oot and hold it all the way down for at least
1 second .
.. At the same time, press the gas peda l all the
way down with your right foot unti l the en­
gine reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
• Remove your left foot from the brake.
A WARNING
- Always adapt your driving to the traffic
flow.
- Only use Launch Contro l when road and
t raff ic conditions a llow it and othe r driv­
ers w ill not be endangered or impacted
by you r driv ing and the veh icle's acceler­
ation.
- Please note that the drive whee ls can
spin and the vehicle can brea k away
when sport mode is sw itched on, espe­
cially when the road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has s tarted moving,
press the
I ~ OFF ! button br iefly to turn
the sport mode off.
@ Tips
- The transm ission tempera ture may in­
crease significantly after using the
l ) In vehicles with a drive r inform ation system, an ESC
l ig ht in t he in strume nt cl us te r stays on cont inuously
and the m essage
Stabili zatio n co ntrol (ESC): spo rt.
W arn ing! Restricted st ability
appears te mpo rarily.
Launch Control Program . If that hap ­
pens, the program may not be availab le
for a few minutes . It will be ava ilable
again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the Launch
Contro l Program, all vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads. Th is can lead to
increased wear.
Emergency mode
Applies to vehicles: wit h S tronic transm issio n
In the event of a system malfunction, there is
an emergency program.
If all of the selector lever positions are high­
li ghted with a light background in the instru­
ment cluster d isp lay, there is a system mal­
funct ion and the S tronic transmission is run­
ning in the emergency program . The vehicle
can still be driven in emergency mode, but on­
ly w it h reduced speed and not in all gears. In
some cases, the ve hicl e
cann ot driv e in re ­
v e rs e .
d) Note
If the transmission runs in emergency
mode, drive to your author ized Audi dealer
or q ualified repa ir fa cility immed iate ly to
have the ma lf u nct ion corrected.
Transmission malfunction
• Tran smi ssion m alfu ncti on! Please st op
the vehicle and select P
T he re is a malfunction in the transmiss ion .
Park the ve hicle securely and do not continue
driv ing. See an authorized A udi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
• Tran smi ssion o verheating! Plea se stop
the vehicle!
The transm iss ion is too hot and can become
damaged . Stop and let the t ransmission cool .,.

M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Parking systems
General information
Appl ies to vehicles: with rea r parking sys te m s/park ing
system pl us/rearv iew camera
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, vari­
ous parking aids w ill help you when parking
and maneuvering.
The
r ea r p arking sys te m is an audible parking
aid that warns you of obstacles
behind the ve­
hicle
~ page 120 .
T he
p ar kin g syste m plus assists you when
parking by audibly and visually indicat ing ob­
jects detected
in front of and behind the vehi­
cle
~ page 120.
T he
re ar view came ra shows the area behind
the veh icle in the MMI display . This display as­
sists you when you are cross or para llel park­
ing. The park ing system plus functions are al­
so available
r::!;> page 121.
A WARNING ,-
- Always look for traff ic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it di­
rectly as well. The parking system cannot
replace the driver 's attent ion. The driver
is always respons ible when entering or
leaving a parking space and during simi­
lar maneuvers .
- Please note that some surfaces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system .
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
wh ich people and objects cannot be de­
tected . Be especially cautious of small
children and animals.
- Always pay attention to the area around
the vehicle -using the rearview mirror,
too .
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts
or damage to the radiator grille, bumper ,
wheel housing and the unde rbody . The
par king system may become impai red as
a result. Have an authorized Aud i dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility check
their function .
Parking system s 119
-Make sure the sensors are not obstructed
by st ickers, deposits or other materials.
If they are, the sensor function could be impaired. For additional information on
cleaning, refer to~
page 204 .
(D Note
-Some objects are not detected or dis­
played by the system under certain cir­
cumstances:
- Objects such as ba rrier chains, trailer
draw bars, vertical po les or fences
- Objects above the senso rs such as wall
extensions
- Objects w ith specific surfaces or st ruc­
tures such as chain link fences or pow­ der snow
- If you continue d riving closer to a low-ly­
ing object, it may disappear from the
sensor range . Note that you wi ll no lon­
ger be warned about this obstacle.
- T he sensors can be displaced by impacts
or damage to the radiato r grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The park ing system may become impaired as
a result. Have an authori zed Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility check
their function .
{!) Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cov­
erage area in some situations, such as:
- certain road su rfaces or for long grass.
- externa l ult rason ic sources e.g. from
clean ing vehicles.
- heavy ra in , snow, or thick vehicle ex­
haust.
- We recommend that you practice park­
ing in a traff ic-free location or par king
lot to become familiar w ith the system.
When doing this , the re should be good
light and weather cond itions.
- Yo u can change the vo lume and pitch of
the signals as we ll as the disp lay
r::!;> page 125.

126 Driving saf ety
Driving safety
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures described in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
- Always adjust your speed to the weather
traffi c and conditions. Follow the speed
limits.
- Always drive in su ch a way that you can
stop your vehicle sa fely .
- Always adjus t your speed to the general
flow of traffic. Fo llow the speed limits.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety a nd the safety of your passengers
shou ld not be left to chance . Advances in
tec hno logy have made a variety of features
ava ilable to help reduce the r is k of injury in an
a cciden t. T he following is a lis t of just a few of
the safety features in yo ur Audi:
- sophisticated safety be lts fo r d rive r and all
passe nger sea ting posit io ns,
- safety b elt pretens ioners,
- safety belt force lim iters fo r the front seats,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats*
- side airbags in the front seats,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child re -
s traints,
- he ad restr aints for e ach sea ting pos ition,
- ad justab le steeri ng colum n.
- pre sense basic* (preventat ive passenger
protect ion)
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to he lp p rotect you and
yo ur passengers in a wide range of accidents .
T hese features cannot work as a system if
t h ey a re not always cor re ct ly adjusted and co r­
re ct ly used .
Safety is everybody' s re sponsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.. Make s ure that all lights and signa ls are op­
erating correctly .
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and af -
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide . ..,_

....,
N
r--. > co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
.. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
r=> page 65, r::!;>page 65.
.. Make sure that nothing can interfere w ith
the pedals .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correct ly for your height .
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
stra ints according to their height .
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children
r=> page 169 ,
Child Safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
r=:>page 60,
Front seats .
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it proper ly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly
r=> page 138 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants. If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you a lso become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
r=> ,&..
Therefore:
.,. Do not let you rself be dist racted by passen­
gers or by us ing a cellular telephone .
.. NEVE R dr ive when yo ur dr iv ing ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traffic laws, ru les of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense.
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions .
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used.
Driving safety 127
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 123 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing position:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi ­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
r::!;> &,.
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact w ith it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that th ere is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone r=:>
fig. 123. If not possible, see your au ­
thorized Audi dealership about adaptive
equipment .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. For adjustable head restra ints: Adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possible with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as poss ible. Move the head restraint so that
it is as close to the back of the head as pos-
sible . .,.

138 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts are nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the information that fo llows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means avai lab le to reduce the risk of se­
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrectly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns m ust also use safety
belts. Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions: two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat­
ing position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases th e risk of ser ious
pe rsonal i njury and deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in­
cl uding small ch ild ren, into any belt.
It is
e speci ally dange rous to pla ce a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in the ve hicl e
than there are s afe ty be lts avail able. -
Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe ­
ty belt or child restra int.
t Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importance
of buckling-up .
Fi g. 130 Safety belt warni ng light in the instrument
cluster -en larged
Before driv ing off, alway s:
.. Fasten yo ur safety belt and make su re you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make s ure that your passengers also buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect childre n w ith a child restraint sys-
tem app ropriate for the s ize and age.
The warn ing light . in the instrument clus­
ter lights up when the ign ition is on as a re­
minder to fasten the safety be lts. In addition,
you w ill hear a warn ing tone for a ce rtai n pe ri­
od of t ime.
Fasten you r safety belt and make sure that
your pass eng ers also properly put on the ir
s afety belt s.
A WARNING .....=-
-Safety b elts are the s ingle most eff ect ive
means avai lable to reduce t he ri sk of se­
rio us inju ry and de ath in au tomobile a cci­
dents. Fo r you r protection and that of
your passengers, a lways cor rectly wear
safety belts when t he vehicle is moving .