2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET ESP

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
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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.
•
•
•

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 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
•
•
•

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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, ..,.
•
•
•

214 Check ing and F illin g
•Pullon the cover carefu lly ¢ fig. 162. The
tab on the cover must point forward in the direction you are pulling when pu lling on
the cover.
• To open the fuel filler door, press on the left
side
¢ page 212, fig . 160 .
{Q) Note
Only pull on the cover unt il you feel resist­
ance. You will not hear it release . Other­
w ise you could damage the emergency re­
lease mechanism.
Hood
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the engine compartment
F o r w ork in th e eng in e c omp artm ent su ch as
c h ecking and fi llin g fluid s, t he re i s a risk of
inj ury, sca lding, accid ents, a nd b urn s. Fo r
thi s re aso n, follow all the follow in g listed
war ning s and ge neral safety p recaution s.
T he engine compartment is a d ang ero us
area. ¢,& .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injur ies, complete the
following steps before opening the hood:
- Turn the engine off.
- Switch the ignition off.
- Set the parking brake.
- Place the selector lever in the P position .
- Let the engine coo l down.
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam o r coolant drips from the engine
c ompartment- there is a danger of
burns! Wait until no steam or coolant
flows out.
- Keep chi ldren away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill flu ids on a hot eng ine. These
fluids (such as the freeze protection con­
tained in the coolant) can catch fire .
- Avo id short circuits in the electrical sys­
tem, especially the battery . -
When working in the engine compart­
ment, remember that the radiator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
sw itched off, which increases the risk of
personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant ex­
pans ion tank when the eng ine is warm.
The cooling system is unde r pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms
from hot steam or coolant, cover the cap
with a large cloth when opening .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns .
- If tests need to be performed with the engine runn ing, there is add itiona l dan­
ge r due to moving components (such as
the ribbed belt, generator and radiator
fan) and from the high voltage ignit ion
system.
- Never reach into the radiator fan. The
electric auxilia ry fan is controlled by
temperature and can switch on sudden ly .
- Pay attention to the fo llow ing warnings
listed when work on the fuel system or
on the e lectrica l equipment is required.
- Always disconnect the vehicle battery
from the vehicle e lectr ical system
- Do not smoke
- Never work near open flames
- Always have a working fire exting uisher
nearby
- To reduce the risk of electric s hock and
inj ury, never touch the fo llowing compo­
nents when the engine is running or is
be ing started :
- Ig nition cable
- Other compone nts in the electronic
high voltage ign it ion system
- If you must check or perform work on the eng ine while it is runn ing:
- Set the parking brake and place these­
lector lever in the P (park) position
first.
- Always proceed with extreme caution
so that clot hing, jewe lry or long hai r do
not become caught in the radiator fan, ..,.

220 Check ing and F illin g
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oi l, f irst make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden so il, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q ui res little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ia lly condi tioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol -based coolant addi -
tive G l3 antifreeze with anticorrosion addi­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
models). This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost pro tection and protec ts metal com­
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling . It also raises the boil­
i ng po int of the coo lant .
Do not red uce the concentr ation of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add iti ve mu st be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficie n­
cy.
If t he coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and engine cooling system. F
or year -ro und driving, antifreeze is added a t
the factory for temperatures down to :
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40°F ( -40°C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended .
.&, WARNING "---
Before you c hec k anyth ing in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS ~
page 214.
0 Note
- Before wi nter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
ma te conditions. This is especi ally impo r­
tan t if you live in a reg ion where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold . If necessary, in­
crease the p roportion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n adding coolant additive to yo ur
cooling system, remembe r:
- We recommend us ing on ly coola nt ad­
d itive Gl2++ or Gl3 (check the labe l)
fo r your vehicle. This coolant additive is
a va ila ble at au thorize d Au di dea le rs.
Other types of antifreeze can sign ifi­
ca ntly reduce corrosion p rotection. The
resu lting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to yo ur vehicle's engine coolant .
Add ing radiator repair f luid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and cou ld resu lt in
damage not covered by you r New Ve hicle
Limited Warranty.

224 Check ing and F illin g
Avoid using power unnecessarily, especially in
city driving or on short trips. Have your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv ­
ice Facility check the battery capacity before
the start of winter
c;,page 225. A well-charg­
ed battery will not only reduce starting prob ­
lems in cold weather, but it w ill also last lon­
ger .
A WARNING
-
-Wor k on the battery requires expert
knowledge. Contact your authorized Audi
dealer qualified repair facility for infor­
mation regarding the vehicle battery .
There is a risk for chemical burns or ex­
plosions.
- Never open the vehicle battery. Do not
t ry to change the battery e lectrolyte lev­
el. Otherwise exp losive gas will escape
from the battery and increase the risk of
an exp losion .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is not driven for severa l
weeks in very cold temperat ures, remove
the battery and store it in a place where it
w ill not freeze. This prevents the battery
from being damaged and need ing to be re ­
placed .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery .
The battery is located in the luggage comp art­
ment under the floor . Before you check any­
thing in the luggage compartment,
re ad and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,& .
Always heed the s afet y warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec ­
tr ica l system to preve nt injury .
The following WARNINGS are very
i mp ortan t wh en wo rking on th e battery :
Alw ay s hee d the followin g WARNING SYM ·
BOL S and safety pr ecaution s when w orking
on the battery.
®
Alwa ys wear eye prote ction .
&
Battery acid contain s sulfuri c acid.
Always wear glov es and e ye protec-
tion.
@
No
· spark s
· flames
· smoking .
~
When a battery is charged, it produ-
ces hyd rogen gas which is ex plosi ve
and could caus e personal injury.
®
Alwa ys keep th e batt ery well out of
rea ch of children .
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
i njury, accident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery ac id or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes.
Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other inju ry.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns .
- Always wear g loves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the ventilat ion open­
ings.
- If you get battery ac id in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
med ica l attent ion.
- If you shou ld ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open
f lame, e lectr ic sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke .
-