2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET engine

140 Safety belts
occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 133. This imp act
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
t hey had just before the crash.
Never rely on a irbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and othe r passen­
gers ~
fig. 134. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true !
Fig. 135 Driver is co rr ect ly re strain ed in a sudd en brak­
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement tha t can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing " the kinetic energy over a longer
period of ti me, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags , for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is no t enough decelera tion
through impact to the front of the vehicle .
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

188 Smart Technology
Smart Technology
Information about
data recorded by
vehicle control
modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with a crash data
recorder. This device is insta lled by some vehi­
cle manufacturers to record data about crash ­
es so tha t it can be analy zed later. Crash data
recorders are also called "Event Data Record­
ers (EDR)" .
In some legal jurisdictions, it is not permitted
to access or download data recorded by pre­
installed crash data recorders in order to eval­
uate a crash without clear consent of the vehi ­
cle owner .
Your veh icle is not equipped with a crash data
recorder. However it does contain a var iety of
e lectronic control modules for various vehicle
systems such as eng ine funct ion, exhaust
treatment or airbags and safety belts .
These electron ic control modules record vehi­
cle data during normal driv ing for diagnosis
and repair purposes. The recording capab ility
of the electron ic control modules is lim ited to
data only- no sound is reco rded.
If t he control
mo dule detects a sys tem m alfu nction or other
change in sta tus, a very lim ited amount of da­
ta is recorded for an extreme ly sma ll period of
time . Data t hat is recorded in s uch a case may
include veh icle speed, driving direction, the
load on the brakes and head restraints and
performance in the event of an acc iden t or
other change in status . The stored data can
only be read o r down loaded w ith specia l dev i­
ces.
Electronic stabilization
control (ESC)
Description
The E lectronic Stabilization Cont rol (ESC) con­
tr ibutes to d river safety. It reduces the risk of
slipp ing and improves driving stability. ESC detects critical situations such as the veh
icle
oversteering and understeering or the whee ls
are spinning . The vehicle is stabilized by ap­
plying the brakes or reducing engine torq ue.
Once the ESC is activated, the ind icator light
Bl blinks in the instrument cluster .
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti -lock braking s ystem (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking when
braking . The vehicle can still be steered even
during hard braking . App ly steady pressure to
the brake peda l. Do not pump the peda l. A
puls ing in the brake peda l ind icates that the
system is act ing to stabilize the ve hicle.
Brake assi st sy st e m
The brake assist system can decrease braking
distance .
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You m ust press and hold the
brake pedal until the dangerous situation is
over . In vehicles with adaptive cruise control*,
the brake assist system is more sens it ive if the
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti-slip regu lation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin sp inning and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
sta rt , accelerate and dr ive up inclines .
Electronic differenti al lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes whee ls that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with
all wheel drive *). This function is not ava ilable
at h igher speeds .
In extreme cases, EDL automatically sw itches
off to keep t he b rake on the braked wheel
from overheat ing. The ve hicle is still working
co rrect ly. EDL w ill switch o n aga in automat i­
ca lly when cond itions have ret urned to no r-
mal. .,._

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"' rl
Stee ring re comm endat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by
changing the steering torque.
Selective wheel torqu e control
Select ive wheel torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in­
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
This a llows more precise driving in curves.
Automatic post -collisi on brakin g system
The "Automatic post-collision braking system "
can help to reduce the risk of slidi ng and of
other coll is ions afte r an accident. I f the airbag
con tro l modu le detects a collision above ace r­
tain vehicle speed, the vehicle is braked by the
ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the braking force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle
electrical system are not functioning.
A WARNING
-The ESC and its integrated systems can­
not overcome the limits posed by natura l
physical laws. This is especially impor ­
tant on s lippery or wet roads. If the sys-
Switching on/off
Sm art Te chnol og y 189
terns beg in acting to stabilize your vehi­
cle, you should immediately alter your
speed to match the road and traffic con­
ditions . Do not let the increased safety
provided tempt you into taking r isks .
This could increase your risk of a co lli­
SIOn.
- Please note the r isk of a coll is ion increas­
es when driving fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to objects ahead.
The ESC and its integrated systems can ­
not a lways prevent collisions -there is
still a risk of accidents!
- Press the accelerator pedal caref ully
when acce lerating on even, slippery sur­
faces such as ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even when these control systems are installed and this can affect
driving stability and increase the r isk of a
coll is ion.
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels are equipped w ith
identical tires. Different t ire sizes can
lead to a reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working.
- If the
Bl or [I] indicator light appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 21.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
gi
Fig. 159 Upper c ente r conso le: ESC button
The ESC is designed to funct ion in levels . De­
pend ing on the level that is selected, the sta­
bilization funct ion of the ESC is lim ited or
swi tched off . The amoun t of stabilization con­
trol wi ll differ depending on the level.
In the follow ing unusual situations it may
make sense to switch the ESC sport mode on
to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
IJJ-

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Corrosion
Leaving the vehicle parked for long periods of
time, low mi leage and avoiding heavy braking
can contribute to corrosion on the brake ro­
tors and dirty brake pads.
If you usually avoid heavy braking or if there is
corrosion present, occasiona l heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the
brake rotors and pads~,& .
Brake system malfunction
if you notice that the brake pedal t ravel has
suddenly gotten larger, then a brake circuit
may have failed . Drive to you r authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the problem corrected. On the way
there, drive with reduced speed and keep in
mind that a long braking distance and in­
creased pressure on the brake pedal will be
necessary .
Low brake fluid level
When the brake fluid level is low, ma lfunc­
tions in the brake system may occur . The
brake fluid level is electronically monitored.
Brake booster
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you
apply to the brake pedal. It only works when
the eng ine is running.
A WARNING
-You should on ly perform braking maneu­
vers to clean the brakes when the road condit ions perm it . Never put others on
the road at risk -never forget the risk of
acc idents!
- On steep slopes, reduce the speed and
select a lower gear or lower selector lev­
er posi tion. Drive as little as possible
wh ile pressing the bra ke peda l and avoid
putt ing your left foot on the brake pedal
whi le driving. This could ca use the brakes
to overheat and impair the efficiency of
the brakes.
- Do not let the brakes "grind" by always
keeping yo ur foot on the brake peda l.
Smart Technolog y 191
This can cause the brakes to overheat in-,
crease wear and increase braking dis­
tance unnecessar ily.
- Certain weather and operating condi­
tions such as driving through water, driv­
ing in heavy rain or driving after washing
your veh icle can impa ir the effectiveness
of the brakes. In the winter, ice may
bui ld up on the brake pads, rotors and
drums . Check these components by brak­
ing caref ully. App lying the brakes care­
fu lly several times dries the brakes and
removes ice build-up .
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be
impaired by driving for long stretches on
roads covered with salt without using the
brakes. You can remove salt deposits
from the brake rotors and pads by care­
fully applying the brakes several times.
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you in­
stall another spoiler, make sure the front
wheel brakes are ventilated properly.
Otherwise, the brake system could over­ heat, wh ich reduces their effectiveness .
- Failure of a brake circuit impa irs braking
performance, wh ich increases braking
d istance . Avoid driving the vehicle and
have it towed it to the nearest author­
i z ed Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility.
- Do not let your veh icle roll w ith the en­
gine switched off under any circumstan­
ces .
- If the brak e booster is not working, you
wi ll have to press much harder on the
brake peda l to compensate for the lack
of the booster.
(D Note
-Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing
the pedal lightly when braking is not
really necessary. This causes the brakes
to overheat and increases braking dis­
tance and causes wear.
- Before driving on a long stretch with
steep s lopes, reduce your speed and shift
to the next lower gear This makes use of
the engine brak ing effect and relieves ..,.
•
•
•

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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Winter tires
By using all wheel drive, yo ur vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in winter
conditions. However, in winter we recommend
using winter or all season tir es on
all four
wheels, because this will imp rove the broking
effec t.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains
must also be used on vehicles with a ll whee l
drive ¢
page 256, Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles w ith all wheel dr ive, only wheels
with the same rolling circumference should be
used . Avoid wheels with different tread
depths ¢
page 248.
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad veh icle -there is
not enough ground clearance. For t his reason,
avoid difficult terrain. Refer to ¢
page 280.
.&_ WARNING -
-Also , in vehicles with all whee l drive,
adapt your driving style to the current
road and traff ic conditions. Do not let
the increased safety provided tempt you
into taking risks.
- The brak ing ability of your vehicle is lim­
ited to the traction of the wheels . In this
way, it is not different from a two wheel dr ive vehicle. Do not be tempted to ac­
celerate to a h igh speed when the road is
slippery th is increases the risk of an acci­
dent.
- Note that on wet streets, the front
wheels can "hydroplane" if driving at
speeds that are too high. Unlike front
wheel drive vehicles, the engine does not
rev higher suddenly when the vehicle be­
gins hydroplaning. For this reason, pay
attention to the road conditions regard­
less of your speed .
Smart Technolog y 193
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages
the electrical energy distribution and optimiz ­
es the availability of electrical energy for
starting the engine.
When a vehicle with a conventional energy
system is not driven for a long time , the bat­
tery is drained by equipment (for example the
immobilizer). In certain circumstances, there
could may no t be enough energy to start the
engine .
Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent
energy management system for distr ibut ing
electric ity. This significantly improves the
starting ability and increases the battery life.
The energy management system Is made up
of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
The battery diagnosis determines the battery
charge level. The sensors determine the bat­
tery voltage, the battery current, and the bat­
tery temperature. The current charge leve l
and t he performance of the battery are deter­
mined based on this.
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the
energy used while parked. With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy distribu­
tion to the different elect rical components.
Date from battery diagnosis is taken into ac ­
count for this.
Depend ing on the battery charge leve l, elec­
trical equip ment is switched off one item after
the other, to prevent the battery from drain­
ing and to retain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy management
While driv ing , dynamic energy management
distributes the appropriate amount of energy
to the e lectr ica l equipment . It controls the
battery charge level so that more energy is .,. •
•
•

194 Smart T echnol ogy
not used then is being generated in o rder to
maintain an optimal battery charge level.
(D Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome
the laws o f physics. Note that the charge
l evel and length of the battery life are
li mited .
- When the starting ability is endangered,
the (•) indicator light turns on
c> page20.
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority .
A lot of stress is p laced on the battery when
driving short distances, in traffic, and at co ld
times of the year. A lot of energy is used but
little is generated.
It is also critical when the
engine is not running but electrical equip­ ment is switched on . In this case, energy is
used but none is generated .
In situations like this, energy management
will actively regulated the distribut ion of en­
ergy.
L ong periods wi thout u se
If you do not drive your vehicle for several
days or weeks, e lectrica l equipment is gradu­
ally sca led back or switched off. This reduces
energy use and ensures the vehicle will be
able to start after long periods of time. Some
conven ience functions such as opening with
the remote control key may not be ava ilable.
These convenience functions w ill be availab le
again o nce you swi tch the ign ition on and
start the engine.
With the engine switched off
For example, if you listen to the radio when
the eng ine is sw itched off, the battery w ill
d rain .
A warning text w ill appear if energy consump­
tion could impair starting ab ility .
The message shows that you need to start the
engine in order to charge the battery.
With the en gine running
Although e lectrical energy is gene rated while
driving, the battery can dra in. This can happen
when litt le energy is generated, and much is
u sed and the charge leve l of the battery is not
optimal.
T o restore the balance of ene rgy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tem­
porari ly scaled back or switched off. Heating
systems in particular require a great deal of
energy. If you notice, for example, that the
seat heating* or rear window defroster is not
worki ng, then it has been temporar ily reduced
or switched off . These systems are available
again as soon as the energy balance has been
resto red.
In add ition, you may notice that the idle
speed has slightly increased. That is normal
and no cause for concern. Due to the in­
c reased idling speed, the additional required
energy w ill be gene rated and the battery will
be charged.
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control
modules
E v ent D ata Reco rder
This vehicle is equ ipped with an Event Data
Recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR
is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like
situations, such as an a irbag deployment or
hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in
understanding how a vehicle's systems per­
formed . T he EDR is des igned to record data
related to vehicle dynam ics and safety sys­
tems fo r a short period of time, typically
30 seconds or less . The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in your vehicle were
operating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenge r
safety belts were b uckled/fastened;

M N
-How far (if at all) the driver was depressing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can he lp provide a better under­
standing of the circumstances in which crash­
es and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are re­
corded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving conditions and
no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) are recorded. However,
other parties, such as law enforcement, could
comb ine the EDR data with the type of per ­
sonally identify ing data routinely acquired
during a crash invest igation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equ ipment is required, and access to the veh i­
cle or the EDR is needed . In add ition to the ve­
hicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law
enforcement, that have the special equip­
ment, can read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR.
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDRs installed in a
vehicle for the express pu rpose of retr ieving
data after an accident or crash event without
the owner's consent.
Aud i will not access the EDR and/or sim ilar
data or give it to others -
- unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the ve­
hicle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the ju­
dicial discovery process .
- Audi may also use the data for research
about vehicle operation and safety perform­
ance or provide the data to a third party for
research purposes without identifying the
specific vehicle or information about the
identity of its owner or lessee and only after
the recorded vehicle data has been ac-
S: cessed. co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Smart Technology 195
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electronic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emis­
sion control, airbags, and safety belts.
T hese electronic control modu les record data
during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic
and repair purposes. The recording capability
of these modules is limited to data (no sound
is recorded). Only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very lim ited period of
time, or stored when a system fault is detect­
ed by a control module. Some of the data
stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction,
or braking, as well as restraint system use and
performance in the event of a crash. Stored
data can also only be read and downloaded
with special equipment that is directly con­
nected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Audi connect
features requires wireless services that are
provided by a third party wire less telecom­
munications provider. For details regard­
ing how information obtained through
Audi connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contract with the wireless telecom­
munications provider and the "About Audi
connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI: I MENU I
button > Audi connect > About Audi con­
nect.
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•
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