2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET ESP

226 Check ing and F illin g
• Only now plug the mains lead for the charg ­
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
iton ¢_& .
• M ake sure the ch arging rate is not o ver
30 amp s / 14. 8 Volt.
• When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equ ipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wa ll outlet .
• Now remove the clamps for the charg ing
equipment.
• Close the red cover on the posit ive po le.
• Close the hood
¢ page 216.
A discharged batte ry can fr eez e at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 F
0 (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it¢ .&. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Batt ery cha rg ing (Ma ximum cha rging rate
of
30 a mp s/ 14.8 Vo lt )
When charging at low voltages (e .g. w ith a
t ric kle char ger ), the battery cables do not
have to be d isconnected first . The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not
necessary to disconnect the cables .
Fas t ch arg ing th e batter y (charging r ate
above 14.8 Volt s)
For technical reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage g reate r than
14 .8 Volts to charge your veh icle's battery .
A WARNING
-
Charging a batte ry can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the batte ry charger manu­
facturer when charging your battery.
- Never charge a frozen battery .
It may ex­
plode because of gas t rapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen batte ry to thaw o ut first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro­
zen. The batte ry housing may have cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
tr ical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or d isconnect charger cables
while the charger is operat ing .
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent techn ic ian with the proper equip­
ment.
- Battery acid that may sp ill dur ing charg­
i n g should be washed off with a solut ion
of warm water and baking soda to neu­
tralize the ac id.
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the eng ine . Th is w ill seriously dam­
age sens it ive e lectronic components, such
as contro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the elect ri­
ca l ene rgy th rougho ut yo ur vehicle
¢page 193. The intelligent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem. To make sure the additional electrical en­
ergy is ava ilable once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you
install batteries of the same type and manu ­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your veh icle was de livered) . Specifi­
cations are listed on the batte ry housing. Your
a utho rized deale r must code the batte ry in
the energy management system to enab le you
to use the energy management functions cor -
rect ly after replacing the battery.
ll-

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" > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
and make of tire and the tread
pattern.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is of ­
ten not readily visible. If you
notice unusual vibration or the
vehicle pulls to one side, this may indicate that one of the
tires has been damaged . The
tires must be checked immedi­ ately by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
Unidirectional tires
A unidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the
sidewall, that point in the direc­
tion the tire is designed to ro­
tate. You must follow the speci­
fied direction of rotation. This is necessary so that these tires
can develop their optimum
characteristics regarding grip,
road noise, wear and hydro­
planing resistance. For more in­
formation
¢ page 268.
A WARNING
-
New tires or tires that are
old, worn or damaged cannot
provide maximum control
and braking ability.
Tires and wheels 229
-New tires tend to be slip­
pery and must also be bro­
ken-in. To reduce the risk of
losing control, a collision
and serious personal inju­
ries, drive with special care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
-Driving with worn or dam­ aged tires can lead to loss of
control , sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and
sudden deflation, crashes and serious personal inju­
ries. Have worn or damaged
tires replaced immediately.
-Tires age even if they are
not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and at low speed.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not
sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
failure and loss of vehicle
control.
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230 Tires and wheels
-If you notice unusual vibra­
tion or if the vehicle pulls to
one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is
safe to do so and check the
wheels and tires for dam­
age.
0 Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de­
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea­
sons. Audi recommends us­
ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem­ peratures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability. If summer tires are used
in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread
bars, resulting in perma­
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and
unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi­
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi­
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma­
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac­
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent.
Numbers of 55 or lower indi­
cate a low sidewall for im­
proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.
...

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Bead
means the part of the tire that
is made of steel wires, wrapped
or reinforced by ply cords and
that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the
bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manu­
facturer for a tire of a designat­
ed size that has not been driven
for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before
the tire pressure is measured or
adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor
vehicle with standard equip­
ment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and cool­
ant, air conditioning and addi­
tional weight of optional equip­
ment.
Tires and wheels 231
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard tire. Extra load tires may be identi­
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capaci­
ty of a single axle system,
measured at the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total
loaded weight of the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two
adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that
a tire is rated to carry for a giv­
en inflation pressure. You may
not find this information on all
tires because it is not required by law.
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Recommended inflation
pressure
see¢ page 231J Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher
inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard tire. Reinforced tires may be identi­
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a
tire or a tire and tube assembly
upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­ chase new ti res to match the
new rim diameter.
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance be­
tween rim flanges.
Tires and wheels 233
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire
is designed to be driven for ex­
tended periods of time. The rat­ ings range from 93 mph
(150 km/h) to 186 mph
(298 km/h) ¢
page 251. You
may not find this information
on all tires because it is not re­
quired by law.
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates
the maximum permissible road speeds ¢
& in Winter tires on
page 255.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illu ­
minates a low tire pressure
warning telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire
that comes into contact with
the road.
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236 Tires and wheels
Tire pressure generally refers to tant things you can do to help
the amount of air in a tire that avoid sudden tire failure. Un-
it needs it to do its job and derinflated tires are a major
safely carry the combined load cause of sudden tire failure.
of the entire vehicle and its con- Keeping tires at the right pres-
tents. Tire pressure is measured sure is also important for safe in kilopascals (kPa), the inter-and responsive vehicle han-
national measuring unit and in dling, traction, braking and
pounds per square inch (PSI). load carrying.
Tire pressures
Tire pressure is based in part on are particularly important
the vehicles design and load when the vehicle is being driv-
limit -the greatest amount of en at higher speeds, and then
weight that the vehicle can car-especially when heavily loaded
ry safely and the tire size. The even within the permissible
proper tire pressure is frequent-load-carrying capacities ap-
ly referred to as the "recom-proved for your vehicle.
mended cold tire inflation pres-
The recommended tire pres-
sure." Air in the tires expands
sures for your Audi depend on
when the tire heats up because the kind of tires on your vehicle
of internal friction when it flex-
and the number of passengers
es in use. The tire pressure is
and/or amount of luggage you
higher when the tire has will be transporting.
warmed up than when it is The tire pressure label is locat-
"cold." It is the inflation pres-
ed on the driver's side 8-pillar.
sure in a "cold " tire that counts .
Therefore, you should never let The tire pressure label lists the
recommended cold t ire infla-
air out of a warm tire to match
"cold tire inflation pressure" tion pressures for the vehicle at
its maximum capacity weight
recommendations. The tires
would then be underinflated and tires that were on your ve-
and could fail suddenly. hicle at the time it was manu-
factured .
...
Maintaining proper tire pres-
sure is one of the most impor-

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...... 1.1'1 ......
If you wish to improve comfort
when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 3 occu­
pants), you can adjust tire
pressures to those specified
for normal vehicle load. Before
operating the vehicle at maxi­ mum load, you must increase
the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle
load
c> .&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can on­
ly monitor the tire pressures
you have stored. The system does not recognize the load
condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system
will be impaired if you store normal load pressures but then
operate the vehicle at its maxi­
mum load
c> .&. .
Tires and wheels 237
See the illustration c> fig. 172
for the location of the label on
driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual label and exact loca­
tion on the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is
accurate at the time of going to
press and is subject to change.
In the event of discrepancies,
the tire pressure label is locat­ ed on the driver's side B-pillar
always takes precedence.
The table below lists the rec­ ommended cold tire inflation pressures for the Audi model
covered by your Owner's Litera­
ture at the vehicle's capacity
weight and the tire sizes instal­
led on the respective models as
original equipment, or as a fac-
tory option. ..,.
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238 Tires and wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
front
rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A3 Cab -225/45 Rl 7 91 Y
30 210 28 190 36 250 36 250 riolet : High Performance
1.8 liter 225/40 R18 92Y XL
4-cylinder High Performance
35 240 32 220 36 250 36 250
225/45 Rl7 91H
33 230
30 2
10
38 260
38 260 All Season
225/40 R18 92H XL
36 250 33 230 41 280 280 All Season 41
235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL
33 230 29 200 36 250 36 250 High Performance
A3 Cab- 225/45 Rl 7 91 Y
30 210 28 190 38 260 38 260 riolet: High Performance
2.0 liter
225/40 Rl8 92Y XL
4-cylinder High Performance
35 240 32 220 38 260 38 260
225/45 R17 91H
33 230 30 210 39
270
39 270 All Season
225/40 R18 92H XL
38 260 35 240 41 280 41
280
All Season
235/35 R19 91 Y XL
35 240 29 200 38 260 38 260 High Performance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xi, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a la­
bel on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may
be made to vehicle equipment
during the model year, always
compare the tire size designa­
tion on the tire pressure label on your vehicle with the tires on
your vehicle. Make sure that the tire size information on the ve­
hicle label is the same as the
size of the tires on the vehicle. This is
especially important if
the vehicle belongs to someone else or you bought the vehicle
with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ­
ously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and
that of your passengers also de­ pends on making sure that load
limits are not exceeded. Vehicle
load includes everybody and ev­
erything in and on the vehicle.
These load limits are