2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET automatic transmission

2 Table of contents Vehicle literature .. .. .. .. .. ... .
About this Owner's Manual ...
Operation .............. .... ... .
Cockpit ... ............. .... .. . .
Ove rv iew ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Instruments and indicator
lamps ..... ............. .. .. .. . .
Ins truments . .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Indicator lights ....... ... .. .. ... .
Driver information system .. .
Overview ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Operation . .... .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Efficiency program ........ .... ... .
On-Board Diagnostic system (OBD) . . .
Opening and closing .... .. ... .
Centra l loc king ........... .. .. ... .
Luggage compartment lid .. .. .. .. . .
Power windows
5
6
8
8
8
1 0
1 0
1 3
26
2 6
27
28
29
31
31
38
38
Power top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Automatic power top ... ... .. .. .. . .
W ind deflecto r ............ ... .. . . 41
4 4
Power top emergency opera tion . . . . . 45
Lights and Vision .......... .. . .
Exte rior lighting .... ...... .. .. .. . .
I n ter io r light ing .......... .. .. .. . .
V 1s 1on . .. .. ............. ....... .
W indshie ld w ipers ...... .. .. .. .. . .
O utside mirror . .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
D ig ita l compass .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Seats and storage ... .. .. .. .. . .
General info rmat ion . ... .. .. ... .. .
F ront seats .. .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Head restraints .......... .. .. .. . .
Socket . .. .. .. . .......... .. .. ... .
Sto rage .. .. ... ....... ... .... .. . .
Luggage compartment
49
4 9
52
53
5 3
5 5
57
59
59
60
62
64
64
65
Warm and cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Climate control system . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Driving ... .... .. ... .. ..... .... . .
Stee ring . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .
Starting and stopp ing t he engine
(ve hicles w ith an ign ition lock) ... .. .
Starting and stopp ing t he engine
(ve hicles w ith a convenience key) ... .
Drive r m essages .. ... .. .. ... ..... .
El ectromechanical pa rking brak e ... .
Hill ho ld .. .. .. . .............. .. .
S peed w arning system .......... .. .
C ruise con tro l system .. ..... ... .. .
76
76
76
78
81
82
84
8 4
8 5
Audi adaptive cruise control . . 8 7
In troduc tion ... .. ............... .
Genera l Info rmation . .. ..... ... .. .
Adaptive cruise contro l ...... .... . .
Drive r messages . .... .. ..... ... .. .
Audi pre sense .. .... .... ... .. .
Introduction ..... ... .. ..... .... . .
Genera l information ........... .. .
Audi pre sense basic .............. .
Audi pre sense front . .. ...... ... .. .
8 7
8 7
88
93
95
95
95
95
95
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Audi active lane ass ist ..... .. .
Lane assist .. .. .. .......... ..... .
99
99
Audi side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Side assist ...... ............... .
Audi drive select ............. .
Driving settings .. .... ... ...... .. .
Automatic transmission ..... .
S tronic-transmiss ion ........... .. .
Parking systems
General information ........... .. .
Rea r parki ng system ... ......... . .
Parking sys tem plus .............. .
Rea rv iew camera .... .. .. ... ..... .
Adjus ting t he d isplay a nd the wa rning
tones . .... .... ................. .
103
107
107
110
110
119
119
120
120
121
12 5
Er ror messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

M N ,....
> co ...... \!) 1.1'1
...... 1.1'1 ......
CD
@
®
©
®
®
(J)
®
Power windows
Door handle
Aud i side assist ........ .... .
Centra l locking switch ... .. .. .
Powe r exter ior mirror adjust­
ment
Light switch . ... .... ... .. .. .
Vents
L eve r fo r:
- Turn signals and high beams .
- Audi active lane assist ... .. .
® Steer ing wheel w ith horn and
- Drive r's airbag ........... .
- On-board computer controls
-MMI, telephone, navigat ion
and voice recogn it ion system
controls
- tiptron ic shift paddles (auto-
matic transmission) ....... .
@ Instrument cluster .. ... .. .. .
@ W indshield washer system
l ever
' .................... .
@ S teer ing column with:
- Ignit ion emergency operation
(in vehicles with conven ience
key) . .. ................. .
- Ignit ion lock (in vehicles with
mechanical key) .......... .
@ Adjustable s teer ing column
@ Depending on equipment:
- Cruise contro l lever ....... . 38
103 35
55
49
70
51
99
150 27
1 15
1 0
53
80
76
76
85
- adaptive cruise contro l . . . . . . 87
@ Driver's knee a irbag . . . . . . . . . 163
@ Instrument i llumination . . . . . . 53
@ H ood re lease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
@ Centra l power window swi tc h . . 38
@ MMI disp lay (navigation, radio,
TV/video)
@ Glove compartment ( lockable) . 65
@ Front passenger 's airbag . . . . . 150
@ Treble speakers
@ Front passenge r's knee ai rbag .
@ Depending on equipment, b ut­
tons for: 163
Cockpi
t 9
-Audi drive select . .. ..... .. .
- P arking a id p lus (or w ith re ar-
view camera) . .. .. .. ..... .
- E mergency flashers ....... .
- Elect ron ic Stabilization Con-
t rol ( ESC) . .. .... ........ .
- MMI display
- Airbag Off indicator .... ... .
@ Depend ing o n equ ipment:
- Manual climate contro l
system
- Automatic climate control sys­
tem
.. .. .. .. .. .. .........
Socket
S tronic se lector lever ..... .. .
Cup holder .. .. ............ .
MM I On/Off b utton
@ MMI control panel
@ Power top ope rat ion ... ..... .
@ Parking brake .... .. .. ..... .
@ I S T ART ENGINE STOPI button
(vehicles w ith convenience key)
(D Tips
107
120
so
188
159
71
72
64
110
64
41
82
78
- Some the eq uipment listed here is only
installed in certain models or is available
as an option.
- Operat ion of the Multi Med ia Interface
(MMI) is described in a separate operat­
ing instructions manual. You can a lso
find info rmat ion on A udi connect ther e.
•

M N
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Audi drive select Driving settings
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
Audi drive select makes it possible to experi­
ence diffe rent types of vehicle settings in one
vehicle. The driver can select from three
com­
fort , auto
and dynamic modes using the 1:1:.~
button in the center conso le or the MM I to
switch between a sporty and a comfortable
driving mode, for examp le. In the
individual *
mode, the settings can be adjusted to your
personal preferences. This makes it poss ible
to combine settings such as a sporty eng ine
tuning with light steering.
A WARNING
Using Audi drive select incorrectly can lead
to collisions, other accidents and serious injuries.
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the vehicle's features. However, the engine
and steering are always affected .
Engine and automatic transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and auto­
mat ic transmission* respond more quickly or
in a more balanced manner to acce lerator
pedal movements.
Adaptive dampers (Audi magnetic ride)*
The adaptive dampers use senso rs to record
information regarding steering movements,
brak ing and acce lerat ion operat ions by the
driver, road surface, driving speed, and load.
With Audi drive se lect you can adjust the
adaptive dampers sporty (dynamic), comfort­
ab le (comfort) or balanced (auto).
Steering
The stee ring adapts in terms of stee ring assis­
tance. There are different modes
¢page 108.
Indirect steering that moves easi ly as in com -
Audi drive select 107
fort mode is especially suited to long drives
on a highway. The dynamic mode provides
sporty, direct steer ing.
For vehicles wi th progressive steering* the
steering performance is mo re agile.
Cornering light*
The cornering light adjusts when driv ing on
curves at speeds between 6 mph (10 km/h)
and 68 mph (110 km/h). The pivoting action
and the lighting are also adapted to the
mode.
Adaptive cruise control*
T he behav ior when accelerating can be adjust­
ed from comfortable to sporty, depending on
the Aud i drive select mode. Adapt ive cru ise
control also responds to the driving behavior
of the vehicle ahead in a more conservative or
sporty manner.
(D Tips
In some mode ls, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the auto and
dynamic modes.
•

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~

....,
N
r--. > co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
-Never select R or P while driving, because
this increases the risk of an accident.
- Power is stil l transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions (except P) when
the engine is runn ing . Otherwise, th is in­
creases the risk of an accident.
- Do not inadvertently press the accele ra ­
tor pedal when the vehicle is stopped if a
gear is engaged . Otherwise the vehicle
will start to move immediately, even if
the parking brake is set. This could res ult
in a crash .
- Do not press the accelera tor pedal when
changing the selector leve r pos ition
whi le the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running whi le in gear . If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, set the parking brake and move these­
lector lever to the P posit ion.
- Before opening the hood and working on
a running engine, select the P position
with the se lector lever and set the park­
ing brake. Always read and follow the ap­
plicable warnings q page 214, Working
in the engine compartment.
(D Note
Never let the veh icle roll downhill with en­
gine off and the selector lever in the N po­
sition, beca use this could damage the a u­
tomatic transmission and cata lytic con­
ver ter .
@ Tips
-Audi drive select: Sporty shifting cha rac­
te ristics can be se lected using the
dy ­
namic driving mode.Swill appear in the
i nst rument cl uster display i nstead of D.
- If you accidentally sele ct N while driv ing,
take you r foot off the a cce le rator pedal
i mmedia tely and wai t fo r the engine to
slow down to idle be fore se lecting Do r S.
Au tom atic tr an sm iss ion 11 1
-If there is a power fai lure, the selector
lever will not move out of the P position .
The emergency re lease can be used if
this happens qpage 117.
Selector lever lock
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmiss ion
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­
lecting a gear accidentally, causing the vehi­
cle to roll.
Fig. 106 Se lector lever lock
To re lease the selector lever lock:
.. Switch the ignit ion on.
* 0 > a,
"'
.. Press the brake pedal while pressing the in-
terlock button .
Automatic sh ift lock (ASL)
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po­
sitions when the ign it ion is switched on. You
must press the brake pedal to select another
pos ition . You must also press the interlock
button if you are mov ing from the P position .
T he following message appears in the display
whe n the selector lever is in the P or N posi ­
t ion to remind the driver :
When stationar y app ly footbrake while se­
l e cting gear
The automatic sh ift lock only functions when
the vehicle is stationary or at speeds be low 1
mph (2 km/h) . At higher speeds, the lock is
automat ica lly deactivated in the N pos ition .
The selector lever is not locked when shifting
quick ly through N, for examp le from R to D .
T his makes it possible to free the vehicle when
it is stuck by "rocking" it. The selector lever
lock engages if the leve r stays in the N ..,_

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.

....,
N
r--. > co
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission I shift pad­
dles
The tiptronic allow the driver to shift the
gears manually.
Fig. 108 Center console: manual shifting with these ­
lector lever
Fig . 109 Steering whee l: manua l sh ift ing with t he s hift
padd les*
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tip tron ic mode while sta­
tionary and while driving.
~ To shift into tip tronic mode, push the selec­
tor lever from the D/S setting to the right in
t he tiptronic shift gate. Once the transmis­
s ion h as switched modes, the selector lever
position
M is shown in the instrument clus ­
ter display
¢page 110, fig. 105 . For exam­
ple
M4 , means the fourth gear is engaged.
~ To shift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ¢fig. 108.
~ To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever
to back Q.
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or
M (tiptron ic shift gate) selector leve r pos i-
:;, tions.
"' ,....,
"' ,....,
Autom atic transm ission 115
~ To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig. 109.
~ To shift down one gear, tap the shift paddle
0-
If the shift padd les are tapped while in the 0/
S selector lever position, automatic mode
switches off briefly. To switch from manually
shifting back to automatic sh ifting immedi­
ate ly, tap the shift paddle
0 ¢ fig. 109 for 1
second .
To keep shifting using the shift paddles, move
the selector lever to the rig ht out of the D/
S position into the tiptronic shift gate.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before critical engine speed is reached.
T he transmission only allows manual sh ifting
when the engine speed is within the permit­
ted range .
(D Tips
-If you shift to the next lowest gear, the
transmission will only shift if the engine
wil l not be over-revved.
- With kick-down, the transmission shifts
to a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed and engine speed.
- tiptronic does not work if the transmis ­
sion is running in emergency mode.
Kick-down
App lies to vehicles: wit h S tronic tran smi ssio n
Kick-down enables maximum accelera tion.
When you press the accelerator pedal down
beyond the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­
pending on vehicle speed and engine RPM. It
shifts up into the next higher gear once the
maximum specified engine RPM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is
active.

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 .,.