2015 AUDI A3 brake

236 Tires and wheels
unbalanced, resulting in vibrations you can
usually feel through the steering whee l.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on steer ing, suspension
and tires . A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
I ncorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impair ing the safety of the veh i­
cle. If tires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles w ith quattro must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
F or details see
<=> page 190 .
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and ser ious persona l injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- 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 lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss o f vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have ta be broken in .
Fig. 160 Tire specificat ion codes on the s idewall of a
tire
No. Description
@ Nomina l w idth of t ire in mill imeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® L oad index and speed rating
(J) U.S . DOT tire identification number
® Audi Origina l tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ T ire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
T he tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle 's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac­
te ristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..

Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare ti re is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care. Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinflated.
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus­
ing a collision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on
vehicles that were equipped with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires. Incor­
rect use of run flat tires can lead to vehi­
cle damage or accidents. Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or tire specialist
to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run flat tires. If run flat tires are used, they must be installed on all four
wheels. Mixing tire types is not permit­
ted.
(D Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth-
Tires and wheels 239
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged .
(® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- Tract ion AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
c;, page 236,
fig. 160.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded ISO would wear
one and one half (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
ll-
•
•
•

24 2 T ire s and wheel s
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all-wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design o f whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims . If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
r=> page 270.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
c ont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
Jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­ er ly t igh tened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the co rrect tighten ing
torq ue fo r th e wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out w hen the veh i­
cle is moving. If the tighteni ng torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee
l can be­
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque wheel bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque w rench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-eq uipped w it h low aspect
ra tio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of d riving condi ­
t ions . Ask your author ized A udi dealer for
more details.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The n umera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is
particularly sens iti ve to imp roper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflat ed to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
regularly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tire pre s·
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
m onth and always bef ore a long trip
r=> page 231, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be d amage d more
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies
or ridges on t he road, particularly if the tire is
u nd eri nflated.

246 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Luggage compartment
lid emergency release
In case of an emergency , the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle .
Fig. 162 Re ar lid op ening : access to th e e merg en cy re­
l ease
To reach the emergency release mechanism,
the rear bench seat backrest must be folded down
~ page 61 .
,. Push the latch upward in the direction of the
arrow until the lock releases .
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark .
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
m an emergency .
@ Tips
The emergency release lever should never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
General information
,. Park the vehicle as far as possible from mov­
ing traffic in the event of a flat tire. In the
event of a flat tire, park the vehicle on a lev ­
el surface .
It you are on a steep incline, be
especially careful.
,. Set the parking brake.
,. Switch the emergency flashers on.
• Put on a reflective vest, if available.
• Setup the warning triang le, if available . •
Have the passengers exit the vehicle. They
should move to a safe place, for examp le
behind a guard rail.
A WARNING
-
Pay attention to the steps above. They are
for your protection and the for the safety of other drivers.
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries .
- Never use the screw driver hex head to tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­not attain the necessary tightening tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir­
cumstances should it be used to
lift
heavy vehicles or other loads; you risk in­
juring yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the veh icle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional extras.
- Before storing the jack*, make sure it is
wound back down as far as it wil l go.

248 What do I do now?
-Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h) . You risk having an acc ident.
- Avoid full-throttle acce le ration, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing. You risk hav­
ing an acc ident.
- Never drive us ing more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acci­
dent .
- Norma l summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare whee l
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use o f ti re
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare whee l must be mounted on the
front axle in the eve nt of a flat in a rear
t ir e. Th e newly ava ilable front w heel
must the n be installed in pla ce of the
re ar wheel wi th the flat ti re. Ins tal ling
the ti re chai n befo re mo unt ing the wheel
and tire is recommen ded .
- L oose items in the p assenge r comp art ­
ment can ca use serio us personal inj ury
dur ing hard braking or in an acc ident.
N ever sto re the inf latable spare tire or
jack and t ools in the passenger c ompart­
me nt.
- No rma l summer or wi nte r tires must not
be m ounted on the compact spare wheel
rim .
Removing the subwoofer
App lies to vehicles: with subwoofer
The subwoofer must be removed before the
spare wheel* can be removed.
F ig . 166 Spare w hee l well : subwoofe r
Removing the subwoofer
.,. Lift the c argo floor i=:> page 247, fig . 16 4.
.. Press the connector tabs (!) i=:> fig. 16 6 to-
gether .
.. Re move the connector @and set the re-
moved cab le aside .
.,. Remove the bo lt @ .
.. Carefully remove the subwoofe r.
Installing the subwoofer
.. Carefully place the subwoofer n the rim
we ll. The word "FRONT" on the subwoofer
m ust face forward.
.. Insert the con nector that was removed.
.. Secure t he subwoofer w ith the bolt .
.. Fold the cargo floo r cover back into place.
Changing a wheel
· Before changing a wheel
O bserve the following prec au tions f or your
own and your p assenger's safety when chang ­
ing a wheel .
.. Afte r you ex perie nce a ti re fail ure, p ull the
car we ll away from mov ing tr affic and try to
reach level ground before you stop
¢ ,&.
.. All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location ( for instance, behind
the guardrail)¢ ,&.
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally <=>,& .
.. Move selector lever to position Pi=:> ,& .
.. If you are towing a t railer, unhitch the trailer
from your ve hicl e.
.. Ta ke t he ja ck ¢
page 247 and the spare tire
¢ page 247 out of the luggage compart­
ment .
A WARNING
You o r you r passengers could be inj ured
while c hanging a w heel if you do not fo l­
l ow these safety precaut io ns:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off t he engine,
tur n the eme rgency flashers on and use
other warni ng devices to a le rt other mo­
torists.
-

-Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the whee l being changed. When one
front whee l is lifted off the gro und, plac­
ing the A utomat ic Transm iss ion in P
(Park) wi ll
not prevent t he vehi cle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be su re the
ground is leve l and fi rm.
If necessary,
use a st urdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool ki t, the jack
and the replaced ti re in the l uggage com­
partment¢
page 12 7 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Remove the d ec orative wheel cov er* . For
more deta ils see also
c:>page 249, Deco ­
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 2 50,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
2. Loosen the wheel bolt s c:> page 250.
3. Locate the proper mount ing point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
<=> page 251.
4. Raise the car w ith the jack c:> page 251.
5. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare ¢ page 252 .
6. Tighten all wheel bo lts light ly.
7 .
Low er the ve hicle with the jack.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrenc h and
firmly
tighten all whee l bolts c:> page 250.
9. Replace the decorative wheel cov er*.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information
c:> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page251
and ¢page 253.
What do I d o now ? 249
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 127.
.,. Check the tir e pr essure on the spare whee l
immed iate ly afte r mounting i t.
.,. As soon as poss ib le, have the
tight ening
torque s
on all wheel bolts checked w ith a
torque wrench . The correct tighten ing tor­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi­
ble.
@ Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bo lts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, they should be replaced
before you c heck the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the tightening torques checked.
- After changing a whee l, the ti re press ure
in all four tires must be checked/correct­
ed and the tire pressure monitoring indi­
cator must be stored in the M MI
c:>page245.
Decorative wheel covers
App lies to veh icles: w ith decorat ive w hee l cove rs
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fi g. 167 Chang ing a whee l: Removing th e w hee l cover
Removing
.,. Insert the hook (provided with the vehicle
t oo l kit) in the ho le in the whee l hub cover .
i,,.

256 Fuses and bulbs
Interior fuse assignment
No. Equipment Ampere
F14
Climate control system
30 blower
F15
Electronic steering column
10 lock
F16 MMI area 7.5
F17
Instrument cluster 5
F18
Rearv iew camera 7 .5
F19
Convince key system control
7.5 module, tank system
F23 Right exter ior lights 40
F24
Panorama sunroof 20/30
F25
Door/driver's side doors (for
30 example power windows)
F26 Seat heating 30
F27
Sound-amp lifier 30
F29
Interior lights 7.5
Fig. 176 Vehicle inte ri or : fuse assignment F31 Left exter ior lights 40
No . Equipment Ampere F32 Driver assista nce systems 7.5
F2
Seat adjustment 10 F33 Airbag 5
F4
MM controls, MMI compo-
7.5 nents
F5 Gateway 5
Button lighting, coils for
socket relays, interior sound,
F34 back-up light switch, tern-7.5
perature sensor, o il level
F6 Ant i-theft alarm system 5 sensor
Climate/heating control, se-
Diagnosis, headlight range
le ctor lever (automatic
F7 transmission), parking heat -10 F35
control system, air quality
10 sensor,
automat ic dimming
er, rear window heater relay
rearview mirror
coil
Diagnosis, electrical parking
F36
Right cornering light/ right
15 LED-headlight
F8
brake switch, light switch,
10 rain/light sensor, interior
lighting
F9
Steering column switch
1 module
F37
Left corner ing light/ left
15 LED-headlight
Door/front passenger's side
F39 doors (for example, power 30
windows)
Fl0 D isp lay 5
F40 Sockets 20
Fll
Reversible driver's safety
25 belt tensioners F41 Reversible front passenger 's
25 side safety belt tensioners
Fl2 MMI area 15/20
F42 Central locking buttons 40
Fl3
Adaptive dampers control
20 module
F43 Windsh ield washer system 30
F44
all wheel drive 15
F45
Power driver's side seat 15

No. Equ ipment Ampere
F49 Starter, clutch sensor
5
FS3 Rear window defogger 30
The power seats* are protected v ia
circ uit
br ea ker s
that automatically sw itch on after a
few seconds after the overload has been re­
d uced.
(D Tips
Note that the following table was accurate
at the time of pr int ing and is subject to
change.
Left engine compartment fuse
assignment
F ig. 177 Eng ine compartment: fuse assignment
M ,.._
-0
!
No. Equ ipment Ampere
Fl ESC control module 40
F2 ESC control module
40
F3 Eng
ine control module (gas-
15/30
oline)
Engine cooling, engine com-
F 4 ponents, auxiliary heater
5/10
coil relay (1 +2), secondary
a ir injection pump relay
FS Eng
ine components, tank
7,5/10/
system 15
Fuse s and bulb s 257
No. Equipment Ampere
F6 Brake light sensor
5
F7 Engine components, water 7,5/10/
pumps
15
F8 Lambda sensor 10/15
Engine components, ex-
F9 haust door, glow time con-
5/10/20
tro l module, SU LEV valve
FlO Fuel
injectors, fuel control
15/20
module
Fl l Auxiliary heater heating ele
-
40
ment 2
F12 Auxilia
ry heater heat ing ele-
40
ment 3
F13 Automatic transmiss
ion con-
15/30
trol module
FIS Horn 15
F16 Ignit ion coil 20/7.5
F17 ESC contro
l modu le, engine
7.5
control module
F18 T
ermina l 30 (reference volt-
5
age)
F19 Windshield wipers
30
F20 Horn 10
F22 Termina
l SO diagnosis
5
F23 Starter 30
F24 Auxiliary heater heating ele-
ment 1 40
F31 Vacuum pump 15
F32 L ED head lights
5
(i} Tips
Note that the follow ing tab le was accurate
at the time of printing and is subject to
change.