2015 AUDI Q3 warning

154 Intellig ent technolog y
Anti-slip r egulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the o ther d rive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive* . This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h).
I n extreme cases , ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
El ectron ic inte ra xle diff ere ntial lock */
se lec tive wheel t orque contr ol*
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
wheel drive) or the select ive wheel torque
control (all-wheel drive) operates when driv­
ing through curves. The front wheel on the in·
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked select ively as needed .
This minimizes s lid ing in the front wheels a nd
allows for more p rec ise driving through
curves. The app licab le system may not acti­
vate when driving in wet or snowy conditions .
A WARNING
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, the electronic inter­
axle differentia l lock* /selective whee l
torque control* and the hill descent as­
sist cannot overcome the laws of physics.
Th is is especially important on slippery
o r wet roads . If the systems begin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you should im­
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks .
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle cont ro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast , espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys­
tem, ASR, EDL and the electronic inter­
axle d ifferential lock*/selective wheel
torque control* cannot prevent colli­
sions .
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow .
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance systems t hat cannot al­
ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correct ly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
cal tires. D ifferent tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working .
-If the ind icator light DJ or Ell (USA
mode ls)/ lCO)J there may be a malfunction~
page 16.

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Intelligent technolog y 155
Switching on /off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 137 Center console,~ OFF button
The follow ing s ituations are excep tions where
it may be useful to switch on offroad mode to
allow the whee ls to spin:
E SC Stufen
Offroad mode on
-Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow chains
- Dr iving downh il l wh ile brak ing on loose
ground
- Dr iving on rough terrain when much of the
car's weight is lifted off the whee ls (axle ar­
tic ulat ion)
Offro ad mode off
Beha vio r
The ESC and ASR stabiliza tion funct ions The fu ll stab iliza tion f unction of the ESC
are limited¢ &..
Op erat ion Press the W button.
Indicat or Bturns on.
light s
Dr ive r m es- Sta biliza tion control (ESC ): Offroad
s age s Warning! Redu ced stab ilit y
_& WARNING
Yo u should only sw itch offroad mode on if
your driving abilities and road conditions
permit.
- T he stabilization function is limited
when offroad mode is switched on . The
driving whee ls cou ld spin and the vehicle
cou ld swerve, especially on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces.
- You should on ly sw itch offroad mode on
when driving offroad. and ASR
is available again.
Press the
W button again.
II turns off .
Stabilization contr ol (ESC ): On
Hill descent assist
The hill descent assist makes it possible to
drive down an incline at a constant speed.
Fig. 138 Cente r console : hill desce nt assist button
.,. Press the [el button in the center conso le
¢ fig. 138 or on the shift gate. The button
w ill illuminate.
.,. Press the button again to switch it off. The
diode in the button will go out.
IJi,,-

156 Intellig ent technol ogy
Hill descent assist brakes a ll four wheels auto­
matica lly in order to limit speed when driving
e ither forward or reverse on hills with a grade
up to approximately 50%.
When the hi ll descent assist is on, the current
driving speed, when your vehicle entered the incline is maintained . It is only possib le to
switch on the assist when driving slower than
37 mph (60 km/h). The assist works between
approximately 2 and 19 mph (4 and 30 km/ h) . T he driver can increase or decrease the ve­
h icle speed w ith in these lim its by depressing
the accelerato r o r brake pedal In addition, ve­
h icle steerability is increased d ue to the brak­
ing d istribution when driving in reverse .
There must be however sufficient ground ad­ hes io n. The hill descent assis t can
no t do its
job if the incl ine is icy or if the incline ground
is loose¢ &..
The system does not work at speeds between 19 and 37 mph (30 and 60 km/h) . T he system
i s then in the ready-mode . The diode in the
button will come on. The system automatical­
ly switched off when you drive faster than 37
mph (60 km/h). The diode will go out in this
case.
The flashing indicator lamp
-0-in the instru­
ment cluster indicates whenever the driving
speed is being actively controlled to a certain
speed up to approximate ly 19 mph (30 km/h) .
The indicator lamp lights up continuously
when the system goes into standby mode.
Hill descent assist is automatically activated
under the fo llow ing cond itions:
- the d iode in the button illuminates,
- vehicle speed is be low approximately
19 mph (30 km/h)
- the in cl in e is 10%.
_&, WARNING
- Always adapt your speed to the weather,
road and traffic conditions . Do not let
the increased safety provided tempt you
into taking risks. -
The hill descent assist system cannot
overcome the laws of physics. Your dr iv­
ing style must always be adapted to the
current road and traffic cond itions .
- The hill descent ass ist may not be ab le to
hold your vehicle at a constant speed un­
de r all conditions while driv ing on an in­
cline (for example if ground under the
veh icle is loose).
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New br ake p ad s
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new
brake pads do not possess the ir full brak ing
effect, they have to be "broken in" first ¢&. .
You can compensate for this slightly reduced
braking power by pushing harder on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy b ra ki ng loads dur ing the
break-in pe riod.
Operating conditions and driving h abits
The brakes on today 's automobiles are still
subjec t to wear, depending largely on operat­
i ng condit ions and driving hab its
~ &. -On
vehicles that are either dr iven mos tly in stop­
and -go city t ra ffi c or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be chec ked by your author ­
ized Audi dea ler mo re often than specified in
the
Warranty & M aintenan ce booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you sho uld use the braking
effect of the eng ine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuous ly . Pump the brakes at inter ­
vals .
Oper ating n ois e
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi-
tions such as temperature and humidity. .,,.

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Effect of w ate r and ro ad salt
In certain situa tions, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, after overnight
condensation or after washing your car, the braking effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads. The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake applications.
At higher speeds and with the windshield wip ­
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regular intervals w ithout the
driver noticing and provides for better brake response time under wet condit ions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven o n a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Likewise,
you clean
off accumulated sa lt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few caut ious ap­
p lications of the brake¢.&. -
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the b rake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regular ly or
only for short t rips with little use of the
brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­ rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by b rak ing
fi rm ly a few times from a modera tely high
speed¢ .&..
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed¢&. -
Low brake fluid le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. T he brake fluid
level is monitored electronically .
Brake boo ster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate with the brake pedal. It works
only when the engine is running .¢ .&.
Int ellig ent technolog y 157
Brak e lining we ar status
B rake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection o f the condition of the brake pads
thro ugh the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spection
¢ page 218, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken-in" dur­
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal c ity dr iving .
You can compensate for this by pressing
the brake pedal more firmly. This also
applies la ter when new pads are instal­
led.
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gea r or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to overheat, p remature wear and increased
s topping distance.
- Unde r ce rtain cl imati c and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa­
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winte r, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, lin ings,
discs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes w ill dry and ice coat­
ings w ill be cleaned
off after a few care­
ful brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accum ulated salt coating from
•
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with all-wheel drive¢ page 211, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels /tire s
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive mus t always
h ave tires o f the same size. Also avoid t ires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
c::> page 206, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel dr ive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking capacity is limited by t ire traction . You
should therefore not dr ive at excess ive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
c ou ld beg in to s lide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If this sho uld oc cur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­ crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds which are suited to the road con ­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time , the bat­
tery is discharged by idling cu rrent consumers
(e.g. immobilizer). In ce rtain c ircumstances it
can result in there being insufficient energy
M avai lab le to start the engine . N
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Intelligent energy management in your veh i­
cle handles the d istribution of elec trical ener­
gy . Starting abi lity is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Intellig ent technolog y 159
Basica lly, energy management consists of
b att ery diag nosis , id lin g cur rent man age­
ment
and dyn amic en ergy m anag ement.
Batte ry diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery . Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the batte ry .
Idlin g current manag ement
Id ling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ig nition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­ nents. Data from battery diagnosis is cons id­
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge ,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the batte ry
and thus maintain starting capability .
Dynamic energy manag ement
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en­
ergy management distributes the energy gen ­
erated according to the needs of the individ u­
al components . It regulates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge for the battery .
(D Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi­
cator light (•) ;ippears
c::> page 15.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability .
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance
driving , in ci ty traff ic and during the cold time
of year . Abundant electrical energy is .,.
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160 Intelligent technology
required, but on ly a little is generated. It is al­
so critical if the engine is not running and
e lectrical components are turned on. In this
instance energy is being consumed but none
is being genera ted.
It is in precisely these situations that you wi ll
notice energy management actively regulat­
ing the distrib ution of energy.
Vehicle stands fo r an e xte nded p eriod
If yo u do not drive you r vehicle over a pe riod
of severa l days or weeks, elect rical compo ­
nents are grad ually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main ­
tains starting capab ility over a longer period.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lig hts or the
power seat adjustment . Th e conven ience
functions w ill be ava ilable again when you
switch on the igni tion and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the eng ine turned off or use other MMI func­
tions, the ba tte ry is being d ischarged .
If starting capability is jeopardi zed due to en­
ergy consumpt ion, an error message appears
in the MMI display .
The warning message indicates that the sys ­
tem will be turned off automat ically. If you
wish to continue using the functions , you have
to start the engine .
With the engine running
Altho ugh electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be­
come discharged . T hi s happens most ly when
little energy is be ing generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery 's state of
cha rge is not optimal.
To br ing the energy balance back into equili­
brium, consumers which require especia lly
large amounts of energy are tem pora rily cut
back o r switched off . Heati ng sys tems in par­
ticular requ ire a g reat dea l of energy. If you
n otice, fo r example , that the heated se ats* or
the heated re ar window are not hea ting, they have been tempora
rily cut back or switched
off. These systems wi ll be available again as
soon as the energy balance has been restored .
You w ill also no tice th at engine id le speed h as
been increased slightly. This is normal and not
a cause for concern . By inc reasing engine id le
speed the additional energy required is gener ­
ated and the battery is charged.

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Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than
2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
From 600 to 1 ,000 miles (1,000 to
1,500 kilometers ):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum perm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after br eak-in period
.. Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
Afte r the break- in peri od
.. Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un­
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale
c.> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en ­
g ine's interna l friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken in . How well this break -in process is done de ­
pends to a considerable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 k ilome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduc ed. However , th ese rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine.
Driving and environment 161
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
reduces noise and protects the environ­
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 ki lo­
meters) after fitting.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be sure to remember
this dur ing the f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llowing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are d rivi ng on poo r roads, or over
cu rbs, steep ramps, etc., make certa in that
low- ly in g parts s uch as spo ile rs and ex ha ust
system parts do not bottom o ut and get dam ­
aged.
Th is is espec ially true for veh icles with low­
s lung chassis (spo rts chas sis)* and fully load ­
ed vehicles.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­ trol system (catalytic converter) is function ­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead -free gasoline c'.> page 175,
Fuel supply .
.. Never r un the tank down all the way to emp­
ty.
.. Never put too much motor o il in your engine
c.> page 184, 'l::1: Adding engine oil .
.. Never try to push -or tow-sta rt you r vehicle . I),
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162 Driving and en vironm ent
The cata lytic converter is an efficient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the veh icle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalytic convert­
er and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
-The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driv ing and after stop­
ping the engine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail p ipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the veh icle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can
c ause a fi re.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on o r near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaus t pipes, catalytic con­
verte r o r heat shie lds. D uring driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware th at just one tank fi lling with
leaded fue l will already seriously de ­
grade the performance of the catalytic
conve rter .
- Do not exceed the correc t engine oil leve l
~page 184.
-Do not drive un til the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned f uel could a lso get into
the exhaust system and this could cause
the catalyt ic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignit ion while the ve­
hicle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate yo ur vehicle
u nder these conditions , as otherw ise fuel
can reac h the catalytic converter. This
could result in overheat ing of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement. -
To assu re efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System :
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance w ith the service rec­
ommendat ions in your Warranty &
M ain tenance book let.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
i mproper use of t he vehicle wi ll impair
the function of the em ission cont ro l
sys tem an d could lea d to damage.
~ For the sake of the environment
Eve n when the Emiss io n Control System is
ope rat ing proper ly, the exha ust gas c an
have a sul fur- like ex haust gas smell under
some ope rat ing states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used. Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or f illing the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer per iod of time, contact an
Audi or other specialized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e .g . corro­
s ion p revention, maintenance and sto rage .
Pay attent ion to additional info rmat io n con­
ce rn in g the battery. Refe r to~
page 190.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
Gene ral
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, e nvir onme nta l impact, and
we ar on your eng ine, b rakes and tires la rgely
depend on three fac to rs:
- your personal driving style
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitations