2015 AUDI S3 warning

not used then is being generated in o rder to
maintain an optimal battery charge level.
@ Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome
the laws of physics. Note that the charge l evel and length of the battery life are
limited .
- When the start ing 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 litt le 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 distribution of en­ ergy.
Long periods without use
I f 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 contro l key may not be ava ilab le.
These convenience functions will be available
again once you switch the ign ition on and
start the engine.
With the engine switched off For example, if you listen to the radio when
the engine is switched off, the batte ry w ill
drain .
~ A warning text will appear if energy consump-
~ tion could impair starting ab ility . co ,....,
~ The message shows that you need to start the
~ engine in order to charge the battery. ,....,
Smart Technolog y 195
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated while driving, the battery can drain. This can happen
when litt le energy is generated, and much is
used and the charge leve l of the battery is not
optimal.
To restore the ba lance of energy, 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
working, then it has been temporar ily reduced
or switched off . These systems are availab le
again as soon as the energy balance has been
restored.
In add ition, you may notice that the idle
speed has slight ly increased . That is normal
and no cause for concern. Due to the in­
creased 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
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped 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 airbag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that w ill assist in
understanding how a vehicle's systems per­
formed . Th e EDR is designed to record data
related to vehicle dynam ics and safety sys­
tems for a short pe riod of time, typically
30 seconds or less . The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in your veh icle were
operating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened;
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Driving and the
environment
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the fir st 600 mil es
(1,000 kilometers):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds tha t are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
.. Avoid high engine sp eeds .
From 600 to 1,000 mile s (1,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
max imum pe rm iss ib le road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in per iod
.,. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transmission is i n N (Ne utra l) or in gear.
After the break- in period
.. Do not exceed maximum engine speed un­
der any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ome ter scale
¢ 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
i n. How well this break-i n process is done de­
pends to a conside rable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven d uring the first 1,0 00 miles
(1, 500 k ilome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds a re auto­
ma tica lly reduced. However, t he se RPM
lim its are pr ogr amme d for an eng ine t hat
is broken in, no t a new engine .
Driving and the environment 197
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessar ily hi gh en­
g ine speeds -upsh ifting ear ly saves f uel,
r educes noise and protects the environ­
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
particularly caref ul for the first 350 miles
(500 kilomete rs) afte r fitt ing.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be slippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be s ure to remember
this dur ing t he f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) . Bra ke gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking .
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full brak ing effect dur ing the first 250 m iles
(400 kilomete rs) afte r they a re install ed.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be­
fo re they have optima l grab¢ .&. .
D uring the brea k-in pe riod, you should avo id
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include , for example, sudden hard brak­
i ng, in particular at very h igh speeds or, for
example, on mounta in passes .
.&, WARNING
New b rake pa ds don't have the best stop­
p in g p ower a nd must be "b ro ken -in " dur­
ing the ini tial 1 00 t o 150 miles (15 0 to
2 00 kilometers) o f no rma l cit y driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing t he
b rake peda l more fi rm ly . This also applies
l ater when new pads are installed.
•
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•

198 Driving and the environment
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water or mud, the
braking effect can be reduced due to mois­
ture on the brake discs and brake pads. A
few careful brake applications should dry off the brakes.
@) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine, transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Determ ine the depth before driving
through water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water (corro­
s ion).
Catalytic converter
App lies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
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 gaso line r=;, page 210,
Fuel supply .
> Never run the tank down all the way to emp-
ty.
> Never put too much motor o il in your engine
r=;, page 223, Adding engine oil > Never try to push- or tow -start your vehicle .
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean ­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The cata lytic 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 critica lly
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 stopping
the eng ine .
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot . This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
r=;, page 223.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The engine could mis­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
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can reach the catalytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System :
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lac k of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
t he funct ion of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@) For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Cont ro l System is
operating properly, t he exhaus t gas can
have a s ulfu r-like exhaust gas smell unde r
some operating states. This depends on
the s ulfur content of the fue l being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with d iesel eng ine
The diesel particulate filter fi lters nearly a ll of
the soot part icles out of the exhaust. The fil­
ter cleans itse lf automatically under normal
driving conditions. If the filter cannot clea n it­
self (for examp le, because you are only driving
short d istances) , the fil ter becomes clogged
with soot and the
II symbo l for the diesel
particulate f ilter illum inates ~ page 23.
A WARNING
- Do not park yo ur vehicle ove r flammable
materials such as g rass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel par­
t icu late filter could start a fire .
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in
the exhaust system area or a fire could
start.
Dri ving and the en vironm ent 199
Placing your vehicle
out of service
If you would like to take your vehicle out of
se rv ice for a longer time, contact your author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified repair fac ility .
They w ill advise yo u of impo rtant measures,
such as corrosion p rotection , maintenance
and storage p roced ures. Also follow the infor­
ma tion about the battery ~ page 228 .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex ­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, env ironme ntal impact, and
wea r on your eng ine, b rakes and tires la rgely
depend on three factors:
- your personal d riving s tyle
- operating conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent. This sec­
tion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help t he env ironment and your pocketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONME NTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transpo rt Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the r oad, which will va ry depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, ro ad and weather con­
ditions, trip leng th, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating .
.,. Avo id unne cessary acceler ating and bra ki ng . .,..
•
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•

202 Trailer towing
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, always fo llow the operating
and drivi ng i nstr uctions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and mu st be
mounted secure ly on the ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
h itch with a removab le ball mount. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch manu fac tur er to
make sure tha t you are using t he cor rect
hitch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way t hat
it does not interfe re with t he impact-absorb­
ing bumper syst em . No mod ifications should
be made to the vehi cle exhaust and brake sys ­
tems . From time to time, check th at a ll hit ch
mo unt ing bo lts remain secure ly fastened.
When you are not towing a trail er, remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount. This prevents the
hi tch from causing d amage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ A .
Trailer brakes
If you r tra ile r is eq uipped w ith a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r egulat ions . T
he trailer hyd raulic brake system mus t not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use s afety chains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r li ghts must meet all regulations. Be
su re to c hec k w ith your Audi dea le r fo r cor rect
wiring, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regular o utside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mirro rs . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rea r.
,8. WARNING
-
Afte r removing t he trailer hit ch, d o no t
s tore it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
br aking, t he h itch cou ld fly forward an d in­
j ur e you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r weight
A trai le r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typi cal
class 1 or class 2 trai le r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the load in the t ra ile r is held secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
backw ard or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ A in Driving instru ctions on page 203.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system 's
performance is up to the additional load .
Make su re that the coo ling system has enough
fl uid .
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under
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"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer t ires to tra iler and t ire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make su re they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and traile r, p lease note the following:
~ Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
~ Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles.
~ Observe speed limits .
~ Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
~ Always apply brakes early.
~ Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con ­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent poss ible and permiss i­
ble, wh ile keeping the trailer as light as poss i­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi-
Trailer towing 203
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the mo re difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissib le speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhi ll, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperatu re gauge <=> page 12
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem ­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to .<=>
page 20.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
a trailer because of the additional weight and ..,.
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Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
vehicle's val ue . It can also be a requirement
when submitting warranty claims for corro­
sion damage and paint defects on the body.
The necessary care products can be obtained
from your a uthorized Audi dea ler . Read and
follow the instructions for use on the packag­ ing.
A WARNING
- Us ing clean ing and care products incor­
rect ly can be dangerous to your hea lth .
- Always store cleaning and care products
out of reach of children to reduce the r isk
of po isoning.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
care products with household trash.
-
Car washes
The longer that deposits such as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road sa lt rema in on the
veh icle, the more the surface can be dam­
aged . High tempe ratures such as those
caused by sunlight increase the damag ing ef­
fect .
Before washing, rinse off heavy depos its with
p lenty of water .
Stubborn depos its s uch as bird dropp ings or
tree sap are best removed with plenty of wa­
ter and a m icrof iber cloth.
A lso, wash the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stops be ing used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your veh icles w ith a pressure
washer, always fo llow the operating instr uc­
tions provided with the pressure washer. This is especially important in regard to the pres -
Care and cleanin g 205
sur e and sp raying distance. Do not aim the
spray direct ly at sea ls on side windows, doors,
the hood, the rear lid or the sunroof* or at
tires, rubber hoses, insulating material, sen­
sors* or camera lenses*. Keep a d istance of at
least 16 inches (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or h igh pressure noz­
zles .
T he wate r temperature m ust not be above
140
° F (60 °().
Automatic car washes
Spray off t he ve hicle before washing .
Make sure that the w indows and roof* are
closed and the winds hield wipers are off. Fol­
low instructions from the car wash operator,
especially if there are accessories attached to
you r vehicle .
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean t he ve hicle starting from the top and
working down us ing a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free clean ing products .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and finger­
pri nts are best removed w ith a spec ial cleane r
for matte finish paint .
Apply the product us ing a microfiber cloth. To
avo id damaging the paint surface, do not use
too much pressure.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi­
crofiber cloth.
Rinse the ve hic le thoroughly again and let it
air dry . Remove any water residue using a
shammy.
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206 Care and cleaning
_& WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp meta l components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be de layed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat ions .
@ Note
- If you wash t he vehicle in an automatic
ca r wash, you must fold the exterior m ir­
r o rs in to reduce the r isk of damage to
t h e m irrors. Power foldi ng exterior m ir­
r o rs* must on ly be folded in and o ut us­
i ng the p ower folding function.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
t h e ve hicle in direc t sunli ght. -
To reduce the ris k of damage to the sur ­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted veh icle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishi ng agen ts or
h a rd wax.
- Never use protect ive wax. It can de­
stroy the matte fi nish effec t.
- Do not place any stickers o r mag net ic
s igns on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fi nish pa int. The paint cou ld be
d amaged when the sticke rs o r mag nets
ar e removed. @ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the ve hicl e in facilities spec ia lly
de signed for that purpose. This will red uce
the r is k of dirty w ater contam ina ted with
oi l from entering the sewer sys tem.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and ca rin g for individua l vehi­
cle components, refer to the fo llow ing tab les.
The informa tion con taine d there is s imp ly rec­
ommendations. Fo r quest ions or for compo -nents that ar
e not listed, refer to an author­
i z ed Audi dea ler. Also follow the in format io n
f o und in¢ ,&..
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Wind shield wip-
Deposi ts ¢ page 51, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
er blade s
H eadlights /
Deposits Soft sponge with a m ild soap solutiona>
Tail lights
Sensors /
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth with a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ ice Hand brush/solvent -free de -icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake d ust Acid-free special cleaning so lution
E x haust ta il Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut ion sui table fo r sta inless steel, if
pipes necessary