2015 AUDI S3 transmission

110 Autom atic tr an smi ssion
-Never select R or P while driving, because
this increases the risk of an accident.
- Power is still transmitted to the whee ls
when the eng ine 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 accelera­
tor pedal when the vehicle is stopped if a
gea r is engaged. Otherwise the vehicle
will star t to move immediately, even if
the parking bra ke is set . This could result
in a crash .
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position
whi le the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running whi le in gear . If you must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is running,
set the park ing brake and move these ­
lector lever to the P position.
- 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
~ page 217, Working
in the engine compartment.
Q) Note
Never let the veh icle roll downhill with en­
gine off and the selector lever in the N po­
sition, because this cou ld damage the au­
tomatic transmission and cata lytic con­
verter.
@ Tips
- Audi drive select : Sporty shift ing cha rac­
terist ics can be se lected using th e
dy·
nam ic driving mode. Swill appear in the
i nstrument cl uste r display i nstead of D.
- If you accidenta lly sele ct N while driv ing,
take your foot off the acce le rator pedal
i mmedia tely and wait for the engine to
s low down to idle be fore se lecting Dor S . -
If there is a power failure, the selector
lever wi ll not move out of the P position.
The emergency re lease can be used i f
this happens
¢ page 116.
Selector lever lock '
Applies to vehicles: wi th S t ronic tra nsmi ssio n
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­
lecting a gear occidentally, causing the vehi­
cle to roll.
Fig . 97 Selecto r lever lock
To release the selector lever lock:
.. Switch on the ignition .
8 0 :,l. CX) .,
.. Press the brake pedal while pressing the in-
terlock button .
Automat ic shift loc k (AS L)
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po­
sitions when the ign ition is switched on. You
must press the brake pedal to select another
position. You must also press the interlock
button if you a re mov ing from the P position .
T he following message appears in the display
when the selector lever is in the P or N pos i­
t ion to remind the drive r:
When stationar y apply footbrake while se­
l e cting gear
The automatic shift 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 it ion.
The selector lever is not locked when shifting
quick ly through N, for example from R to D.
T his makes it possible to free the vehicle when
it is stuck by "rocking" it. The se lector lever
lock engages if the lever stays in the N

....,
N
ci > co
rl I.O
"' ....,
"' rl
position longer than approximately 2 seconds
when the brake pedal is not pressed.
Interlock button
The interlock button in the selector lever han­
dle prevents you from moving the selector
l eve r inadvertently while in some selecto r lev­
er positions. The positions that require the in­
terlock button to be pressed are marked in
color in the illustration
c::;, fig. 97.
Ignition key safety interlock*
You can only remove the key from the ignition
after switching the ignition off if the se lector
lever is in the P position. The selector lever
will be locked in the P position as long as the
key is not in the ignition .
A WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. c::;, &. in
Selector lever positions on page 109.
{D) Tips
- If the selector lever does not engage,
there is a malfunction. The engine is dis­
abled to prevent the vehicle from driving
off unintentionally . Press the brake pedal
briefly to allow the selector lever lock to
engage again.
- If the vehicle does not move forward or
i n reverse even though a drive position is
se lected, proceed as follows:
- > If the veh icle does not move in the de­
sired direction, the system may not have
engaged the dr ive position correctly.
Press the brake pedal and select the
drive position again.
- >If the vehicle still does not move in the
desired direction, there is a system mal­
function. See an authorized Aud i dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance to have the system checked.
Autom atic transm ission 111
Driving tips
Applies to veh icles: w it h S tronic transm iss ion
T he transmission shifts up and down auto­
matically when in the driving gears.
Fig. 98 Section of the center co nsole: Selector lever
w ith interlock b utto n
The engine will only be able start when these­
lector lever is in the P or N positions. At low
temperatures (below 14 °F (-10 °C)), the en ­
gine can only be started when the selector
lever is in the P position.
Starting from a stop
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.,. Press and hold the interlock button in the
selector lever handle, select the desired se ­
lector lever position such as D
c::;, page 109
and re lease the lock button.
.,. Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts . Yo u will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages.
... Release the brake peda l and press the accel ­
erator pedal
c::;, .&_ .
Stopping temporarily
.,. Keep the vehicle stationary using the brak­
ing pedal, for example at traffic lights.
.,. Do not press the accelerator peda l when do­
ing this.
.,. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines
c::;, .&_ .
.,. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerator pedal. Requ irement:
The driver's safety belt must fastened and
the driver's door must be closed.
IJll,,

M N
0 > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
M 1.1'1 ,....,
the overload. The ml indicator light
turns on and a message appears
Q page 115 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 . T he selecto r leve r must be
firmly in the P pos ition and locked in
pla ce and t he pa rking brake must be set
Qpage217. Otherwise, the veh icle
cou ld beg in moving when the eng ine
speed is high, even with the parking
brake set.
W Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to ho ld the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator peda l w hile a dr iving gear
i s selected. This can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat and can dam­
age it. Set the parking b rake or press the
brake pedal to p revent the veh icle from
ro lling .
- Allow ing the ve hicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
i n the N position will damage the auto­
matic transmission beca use it is not lu­
b ricated unde r tho se c ircumstances.
- The t ransm ission can overheat and be
damaged under certa in d riving and traf­
fi c condition s suc h as frequent s tarts ,
creeping for a long time , or s top-and-go
traff ic. W hen the
ml or . indicator
light turns on, stop the vehicle at the
next oppo rtunity and let the t ransmis ­
s ion coo l
Qpage 115.
-Allow ing the ve hicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped w ill damage the S tron ic
transmission because it is not lubricated
Q page 282 , Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck .
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake re­
leases automatically only when the driver's
door is closed and dr iver 's safety belt is
fastened.
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 113
Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles : wi th 5 tronic tra nsmi ssio n
Hill descent control assists the driver when
driving down hills .
Hill descent control is activated when these­
l ector lever is in the D or S position and you
press the brake peda l. The transmission auto ­
matically selects a gear that is suitable for the
i ncl ine. Hill descent cont ro l t ries to ma inta in
t h e speed ac hieved a t the t ime of b raking,
within physic al and tec hnical lim it a tions. If
may sti ll be ne cessa ry to adju st the speed
with t he b rakes . Because hi ll descent control
cannot sh ift down farthe r than 3rd gear, it
may be necessary to sh ift into t iptronic mode
in very steep areas. In this case, shift into 1st
o r 2nd gear in tiptro nic mode to use the en­
gine's brak ing force to relieve the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the hi ll
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise contro l system*
Q page 83, hill descent control is also activat ­
ed when the speed is set .
A WARNING
-
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be ab le
to maintain a co nsta nt speed unde r all
conditions . A lways be ready to apply the
b rakes .
•

114 Automatic transmission
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
Applies to vehicles: with S tron ic t ransmiss ion/ s hift pa d­
d les
The tiptronic allow the driver to shift the
gears manually.
F ig. 99 Cente r console : manual shifting with the selec·
tor lever
Fi g. 100 Steer ing whee l: manua l sh ift ing w ith the s hift
paddles•
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while sta­
tionary and while driving.
.. To shift into tiptronic mode, pus h the selec­
tor lever from the D/S setting to the right in
the tiptronic shift gate . Once the transmis­
s ion has switched modes, the selector lever
pos it ion
M is shown in the instrument clus­
ter display
c:> page 109, fig. 96. For example
M4, means the fourth gear is engaged.
.. To shift up a gea r, tap the selector lever for­
ward
0 c:>fig. 99.
.. 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 (tiptronic shift gate) selector lever posi­
tions. ..
To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle
0
c:> fig. 100.
.. To shift down one gear, tap the shift paddle
o.
If the shift padd les are tapped while in the D/
S selector lever position, automatic mode
switches
off briefly . To switch from manually
shifting back to automatic sh ifting immedi­
ately, tap the shift paddle
0 c:> fig. 100 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 shifting
when the engine speed is within the permit­
ted range.
(D Tips
- If you shift to the next lowest gear, the
transmission w ill only shift if the engine
will 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 run ning in emergency mode.
· Kick-down
App lies to vehicles: wit h S t ronic tra nsmi ssio n
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When yo u press the accele rator 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.

M N
ci > co ,...., \!) ..,.,
M ..,., ,....,
Launch Control-Program
App lies to vehicles: with launch control
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
!.$OFFI
button briefly one time 1) .
.. Pull the selector lever back out of the 0/S
position briefly to select the S position, or
press it toward the right into the t ipt ronic
pos ition or select the
d ynamic driv ing mode
i n drive select*
~ page 106.
.. Press the brake peda l firmly with your left
foot and hold it all the way down for at least
1 second.
.. At the same time, press the gas peda l all the
way down with your right foot unti l the en­
gine reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.. Remove your left foot from the brake.
A WARNING
- Always adapt your driving to the traffic
flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and
t raff ic conditions a llow it and other driv­
ers wi ll not be endangered or impacted
by yo ur driving and the veh icle's acceler­
a tion.
- Please note tha t the dr ive whee ls can
spin and the vehicle can brea k away
when sport mode is switched on, espe­
c ially when the road is sl ippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving,
press the
I.$ OFF I button br iefly to turn
the sport mode off.
(j) Tips
- The transm ission tempe rat ure may in­
crease significantly after using the
l ) In vehicles with a dr iver info rmat ion system, an ESC
light in the in stru m ent cl us ter stays on contin uo usly
and the m essage
Stabilizatio n cont rol (ESC): spor t.
W arning! Restricted stability
appears temporarily.
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 115
Launch Control Program . If that hap­
pens, the program may not be availab le
for a few m inutes. It will be ava ilable
again after a cool-down per iod.
- 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: with S tronic transm ission
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 backgro und in the instru­
ment cluster d isplay, 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 ith reduced speed and not in all gears. In
some cases, the veh icle
c ann 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 ua lified repa ir facil ity immed iate ly to
have the ma lf u nction corrected.
Transmission malfunction
• Tran smiss ion malfuncti on! Please stop
the vehicle and select P
T here is a malfunction in the transmiss ion .
Park the vehicle securely and do not continue
driv ing. See an authorized Audi dealer or au ­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
• Tran smi ssion overh eatin g! Plea se stop
the vehicle!
The transm iss io n is too hot and can become
damaged . Stop and let the transmission cool .,.
•

116 Automatic transmission
with the eng ine runn ing (a t id le) in the P se ­
lector lever position . Then the indicator light
and the message turn off, drive to an author ­
ized A udi dealer or qualified repair facility im­
mediately to have the malfunct ion corrected.
If the indicator lig ht and the dr ive r message
do not tur n off, do not cont inue dr iv ing. See
a n author ized Audi d eal er or author ized A udi
S ervi ce Fa cili ty for a ssis tance.
Di] Transmiss ion malfunction: you can con­
tinue driving
Drive to an autho rized Aud i dea le r or a uthor­
ized A udi Service Facility immed iate ly to have
the ma lf u nction corrected .
Di] Transmission malfunction: no reverse
gear (you can continue driving)
D rive to an authorized Aud i dea le r or a uthor ­
ized A udi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the ma lf u nct ion co rrected .
Di] Transmi ssion malfunction: You can con­
tinue dri ving in D until engine off
Drive the ve hicle away from mov ing traff ic and
p ar k. See an au thori zed A udi d ealer or author­
iz ed A udi Service F acility for assis tance .
Di] Transmi ssion overheating! Please adapt
driving style
Continue driving moderate ly. When t he in di­
cato r ligh t turns off, you can continue dr iving
normally .
Di] Transmission : Please press brake pedal
and select gear again
If t h e tra nsmission mal functions beca use the
temperature is too h igh , a message appears
when t he transmission is coo led.
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
If the vehicle 's power supply fails, the selec­
tor lever can b e released in an emergency.
Fig. 101 Se lector leve r: remov ing t he cover
Fig. 10 2 Selector leve r: Us ing the emergency re lease
to move out of t he Park pos itio n
The emergency release mechanism is located
in the right a rea under the selector lever sh ift
gate. Using the eme rgency release ca n be
complicated. We recommend contacting an
au tho rize d Audi d eale r o r a uth o rized Aud i
Se rv ice Facility for assistance, if necessary.
The sc rewd river from t he ve hicle too l kit locat­
ed in the luggage compartmen t is needed to
fo r the emergency release ¢ page
268 . Use
the f lat s ide of the reve rsible screwdriver
blade .
Removing the selector lever cover
"'Set the park ing brake «el)¢&. to secure
your veh icle from rolling .
"' Insert the flat side o f the scr ewdr ive r side­
ways in the s lot near the s hift cove r and pry
t he shi ft cove r up <=> fig.
101 .
.,. Pull up the co rner s of the shift c over car eful­
ly wi th yo ur hands and fold it over the s hift-
er knob ¢fig.
10 2. ..,.

M N
0 > co ,...., \!) ..,.,
M ..,., ,....,
Selector lever emergency release
"'Press and hold the yellow release button
with the screwdr iver
¢ fig. 102.
"' Press the release button in the selector lever
@ and move the lever into the N position.
"' Clip the shift cover back into the shift gate
after using the emergency release.
If the ve hicle must be pushed or towed due to
a power failure (for example, the battery is
dead), the selector lever must f irst be moved
to the N position using the emergency release
mechanism.
A WARNING
Only move the selector lever out of the P
position when the parking brake is set. If
that does not work, secure the vehicle with
the brake pedal. Otherwise, the vehicle
could start to move unintentiona lly when
the selector lever is moved out of the P po­
sition .
Automatic transmission 11 7
•

M N
0 > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
M 1.1'1 ,....,
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.
•
•
•