2015 AUDI S3 SEDAN Owners Manual

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brake provides various convenience and safety
functions.
When starting from rest
- The integral hill start assist helps you when
driving by automatically releasing the parking
brake ¢
page 80 , Starting from a stop.
- When starting on inclines, the hill start assist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll ­
ing back. The braking force of the parking brake
is not r eleased until sufficient driving forc e has
b ee n built up at the wh eels.
Emergency brake function
An emergency braking functions ensures that the
vehicle can be slowed down even if the
normal
brakes fail¢ page 80, Emergency braking func­
tion.
A WARNING
- Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if the vehicle is stationary but the en­ gine is running and a gear is selected . Other­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi ­
ately and could result in a crash.
-If the power supply fails, the released park­
ing brake can no longer engage. In this case,
park the vehicle on level ground and secure
it by placing the selector lever in the P posi­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
(D Note
If the . or 1111 (USA models)/ . (Canada
models) indicator light in the instrument clus­
ter blinks , there is a malfunction in the brake
system. Refer to the detailed description of
the indicator lights¢
page 17.
-If the - (USA models)/ . (Cana-
da models) or
Ill indicator light turns on,
there is a malfunction in the parking brake
¢ page 18.
(D Tips
-If the parking brake is set while the ignition
is switched
off, thP l<@) indicator light in the
button and in the instrument cluster dis­
play - (USA models) /. (Canada mod-
Driving
els) will turn off after a certain amount of
time.
- If driver's door is opened while the ignition
is switched on, the parking brake sets auto­
matically. This prevents unintended rolling
of the vehicle.
- Occasional noises when the parking brake is
applied and released are normal and are not
a cause for concern.
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at regu­
lar intervals. Any noises associated with this
are normal.
- If there is a power failure, the parking brake will not set if it is released, and it will not
release if it is set¢&. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance .
Parking
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
.. Pull the switch@¢
page 78, fig . 71 to set the
parking brake.
.. Place the selector lever in the P position.
.. Turn th e engine off¢,& .
.. Turn the steering wheel when pa rking on in­
clines so that the wheels will roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving .
A WARNING
--Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving the vehicle, even for a short period
of time. This applies particularly when chil­
dren remain in the vehicle. Otherwise the
children could start the engine , release the
parking brake or operate electrical equip­
ment (e.g. power windows). There is the risk
of an accident.
- When the vehicle is locked, no one -particu­
larly not children should remain in the vehi­
cle. Locked doors make it more difficult for
emergency workers to get into the vehicle,
which puts lives at risk.
79

Driving
Starting from a stop
The start assist function ensures that the park­
ing brake is released automatically upon start­
ing.
Stopp ing and appl ying parking br ake
.,. Pu ll the switch @q page 78, fig. 71 to set the
parking brake.
Starting and aut omatically rel ea sing the
pa rking br ake
Requirement: The driver 's door must be closed.
.,. When you press the accelerato r pedal, the park­
ing brake is automatically released and your ve ­
hicle begins to move.
When stopp ing at a traffic signa l o r stopp ing in
city traffic, the parking brake can be applied . The
vehicle does not have to be held with the brake
pedal. The parking brake e liminates the tendency
to creep when a selector lever position is engag­
ed. As soon as you press the accelerator pedal,
the park ing brake releases automatically and the
veh icle starts to move.
St arting on slope s
When starting on inclines, the h ill start ass ist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally rolling
back . The braking force of the parking brake is
not released unt il sufficient d riving force has
been b uilt up at the whee ls .
(0 Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake only re­
leases automat ica lly when the driver's door is
closed .
Emergency braking function
In the event that the conventional brake system
fails or locks .
.,. To brake your vehicle in an emergency, pull the
@ switch
q page 78, fig. 71 and hold it pulled.
.,. As soon as you release the @switch or acceler­
ate, the braking process stops.
Pulling and holding the@switch while driving at
a speed of about 2 mph (3 km/h) or h igher in i-
80
tiates the emergency b rak ing function . The veh i­
cle is braked at all four whee ls by activating the
hydraulic brake system . The brake performance is
s imilar to heavy brak ing.
q &
To he lp prevent activating the emergency braking
by mistake, an audib le wa rning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the @switch is pu lled . Emergency
braking stops as soon as the @switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
A WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used in an
emergency, when the norma l brake pedal has
failed or the bra ke pedal is obstructed. During
emergen cy bra king, your ve hicl e will bra ke
similar to he avy braking. ESC and the asso ci­
ated components (ABS, ASR, EDL) canno t
overcome the laws of physics. In corners and
when road o r weathe r cond itions are bad, a
fu ll brake applicat ion can cause the veh icle to
skid or the rear end to break away, which in­
creases the risk of an accident.
Hill hold
App lies to vehicles: wit h Hill Hold
Hill hold makes it easier to start on hills.
Req uirement: The driver door must be closed and
the engine must be running.
The system is activa ted when the brake peda l is
pressed whi le the vehicle is statio nary .
To prevent the vehicle from roll ing ba ck when
st art ing, the brake power is held fo r a b rief mo­
ment afte r releas ing the b rake pedal. During this
time, you can easily begin to move your vehicle.
A WARNING
-The inte lligent technology of Hill Hold can­
not overcome the limitations imposed by
natura l physical laws. The increased comfort
offered by Hill Hold shou ld not cause you to
take safety r isks.
- Hill Hold cannot hold the vehicle in all hill
start sit uat ions (for example, if the ground
is s lippery or icy).

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-If you do not begin moving immediately af­
ter releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle
could begin to roll backward under certain
circumstances . Press the brake pedal or set
the parking brake immediately .
- If the engine "stalls", press the brake pedal
or set the parking brake immediately.
- Starting on inclines in stop-and-go traffic:
To help prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when starting, press and hold the brake pedal for several seconds when the vehicle
is stationary .
(D Tips
You can find out if your vehicle is equipped
with Hill Hold by checking at an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty.
Driving
81

Automatic transmi ssion
Automatic transmission
S tronic
Introduction
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tro nic transmiss ion
Your vehicle is equ ipped w ith an electronically­
contro lled DSG transmission ca lled S tronic. Two
independent clutches transfer the power be­
tween the eng ine and t ransmission. It a llows the
vehicle to accelerate without a noticeable inter ­
ruption in tract ion .
The transmission upshifts or downsh ifts auto­
matica lly. The driv ing style contin uously influen­
ces the se lection of the driving program .
When a
mod era te driving style is used, the
transmiss ion se lects the mos t econom ica l driving
mode. The transmission upsh ifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency .
The transmission swit ches to a sporty mode after
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
s po rty driv­
ing sty le
characterized by quick accelerator pedal
movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
changes in speed and t raveling at the maximum
speed.
If desired, the drive r can a lso se lect the gears
manually ( tiptronic mode) ¢ page 87, Shift ing
manually (tiptronic mode) .
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: w ith S tro nic transmiss ion
F ig. 72 In strum ent clus te r: S electo r lev er pos it io ns
-~ 0 > a, ID
The inst rument cl uste r display shows the c urrent
selector lever position and current gear.
82
P - Park
The wheels a re mechanically locked i n this pos i­
tion . You can on ly shift into Par k when the vehi cle
i s
stationary ¢.&. .
To shift i n and ou t of the P se lec to r lever posit io n,
press the interlock button in the selec tor lever
while pressing the brake pedal.
R - Reverse
Only sh ift into reve rse gear when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is run ning at id le
speed¢ .&..
To select the R selector lever position, p ress the
i nterlock button
while pressing the brake pedal.
The back-up lights switc h on in the R posit ion if
the ign it io n is switched on.
N - Neutral
The transm ission is in idle in this pos ition .
D/S - Normal po sit ion fo r dri ving f orward
In the D/S se lector lever position , the transm is ­
s ion can be operated either in the norma l D mode
or in the S sport mode. To se lect the S sport
mode, pull the selector lever back br iefly . Pu lling
the lever back aga in will select the normal D
mode . The instrument cluster display 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 d rivi ng
style .
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty dr iv ing . The
vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine 's power.
Sh ifting is may become not iceable when accele r­
at ing .
To move from se lec tor lever position N to D, you
must p ress the brake pedal and the ve hicle must
be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) o r be sta­
tiona ry¢ .&..
&, WARNING
Read and following all WA RN IN GS.
- The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
sw itched off.

....,
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"'
"'
"'
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 pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P) when the engine is
running . Otherwise, this inc reases the r isk
of an accident.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
peda l when the veh icle is stopped if a gear is
engaged . Otherwise the vehicle will start to
move immediately, even if the pa rking brake
is set . This could res ult in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition while
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 the selector 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 activate the parking
brake. Always read and fo llow the applicable
warnings
¢ page 198, Working in the en­
gine compartment.
(D Note
Never let the veh icle roll downhill with engine
off and the selector lever in the N pos ition,
because this could damage the automatic
transmiss ion and catalyt ic converte r.
(D Tips
- Audi drive select: Sporty shifting character­
i stics can be selected us ing the
Dynam ic
driving mode.Sw ill appear in the instru­
ment clust er disp lay ins tead of D.
- If you accidentally select N while driv ing,
take your foot off the acce le rator pedal im­
mediately and wa it for the engine to slow
down to idle before select ing Dor S .
-If there is a power failure, the se lector lever
will not move out of the P posit ion. The
Au tom atic t ra nsm iss io n
emergency release can be used if this hap ­
pens
¢page 89.
Selector lever lock
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tronic tra nsm iss io n
The selector lever lock prevents you from select­
ing o gear occidentally, causing the vehicle to
roll.
Fig. 73 Selecto r lever lock
To release the selector lever lock:
.,. Switch on the ignition.
•
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>
~
.,. Press the brake pedal while pressing the inter-
lock button.
Automat ic shift loc k (AS L)
The selector lever is locked in the P and N posi­
tions when the ignition is switched on. You must press the brake peda l to select another position .
You must also press the interlock button if you
are moving from the P pos ition . The fol low ing
message appears in the d isplay when the selector
lever is in the P or N posit ion to remind the dr iv­
er:
When stationar y appl y footbrake whil e selec t­
ing g ear
The automatic sh ift lock only functions when the
vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds below 1 mph
(2 km/h). At h igher speeds, the lock is automati­
cally deactivated in the N pos ition .
The selector lever is not locked when shift ing
quickly through N, for example from R to D. This
makes it poss ible to free the vehicle when it is
stuck by "rock ing" it . The selector lever lock en-
gages if the leve r stays in the N pos ition longer
liJ,,
83

Automatic transmission
than approximately 2 seconds when the brake
pedal is not pressed.
Interlock button
The interlock butto n in the selector lever handle
p revents you from moving the selector lever in­
advertently while in some selector lever posi ­
t ions . The positions that require the interlock
button to be pressed are marked in co lor in the il­
lustration
c::> fig. 73.
Ignition key safety interlock*
You can only remove the key from the ignition af­
ter sw itching the ign ition off if the selector lever
is in the P position. The selector lever will be
locked in the P posit ion as long as the key is not
in the ignition .
A WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. c::> & in Se­
lector lever positions on page 82.
@ Tips
- If the selector lever does not engage, there
is a malfunction. The engine is disabled to
prevent the vehicle from driving off uninten­
tionally. Press the brake pedal br iefly to al­
low the selector lever lock to engage again.
- If the vehicle does not move forward or in
reverse even though a drive position is se­
lected, proceed as follows:
- >If the vehicle does not move in the desired
direct ion, the system may not have engaged
the drive pos ition correctly. Press the brake
pedal and select the drive position again.
- >If the veh icle still does not move in the de­
sired direct ion, there is a system malfunc­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for ass istance
to have the system checked.
84
Driving tips
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmissio n
The transmission shifts up and down automati­
cally when in the driving gears .
Fig. 74 Sec tion of t he ce nter conso le: se le ct or lever with
interloc k button
The engine will only be able start when the selec­
tor lever is in the P or N positions . At low temper ­
atures (be low 14 °F (-10 °C)), the engine can only
be started when the selector lever is in the P po­
sition.
Starting from a stop
"' Press and hold the brake pedal.
"' Press and hold the interlock button in the selec­
tor lever hand le, select the desired selector lev­
er position such as D
c::> page 82 and release the
lock button.
"' Wait a moment until the transmission shifts .
You will notice a slight movement when the
gear engages .
"' Release the brake peda l and press the accelera­
tor pedal
c::> ,&. .
Stopping temporarily
"'Keep the veh icle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traff ic lights .
"' Do not press the accelerator peda l when doing
this.
"' To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop­
ping on steep incl ines
c::> ,&. .
"'The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the acce lerator pedal. Requirement: The door
must be closed.

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Stopp ing /p ark in g
If the se lector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle cou ld roll.
In vehicles with a convenience key*, the message:
Shift t o P, o ther wis e vehi cle c an roll away .
D oo rs do not lo ck if l ever i s not i n P
appears . You
will also hear a warning tone.
~ Press and ho ld the brake pedal c:> A ­
~ Set the parking brake.
~ Se lect the P selector lever pos ition.
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the b rake pedal to hold the vehi­
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
c:> A -Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in­
creasing the engine speed
c:> @ .
Starting on an incline in vehicl es without H ill
H old *
~ Set the parking brake.
~ With the driving gear se lected, press the accel ­
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake releas­
es automatically . Requ irement: The door must
be closed .
Starting o n an incline in veh icles with Hill
Hol d*
~ With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal
c:> page 80, Hill hold.
Under certain circumstances, (such as driving in
the mountains or towing a tra iler), it may be use­
ful to sw itch temporarily to the manual sh ift pro­
gram in order to adjust the gears to the driving
conditions by hand~
page 87.
When parking on a level surface, simply place the
selector lever in the P position. On inclines, acti­
vate the parking brake first and then move the
selecto r lever to the P position~
page 78. This
prevents the locking me chanism from being load­
ed too heavi ly and wi ll make it easier to move the
selector lever out of the P posit ion .
Aut omatic transm issio n
A WARNING
-The vehicle can roll even when the engine is
sw itched off.
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serious injuries.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine running while in gear. If you must leave your
veh icle when the engine is running, set the
parking brake and move the selector lever to
the P position.
- Power is still transferred to the wheels when
the eng ine is running at idle. To prevent the
veh icle from "creeping", you must keep your
foot on the brake when the engine is run­
n ing and the selec to r l ever is in the D, Sor R
position or "tiptronic" mode is selected .
- Do not inadvertently press the accelera tor
pedal when the vehicle is stationa ry. Other­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could res ult in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the eng ine is
running.
- Never engage the R or P selector level pos i­
tions while dr iv ing.
It could cause a crash.
- Before driving down a steep s lope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"t iptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake system.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in place with the foot brake or pa rking brake to prevent it from ro lling
back.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a slipping clut ch. The cl utch opens au tomati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . The
mJ indicator light turns on
and a message appears
c:> page 88 when
the clutch is overloaded .
85

Automatic transmission
-If the engine must run while you are work­
ing in the engine compartment with the
hood open, make sure a gear is not engag­
ed . The selector lever must be firmly in the
P position and locked in place and the park­
ing brake must be set ¢
page 198. Other­
wise, the vehicle could begin moving when
the engine speed is high, even with the
parking brake set.
0 Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­
lected. This can cause the automatic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Ac­
tivate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped and the selector lever is in the N
position will damage the automatic trans­
mission because it is not lubricated under
those circumstances.
- The transmission can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic . When the
5] or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool¢
page 88.
-Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped will damage the S tronic trans­
mission because it is not lubricated
¢ page 2 54, Towing with a tow truck.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake only re­
leases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tron ic transm ission
The hill descent control system assists the driv­
ing when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in the Dor S position and you press
86
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the incline. Hill
descent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brakes. Because hill de­
scent control cannot shift down farther than 3rd
gear, it may be necessary to shift into tiptronic
mode in very steep areas . In this case, shift into
1st or 2nd gear in tiptronic mode to use the en­
gine's braking force to relieve the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢
page 94, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set .
&_ WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.