2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET Owners Manual

<( co .... N ,.__
N .... 0 ,.__
> co
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy manag ement syst em manages th e
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a vehicle w ith a conventional energy sys ­
tem is not dr iven for a long time, the batte ry is
d rained by equ ipment (for example the immobi l­
i ze r) . In certain circumsta nces, there could may
n ot be eno ugh energy to st art the engine.
Your veh icle is equipped with an intellige nt ener­
gy management system for d istr ibut ing electric i­
ty . This s ignificantly im proves the s tarting ab ility
an d incr eases t he battery life.
The energy management system Is made up of
batter y diagnosis , idling current management
and dynami c energy management.
Battery diagnosis
The battery diagnosis determ ines the battery
charge level. The senso rs determ ine the battery
voltage, the battery current, and t he battery
t e m perature . Th e cu rrent charge level a nd the
p e rformance of the b attery are dete rm ined based
on this.
Idling current management
The idling c urrent management dec reases the
e n ergy used wh ile pa rked . With the eng ine
sw itched off, it manages the energy dist ribution
t o the different elect rical componen ts. Date from
b attery d iagnosis is ta ken into a ccount for this.
Depending on the battery cha rge level, e lectr ica l
eq uipment is switched off o ne item after the o th ­
e r, to p revent the batte ry from draini ng an d to
r eta in the s tarting ab ili ty.
Dynamic energy management
W hile driving, dy namic energy management dis­
tr ibutes the appropriate amount of energy to the
e lectr ica l equipment.
It con trols the battery
ch arge level so th at more energy is not used then
i s being gener ate d in orde r to m aint ain a n op ti­
mal battery charge level.
Intellig ent Technology
{!) Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome the
laws o f physics . Note that the charge level
and length of the battery life are limited.
- W hen the sta rting ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light t urns on
¢ page 17.
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority .
A lo t of stress is p laced on t he b attery when dr iv­
ing short d istances, in t raffic, and at cold times
of the year . A lot of energy is used but litt le is
generated .
It is also critical when the eng ine is
not r unning but e lectr ica l equipment is sw itched
o n . In th is case, energy is used but none is gener­
ated .
In situat ions like th is, energy management w ill
active ly regulated the distr ibut ion of energy.
Long periods without use
If you do no t drive your vehicle for severa l days o r
weeks, electrical eq uipment is gradua lly scaled
back or sw itched off . This reduces e nergy use and
ensures the vehicle will be ab le to start after long
per iods of time . Some conven ience f unctions
such as opening w it h the remote control key may
not be availab le . Th ese convenience functions
will be ava ilable again once you switch the ign i­
t io n on and sta rt the eng ine.
With the engine switched off
The battery w ill dra in if you use funct io ns such as
li ste ning to the radio wh ile the engine is switch ­
ed off .
The vehicle's ab ility to start may be impa ired by
the energy use, a message will appear in the In­
fota inme nt system display .
The message indicates that the system w ill
switch off automatically soon . If you would like
to continue using the functions, you must start
the engine .
IJJ,,
121

Intelligent Technology
With the engine running
A lthough electrical energy is generated whi le
driving, the battery can drain . This can happen
when little energy is generated, and much is used
and the charge leve l of the battery is not optima l.
To restore the balance o f energy, components
that requ ire large amounts o f energy are tempo ­
rari ly scaled back o r switched off . Heating sys­
tems in particu lar 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 bee n temporarily reduced or switched off.
These systems are available again as soon as the
energy supp ly has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased. T hat is norma l and no
cause for concern. Due to the increased idling
speed, the add itiona l requ ired e ne rgy w ill be
generated and the battery w ill be cha rged.
Notice about data recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and vehicle control modules
E vent Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped wi th an Event Da ta Re ­
corde r (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash o r near crash-like situa­
tions, such as an a irbag deployment or h itting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand­
ing how a veh icle's systems performed . The EDR
is designed to record data related to veh icle dy­
namics and safe ty systems for a sho rt pe riod of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
veh icle is designed to reco rd s uch data as:
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
at ing;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts we re buckled/fastened;
- How far ( if at all) the driver was depress ing the
acce lerator and/or brake peda l; and,
- How fast the ve hicle was trave ling.
These data can help provide a better understand­ ing of the circ umstances in which crashes and in ­
juries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your veh icle only if a non-trivia l crash situat ion occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under norma l
122
driving cond itions and no personal data (e .g .,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re­
corded. However, other parties, such as law en­
fo rcement, co uld comb ine the EDR data with the
type of persona lly identifying data rout inely ac­
quired du ring a crash investigation .
To read data recorded by an EDR, spec ial eq uip­
ment is required, and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed. In addition to the ve hicle manu­
facturer, other part ies, such as law enforcement,
t h at have the spec ial eq uipment, can read the in­
fo rmat io n if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR .
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down­
l oad ing of data stored by ED Rs ins talled in a ve hi­
cle for the exp ress p urpose of ret riev ing data af­
te r an accident or c rash event withou t the own­
e r's consent.
Audi will not access the EDR and/or simi la r data
or g ive i t to others -
- unless the ve hicle owner (or lessee if the vehi­
cle has been leased) agrees; o r
- upon the offic ial request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court o f law or a govern -
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit thro ugh the judicia l
discovery process.
- Audi may a lso use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety perfo rmance or
prov ide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identify ing the specific vehi­
cle or information about the ident ity of its own­
er or lessee and only afte r the recorded vehicle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
You r vehicle is also eq uipped with a number of
electronic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as e ngine management, em iss ion
contro l, airbags, and safety be lts.
These elect ronic contro l modules record data
dur ing norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained techn ic ians for d iagnost ic and
r epa ir purposes. The recording capab ility of these
modules is lim ited to data (no sound is record­
ed). Only a sma ll am ount of data is actually

<( co .... N ,.__
N .... 0 ,.__
> co
reco rded over a very limited period of time, or
stored when a system fau lt is detected by a con ­
tro l module. Some of the data stored may relate
to vehicle speed, d irection, or braking, as well as
restraint system use and performance in the
event of a crash . Stored data can a lso only be
read and down loaded with spec ial equ ipment
that is direct ly connected to the vehicle.
(0 Tips
Your veh icle may be equipped with Audi con­
nect. Your use of ce rtain Audi connect fea­
tures requires w ireless se rvices that are pro­
vided by a third pa rty wire less telecommuni­
cations p rovider. For det ails regard ing how in­
formation obt ained th ro u gh Audi conne ct is
co llected, processed, transmitted, used, and
shared, please see your contract with the
w ireless te lecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! ME NUI button> Aud i connect > About
Audi conne ct .
Intellig ent Technology
123

Driving sa fe ty
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instruct ions and warn ings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others. We have summar­ ized here what you need to know about safety
be lts, a irbags, child restra ints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1 . Al­
ways observe the i nfo rmation and wa rn ings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information i n this section applies to all
model versions of yo ur vehicle . Some of the fea­
tures descr ibed in t his sections may be s tanda rd
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others . If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in th is
Manual.
It is in your interest and in the in­
te rest of your passengers.
- Always keep the comp lete Owner's Litera­
ture in your A udi when you lend or se ll your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the d river and
passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner 's literature handy so
that you can find it easily i f you have ques­
t ions.
- Always adjust your speed to the wea ther
t raff ic and conditions. Follow the speed lim­
its.
- Always dr ive in such a way that you can s top
yo ur vehicle safely.
- Always adjust your speed to the genera l
flow of traffic. Follow the speed l imits.
124
· Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re­
straint system and work together to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident sit­
uations.
You r safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance . Advances in tech­
no logy have made a va riety of features available
to help red uce the risk of inj ury in an accident.
The following is a lis t of jus t a few of the safe ty
fea tures in yo ur Audi :
- sophisticated safety be lts fo r drive r and all pas-
senge r seat ing pos itions,
- safety belt pretensioners,
- safety bel t force lim ite rs fo r the front seats,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats*
- side airbags in the front seats,
- special LATCH anchorages fo r child res trai nts,
- head rest raints fo r each seati ng position,
- adjustab le steering column.
- pre sense bas ic * (preventative passenger pro-
tect ion)
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to he lp protect you and your
passengers i n a wide range of acc idents. These
fea tures cannot wo rk as a system if they are not
always correctly adjusted and cor rect ly used.
Safet y is e verybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care­
ful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
be fo re dri ving always:
.. Make sure that a ll lights and signals a re operat­
ing correctly.
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.. Secu re all luggage and other items carefully
,=;,page 58, ,=;,page 57 . .,.

<( co ..... N
" N ..... 0 r--. > 00
.. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals.
.. Adjust front seat , head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints accord ing to their height .
.. Make sure to use the right ch ild restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
~ page 165, Child
safety .
.,. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
¢page 53, Front
seats .
.. Fasten your safety be lt and wear it properly. Al­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty belts properly ¢
page 135 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle , the driver as well as the driver's abili­
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve­
hicle and all of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road
¢ ,&. Therefore :
.,. Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular telephone.
.. NEVER dr ive when your driv ing ability is im ­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense.
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weathe r conditions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
sure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired dr iv ing safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal inj ury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
Driving safety
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 120 Correct seating pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver 's seat to the following
position:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keep ing your knee(s) slightly bent¢,& .
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact wi th it when you dr ive .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steering whee l and your breast bone¢
fig. 120.
If not poss ible, see your author ized A udi deal­
ership about adaptive equipment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. For adjustable head restraints: Adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
b le with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this posit ion as possible. Move the
head restraint so that it is as close to the back
of the head as possible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 138. ..,.
125

Driving safety
"' Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c;, page 53.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it unfolds . To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the
lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out ­
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in­
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the su pplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­
sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
properly and make sure that all passengers
are properly restrained .
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
126
-
-Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position .
- Children must always ride in child seats
c:;, page 165 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c:;, page 143.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident , we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
"'Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
"'For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c:;, page 12 7 . Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as possible.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat .
"' Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c;,page 138.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:;, page 53 .
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
Ill-

-Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri­
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas­
senger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen­ ger's knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas­
senger seat properly.
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly.
-Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child seats
c> page 165. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c> page 143.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve­
hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
;;§ seating position in the event of a sudden braking
..... N
" N ..... 0 r--. > 00
maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow­
ing:
Driving safety
.,. For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c>page 127.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c> page 138.
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and ager:!;>
page 165.
A WARNING
-
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the safety belts are properly posi­
tioned on the body and securely latched. By not sitting upright, a rear seat passenger in­
creases the risk of personal injury from im­
properly positioned safety belts!
- For adjustable head restraints: always ad­
just the head restraint properly so that it
can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
App lies to: vehicles with adjusta ble head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor ­
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys­
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fig. 121 Head restraint: viewed from the front
127

Driving sa fe ty
The head restraints must be correc tly adjusted to
achieve the best protection .
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as poss ible with the top of your head.
If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re ­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
poss ib le
~ fig . 121.
.,. If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing pos it ion, slide the center head restra int up­
ward at least to the next notch.
Adjusting head restraints
c::> page 55.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints.
Dr iv ing without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not proper ly adjusted in­
creases the risk of ser ious or fatal neck injury
dramatically. To help reduce the r is k of injury:
- Always dr ive with the head restraints in
place and properly ad justed .
- Every person in the vehicle must have a properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
prope rly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restra int so the uppe r edge is as
even as possib le w ith the top of you r head.
If that is no t possib le, t ry to adjust the head
restra int so th at it is as close to th is position
as possib le. Move the head restraint so that
it is as close to the back of the hea d as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
whi le driving. If you have dr iven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at­
tempting to ad just the head restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a chi ld restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
c::> page 165.
128
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated .
Improper seating positions can cause ser ious in­
jury or death . Safety be lts ca n only work when
they are properly positioned on t he body . Im­
prope r seat ing pos itions red uce the effectiveness
of safety bel ts a nd will even increase t he risk of
i njury and deat h by mov ing the safety bel t to cr it­
ic al areas of the body. Improper seating positions
a lso increase the risk of se rio us in jury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occ upant
who is not in the proper seating posit ion. A dr iver
i s responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and espec ially for children. Therefore :
.,. Never allow anyone to assume an incor rect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
Q A .
The following bulletins list on ly some samp le po ­
s itions that will increase the r isk of serious injury
and death . Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
a re dangerous .
Therefore, whene ver the vehicl e is m oving:
-never stand up in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride w it h the seatback recl ined
- never l ie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never s it on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- neve r put your feet o ut the window
- neve r put your feet on the instr ument panel
- neve r res t your feet on the seat c ushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area