2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET ECU

Sea ts and stor age
Removing th e head restraints
To remove the head restrai nts, the backrest m ust
be folded forward partially.
• Remove the screwd river from the vehicle tool
ki t
¢ page 230.
• Release t he backrest ¢ page 58 .
• Press the button @¢ fig. 59 and slide the head
restraint up as far as it can go¢&_ .
• Place the screwdriver in position @ in the
opening, press the button @ and pull the head
restra int out of the backrest at the same time
¢ &_ .
• Fo ld the backrest down until it latches securely
c> & in Increasing the size of the luggage
compartment on page 59.
Inst alling the head rest raints
To install the head restraints, the backrest must
be folded forward partially.
• Release the backrest ¢
page 58.
• Slide the posts on the head restraint down into
the gu ides until you feel the posts click into
place . You should not be able to pull the head
restra int out of the backrest.
• Fo ld the backrest down until it latches securely
¢ & in Increasing the size of the luggage
comportment on poge 59.
A WARNING
- Only remove the rear seat head rest raints
when necessary in order to install a child
seat . Insta ll the head restra int aga in imme ­
diately once the ch ild seat is removed. Driv­
ing with the head restra ints removed or
head restraints not in the highest position
increases the risk of serio us in ju ry.
- Read and following the WARNINGS in
¢page 127.
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-
Socket
Applies to: vehicles with socket
E lectrical accessories con be connected in the 12
volt socket.
--
-IE_ _ _ ,-.;.. r- "-
--- --­' I I
Fig. 60 Center conso le: front/rea r• 1 2 vo lt socket
F ig. 61 Luggage compa rt ment, s ide tr im panel : 12 volt
socket
• Remove the plug from the center conso le sock­
et
c> fig. 60, or
• Open the cover on the luggage compartment
socket*
c:> fig . 61.
• Insert the p lug for the elect rical device into the
socket.
The 12 volt socket can be used for electr ical ac­
cessor ies. The power consumption at the out let
must not exceed 120 watts.
A WARNING
The socket works on ly when t he ignit ion is
switched on. Incorrect usage can lead to ser i­
ous injuries or burns. To reduce the risk o f in­
ju ries, never leave children unatte nded in the
vehicle with the vehicle key .
{Q) Note
-To prevent d am age to the socke t, on ly use
the correct type of plugs .
-

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-Never connect devices that generate elect ri­
ca l power such as solar panels or a battery
charger to the 12 volt socket . They can dam­
age the vehicle electrical system.
(D Tips
The vehicle battery drains when accessories
are turned on but the engine is off.
Storage
Beverage holders
F ig. 62 Sect io n of the rear bench seat: rea r cup ho lders •
I
Your veh icle has cup holders in the front center
console, in the door pockets and in the rear cen ­
ter armrest* .
A WARNING
-
-Do not p ut any hot beverages in the cup
holder while the vehicle is moving . Ho t bev­
erages could spill, wh ich can cause injury.
- Do not use any breakable beverage cont ain­
ers ( for example, m ade out of glass or po r­
celain). You cou ld be injured by them in the
event of an accident.
(D Note
Beverage containers in the cup holders should
always have a lid. Otherwise, beverages could
spill and cause damage to veh icle equipment
or stain the seat cove rs.
Seats and storag e
Glove compartment
Fig. 63 G love co mpart m ent
Opening /closing
• To open the glove compartment, pull the han­
dle in the d irection of the arrow .
"' To close the glove compartment, swing the lid
upward until it clicks into place .
The glove compartment can be locked using the
vehicle key.
A WARNING
-Always leave the lid on the glove compart- ment cover closed while dr iving to reduce the
r isk of injury.
Additional storage compartments
T he re are add itiona l storage compartmen ts,
compartments and holders at other locations in
the vehicle:
- In the uppe r part of the glove compartment.
- In the center console under the center arm -
rest* .
- On the back of the right front seat. The com ­
partment* can hold a maximum we ight of
2 lbs
(1 kg) .
A WARNING
-Do not place any objects on the instrument
panel. Objects that are not stored secu rely
can slide around in the vehicle while driving,
when accele rating or braking or when turn­
i n g .
- Make sure that objects cannot fa ll out of the
center console storage compartment or oth-
er compartments and into the footwell
~
57

Sea ts and stor age
wh ile driving. These objects could prevent
you from braking or accelerat ing during
sudden brak.ing maneuvers.
- Always keep the g love compartment closed
wh ile driving to reduce the risk of injury dur­
ing a collision or heavy braking.
- Read and following the WARNINGS in
¢ page 163, Important safety instructions
on the side airbag system.
Luggage compartment
Loading luggage compartment
Luggage items must be stowed securely.
Fig. 64 Place heavy objec ts as far forward as possible.
Note the following to preserve the vehicle's good
handling characteristics.
• Distribute the load as evenly as possible.
• Place heavy objects as fa r forward as possib le
¢ fig. 64.
• Secure luggage items with the cargo net* or
with non-elastic retain ing straps to the tie­
down rings*
¢page 59.
_&. WARNING
-loose objects in the luggage compartment
can slide about suddenly and alte r the vehi­
cl e's handling chara cte rist ics.
- loose objects in t he passenger compa rt­
ment can fly forward during abrupt mane u­
vers or a cc idents and injure occupants.
- Always store objects in the luggage com­
partment and use sui table st raps, par ticu­
larly with heavy objects.
- When you transport heavy objects, always
remembe r that a change in the cente r of
58
gravity may result in a change in the vehi­
cle's hand ling cha racteristics.
- Follow a ll wa rnings¢
page 124, Driving
safety.
(D Tips
The t ire pressu re must be ad justed to the load
"see the tire pressure sticker located on the
driver 's side 8-p illar.
General information
_&. WARNING
Refer to the chapter Dr iv ing Safely
¢
page 124, Driving safety fo r important in­
formation, t ips, suggestions and warnings
that you should read and follow for yo ur own
safety and the sa fety of your passe ngers.
Increasing the size of the luggage
compartment
The rear seat backrests can be folded forward ei­
ther separately or together.
Fig. 65 Luggage compartment: backrest release lever (ex­
amp le on the right s ide)
There is a re lease lever on each of the side pane ls
i n the luggage compartment to release both rear
seat backrests .
Folding the backrest forward
• Pull the release leve r for the backrest in the d i­
rection of the arrow . The backrest wi ll fold fo r-
ward automatically after it is released ¢
_&. .,.

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Folding th e ba ckr est back into the upright
po sition
• Fold th e backrest down un til i t latches securely
Q .&. -
A WARNING
-
-When releasing the rear seat backrest,
make sure there are no people or animals
within its range of motion . The backrest will
fold forwa rd automatically after it is re­
leased .
- The backrest must be securely latched so
objects cannot slide forward out of the lug­
gage compa rtment dur ing sudden bra king.
- Always make sure the back rest is la tched
completely by pulling forward on it.
- Make sure the safety be lt is not ca ught in
t he door h inges o r the seat fitt ings and
damaged.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can break , and
bel t anchors can break d uring a co llision .
C heck the safety bel ts regularly . Safe ty
bel ts wit h noti ce a ble damage to the web­
bing, bindings, buckles or retractors mus t
be rep laced .
(D Note
-If yo u move the front seat ba ck when t he
rear se at backres t is folded forward, you
could damage the head restraints on the rear seat. If necessary, remove the rear seat
head restra int before moving the front seat
back
- Make su re the safety be lt is not pinched in
the backrest lock and damaged when the rear seat backrest if fo lded back. Other ob­
j ects should be
removed from the rear
bench seat to p rotect the rear backrest from
damage .
Seats and storag e
Tie-downs
Applies to: vehicles w ith tie-dow ns
---~~~ --- --
Fig. 66 Lug gag e compa rtm en t: loc ation of th e t ie -d owns
( exa mpl e)
• Sec ure the cargo to the tie-downs -arrows- .
• Observ e the safety precaut ions <=>
page 130,
Stor ing cargo correctly .
A WARNING ~ -
Weak, damaged or fau lty straps used to se­
cure objects to t he tie-downs can fail dur ing
heavy braking or a collision and lead to seri­
ous injur ies.
- Always use suitable straps and secure ob­
jects to the tie-downs in the luggage com­
pa rtme nt to prevent objects from shifting
a nd slid ing forwa rd .
- Never secure a child seat restraint to a tie ­
down .
- Because of the ir load capacity, the hooks
should only be used to secure objects that
weigh a max imum of 10 lb (5 kg) . Heavy ob­
jects will not be secu red s ufficiently , and
this in creases the risk of in jury.
59

Sea ts and stor age
Cargo net/cargo bag
Applies to: vehicles with luggage compartment cargo net/bag
The cargo net prevents light objects from sliding,
and it can also be used as a cargo bag* .
Fig. 67 Luggage compartment: cargo net spread out
Fig . 68 Luggage compartment: cargo net hung up
Observe the safety precautions c::> page 130,
Storing cargo correctly .
Cargo net
• To secure the cargo net, first hang the front
hoo ks in the tie-downs then hang the rea r
hooks -arrows -
c::> fig. 67.
Cargo bag
• To secure the cargo bag, hang both plastic re­
ta iners in the tie-downs @ and the eyelets @
in the hooks @.
_8. WARNING
The cargo bag ca n hold a max imum o f 10 lbs
(5 kg). Heav ier objects wi ll not be secured
properly, which increases the risk of injury.
60
Storage hooks
Applies to: vehicles with bag hooks
Fi g. 69 Luggage compartment: bag hooks (rig ht s ide)
You can also use the hooks to hang light p urses,
bags, etc.
_8. WARNING
The hooks can ho ld a maximum weight o f 6 lb
(3 kg) . Heavier objects are not adequately se­
cured. There is ris k of personal injury .
Reversible mat
Applies to: vehicles with reversible mat
The reversible mat protects the luggage com­
partment and bumper from dirt and scratches.
Fig. 70 Luggage co mpa rtment: reversible mat with back­
r est folde d forward (example)
You can use the reversib le mat w ith the dirt-re­
s istant side or the decorative side . After loading
or unloading, fold up the reversible mat and
close the luggage compartment lid. Only store
the revers ible mat if it is dry.

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Please select N or P
This message appears when starting or stopping
the eng ine if the selector lever is not in the Nor P
position . The eng ine will not sta rt/stop.
Shift to P , veh icle can roll away. D oors can onl y
b e loc ked in P
This message appears for safety reasons along
with a warning tone.
It appears if the selector
l ever for the automatic transmission is not in the
P posit ion when switching the ignition off with
the
! STAR T ENGINE ST OPI* button . S hi ft these­
l ecto r lever to the P position. Otherwise, the veh i­
cle could roll. You also cannot lock the vehicle us­
ing the locking sensor on the door handle or us­
ing the convenience key .
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operating
The electromechanical parking brake replaces
the hand brake .
Fig. 78 Center console : p arking brake
.,. Pull the (I) sw itch to set the park ing brake
c> fig . 78 . The - (USA models)/ . (Canada
models) indicator lights in the button and in
the instrument cluster d isplay turn on .
.,. To release the parking brake , press the b rake o r
acce lera to r ped al wh ile the igni tion is sw itched
on and p ress the
(D swi tch at the same t ime.
The - (USA models) /. (Canada mode ls)
indicator lights turn on in the b utton and in the
display .
Your veh icle is equipped with an e lectromechani ­
cal parki ng b rake. The park ing brake is designed
D rivi ng
to prevent the vehicle from ro lling unintent ional­
ly and replaces the hand brake.
In add ition to the normal f unctions of a trad i­
t iona l hand b rake, the elec tromechanical parking
brake provides va rious convenience and safety
functions .
When starting from a stop
- The integral hill start assist he lps yo u when
driving by automa tically re leas ing the pa rking
brake
c> page 74 , Starting from a stop.
- When starting on inclines, the h ill sta rt assist
p revents the veh icle from un in tentionally ro ll­
ing back . The braking force of the parking brake
is not re leased unt il sufficient dr iving force has
been b uilt up at the whee ls.
Emergency brake function
An emergency bra kin g f unction ensures that the
vehicle can be slowed down even if the
normal
brakes fail c> page 75, Emergency braking
function .
A WARNING
---=---Do not press the acce le rator pedal inadver­
tently when the vehicle is stat ionary and the
engine is running a nd a gear is selected.
Othe rw ise the vehicle will start to move im­
mediately and could result in a crash.
- If the power supply fails, the re leased park­
ing b rake can no longer engage . In this
case, park the vehicle on level ground and
secure it by plac ing the selecto r leve r in t he
P positio n. See an a utho riz e d Aud i dea le r o r
author ized A udi Se rvice Facility for assis­
tance.
(D Note
If the . or 111111 (USA mo dels) /. (Canada
models) indica to r lig ht in the inst rument
clus ter blinks, the re is a malf unc tion in the
brake system. Refer to the detailed descrip ­
tion of the indicator lights
i=>page 15.
-If the - indic a tor light (USA mode ls)/
• (Canada models) or
l!I turns o n, there is
a parking brake malfunction
c> page 15. ..,_
73

Automatic transmissio n
Launch Control-Program
Applies to: vehicles with Launch Control
The Launch Control Program enables maximum
acceleration .
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steer ing wheel must not be
turned .
.,. With the engine runn ing, press the
i ,; OFF ! but­
ton br iefly one time
l) .
"' Pull the selector lever back out of the 0/5 posi­
tion briefly to select the 5 posit ion, or press it
toward the rig ht into the tiptronic pos ition or
select the
Dynami c driving mode in d rive se­
lect*
~ page 106.
"' Press the b rake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least 1 sec ­
ond.
"' At the same time, press the gas pedal a ll the
way down w ith your right foot unti l the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
"' Remove your left foot from the brake.
_.&. WARNING
-Always adapt you r driv ing to the traffic flow .
- Only use Launch Control when road and traf-
fic cond itions allow it and other dr ivers will
not be endangered or impacted by your d riv­
ing and the vehicle's a cce le ration.
- Please note that the dr ive wheels can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especia lly when the
road is s lippery.
- Once the vehi cle has sta rted moving, press
the
l .!'3 OFF ! button briefly to tu rn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The t ransmiss ion temperature may increase
significantly after using t he launch control
program.
If tha t happens, the p rogram may
l ) In vehicles with a driver info rma tion system, an ESC light
i n the in st rument cl uste r stays on cont inuous ly and t he
message Sta bilization co ntrol (ES C): sport . Warning! Re ­
st ricted stab il ity app ears temp orar ily .
82
not be avai lab le for a few minutes. It will be
available again after a coo l-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch contro l
program, all vehicle parts are s ubject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased
wear .
Emergency mode
App lies to: vehicles with auto matic transmissions
In the event of a system malfunction, there is an
emergency program.
If all of the selector lever positions are hig hlight­
ed with a light background in the instrument
cluster disp lay, there is a system malfunction and
the 5 tronic transmission is running in the emer­
gency program. The veh icle can still be driven in
emergency mode, but only with reduced speed
and not in all gears . In some cases, the vehicle
cannot dri ve in rever se .
(D Note
If the transmission runs in emergency mode,
drive to an authorized A udi dealer or author­
ized Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunct ion corrected.
Transmission malfunction
• Tran smi ssion malfun ction ! Pl ea se stop the
vehicle and sele ct P
There is a ma lfunction in the transm ission . Park
the ve hicle secure ly and do not cont inue driving.
See an author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Se rvice Facility for assistance.
• Tran smi ssion overheating! Pleas e stop the
v e hicle!
The transmission is too hot and can become dam ­
aged . Stop and let the transmiss ion cool w ith the
engine r unning (at idle) in the P se lector lever po­
s it ion. Then the ind icator light and the message ..,.

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turn off, drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the malfunction corrected.
If the indicator light
and the driver message do not turn off, do not
continue driving . See an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
ml Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving
Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler o r authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
ml Transmission malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea le r or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
ml Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving in D until engine off
Drive the vehicle away from moving traffic and
park. See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility for assistance.
ml Transmission overheating! Please adapt
driving style
Continue driving moderately. When the indicator
light turns off, you can continue driving normal­
ly .
ml Transmission : Press brake pedal and select
gear again.
If the transmission malfunctions because the
temperature is too high, a message appears
when the transmission is cooled.
Automatic transmission
Selector lever emergency release
A pp lies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmissions
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 84 Selector lever: removi ng the cover
Fig. 85 Se lecto r lever: using the emergency release to
move out of the Pa rk pos ition
The emergency release mechanism is located in
the right area under the selector lever shift gate .
Using the emergency release can be complicated .
We recommend contacting an authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
sistance, if necessary .
The screwdr iver from the veh icle tool kit located
in the luggage compartment is needed to for the
eme rgency re lease
c:::> page 230. Use the flat side
of the reversible screwdriver blade.
Removing the selector lever cover
.,. Set the park ing brake<®> c:::> .&. to secure your
veh icle from rolling .
.,. Insert the flat side of the screwdriver sideways
in the slot near the shift cover and pry the shift
cover up
c:::> fig. 84 .
.,. Pull up the co rners of the shift cover carefully
with your hands and fold it over the shifter knob
c:::> fig. 85. ..,.
83