2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET check engine light

Automatic transmission
stuck by "rocking" it. The selector lever lock en­
gages if the lever stays in the N position longer
than approximately 2 seconds when the brake
pedal is not pressed .
Interlock button
The interlock button in the selector lever handle
prevents you from moving the selector lever in­
advertently while in some se lector lever posi­
tions. The positions that require the lock button
to be pressed are marked in color in the illustra­
tion
c> fig. 80.
Ignition key safety interlock*
You can only remove the key from the ignition af­
ter switching the ignition off if the selector lever
is in the P position. The selector lever wi ll be
locked in the P position as long as the key is not
in the ignition .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS. c> A in Selec­
tor lever positions on page 76.
(D Tips
-If the se lector lever does not engage, there
i s a malfunction . The eng ine is disabled to
prevent the vehicle from driving off unin­
tentiona lly . 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
r everse even though a drive position is se­
lected, proceed as follows:
- >If the vehicle does not move in the desired
direction, the system may not have engaged
the drive position correctly. Press the brake
pedal and select the drive position again.
-> If the vehicle st ill does not move in the de­
sired direction, there is a system malfunc­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance
to have the system checked.
78
Driving tips
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
The transmission shifts up and down automati­
cally when in the driving gears.
Fig. 81 Sect ion of t he ce nter console: se lector lever with
interlock button
The engine will only be able start when the selec­
tor lever is in the P or N pos itions . At low temper ­
atures (below 14 °F (-10 °()), 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 these­
lector lever handle, select the desired selector
lever position such as D
c> page 76 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 pedal and press the accelera­
tor pedal
c> .&. -
Stopping temporarily
"'Keep the vehicle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traffic lights .
"' Do not press the acce lerator pedal 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 p ress
the acce lera tor pedal. Requirement: the driv­
er's doo r must be closed and the driver's safety
belt must be fastened . ..,.

<( co .... N ,.__
N .... 0 ,.__
> co
Trailer mode Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additiona l load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
T railer tow ing not only p laces more stress on the
vehicle, it a lso calls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch Use a weight -carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weig ht. The h itch must be suitab le
for your vehicle and tra iler and must be mo unted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mou nt. Always che ck wit h the t rail­
e r hitch manufac turer to make s ure that you are
usi ng the correct hitch .
Do not u se a bumper hitch .
The hitc h must be installed in such a way t hat it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
Fr om time to time, chec k that a ll hitc h mount ing
bo lts rema in securely faste ned.
When you are not towing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca using damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from beh ind
~ ,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
Trailer mode
The t rai ler hydra ulic brake sys tem must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydra ulic
bra ke system.
Safety chains
Always use safety ch ains be tween your ve hicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
T ra ile r ligh ts must meet all regulations . Be sure
to chec k w it h your Aud i dea le r fo r correct wir ing,
swi tches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
i ng the regular outside mir rors, then you
must in­
sta ll extended mirro rs . It i s important that you
always have clear vision to t he rear.
,8. WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hi tch , do no t st o re
i t in yo ur vehicle. In ca se of sudden brak ing,
the hitch could fly fo rward and injure you or
your passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer we ight
A tra iler for your vehicle is lim ited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution B e sure the load in the tra ile r i s held se curely in
pla ce to p reve nt i t from shifting forward, bac k­
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer~.&.
in Driving instructions on page 86.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure that
the coo ling syst em has enoug h flu id.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full ..,.
85

Trailer mod e
load" on the la bel located on the driver's side B ­
pillar (visib le when the door is open) . Inflate
tra iler tires to trailer and tire manufacturers'
specif ications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and t railer lights
are working p roper ly.
Safety chains
Be sure t railer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trai le r to the hi tch on the veh icle.
L eave enough sla ck in the cha ins to permi t turn­
ing corners. When yo u install safety chains, ma ke
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when yo u are
driving .
The cha ins s hou ld cross under the trailer tongue
t o prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the h itch .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
To obtain t he best poss ible handling of vehicle
and traile r, please note the fo llow ing :
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
is not loaded.
.. Be especi ally ca ref ul when pass ing othe r
vehicles.
.. Observe speed limi ts .
.. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded t railer w ith an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easie r to operate and cont rol.
This means that the tow vehi cle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keep ing the tra iler as light as possib le under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the l uggage compartment of the
86
tow veh icle wh ile observing tong ue load require ­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the mo re diff icu lt i t be­
comes for the driver to con trol the r ig. Do not
drive at t he maxim um permissible speed. Reduce
you r speed even more if load, weather or wind
con dit ions are unfavorab le - partic ularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limi ts. In some areas, s peeds fo r
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
A lways apply bra kes early. Whe n driving down­
hill, shift in to a lower gea r to use the engine
b raki ng effect to slow the vehi cle. Use of the
brakes alone ca n cause them to over heat and fai l.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge 9 page 12 must
be obse rved caref ully. The coolant temperature
c a n incre ase if yo u drive o n long incl ines in a low
gear a t high engine speeds . Red uce your speed
immediately if the LE Ds in the top part of the dis­
play turn on .
Fo r more info rm ation abou t indicator lights, re­
fer to .
¢ page 16 .
A WARNING
-
Anyone not prope rly restrai ned in a moving
vehicle is at a much greate r risk in an acci ­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differen tly when towing a
trailer because o f the additiona l weight and di f­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will g reatly depend on how caref ul-
l y you load your trai ler and operate you r rig. ..,_

Ass is t
- Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used .
Driver messages
Applies to: ve hicles w ith Audi side assist
If the side assist switches off automatically, a
message appears in the instrument cluster dis­
play.
(ij Audi side a ssi st : cur rentl y un ava ilable No
s en so r v isi on
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not cover
the area in front of the sensors with bike wheels,
stickers, dirt or other objects . Clean the area in
front of the sensors, if necessary~
page 104,
fig. 105.
@j Audi side assist : cur rently un available
Side assist cannot be switched on temporar ily be­
cause there is a malfunction (for example, the
battery charge level may be too low).
@j Audi side a ssi st : S ystem fau lt!
The system cannot guarantee that it will detect
veh icles correctly and it is switched off. The sen­
sors have been d isplaced or are faulty . Have the
system checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
author ized Audi Service Facility soon .
Audi drive select (drive
settings)
Introduction
App lies to: vehicles with Aud i drive select
Audi drive select makes it possible to experience
d ifferent types of vehicle settings in o ne veh icle .
The drive r can select from three
Comfort , Auto
and D ynam ic modes us ing the te'i:.1 button in the
center console or the MMI to switch between a
sporty and a comfortable driving mode, for ex ­
ample. In the
Ind ividu al* mode, the settings can
be adjusted to your personal preferences. This
makes it poss ible to combine settings such as a
sporty eng ine setting w ith smooth steering.
106
A WARNING ,_
Using Aud i drive select incorrectly can lead to
coll is ions, other accidents and serious inju­
ries.
Description
App lies to: vehicles with Aud i drive se lect
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on the
vehicle's features. However, the engine a nd
steering are a lways affected.
Engine and automatic tr ansmiss ion
Depending on the mode, the engine and auto­
matic transmission* respond more qu ickly or in a
more ba lanced manner to accelerator pedal
movements.
Adapt ive damper s (Audi magneti c ride )*
The adaptive dampers use sensors to record in­
format ion regarding steering movements, brak­
i ng and acceleration operations by the driver,
road surface, driving speed, and load . W ith Aud i
drive select you can adjust the adaptive dampers
spo rty (dynamic), comfortable (comfort) o r bal­
anced (auto).
Ste ering
The steering adapts in terms of steering ass is­
tance. There are d ifferent modes
~page 107.
Ind irect steering that moves easi ly as in comfort
mode is espec ially suited to long d rives on a h igh­
way. The dynamic mode provides sporty, direct
steering.
Fo r vehicles with p rogress ive steering* the steer­
i ng perfo rmance is more agile.
Corn ering light*
The cornering light adjusts when driv ing on
curves at speeds between 6 mph (10 km/h) and 68 mp h (1 10 km/h) . The pivoting act ion and the
li ght ing are also adapted to the mode.
Adapt ive cruise cont rol*
The behavior whe n accelerating can be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the
Audi drive select mode . Adaptive cruise control ..,.

<( co .... N r--­N .... 0 r--­> co
-On steep slopes, reduce the speed and se­
lect a lower gear or lower selector lever po­
sition. Dr ive as little as possible while press­
ing the brake pedal and avoid putt ing your
left foot on the brake pedal while driving.
Th is co uld cause the brakes to overheat and
impai r the efficiency of the brakes.
- Do not let the brakes "g rind " by a lways
keeping your foot on the brake pedal. This
can cause the br akes to overhea t, i ncrease
wea r and incre ase braking dis tance unneces­
sari ly.
- Certa in wea ther an d operat ing co ndi tio ns
s u ch as dr iving through wate r, d riving in
heavy ra in or d riving after washing your ve ­
hicle can impair the effectiveness of the
brakes . In the w inte r, ice may b uild up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums. Check
these components by braking ca refu lly . Ap­
plying the brakes carefu lly severa l times
dr ies the brakes and removes ice bu ild-up .
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long st retches on roads
cove red w ith salt without using the b rakes .
Yo u can remove sa lt deposits from the
bra ke rotors and pads by caref ully app lying
the brakes severa l t imes .
-If the front spoiler is damaged or you ins tall
ano ther spoiler, m ake sure the front wheel
bra kes are vent ilated p roper ly. O therwise,
the b rake system could overheat, whic h re ­
duces the ir effectiveness.
- Failure of a brake circuit impai rs b raking
performance, which increases braking dis­
tance . Avoid driving the vehicle . Have it tow ­
ed to the nearest authorized Aud i dealer or
authorized Audi Service Fac ility .
- Never let the vehicle roll while the engine is
stopped because this increases the risk of an
acc ident.
- If the brake booster is not working, you will
have to press m uch ha rder on the brake
peda l to compensate for the lack o f the
booster .
0 Note
-Never let the bra kes " rub" by pressing the
pedal lightly when braking is not really nee-
Intellig ent Technology
essary . This causes the b rakes to overheat
and increases braking distance and causes
wear .
- Before driving on a long st retch with steep
slopes, reduce your speed and shift to the
next lower gear Th is makes use of the en­
gine braking effect and relieves the brakes.
If you need to brake additionally, brake in
intervals and not continuously .
(D Tips
-If the brake booster is not work ing, you
must press the brake peda l with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrof it your vehicle with a front spo il­
er, wheel covers or sim ilar items, make sure
that the air flow to the fro nt wheels is not
inter rupted . Otherwise the b rake system
can become too hot.
Electromechanical
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movement s.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the ve hicle speed .
T he veh icle st ill has f ull s teer ing f unct iona lity if
t h e power steering fails or when the engine is
stopped (towing) . To steer, you must app ly m uch
more force than usual.
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not driv e vehicle : steering defective
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears , the power steering may
have failed .
Do
not continue dr iv ing . See an author ized Audi
dealer or authorized A udi Se rvice Fac ility for as ­
s istance .
• Do not dr ive vehicle: steering defecti ve
There is a ma lfunction in the e lectronic steering
l ock. You cannot turn the ignition on. ..,.
119

Check ing and F illing
Checking and Filling
Gasoline fuel
Gasoline grade
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith gaso li ne engines
The correct gasoline grade is stated on the inside
of the fuel filler door .
The vehicle is equipped with a catalytic converter
and must only be driven w ith
unlead ed ga soli ne.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline. Additional information on TOP TIER Deter­
gent Gasoline can be found on the official web­
site (www .toptiergas.com) .
The individua l gasoline grades are differentiated
by
oct ane rating s. This value is given with (R +M)/
2 equating to AK I or in RON.
The fo llowing headings match the corresponding
sticker in the fuel fi ller door .
UNLEADED FUEL ONLY MIN. (R+M) /2 87
R egula r/ MIN. RON
91 Regular
Use regu lar gasoline with minim um 87 AKI/
9 1 RON ~@ .
The max imum engine power is only reached if
p rem ium gasol ine 91 AKI/ 95 RON is used.
UNLEADED FUEL ONLY PREMIUM MIN . (R
+M )/2
91 / SUPER MIN. RON 95
Using premium gasoline with m inim um 91 AKI/
95 RON is recommended.
If premium gasoline is not available, you can also
use regula r gasoline 87 AKI/ 91 RON . However
this does reduce the engine powe r slight ly.
CD Note
- Fil li ng the tank just one time with leaded
fuel or other meta llic additives will cause
permanent deteriorat ion to the cata lyt ic
conve rter func tion.
- When gasoline with an octane rati ng that is
too low is used , h igh speeds o r heavy engine
l oad can lead to engi ne dam age.
184
(D Tips
The vehicle can be fi lled with fue l that has a
h igher octane rating than what is requi red by
the eng ine.
Blended gasoline
App lies to : vehicles wit h gasol ine engi ne
U se of g asoline cont aining alcohol or MTBE
(m ethyl tertiary butyl ether )
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al ­
cohol o r M TBE (commonly referred to as oxygen­
ates) if the blended m ixt ure meets the fo llow ing
c rit eria:
Blend of ga soline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of ga soline and ethanol (grain alcoh ol or
ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knoc k index must be 87 A KI or h igher.
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend mus t contain no t more than 15% MTBE .
Seasonall y adjusted ga soline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or summer dr iv ing . Du r­
i ng seasonal change-over, we suggest that you
fill up at busy gas stat ions where the seaso nal
adjustment is mo re l ikely to be made in t ime .
CD Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­
quirements may cause corrosion and dam­
age to plasti c and rubber components in the
fue l system.
- Do not use fue ls that fa il to meet the speci­
fied cr iteria in th is chapter.
...

Checking and Filling
Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior.
M ~
-...::;:;======== -d ~
Fi g. 159 Sect ion from th e driver's side footwell: release
l ever
F ig. 160 Rocker switc h under the hood
Read and foll ow the WARNING S before check­
ing anything in the engine compartment
r::;, page 188, Working in the engine comport­
ment .
m
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the w indshield . Otherwise the paint could be
damaged .
.,. With the driver's door open, pull the lever be­
low the instrument panel in the direct ion of the
arrow
r::;, fig. 159 .
190
.,. Raise the hood slightly r::;, .&, .
.,. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
r::;, fig. 160. This releases the catch .
.,. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Never open the hood when you see that steam
or coolant drips from the engine compart­ ment- there is a danger of bu rns! Wait unt il
no steam or coolant flows out.
Closing the hood
.,. Push the hood down u ntil the fo rce of the strut
is ove rcome .
.,. Let the hood fall lightly into the latch .
Do not
press it in.
r::;, .&, .
A WARNING
If the hood is not latched complete ly, it could
fly up wh ile you are dr iving and obstruct your
vision.
- For safety reasons, the hood must always be
closed securely while driv ing. Because of
this, always check the hood after closing it
to make sure it is latched correctly . The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you notice that the hood is not latched
while you are driving, stop immed iate ly and
close it, because this increases the risk of an
accident .

Check ing and F illing
Audi oil quality standard
Gas olin e
VW 502 00 or
engi ne vw 50400
A udi reco mmend s
~Castrol I jgl[J,'fE{g ?r,w.:..~J ri, '.IA!,
Audi rec ommends Longlif e high perform ance
engi ne oil from Au di Genuin e Parts
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a h igh-quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
yea r.
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty & Maintenance booklet .
- Use only a high qual ity eng ine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
@ Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa ­
ble that meets the Audi oil quality standard
your engine requires, you may add a total of
no more than 0.5 quart/liter of a h igh-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci­
fications.
- Vehicles w ith gasoline eng ine: ACEA A3 or
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30,
SAE 5W-30 or SAE 5W-40.
- For more information about engine o il that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dea ler
or Aud i Custome r Relat ions at
1 (800) 822- 2834 or visit ou r web site at
www.audiusa.com or www .aud icanada.ca.
192
· Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts.
In order to provide effect ive lubricat ion and cool­
i ng of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion eng ines consume a certa in amount
of oil. Oil consumption var ies from engine to en­
gine and may change sign ificantly over the life of
the engine . T ypically, engines w ith a specified
break -in period (see¢
page 65) consume more
oi l during the break-in period than they consume
after oil consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity o f
the oil , the RPM (revo lutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road conditions. Further factors are
the amount of o il dilution from water condensa­
tion or fuel residue and the oxidation level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the o il consumption may increase over
ti me unt il replacement of wo rn compo nents may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of o il consumption can be estab­
li shed or spec ified . T he re is no alte rnative to reg­
u la r and freq uent checki ng of the oi l level, see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l II
in the instrument cluster lights up, you sho uld
chec k the o il level as soon as possible
¢
page 193. Top off the o il at your earlies t con­
venience
¢ page 193.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢page 188.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the engine.
IJII,