2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET tow

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
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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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children could start the engine or operate
electrical equipment such as power win­
dows.
0 Note
-Avoid high engine speed, fu ll throttle, and
heavy engine load as long as the engine has
not reached operating temperature yet . You
could damage the engine.
- The engine cannot be started by pushing or
towing .
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the engine run while parked to
warm up. Begin driving immediately. This re­
duces unnecessary emissions.
- If it is difficu lt to turn the key to position
(D, turn the steering wheel back and forth
slightly to release the steering wheel lock .
- Some noise after starting the engine is nor­
mal and is no cause for concern.
- If the battery is disconnected and recon­
nected, you have to hold the ign ition key in
position
(D for five seconds for the engine
to start.
-After switching the ignition off, you can on ly
remove the key when the selector lever is in
the "P" (Park) position. After that, the selec­
tor lever is locked .
Stopping the engine with the key
Appl ies to: ve hicles w ith igni tion loc k
Stopping the engine
~ Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
~ Turn the key to posit ion @. The need le in the
tachometer moves into the
OFF position .
Releasing the steering lock
Requirement: the selector lever must be in P.
~ Remove the ignition key in position@
¢page 70, fig. 76 ¢ _A.
~ Turn the steering wheel until you hear the
steering wheel lock.
Driving
T he locked steering helps prevent vehicle theft .
A WARNING
-
-Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop . The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steer ing is not guaranteed. You must use
more force to turn or brake. Because you
cannot stee r and brake as you usually
wou ld, this could lead to acc idents and seri­
ous injuries.
- Never remove the ignition key from the igni­
tion lock while the vehicle is moving. Other­
wise, the steering lock could suddenly en­
gage and you wou ld not be able to steer the
vehicle.
- Please note that the brake booster and pow­
er steering only work when the engine is
running . When the engine off, you must use
more force to steer or brake the vehicle. Be­
cause the usua l steering and braking capa­
b ili ty is not available, the risk of acc idents or
injuries increases.
- Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving the vehicle, even for a short period
of t ime . This applies part icularly when chil ­
dren remain in the vehicle . Otherwise the
children could start the engine or operate
electrical equipment such as power win­
dows.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
w ith the selector lever in the P position.
Othe rw ise, there is the risk that the vehicle
could rol l.
- After the engine has been switched off, the
radiator fan can continue to run for up to 10
minutes -even with the ignition switched
off . It can also switch on again after some
time if the coolant temperature rises as the
result of heat bu ildup or if the engine com­
partment is heated by the sun's rays and the
engine is hot.
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
switched off -there is a risk of damaging the
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not reached operating temperature yet. You
could damage the engine.
- The engine cannot be started by pushing or
towing.
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not let the engine run while parked to
warm up. Begin driving immediately . This re­
duces unnecessary emissions.
(D Tips
- Some noise after starting the engine is nor­
mal and is no cause for concern.
- If the . indicator light blinks in the instru­
ment cluster before switching the ignition
off, the ignition will not switch on again.
¢ page 119
-If you leave your vehicle with the ignition
switched on, the ignition will switch off af­
ter a certain amount of time. Make sure that
electrical equipment such as the exterior lights are switched off.
T · th · ff using the
button
App lies to: vehicles with convenience key
"'Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
"'Move the selector lever into the P position.
"'Press the
I ST ART ENGINE STOP I button
<=? page 70, fig. 76.
The needle in the tachometer moves to OFF when
the ignition switches off.
Steering lockll
The steering locks when you turn the engine off
using the
I START ENGINE STOPI* button, move
the selector lever into the P position and open
the driver's door.
The locked steering helps prevent vehicle theft .
Emergency off function*
If it is absolutely necessary, the engine can also
be turned off while driving at speeds starting at
4 mph (7 km/h). To switch the engine off, press
l) This fun ctio n is not availab le in all c oun tries.
Driving
the I START ENGINE STOPI button twice in a row
briefly or press and hold for longer than two sec­
onds.
A WARNING
=
- Never turn off the engine before the vehicle has come to a complete stop. The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steering is not guaranteed. You must use
more force to turn or brake. Because you
cannot steer and brake as you usually
would, this could lead to accidents and seri­
ous injuries.
- Please note that the brake booster and pow­
er steering only work when the engine is
running. When the engine off, you must use
more force to steer or brake the vehicle. Be­
cause the usual steering and braking capa­
bility is not available, the risk of accidents or
injuries increases.
- 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 or operate
electrical equipment such as power win­
dows.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
with the selector lever in the P position.
Otherwise, there is the risk that the vehicle
could roll unintentionally .
- After the engine has been switched off, the
radiator fan can continue to run for up to 10
minutes -even with the ignition switched
off.
It can also switch on again after some
time if the coolant temperature rises as the result of heat buildup or if the engine com­
partment is heated by the sun's rays and the
engine is hot.
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
switched off - there is a risk of damaging the
engine. For this reason, let the engine run for
II>
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Stopping /p ark ing
If the selecto r lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could rol l.
I n vehicles with a convenience key*, the message :
Shift to P, v eh icle can roll awa y. Doo rs can be
lo cked onl y i n P
appears. You will also hear a
warning tone.
~ Press and hold the brake pedal¢.&_ .
~ Set the parking brake.
~ Select the P selector lever pos ition.
Stopp ing on an incline
~ Always press the brake peda l to hold the vehi­
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢
A -Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"ro lling back" when a gear is engaged by in­
creasing the engine speed¢@) .
Starting on a n incline in vehicl es w ithout Hill
H old *
~ Set the parking brake.
~ With the driving gear se lected, press the acce l­
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake re­
leases automatically . Requirement: the driver's
door must be closed and the driver's safety belt
must be fastened .
Starting on an incline in vehicle s with Hill
Hold*
~ With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal¢
page 75, Hill hold.
Under certain c ircumstances, (such as driving in
the mountains or towing a trailer), it may be use­
fu l to sw itch temporari ly to the manua l shift pro­
g ram in orde r to adjust the gears to t he d riving
conditions by hand
¢ page 81 .
When parking on a level surface , simply place the
se lector lever in the P position. On inclines, acti­
vate the parking b rake first and then move the
selecto r lever to the P position
¢ page 73. This
prevents the locking mechanism from being
l oaded too heavi ly and wi ll make it easier to
move the selector lever out of the P position.
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
A WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even when the eng ine is
sw itched off .
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serious injuries .
- Never leave your veh icle w ith the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running, set
the park ing brake and move the selector lev­
er to the P posit ion.
- Power is still transferred to the wheels when the engine is runn ing at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", yo u must
keep your foot on the b rake when the en­
g ine is r unning and the selector lever is in
the D, Sor R position or " tip tronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not in adver ten tly press the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the vehicle wi ll start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could result in a crash.
- Do not press the acce lerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine 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 slope, reduce your speed and sh ift into a lower gear w ith
"t i ptronic".
- Do not r ide the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when dr iving
downhill. Constant braking causes the brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces bra king performance, increases b rak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake sys tem.
- I f you must stop on an incline, a lways hold
the vehicle in place w it h the foot brake or
p ar king brake to p reve nt i t from rolling
back.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipp ing clu tc h . The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . The
mJ indicator light turns on
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Automatic transmissio n
and a message appears~ page 82 when
the clutch is overloaded.
- 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 m ust be set~
page 188. Other­
wise, the vehicle could begin moving when
the engine speed increases, even with the
par king brake set.
{UJ Note
- When stopp ing on a n incline, do not t ry to
ho ld the vehicle in p lace by press ing the ac­
ce le ra to r pedal wh ile a driv ing gear is se­
l ected. Th is can ca use the au toma tic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from rolling .
- A llow ing the vehicle to ro ll when the eng ine
is stopped and the se lector lever is in the N
position will damage the automatic trans­
mission because it is not l ubricated under
those circumstances.
- The transmiss ion can overheat and be dam­
aged under certa in driving and traffic cond i­
tions such as frequent starts, creep ing for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic . W hen the
@l or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next oppo rt u nity and let the
transmission coo l~
page 82.
- Allow ing the veh icle to roll when the eng ine
i s stopped will damage the S tron ic trans­
mission beca use it is not l ubricated
¢ page 246, Towing with a tow truck .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake releases
automatically only when the driver's door is
closed and driver 's safety belt is fastened.
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· Hill descent control
App lies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving downhill .
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor lever is in the D or S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is s uitable for the incline. H ill
descent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
i eved at the t ime of braking, w it hi n phys ical and
technica l lim itations . If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed w ith the brakes. Because h ill de­
scent control cannot shift down farther tha n 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
l evels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cru ise control system*
¢ page 88, hi ll descent control is a lso activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent contro l cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to ma intain
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.

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 ..,.

Automatic transmission
Selector lever emergency release
.,. Press and hold the yellow release button with
the screwdriver ~
fig. 85 .
.,. Press the release button in the se lector 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 vehicle must be pushed or towed due to a
power failure (for example, the battery is dead),
the selector lever must first be moved to the N
position using the emergency release mecha­
n ism.
A WARNING
Only move the selector lever out of the P posi­
t ion 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 unintentionally when the selec­
tor lever is moved out of the P position.
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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 ..,.
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