2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET towing

Assist
General information
Applies to: ve hicles w ith Audi side assis t
®
@
©
Fig. 104 Driving s itu atio ns
I! AU DI
Fig. 105 Rear of the vehicle: pos it ion of the senso rs (exa m·
pie)
Side assist functions at speeds above approxi·
mately 19 mph (30 km/h).
@ Vehicles that are approaching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itical for a lane change even if it is still some·
what far away . The faster a veh icle approaches,
the sooner the display in the exterior mirror wi ll
turn on .
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling with you are indicated in the
exterior mirror if they are classified as critical for
a lane change. All vehicles detected by side assist
104
are indicated by the time they enter your "blind
spot", at the latest .
© Vehicles left behind
If you slow ly pass a vehicle that side assist has
de tected (the diffe rence in speed between the
vehicle and your vehicle is less than 9 mph or 15
km/h), the display in the exterior mirror turns on
as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The display will not turn on if you quickly pass a
vehicle that side ass ist has detected (the differ­
ence in speed between the vehicle and your vehi­
cle is greater than 9 mph or 15 km/h).
Functional limitations
The radar sensors are designed to detect the left
and right adjacent lanes when the road lanes are
the normal width . In some situations, the display
in the exterior mirror may turn on even though
there is no vehicle located in the area that is criti·
cal for a lane c hange. For example:
- If the lanes are narrow or if your are driving on
the edge of your lane . If this is the case, the
system may have detected the vehicle in anoth·
er lane that is
not adjacent to your current lane.
- If you are driving through a curve . Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane over
from the adjacent lane.
- If side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or disp laced guard rai ls) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
functions are limited.
Do not cover the radar sensors ¢
fig. 105 with
stickers, deposits, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this will affect the function. Do not
u se side assist when towing a trailer . For infor·
mation on cleaning, refer to ¢
page 224.
A WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic and to the
area around your veh icle . S ide assist cannot
replace a driver's attention. The driver alone
is always responsible for lane changes and
similar driving maneuvers .
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-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. ..,.
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Tires and wheels
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss of control and a crash .
-Always make sure that the to­ tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer­ does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­
late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport
so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­ ed .
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1 . Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU­
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢page 214, fig.170.
218
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
"XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢page 214, fig. 170.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the "XXX" amount
equals
1400 lbs . and there will
be five
150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex­ ceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculat­
ed in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve­
hicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces ...

Emerg enc y assis ta nc e
-If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful dr iving .
- The spare tire is intended on ly for tempora­
ry and short-term use. It should be replaced
as soon as possible with the normal wheel and t ire .
- After mounting the compact spare t ire, the
t ire pressure must be checked as soon as
poss ible . The tire pressure of the compact
spare tire must be
61 psi (420 kPA); other­
wise, you risk hav ing an accident.
- Do not drive faster than
50 mph (80 km/h).
You risk hav ing an accident.
- Avoid full -throttle accelerat ion, heavy brak­
ing, and fast cornering. You risk having an
acc ident.
- Never dr ive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acc ident .
- Normal summer or winter tires must not be mounted on the compact spare wheel rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire chains
on the spare tire is not perm itted. If it is
necessary to drive with t ire chains, the spare
wheel must be mounted on the front axle in
the event of a flat in a rear tire. The new ly
available front wheel m ust then be insta lled
in place of the rear wheel with the flat tire.
Installing the tire chain before mounting
the wheel and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compartment
can cause serious personal injury during
hard braking or in an accident. Never store
the inflatable spare t ire or jack and too ls in
the passenger compartment.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not be
mounted on the compact spare wheel rim.
Replacing wheels
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own
and your passenger's safety when changing a
wheel.
.,. After you experience a tire failure, pull the car
well away from moving traff ic and try to reach
le vel ground before you stop¢_& .
234
.. All passengers should lea ve th e car and move
to a safe location (for instance, behind the
guardrail) ¢ _& .
.. Engage the
par king br ake to prevent your vehi­
cle from rolling unintentionally¢_& .
.. Move
selec tor le ve r to p osition P ¢ _& .
.. If you are towing a tra iler , u nhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
.. Ta ke the
jac k¢ page 230 and the spar e tir e
¢ page 233 out of the luggage compa rtment.
A WARNING
-
You or your passengers could be injured while
changing a whee l if you do not follow these
safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance off the road. Turn off the engine, turn the
emergency f lashers on and use other warn­
ing dev ices to alert other motorists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traff ic.
- To help prevent the veh icle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the jack,
always fully set the parking brake and block
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel be ­
ing cha nged . When one front wheel is lifted
off the ground, placing the Automat ic
T ransmiss ion in P (Park) will
not prevent the
veh icle from moving.
- Before you change a whee l, be sure the
gro und is level and firm . If necessary, use a
sturdy board under the jack.
- Always sto re the vehicle too l kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
par tment
¢page 130.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the sequence
described below step-by-step and in exactly that
order.
1. Remove the decorati ve wh eel co ver* . For
more detai ls see also ¢
page 235, Decora ­
tive wheel covers
or ¢ page 235, Wheels
with wheel bolt caps .
2. Loosen the wh ee l bolt s ¢page 236.

Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency crews and working personnel who have the nec­
essary tools and equipment to perform these
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
CD Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission can­
not be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine con be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle .
If the engine should fail to start because of a dis­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated terminal
clamps which are distinctly marked :
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in­
jury. Follow the instructions below for safe hand Ling of your vehicle's battery .
-Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
-A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before con­
necting a jumper cable, you must thaw the
244
frozen battery completely, otherwise it could explode .
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin. Flush any contacted area with water immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-volt rating. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batteries of different voltage or substantial­
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an explo­
sion and personal injury .
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped in the ice may cause an explosion .
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen . The battery case may have be weak­
ened .
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub­ stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an explosion and injury. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~page 188.
CD Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al­
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected.
@ Tips
The discharged battery must be properly con-
nected to the vehicle's electrical system. .,..

Emerg enc y s it uati ons
The battery is vented to the outside so that not
gases enter the passenger compartment. Make
sure that the connected posit ive termina l clamps
on the jump start cable have sufficient contact
with metal.
A WARNING
Follow the warnings and instructions from
the jump start cable manufacturer to reduce
the risk of ser ious injuries and vehicle dam­
age. If you are unsure about anything, call
roads ide assistance .
- The jump start cables must be long enough
so that the vehicles do not touch .
-
-Route the jump start cables so they cannot
get caught in the moving parts in the engine
compartment.
- Always read and follow the warnings before
che ck ing anything in the engine compart­
ment
¢page 188.
(D Note
Connecting jump start cables incorrectly can
destroy the alternator .
- Always connect the positive terminal(+) to
the positive term inal( +) and the negative
terminal(-) to the negat ive termina l(-) on
the body ground po int, but not the negative
terminal on the battery.
- Make su re the screw pl ugs on the batte ry
ce lls are installed securely.
If not, tighten
the plugs before connecting the clamps to
the negat ive termina l on the battery .
- Please no te that the connecting p ro cess de­
scribed below for the jump start cab les is in ­
tended for when your vehicle is being jump
started . If you are j ump starting another ve­
hicle, do not connect the negative cable to
the negat ive termina l(·) on the drained
battery, but rather connect it to a large
metal component that is bolted secu rely to
the engine block, o r to the engine block it­
se lf. If the battery in the vehicle being jump
started is no t vented to the o uts ide , the re is
a risk of exp losion due to hydrogen gas .
-Make su re that the conne cted positive te r­
minal clamps have s ufficient contact with
me tal.
246
- Do not use the battery negative terminal for
jump starting or a ma lfunction cou ld occur
in the vehicle electrical system.
Towing with a tow truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for towing .
The following information is to be used by com­
merc ial tow truck operators who know how to op­
erate their equipment safely .
-Never to w yo ur Audi. To w ing will cause d am ·
a ge to the engine and t ran sm ission.
- Never wrap the safet y chains or winch cable s
a roun d the brake l ines .
- To pre vent un nece ssary damage , your Audi
must be t ran sported with a flat bed tru ck.
- To l oad the vehicle on to the flat bed , use the
towing loop found in the vehicle tools and at­
t ac h to the fro nt or re ar ancho rage
¢ page 247 and ¢ page 247.
A WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for passen­
gers . Never allow anyone to ride in a vehicle
being towed, for any reason .

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Front towing loop
Fig. 192 Right front bumper: removing the cover
Fig. 193 Right front bumper: towing loop installed
The threaded opening for the towing loop is lo­
cated behind a
cover on the right side of the front
bumper.
• Remove the towing loop from the vehicle tool
kit
¢ page 230.
• Press inward on the upper left area of the cap
with br ief, strong pressure to
remove it from
the bumper ¢
fig. 192.
• Tighten the towing loop in the threaded open­
ing until it stops¢
fig . 193 and then tighten it
with a whee l wrench.
• After using, place the towing loop back in the
vehicle tool kit.
.&_ WARNING
If the towing loop is not installed securely, it
cou ld loosen from the threads while towing
and cause damage to the veh icle or injury to
people.
Emergency situations
Rear towing loop
Fig. 194 Right rear towing loop: cover
Fig. 195 Right rear towing loop: tow ing loop installe d
The towing loop threaded opening is located in
the right of the rear bumper cover under a
cover.
• Remove the towing loop from the vehicle tool
kit¢
page 230.
.,. To remove the cap from the bumper, press in
on the
upper area of the cap -arrow- with br ief,
strong pressure and lift it up from the
lower
area¢ fig. 194.
• Tigh ten the towing loop in the threaded open­
ing until it stops¢
fig. 195 and then tighten it
with a wheel wrench .
• After using, p lace the tow ing loop back in the
vehicle tool k it.
Depending on the model, the shape of the cover
can vary.
A WARNING
If the tow ing loop is not installed securely, it
could loosen from the threads while towing
and cause damage to the vehicle or injury to people.
247

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Consumer information
Warranty coverages
Y our Audi is co vered b y the foll owing war ran­
tie s:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfora-
tion
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regard ing your warranties
can be found in yo ur
W arranty & M ainten ance
bookl et.
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government reg ulations in the Un ited States and
Canada require that automobiles meet specific
emission regulations and safety standards.
Therefore, vehicles built for the U .S.A. and Cana­
da differ from vehicles sold in other countries.
I f you p lan to take your vehicle outside the conti­
nenta l limits of the United States or Canada,
there is the poss ibility that:
- u nleaded fue ls for vehicles with cata lytic con­
verter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane rat­
i ng . Imprope r fuel may ca use engine damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of p roper
service facilities, tools or testing eq uipment;
- r eplacement parts may not be readily ava ilable.
- Navigation systems for veh icles built for the
U .S .A . and Canada will not necessa rily work in
E urope, and may not wo rk in other countries
outside No rth Ame rica.
Con sumer inf ormation
(D Note
Audi cannot be respons ible for mechanical
damage that could resu lt from inadequate
fuel, service or parts ava ilability.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and L itera ­
ture are published as soon as poss ible after mod­
el introduction. Service ma nuals and literature
are avai lab le to order from the Audi Tec hni cal Lit ­
erature Ordering Center at :
www.audi .t e chlit eratur e.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to he lp keep
maintenance requirements to a min imum. How­
ever, a certain amount of regular maintenance is
still necessary to assure your veh icle's safety,
economy and reliab ility . For detailed vehicle
maintenance consult your Wa rranty
& Mainte­
nance book let .
Und er diff icult op erating condition s, for exam­
ple at extremely low outside temperatures, in
very dusty regions, when towing a trai le r very fre­
quently, etc., some service work shou ld be per­
fo rmed between the in terv als specified. This ap ­
plies particularly to:
- oil changes , and
- cleaning or replacing the a ir filter .
(® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintain ing your vehicle, you
help make sure that emiss ion standards are
maintai ned, thus min imizing adverse effects
on the environment .
Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticated
fuel injection and emission control systems, and
the generally increas ing technica l complexity of ""'
253