2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET warning

Checking and Filling
-Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off.
Reconnect the posit ive cab le first and then
the negative cable. Never interchange the cables -th is could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat­
tery. It could explode! If a battery has fro­
zen, then it must be rep laced . A discharged
batte ry can freeze over at 32 °F (0 °C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
The re is the danger of an explos ion! Always
r e place a damaged batte ry .
A WARNING
California Proposit ion 65 Wa rning:
- Battery posts, termina ls and re lated acces­
sories contai n lead and lead compounds,
c hem icals known to the State of Califo rnia
to ca use c ancer and rep rodu ctive p roblems.
Wash hands after h andling.
(D Note
- Do no t disconnect the veh icle bat tery when
the ig nition is o n or when the engine is run­
n ing, othe rw ise, you will damage elec tronic
componen ts in the ele ct ric al sys tem.
- If you r vehicle is goi ng to stand for a l ong
period of time wi thout be ing driven, p rotect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re­ placed .
200
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­
tery .
Fig. 166 Eng ine compartment: connectors for a c harge r
a n d jum p start cab les
Alway s re ad and h eed a ll WARN IN GS below
c:> ,& and c:> .& in Working on the battery on
page 199 .
.,. Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con­
sumers .
.,. Make sure the area is we ll ventilated when you
charge the battery .
.,. Open the eng ine hood
i=!.) page 190 .
.,. Open the red cover on the pos itive pole
i=!,) fig. 166.
.,. Clamp the charger terminal clamps as instruct­
ed on the
battery terminal (+ ) and only on the
body ground point (· ).
.,. On ly now plug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall outlet and turn it on
i=!,) ,& .
.,. M ake sure th e charg ing rate i s not o ver
30 amp s/ 14.8 V olt .
.,. When the bat tery is fully charged : Turn the
charging equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet .
.,. Now remove the clamps for the charging equip -
ment .
.,. Close the red cover on the positive pole .
.,. Close the hood
q page 190.
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 F
0 (0 °C). Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempting to charge it
c:> .&.. However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery aga in because the battery casing .,..

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can be cracked due to ice format ion and can leak
battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps/ 14.8 Volt)
When charging at
low voltages (e.g. with a trick­
le charger), the battery cables do not have to be
d isconnected first. The battery caps should
not
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not nec­
essary to disconnect the cables.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14.8 Volts)
F or technical reasons do not use a battery charg­
er that uses voltage greater than 14.8 Volts to
charge your vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur­
er when charging your battery.
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al­
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were frozen.
The battery housing may have cracked and
weakened when the battery froze .
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area.
Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas generat­
ed by the battery is exp losive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or disconnect charger cables wh ile
the charger is operat ing.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
technician with the proper equipment.
- Battery acid that may spill during charging
should be washed off with a solution of
warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid.
Checking and Filling
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine. This will seriously damage sensi­
tive electronic components, such as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must hove the some specifica­
tions and dimensions as the original equipment
battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
responsible for distribut ing the e lectrical energy
throughout your vehicle
c;, page 121 . The intelli ­
gent energy management system will keep the
engine battery charged better than vehicles with­
out this system. To make sure the additional
electrical energy is available once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at the
t ime your vehicle was delivered). Specifications
are listed on the battery housing . Your author­
ized dealer must code the battery in the energy
management system to enable you to use the en­
ergy management functions correctly after re­
plac ing the battery.
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-volts), amperage, construction and plug seal ing.
When install ing the battery, make sure the ign i­
t ion and all electr ical consumers are switched
off .
(D Note
Make sure the venti lation hose on the s ide of
the battery is connected, otherwise fumes or battery acid can leak out .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposal of
a battery, we recommend your authorized
Audi dealer change the battery for you. Bat­
teries contain sulfur ic acid and lead and must
always be disposed of properly in compliance .,.
201

Check ing and F illing
with all environmental regulations. D isposing
of vehicle batteries improperly is very danger­
ous to the env ironment .
Windshield washer
system
F ig. 16 7 Engin e co mpartment : washer fluid reservoir cap
"' N
-N
" 0:, lD
The washer flu id reservoir§ contains the wind­
shie ld wash er fluid
¢ page 191, fig. 161. The res­
ervoir capacity is found in
9 page 251.
.. Read and follow a ll WARNINGS before wo rking
in the engine compartment ¢
page 188, Work­
ing in the engine compartment.
.. Open the cap .
.. Add the washer fluid and close the cap .
To reduce the risk of lime sca le deposits on the
spray nozzles, use clean water w ith low amounts
of calc ium . A lways add window cleaner to the wa­
t er. When the outs ide temperatures are co ld, an
anti-freezing agent should be added to the water
so that it does not freeze .
(D Note
-The concentration of anti-freezing agent
must be ad justed to the vehicle operating
cond itions in the respect ive climate . A con­
ce ntration that is too high can lead to veh i­
cle damage.
- Neve r add rad iator ant i-freeze or ot her addi­
tives to the washe r fl uid .
- Do not use a glass cleaner that conta ins
paint solvents, beca use this cou ld damage
the pa int.
202
Service interval display
T he service interval display detects when your ve­
hicle is due for service.
The service interval display works in two stages :
-Inspe cti on or oil change reminder: afte r a cer-
tain dis tan ce dr ive n, a message appears in the
instrument cluster display each t ime the igni ­
tion is switched on or off . The remaining dis­
tance or tim e is disp layed briefly.
- Inspection or oil change due : if your vehicl e
has reached an inspection or oil change inte rval
or both intervals at the same t ime, the mes­
sage
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection d ue!
appears briefly af­
ter switching the ignition on/off.
Check ing ser vice inter vals
You can check the remaining d istance or t ime un­
ti l the next oi l change or next inspection in the
MMI. Select the
i MENU I button> Car> Systems *
control button > Ser vice & control > Service in ­
tervals .
Resetting the indic ator
Your a uthorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi
Service Facility w ill reset the service interva l dis­
play after perform ing service .
If you perform an o il change yourse lf to the Audi
specifications, you must reset the service interval
display .
To rese t the disp lay, select the
I MENU I but ton>
Car > Systems * control button > Service & con­
t rol > Service inter vals > Re set oil change inter ·
val.
(D Note
- Only reset the oil c hange indicator if the oi l
was changed .
- Following the service in terva ls is cr itica l to
mainta ining the se rvice life and val ue of
your vehicle, especially the engine. Even if
the mileage on the ve hicle is low, do not ex­
ceed the time for the next service.
- Calculat ing the time to the next oil change
is inte rrupted when the vehicle battery is

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s: a:,
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" ' ' '
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new tires to match the new
rim diameter .
Rim size designat ion
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be ­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at wh ich a t ire is
designed to be driven for extend ­
ed periods of time . The ratings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 205.
You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ & in Winter tires on
page 219 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illum i­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of t he degrees
of wear of the tread . See
¢ page 213, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur-
ing tire wear. .,.
209

Tires and wheels
different tire speeds. For this rea­
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
,&. WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ
greatly
even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of an accident.
212
-Only use tires that are more
than six years old when abso­ lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle. Using them when not permitted can Lead to ve­
hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 169 Tire profile: tread wear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear. ..

Tires and wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer wear evenly. To rotate wheels, in-
or authorized Audi Service Facili- stall the wheels from the rear
ty check the wheel alignment if axle on the front axle and vice
there is unusual wear. versa. This will allow the tires to
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an have approximately the
same
imbalance is causing noticeable length of service life.
vibration in the steering wheel.
For unidirectional tires, make
If you do not, the tires and other sure the tires are installed accord-
vehicle components could wear ing to the running direction indi-
more quickly. cated on the tire sidewall
Treadwear indicator ¢page 238.
Original equipment tires contain Hidden damage
treadwear indicators in the tread
Damage to tires and rims can of-
pattern, which are bars that are ten occur in locations that are
1/16 in. (1.6 mm) high and are
hidden. Unusual vibrations in the
spaced evenly around the tire per- vehicle or pulling to one side may
pendicular to the running di rec- indicate that there is tire damage.
tion
¢fig. 169. The letters "TWI"
Reduce your speed immediately.
or triangles on the tire sidewall Check the tires for damage. If no
indicate the location of the tread- damage is visible from the out-
wear indicators. side, drive slowly and carefully to
The tires have reached the mini- the nearest authorized Audi deal-
mum tread depth
l) when they er or authorized Audi Service Fa-
have worn down to the tread wear cility to have the vehicle inspect-
indicators . Replace the tires with ed.
new ones¢ &.
& WARNING
-
Wheel rotation Tread that has worn too low or
Rotating the wheels regularly is different tread depths on the
recommended to ensure the tires tires can reduce driving safety.
..
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any applicable regulations in your N ... 0 .... country. > a:,
213

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A WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of
vehicle control and increase the risk of an accident. Read
and follow the important safe­
ty precautions in¢
page 216,
Tires and vehicle load limits.
-The tire must flex more if the
tire pressure is too low or if
the vehicle speed or load are
too high. This heats the tire up
too much. This increases the risk of an accident because it
can cause the tire to burst and result in loss of vehicle con­
trol.
-Incorrect tire pressure in­ creases tire wear and has a
Tire pressure table
Please note that the information
contained in the following table
was correct at the time of print­
ing, and the information is sub­
ject to change. If there are differ­
ences between this information
and the tire pressures specified
on the label on the driver's side B­ pillar, always follow the specifica-
Tires and wheels
negative effect on driving and
braking behavior, which in­
creases the risk of an accident.
Replace lost valve caps to re­
duce the risk of damage to the
tire valves.
@ For the sake of the environment
Tire pressure that is too low in­
creases fuel consumption.
(1) Tips
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a normal load ¢
table on
page 216
or for a full load
when the vehicle is partially
loaded.
tion on the B-pillar label
¢ page 214, fig. 170.
Make sure that the tire designa­
tion on your tire matches the des­ ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom­ mended tire pressures in cold
215

Tires and wheels
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed.
Model/ Tire designation
Engine Tire pressure
Normal load Maximum load
(up to 3 people)
3>
front rear front rear
PSI
A3 Cabrio- 225/45 Rl7 91Y let: High Performance
30
l.8L
225/40 Rl8 92Y
4 cylinders High Performance
35
225/45 Rl 7 91H
All Season
33
225/40 Rl8 92H
All Season
36
235/35 Rl9 91 Y
High Performance
33
A3 Cabrio- 225/45 Rl 7 91 Y
let: High Performance
30
2.0L 225/40 Rl8 92Y
4 cylinders High Performance
35
225/45 Rl 7 91H
All Season
33
225/40 Rl8 92H
All Season
38
235/35 Rl9 91 Y
High Performance
35
a) 2 people in the front , 1 perso n in the rear
.&, WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure
¢ page 214 and load
limits
¢page 216.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
216
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
210 28 190 36 250 36 250
240 3 2 220 36 2 50 36 250
2 30 30 210 38 260 38 260
250 33 230 41 280 41 280
2 30 29 200
36 25
0
36 25
0
210 28 190 38 260 38 260
240 32 220 38 260 38 260
230 30 2 10 39 270
39 270
260 35 240 41 280 41 280
240 29 200 38 260
38 260
that is
overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.