2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET service

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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. ..,.
119

Intelligent Technology
Do not tow your veh icle bec ause it cannot be
steered. See an authorized Audi dealer or author ­
ized Audi Service Fac ility for assistance .
,IM Steering: Sy stem fault You can continu e
dri ving
If the indi cator lig ht t urns on , the steering whee l
may be mo re diff icu lt to move o r more sensitive
than usual. The steering wheel may also be a t an
angle when dr iving straight.
D rive s low ly to an authorized A udi dealer or au­
thor ized A udi Se rvice Fa cility to have the m al­
f u nction co rrected.
m Steering lock: sy stem fault! Please contact
Servic e
There is a malfunction in the electronic steering
lock.
Drive to an a uthori zed Aud i dea ler or authori zed
Aud i Serv ice Facility immedia tely to have the
malfunct io n corrected .
A WARNING
Have the system malfunction corrected as
soon as poss ible by an author ized Audi dealer
or au thori zed Aud i Serv ice Fa cili ty, as this in­
c re ases the risk of an accident.
{D Tips
If the . or ,:rM i ndica to r light only turns on
for a short time, you may continue dr iv ing.
All wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to: veh icles with all whee l drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered .
General information
In all wheel drive, the driving power is divided be­
tween all four wheels. This happens automatical­
ly depe nding on your driving behavior as well as
the c urrent road cond itions . Also see
s>
page 116, Electronic stabilization control
( ES C).
The all wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power . Your ve hicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has ex cellent driving characterist ics
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both under normal d riving conditions and on
snow and ice . A lways read and follow safety pre­
ca utions s>
.&..
Winter tires
By using all wheel dr ive, your veh icle has good
forward motion w it h standard t ires in win ter con­
ditions . However, in winter we recommend using
winter or all season tires on
oil four whee ls, be­
ca use this will improve the
broking effect.
Snow chains
I f there are snow ch ain laws , snow ch ains m ust
a lso be used on veh icles with all wheel drive
s>
page 219 , Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles with a ll w heel drive, o nly wheels with
t h e same ro lli ng ci rcumfe rence sho uld be used.
Avo id whee ls with diffe rent t read depths
¢ page 211 .
Offroad vehicle?
You r Audi is no t an off road vehicle - there is not
enough ground clearance. For th is reaso n, avoid
difficul t ter rain . Also see s>
page 251.
A WARNING
-Also, in veh icles with all wheel drive, ad apt
your d riving sty le to the cu rren t road and
traffic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provi ded tempt you into taking r is k s,
because this inc reases the risk of an acc i­
dent.
- The braking abi lity of your vehicle is limited
to the traction of the whee ls. I n this way, it
is not different from a two w heel drive vehi­
cle . Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
hig h speed when the road is slippery, be ­
cause t his i ncreases the r is k of an accident .
- Note that on wet s treets, the front wheels
can " hydrop la ne" if dr iv ing at spee ds that
are too high. Unlike front w heel d rive
veh icles, t he engine does no t rev h ig her sud­
de nly when t he vehi cle begins hydrop lan ing.
F or this reason, pay atte ntion to the road
conditions rega rdless of your speed to re ­
duce t he risk of an accident .

Driving safety
Retracting rollover protection
Fig. 12 5 Deployed rollbar w ith re lease loop.
--------
F ig. 126 Deployed rollbar w ith power top frame facing up­
ward.
If the ro llover p rotection h as triggered bu t the
ve hicle was no t invo lved in an accident, you can
retract the rollover protection yourself in an
emergency . Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or
author ized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
With the power top open
• Pull the loop upward in the d irection of the ar­
row and hold it in place~
fig. 125 .
• Slide the rollbar down.
• Release the loop just before the rollbar reaches
its end position (1-2 in./ 3-5 cm).
• Press the ro llbar down until it stops .
• Make su re the rollbar is secure before re leas ing
it.
• Close the cover@ 9
fig. 126.
• Repe at the p rocedure on t he other ro llba r.
With the power top closed
• Switch on the ignition .
• Press the power top switch to adjust the power
top frame until it is ve rtical 9
fig. 126 .
134
• Pull the loop upward in the direction o f the ar­
row and ho ld it in p lace
9fig. 125.
• Slide the ro llbar down.
• Release the loop just before the ro llbar reaches
its end position (1-2 in./ 3-5 cm).
• Press the rollbar down until it stops.
• Make sure the rollbar is secure before releasing
it .
• Close the cover @'*
fig. 126.
• Repeat the procedu re on the othe r rollbar.
• You can now close the powe r top agai n.
A WARNING
-
-Make sure your head or other parts of yo ur
body are not located in the a rea above the
rollbar when pressing the ro llbar down. If
the rollbar is not secured correct ly, it could
deploy again as soon as you release it and
cause injur ies.
- Have the rollover protection system checked
by and author ized Audi dealer or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility if it malfunctions. O th­
erwis e the syst em may not deploy correctly
in a collision.
- Mod ifying the rollover pro tection system or
in dividual componen ts is not pe rm itted.
- Work on the ro llover p rotection system
should only be performed by an a uthorized
Aud i dea le r o r auth o riz e d Audi Serv ice Facili­
ty. Otherwise the system m ay no t fu n ction
correctly in a collision or it could deploy un­
expectedly .
- H ave t he sys tem inspected a t service inte r­
vals. This ensures the system will always be ready for use . Have an autho rized Aud i dea l­
er or author ized Audi Service Facility check
the rollover protect ion system every two
years at the latest.

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A WARNING ,~
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is be ing used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restra ined and stay in a correct
seating pos it ion whenever the veh icle is be­
ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
~ page 13 7 .
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular s everity and in a rollov er, saf ety belts
are tensioned automatically.
Re ve rsib le safe ty belt ten sione rs
The safety belts on the front seats are equipped
with power reversib le tensioners. The fo llowing
f u nctions are avai lab le when the driver 's/front
passenger's safety be lts are fastened:
- Automatic tensioners: at the start of a drive,
the safety belts automatically adjust to the
passenge r after a ce rtain t ime per iod or vehicle
speed.
- In certain driving situat io ns, the safety belts
may t ighten with a reversible tens ioning func­
tion
~ page 97.
- The safety belts may a lso tighten with this re-
versib le tensioning function in minor collisions.
P y rotechnic safet y be lt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
p retensioners. The system is act ivated by sensors
i n front, side and rear-end coll is ions of great se­
veri ty and in a rollover. This tightens the belt and
takes up belt slack
q & in Service and disposal of
saf ety belt pr etensioner on page 141 .
Taking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant movement dur ing a coll is ion.
A WARNING
- It is possible for the pretensioners to deploy
incorrectly .
Safet y be lts
- The pyrotechnic system can only provide
protection for one collision. If the pyrotech­
nic pretens ioners deploy, the pretensioning
system must be replaced .
(D Tips
The pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners can
only dep loy once.
- The safety belt pretensioners do not deploy
in minor frontal, side and rear-end coll i­
sions.
- A fine dust is re leased when the pyrotechnic
safety belt pretensioners dep loy. This is nor­
ma l and is not caused by a f ire in the veh i­
cle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped . A qualified
dealership is familiar with these regulat ions
and w ill be pleased to pass on the informa­
tion to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmenta l
and other regulat ions if the vehicle or indi­
vidua l parts of the system, particular ly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have yo ur authorized Aud i
dealer perform this service fo r you.
Service and disposal of safety belt preten­
sioner
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Aud i. Installing , removing ,
se rvicing or repair ing of be lt pretens ione rs can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from wo rking co rrectly in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will no t be impa ired and that d iscarded
componen ts do not cause inju ry or pollute the
environment .
A WARNING ~ -
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
141

Safety belts
and death by preventing a safety be lt preten­
sioner from activating when needed or
act ivating it unexpectedly:
- The belt pretensioner system can be activat­
ed only once . If belt pretensioners have
been activated, the system must be re­
placed .
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the safety belt system .
- Safety belt systems includ ing safety belt
pretens ioners cannot be repaired. Special
procedures are requ ired for removal, instal ­
lat ion and disposal of this system .
- For any work on the safety belt system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au ­
tho rized Aud i dealer or qualified technician
who has an Audi approved repair manual,
t ra ining and spec ial equ ipment necessary.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi­
al -specia l handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe ­
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regulat ions must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
w ith these requ irements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you .
142

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must be performe d by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circ uit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the veh icle or the c ircuit interrupter is
scrapped, all app licable safety precautions
must be followed .
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi­
al - special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the veh icle or parts of the re­
strai nt system including airbag modules and
safety bel ts wit h pretensione rs are scrapped,
all a ppli cable laws and regulations mus t be
observed. Your a uthorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom ­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that t he Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-r im
comb inat ions no t approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicle, changing the s tiffness of the suspens ion,
includ ing the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic contro l unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not dep loy if
the changes had no t been made. Other kinds of
Airb ag sys tem
changes may red uce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
i ng when it sho uld.
A WARNING
=
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance a nd in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly instal­
led on you r vehi cle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 14 1 Driver 's k nee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the s teer ing whee l
~fig. 141, the
airbag fo r the passenger is at abou t the same
heig ht in the i nstr ume nt p ane l underneath the
glove compa rtment.
The knee airbag offers add itiona l protection to
t h e d river's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas a nd supplements the p rotec­
t ion prov ided by the safety bel ts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in frontal coll is ions when the deploymen t
Iii--
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-If you are unable to determine whether or
not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
ficat ions, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents can­
not be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems resulting from the use of fue ls diffe r­
ent from those specified are not the respon­
s ibility of Audi and are not covered under
the New Veh icle or the Emiss ion Control
System Warrant ies .
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy or
driveability and pe rformance problems due
to the use of one of these fuel blends, we r ecommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
A ma jor concern among many auto manufactur­
ers is carbon deposit build-up ca used by the type
of gasoline yo u use.
A lt hough gasoline grades d iffer from one manu ­
facturer to another, they have cer tain things in
common . A ll gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on vita l engine
parts, such as fue l injectors and intake valves. Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to
keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective .
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline. For more informat ion on TOP TIER Dete r­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website
(www.toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your en­
g ine of peak performance.
CD Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel q ual­
ity is not covered by the Aud i New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Ch eck ing and Filling
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fue l filler neck is located on the rig ht rea r
s ide panel behind the fuel fille r flap .
If the power lock ing system shou ld fail, yo u can
st ill open the flap manually -fo r detailed instruc­
tio ns see
9 page 187.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle
i n c:;,
page 251 .
The label on the inside of the f uel fi ller flap tells
you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For more in­
f ormat ion about fuel spec ificat ions, see
9 page 184.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an onboard refue lling
vapor recovery system. This feature helps to pre­
vent fuel vapors from escaping from the tank and
polluting the environme nt wh ile you refue l yo ur
vehicle . In order to fill the tank p roper ly w hile
pro tect ing t he e nvir onment, p lease follow t his
r efue ling p rocedure ca refully.
_& WARNING
Un der normal opera ting co nd it io ns, neve r car ­
r y additional f uel con tainers in your car. Gas
canisters and other containers used to trans ­
port fue l can be dange rous. Such containe rs,
f ull or empty, may leak and could cause a fire
i n a co llision. If you must transpo rt fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc .,
be ve ry careful and always observe local and
sta te laws rega rding the use, transportation
and storage of su ch f uel con tainers. Make cer­
t ai n t he co ntain er meets industry standards
(ANSI/AS TM F8S2 -86).
CD Note
Neve r drive your veh icle until the fue l tank is
complete ly empty. The irreg ular s upply of
f u el can cause misfiring. Gasol in e c ould enter
the e xhaust sys tem an d damage the cat aly tic
conve rter.
185

Checking and Filling
"'Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 193 , Checking the engin e oil lev el and
adding oil.
"'Never try to push- or tow-star t your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean-up"
device built into the exhaust system of the v ehi­
cle. The catalytic converter burns many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
leased into the atmosphere .
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically im­
portant for the life of the catalytic converter and
proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
-
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once they
have become hot . This could result in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exhaust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush , fuel spill or
other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or heat shields. During driving, the substance
used for undercoating could overheat and
cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢page 193.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the vehi­
cle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherwise fuel can reach the catalytic converter. This could re-
188
sult in overheating of the converter, requir­
ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as im­
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erating states. This depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Using a differ­
ent brand of fuel may help, or filling the tank
with lead-free super grade gasoline.
Engine compartment
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the
engine compartment
For work in the engine compartment, such as
checking and filling fluids, there is a risk of in­
jury, scalding, accidents, and burns. For this
reason, follow all the following listed warnings
and general safety precautions. The engine
compartment is a dangerous area.
£:=? &. -
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injuries, complete the
following steps before opening the hood:
- Turn the engine off.
- Switch the ignition off.
- Set the parking brake.
- Place the selector lever in the P position .
- Let the engine cool down .
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coolant drips from the engine
compartment- there is a danger of burns!
Wait until no steam or coolant flows out .
-