2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET ESP

Child safet y
-If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
P ASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks descr ibed
~ page 155, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rea r seat positions if the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used~
page 135, Safety belts,
~ page 143, Airbag system and
~page 165, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
---
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas­
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertib le lock­
i n g ret rac to r fo r child rest raints . The safety belt
m ust be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
chi ld safety seat w ill stay in place .
A lways remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size .
176
A WARNING ,.
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the r isk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
-
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tractor is locked when installing a ch ild
safety seat . An unlocked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
during normal d riving or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round dur ing
a sudden s top or in a collision.
- I f the backrest is not se curely latched, the
child and the ch ild restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and w ill
strike parts of the veh icle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear -facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be k illed when the passenger a irbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere w ith the deployment of
the airbag and ca use serio us inju ry to the
child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
c::!;> page 165. Special p recautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor-
tant things to know .
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A WARNING 1=
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or rearward -facing ch ild re ­
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward -facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat, the
P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on , perform the
checks descr ibed
~ page 155, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SEN GER AI R
BAG OF F
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of ch ild restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
- An improper ly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- After checking to make sure that the child restra int is properly installed, make certa in
tha t the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the capacit ive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the cor rect front passenger fronta l airbag
status .
A WARNING
Forward-fac ing child rest raints :
- Always ma ke sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and ce rtified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a fron t seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
-
Ch ild safety
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as possible , before installing the for­
ward-facing ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild rest raint and
not next to o r in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
A WARNING
= Rearward-facing chi ld restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing c hild safety sea t
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serio usly injured and can be ki lled if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the c hild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in except ional cir­
cumstances.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rea r-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
sys tem inspected by you r Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the c hild safety seat manufacturer 's
instruct ions when installing a child restraint in
177

Child safety
-Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu­
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PAS SEN G ER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rea r
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 155 Tet her strap: proper routing and mounting
Installing th e teth er strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restra int acco rding to the child restra int manu­
fac ture r's instruct ions.
.,. Un lock the backrest and fold it slightly forward
¢ page 58and locate the tether anchor behind
the rear seat backrest.
.,. Raise the head restraint behind the child safety
seat.
.,. Gu ide the upper tether strap under or on both
s ides of the rea r head restra int (depending on
the child safety seat model) .
.,. Attach the tether strap ancho rage hook into
the open ing of the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook is engaged.
182
.,. Straighten the backrest back up into its upright
position and press it firmly into the locking
mechanism.
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasi ng th e tet her strap
.,. Loosen the tension on the tethe r strap fo llow­
ing the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched a round
the tether s trap. This applies especially to
l eather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
ch ild restraint system manufacturer's i nstruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
&_ WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously inju red and can be k illed if the front
airbag inf lates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- If you m ust install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SSENGER A IR BA G OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install

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.
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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

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-Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on a hot engine. These flu­
ids (such as the freeze protection contained
in the coolant) can catch fire .
- Avoid short circuits in the e lectrical system,
especially the battery.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant expan­
sion tank when the engine is warm. The
cooling system is under pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms from
hot steam or coolant, cover the cap with a
large cloth when opening.
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances . This increases the risk of
burns.
- If tests need to be performed w ith the en­
gine running, there is additional danger due
to moving components (such as the ribbed
belt, alternator and radiator fan) and from
t he high vo ltage ig nition system.
- Never reach into the radiator fan . The e lec­
t ric a uxiliary fan is cont rolled by tempera­
t ur e and can switch on sudde nly.
- Pay atte ntion to the fo llow ing warnings list­
ed when wo rk on the fuel system or on t he
ele ct rical eq uipment is requ ired.
- Always d isconnect the ve hicle battery
from the vehicle electrical system
- Do not smoke
- Never work near open flames
- Always have a working fire ex tinguisher
nearby
- T o red uce the risk of e lec tric shoc k and in­
jury, neve r touch the followi ng components
when the eng ine is r unning or is being star t­
ed :
- Ignition cable
- Other components in the electronic high
voltage ignition system
- If you must check or perform work on the
engine while it is runn ing:
Ch eck ing and Filling
-Set the parking brake and place the selec­
tor lever in the P (park) posit ion first.
- Always proceed with extreme caution so
that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not become caught in the radiator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do
not come into con tact with ho t compo­
nen ts . Tie bac k long hair befo re beginn ing
work and do not wea r clothing that can
hang down into t he engine.
- Lim it yo ur exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as possible
~ .&. .
&_ WARNING
Ca lifo rnia Proposition 65 Warning:
- E ngine exhaust, some of its const ituents,
and certa in vehicle components conta in or
emit chemi cals know n to the State of Cali ­
forni a to ca use cance r and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In add ition, cert ain flu ­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wea r contain or em it
chemicals known to the State o f Californ ia
to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm .
- Battery posts, term inals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals know n to the State of Californ ia
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands afte r handling .
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to m ix the f lu­
i ds up. Otherwise severe malfunctions and en­
gine damage will occur .
@) For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground under
your vehicle i n order to detect leaks quic kly. If
the re are visible spots from o il or other fluids,
bring your veh icle to an authorized Audi deal­
er o r autho rize d Aud i Serv ice Facility to be
chec ke d .
189

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-Always dispose of used engine oil prope rly .
Do not dump it on garden soi l, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used
engine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a serv ice stat ion.
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo ling system is filled wi th a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac ­
tory. This coo lant must not be not changed.
The coolant leve l is moni to red throug h the . in ­
d icator light
q page 16 . Howeve r, we do recom­
mend occasiona lly checking the coo lant level
manually.
If you m ust add coo lant, use a m ix ture of water
an d coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with d isti lled water is recommended.
Coolant additive
The coolan t additive is made of anti-freezing and
corros ion pro tection agents. Only use the fol low­
in g coolant add it ives. The se addi tives may be
mixed wit h each other.
Coolant additive Specification
G13 TL 7
74)
G12 ++ TL 774 G
T he amount of coo lant additive that needs to be
mixed with water depends on the climate where
the vehicle will be ope rated. If the coolant addi­
tive percentage is too low, the coolant can freeze
and damage the eng ine.
Coolant Freeze protec-
additive tion
Warm reg ions min . 40% m in. -13 °F
max. 45% (-
25
°()
Cold regions min . 50% max . -40 °F
max. 55% (-40
°()
Checking and Filling
(D Note
-
Before the start of w inte r, have you r auth or­
ized Aud i dealer or a uthorized Aud i Serv ice
Facility check if the coolant addit ive in your
vehicle matches the pe rcentage appropriate
for the climate. This is especially important
when driving in colder climates .
- If the appropr iate coo lant add itive is not
availab le in an emergency, do not add any
other additive. Yo u could damage the en­
gine. If this happens, on ly use water and re­
store t he corre ct m ix tu re ratio with the
specified coolant ad ditive as soon as poss i­
ble.
- O nly refill w ith new coolant.
- Radiator sea lant must not be mi xed with
the coolant.
Adding coolant
Fig . 1 64 En g in e compa rtment: ma rki ngs o n the coolant
expans ion
t ank
Read and follow the WARNINGS befo re check­
ing anything in the engine compartment
i=> page 188, Working in the engine compart­
ment.
Che cking the engine coolant level
.. Park your vehicle on a leve l su rface .
.. Switch t he ignition off .
.. Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
tank ¢
fig. 164. The coolant level must be be­
tween the markings when the eng ine in cold .
When the eng ine is warm it can be slig htly
above the upper marking.
195

Check ing and F illing
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of
brake fluid as we ll as the special tools re­
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec­
ommend that you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery ( 12 V)
General information
All work on the battery requires expert knowl­
edge .
Read and follow the WARNINGS
before check­
i n g a nyth ing in the engine compartment
c::> page 188, Working in the engine compart­
ment.
The batte ry in you r Aud i does not need any main­
tena nce unde r
normal operating cond itions. A udi
re commends hav ing the e lectro lyte level check
by an au thor ized A udi dealer or au thori ze d Audi
Serv ice Facility when there a re
high outs ide tem ­
peratures or when driving a ll day. The elect rolyte
level sho uld a lso be checked each time the bat­
tery is charged
c::> page 200.
Have the battery checked when you bring your ve ­
hicle in for an inspection. It is a good idea to re­
p lace the battery if it is more than 5 years old .
T he batte ry is located in the eng ine compar tment
and is practically
maintenance-free .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
The battery shou ld not be d isconnected. Severa l
veh icle functions (power w indows, for example)
w ill be lost w hen the b attery is disconne cted. The
f u nctions mus t be reprog rammed after connect­
in g the battery. To avo id th is, the battery shou ld
only be disconn ecte d from the vehicle e lectrica l
system when it is abso lutely necessary.
T o reprogram the func tions, proceed as follows:
198
Function Reprogramming
Power window one-c::> page 35, Correcting
touch up/down func-power window malfunc-
tion tions
Remote control key o r If the vehicle does no t
Convenience key react to the key, it must
be synchronized
c::> page29
Dig ita l cl ock c::>page 10
ESC indicator light The ind icator light goes
o ut after driving a few
meters
Not running the vehicle for long period s of
time
If you do not drive your vehicle for severa l days o r
weeks, electrical components are gradually re­ d u ced or switched off . This reduces energy con­
s u mp tion and mai ntain s the vehicle's ability to
st art over a long perio d of time
c::> page 1 21.
Some conven ien ce f unctions, such as inter ior
li ght ing o r power seats* may not wor k. T hese
convenience functions will be availab le aga in
once you sw itch the ignition on and start the en­
gine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the winte r mon ths, it is common for the
batte ry capac ity to decrease as the temperatures
become lower . This is because more power is
needed to start the vehicle and components such
as the headlights and the rear window defogger
a re used more freque ntly .
Avoid using power unnecessa rily, espec ia lly in
c ity dr iving o r on short t rips. Have your author­
i z ed Audi dealer or author iz ed Audi Se rvice Facili­
ty check the battery capacity be fore the start of
winter
c::> page 200 . A well -cha rged battery will
not only reduce sta rting prob lems in cold wea th­
e r, bu t it will a lso l ast longer.
.&_ WARNING
- W ork on the b attery requires e xper t knowl­
e d ge. Con tact an a uthor ized Audi dealer or
author ized Audi Se rvice Facility for info rma ­
tion rega rding the vehicle batte ry. There is a
-
ris k for chemical burns or e xplosions . ..,.