2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET brake

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 . ..,.

Tires and wheels
be happy to provide more infor­
mation .
® Mud and snow capability
"M/S" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is suitable for driving on mud and
snow.
& indicates a winter tire.
@ Compos ition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay­
ers in the tire . In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry. Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materia ls
used in the tire. These include
steel , nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Ma ximum permitted load
T his number indicates the maxi­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Tread wear, t raction and temper­
ature ranges
¢page 221 .
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional t ires.
You must always follow the speci -
206
fied running direction
¢page 238 .
(8) Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi­
mum pressure to which a t ire can
be inflated under normal operat­
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory we ight
means the combined weigh t (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power steer­
ing, power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats , radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory -in ­
stalled equipment (whether in­
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to
the width of the tire in pe rcent.
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low s idewall for imp roved steer­
ing response and better overa ll
handling on dry pavement.

Tires and wheels
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Ma ximum (permissible )
inflation pressur e
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a tire may be inflated. Also called "maxi­
mum inflation pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the vehicle up to the to­
ta l seating capacity of your vehi­
c le .
Occupant d istribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehic le .
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the l inear distance be ­
tween the exteriors of the side­
walls of an inflated tire , including
elevations due to labeling , deco ­
rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
208
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated
parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs . (2 .3
kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre­
vio usly considered in c urb weight
or accessory weight, inc luding
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty ba ttery, and
special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at subs tantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread .
Recommended inflation
pressure
see~ page 207, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire designe d to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flat ion pressures than the corre­
spond ing standard tire . Rein­
forced tires may be identified as .,.

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. ..

Your safety and that of your pas­sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles .
; The fact that there is an upper
N
~ limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi-
o
s: a:,
Tires and wheels
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the driver's side B-pillar
9page 214,
fig. 170.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance.
217

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A WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition is
off and follow the instructions from the car
wash operator to reduce the risk of acci­ dents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself from sha rp metal components when wash­
ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the bra king effect
may be de layed due to mo isture on the
bra ke rotors or i ce in the w inte r. The brake s
must be dried fi rst w ith a few care ful brake
applications .
Q) Note
-If yo u wash t he vehi cle in an au toma tic car
wash, yo u m ust fold the exte rior m irrors i n
to re duce the risk of damage to the mirrors .
Power folding exterior m irrors * must on ly
be fo lded in and out using the power folding
funct ion.
- To p revent paint damage, do not wash the
vehicle in d irect sunlight.
Ca re and cleaning
- To re duce the risk of damage, do not wash
the power top with a pressure washer .
- T o red uce the risk of damage to the surface,
do not use insect removing sponges, kitche n
sponges o r similar items .
- M atte finish painted veh icle components:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polishing agents or hard
wax.
- Never use protective wax. It can destroy
the matte finish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte
finish paint. The paint could be damaged
when the stickers or magnets are re­
moved.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash t he veh icle in facili ties s pec ially de­
s igned for that pu rpose. This will reduce the
r isk of dirty wate r contamina ted with o il from
ente ring the sewe r sys tem.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individua l vehicle
components, refer to the follow ing tables . The
information contained there is simp ly recom­
mendations. For quest ions or for components t
h at are not listed, cons ult an authorize d Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility . Also
f o llow the information found in c> ,& .
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Windshield wiper
Deposits <=> page 50 , Cleaning windshield wiper blades
blades
Headlights /
Deposits So
ft sponge with a mild soap solutiona)
Tail light s
Sensors /
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth w it h solvent-free cleani ng solut io n
Camera len ses Camera lenses: soft clot h w ith alcoho l-free cleaning sol u-
tion
Snow/ice Hand br ush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail pipe s Road salt Wate
r, clean ing so lution su itab le for s tainless stee l, if ne e-
essa ry
225

Emerg ency assis ta nce
Emergency assistance
Trunk escape latch
Applies to: vehicles with trunk escape latch (A3 sedan)
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk escape
latch.
Fig. 172 luggage compartment: t runk escape latch
.,. Push the latch in the direction of the arrow un­
til the lock releases .
The trunk escape latch inside the rear lid is made of fluo rescent mater ial to glow in the dark.
_& WARNING
The trunk escape latch is to be used only in an
emergency .
General information
.,. Park the vehicle as far as poss ible from moving
traff ic in the event of a flat tire. In the event of
a flat t ire, park the vehicle on a level surface. It
you are on a steep incline, be especia lly careful.
.,. Set the park ing brake.
.,. Place the selector lever in the P position.
.,. Switch the emergency flashers on.
.,. Put on a reflective vest, if available .
.,. Set up the warning triangle, if available .
.,. Have the passengers exit the vehicle . They
should move to a safe place, for example be­
hind a guard rail.
_& WARNING
Pay attention to the steps above. They are for
your protection and the for the safety of other
drivers.
2 30
Equipment
Vehicle tool kit
Applies to: vehicles with vehicle tool kit
Fig. 173 lu gg age compartmen t: cargo floor cove r fo lded
upward (example)
The vehicle tool kit, t ire repa ir set* and compres­
sor* are stored in the luggage compartment un­
der the floor cover~
fig. 173 .
.,. Hook the p lastic hook@ into the luggage com­
partment seal.
.,. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the lug­
gage compartment lid.
_& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause se­
rious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts cannot
attain the necessary tightening torque if you
use the hex head, potentially causing an ac­
cident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended only
for your veh icle model. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you risk injuring
yourself .
- Never start the engine when the veh icle is
raised, which co uld cause an accident .
- Support the vehicle securely with a ppropri ­
ate stands if work is to be pe rformed under­
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po­
tential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly on a heavier
one. The jack is only su itable for use on the
vehicle it came with. ..,.

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.