2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET brakes

Instruments and indicator lights
If the i ndicator lig ht blinks and t he message ap ­
pears, the re is not enough bra king power to se ­
cure the vehicle. The brakes have overheated. The
ve hicle co uld ro ll away even on a small incline .
-(USA models)/. (Canada models)
Please press brake pedal to release parking
brake
T o re lease the pa rking brak e, press the br ake
pedal an d pres s th e ~ button at the same time,
or start driv ing with hill start ass ist
¢ page 74,
Starting from a stop .
Ill Parking brake!
There is a malfunc tion in th e park ing b ra ke . Dr ive
t o an author ized Audi dealer or au thor ized A udi
S erv ice Fa cil ity immedi ately to ha ve t he m alfunc­
t ion correc ted.
Ill Parking brake: Limited functionality!
There is a malfunction in the park ing brake. Dr ive
to a n author ized Audi dealer or author ized A udi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have t he m alfunc­
tion cor rec ted .
IZ!il:t:l;U:o (USA models ) / Ill (Canada models )
Please release park ing brake
Release the par king brake if t his message a p­
pears .
!1J;jl:l;J;1:0 (USA models) / K@j Parking brake: auto release unavailable
If thi s m essage a ppe ars , pr ess the bra ke ped al
fir st and t hen release the p arking br ake.
IZJ;J:t :);Jj3~ (USA models) / K@j Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
I f th e i ndicator lig ht blinks and t he message ap­
pears, the re is not eno ugh bra king power to s e­
cure the vehicl e. The bra kes have overhea ted. T he
ve hicl e co uld roll aw ay eve n on a s mall i nclin e .
IZJ;jl :);tJ3~ ( USA models ) / Ii] (Canada models )
Parking brake is applied
I f th is message appears, press the brake pedal
fi rst and the n release the pa rking brake if neces ­
sary.
16
(D Tips
F o r additional informat ion on t he parking
br ake, refe r to ¢
page 73 .
-L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant level!
The coo la nt level is too low.
D o not con tinue dr iv in g and swi tch th e e ngi ne
off.
Check the coola nt level ¢
page 195 .
-If the coo lant level is too low, add coolant
¢
page 195. Only continue dr iving once the in­
dicato r ligh t turns off.
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with veh icle stationary
Let the engine ru n at idle fo r a few mi nutes to
cool off, until the in dicator lig ht t urns off.
- If the in dicat or ligh t doe s not tu rn off , d o n ot
cont inue driving the veh icle. S ee an au thorized
Audi dea le r or a uth orized Audi Service Facility
for assistance.
.8_ WARNING
- Never open the hood if you can see or hea r
steam or coo la nt escaping from t he e ng in e
compa rtm ent. This increases the ris k of
burns. Wait until you no lo ng er see o r hear
s t ea m or coo la nt escaping.
- The engine compa rtment in any vehicle can
b e a da nge rous a rea . Stop the engi ne and
allow it to coo l b efo re wor king in the en g in e
com partm ent . Alw ay s follo w the inf orma­
t io n found in
r::!> pag e 188 , Wo rking in the
engine com par tment.
(D Note
D o not con tinue dr iv ing if the . indicato r
li g ht turns o n as thi s incr ease s th e ris k o f en­
gin e dama ge.
• Switch off engine! Oil pressure too low .,.

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Driving
General information
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and afterwards
The new engine needs to be run-in during the
first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
For the first 600 miles (1,000 kilom eter s):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
.,. Avo id high engine speeds .
From 600 to 1,000 mile s (1 ,000 to
1 ,500 kilomete rs ):
.,. Speeds can gradually be increased to the maxi­
mum perm issible road or engine speed .
During and aft er bre ak-in pe riod
.,. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds when it
is cold. This applies whether the transmission is
in
N (Neutral) or in gear .
After th e br eak-in p eriod
.,. Do not exceed maximum engine speed under
any circumstances .
.,. Upshift into the next higher gear
before reach­
ing the red area at the end of the tachometer
scale
opage 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the engine's
internal friction is higher than later when all the
mov ing parts have been broken in. How well this
break-in process is done depends to a considera­
b le extent on the way the veh icle is driven during
the first 1,000 miles (1,500 kilometers).
CD Note
Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati­
cally reduced. However, these rpm lim its are
programmed for an engine well run-in, not a
new engine.
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not dr ive with unnecessarily high eng ine
speeds - upshifting early saves fuel, reduces
noise and protects the environment.
D riv ing
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to avo id vehicle damage when
driv ing th rough water, for examp le on flooded
roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body .
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
.&, WARNING ..__
After driv ing through water or mud, the brak­
i ng effect can be reduced d ue to moistu re on
the brake d iscs and bra ke pads. A few careful
brake applications should dry off the brakes.
CD Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension o r electrical system
can be severely damaged by d riving throug h
water.
(D Tips
- Determine the depth before dr iving through
water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, d rive in reverse or
switch t he engine off when d riving through
water .
- Keep in mind that oncom ing vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
ma ke it too deep for yo ur vehicle to drive
through safe ly.
- Avoid dr iv ing th rough salt wate r (cor rosion) .
Economical and environ­
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
Fuel economy, env ironmental impact, and wear
on your engine, brakes and t ires largely depend
on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operat ing cond itions
- technical limitations
65

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Please select N or P
This message appears when starting or stopping
the eng ine if the selector lever is not in the Nor P
position . The eng ine will not sta rt/stop.
Shift to P , veh icle can roll away. D oors can onl y
b e loc ked in P
This message appears for safety reasons along
with a warning tone.
It appears if the selector
l ever for the automatic transmission is not in the
P posit ion when switching the ignition off with
the
! STAR T ENGINE ST OPI* button . S hi ft these­
l ecto r lever to the P position. Otherwise, the veh i­
cle could roll. You also cannot lock the vehicle us­
ing the locking sensor on the door handle or us­
ing the convenience key .
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operating
The electromechanical parking brake replaces
the hand brake .
Fig. 78 Center console : p arking brake
.,. Pull the (I) sw itch to set the park ing brake
c> fig . 78 . The - (USA models)/ . (Canada
models) indicator lights in the button and in
the instrument cluster d isplay turn on .
.,. To release the parking brake , press the b rake o r
acce lera to r ped al wh ile the igni tion is sw itched
on and p ress the
(D swi tch at the same t ime.
The - (USA models) /. (Canada mode ls)
indicator lights turn on in the b utton and in the
display .
Your veh icle is equipped with an e lectromechani ­
cal parki ng b rake. The park ing brake is designed
D rivi ng
to prevent the vehicle from ro lling unintent ional­
ly and replaces the hand brake.
In add ition to the normal f unctions of a trad i­
t iona l hand b rake, the elec tromechanical parking
brake provides va rious convenience and safety
functions .
When starting from a stop
- The integral hill start assist he lps yo u when
driving by automa tically re leas ing the pa rking
brake
c> page 74 , Starting from a stop.
- When starting on inclines, the h ill sta rt assist
p revents the veh icle from un in tentionally ro ll­
ing back . The braking force of the parking brake
is not re leased unt il sufficient dr iving force has
been b uilt up at the whee ls.
Emergency brake function
An emergency bra kin g f unction ensures that the
vehicle can be slowed down even if the
normal
brakes fail c> page 75, Emergency braking
function .
A WARNING
---=---Do not press the acce le rator pedal inadver­
tently when the vehicle is stat ionary and the
engine is running a nd a gear is selected.
Othe rw ise the vehicle will start to move im­
mediately and could result in a crash.
- If the power supply fails, the re leased park­
ing b rake can no longer engage . In this
case, park the vehicle on level ground and
secure it by plac ing the selecto r leve r in t he
P positio n. See an a utho riz e d Aud i dea le r o r
author ized A udi Se rvice Facility for assis­
tance.
(D Note
If the . or 111111 (USA mo dels) /. (Canada
models) indica to r lig ht in the inst rument
clus ter blinks, the re is a malf unc tion in the
brake system. Refer to the detailed descrip ­
tion of the indicator lights
i=>page 15.
-If the - indic a tor light (USA mode ls)/
• (Canada models) or
l!I turns o n, there is
a parking brake malfunction
c> page 15. ..,_
73

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Emergency braking function
In the event that the conventional brake system
fails or locks.
11-To brake your vehicle in an emergency, pull the
s wi tch (D and hold it¢
page 73, fig. 78.
11-As soon as you release the switch (Dor acceler -
ate , the brak ing stops.
Pulling and holding the switch (D while driving at
a speed of about 2 mph (3 km/h) or higher ini ­
tiates the emergency b raking function . The vehi­
cle brakes at all four whee ls by act ivat ing the
b raking hydrauli cs. The b rake perfo rmance is
sim ilar to heavy braking.¢.&
To reduce the r isk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, an audible warning tone
(buzzer) so unds when the switch (Dis pulled.
E mergency braking stops as soon as the
switch (Dis released o r the accelerator pedal is
pressed.
A WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used in an
emergency, when the normal brake pedal has
failed or the brake pedal is obstructed. Dur ing
emergency braking, your vehicle will brake
sim ilar to heavy braking . ESC and the associ ­
ated components (ABS, ASR, EDL) cannot
overcome the laws of physics. In corners and
when road o r weathe r cond itions are bad, a
full brake application can cause the vehicle to skid or the rear end to break away, wh ich in ­
creases the risk of an accident.
Hill hold
Appl ies to: ve hicles with hill hold assist
Hill hold makes it easier to start on hills.
Requiremen t: the d river's door must be closed
and the eng ine must be r unning.
The system is act ivated when the brake pedal is
p ressed wh ile the vehicle is stat iona ry .
T o prevent the veh icle from rolling back when
starting , the brake power is held for a brief mo ­
ment afte r releasing the brake pedal. Dur ing this
time, you can eas ily beg in to move you r vehicle.
D riv ing
A WARNING
- The intelligent technology of Hill Hold can­
not overcome the limitat ions imposed by
natural phys ical laws. The increased comfort
offe red by Hi ll Hold shou ld no t cause you to
take safety risks.
- Hill Hold cannot hold the vehicle in a ll hill
start s ituations (for example, if the g round
is slippery or icy) .
- I f you do not beg in moving immediately af­
ter releasing the b rake peda l, the vehi cle
could begin to roll ba ckward under certain
circumstances . Press the bra ke pedal or set
the parking brake immediately .
- If the engine "stalls", press the brake peda l
or set the parking bra ke immed iate ly.
- Stop-and-go traffic on inclines: to help pre­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when con­
tinuing to drive, press and hold the brake
pedal for several seconds when the vehicle
is stationary.
(D Tips
You can find out if your vehicle is eq uipped
with Hill Hold by checking at an authorized
A udi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ili­
ty.
75

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Stopping /p ark ing
If the selecto r lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could rol l.
I n vehicles with a convenience key*, the message :
Shift to P, v eh icle can roll awa y. Doo rs can be
lo cked onl y i n P
appears. You will also hear a
warning tone.
~ Press and hold the brake pedal¢.&_ .
~ Set the parking brake.
~ Select the P selector lever pos ition.
Stopp ing on an incline
~ Always press the brake peda l to hold the vehi­
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢
A -Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"ro lling back" when a gear is engaged by in­
creasing the engine speed¢@) .
Starting on a n incline in vehicl es w ithout Hill
H old *
~ Set the parking brake.
~ With the driving gear se lected, press the acce l­
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake re­
leases automatically . Requirement: the driver's
door must be closed and the driver's safety belt
must be fastened .
Starting on an incline in vehicle s with Hill
Hold*
~ With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal¢
page 75, Hill hold.
Under certain c ircumstances, (such as driving in
the mountains or towing a trailer), it may be use­
fu l to sw itch temporari ly to the manua l shift pro­
g ram in orde r to adjust the gears to t he d riving
conditions by hand
¢ page 81 .
When parking on a level surface , simply place the
se lector lever in the P position. On inclines, acti­
vate the parking b rake first and then move the
selecto r lever to the P position
¢ page 73. This
prevents the locking mechanism from being
l oaded too heavi ly and wi ll make it easier to
move the selector lever out of the P position.
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
A WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even when the eng ine is
sw itched off .
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serious injuries .
- Never leave your veh icle w ith the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running, set
the park ing brake and move the selector lev­
er to the P posit ion.
- Power is still transferred to the wheels when the engine is runn ing at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", yo u must
keep your foot on the b rake when the en­
g ine is r unning and the selector lever is in
the D, Sor R position or " tip tronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not in adver ten tly press the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the vehicle wi ll start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could result in a crash.
- Do not press the acce lerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
- Never engage the R or P selector level pos i­
tions while dr iv ing.
It could cause a crash.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce your speed and sh ift into a lower gear w ith
"t i ptronic".
- Do not r ide the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when dr iving
downhill. Constant braking causes the brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces bra king performance, increases b rak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake sys tem.
- I f you must stop on an incline, a lways hold
the vehicle in place w it h the foot brake or
p ar king brake to p reve nt i t from rolling
back.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipp ing clu tc h . The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . The
mJ indicator light turns on
79

Automatic transmissio n
and a message appears~ page 82 when
the clutch is overloaded.
- If the engine must run while you are work­
ing in the engine compartment with the
hood open, make sure a gear is not engag­
ed. The selector lever must be firmly in the
P position and locked in place and the park­
ing brake m ust be set~
page 188. Other­
wise, the vehicle could begin moving when
the engine speed increases, even with the
par king brake set.
{UJ Note
- When stopp ing on a n incline, do not t ry to
ho ld the vehicle in p lace by press ing the ac­
ce le ra to r pedal wh ile a driv ing gear is se­
l ected. Th is can ca use the au toma tic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from rolling .
- A llow ing the vehicle to ro ll when the eng ine
is stopped and the se lector lever is in the N
position will damage the automatic trans­
mission because it is not l ubricated under
those circumstances.
- The transmiss ion can overheat and be dam­
aged under certa in driving and traffic cond i­
tions such as frequent starts, creep ing for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic . W hen the
@l or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next oppo rt u nity and let the
transmission coo l~
page 82.
- Allow ing the veh icle to roll when the eng ine
i s stopped will damage the S tron ic trans­
mission beca use it is not l ubricated
¢ page 246, Towing with a tow truck .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake releases
automatically only when the driver's door is
closed and driver 's safety belt is fastened.
80
· Hill descent control
App lies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving downhill .
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor lever is in the D or S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is s uitable for the incline. H ill
descent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
i eved at the t ime of braking, w it hi n phys ical and
technica l lim itations . If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed w ith the brakes. Because h ill de­
scent control cannot shift down farther tha n 3rd
gear, it may be necessary to shift into tiptronic
mode in very steep areas. In this case, shift into 1st or 2nd gear in tiptronic mode to use the en­
gine's braking force to relieve the brakes.
Hill descent control switches
off once the decline
l evels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cru ise control system*
¢ page 88, hi ll descent control is a lso activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent contro l cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to ma intain
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.

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Trailer mode Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additiona l load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
T railer tow ing not only p laces more stress on the
vehicle, it a lso calls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch Use a weight -carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weig ht. The h itch must be suitab le
for your vehicle and tra iler and must be mo unted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mou nt. Always che ck wit h the t rail­
e r hitch manufac turer to make s ure that you are
usi ng the correct hitch .
Do not u se a bumper hitch .
The hitc h must be installed in such a way t hat it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
Fr om time to time, chec k that a ll hitc h mount ing
bo lts rema in securely faste ned.
When you are not towing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca using damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from beh ind
~ ,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
Trailer mode
The t rai ler hydra ulic brake sys tem must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydra ulic
bra ke system.
Safety chains
Always use safety ch ains be tween your ve hicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
T ra ile r ligh ts must meet all regulations . Be sure
to chec k w it h your Aud i dea le r fo r correct wir ing,
swi tches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
i ng the regular outside mir rors, then you
must in­
sta ll extended mirro rs . It i s important that you
always have clear vision to t he rear.
,8. WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hi tch , do no t st o re
i t in yo ur vehicle. In ca se of sudden brak ing,
the hitch could fly fo rward and injure you or
your passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer we ight
A tra iler for your vehicle is lim ited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution B e sure the load in the tra ile r i s held se curely in
pla ce to p reve nt i t from shifting forward, bac k­
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer~.&.
in Driving instructions on page 86.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure that
the coo ling syst em has enoug h flu id.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full ..,.
85

Trailer mod e
load" on the la bel located on the driver's side B ­
pillar (visib le when the door is open) . Inflate
tra iler tires to trailer and tire manufacturers'
specif ications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and t railer lights
are working p roper ly.
Safety chains
Be sure t railer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trai le r to the hi tch on the veh icle.
L eave enough sla ck in the cha ins to permi t turn­
ing corners. When yo u install safety chains, ma ke
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when yo u are
driving .
The cha ins s hou ld cross under the trailer tongue
t o prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the h itch .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
To obtain t he best poss ible handling of vehicle
and traile r, please note the fo llow ing :
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
is not loaded.
.. Be especi ally ca ref ul when pass ing othe r
vehicles.
.. Observe speed limi ts .
.. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded t railer w ith an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easie r to operate and cont rol.
This means that the tow vehi cle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keep ing the tra iler as light as possib le under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the l uggage compartment of the
86
tow veh icle wh ile observing tong ue load require ­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the mo re diff icu lt i t be­
comes for the driver to con trol the r ig. Do not
drive at t he maxim um permissible speed. Reduce
you r speed even more if load, weather or wind
con dit ions are unfavorab le - partic ularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limi ts. In some areas, s peeds fo r
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
A lways apply bra kes early. Whe n driving down­
hill, shift in to a lower gea r to use the engine
b raki ng effect to slow the vehi cle. Use of the
brakes alone ca n cause them to over heat and fai l.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge 9 page 12 must
be obse rved caref ully. The coolant temperature
c a n incre ase if yo u drive o n long incl ines in a low
gear a t high engine speeds . Red uce your speed
immediately if the LE Ds in the top part of the dis­
play turn on .
Fo r more info rm ation abou t indicator lights, re­
fer to .
¢ page 16 .
A WARNING
-
Anyone not prope rly restrai ned in a moving
vehicle is at a much greate r risk in an acci ­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differen tly when towing a
trailer because o f the additiona l weight and di f­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will g reatly depend on how caref ul-
l y you load your trai ler and operate you r rig. ..,_