2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET open hood

Instruments and indicator lights
Coolant temperature indicator
The coolant temperature indicator@¢ page 10,
fig . 3
only works when the ignition is switched
on. To prevent engine damage, please observe
the following notes about the temperature rang­
es.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge turn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, full ac­
celerating and heavy engine loads.
Normal range
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture once the LEDs up to the center of the gauge
turn on under normal driving conditions. The
LEDs higher up may turn on if the engine is under
heavy load or the outside temperature is high.
This is no cause for conc ern as long as the. in­
dicator light in the instrument cluster does not
turn on.
Hot range
If the LEDs in the upper area of the display and
the . indicator light in the instrument cluster
display turn on, the coolant temperature is too
high
¢ page 16.
A WARNING
-Never open the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This increases the risk of
burns. Wait until you no longer see or hear
steam or coolant escap ing .
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dangerous area. Stop the engine and
allow it to cool before working in the engine
compartment. A lways follow the informa­
tion found in ¢
page 188, Working in the
engine comportment.
(D Note
- Auxiliary headlights and other accessories in
front of the cooling-air intake impair the
cooling effect of the coolant. This increases
the risk of the engine overheating during
12
high outside temperatures and heavy en­
gine load.
- Th e front spoiler also helps to distribute
cooling air correctly while driving. If the
spoiler is damaged, the cooling effect will
be impaired and the risk of the engine over­
heating will increase. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­ cility for assistance .
Indicator lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or mal­
functions.
Messages may appear with some indicator lights.
A warning signal will sound at the same time. If
there is more than one malfunction, the indicator lights will turn on one after the other for a short
time . The indicator lights and messages in the in­
strument cluster display can be covered by other
displays .
The messages can be displayed again in the driv­
er information system*. With the multifunction
steering wheel, select the tab for indicator lights
and messages
c:> page 24 .
Some indicator lights in the display can display in
several colors.
& Central indicator light
If the . or D indicator light turns on, check
the instrument cluster display for more informa­
tion.
App lies to: vehicles wi th mo nochrome disp lay
If a message appears together with a central in­
dicator light. or
D. the central indicator light
will indicate the priority of the warning. If a
white indicator light also appears , the central in­
dicator light will have its own color . For example,
i'"
@I ::ippears together with., read the descrip­
tion for •.

<( co .... N ,.__
N .... 0 ,.__
> co
& Brake booster
Brake servo: limited functionality. You can con­
tinue driving. Contact Service
There is a malfunction in the brake booster if this
message appears. The brake booster is available,
but its effectiveness is reduced. Braking behavior
may be different from how it normally functions
and the brake pedal may vibrate.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
BRAKE/((D) Brake system
If this indicator light turns on, there is a malfunc­
tion in the brake system.
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models)
Please stop vehicle and check brake fluid level!
Stop the vehicle and check the brake fluid level.
See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance if necessary.
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models)
Brake: malfunction! Please park vehicle safely
If the . indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a brake booster malfunc­
tion .
If the ABS indicator light
rJ]) (USA models) /
[I] (Canada models), the ESC indicator light J.il
and the brake system indicator light 1111 (USA
models)/ . (Canada models) turn on and this
message appears, then the ABS, ESC and braking
distribution are malfunctioning
c::> .&..
Do not continue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance
c::> .&. .
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models) Park­
ing brake system fault! See owner's manual
- If the indicator light and the message appear
when the vehicle is stationary or after switch­
ing the ignition on,
check if you can release the
parking brake . If you cannot release the park­
ing brake, see your authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility . If you can re-
Instruments and indicator lights
lease the parking brake and the message still
appears, see an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
- If the indicator light and message appear
while
driving,
the hill start assist or emergency brak­
ing function may be malfunctioning. It may not be possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set . Do not park your vehicle
on hills and see an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
Applies to: USA models
If the 1111 and EiJ indicator lights turn on at the
same time, the brake pads are worn
<::>page 19.
.&_ WARNING
-Read and follow the warnings in
c::> page 188, Working in the engine com­
partment
before opening the hood and
checking the brake fluid level.
- If the brake system indicator light does not
turn off or it turns on while driving, the
brake fluid level in the reservoir is too low,
and this increases the risk of an accident.
Stop the vehicle and do not continue driv­
ing. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
- If the brake system indicator light turns on
together with the ABS and ESC indicator
lights, the ABS/ESC regulating function may
be malfunctioning. Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer available . This
could cause the rear of the vehicle to
swerve, which increases the risk that the ve­
hicle will slide. Do not continue driving. See
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility for assistance.
PARK/(®)/i®J, Electromechanical parking
brake
If the - (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
indicator light turns on, the parking brake was
set .
- (USA models) /. (Canada models) Cau-
tion: Vehicle parked too steep .,..
15

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 .,.

Opening and clo sin g
Autom atic locking (Auto L ock )
The Auto Lock funct ion locks all doors and the
luggage compartment lid once the speed has ex­
ceeded approximately 9 mph (15 km/h).
The car is unlocked again once the ign ition key is
removed. In addition, the vehicle can be un locked
if the opening function in the power locking sys ­
tem switch is used or one of the door handles is
pu lled .
I n t he event of a crash with airbag deployment,
the doors automat ica lly unlock to allow access to
the v ehicle .
Anti-theft alarm system*
If t he anti- theft alarm system detects a vehicle
b reak-in, a udio and v isua l warning signals are
tr iggered.
The ant i-theft alarm system turns on automati­
cally when you lock the vehicle .
It deactivates
when unlocking using the remote con trol key or
by to uch ing the sensor on the door handle (con­
venience key) .
To sw itch the a la rm off, press the@ button on
the remote con trol key or convenience key or
sw itch the ignition on. The a la rm also stops auto­
matica lly after a certain amou nt of time.
Turn signals
The turn s ignals flash tw ice when you un lock the
ve hicl e and flash once when you lock the vehicle .
I f the blinking continues, one of the doors or the
luggage compartment lid/hood is not closed or
the ignition is still switc hed on .
Unintentionall y locking your self out
There are safeguard s under the fo llow ing cond i­
tions, which prevent you from lock ing your re­
mote control key in the ve hicle:
- The vehicle will not lock when the driver 's door
is open
c> page 31.
- When locking using the~ button in the centra l
locking switch, the vehicle will not lock if a door
is open
c> page 31 .
-On vehicles with a convenience key*, the lug­
gage compartment lid un locks aga in after do s-
28
ing if the most recent ly used key is in the lug­
gage compartment.
Do no t lock your ve hicle w ith the remote cont rol
key or convenience key* until all doors and the
l uggage compartment li d are closed. This helps
to prevent you from locking yourself out acciden­
ta lly.
{i) Tips
- Do not leave va luables unattended i n the ve ­
hicle. A locked ve hicle is not a safe!
- If the LED in the upper edge of the drive r's
door turns on for about 30 seconds after
the vehicle is locked, there is a malfunction
in the power locking or the anti-theft a larm
system* . Have the problem corrected by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Aud i
Service Facility.
LED and batteries in the remote control key
Fig. 14 Remote control key : LED
Fig. 15 Remote con tro l key : o penin g the cover
LED in the remote control ke y
The LED c> fig. 14 info rms you of the remote con­
tro l key funct ion.
.,. If you press a button briefly, the LED blinks
once.

<( co ..... N
" N ..... 0 r--. > 00
-You should not dr ive your vehicle or press
the windshie ld wiper lever when the wiper
arms are fo lded away from the windshield.
The windshield wipers would move back in­
to their original position and could damage
the hood and windshield .
- To prevent damage to the windsh ield wash­
er system, a lways loosen wiper blades that
have frozen to the w indshield before turn­
i ng the wipers on .
- To prevent damage to the wiper blades, do
not apply gasoline, petroleum, thinning
agents or other solvents on the wiper
blades or near them.
- To prevent damage to the wiper a rms or
other components, do not try to move the
windsh ield wipers by hand.
@ Tips
- Commercial hot wax such as the types used
by car washes make it mo re difficult to
clean the windshield.
- You can also use the service position, fo r ex­
ample, if you want to p rote ct the windsh ield
from icing by using a cover.
- You cannot activate the service position
when the hood is open.
Digital compass
Switching the compass on and off
Appl ies to: ve hicl es with digital compass
Fig . 51 Rearview mirror: digital compass activa ted
.. To turn the compass on or off, press the button
@ until the compass in the mirror appears or
disappears .
Lights and V ision
The digita l compass only works when the ignition
is turned on . The directions are indicated with ab­
brev iat ions:
N (north), NE (northeast), E (east),
SE (southeast), S (south), SW (southwest), W
(west), NW (northwest).
You must recalibrate the compass if it does not
display the correct direct ion
¢ page 52, Cali­
brating the compass.
(D Tips
To p revent inaccurate compass readings, do
not br ing any remote controls, electrical devi­
ces or metallic objects near the mirror.
Adjusting the magnetic zone
Appl ies t o: vehicles wit h digita l co mp ass
The magnetic zone must be adjusted correctly
for the compass to read accurately.
®
Fig. 52 North Ame rica: magnetic zone map
.. Press and hold the button@q page 51, fig. 51
until the number of the magnetic zone appears
in the rearview m irror .
.. Press the button @ repeated ly to select the
correct magnetic zone. The selection mode
turns off after a few seconds .
51

<( co ..... N
" N ..... 0 r--. > 00
-Never select R or P while driving, because
this increases the risk of an accident.
- Power is sti ll transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping" , you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P) when the engine is
runn ing . Otherwise, th is increases the r isk
of an accident.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
peda l when the veh icle is stopped if a gear is
engaged . Otherwise the veh icle w ill start to
move immediately, even if the pa rking brake
is set . Th is cou ld res ult in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running .
- Never leave yo ur vehicle wi th t he engine
running wh ile in gear. If yo u must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, set the parking brake and move the selector lev­
er to the P position.
- Due to an accident risk, the selector lever
must be in the
P pos ition and the parking
brake must be set before opening the hood
and working on a running engine. Always
read and follow the applicable warnings
¢ page 188, Working in the engine com­
partment .
(D Note
Never let the veh icle roll downhill with engi ne
off and the selector lever in the N position,
because this could damage the automatic
tra nsmission and cata lytic converter .
@ Tips
- Audi drive select: Sporty shifting character ­
i stics can be selected using the
D ynamic
d riving mode. 5 wi ll appea r in the in stru­
ment cluster disp lay instead of D .
- If yo u accidentally select N while driv ing ,
take your foot off the accele rato r pedal im­
med iate ly and w ait for the engine to slow
down to idle before se lecting Dor 5 .
Automa tic tr ansm iss ion
-If there is a power failure, the se lector lever
wi ll not move out of the P position. The
eme rgency re lease can be used if t his hap­
pens
¢ page 83 .
Selector lever lock
Applies to : vehicles with automatic transmissions
The s elector l ever lock prevents you from sel ect ­
ing a gear occidentally , causing the veh icle to
roll .
Fig . 80 Sele cto r lever lock
To release the se lector lever lock:
.,. Switch on the ign ition .
•
lll 0 0
> a, .. Press the brake pedal while pressing the inter-
lock button .
Automatic shift lock (ASL)
The selector lever is locked in the P a nd N posi­
t ions when the ignition is switched on. You must
press the brake pedal to select another position .
You must also press the interlock button if you
are moving from the P position. The following
message appears in the d isplay when the se lector
lever is in the P or N posit io n to rem ind the driv­
er:
When station ary apply footbrake while select ­
ing
gear
T he automatic sh ift lock only funct ions w hen the
vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds below I mph
(2 km/h) . At higher speeds, the lock is au toma ti­
ca lly deac tiva ted in the N pos it ion.
T he selector lever is not locked when shifting
quickly through N, for example from R to D . This
makes it possibl e to free the vehicle when it is ..,.
77

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.

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 .
-