2016 AUDI A3 Owner´s Manual

,....,
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0 > co ,...., 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 additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
T railer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For 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 trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount . Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage should your vehicle be
struck from beh ind
~ ,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
Trailer mode
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
T ra iler lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check with your Aud i dea ler for correct wiring,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
,8. WARNING
After removing the trailer hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer~.&.
in Driving instructions on page 128.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer 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 cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under "Full ..,.
127

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
128
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 20 .
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. ..,_

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traff ic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You wi ll need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you norma lly would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load
¢ page 306.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only ofter doing the following:
When parking:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Have someone pla ce chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake .
.. Select the P selector lever position.
When restarting after parking :
.. Apply the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Select the D/S selector lever position.
Trailer mode
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retrieve the whee l
chocks.
{!) Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
ic transmission to P before applying the park­
ing brake and before blocking the wheels, you
may have to use more force later to move the
lever out of the P posit ion.
129

Ass is t
Assist
Electronic speed limiter
Applies to vehicles: with electronic speed limite r
Your vehicle may be factory equipped wi th tires
that are rated for a maximum speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). This is less than the maximum speed
of your vehicle. To reduce the risk of sudden tire
fa ilure and loss of control if the veh icle is operat­
ed at excessive speeds, your vehicle also has an
electron ic speed limiter. The electron ic speed
lim iter prevents your veh icle from going faster
than the t ire speed rating. For mo re information
~page 260.
If the engine control unit receives faulty vehicle
road speed s ignals, the Ma lfunction Ind icator
L amp (MIL)
¢;5 will illum inate. If this occurs,
con ta ct the nearest au thori zed A ud i d ealer for
assis tance.
A WARNING
Always observe the posted speed limits and
adjust your speed to s uit prevailing road, traf­
fic and weather cond itions. Never drive your
vehicle faster than t he maximum speed rat ing
of the tires installed.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay un­
der a specified maximum speed.
-
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set .
You will hear a wa rning tone when your speed ex­
ceeds the stored va lue by app roxima tely 3 mph
(3 km/h). The. (U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada
models) ind ic a tor light and the message
Speed
limit e xceeded!
appear in the inst rument cluste r
disp lay at the same time. The./. indicato r
light t urns off when the speed decreases be low
the stored maximum speed.
Se tting a thresho ld is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when yo u reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country wit h a gener-
130
al speed limit or if there is a spec ified maximum
speed for winter tires.
(D Tips
Regar dless o f th e speed war ning system, you
shou ld always monitor your spee d using the
speedometer and make s ure yo u are fo llow ing
the legal speed limit .
Setting the threshold
You can set, change and delete the threshold in
the MMI .
.. Sele ct: the I M ENU I button >Car > Systems*
control button > Drive r assi stance > Speed
wa rning.
You can se t any thresho ld between 20 mp h
(3 0 km/h) and 150 mph (2 40 km/ h). Settings
can each be adj usted in increments of S mph ( 10
km/ h).
Cruise control system
· Description
Applies to vehicles: with cruise control system
The cru ise cont rol system ma kes it possib le to
dr ive at a constan t speed starti ng at 15 mph
(2 0 k m/h).
The speed is kep t constant by mod ifying engine
power or through an active bra ke interven tion.
A WARNING
- Always p ay att ention to the tr affi c ar ou nd
you whe n the cruise co ntro l is in opera tion.
Y ou are always responsible fo r your speed
and the distance between your veh icle and
other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, cruise cont rol should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traff ic, on
winding roads and when road conditions a re
poor (such as ice, fog, g ravel, heavy ra in and
hyd roplaning), because this inc reases the
ris k of an accident.
- Switch the cruise control off temporarily
when dr iv ing in turning lanes, highway exits
or in constr uct ion zones.
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-Please note that unconsciously "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal prevents the cruise control from braking. This is be­
cause pressing the accelerator pedal over­
rides the cruise control system .
-If there is a brake system malfunction such
as overheating when the speed warning sys­
tem is switched on, the braking function in
the system will be deactivated. The remain­
ing speed warning system functions will re­
ma in active, as long as the~ (USA mod­
els) /
fil (Canada models) indicator light is
on.
{i) Tips
- The cruise control system is ideal for
stretches w ith speed limits. The d river is re­
sponsible for adhering to the correct speed.
- The cruise control remains active when
shifting gears.
- The brake lights turn on when the brakes
are act ivated.
Switching on
Appl ies to vehicles: with c ru ise control system
0
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0
Fig. 114 Operat ing lever: cruise contro l system
.. To switch the cruise control on, pull the lever
into position @~
fig. 114.
.. Drive at the speed to be maintained .
.. To store the speed, press the button @. The
@;\1)~14 (USA models) / l'I (Canada models)
turns on in the instrument cluster.
Assist
Changing speed
App lies to vehicles: w ith cruise control system
., To increase or decrease the speed in incre­
ments,
tap the lever in the 010 direction
~ page 131, fig. 114.
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the 0 / 0 direction until the de­
sired speed is reached.
Overriding the speed
You can press the accelerator pedal down to in­
crease your speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier will
resume as soon as you let off of the accelerator
pedal.
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by 5
mph (10 km/h) for longer than 6 minutes, the
cruise control turns off temporarily .
The@;\!)~14
(USA mode ls) ;fil (Canada models) indicator
light in the instrument cluster turns off and the
stored speed is maintained.
Preselecting the speed
Appl ies to vehicles: w it h cruise co ntrol system
You can pre-select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
., Switch on the ign ition .
.. Pull the lever into position
(D 9 page 131,
fig. 114 .
.. To increase or decrease the speed, tap the lever
in the
010 direction.
This function makes it possible, for example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway, activate the
cruise control system by pulling the lever toward
the position
(D .
Switching off
Applies to veh icles: w it h cru ise co ntrol system
Temporary deactivation
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the lever into position@ (not clicked into
place)
~ page 131, fig. 114, or ..,
131

Assist Switching off completely
.,. Press the leve r into position @(clicked into
place), or
.,. Switch the ignition off.
The speed you sto red w ill be retained if the cruise
control has been switched off tempora rily . To re­
sume the stored speed, re lease the brake pedal
and pu ll the lever into position
(D .
The stored speed is erased when the cruise con­
trol is sw itched off comp letely or the ignit ion is
switched off .
A WARNING
You should only resume the stored speed if it
is not too high for existing traffic conditions.
Otherwise you risk an accident .
@ Tips
-If the brakes become too heated whi le driv­
ing, the cruise control switches off. If this
happens while driving downhill, you can re­
lieve the brakes by shifting into a lower
gear.
- When the cruise control is activated, ESC
sport mode cannot be switched on.
Audi adaptive cruise control
Description
Applies to vehicles: w ith Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 115 Detect ion range
The adaptive cruise control system is a combina­
tion of speed and distance regulation .
It assists
the driver by both regulating the speed and
maintaining a distance to the object ahead, with-
132
in the abilities of the system. If the system de­
tects an object, adaptive cruise contro l can brake
and acce lerate your vehicle. This makes driving
more comfortable both on long stretches of
highway and in stop-and-go traffic.
What can adaptive cruise control do?
The adaptive cruise control system uses radar
and a video camera. The radar is subject to desig­
nated system limits
i=> page 133 .
On open roads with no traffic , it functions like a
cruise contro l system. The stored speed is main ­
tained. When approaching an object ahead and
the system detects it, the adapt ive cr uise control
system automatically brakes to match that ob­
ject's speed and then maintains the stored dis­
tance . As soon as the system does not detect an
object ahead, adapt ive cr uise control acce lerates
up to the stored speed.
Within the limits of the system, adaptive cruise control can brake in stop -and -go traffic until the
vehicle is stat ionary and then begin driving agai n
under certain cond itions
i=> page 136, Driving in
stop-and-go traffic.
Which functions can be controlled?
When you switch adapt ive cru ise control on, you
can set the current speed as the "control speed"
i=> page 134, Switching on/off.
When dr iving, you can stop cruise control
i=> page 136 or change the speed c> page 136 at
any time .
You can also adjust the following settings :
- Distance
i=> page 137
-Dr iv in g program i=> page 138
-Dr iving mode c> page 138

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General information
Appl ies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise contro l an d Audi
p re se nse front
Fig. 116 Front o f ve hicle: sensor
The general information applies to adaptive
cruise control* and pre sense front*¢
page 139.
The radar sensor area¢ fig. 116 must not be cov­
ered with stickers, deposits or any other obstruc­
tions as it may impair the function of the adap­
tive cruise control and the pre sense front. For in­
formation on cleaning, refer to
c:> page 2 74. The
same applies for any modifications made in the
front area .
The function of the adaptive cruise control sys­ tem and pre sense front is limited in some condi­
tions :
- Objects can only be detected when they are
within the sensor range
¢ page 132, fig. 115.
- The system has a limited ability to detect ob­
jects that are a short distance ahead, off to the side of your vehicle or moving into your lane.
- Objects that are difficult to detect such as mo ­
torcycles, vehicles with high ground clearance
or an overhanging load are detected late or not detected at all.
- When driving through curves
c:> page 134.
-With stationary objects c!;> page 134.
A WARNING
Always pay attention to traffic when adaptive
cruise control is switched on and the pre
sense front is active
c:> page 139 . As the driv­
er, you are still responsible for starting and
for maintaining speed and distance to other objects. The pre sense front is used to assist
you. The driver must always take action to
Assist
avoid a collision. The driver is always responsi­ ble for braking at the correct time.
- Using adaptive cruise control incorrectly can
cause collisions, other accidents and serious
injuries.
- For safety reasons, do not use adaptive
cruise control when driving on roads with
many curves, when the road surface is in
poor condition and/or in bad weather (such
as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydroplan­
ing) . Using the system under these condi­
tions could result in a collision.
- Switch adaptive cruise control off tempora­
rily when driving in turning lanes, on ex­
pressway exits or in construction zones. This
prevents the vehicle from accelerating to
the set speed when in these situations.
- The adaptive cruise control system will not
brake by itself if you put your foot on the ac­
celerator pedal. Doing so can override the
speed and distance regulation.
- When approaching stationary objects such
as stopped traffic, adaptive cruise control
will not respond and pre sense front will
have limited function.
- The adaptive cruise control system and pre
sense front do not react to people, animals,
objects crossing the road or oncoming ob­
jects.
- The function of the radar sensors can be af­
fected by reflective objects such as guard
rails, the entrance to a tunnel, heavy rain or
ice .
- Always maintain enough distance from
vehicles ahead so that you can still brake
your vehicle safely . The adaptive cruise con­
trol cannot safely slow your vehicle or brake it to a stop if you are driving too close be­
hind a vehicle. Please note that the auto­
matic braking function cannot brake sud­
denly or apply the brakes fully under these
conditions.
- To reduce the risk of unintended actions,
switch the ACC off when you a re not actively
using it.
~
133

Assist
(D Note
The sensor can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper , whee l housing and
underbody. The adaptive cruise control and
pre sense front may become impaired as a re­
sult . Have an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Fac ility check their func­
tion .
In curves
Applies to veh icles: w ith Aud i adapt ive cru ise co ntro l and Audi
pre se nse front
Fig. 117 Example: driving into a curve
When driving into a curve ¢fig. 117 and out of a
curve, the adaptive cruise control may react to an
objec t in the neighboring lane and apply the
brakes. You can prevent that by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal briefly .
Stationary objects
App lies to veh icles: with Aud i adapt ive cruise co ntro l an d Audi
p re se nse front
Fig . 118 Examp le: object changing lanes and stat ionary
object
l) Speed limits de pend on t he country and th e s pee domet er.
134
Adaptive cruise control
The adaptive cruise control system only reac ts to
objects that are moving or that the system has
already detected as moving. For example, if a de­
tected vehicle @turns or changes lanes, the
adaptive cruise contro l will not react to a stopped
vehicle @. Press the brake pedal to slow your ve­
hicle down.
Pre sense front
Pre sense front only reacts to stationary objects
at low speeds.
Switching on/off
App lies to vehicles: wit h Audi adapt ive c ru ise control
Fig . 11 9 Operat ing lever: swi tching on and off
Fig. 120 Instrument cluster: adapt ive cruise contro l
You can set any speed l) between 20 mph and 95
mph (30 and 150 km/h).
Indicator lights and messages in the instrument
cluster display inform you about the current sit-
u ation and settings .
1JJ,-