2016 AUDI A3 brake

Instruments and indicator lights
If the indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pears, there is not enough braking power to se­
cure the vehicle. The brakes have overheated. The
veh icle could roll away even on a small incline.
11J;J:t :);J;1:0 (USA models) / ¢@'A Parking b rake is applied
If this message appears, press the brake pedal
first and then release the parking brake if neces­
sary .
{D) Tips
For additional information on the parking
brake, refer to¢
page 85.
-L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant level!
• Park vehicle and check coolant level!
The coolant level is too low.
Do not continue driving and switch the engine
off.
Plug-in hybrid drive *: refer to
c!;> page 108.
Check the coolant leve l¢ page 244.
- If the coolant level is too low, add coolant
¢
page 245. Only cont inue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationary
Let the engine run at idle for a few minutes to
coo l off, until the indicator light turns off.
- If the indicator light does not turn off, do not
continue driving the vehicle. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Faci lity
for assistance.
A WARNING
- Never open the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This inc reases the risk of
burns. Wait until you no longer see or hea r
steam or coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment in any veh icle can
be a dangerous area. Stop the engine and
20
allow it to cool befo re working in the engine
compartment. Always follow the informa­
tion found in ¢
page 236, Working in the
engine compartment .
Cl) Note
Do not continue driving if the . indicator
light turns on -this increases the risk of en­
gine damage.
"l=7: Engine oil pressure
• Switch off engine! Oil pressure too low
Stop the engine and do not continue driving.
Check the eng ine oil level¢
page 242.
-If the eng ine oi l level is too low, add engine oil
¢
page 240. Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off .
- If the engine oi l level is correct and the indica­
tor ligh t still turns on, turn the engine off and
do not cont inue driving. See an authorized Aud i
dea ler or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
sistance .
(D Tips
The oil pressure warning is not an oil level in­
dicator. Always check the oil level regularly.
D Alternator/battery
• Alternator fault : battery is not being charg­
ed
There is a ma lfunction in the a lternator or the ve­
hicle electrical system.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly. Because the ve­
hicle battery is dra ining, turn off all unnecessary
electrical equ ipment such as the MMI. See your
authorized Aud i dealer or authorized Audi Serv ice
Facil ity if the battery cha rge level is too low.
(•) Low battery charge: Battery will be charged
while driving
The starting ability may be impaired .
If this message turns off after a litt le whi le, t he
battery ch a rged enough while driv ing.
liJJ,

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., If the message does not turn off, have and a u­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi Se rvice
Faci lity repa ir t he malfunction.
ii !f Safety systems
The II (USA models)/ m (Canada mode ls) indi ­
cato r light monito rs the safety systems.
Safety system
If the fl (U SA mode ls)/ El (Canada models) i n­
d icator light tu rns on or blin ks, t he re is a ma l­
f u nction in a safety system.
Dr ive to an autho rize d Aud i dea le r o r a uth orized
Au di Service Facility immediately to have t he
malfunct ion corrected .
&_ WARNING
Have the safety systems ins pecte d imme di­
ately. Othe rw ise, there is a risk that the sys­
tems may not activat e duri ng a collision ,
w hich i ncreases the ris k of serious injury or
d eath.
-
4'-Front safety belt
The . indic a tor light stays o n until th e dr ive r's
a nd fr ont passenger 's safe ty be lt s are buckled.
Above a cert ain sp eed, t here w ill als o be a w ar n­
ing tone.
(1) Tips
For add itio na l i nfo rma tion o n safety be lts, re ­
f e r t o<>
pa ge 1 76.
~- Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
Th ere is a m alfunc tion in the elec tronic s tee ring
lock. You can not turn t he igni tion o n.
Do
not tow your vehicle b eca use it ca nnot be
st eered . Se e an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho r­
iz ed A udi Se rvi ce Fa cilit y for assis ta nc e.
1!\11 Steering lock: system fault! Please contact
Service
Instruments and ind icator lights
T he re is a ma lf u n ct ion in the e lectron ic s teeri ng
l ock .
Dr ive to an a uth oriz ed A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
A udi Se rvice Faci lity immed iately to h ave the
malfu nction corrected.
A WARNING
D o not tow you r vehicle when there is a mal­
f u nction in t he electron ic s teer ing lock - t his
i nc reases the risk of an acc ident.
=e Engine start system
• Engine start system malfunction. Please
contact Service
Do not switch the ignition off beca use you may
not be able to switch it on again.
Dr ive to an authorized A udi dealer or au tho rize d
Au di Service Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
l3 Engine start system malfunction. Please
contact Service
-
T he re i s a m alfu n cti on in the e ngine sta rting sys­
tem.
- Veh icles with ignition lock
c::> page 80, Auto ­
matic start malfunction
- Veh icles wit h co nvenience key c::> page 83, Au -
tomatic start malfunction
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected .
~ Engine
• Engine stopped : brake servo and power
steering not possible
The re is a ma lfunction in the engine or in the fuel
s u pply system .
More force is needed to steer and b rake the mov­
i ng vehicle when the engi ne is stopped. If the ve­
hicle is rolling, t ry to br ing it to a stop off to t he
s ide from mov ing traffic . See an author ized A udi
deal er or author ized A udi S ervice Fac ility for as-
s istance. .,..
21

Instruments and indicator lights
A WARNING
-
If the engine stops while dr iving, yo u w ill
need to use more fo rce to brake the vehicle .
T his increases the r is k of an accide nt. T here
w ill sti ll be power steering if the ignit ion is
switched on while the vehicle is rolling and
there is s ufficient batte ry charge. Othe rwise ,
yo u must use greate r fo rce whe n st eer ing .
;;,./ fj Electronic stabilization control (ESC)
and( §) anti-lock braking system (ABS)
If th e bl indica to r light blink s while dr iving, the
E S C or ASR (An ti- Sli p Reg ulation) is a ctive ly re gu­
lating .
I f th e
G1 indica to r li ght tur ns on, t he sys tem h as
s w itche d the ES C off. In this case, you ca n swi tch
t he ignition o ff and then on to switch the ESC on
again. The indicator light turns off when th e sys ­
tem is functioning fully .
Stabilization control (ESC) : sport. Warning! Re­
stricted stability
I f the II indicato r light turns on, ESC spor t
mo de was switc hed on using the
1.$ OFF I button
r=;,
page 160 . You ca n tur n th e ESC on again by
p ress the
1-~ O FF I button again.
Stabilization control (ESC): off . Warning! Re­
stricted stability
If t he Iii indicator ligh t tur ns on, the ESC was re ­
s tricted o r switched off using the
I !> OFF! button
r=;,
page 160 . The message ESC OFF also appears .
You can turn the ES C on aga in by press the
I.$ OFF I butto n ag ain .
The system switches on whe n the ign ition is
sw itched on . T he
II indicato r ligh t turns off
when the system is func tioning fully.
Stabilization control (ESC ) malfunction! See
owner 's manual
Stabilization control (ESC / ABS): malfunction!
See owner's manual
ABS malfunction! See owner's manual
l) - : U SA m ode ls onl y
22
If the bl ind icator light and the A BS indicato r
li ght
rJE (U SA mode ls)/ ti] (Canada models)
turn o n an d this message appears, there is a mal­
funct io n in the ABS system o r elec tronic differen­
tia l lock. This al so causes the ESC to malfunc tion .
T he bra kes still fu nction with their normal power,
but A BS is no t active .
D rive to an authori zed A udi dealer or authori zed
Aud i Service Fac ility immedi ate ly to have the
malfunction cor rected .
A WARNING
If the ... (USA models) tll (Canada mod ­
el s) bra ke system indicator light turns on to­
ge ther with the A BS and ESC indi ca tor ligh ts,
t he ABS/ ES C regula ting fu nction m ay have
failed . Functions t hat s tabilize the vehicle a re
no longer ava ila bl e. T his could cause the vehi ­
cle to swerve , which inc reases the risk that
the vehicle will sli de. Drive ca refully to t he
nearest aut horiz ed Aud i dea le r or a uthori zed
Audi Service Fac ility and have the malfunction
cor rected .
0) Tips
For additional in format ion on ESC and ABS ,
r efe r to r=;,
page 159 .
BRAKEt< O) Brake pads
... (USA models )
t El (Canada models )
Brake pads!
If the warning light illuminates, immediately
contact your autho riz ed Audi deale r or qua lified
workshop to have all b rake pads inspected . Both
sets of brake pads on an axle must always be re­
placed at the same t ime .
A WARNING
Drivi ng w it h ba d brakes ca n cause a coll is ion
an d se rious person al in jury.
- I f the war ning lig ht
El or the wa rni ng
light ...
ll wi th th e mes sage Brake pads!
co m es on in th e ins trumen t clus ter di spl ay, ..,.

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., immediately contact your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop to have all
brake pads checked or replaced if necessary.
·~ Hill hold
Hill hold assist: unavailable
If thell indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, hill hold is not available.
II Manual control!
If th is message appea rs, press the brake pedal.
Continue driving w ith the help of the park ing
brake . ¢
page 85
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
Applies to vehicles: with gaso line engine
I f the 13:B indicator light turns on if there is a
malfunction in the engine control.
Drive slowly to an author ized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility to have the eng ine
checked .
If the
13:B indicator light turns on when you start
the eng ine, there is an automatic start malfunc­
tion . To start the engine, follow these steps :
- Vehicles with ignition lock¢
page 80, Auto-
matic start malfunction
- Vehicles with a convenience key¢ page 83,
Automatic start malfunction.
W Engine control (diesel engine)
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
The engine is preheating if the II indicator light
turns on when the ign ition is switched on.
If the indicator light blinks whi le driving, there is
a ma lfunction in the engine control.
Drive slow ly to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the ma l­
function corrected.
If the
II indicator light turns on when you start
the engine, there is an automatic start ma lf u nc­
tion. To start the engine, proceed as follows :
Instruments and indicator lights
vehicles with ignition lock ¢ page 80; vehicles
with convenience key
¢ page 83.
o System indicator light (MIL)
The system indicator light (MIL) is part of the On
Board D iagnost ic system (OBD II). Tht>
¢.,, c;ym­
bol turns on when the ignition is switched on and
turns off again once the engine is started and
running at a steady idle speed . This indicates that
the MIL is functioning correct ly.
The ind icator light turns on if there is a malfunc­
t ion in the engine electronics. See an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity to
have t he malfunction corrected .
The system indicator light (MIL) may turn on if
the fuel filler cap is not closed correctly
¢ page 230.
For additional information, refer to¢ page 26.
.m,, Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diese l eng ine and diese l particulate
filter
II Particulate filter: system fault! See owner's
manual
T he diese l particu late filter requires regenera­
tion . To support the filter's self-cleaning func­
t ion:
Drive for approximately 15 minutes at
40 mph
(60 km/h) or above in the S selector lever posi­
tion . Keep the engine speed around
2,000 RPM .
The temperature increase that will result from
th is can burn off the soot in the fi lter. The indica­
tor light will turn off when the cleaning has com­ pleted successfully .
If the indicator light does
not turn off, drive im­
med iate ly to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility to have the malfunct ion
corrected .
A WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic condit ions. You
should neve r disobey traffic laws in order to
fo llow driving recommendations.
23

Seats and storage
_& WARNING
Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal area and interfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would not
be able to brake or accelerate.
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the
rearmost position.
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
p loy ing, do not sit any closer to the instrument
panel than necessary and always wear the three­
point safety belt provided adjusted correctly. We
recommend that you adjust the passenger's seat
in the following manner:
• Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
position.
Do not ride with the seat reclined .
• For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head . If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
q page 60. Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as possible.
• Place your feet on the floor in front of the pas­
senger's seat .
Front seats
Manual seat adjustment
Appl ies to v eh icles : w ith manu ally a djustabl e seats
Fig . 47 Front seat: manual seat ad jus tm ent
~ 0
>
"' m
@ -Moving the seat forward/back: pull the lever
and slide the seat.
58
@-Lengthening/shorteni ng the upper thigh
support*:
lift the handle.
@-Adjusting the angle of the seat surface*.
Pull/press the lever.
@-Adjusting the lumbar support*: press the
button in the desired direction.
®-Moving the seat up/down : pull/press the lev­
er.
® -Adjusting the backrest angle: turn the ad­
justing wheel.
_& WARNING
- Only adjust the front seat with when the ve­
hicle is stationary. Otherwise, this increases
the risk of an accident
- Exercise caution when adjusting the seat
height. Adjusting the seat carelessly or
w ithout check ing can p inch hands and fin­
gers.
- The front seat backrests must not be re­
clined too far back when driving, because
this impairs the effectiveness of the safety
belts and airbag system, which increases
th e risk of injury.
- To reduce the risk of injury during sudden
braking or in a collision, the driver and front
passenger should not have their backrests in
the reclined position while driving or riding.
The safety belts and airbag system can pro­
vide the greatest protection possible when
the backrests are in the upright position and
the safety belts are worn correctly. The more a backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of injury due to an incorrect seating po­
sition and safety belt position.

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., 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 mile s (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 example on flooded
roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body .
- Do not drive 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
77

Driving
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fuel
consumption by 10-15 percent. This section will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi­ ronment and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating.
.. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating. If you anticipate what is going to happen next, you will need to brake less and, thus, accel­
erate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possi ­
ble -for example when you see that the next traf­
fic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­ ment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by
one half . Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather conditions permit.
78
· Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel .
.. Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle .
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
It is efficient to switch off the engine when stop­
ped at railroad crossings and long red lights.
Turning the engine off for just 30 -40 seconds
saves more fuel than is burned by starting the
engine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high when
the engine is warming up . So you should drive
away as soon as you start the engine and avoid running at high rpms while the engine is still
warming up .
@ Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot
of fuel.
.. Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi dealer helps to ensure that it runs properly
and economically. The condition of your vehicle
not only affects its safety and ability to hold its
value, it also affects
fuel consumption.
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine load
and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new en­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mile -
age has been driven . ..,.

Driving
-Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
t ions to reduce the risk of injury if the airbag
deploys.
- Never hold the steer ing whee l in the
12
o'clock posit ion or with both hands on the
rim or the center of the steer ing whee l.
Holding the steering wheel inco rrectly s ig­
nificantly incr eas es the risk of inju ry to the
h ands, arms and head if t he ai rbag dep loys.
Starting and stopping
the engine (vehicles with
an ignition Lock)
Starting the engine with the key
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith ig ni tion lock
The ignition is switched on and the engine start­
ed with the key in the ignition .
Fig . 77 Ign it io n key pos it ions
Stee ring lock
If the steering whee l w ill not turn, the steering
lock is engaged .
.,. To release the steering wheel lo ck, inse rt the
k ey i n the ignition lock and tu rn t he key in the
-d irection of the arrow- while tu rning the steer­
ing wheel.
Sw itching the ignition on/off or preheating
.,. To switc h the ignition on, turn the ign ition key
to posit io n @ . The need le in the tachometer
moves into the
READY position.
.,. To switc h the ign ition off, turn the ignit ion key
to position @. The need le in the tachometer
moves into the
OFF position.
80
D iesel ve hicl es are p reheated while the ig nition is
switched on
m .
Starting the engine
You r vehicle is equipped wi th la unch control. As
soon as you have turned the ig nition key to pos i­
tion @, the eng ine will start au tomati cally .
.,. Press the brake pedal and move the sele ctor
lever to the P o r
N position.
.,. Turn the key briefly to pos it ion @. The ign ition
key a utomat ically returns to position @. D o not
press the acce lerator peda l when doing this.
Major elec trical equipmen t sw itches off tempora­
r ily whe n starting the engine.
It is possible t hat there will be a s ligh t de lay
whe n starting the engine in diesel veh icles in
colder temperatu res. Therefore, yo u must hold
t h e b rake pedal down until the eng ine starts . T he
i ndicato r ligh t turns on wh ile the engine is pre­
heating
iJ.
The preheating time depends on the coolant
temper ature and o utside temperature. The glow
pl ug indi cato r light
m will only tu rn on for ap­
proximately
1 second when the engine is warm or
t h e outside temperat ure is higher than
8 °C. That
means you can start the engine
immediately.
I f the engine does not s tart immedia tely, s top
the starti ng p rocedure by tu rni ng the ig nition key
to posit ion @ and repeat after
30 seconds .
Automatic start malfunction
There is an a utom atic st art ma lf u nct ion if the ~
(ga so lin e engine) or
m (diese l eng ine) indica tor
li ght tur ns on and the message
Engine start sys·
tem malfun ction! Please contact Service
ap ­
pears.
To star t the engine, hold the igni tion key in pos i­
tion @unt il the engine r uns.
D rive to an au thori zed A udi dealer or au thori zed
A udi Se rvice Fa cility immed iate ly to h ave the
malfunc tion correc ted .
& WARNING
- To red uce the r isk o f po ison ing, never allow
the engine to run in conf ined spaces .