2016 AUDI A3 transmission

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., and a message appears ¢ page 95 when
the clutch is over loaded.
- 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 must be set¢
page 236. Other­
w ise, the vehicle could begin moving when
the engine speed is high, even w ith the
par king brake set.
(D Note
- When stopping on a n incline, do not t ry to
ho ld the vehicle in place by press ing the ac­
ce le ra to r pedal wh ile a driv ing gear is se­
l ected. This can ca u se the au toma tic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
the pa rking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from ro lling .
- Allow ing the vehicle to ro ll when the eng ine
is stopped and the se lector lever is in the N
pos ition w ill damage the automatic trans­
mission because it is not l ubricated under
those circumstances.
- The transmiss ion can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts , creeping for a
l ong time, or stop-and-go traffic. When t he
mJ o r. indicator light tu rns o n, s top the
vehicle at the next oppo rt u nity and let the
transm issio n coo l
¢page 95 .
-Allow ing the ve hicle to ro ll when the eng ine
i s s topped w ill damage the S tro nic trans­
mission because it is not lubric ated
¢ page 297, Towing with a tow truck .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking b rake releases
au tomatically on ly w hen the dr iver's door is
closed and driver's sa fe ty belt is fastened.
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
Hill descent control
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is act ivated when the se lec­
tor lever is in the D or S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is su itable for the incline . H ill
descent con trol tr ies to maintain the speed ach­
i eved a t the time of braking, w it hi n physi cal a nd
technical lim itations . If may s till be necessary to
adjus t the speed w ith the bra kes . Because hill de­
scent control cannot shift down farthe r than 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
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cru ise con trol system*
¢ page 130, hill descent control is a lso activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
-Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitat ions, so it may not be able to ma intain
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.
93

Automatic transmission
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission/ shift paddles
The tiptronic allow the driver to shift the gears
manually .
Fig. 84 Center conso le : manual shift in g with the selector
l ever
Fig . 85 Steer ing wheel: manual shi ftin g with the shi ft pad­
dles•
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driv ing.
• To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the D/S setting to the right in the
tiptronic shift gate. Once the transmission has
switched modes, the selector lever position
M
is shown in the instrument cluster display
¢ page 89, fig. 81. For example M4 , means the
fourth gear is engaged .
• To sh ift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ¢ fig. 84.
• To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever to
back Q.
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or M
(tiptronic shift gate) selector lever positions.
94
.,. To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig. 85 .
.,. To shift down one gear, tap the shift paddle Q.
If the shift paddles are tapped wh ile in the D/S
selector lever position, automatic mode switches
off briefly. To switch from manually shifting back
to automatic shifting immediately, tap the sh ift
paddle
0 ¢ fig. 85 for 1 second.
To keep shifting using the shift paddles, move
the selector lever to the right out of the D/S posi­
tion into the tiptronic shift gate.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down
before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is with in the permitted
range.
(j) Tips
- If you shift to the next lowest gear, the
transmission will only shift if the engine will
not be over-revved.
- With kick-down, the transmission shifts to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle speed and
engine speed.
- ti ptronic does not work if the transmission
is running in emergency mode.
. Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the res istance point, the automatic trans­
mission downshifts into a lower gear, depending
on veh icle speed and engine RPM. It shifts up in­
to the next higher gear once the maximum speci­
fied engine RPM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the whee ls cou ld spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
-

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., Launch Control-Program
Applies to vehicles: with launch control
The Launch Control Program enables maximum
acceleration .
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
.. With the engine running, press the
l~OFF ! but­
ton briefly one time
ll .
.. Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi­
tion briefly to select the S position, or press it
toward the right into the tiptronic pos ition or
select the
D ynami c driving mode in drive se­
lect*
~page 148.
.. Press the b rake peda l firmly wi th you r left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least 1 sec­
ond.
.. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot until the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.. Remove your left foot from the brake.
A WARNING
-Always adapt yo ur driv ing to the traffic flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and traf-
fic cond itions allow it and other dr ivers will
not be endangered or impacted by you r d riv­
ing and the vehicle's accele ration.
- Please note that the drive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is swit ched o n, especia lly when the
road is s lippery.
- Once t he vehicle has sta rted moving, press
the
I $? OFF ! button briefly to t urn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The transmiss ion temperature may increase
s ignificantly after using the lau nch cont rol
program.
If that happe ns, the program m ay
l) In vehicles w ith a d river information system, an ESC light
in the instrument cluster stays o n continuous ly and the
message
Stabili za tion contro l (E SC ): sport . Warning! Re·
stricted st abi lity
appears temporar ily.
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
not be ava ilab le for a few minutes. It will be
avai lab le again after a cool-down period.
- Whe n accelerating using the launch contro l
program, all vehicle parts a re su bject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased
wear.
Emergency mode
Applies to vehicles: wit h S tronic transmiss ion
In the event of o system mo/function, there is on
emergency program.
If all of the selector lever positions are hig hlight­
ed with a light background in the instrument
cluster disp lay, there is a system malfunction and
the S tronic transmission is running in the emer­
gency program. The vehicle can still be driven in
emergency mode, but only with reduced speed
and not in all gears . In some cases, the vehicle
cannot drive in rever se .
(D Note
If the transm ission runs in emergency mode,
drive to an authorized A udi dealer or author­
iz ed Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunc tion corrected.
Transmission malfunction
• Tran smi ssion malfunction ! Pl ea se stop the
vehicle and select P
The re is a ma lfunction in the transmission. Park
the vehi cle secure ly and do not cont in u e driv ing.
See a n author ized Audi dealer or au thori zed A udi
Service Facility for assis tance.
• Tran smission overheating! Plea se stop the
vehicle!
The transmiss ion is too hot and can become dam­
aged. Stop and let the transmiss ion cool w ith the
engi ne r unning (at idle) in the P se lector lever po­
s it ion. Then the ind icator lig ht and the message .,.
95

Automatic transmission
turn off, drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the malfunction corrected . If the ind icator light
and the driver message do not turn off, do not
continue driving. See an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
rm Transmission malfunction: you can continue
driving
Drive to an autho rized Audi dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
rm Transmission malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving in D until engine off
Drive the vehicle away from moving traffic and
park. See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility for assistance .
rm Transmission overheating! Please adapt
driving style
Continue driving moderately. When the indicator
light turns off, you can continue driving normal­
ly .
rm Transmission: Press brake pedal and select
gear again.
If the transmission malfunctions because the
temperature is too high, a message appears
when the transmission is cooled.
96
Selector lever emergency release
App lies to vehicles: wit h S tronic transmission
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency.
Fig. 86 Se lector leve r: remov ing the cover
Fig. 87 Selector lever: us ing the emergency release to
move out of the Pa rk posit ion
The emergency release mechanism is located in
the right area under the selector lever shift gate.
Using the emergency release can be complicated.
We recommend contacting an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
sistance, if necessary .
The screwdr iver from the vehicle tool kit located
i n the luggage compartment is needed to for the
eme rgency release¢
page 280 . Use the flat side
of the reversible screwdriver blade.
Removing the selector lever cover
.,. Set the parking brake(®)¢,& to secure your
vehicle from rolling .
.,. Insert the flat side of the screwdriver s ideways
in the slot near the s hift cover and pry the shift
cover up
¢ fig. 86 .
.,. Pull up the corners of the shift cover carefully
with your hands and fo ld it over the shifter
knob
¢ fig . 87. ..,.

e-tron
serious damage and/or a decrease of the ca­
pacity void coverage under the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Starting/driving the vehicle
Applies to veh icles: w ith plug-in hybrid drive
The vehicle is started and stopped with the
I START S TOP I button. Also note the informa­
tion here ¢
page 82.
Establishing drive ready mode
See¢.& in Introduction on page 98.
Requ irement: a charging cable must not be con­
nected to the vehicle ¢
page 121 and the selec­
tor lever must be in the P or
N position.
- Press the brake pedal.
- Press the
I START STOPI button .
When the vehicle enters drive ready mode, the
status message
e-tron READY appears briefly in
the instrument cluster display and the needle in
the power meter points to
READY r:::;, page 101 .
Driving
The vehicle starts with the electric motor after
establishing the drive ready mode and if the con­
ditions for electric drive mode have been met
¢page 103.
The conditions to drive are essentially the same
for the automatic transmission : ¢
page 89
You and your passengers should anticipate the
possibility of a sporty acce leration.
Ending drive ready mode
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Switch the ignition off with the
le!> START STOPI
button.
Vehicle sound
The vehicle generates electronic vehicle sound at
speeds up to approximately 2S mph (40 km/h) so
that your vehicle can be heard from the outside
when in electric drive mode. The veh icle sound
automatically fades out at higher speeds when
the sounds from the tires and wind start increas­
ing .
100
Switching the ignition on/off
You can switch the ignit ion on without establish­
ing drive ready mode.
- Press the
I START STOP ! button to switch the
ign ition on and off. Do not press the brake ped­
al while doing this.
The needle stays pointing to
OFF@ r:::;, page 101,
fig. 88 when the ignit ion is switched on.
No indicator lights stay turned on when the igni­
tion is switched off .
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the battery from draining, the ignition
will switch off automatically under the following conditions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The vehicle must be stationary.
- The gaso line engine must not be runn ing .
- The driver 's door must be open .
- The driver's safety belt must be unbuckled.
- The brake pedal must not be pressed.
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The message
Side marker
lights automatically shut off in 30 minutes. See
owner's manual
appears in the instrument clus­
ter display . The parking lights w ill switch off af­
ter approximately 30 minutes or when you lock
the vehicle.
If the gasoline engine was not stopped, the mo­
tor continues running and the ignition does not
automat ically switch off
r:::;, ,& .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
The vehicle cannot start when outside tem­
peratures are below-18
°F (-28 °()
r:::;,page 101.
-

,....,
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
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with Audi side assist
If the side assist switches off automatically, a
message appears i n the ins trument cluster dis­
p lay .
@j Audi side assist : cur rentl y unav ailable No
s en so r vi sion
The radar senso rs ' vision is affected. Do not cover
the area in front of the sensors with b ike wheels,
stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean the area in
front of the sensors, if necessary~
page 146,
fig. 133.
@j Audi side a ssi st : cur rentl y una vailable
Side assist cannot be switched on tempo rar ily be­
cause there is a malfunction (for example, the
battery charge level may be too low).
@j Audi side a ssist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it wi ll detect
ve hicles co rrectly and it is switched off. The sen­
sors have been d isp laced or are faulty. Have the
system checked by an authorized Audi dea ler or
authorized Audi Service Facility soon.
Audi drive select (drive settings)
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
Audi drive select makes it possible to experience
different types of vehicle settings in one vehicle .
The driver can select from three
C omfort , Auto
and Dynamic modes using the r.1:a button in the
center console or the MMI to switch between a
sporty and a comfortable dr iving mode, for ex­
ample . In the
In div idual * mode, the vehicle set ­
tings can be adjusted to your personal preferen­
ces. This makes it possible to combine settings
such as a sporty eng ine set ting with smooth
s teer ing .
A WARNING
Using Audi drive select incorrectly can lead to
collisions, othe r accidents and serious inju­
ries .
148
· Description
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on the
vehicle's features. However, the eng ine and
steering are a lways affected.
Engine and automatic tr ansmiss ion
Depend ing on the mode, the engine and auto­
matic transmission* respond more qu ickly or in a
more ba lanced manner to acce lerato r pedal
movements.
Adaptive damper s (Audi magnetic ride )*
The adaptive dampers use sensors to record in­
formation regarding steering movements, brak­
i ng and acce le ration operations by the dr iver,
r oad su rface, driving speed, and load. W it h Aud i
drive select you can adjust the adaptive dampers
spo rty (dynamic), comfortable (comfort) or ba l­
anced (auto).
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering ass is­
tance. There are d ifferent modes
c;;:> page 149.
Ind irect steering that moves easi ly as in comfort
mode is especia lly suited to long drives on a high ­
way. The dynamic mode provides sporty, direct
steering .
For vehicles with progress ive steering* the steer­
ing performance is more agi le .
Corn ering light *
The cornering light adjusts when driv ing on
cu rves at speeds between 6 mph (10 km/h) and
68 mp h (110 km/h). The pivoting act ion and the
li gh ting are also adapted to the mode.
Adaptive cruise control*
The behavio r whe n accelerating can be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the
Audi drive select mode. Adaptive cr uise control
also responds to the dr iving beh avior of the vehi­
cle ahead in a more conservative or sporty man-
ner .
1111>

.... N
0 > CX)
rl
"' U"I
rl
"' ....
@ Tips
In some models, the maximum vehicle speed
can only be reached in the auto and dynamic
modes.
Selecting the driving mode
Appl ies to vehicles: with Audi d rive select
You con choose between comfort, auto, dynamic
and individual* .
Fig. 134 Cente r console : dr ive select button
F ig. 135 MMI: drive select (example)
Adjusting the Individual mode Assist
.,.
To set the mode, press the r:/tc'i button
~ fig. 134 repeatedly until the desired mode is
displayed in the instrument cluster. Or
.,. In the MMI, select: the
I MENU I button > Car >
Systems"
control button > Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic or Individual *.
You can change the driving mode when the vehi­
cle is stationary or while driving. If traff ic per­
mits, after changing modes, briefly take your
foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently
selected mode is also activated for the engine .
Comfort -provides a comfort-or iented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives o n highways.
Auto -provides an overall comfortab le yet dy­
namic driving feel and is suited for everyday use .
Dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driving style.
Individual* -~ page 149.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating the
drive select to prevent potential risk of an ac­
cident .
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,. Select : the IMENU ! button> Car> Systems*
control button > Set individual control button.
Once you select the menu, you will automat i­
cally drive in the
Individual * mode.
After you have closed the sett ings, you will auto­
matically drive in the
Individual * mode.
Systems comfort
Engine
and Transmission comfortable
Steering comfortable
Cornering light* comfortable The equipment
in your vehicle will determine
which sett ings you can adjust. The follow ing ta­
ble g ives an overview of the characteristics .
auto dynamic
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
149