2016 AUDI A3 warning

Child safety
-Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at­
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢ page 209 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 185, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible Locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the belt is wound all the way bock into the re­
tractor .
~ Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
Th@ belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
~ Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract completely into
its stowed position . The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con­
vertible locking retractor for child restraints .
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac­
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un­
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deactivate this feature. If the
convertible lock ing retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.
A WARNING
-
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re­ straints while the vehicle is moving . You
222
would not be restrained and could be seri­
ously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 209. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
<=:> page 185, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
' Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicable way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat, Federal regulations require special lower ancho­
rages in vehicles and devices on new child re­
straints to attach to the vehicle anchorages .
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called the LATCH system for
"Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children" . In
Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower uni­
versal anchorages" (or "lower universal anchor­
age bars") are used to describe the system .
In other countries the term "ISOFIX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages .
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements . These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the per­
formance of the child restraint and its ab ility to
protect the child in a collision. Installing a child
restraint that requires a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or ...

push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps .
I n addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
child restraint systems usually require the use of
tether straps to h elp keep the child restraint
firm ly in place.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the child restra int you
intend to install in your veh icle.
- Never install a child restra int w ithout a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruct ions
requ ire the top tether strap to be used .
- Improper use of child restra int LATCH lower
anchorage po ints can lead to injury in a colli ­
sion. The LATCH lower anchorage points are designed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correc tly fit ted child res traints .
- Never mount two chi ld restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchorage poin t.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
item to the LATCH lower anchorages .
Location
F ig . 178 Schematic overv iew: LATCH a ncho rage po int loca ­
t io ns (ex ampl e)
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your veh icle which are equipped with the lower
.....
"' anchorages system .
0 > CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl .....
Child sa fety
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig . 1 79 Low er an cho ra g es, cov ers marked
Fig . 18 0 Rear s eats: l ower an chorag e brac ket lo ca tions
Lower anchorages
T he circular markings on the rear seat help you to
identify the location of lower anchorages for the
two outboard seating pos itions ¢
fig. 179. The
LATCH lower univ ersal anchorage attachment
points are between the rear seatba ck and rear
seat cushion .
Remove the covers¢
fig. 179 to access the lower
anchorage attachment points.
T he lower anc horage a ttac hment po ints a re v is i­
ble ¢
fig. 180.
Lower anchorages secure the child restra int in
the seat without us ing the vehicle's safety belts.
Anchorages provide a secure and easy-to- use at ­
tachment and minimize the possibility of improp ­
er child restraint installation .
All child restra in ts man ufact ured after Septem ­
ber 1 , 2002, must have lower anchorage attach-
ments for the
LATCH system. ..,.
223

Child safety
Please remember that the lower anchorage
points are only intended for installation and at­
tachment of child restraints specifically certified
for use with
LATCH lower anchorages. Child re­
straints that are not equipped with the lower an­
chorage attachments can still be installed in
compliance with the child restraint manufactur­
er's instructions on using vehicle safety belts .
A WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal injury in an accident.
- Always carefully follow the child restraints
manufacturer's instructions for proper in­
stallation of the child restraint and proper
use of the lower anchorages or safety belts
in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the
LATCH lower anchorages.
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mation about child restraints in this chapter
and WARNINGS
¢ page 209, Child safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Applies to veh icles: w ith Top Tether
Whenever you install a child restraint always fol­
low the child restraint manufacturer 's instruc­
tions.
Fig. 181 L owe r an ch orage s: proper mou nting (examp le)
Mounting
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upright position and securely latched
in place .
.. Attach both hook-on connectors with the spring
catch release on the child safety seat onto the
224
LATCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place
¢ fig. 181.
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage.
.. Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catches to release the an­
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages .
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
-
Improper use of the LATCH system can in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in an accident .
- These anchors were developed only for child safety seats using the "LATCH" system.
- Never attach other child safety seats, belts
or other objects to these anchors .
- Always make sure that you hear a click when
latching the seat in place. If you do not hear
a click the seat is not secure and could fly
forward and hit the interior of the vehicle,
or be ejected from the vehicle.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury in an accident.
- Always follow the child restraint system
manufacturer's instructions for proper in­
stallation of the child restraint system and
proper use of tether straps as well as the lower anchorages or safety belts in your ve­
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mation and WARNINGS about child safety
and the installation of child restraint sys­
tems
¢ page 209, Child safety.
-

Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 182 A3 Sedan: Tether anchors: recess flaps behind the
rear seatbacks
Fig. 183 A3 Sportback : Tether anchors : recess flaps behind
the rear seatbacks
A3 Sedan : The tether anchors for the rear seating
positions are located in recesses in the rear win­
dow she lf
r::;, fig . 182
A3 Sportback: The tether anchors for the rear
seating positions are located on the backside of
the rear seatbacks
r::;, fig . 183.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at­
taches the top part of a child restraint to special
anchorage points in the vehicle .
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child restraint in a crash,
in order to help reduce the risk of head injury
that could be caused by striking the vehicle inte­
rior .
Forward facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements . These
.... "' new performance requirements make a tether 0
iii necessary on most new child safety seats .
.... I.Cl U"I
.... I.Cl ....
Child sa fety
A WARNING
-Improper installation of child restra ints wi ll
i ncrease the risk of injury and death in a
crash .
- Always follow the instructions prov ided by
the manufactu rer of the ch ild restraint you
intend to insta ll in you r A udi .
- Improper use of chi ld restraint anchors (in­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a co llision . The anchors are designed to
withstand on ly those loads imposed by co r­
rectly fi tted ch ild res traints.
- Never mo unt two child rest raint systems on
one LA TC H lowe r anchor point.
- Neve r attach two child restraint systems to
one tether st rap or tethe r anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compa rtment.
- Never use child restra int tether anchorages
to secure safety be lts or other kinds of occu­
pant restrain ts.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or othe r
items to the LA TCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of excep tional ci rcumstance s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear -facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
225

Child safety
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 184 A3 Sedan : Tethe r strap : prope r rout ing and
m oun ting
F ig . 185 A3 Sportback: Tet her st rap: p roper rout ing an d
m oun ting. (!) cent er, @ outs ide
Inst all ing th e teth er strap
"' ' ~ I 0 :> gi
,... Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restra int according to the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions .
,... Guide the upper tether strap
unde r the rear
head restraint (raise the head restraint if neces­
sary) ¢
fig. 184 (A3 Sedan) ¢ fig. 185
(A3 Sportback) .
,... A3 Sedan: T ilt the recess flap up to expose the
anchor bracket .
,... A3 Sedan: Attach the tether st rap anchorage
hook into the opening of the tether anchorage.
226
,... A3 Sportback: Unlock the backrest and fold it
slightly forward ¢
page 65 and locate the teth­
er anchor behind the rear seat backrest .
..
,... Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages .
,... Tighten the tether strap f irmly following the
child restra int manufacturer's instructions .
Releasing the tether str ap
,... Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
,... Depress the spr ing catch on the hook and re ­
lease it from the anchorage .
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backres t in the area where
the tether s trap was installed . T he upholstery
would a lso be permanently stretc hed around
the tether strap. This applies especially to
l eather seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear -facing child restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
ch ild rest raint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determi ne how to p roperly in­
stall the te ther.
_.6 WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passe nger seat will be
serious ly injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest , center arm rest, or
door.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the

Checking and Filling
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fi ller flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manually· for deta iled instruc­
tions see~
page 232 .
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle
in
c::;, page 303 .
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap tells
you the correct fuel for your vehicle . For more in­
formation about fuel specifications, see
c::;, page 228 .
Your vehicle fuel tank has an onboard refuelling
vapor recovery system . This feature helps to pre·
vent fuel vapors from escap ing from the tank and
polluting the environment while you refuel your
veh icle. In order to fill the tank properly while
protecting the environment, please fo llow this
refueling procedure carefully .
.&, WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never car­
ry additional fuel containers in your car. Gas
canisters and other containers used to trans­
port fuel can be dangerous . Such containers,
full or empty, may leak and could cause a fire
in a collision. If you must transport fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc.,
be very careful a nd always observe local and
state laws regard ing the use, t ransportation
and storage of such fue l containers. Make cer·
tain the container meets industry standards (ANSI/ASTM F852 · 86).
(D Note
Never drive yo ur vehicle unt il the fuel tank is
completely empty. The ir regula r supply of
fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline could enter
the exhaust system and damage the catalytic
converter.
230
Fueling procedure
Fig. 186 R ig ht rea r side of t he ve hicle: ope ning the fuel
fil ler door
Fig. 187 Fuel fill er doo r wit h attached fue l cap
--0 > g:
Plug -in hybrid drive*: read and follow the instruc­
tions for refueling unde r
c::;,page 109.
Read and follow the information and warnings
when filling AdBlue
c::;,page 234.
The fuel filler door is unlocked or locked by the
central locking system .
Opening the fuel cap
.. Press the left side of the fuel filler door to open
it -arrow-¢
fig. 186.
.,. Unscrew the tank cap counterclockwise .
.. Place the cap from above on the open fuel filler
door ¢
fig. 187.
Closing the fuel cap
.. Turn the fuel cap clockwise until you hear it
lock.
.. Close fuel f iller door until it latches .
Once the pump nozzle switches off, the fuel tank
is "full". Do not fill the tank more. Otherwise the
expans ion space in the tank will be filled .
IJ.

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., The correct fuel type for your vehicle can be
found on a lab el located on the inside of the fue l
f ill er door . For ad dit ional information on fuel, re­
fer to
c:> page 228.
The fuel tank capacity of your vehicle can be
found in the
T ec hnical Da ta c:> page 303 .
To avoid fuel spill ing or evaporating from the f uel
tank always close fuel filler cap properly and
comp letely. An improperly closed fue l filler cap
may a lso cause the MIL lamp
c:> page 26 to come
on.
A WARNING
Not paying attention when fueling or han­
dling fuel incorrectly can lead to fires, exp lo­
sions or serious in juries.
- Fuel ignites eas ily and can cause serious
burns and other injuries.
-
- If you do not switch the eng ine off when fu­
eling and/or do not insert the fuel nozz le
completely into the tank opening, fuel can
leak out or run over . Leaked fuel can ignite
and sta rt a fi re .
- Do not use the telephone while fueling. The electromagnet ic rays can cause spa rks,
w hich can ignite fuel vapors and sta rt a fi re .
- Do not s it in you r vehicle while fueling . If
yo u must make an except io n and enter your
vehicle again wh ile fue ling , close the door
and touch met al to discharge static electri c­
ity befo re touching the fue l nozzle. Static
elect ricity can create sparks, whic h can ig ­
nite vapors when f ue li ng.
- Do not smoke or have an open flame i n the
area when fueling your vehicle or filling a
fuel container because this increases the risk of an explos ion.
- For your safety, carrying f uel containers in
your vehicle is not recommended. Whether
full or empty, the conta iner can leak and
cause a fire in the event of an accident.
- If you must make an exception and trans­ port a fuel container, note the following:
- Never fill the fuel containe r with fuel
while it is in or on the vehicle. S tat ic elec­
t ricity is d isc har ged when filling wh ich can
Ch eck ing and Filling
cause the fuel vapors to ignite and in­
creases the risk of an exp losion.
- Always place a fue l container on t he
ground before fill ing .
- Always hold the fue l nozzle completely in
the fuel conta iner when fill ing.
- If the fuel containe r is made of meta l, the
fuel nozzle must always be in contact with
the container when filling it with f uel. This
~revents static elect ricity from discharg­
ing .
- Never spill fue l in the vehicle or the lug­
gage compartment. Evaporated fuel is ex­
plosive and increases the risk of serious in­
jury or death .
- Fo llow lega l requirements when using,
stor ing and transporting fuel containers .
- Make su re the f uel container conforms to
industry standards (ANSI/ASTM F852-86).
(D Note
- Remove spilled fue l from vehicle pa int im­
mediately, because it can damage paint.
- Never drive unt il the fuel tank is complete ly
empty. The irreg ular s upply of fue l that re ­
sults from that can cause eng ine misfires.
Uncombusted fuel will enter the exhaust
system and increase the risk of damage to
t he cata lytic converter .
- If the fuel tank runs complete ly empty in a
vehicle with a
diesel engine , the ignition
must remain switched on fo r at least 30
seconds afte r refueli ng before starti ng the
eng ine.
It may t ake longer than u sual fo r
t he engine to s tart, even up to a minute .
T his is because t he air must f irst b leed ou t
of the fue l system when starting the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
- If the fue l nozzle is use d co rrectly, it w ill in­
dica te t hat the t ank is full the first t ime it
switches off a utomatica lly. Do not try to
add more fuel, because it can spill ove r. A l­
so, the expansion space in the tank w ill fill
'
w hich can resu lt in fuel sp illing out when it
becomes wa rm and pollut ing the e nviron­
ment.
231

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., ~ Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 242, Adding engine oil ~ Never try to push-or tow-start your vehicle.
The cata lytic converter is an efficient "clean -up"
device bui lt into the exhaust system of the vehi­
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 fue l is critica lly 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 i n 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 o n or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converte r o r
heat s hields. During dr iving, t he substance
used for under coati ng could ove rheat and
c ause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fue l wi ll al ready ser iously degrade
the pe rformance of the ca talytic converter.
- Do not ex ceed the correct eng ine o il level
~page 242.
- Do not d rive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty. The engine co uld m is­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get in to the
exhaust system and this co uld cause t he
cata lytic converter to overheat .
- Do no t sw itch off t he igni tion while t he vehi­
cle is moving.
- Do no t continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these cond it ions, as othe rwise fue l can
reach the catalytic converter. This cou ld re ­
su lt in overheating of the converter, req uir­
i ng its replacement.
Ch eck ing and Filling
-To ass ure eff icient operat ion of the Emis ­
sion Contro l System:
- Have yo ur vehicle maintained p roperly and
i n accordance with the serv ice recommen­
dat ions in yo ur War ranty
& Ma intenance
booklet.
- L ack of proper ma intenance as well as im­
p roper use of the ve hicle will impa ir the
f u nction of t he emission control system
a nd could lead to damage.
~ For the sake of the environment
Eve n when the Em iss ion Control System is op­
era ting properly, t he exhaus t gas can have a
su lf ur -li ke exhaus t gas sme ll under some op­
erating s tates . This depends on the sul fur
content of the fuel being used. Using a differ­
ent brand of fuel may help, or fi lling the tank
with lead-free super grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h diesel eng ine
The diese l particu late filter filte rs nearly all of
the soot part icles out of the exhaust. The filter
cleans itself automatically under norma l driving
condit ions. If the filter cannot clean itself (for ex­
amp le, because yo u are o nly dr iving short distan ­
ces), the filte r becomes clogged with soot and
the
II symbol fo r the diese l par ticu late filter il­
l u minates
¢page 23.
A WARNING
-Do not park your veh icle over flammab le
materia ls such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel particu ­
late filte r cou ld start a fi re.
-
- Do not app ly an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start .
233