2016 AUDI A3 brakes

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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,-

,....,
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0 > co ,...., Switching adaptive crui se control on
"' Pull the lever toward you into position @
¢fig. 119 . ACC: stan dby appears in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay .
Saving the speed and activating regulati on
"'T o save the c urrent speed , press the ISETI
¢fig. 119 button. The stored speed is shown in
t h e tachomete r LED line @and appears briefly
in the information line @¢
fig. 120.
"' To activate the regu lation whi le stationary, you
must press the brake pedal.
Sw itching adaptiv e cruis e control off
"' Push the lever away from you into position @
until it clicks i nto place. The message
AC C: off
appears .
The stored speed in the LED line is erased.
@ Indicato r lights
II -adaptive cruise control is switched on. No
objects are detected ahead. The stored speed is
maintained.
• -An object a head was detected . The adaptive
cruise control system regulates the speed and
d istance to the object ahead and brakes/acce ler ­
ates automatica lly.
fij -adaptive cru ise control is switched on. An
object ahead was detected. Your vehicle remains
stopped and w ill not start driving automatica lly.
• -T he automatic bra king is no t enough to
maintain a sufficient distance to a n object ahead.
You must intervene ¢
page 138, Request for
driver intervention.
© Instrument clu ster display
If adaptive cruise control is not shown in the in­
s trument cluster disp lay, yo u can call it up using
the mu ltifunction steering wheel b uttons
¢ page 29 .
Based on the g raph ics in the d isp lay, you can de­
termine if the system is m ainta ining a distance to
a vehicle ahead and what that distance to this ve­
hicle is:
No vehi cle -No object ahead was detected.
Assist
White vehicl e -An object ahead was de tected .
Red vehicl e -Request for the dr iver to take action
¢page 138.
Both arrows on the scal e© indicate the d istance
to the object ahead . No arrow appears when the
vehicle is on an open road and t here is no object
ahead. If an object is detec ted ahead, the a rrow
moves on the sca le.
T he green zone o n the scale indicates the store
distance. For informat ion on changing the dis­
t a nce, refer to ¢
page 13 7. If the distance se­
l ected is exceeded or not reached, the arrow
moves into the red zone on the scale.
A WARNING
- Using adaptive cruise control incorrectly can
cause collisions, other accidents and ser ious
in ju ries.
- If you press the
!SET ! button w hen driving at
speeds be low 20 mph (30 km/h), the vehi­
cle acce lerates automatically up to 20 mph
(30 km/h), wh ich is the minimum speed
that can be set.
{!) Tips
- If you switch the ignit ion or the adaptive
cruise control system off, the set speed is
erased for safety reason.
- The Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) and Anti-S lip Regulat ion (ASR) both sw itch
on when the adaptive cruise control is
switched on . ESC and ASR ca nnot be switch­
ed off when adapt ive cruise control is
switched on.
- With the adaptive cruise control act ivated
t he ESC spo rt mode cannot be activated.
135

,....,
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0 > co ,...., Overriding cruise control
Ove rriding means ex ceeding the selected speed
when adaptive cruise control is active, for exam­
p le when pressing the accelerator peda l when
passing.
"'T o accelerate manua lly, p ull the lever toward
you into position @and ho ld it there. The mes ­
sage
ACC : over ride appears . Or
"' press the accelerator pedal.
"' To resume cruise control, release the lever or
take your foot off the acce lerator pedal.
Inte rrupting cruise contr ol w hil e driving
"'Move the lever into position @. The message
ACC: standb y appears. Or
"' press the brake pedal.
"' To resume the stored speed, move the lever in­
to posit ion @.
Int errupting c rui se contr ol wh en stopped
"' Push the lever away from you into position @.
The message
ACC : stan dby appears.
"' To resume cruise control, press the brake pedal
and pull the lever toward you into position@.
A WARNING
It is dangerous to activate cruise control and
resume the stored speed when the current
road, traffic or weather conditions do not pe r­
m it this. This could result in a crash.
Setting the distance
A ppl ies to v ehicles: with Audi a daptive cruise co ntro l
Fig. 123 Operat ing lever: setting the distance
"' Tap the switch to display the current set dis­
tance
c>fig. 123 .
Assist
"'To increase or reduce the d istance in incre­
ments, tap the switch again to the right or left.
The distance between the two veh icles will
change in the instrument cluster display.
When approaching an object detected ahead, the adaptive cruise contro l system brakes to match
that object's speed and then regu lates to the
stored distance. If the object detected ahead ac­ celerates, adaptive cruise control will also accel­
erate up to the stored speed.
The higher the speed, the greater the distance in
meters
c> & . The Distance 3 setting is recom­
mended. That is equa l to the general recommen­
dation of "half t he speed shown on the speedom ­
eter" .
The distances provided are example values. De­ pending on the driv ing s ituation, the current
speed and the way the object detected ahead is
driv ing, the actual d ista nce may be more or less
t h an these target d istances .
o::::::::,_o::::::::, ___ Distance 1: th is sett ing corresponds
to a distance of 92 feet/ 28 meters when at a speed of 62 mph ( 100 km/h), for example (time
betwee n: 1 second).
o::::::::, __ o::::::::, __ Distanc e 2: this setting corresponds
to a distance of 118 feet/ 36 meters when at a speed of 62 mph ( 100 km/h), for example (time
betwee n: 1.3 seconds) .
o::::::::, ___ o::::::::,_ Distance 3: this setting corresponds
to a distance of 164 feet
I SO meters when at a
speed of 62 mph ( 100 km/h), for example (time
betwee n: 1.8 seconds) .
o::::::::, ____ o::::::::, Distance 4: this setting corresponds
to a distance of 219 feet
I 67 meters when at a
speed of 62 mph ( 100 km/h), for example (time
betwee n: 2.4 seconds) .
A WARNING
-Driving too close to other vehicles increa ses
the risk of collis ions an d serio us inj uries.
- Se ttin g sho rt d istances to vehicles ahead re­
duces the dis tance an d time th at you have
to stop you r vehicle safe ly . Th is increases
the need for you to pay attention to traffic . ..,.
137

Ass is t
- The pre sense b asic functions may not be
available if there is a ma lfunction in the ESC
system or the airbag contro l module.
- Note that with pre sense basic, the reversi­
ble safety belt pretensioner on the front
passenger 's s ide deact ivates when the front
passenger's airbag is deactivated.
Audi pre sense front
Description
A pp lies to veh icles: with Audi pre sense front or Audi adapt ive
cr uise control
Pre sense front informs you if the distance to the
vehicle ahead falls below the safe distance for an
extended period of time.
It c an warn of a poss i­
b le co llision and initiate braki ng maneuve rs,
within the limits of the system.
When detected in time, the system can assess
dangerous s ituations where an object ahead
b rakes suddenly or if your own vehi cle is t raveling
at a high speed and approaching an object that is
mov ing more slowly. If detect ion is not possible,
then pre sense front does not react.
Warnings
Applies to veh icles: with Audi p re se nse front o r Aud i ada ptive
cr uise con trol
F ig . 12 5 Instrument cluster: app roach wa rning
The system recognizes var ious dange rous situa­
tions:
- Vehicles with adapt ive cruise control: the
dis­
tance warning
appears if yo u drive too closely
to an object for a long period of time. If the ob­
ject ahead b rakes strongly, you would not be
l ) Thi s is not ava ilab le in some co un tri es .
140
able to avoid a collision. The indicator light .
indicates this.
- T he
approach w arning occurs when an object
ahead is traveling more slowly or brakes
strong ly. When this warning occurs, it may only
be possible to avoid a coll is ion by swerving or
braking strongly. The message
Aud i p re sense
• c:> fig. 125 and a warning tone will warn you
about the danger. For vehicles with adaptive
cruise control, the. indicator light also turns
on .
If you do not react enough or not at all to a da n­
gerous s ituation that was detected by the sys­
tem , pre sense front provides assistance by ap­
plying t he b rakes .
- If a collision is imminent, the system will first
prov ide an
acute w arning by braking sharply .
You will also be made aware of the danger by the ins trument cluste r display
c:> fig . 125. For
veh icles with adaptive cru ise cont rol, the . in­
dic ator light a lso tu rns on .
- If you do not react to the acute warning, pre
sense front can brake w ith increasing force
w it hi n the lim its of the system
l )_ This reduces
the vehicle speed in the event o f a collis ion . The
message
Audi pre sense -Input also appears.
- At low driving speeds, pre sense front can begin
complete deceleration shortly before a
co llision
l).
- If p re sense front determines t hat you are not
braking strongly enough when a co llision is im­
m inent, it can increase the braking force.
A WARNING
-
- Pre sense front cannot overcome natura l
phys ica l laws. It is a system designed to as ­
sist and it cannot prevent a collision . The
driver m ust always intervene . The dr iver is
always responsible fo r braki ng at the correct
time . Do not let the in crease d sa fety prov id­
ed tempt you into ta king risks. This could in­
crease your risk of a collision .
- The system can dep loy inco rre ctly due to
sys tem-specific li mits.

,....,
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0 > co ,...., shared, please see your contract with the
wireless te lecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Aud i connect > About
Audi conne ct .
Electronic stabilization
control (ESC)
Description
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) supports
driver safety. It reduces the risk of slipping and
improves dr iving stability. ESC detects crit ical sit­
uations suc h as the vehicle overstee ring and un­
de rs teer ing or the wheels are sp inning. The vehi­
cle is s tabilized by app ly ing the brakes or reduc­
i ng e ngine torque. Once t he ES C i s ac tiva ted, the
indicator light
DJ b li nks in the instrument clus ­
ter .
The fol low ing systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS preve nts the whee ls from lock ing whe n brak­
i ng. The vehicle can s till be steered even during
h a rd brak ing. Apply steady press ure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in t he
bra ke pedal indica tes th at the system is act ing to
s tabili ze the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist sys tem can decrease braking dis­
tance .
It increases brak ing power when the d rive r
p resses the brake pedal q uic kl y in eme rgency sit­
uations. Yo u m ust press and hold the b rake pedal
u nti l the dangero us si tuati on is over. In ve hicles
with adaptive cruise contro l*, the bra ke assist
system is more sensitive if the d istance detected
to the veh icle ahead is too small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR red uces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin spinning an d adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easie r to sta rt, acceler ­
ate and drive up inclines .
Intelligent Technology
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
T he ED L brakes wheels t hat are spi nning and
transfe rs the drive power to the o ther dr ive
whee l or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with all
whee l drive *). T his function is not available at
higher speeds.
In extreme cases, ED L automat ica lly swi tches off
to keep the b rake o n the braked whee l from over­
heating. The vehicle is still working correct ly. ED L
will switc h on again automatically when condi­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
T he ESC he lps to s tabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque.
Selective wheel torque control
Se lective w heel torque con trol is used w hen d riv ­
i ng on curves. The front whee l on the ins ide of
the curve or both wheels on t he i nsid e of the
c ur ve are braked se lective ly as needed . This al ­
lows more precise driving in c urves .
Automatic post -collision braking system
T he "Automat ic pos t-collis ion braki ng system"
ca n help to reduce the ris k of sliding and of othe r
collisions af ter an a cciden t. If th e ai rbag cont rol
module detects a collision above a certai n vehicle
speed, the vehicle is brake d by the ESC.
T he veh icle does not br ake au tomatic ally if:
- the dr iver presses the acce lera tor pedal, or
- the braking fo rce generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the b raking force
that would be in itiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system o r the veh icle electri­
cal system are not functioning.
A WARNING
- T he ESC and its i nteg rated systems ca nnot
over come the li mits posed by natu ral physi­
cal laws. This is espe cially impor tant on slip­
pery o r we t roads . If the systems beg in act­
ing to stabilize your veh icle, you should im ­
mediately a lter your speed to match the
road and tra ffic condit ions. Do not let the
increased safety provided tempt you into
159

,....,
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You should only switch sport mode on or switch ESC/ASR off if your driving abilities
and road conditions permi t.
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is sw itched on . T he driving
w heels could spi n and the veh icle cou ld
swerve, espec ially on s lick o r sli ppery road
s u rf aces.
- T here is no veh icle stabilization when ESC/
ASR a re swi tched off.
(D Tips
- ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or sport
mode cannot be sw itched on if t he cru ise
contro l system* or the adaptive c ruise con­
tro l* is sw itched on .
- Mal functions in the Audi magnet ic r ide may
make it imposs ible to sw itch the ESC/ASR
off or to switc h sport mode on .
Brakes
New brake pads
New brake pads do not ac hieve the ir full braking
effect during the first 250 mi (400 km) . They
must be "b roken in " fi rs t . However, you can com­
pensate for the slightly reduced bra king fo rce by
p ressing firmly o n the brake pedal. Avoid heavy
b raking during the break -in period .
Wear
Brake pad
wear depends largely on the way th e
ve hicl e is driven a nd on operat ing cond itions.
This is especially true if you are d riving frequently
in the c ity and on c urves o r wi th a sporty driving
style.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when bra kin g depend ing on the
speed , braking force and ou ts ide cond it ions s uch
as tempe rature and humidity .
Effect of water and road salt
In certain situations, for example after dr iving
through water, in heavy ra in, after ove rnig ht con­
densat ion or after washing your car, the b raking
Intellig ent Technology
effect ca n be reduced by moist ure o r ice on the
bra ke rotors and brake pads . The brakes must be
"d ried" first with a few caref ul brake applica­
tions.
At h igher speeds and w ith the wi ndshield wipe rs
tu rned on, the brake pads press against the brake
roto rs fo r a short amount of time. This action
wh ich is not felt by the dr iver happens at reg ular
interva ls and facilit ates a be tter reaction t ime for
the brakes in wet weather .
The braking effect can a lso be reduced if yo u are
driv ing on salted roads and yo u do not app ly the
brakes for long per iods of time . The layer of salt
o n the brake rotors and pads must be wor n off
first whe n the bra kes are applied .
Corrosion
Leaving the vehicle pa rked for long periods of
time, low mileage and avoiding heavy braking
can contribute to corros ion on the brake rotors
and dirty brake pads .
If you usua lly avoid heavy brak ing or if there is
corrosion present, occasiona l heavy brak ing at
high speeds is recommended to clean the b rake
roto rs and pads<=>,& .
Brake system malfunction
if you notice that t he b rake pedal travel has sud­
denly gotten larger, t hen a b rake c ircuit may have
failed. Drive to an author iz ed Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
t h e problem corrected. On the way there, drive
with red uced speed and keep in mind that a long
bra king d ista nce and increased pressu re on the
br ak e pedal w ill be necessary.
Low brake fluid level
When the brake fluid level is low, malfunctions in
the brake system may occur . The b rake fluid level
i s elec tronica lly monito red .
Brake booster
The brake booster amp lifies the press ure you ap­
ply to the brake pedal. It on ly operates wh ile the
engine is run ning o r when the ignition is switched
on (p lug-i n hyb rid dr ive*) . .,.
161

Intelligent Technology
A WARNING
-New brake pads do not achieve their full
braking effect during the first 250 mi
-
(400 km). They must be "broken in" first .
However, you can compensate for the
slightly reduced braking force by pressing
firmly on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak­
ing during the break-in period.
- Only apply the brakes for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system when road and
traffic conditions permit. You must not en­
danger other road users. This increases the
risk of an accident.
- On steep slopes, reduce the speed and se­
lect a lower gear or lower selector lever po­
sition. Drive as little as possible while press­
ing the brake pedal and avoid putting your
left foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This could cause the brakes to overheat and
impair the efficiency of the brakes.
- Do not let the brakes "grind" by always
keeping your foot on the brake pedal. This
can cause the brakes to overheat, increase
wear and increase braking distance unneces­
sarily.
- Certain weather and operating conditions
such as driving through water, driving in heavy rain or driving after washing your ve ­
hicle can impair the effectiveness of the
brakes . In the winter, ice may build up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums. Check
these components by braking carefully. Ap­
plying the brakes carefully several times
dries the brakes and removes ice build-up .
- The efficiency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long stretches on roads
covered with salt without using the brakes.
You can remove salt deposits from the brake rotors and pads by carefully applying
the brakes several times.
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you install
another spoiler, make sure the front wheel brakes are ventilated properly . Otherwise,
the brake system could overheat, which re­
duces their effectiveness .
- Failure of a brake circuit impairs braking
performance, which increases braking dis -
162
tance. Avoid driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
- Never let the vehicle roll while the engine is
stopped because this increases the risk of an
accident .
- If the brake booster is not working, you will
have to press much harder on the brake
pedal to compensate for the lack of the
booster.
(D Note
- Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
pedal lightly when braking is not really nec­
essary. This causes the brakes to overheat
and increases braking distance and causes
wear .
- Before driving on a long stretch with steep
slopes, reduce your speed and shift to the
next lower gear This makes use of the en­
gine braking effect and relieves the brakes.
If you need to brake additionally, brake in
intervals and not continuously.
(D Tips
- If the brake booster is not working, you
must press the brake pedal with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrofit your vehicle with a front spoil­
er, wheel covers or similar items, make su re
that the air flow to the front wheels is not
interrupted. Otherwise the brake system
can become too hot.
Electromechanical
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
The vehicle still has full steering functionality if
the power steering fails or when the engine is
stopped (towing) . To steer, you must apply much
more force than usual. .,.