2016 AUDI A3 tow

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0 > co ,...., Trailer mode Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
T railer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount . Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage should your vehicle be
struck from beh ind
~ ,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
Trailer mode
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
T ra iler lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check with your Aud i dea ler for correct wiring,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
,8. WARNING
After removing the trailer hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer~.&.
in Driving instructions on page 128.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under "Full ..,.
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Trailer mod e
load" on the la bel located on the driver's side B ­
pillar (visib le when the door is open) . Inflate
tra iler tires to trailer and tire manufacturers'
specif ications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and t railer lights
are working p roper ly.
Safety chains
Be sure t railer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trai le r to the hi tch on the veh icle.
L eave enough sla ck in the cha ins to permi t turn­
ing corners. When yo u install safety chains, ma ke
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when yo u are
driving .
The cha ins s hou ld cross under the trailer tongue
t o prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the h itch .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
To obtain t he best poss ible handling of vehicle
and traile r, please note the fo llow ing :
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
is not loaded.
.. Be especi ally ca ref ul when pass ing othe r
vehicles.
.. Observe speed limi ts .
.. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded t railer w ith an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easie r to operate and cont rol.
This means that the tow vehi cle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keep ing the tra iler as light as possib le under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the l uggage compartment of the
128
tow veh icle wh ile observing tong ue load require ­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the mo re diff icu lt i t be­
comes for the driver to con trol the r ig. Do not
drive at t he maxim um permissible speed. Reduce
you r speed even more if load, weather or wind
con dit ions are unfavorab le - partic ularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limi ts. In some areas, s peeds fo r
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
A lways apply bra kes early. Whe n driving down­
hill, shift in to a lower gea r to use the engine
b raki ng effect to slow the vehi cle. Use of the
brakes alone ca n cause them to over heat and fai l.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge 9 page 12 must
be obse rved caref ully. The coolant temperature
c a n incre ase if yo u drive o n long incl ines in a low
gear a t high engine speeds . Red uce your speed
immediately if the LE Ds in the top part of the dis­
play turn on .
Fo r more info rm ation abou t indicator lights, re­
fer to . ¢
page 20 .
A WARNING
-
Anyone not prope rly restrai ned in a moving
vehicle is at a much greate r risk in an acci ­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differen tly when towing a
trailer because o f the additiona l weight and di f­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will g reatly depend on how caref ul-
l y you load your trai ler and operate you r rig. ..,_

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

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"' U"I
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"' ....
-Please note that unconsciously "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal prevents the cruise control from braking. This is be­
cause pressing the accelerator pedal over­
rides the cruise control system .
-If there is a brake system malfunction such
as overheating when the speed warning sys­
tem is switched on, the braking function in
the system will be deactivated. The remain­
ing speed warning system functions will re­
ma in active, as long as the~ (USA mod­
els) /
fil (Canada models) indicator light is
on.
{i) Tips
- The cruise control system is ideal for
stretches w ith speed limits. The d river is re­
sponsible for adhering to the correct speed.
- The cruise control remains active when
shifting gears.
- The brake lights turn on when the brakes
are act ivated.
Switching on
Appl ies to vehicles: with c ru ise control system
0
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Fig. 114 Operat ing lever: cruise contro l system
.. To switch the cruise control on, pull the lever
into position @~
fig. 114.
.. Drive at the speed to be maintained .
.. To store the speed, press the button @. The
@;\1)~14 (USA models) / l'I (Canada models)
turns on in the instrument cluster.
Assist
Changing speed
App lies to vehicles: w ith cruise control system
., To increase or decrease the speed in incre­
ments,
tap the lever in the 010 direction
~ page 131, fig. 114.
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the 0 / 0 direction until the de­
sired speed is reached.
Overriding the speed
You can press the accelerator pedal down to in­
crease your speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier will
resume as soon as you let off of the accelerator
pedal.
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by 5
mph (10 km/h) for longer than 6 minutes, the
cruise control turns off temporarily .
The@;\!)~14
(USA mode ls) ;fil (Canada models) indicator
light in the instrument cluster turns off and the
stored speed is maintained.
Preselecting the speed
Appl ies to vehicles: w it h cruise co ntrol system
You can pre-select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
., Switch on the ign ition .
.. Pull the lever into position
(D 9 page 131,
fig. 114 .
.. To increase or decrease the speed, tap the lever
in the
010 direction.
This function makes it possible, for example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway, activate the
cruise control system by pulling the lever toward
the position
(D .
Switching off
Applies to veh icles: w it h cru ise co ntrol system
Temporary deactivation
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the lever into position@ (not clicked into
place)
~ page 131, fig. 114, or ..,
131

,....,
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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

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Late: in this set ting, t he system provides correc ­
tive steering just before a vehicle whee l touches a
detected lane marker line.
Vibrat ion warning
You can switch the additional vibrating warning
i n the steering wheel on or
off.
& WARNING
With the vibration warning switched off, no
visible warning will appear in the instr ument
cluster display when crossing a lane marker.
@ Tips
Market-specific: your sett ings are stored au­
tomatically and assigned to the remote con ­
trol key in use.
Audi side assist
Description
A pp lies to vehicles: with Audi side assist
Fig. 130 Sensor detectio n range
Fig. 131 D isplay on the exterior mirro r
Side assist he lps you monitor your blind spot and
traffic behind your vehicle. Within the limits of
the system, it warns you about vehicles that are
com ing closer or that are traveling with yo u with-
A ss ist
in senso r range (D ¢ fig. 130 : if a lane change is
classified as critical, the display @ in the exterior
mirror¢
fig. 131 turns on .
T he displ ay in the left exterior mirror p rovides as­
sistance when making a lane change to the le ft,
whi le the display in the right exterior mirror pro­
vides ass istance when making a lane ch ange to
the right.
Information stag e
As long as you do not a ct ivate the tu rn signal,
side assist
informs you about vehicles that are
detected and classified as critical. The display in
the mirror turns on, but is dim .
T he disp lay remains dim i n the information stage
so that your view toward the front is not distur ­
bed.
Warning stage
If you activate the turn s ignal, side assist warns
yo u about vehicles that are detected and classi­
fied as crit ica l. T he d isp lay in the respective mir­
ror blinks bright ly. If this happens, check traffic
by glancing in the rearview mirror and over your
shou lder ¢.&.
in General information on
page 146.
(D Tips
- You can adjust the brightness on of the dis­
play on the rearview mirror¢
page 147.
145

Parking system s
General information
Applies to veh icles: w ith park ing system p lus with rearview
camera
F ig . 14 1 Area covered © and area not covered @by the
r earv iew came ra (example)
Fig. 142 Rear lid : locat io n of the rearview camera (exam ·
ple)
The rearview camera is located above the rear li­
cense plate bracket. Make sure that the lens for
the parking system
c.:> fig. 142 is not covered by
depos its or any other obstructions because th is
can affect the function of the parking system . For
information on cleaning, refer to
c.:> page 2 74 .
The rearview camera coverage area includes(!)
c.:> fig. 141. Only this area is displayed in the MMI.
Objects that are outside of th is area @are not
displayed .
The accuracy of the orientation lines and b lue
surfaces d iminishes if
D ynamic mode is activated
¢ page 148.
A WARNING
-Always read and follow the applicable warn­
ings
c.:> .&. in General information on
page 151.
- If the posit ion and the installation ang le of
the rearv iew camera was changed, for ex­
ample, after a co llision, do not continue to
154
use the system for safety reasons . Have it
checked by an a uthorized Audi dea ler or au­
thorized Audi Service Fac ility.
- Only use the rearv iew camera to assist you if
it shows a good, clear picture . For example,
the image may be affected by the sun shin­
ing into the lens, dirt on the lens or if there is a defect.
- Use the rearv iew camera on ly if the luggage
compa rtment lid is completely closed.
If the
luggage compartment lid is open the orien­
tation lines and b lue surfaces are hidden.
Ma ke sure a ny objec ts you may h ave mo unt­
ed on t he luggage compartmen t lid do not
b lock the rearview camera .
- The camera lens enlarges and distorts the
fie ld of vision. The object appears both a l­
tered and inaccurate on the screen .
- I n cer tain s itu ations, people or objects in
the display appea r closer or farther away:
- For objects that do not touch the ground,
such as the bumper of a parked vehicle, a
trailer hitch or the rear of a truck . Do not
use the help lines in th is case.
- If dr iven from a level surface onto an in­
cline, or a downward slope .
- If driven toward protruding objects.
- If the vehicle is carrying too much load in
the rear .
(D Note
-Always read and fo llow the applicable warn­
ings
c.:> (D in General information on
page 151.
- The orange colored orientat ion lines in the
MMI display show the direction of trave l of
the vehicle rear depending on the steering
wheel a ng le . The front of the vehicle swings
o ut more than the rea r of the veh icle. Main­
tain plenty of dis tance so that your outs ide
m ir ror or a co rner of your vehicle does not
c o llide w it h any obstacle s.