2016 AUDI A3 ECO mode

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. ..,_

Ass is t
Assist
Electronic speed limiter
Applies to vehicles: with electronic speed limite r
Your vehicle may be factory equipped wi th tires
that are rated for a maximum speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). This is less than the maximum speed
of your vehicle. To reduce the risk of sudden tire
fa ilure and loss of control if the veh icle is operat­
ed at excessive speeds, your vehicle also has an
electron ic speed limiter. The electron ic speed
lim iter prevents your veh icle from going faster
than the t ire speed rating. For mo re information
~page 260.
If the engine control unit receives faulty vehicle
road speed s ignals, the Ma lfunction Ind icator
L amp (MIL)
¢;5 will illum inate. If this occurs,
con ta ct the nearest au thori zed A ud i d ealer for
assis tance.
A WARNING
Always observe the posted speed limits and
adjust your speed to s uit prevailing road, traf­
fic and weather cond itions. Never drive your
vehicle faster than t he maximum speed rat ing
of the tires installed.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay un­
der a specified maximum speed.
-
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set .
You will hear a wa rning tone when your speed ex­
ceeds the stored va lue by app roxima tely 3 mph
(3 km/h). The. (U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada
models) ind ic a tor light and the message
Speed
limit e xceeded!
appear in the inst rument cluste r
disp lay at the same time. The./. indicato r
light t urns off when the speed decreases be low
the stored maximum speed.
Se tting a thresho ld is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when yo u reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country wit h a gener-
130
al speed limit or if there is a spec ified maximum
speed for winter tires.
(D Tips
Regar dless o f th e speed war ning system, you
shou ld always monitor your spee d using the
speedometer and make s ure yo u are fo llow ing
the legal speed limit .
Setting the threshold
You can set, change and delete the threshold in
the MMI .
.. Sele ct: the I M ENU I button >Car > Systems*
control button > Drive r assi stance > Speed
wa rning.
You can se t any thresho ld between 20 mp h
(3 0 km/h) and 150 mph (2 40 km/ h). Settings
can each be adj usted in increments of S mph ( 10
km/ h).
Cruise control system
· Description
Applies to vehicles: with cruise control system
The cru ise cont rol system ma kes it possib le to
dr ive at a constan t speed starti ng at 15 mph
(2 0 k m/h).
The speed is kep t constant by mod ifying engine
power or through an active bra ke interven tion.
A WARNING
- Always p ay att ention to the tr affi c ar ou nd
you whe n the cruise co ntro l is in opera tion.
Y ou are always responsible fo r your speed
and the distance between your veh icle and
other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, cruise cont rol should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traff ic, on
winding roads and when road conditions a re
poor (such as ice, fog, g ravel, heavy ra in and
hyd roplaning), because this inc reases the
ris k of an accident.
- Switch the cruise control off temporarily
when dr iv ing in turning lanes, highway exits
or in constr uct ion zones.
-

Assist Switching off completely
.,. Press the leve r into position @(clicked into
place), or
.,. Switch the ignition off.
The speed you sto red w ill be retained if the cruise
control has been switched off tempora rily . To re­
sume the stored speed, re lease the brake pedal
and pu ll the lever into position
(D .
The stored speed is erased when the cruise con­
trol is sw itched off comp letely or the ignit ion is
switched off .
A WARNING
You should only resume the stored speed if it
is not too high for existing traffic conditions.
Otherwise you risk an accident .
@ Tips
-If the brakes become too heated whi le driv­
ing, the cruise control switches off. If this
happens while driving downhill, you can re­
lieve the brakes by shifting into a lower
gear.
- When the cruise control is activated, ESC
sport mode cannot be switched on.
Audi adaptive cruise control
Description
Applies to vehicles: w ith Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 115 Detect ion range
The adaptive cruise control system is a combina­
tion of speed and distance regulation .
It assists
the driver by both regulating the speed and
maintaining a distance to the object ahead, with-
132
in the abilities of the system. If the system de­
tects an object, adaptive cruise contro l can brake
and acce lerate your vehicle. This makes driving
more comfortable both on long stretches of
highway and in stop-and-go traffic.
What can adaptive cruise control do?
The adaptive cruise control system uses radar
and a video camera. The radar is subject to desig­
nated system limits
i=> page 133 .
On open roads with no traffic , it functions like a
cruise contro l system. The stored speed is main ­
tained. When approaching an object ahead and
the system detects it, the adapt ive cr uise control
system automatically brakes to match that ob­
ject's speed and then maintains the stored dis­
tance . As soon as the system does not detect an
object ahead, adapt ive cr uise control acce lerates
up to the stored speed.
Within the limits of the system, adaptive cruise control can brake in stop -and -go traffic until the
vehicle is stat ionary and then begin driving agai n
under certain cond itions
i=> page 136, Driving in
stop-and-go traffic.
Which functions can be controlled?
When you switch adapt ive cru ise control on, you
can set the current speed as the "control speed"
i=> page 134, Switching on/off.
When dr iving, you can stop cruise control
i=> page 136 or change the speed c> page 136 at
any time .
You can also adjust the following settings :
- Distance
i=> page 137
-Dr iv in g program i=> page 138
-Dr iving mode c> page 138

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., vehicle. In this case, adapt ive cruise control
switches
off automatically .
ill ACC off: manual control!
This message appears if the veh icle rolls back
when sta rting on a slight incl ine, even though
ACC is act ive. Press the brake pedal to p revent
the veh icle from ro lling or starting to move.
ill ACC: engine speed
This message appears if the driver has not shift­
ed up or down in time when the adapt ive cruise
control is braking or accelerating, caus ing the ve­
h icle to exceed or to not reach the permitted en­
g ine speed . The adaptive cru ise cont rol turns
off.
A chime sounds as a remi nder.
•••
Three white dots appear if a sett ing cannot be se­
lected with the operating lever. For example, this
happens if adaptive cruise control cannot be acti­
vated when stopped because the dr iver has not
fastened the safety belt.
Doo r open
Adapt ive cruise control cannot be switched on
when the vehicle is stationary and the driver's
door is open.
Audi pre sense
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with Audi pre sense basic or Audi pre sense front
With in the limits of the system, p re sense basic
and pre sense front can in it iate steps to protect
vehicle occupants in certain dangerous s itua­
tions .
Critical driving situat ions can be recogn ized by
the pre sense front via a network of different ve­ hi cle systems and can take steps to prepare the
ve hicl e o ccupants for a potential collis ion.
The pre sense front works w ith a radar sensor
and a video camera*. It also functions within the limits of the system when adaptive c ruise con­
tro l* is switched off .
Assist
General information
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Audi pre sense front or Audi adaptive
cruise control
_&. WARNING
Also fo llow the gene ral in format ion found on
~ page 133, General information.
Audi pre sense basic
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Audi pre sense basic
The function of the pre sense basic is activated at
a speed of 20 mph (30 km/h) or h igher .
The following functions can be triggered under certain condit ions w ith in the lim its of the sys­
tem:
- Tensioning of the safety belts (for examp le,
during heavy braking): the front safety belts have reversib le be lt tens ioners. If a collision
does not occur, the safety belts loosen slightly
and are ready to tr igger aga in.
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (for ex­
ample when over- or understeering): the win­
dows close until the re is only a small gap open
and the s unroof* closes all the way .
Audi drive select: the deployment time is adapt­ ed in dynam ic mode.
_&. WARNING ~
The pre sense basic cannot overcome natural
physical laws. It is a system desig ned to ass ist
and it cannot p revent a collision. Do not let
the increa sed safe ty p rovided tempt you into
t aking r is ks. This co uld in crease yo ur risk of a
collis ion .
- The system can dep loy inco rre ctly due to
system-specif ic limits.
(D Tips
- Certa in p re sense basic functions switch off
when ESC is swi tched off (sport mode) or
w hen driving in reverse. .,.
139

Ass is t
- Switch the pre sense off when you are load ­
ing the vehicle onto a vehicle carrier, train,
sh ip or other type of transportation. This
can prevent undesired warnings from the pre sense system.
Driver messages
A pp lies to ve hicles: w ith Audi p re se nse or A ud i adapt ive
cr uise con trol
Audi p re sense cu rre ntly una va ilable. N o sensor
visi on
This message appears if the sensor view is ob­
structed, fo r example by leaves, snow, heavy
spray or dirt. C lean the sensor~
page 133,
fig. 116.
Audi pre se nse : o ff
This message appears when the ESC is switched
to sport mode, for example
~ page 160 .
Audi pre sen se: sys te m f ault!
This message appears when the pre sense func ­
tion is aff ected. For example, this could be
caused by a faulty sensor.
If the message stays on , drive to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Aud i Service Facility to
have the ma lfunction corrected .
Audi active lane assist
Description
App lies to veh icles: w ith Aud i active lane assis t
Active lane assist detects lane marker lines with ­
in the l imits of the system us ing a came ra in the
windshie ld. If you are approaching a detected
lane marker line and it appears likely that you
will leave the lane, the system will warn you with
corr ective steering. You can overrid e this st eering
at any time . If you pass over a line, the steering
wheel will vibrate lightly. In order for this warn­ ing vibration to occur, it must first be switched
on in the MMI. Active lane assist is operable
when the lane marker line is detected on at least
one side of the veh icle.
l) Th is fun ction is not avail able in al l countrie s.
142
The system will not warn you before crossing a
l ane marker line if you have activated the turn
s ignal. In this case, it assumes that you are
changing lanes intentionally.
The system is designed for driving on express ­
ways and highways and therefore on ly activates
at speeds above approximately 40 mph (65 km/
h).
A WARNING
-
- The system warns the driver that the vehicle
is leaving the lane using correct ive steering .
The driver is always responsible for keeping
the vehicle within the lane .
- The system can help you keep the vehicle in the lane, but it does not drive by itself . Al­
ways keep your hands on the steering wheel.
- Corrective steering may not occur in certain
situations, such as du ring heavy braking.
- There may be cases where the camera does
not recognize all lane marker lines. Correc­
tive stee ring can only take place on the s ide
of the vehicle where lane marker lines are
detected.
- Other road structures or objects could poss i­
bly be identified un intent ionally as lane
marker lines . As a result, corrective steering
may be unexpected or may not occur.
- The camera view can be restricted, for ex­
ample by vehicles driving ahead or by rain,
snow, heavy spray light shining into the
camera or by dirt on the window . This can
result in active lane assist not detecting the
lane marker lines or detect ing them incor­
rectly .
- In certain situations where visibility is low,
the vehicle may switch from "early" to "late"
corrective steer ing
1> .
- Under certain cond it ions such as ruts in the
road, an inclined roadway or crosswinds, the
corrective steer ing alone may not be enough
to keep the vehicle in the m iddle of the lane .
~

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 > co ,...., A WARNING
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

Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
:~ (USA models ) / !f (Canad a model s)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni ­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System as we ll as the side
airbags and side c urtain airbags with ejection
mitigation features (including the e lectroni c con­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are funct ioning prope rly whenever the ignition is
on . Eve ry t ime yo u tur n on the igni tion, the air­
bag sys tem ind icator light
II (USA models)/ m
(Ca nada models) will come on for a few seconds
(func tion chec k).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
ffl (USA models) / fll
(Canada model s):
- does not come on w hen the ignition is switched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, or
- comes on wh ile driving .
I f an a irbag system ma lf u nction is detected, the
indicator light wi ll first sta rt flash ing to catch the
d river's atte ntion and then stay on co ntin uous ly
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys­
tem inspected immed iate ly.
I f a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
ligh t will come on and stay on
wheneve r th e ignition is on .
.&_ WARNING
An airbag system that is not f unct io ning prop­
er ly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light ¢
page 21
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
t h e system inspected immediate ly by your
autho rized Aud i dealer . It is possible that
196
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 166 Center co nsole: passenger a irbag off warning
light
The PAS SENG ER AI R BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel ¢
fig. 166.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic contro l unit . If the b ulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light b urns out, the
a irbag indicato r light
II (USA models)/ m
(Canada mode ls) wi ll come on to signa l a mal­
funct io n in t he Advanced Ai rbag System. A l­
though the burned -out bulb wi ll not change the
way the front passenger's frontal airbag works, it
will no longer be possible to use the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light to make sure that the airbag
on/off status is correct for the occupant on the
front passenger seat . Have the airbag system in ­
spected immed iately by yo ur authorized Audi
dealer .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
-the ignition is sw itched on and
- the capacitive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron ­
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the airbag
status (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light is proper for the age, size and IJJ,,