2016 AUDI Q3 light

Child safety
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 139 Te ther strap : proper rout ing and moun ting
Fig. 140 Tether strap : p roper ro utin g and moun ting
Inst all ing th e te th er strap
• Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restra int according to the child restra int manu­
factu rer 's instruct ions.
• Gu ide the upper tether strap
und er the rear
head restraint and into the rear cargo area
¢ fig. 140 (raise the head restraint i f necessa­
ry) .
• Slide the tether strap hook ove r the anchor
bracket.
• Pullon the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages .
• Tighten the tether strap firmly follow ing the
child restraint manufacturer's instruct ions .
Relea sing the te the r st rap
• Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
• Depress the spring catch on the hook and re ­
lease it from the anchorage .
@ Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days , this
148
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would a lso be permanently stretched around
the tether strap. This applies especially to leather seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear -fac ing child rest raint systems
come with a tether . Please read and heed the
child restraint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
A WARNING
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be k ilted if the front
a ir bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant ca rr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center a rmrest, or
door.
- A t ight tether or o ther strap on a rearward­
fac ing chi ld restraint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and register a
heavier weight in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem. The heavier weight reg istered can
make the system work as though an adu lt
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
ser ious or even fatal injury to the child.
- If you must install a rea rwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately inst all
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.

shared, please see your contract with the
wireless telecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Audi connect > About
Audi conn ect.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road ho ld ing and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid­
d ing and loss of vehicle control. It works only
when the engine is runn ing . E SC detects certain
d ifficult dr iving sit uat ions, including when t he
ve hicl e is begin ning to spin (yaw) out of contro l
and helps you to ge t the veh icle back under con­
tro l by se lective ly braking the wheels, and/or re ­
ducing engine powe r and provid ing steering as­
sistance to help hold the vehicle on the dr iver's
intended course. The indicator light
GJ in the in­
strument cluster blinks when ESC is taking action
to help you co ntrol the vehicle.
ESC has limitations. It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not a lways be able to help out under all con­
d itions you may come up aga inst. For example,
ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudden change in the
coeff icient of friction of the road surface. When
there is a section of dry road that is sudde nly cov­
e red with water, slush o r snow, ESC cannot pe r­
form the same way it wo uld on the dry s urface . If
the vehicle hydrop lanes (rides on a cushion of wa­
ter i nstead of the road su rface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because contact
with the pavement has been interrupted and the
ve hicle cannot be braked or steered. Dur ing fast
cornering, pa rticula rly on w inding roads, ESC
cannot always deal as effect ively w it h difficult
d riving si tuations tha n at lowe r speeds. When
tow ing a t raile r, ESC is not able to help you re­
ga in con trol as it would if you we re not towing a
tra iler .
A lways adjust yo ur speed and driving sty le to
road, traffic and weathe r cond itions. ESC cannot
override the vehicle's physical lim its, increase the
Intellig ent Technology
available t ract ion, or keep a vehicle on the road if
road departure is a resu lt of driver inattention .
Instead, ESC improves the possib ility o f keeping
the vehicle under contro l and on the road d uring
extreme maneuvers by us ing the driver's steer ing
i nputs to help keep the veh icle go ing in the in ­
tended direction.
If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC c an p rovide any assistance, you may not exper i­
en ce the benefi ts of ESC.
ESC is switched o n all the time . In certa in s itua­
t ions when you need less tract ion, you can sw itch
off AS R by press ing the button
[fil c:> page 152,
fig. 141. B e sure to switc h ASR on again whe n
you no longer need less tract ion .
T he following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock brak ing system (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking when brak­ ing . The vehicle can still be steered even dur ing
hard braking. Apply steady pressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in the
brake pedal ind icates that the system is acting to
stab ilize the ve hicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking dis­
tance. It increases braking powe r when the dr iver
presses the brake peda l quickly in emergency sit­
uat io ns. You must press a nd ho ld the bra ke pedal
u nt il the dange rous situation is over.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power whe n the dr ive wheels
begin spin ning and adapts the force to the road
co ndit ions. This makes it eas ier to s tart, acce ler­
ate and d rive up incl ines.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other dr ive
wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with all
whee l drive*) . This function is not available a t
highe r speeds .
In extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches off
to keep t he brake o n the braked wheel from over­
hea ting . T he veh icle is still working co rrectly. EDL.,.
151

.... N
c:i ::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
- Driving on rough terrain when much of the car's weight is lifted off the wheels (axle articu la­
t ion)
- Driving downhill whi le brak ing on loose gro und
ESC levels
Intelligent Technology
For yo ur safe ty, switch off the ESC offroad mo de
in advance.
Offroad mode on ESC/ASRoff Offroad mode off or
ESC
/ASRon
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza -
The stabiliza tion f unction is The f
ull stabiliza tion fu nc-
tion functions are limited not available
Q .&. . ESC and
tion of the ESC and ASR is
~ &. ASR are switched off . available again.
Operation Press the IJJ button briefly. P ress and ho ld the IJJ but- Press the IJJ button aga in.
ton longer than th ree sec-
onds.
Indicato r fl turns on. fil and !;ill•)H turns on. II turns off or II and
lights !;ill•)H turn off .
Driver mes- Stab ilization control (ESC ): Stabil ization control (ESC): Stabilization control (ESC ):
sage s Offroad Warning! Reduced Off Warning! Reduced sta-
On
st ability
bility
A WARNING
You should only switch offroad mode on or
switch ESC/ASR off if your driving ab ilities
and the t raffic conditions perm it. Th ere is a
r is k of sli ding.
- The stabilization function is limited when
offroad mo de is switched on. Th e dr iving
w heels co uld spin and the vehicle cou ld
swe rve, e speci ally on s lick o r slip pery r oad
s u rfaces.
- T here is no veh icle s tabilizat ion whe n ESC/
ASR are swi tched off .
-
Hill descent assist
Applies to vehicles: with hill descent assist
The hill descent assist makes it possible to drive
down an incline at a constant speed .
Fig. 142 Ce nte r console: hill descent ass ist button
.. To switch on the hill descent assist, p ress the
~ butto n in the center co nsole Q fig. 142 . The
LED in the button turns on .
.. Press the button again to switch it off. The LED
in the button turns off .
Hill descent assist brakes all four wheels auto­
matically in order to limit speed when driving ei­
ther forward or reverse on hills with a grade up to
approximately 50%. ..,_
153

Intelligent Technology
When the hill descent assist is on, the current
driving speed, when your vehicle entered the in­
cline is maintained. It is only possible to switch
on the assist when driving slower than 37 mph (60 km/h). The assist works between approxi­
mately 2 and 19 mph (4 and 30 km/h). The driver
can increase or decrease the vehicle speed within
these limits by depressing the accelerator or brake pedal.
There must be however sufficient ground adhe ­
sion . The hill descent assist
cannot do its job if
the incline is icy or if the incline ground is loose
¢ ,&.
Active assistance at a specific speed up to about 19 mph (30 km/h) is shown in the instrument
cluster through a blinking indicator light •. The
indicator light shines continuously when in the
ready mode.
The system does not work at speeds between 19
and 37 mph (30 and 60 km/h) . The system is
then in the ready-mode. This is shown through
the LED turned on in the button . The system au­
tomatically switched off when you drive faster
than 37 mph (60 km/h). The LED will also go out
in this scenario.
Hill descent assist is automatically activated un­
der the following conditions:
- The LED in the button turns on ,
- the vehicle speed is lower than 19 mph (30 km/
h) ,
-the incline angle is at least around 10% .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your speed to the weather ,
road and traffic conditions . Do not let the
increased safety provided tempt you into
taking risks, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
- The hill descent assist system cannot over­
come the laws of physics. Your driving style
must always be adapted to the current road
and traffic conditions.
- The hill descent assist may not be able to
hold your vehicle at a constant speed under
all conditions while driving on an incline (for
154
example if ground under the vehicle is
loose).
Brakes
New brake pads
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 braking during the break-in period.
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still sub­
ject to wear, depending largely on operating con­
ditions and driving habits¢,& . On vehicles that
are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traf­
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your authorized Audi dealer more of ­
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet.
Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can result in reduced brake perform­
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the braking ef­
fect of the engine. This way, you prevent unnec­
essary wear on the brake system. If you must use
your brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin­
uously. Pump the brakes at intervals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on the
speed, braking force and outside conditions such
as temperature and humidity.
Effect of water or road salt
In certain situations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, after overnight con­ densation or after washing your car , the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
"dried" first with a few careful brake applica­
tions.
At higher speeds and with the windshield wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake
rotors for a short amount of time. This action
which is not felt by the driver happens at regular .,.

Intelligent Technology
Electromechanical
steering
The electromechanical steering sup ports the
driver's steering movements .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and mess ages
• Steering fault! Do not drive veh icle!
If thi s ind ic a tor light t urns o n and stays o n and
this message appears, the power steering may
have fa iled.
S top the veh icle in a safe lo cat io n as soo n as pos­
sib le. Do
not c on tinue driving. See an author ized
Aud i dea ler o r authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r
assistance.
If the ind icator lig ht t urns on, the steer ing wheel
may be mo re diff icu lt to move o r more sensitive
than usual. The stee ring wheel may also be at a n
angle when dr iving straight .
Dr ive s low ly to your author ized A udi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Se rvice Facility to have the ma l­
f u nction co rrected.
E£-ij St eering lock: System fault! Plea se contact
deal er.
There is a malfunction in the electronic steering
lock.
D rive to an a uthorized Audi dea le r or a uthorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
@ Tips
If the . or Erj indicato r light on ly stays on
for a short time, you may continue driv ing.
All wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to vehicles: with all wheel drive
In oil wheel drive, oil four wheels ore powered .
General information
In a ll w heel d rive, the d rivi ng power is divided be­
tween a ll four wheels . This happens au tomatical-
156
ly depending on yo ur driv ing behavior as we ll as
the cur rent road conditions . Refer to
Q page 151.
The all whee l dr ive concep t is designed fo r high
engine power. Yo ur vehicle is except ion ally pow­
erf ul and has excellent drivin g charac teristics
both un der normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice . Always read and follow safety pre ­
cautions
c:> .&, .
Winter tires
By using all whee l dr ive, your ve hicle has goo d
f orward motion wi th standard tires in w inte r con ­
ditions . However, in winte r we recommend using
winter or all-season tires on all four wheels, be­
cause this will improve the brak ing effect
c:> page 206, Winter tires .
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains m ust
also be used o n veh icles with all wheel drive
c:> page 206, Snow chains.
Replacing tires
Fo r vehicles with all wheel drive, on ly wheels with
t h e same ro lli ng circ umfe rence sho uld be used .
Avoid whee ls with different t read depths
Q page 198 , New tires or wheels .
A WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with all wheel drive, adapt
your driving sty le to the current road and
traffic conditions. Do not let t he increased
safety prov ided tempt you in to taking r isks,
because this inc reases t he risk of an acc i­
dent.
- The braking ab ility o f your vehicle is limited
t o th e trac tion of th e wh eels. I n this way, it
is no t differe nt from a two wheel drive vehi ­
cle. Do no t be tempte d to accelerate to a
hi gh speed when the ro ad is slip pery this in­
creases the risk of an accident .
- N ote tha t on wet s tree ts, the front wheels
can " hydrop lane" i f driv ing at spee ds tha t
are too high. Unlike front wheel drive
veh icles, t he engine does not
rev higher sud­
de nly when t he vehicle begins hydroplan ing.
For this reason, pay attention to the road

Intelligent Technology
to continue using the funct ions, you must start
the engine .
With the engine running
Although elect rical energy is genera ted whi le
d riving, the ba tte ry can d rain. Thi s can happe n
when little energy is gene rated, and much is used
and the charge leve l of the battery is not op tima l.
T o restore the balance of energy, components
that re q ui re la rge amou nts of energy a re tempo­
rar ily sca led bac k or swi tched off . Heating sys­
tems in particu lar require a grea t deal of energy.
If you notice, for examp le, that the seat heating*
or rear window defroster is not wo rking, then it
has been tempo rarily reduced or switched off.
These systems are available again as soon as the
energy supp ly has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased. That is norma l and no
cause for concern. Due to the increased idling
speed, the add itiona l req uir ed energy wi ll be
generated and the battery will be cha rged.
158

Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating .
11-Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­ ating . If you anticipate what is going to happen
next, you will need to brake less and, thus, accel­
erate less . Let the vehicle coast whenever possi­
ble - for example when you see that the next traf ­
f ic light is red .
Avoid full throttle
Driving a t modera te speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
11-Try and keep well be low your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gent ly reduces fuel consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ ­
ment.
F ue l cons umption, exha ust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumpt ion will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather conditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling i t burns up fuel.
11-S hut the engine off w hen you are not driving
the vehicle.
11-Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine ru n at idle .
It makes sense to shut off the eng ine in traffic
jams, when wa iting for trains to pass at rai lroad
crossings, or at traffic lights that have long waits
on red . Turn ing the eng ine off for just 30 -40 sec ­
onds saves more fue l than is bu rned starting the
engine agai n.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is runni ng at idle . However, wear
and noxious emiss ions are especially high when
the eng ine is wa rm ing up . So you should d rive
Driving and the envir onment
away as soon as you start the eng ine and avoid
running at high rpms w hil e the engine is sti ll
warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave eng ine idling una ttended after
starting. If wa rning lights shou ld come on to
i ndicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also prod uces
heat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper ­
ty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot
of fuel .
11-Have your vehicle serviced at regular interva ls.
By having your vehicle regular ly serv iced by an
authorized Audi dea ler helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The cond ition of
your vehicle not only affects its safety and ability
to hold its value, it also affects
fuel con sump­
tion .
Chec k your oil each t ime you fill your tank.
T he amount o f oi l used is related to engine load
and speed.
It is normal fo r the oil consump tion of a new en­
gine to reach its lowest value after a ce rtain m ile­
age has been dr iven.
You m ust dr ive your ve hicle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) befo re yo u can prope rly as­
sess oil consumpt io n.
T h is also app lies to fuel consumption and eng ine
output.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with the se rvice recommenda­
tions i n your Warranty
& M aintenance book-
le t. La ck of prope r maintenan ce as we ll as
imp roper use of the ve hicle will im pair the
function of the em ission cont rol sys tem and
co uld lead to damage . .,.
161

Driving and th e en vironm ent
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­ proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Em ission Control System and other
i mportant vehicle components.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on shor t trips.
... Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold
engine.
The engine and catalyt ic converter have to reach
their optimal
ope rating temperature to reduce
fue l cons umption and nox ious emissions effec­
tively .
J ust after starting, a co ld eng ine in a m id -s ize ca r
only achieves a f uel economy of 6-8 miles p er
ga llon (30 -40 l/100 km). After about a half a
mile ; fu e l economy cl imbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100
km). After about
2.5 miles (4 km), the engine is
at its prope r operating temperature and fuel
economy has reached a normal level. So you can
see that you sho uld avoid short t rips whenever
possible.
The
outsid e temperature is also critical in this re ­
gard . Your car consumes more fuel in the w in ter
than in the summe r.
Driving offroad
General information
When driving offroad, the f unctions for the elec­
tron ic stabili zation control (ESC) are expanded.
ESC offroad mode can be activated in dr iving sit­
uations in which a whee l lock o r a d ifferent ial
lock fu nction is needed
r=.> page 152.
However, your Audi is not an offroad vehicle.
Never drive the vehicl e in terra in which is not
suitabl e for the vehicle, or which exceeds your
driving skills. Never take any unnecessary ri sks!
162
After driving offroad
- After driving off road, remove branche s and
other deb ris from the rad iator g rille, under ­
body, and w heels . Look especially fo r objects
(stones) that have been caught in the tire
tread.
- Clean the body and the ve hicle unde rbody and
i nspect the ve hicle for possible damages.
- Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and t he license plate.
- Per form a brake test (especia lly after d riving
throug h water) .
A WARNING
-Be especially aware and attentive when d riv ­
ing under diff icu lt cond itions. Damages to
the vehicle and injur ies may occur when
driving at an excess ively high speed o r with
incor rect d riving maneuvers .
- Always ad just yo ur speed and handling to
the roads, terra in, traffic and weathe r con ­
d itions . D rive especially s low if offroad wi th
low visibility.
- Please note that t he wheels can sp in mo re
and the vehicle can swerve when in ESC off­
road mode , espe cially when the road is slip­
pe ry o r has loose surfa ce m aterial.
- Driv ing stability is reduce d in the ESC
Off­
road mode.
@ For the sake of the environment
Avo id harm ing t he env ironmen t and take na­
ture into co nsideration .
(D Tips
Only drive where it is allowed and always stay
on the provided roads and paths .
Driving information
There is only one right way to drive in difficult
conditions: slowly and with caution!
Observe the following when driving on unpaved
r oads :
Ill-