2016 AUDI Q3 brakes

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c> page 177. Otherwise, any increase in en­
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal whi le a driv ing gear is se ­
lected. This can cause the automatic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it . Set
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from ro lling.
- Allow ing the vehicle to roll when the eng ine
i s stopped and the selector lever is in
N po­
s ition w ill damage the automatic transm is­
s ion because i t is not lubricated under those
ci rc u ms tances.
- The transmiss ion can over heat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic co ndi­
t ions s uch as frequent starts, creeping for a
l ong time, or stop -and -go traffic. When the
• indicator light turns on, stop the vehicle
at the next opportunity and let the trans­
mission cool down
c> page 86.
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver 's
safety belt is fastened and the dr iver 's door is
locked.
Hill descent control
Hill descent control assists the driver when dr iv­
ing down hills.
Hill descent contro l is activated wh en th e se lec­
tor lever is in the D or S position and you p ress
the b rake pedal. The transm ission automat ically
select s a gear that i s suitable for the incline . H ill
descent control tries to maintain the speed ach ­
ieved at the time of braking, within phys ical and
techn ical limitations . If may st ill be necessary to
adj ust the speed with the b rake pedal.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev ­
e ls out or you press the accelerator pedal.
Aut oma tic tr ansm iss ion
A WARNING
-Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitat io ns, so it may not be able to ma intain
a constant speed under all conditions . Always
be ready to app ly the brakes .
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
The tiptronic allow the driver to shi~ the gears
manually.
F ig. 92 Cente r con so le: m anu al shi ft ing w ith t he sel ect or
leve r
Fig . 93 Stee ring w hee l: manual s hift ing w ith the shi ft pad­
d les•
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tip tronic mode wh ile stat iona ry
and wh ile driving.
"' To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selecto r
lever from the D/S setting to the right. As soon
as the transmission is switched , the M trans ­
m iss ion se tting will appear in the ins trument
cluste r display.
"' To shift up a gea r, tap the selector lever for­
ward
0 c> fig . 92 .
"'To shift down a gea r, tap the se lector lever back
0 . ~
85

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

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- 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 .,.

intervals and fac ilitat es a better reaction time for
the brak es in wet weather.
The braki ng effect can also be red uced if you are
driving on salted roads and you do not apply the b rakes for long periods of time . The layer of salt
on th e brake rotors and brake pads must be worn
off first when the brakes are applied~&, .
Cor ro sion
Leaving the vehicle par ked for long periods of
time, low m ileage and avo iding heavy brak ing
can contribute to corros ion on the brake rotors
and dirty brake pads.
If you usually avo id heavy b raking or if there is
cor ros io n present , occasional heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
rotors and pads~&, .
Brake system malfunct ion
if you notice that the bra ke pedal travel has sud­
denly
go tten larger , the n a brake circu it may have
failed ~&. .
Low brake fluid level
When the brake flu id level is low , malfunct ions in
the brake system may occ ur. The brake flu id leve l
i s elect ronically mo nitored .
Brake booster
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you ap­
p ly to the brake pedal.
It only works when the en ­
g ine is running ~&, .
Brak e lining we ar status
Brake lining wea r may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
~ page 213, Replacing wheels .
.8, WARNING
-New bra ke pads don 't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "bro ken- in" dur ing
the init ial 250 m iles ( 400 km). Yo u can
compensate for this by p ressing the brake
peda l more firm ly . T his also applies later
when new pads are installed .
Intelligent Technology
- You shou ld pe rform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system
only if road condit ions permit . Other road
users must not be put at r isk -you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift tra nsmission in to a lower
gea r or lower dr iving range . Do not r ide the
b rakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. Th is co uld cause t he b rakes to ge t
hot and dim inish b raking effic ien cy.
- D o not " ride the bra kes " by rest ing you r foot
on the ped al when you do no t intend to
brake . T his may ca use the brakes to ove r­
heat, premature wear and increased stop ­
ping distance .
- Under cer tain clima tic and ope rating condi­
tions such as passing t hrough water, driving
in heavy rain o r after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re­
duced. In winter, ice can accumu late on the
brake pads, lin ings, discs and drums . Care­
fully apply brakes for a test . Brakes will d ry
and ice coat ings will be cleaned off after a
few ca refu l bra ke applications .
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your b rakes can also affect braking eff icien cy.
Clea n off acc umulated salt coat ing fr om
b rake discs an d pads w ith a few careful
brake applicat ions .
- If you damage the front s poile r, or if you in­
s t all a different spoiler, be s ure the a ir flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed. Other­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc­
ing the effectiveness of the ent ire brake sys­
tem.
- Fai lu re of one brake circ uit w ill impa ir the
braking capability resulting in an increased
stopping distance . Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest authorized
Aud i deale r or qualified worksho p.
- Never let the ve hicle roll to a stop with the
e ngine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed cons iderab ly
harder to make up for the lack of booster
assis tance .
155

Driving and th e en vironm ent
A WARNING
-The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once they
have become hot . This could result in burns.
- Do no t park or operate the vehi cle in areas
where the hot exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, br ush, fue l spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic converter or
heat sh ields. During dr iv ing, the substance
used for undercoating could ove rheat and
ca use a fire .
(D Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will a lready ser iously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter .
- Do not exceed the correct eng ine oi l level
¢ page 181.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty. The engine cou ld mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause t he
catalytic converte r to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition whi le the vehicle
i s mov ing.
- Do not continue to operate your veh icle un­
der these cond itions, as otherwise fue l can
r each the catalytic converte r. This cou ld re­
su lt in ove rheating of t he converte r, req uir ­
i ng its re placement.
- T o assure efficient operation of the Emis­
s ion Control System:
- Have your ve hicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the se rvice recommen ­
dations in your Wa rranty
& Maintenance
book let .
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as im­
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the em ission cont rol system
and co uld lead to damage.
160
-
® For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is op­
e rating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
su lfu r-li ke exhaust gas sme ll under some op­
erating states. T his depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help, or fi lling the tank
with lead-free super g rade gasoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inopera­
tive for a longer pe riod of time, contact an Audi
o r othe r spec ia liz ed dealer. They ca n adv ise you
o n necessa ry p recautions e.g. corros io n preven­
tion, m aintenance and storage . Pay attention to
additional in formation concer ning the battery .
Refer to¢
page 187 .
Economical and environ­
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, a s well as exhau st and
noise levels .
Fu el economy, env ironmenta l impact, and wear
o n your e ngine, brakes and tires large ly depend
o n t hree fa ctors:
- your personal d riving style
- operat ing cond itions
- technical limitat ions
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your f uel
consumption by 10-lS percent. Th is sect ion wi ll
give you some tips on how you can help the envi­
ronment and your pocketbook .
{l) Tips
The consumption estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIO N AGENCY
(EPA) and T ransport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consump tion on the
r oad, which wi ll vary depending upon vehicle
l oad and speed, road a nd wea ther conditions,
tri p l engt h, etc.

~ Never drive the vehicle in terrain which is not
suitable for the vehicle, or which exceeds your
driv ing skills. Never take any unnecessary risks!
~ Drive slowly and ca utiously!
~ Pay atten tion to the gro und clearance of your
vehicle! The clearance may vary depending on
the load, ground composition and the environ­ ment. The driver is therefore responsib le for
deciding whether a vehicle can handle a specific
s ituation.
~ Activate the E SC off ro ad mode as needed
¢ page 152 .
~ Use the hill de scent a ssis t when driving down
steep slopes
¢ page 153.
Difficult t errain
Never drive in areas that are not familiar to you
and drive slowly when
off road and be prepared
and expect the unexpected (e .g . potholes, bou ld­
ers, tree stumps, etc .)
To prevent the ve hicle from bottoming and avo id
damage to the unde rbody, you should drive
straight across severe bumps in the gro und with
on ly one side of the vehicle so that only two of
you r wheels cross the bumps.
Drive quick ly throug h sandy or marshy off-road
sections and do not stop, if at all possible.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage whe n
d riving through wa ter, for example on flooded
r oads:
- The wate r must not be any higher tha n the bot­
tom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than walking speed .
A WARNING
After driving through water o r mud, the brak­
ing effect can be reduced due to mo isture on
t he bra ke discs and b rake pads. A few caref ul
brake applications should dry off t he brakes.
Veh icle components such as the engine,
tra nsmission , suspens ion or electr ical system
can be severe ly damaged by dr iv ing t hrough
water.
Driving and the envir onment
{!) Tips
- Determine the depth before driving through
water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safe ly.
- Avoid dr iv ing through salt water (corrosion).
163

Trailer mod e
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, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Tr aile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your veh icle 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 w ith the t rail­
er hitch man ufact urer to make su re that you are
using the co rrect hitch .
Do not use a bump er hit ch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From t ime to t ime, check that a ll hitch mount ing
bolts rema in securely fastened.
When you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from caus ing damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
164
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between you r vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wiring , switches, and relays.
M irrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outs ide mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
- If a tra ile r has e lectr ica l brakes p lease no te
t hat these brakes are not activated by the
factory-fit ted contro l unit -risk of accident!
- After removing the trai ler hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch co uld fly forward and in ­
jure you or yo ur passengers.
- Never install a "we ight distribu ting" or
"load eq ualizing" trailer hitch on your vehi­
cle. The vehicle was not designed for these
kinds of trailer hitches. The hitch attach­ ment can fail, caus ing the tra iler to tear
loose from the vehicle.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance la­
be l on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must never
be exceeded under any circumstances . Ex­
ceed ing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing of
your veh icle is likely to damage yo ur vehicle,
and such damage will not be covered by
your Limited New Vehicle Warranty . Exceed­
ing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating will al ­
so change the performance and handling
characteristics of your vehicle, which could
cause a crash result ing in serious injury or
death.