,....,
N
0 > co ,....,
mode, the status message
e-"'1 o I r.-.Al"'Y ap
pears briefly in the instrument cluster display
and the needle in the power meter points to
READY ¢page 101.
-Make sure that the selector lever is in the P
position and the ignition is switched off
when leaving the vehicle.
([) Note
-The high-voltage system can be damaged if
the vehicle underbody comes into contact
with the ground. Immediately drive your ve
hicle to an authorized repair facility and
have it inspected.
- The electric drive motor can become very
hot during operation . Do not stop the vehi
cle if there is oil, fuel residue or other flam
mable substances under or next to the vehi
cle.
Special considerations for the high-voltage
battery
Please first read and note the introductory infor
mation and heed the warnings
¢page 98.
All batteries age with use and over time. There
are things you should know about the care of the
high-voltage battery that will help it keep giving
you good service and reliability over time. Please
read and keep the following information in mind
while you enjoy the performance and economy of
your vehicle.
- Be sure to charge the high-voltage battery be
fore leaving the vehicle parked and unused for a
longer period of time. Ideally the high-voltage
battery should have a charge level between
40% and 60% when parked for a long time.
- If the battery charge level is below 3%, never
park the vehicle for more than 21 days without
charging the high-voltage battery. Should you
have to park the vehicle for a long time, make
sure that the charge level is sufficient to help
prevent the battery from aging prematurely.
- Frequent and consecutive charging of the high
voltage battery when the charge level is above
98% can also decrease the capacity of the high-
e-tron
voltage battery. Make sure the charge level is
below 98% when you start the charging proc
ess.
- Should the vehicle be parked for longer than
2 days at temperatures below -13 °F (-25 °(),
the high-voltage battery could freeze and not
be able to provide energy to the electric motor.
The battery will start working again, once it
warms up . The battery can be warmed up when
the outside temperature rises or when the vehi
cle is garaged appropriately. The battery will al
so warm up when being used (switching on the
air conditioner, the heater or by driving the ve
hicle). Should you have to park your vehicle at
very low temperatures for longer than 1 day,
make sure that the high-voltage battery does
not freeze by parking the vehicle in a garage
that is heated or protected from the outside
temperature.
- The high-voltage battery can be damaged and
the capacity can be decreased when the vehicle
is parked for longer than 24 hours when the
ambient temperature is higher than 118 °F
(48 °C). Always make sure that the high-volt
age battery is not exposed to temperatures
above 118 °F (48 °C) for a long time.
- Never park the vehicle in areas that are likely to
be flooded, such as beaches or river banks, and
never drive the vehicle in WATER, on flooded
roads or through water that is higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body. The high-voltage
battery, along with other vehicle components,
can be damaged severely if the high-voltage
battery is exposed to open water especially for
a longer time. However, you can drive through
water on roads under certain conditions
¢ page 77, Driving through water on roads .
Failure to heed any of these requirements can
age the battery prematurely and lead to a perma
nent decrease of the high-voltage battery's ca
pacity.
(D Tips
Always make sure that the high-voltage bat
tery is not exposed to extremely low and high
temperatures as well as to water especially
for a longer time. Failure to protect and care
for the high-voltage battery can lead to
99
Tires and wheels
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom
mended by the vehic le manufac
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilo
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve
hicle with standard equipment in
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additiona l weight of
op tional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in-
2 56
flation pressures than t he corre
sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl" , "EXTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating
("GAWR" )
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system , measured
at the tire-ground interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max im um total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load tha t a
tire is rated to carry for a given in
flation pressure. You may not find
this informat ion on all tires be
cause it is not required by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
t he maximum permissible infla
tion p ressure for that tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
Emergency situations
distribut ion and ba lance . This might hap
pen, for example, when heavy compo
nents such as the engine block or trans
miss io n are removed.
- When removing heavy components like
th ese, a nch or vehicle to ho ist o r add corre
sponding weights to maintain the cen ter of
gr avity. Otherwise , th e vehicle migh t ti lt or
s li p off the h ois t, causing ser ious perso nal
rnJury.
0 Note
- Be aware of t he following poi nts before lift
i ng t he veh icle:
-The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine oil
pan , the transmission housing, the front
or rear axle or the body side members.
This could lead to serious damage.
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be in·
serted between the floor jack and the lift points.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the vehicle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity of
the hoist .
- Before driving over a workshop hoist, en
sure that there is sufficient clearance be
tween the hoist and low parts of the ve ·
hide .
300
Tech nical data
Gross Axle Weight Rating
The G ross Ax le We ight Rating is the max imum
load that can be applied at each axle of the vehi
cle¢ &.
Vehicle capacity weight
The vehicle capacity we ight (max. load) is l isted
eithe r on the dr iver's side 8-pilla r or inside the
fue l filler f lap.
A WARNING
- The ac tual Gross Axle Weight Rating at the
front and rear axles shou ld not exceed the
permissible weights, and their comb inat ion
must not exceed the Gross Veh icle Weight
Rating.
Dimensions
The dimens ions can vary depending on the model
and eq uipment.
When driving on poor roads, by curbs and on
steep ramps, make su re that low-lying compo-
A3 Sed an
Leng th
Width
Wid th (across m irrors)
He ight (un loaded)al
•> T h e he ight of the veh icle depends on the tires and suspe nsion.
53 Sedan
Length
Width
Width (across mirrors)
He ight (un loaded)al
•> The he ight of the vehicle depends on the tires and suspe nsion.
A3 Sportback / A3 Sportback e-tron
Length
Width
302
- Exceed ing permissible weight ratings can
result in vehicle damage, accidents and per
sonal injury.
(D Note
- The vehicle capacity weight figures apply
when the load is d istr ibuted evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage). When
t ransporting a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, carry the load as near to the
rea r axle as possib le so that the vehicle's
hand ling is not impaired.
- Do not exceed the max imum perm iss ible
axle loads or the maxim um gross vehicle
we ight. Always remember that the ve hicle's
han dling will be affe cted by the extra load.
T herefore, a djust your spee d ac co rd ingly.
- Always observe lo cal regulations.
nents such as the spoiler and exhaust system do
not come into contact w ith these o r they co uld be
d am aged. This applies especially when the vehi
cl e is f ully loaded.
i n (mm)
175.3 (4 456)
in (mm) 70.7 (1796)
in (mm) 77.1 (1960)
in (mm) 55 .7 (1416)
in (mm) 1 75.8 (4469)
in (mm) 70 .7 (1796)
in (mm) 77.1 (1960)
i n (mm) 54.8 (1392)
in (mm) 169.6 (4312)1)
in (mm) 70.2 (1785)1
)
,....,
N
0 > co ,....,
adding . ... .. ............... .. .... . 242
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Checking the oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Dipstick .. .. .. .............. 239,240,242
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
o ·l · 1 consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Specification and viscosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Temperature indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Use . .. .. .. .. .... .. .. ....... .. .. .. . 242
Engine preheater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 S
Engine speed limitation (indicator light) . . .
24
Environment
Break-in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
232
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Disposing of your vehicle battery . . . . . . . 250
Driving at high speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up . . . . 7 8
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . . . 246
Proper disposal of drained engine oil . . . . 243
Unleaded gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
What should I do with an old battery? . . . 250
EPC (engine control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
ESC
Automatic post-collision braking system .
159
Electronic stabilization control . . . . . . . . . 159
Sport mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
also refer to Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
159
ESP
refer to Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
159
Event Data Recorder (EDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Exterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Exterior mirrors
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
D' . 1mming ... .. ................ ..... .. 51
folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
F
Fastening
Booster seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
218
Convertible child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . 216
Infant seats .. .... .... ..... ... ... .. . 215
Filling AdBlue
with bottle
Index
235
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Fog lights/rear fog light(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Folding the exterior mirrors
Center locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
39
Folding the rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Foot pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
171
Footwell lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
For the sake of the env ironment
Environmentally-friendly driving . . . . . . . . 77
Fueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
230
Leaks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Rear w indow defogger...... ...... .. .. . 74
Front airbags Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
188
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Frontal collisions and the laws of physics . . 177
Front armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Front passenger's door emergency locking . . 41
Front seats
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
168
Child res traints in the front seat . . . . . . . . 185
also refer to Seats 57,64
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
228
Blended gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Current consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Fuel filler neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 12
Fuel tank capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Gasoline additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Saving fuel .. .. .. .. .............. 77, 148
Fuel economy messages (efficiency program) 3.1
Fueling
Fuel filler door eme rgency release . . . . . .
232
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Fuel tank capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Open ing the fuel filler door . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Fuses
Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
292
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 1
315