2017 AUDI A3 SEDAN transmission

Driving
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeab le interruption in traction .
Selector lever positions
Appl ies to: ve hicles w ith a uto mat ic t ra n sm issio ns
F ig. 95 Instrument cluster : selector lever posit ions
•
F ig. 96 Selector lever lock
OJ M N 0
:J OJ OJ
The se lected selector leve r pos ition is shown hear
the selector lever ¢
fig. 96 and in the instrument
cluster display ¢
fig. 95.
• Switch the ign ition on.
• In the P/N pos it ion, yo u m ust release the selec­
tor lever lock ¢
page 86 .
• Move the selector lever into the desired pos i­
tion. The engaged selector lever pos ition is
shown in the shift gate .
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
ing a gea r accidenta lly, causing t he vehicle to
ro ll.
The se lector lever is locked in the P and N pos i­
tions whe n the ignition is sw itched o n. You must
press the brake pedal to se lect another position .
You must a lso press the inte rloc k button if you
are moving from the P and N position .
86
The selector leve r lock on ly functions when the
vehicle is stationary or at speeds be low approxi­
mately 1 mph (2 km/ h). At higher speeds, the
l ock is automatically deactivated in the N posi­
tion.
The selector leve r is not locked when shifting
quick ly throug h N, fo r example from R to D. This
makes it possible to free the vehicle when it is
stuck by "rocking" it. The selector lever lock en­
gages if the leve r stays in the N pos ition longer
t h an approximately 2 seconds when the brake
pedal is not pressed .
Ignition key safety interlock*
App lies to: Vehicles w it h i gnit ion lock
You can only remove the key from the ignition af­
ter switching t he ignition
off if the selector lever
i s in the P position. The selector lever will be
locked in the P position as long as the key is not
i n the ig nition .
P -Park
This selector lever position prevents the vehicle
from ro lling. You ca n only shift into Park w hen
the ve hicle is
stationary ¢,&. .
To sh ift in and out of the P selecto r lever posi­
t ion, press the interlock button in the selector
l ever
while pressing the brake peda l.
The selector lever will be locked in the P pos ition
i f there is a power failure ¢
page 92, Selector
lever emergency release.
R- Reverse
Only s hift into reverse gear w hen the ve hicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed ¢,& .
To se lect t he R sele ctor leve r position, press the
interloc k but ton
while pressing the brake pedal.
N - Neutral
The tra nsmission is in idle in th is posi tion.
D /S -Normal position for driving forward
In the 0/5 se lector lever position, the transmis­
sion can be operated either in the normal D mode
or in the 5 sport mode. To select the 5 sport
mode, pull the selector lever back br ie fly. P ulling
..,.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
the lever back again will select the norma l D
mode. The instrument cluster display shows the
selected driv ing mode.
I n the
no rmal mode D, the transmission a uto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
The engine 's power reserves are used fully in the
Sport mode S . Shifting may become noticeab le
when accelerating .
To move from selector lever position N to D, yo u
must press the bra ke pedal and the veh icle mus t
be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be sta­
tionary ¢.&, .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.
-Never select R or P while driv ing, beca use
this increases the risk of an accident.
-Power is st ill transmitted to the wheels
when the eng ine is r unning at idle . To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P) when the engine is
running . Otherwise, th is increases the r isk
of an accident .
-Do not inadvertent ly press the acce lerator
peda l when the veh icle is stopped if a gear is
engaged . Otherwise the veh icle wi ll start to
move immediately, even i f the pa rking brake
is se t. T his cou ld res ult in a crash.
-Do not p ress the accelerator pedal when
changing the s elector leve r pos ition w hile
the vehicle is stationa ry and the engine is
running.
-Never leave yo ur vehicle with the engine
running wh ile in gear. If yo u m ust leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is runn ing, set
the parking brake and move the selecto r lev ­
er to the P position.
- T o decrease the risk of an accident, t hese­
lector lever must be in the P position and
the parking brake must be set before open­ ing the hood and wo rking on a running en-
D riv ing
gine . A lways read and follow the app licab le
warn ings
¢ page 316, Working in the en­
gine compartment.
-Read and fo llowing a ll WARNINGS c> .&. in
Driving tips on page 88 .
(D Tips
-Audi drive select: Sporty shifting character­
istics can be selected using the
Dynam ic
dr iving mode c> page 143 Sw ill appear in
the instrument cluster display instead of D.
-If you accidentally select N wh ile driving,
take your foot off the accelerator peda l im­
mediately and wait for the eng ine to slow
dow n to idle before selecting Dor S.
-If the selector leve r does not engage, there
is a malfunct ion. The engine is disabled to
prevent the veh icle from drivi ng off unin­
tentionally. To allow t he selecto r lever to
engage again, proceed as follows:
- >Briefly press the brake pedal.
-If the vehicle does not move forward or in
reverse even tho ugh a drive posit io n is se­
lected, proceed as follows:
->If the vehicle does not move in the desired
direction, the system may not have engaged
the drive position correctly. Press the bra ke
peda l and select the dr ive position again.
- >If the vehicle still does not move in the de­
sired d irection, there is a system malfunc­
tion. See an autho riz ed Aud i dealer o r au­
tho rized Audi Service Fac ility for assistan ce
t o have the system checked .
- If there is a powe r fail ure, the se lector lever
w ill not move ou t of the P posi tion. The
emergency re lease can be used if this hap ­
pens
¢ page 92.
(D Tips
P lug-i n hy brid drive *: the transm iss ion
swi tches automatically to the norma l mode D
if the
l""'I button¢ page 100 is p ressed wh ile
i n sport mode S.
87

Driving
Driving tips
Applies to: ve hicles w ith a utomat ic tra nsm iss io ns
Fig. 97 Sect ion of the cente r conso le : se lector lever w ith
i nte rlock button
Starting the engine
• Se lect the P or N selec to r l ever posit ion. At low
temperat ures (below
14 °F (- 10 °C)), the en­
gine can on ly be star ted when the selector lever
is in the P position.
Starting from a stop
• Press and hold the brake pedal.
• Press and hold the interlock button in these­
l ector lever handle, se lect the des ired selector
lever posit io n such as D
c::> page 86 and release
the lock button.
• Wait a moment unti l the transmission shifts.
You w ill notice a slight movement when the
gear engages.
• Release the brake pedal and press the accelera-
tor pedal
c::> ,& .
Various convenience functions are ava ilab le for
starting on hills
c:::> page 85.
Stopping temporarily
• Keep the veh icle stationary using the b raking
peda l, for example at traffic lights.
• Do not press the accelerator pedal when doing
th is.
• To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the park ing brake when stop­
ping on steep hills
c::> .& and c::> 0.
• The park ing brake w ill release automatically
and t he veh icle wi ll sta rt moving on ce you press
the accelerator pedal. Req uirement: the driv ­
er's door m ust be closed.
88
Stopping/parking
If the sele ctor lever is not in the P position w hen
you open the driver's door, the vehicle cou ld roll.
In vehicles with a conven ience key *, the following
message appears:
Shift to P , vehicle can roll
away . Doors can only be locked in P.
A warning
tone w ill also sound.
• Press and hold the brake peda l c::> A.
• Set the parking brake.
• Select the P selector lever posit ion.
U nder certai n circumstances, (such as driving in
t h e mountains or towing a trai ler), it may be use ­
ful to switch temporar ily to the manual shift pro­
gram in order to ad just the gears to the driving
cond it ions by hand
c:::> page 90.
When park ing o n a level sur face, s imply place the
se lector lever in the P position . On inclines, acti­
vate the parking brake first and then move the
selector lever to the P pos ition
c:::> page 83 . This
prevents the locking mechanism from being
loaded too heavily and will make it easier to
move the selec tor lever o ut of the P posi tion.
.&_ WARNING
- The vehicle can ro ll even whe n the engi ne is
sw itche d off.
- Unin ten ded vehicle movement can lead to
s e rio us inju ries.
- Never leav e your ve hicle w ith th e engine
r u nning w hile in gear.
If you mus t leave
your veh icle when the eng ine is r unning, se t
the par king brake and move the se lector lev­
er to the P position .
- P owe r is s till tran sfer red to the whee ls
when t he engine is runn ing at idle. To pre ­
vent the vehicle f rom "creeping", yo u m ust
keep your foot on t he brake when the en­
gine is running and the se lector lever is in
the D, So r R position or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationa ry. Ot her ­
w ise the veh icle will start to move immed i­
ately, even if the parking b ra ke is set. T his
c o uld result in a c rash.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
-Never engage the R or P selector level posi­
tions while driving. It could cause a crash.
-Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"tiptronic" .
-Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
downhill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
-If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in place with the foot brake or
parking brake to prevent it from rolling
back.
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload.
The@] indicator light turns on
and a message appears
Q page 91 when
the clutch is overloaded.
(D Note
-When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving 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 rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped while the selector lever is in the
N posit ion will damage the automatic trans­
mission, because it is not lubricated under
those circumstances
Qpage 370, Towing
with a tow truck.
-The transmission can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic. When the
mJ or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool
Qpage 91.
Driving
{!) Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake only re­
leases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
App lies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmissions
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in the D or 5 position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­ ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations .
If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brakes. Because hill de­
scent control cannot shift down farther than 3rd
gear, it may be necessary to shift into tiptronic
mode in very steep areas. In this case, shift into
2nd or 1st gear in tiptronic mode to use the en ­
gine's braking force to relieve the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
Q page 123, hi ll descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.
89

Driving
Manual shifting (tiptronic mode)
Applies to: vehicles w ith a utomat ic t ransm iss io ns
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 98 Cente r conso le : shifting manually w ith the se lector
l ever
F ig. 99 Steer ing wheel: sh ifting manually w ith t he s hift
paddles •
Shifting with the selector lever
You can sh ift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driv ing.
.. To sh ift into tiptronic mode , pus h the selector
lever from the D/S setting to the r ight in the
tiptronic sh ift gate. Once the transmission has
swi tched modes, the se lec tor lever posi tion
M
is shown in the instrument cluster display
¢ page 86, fig. 95. For example M4 , means the
4th gear is engaged .
.. To sh ift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ¢ fig. 98 .
.. To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
0 .
Shifting with the shift paddle s*
You can operate the shift padd les in the D/S or M
(tiptronic shift gate) selector lever positions.
90
.. T o shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢ fig. 99 .
.. To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
If the shif t paddles a re tapped w hile i n the D/S
selector lever position, a utomatic mode switches
off briefly . To switch from manually shifting back
to automatic shifting immediately, tap t he sh ift
paddle
0 ¢ fig. 99 for 1 second.
To keep sh ifting us ing the shift padd les, move
the selector lever to the right out of the D/S posi­
tion into the tiptronic shift gate .
The tr ansmission a utomatica lly shi fts up or dow n
before critical engi ne speed is reached.
The transmission on ly allows manual shifting
whe n the engi ne speed is w ith in the pe rmitted
range.
(j) Tips
tiptro nic does not wo rk if the transmiss ion i s
r unning in emergency mode .
Kick-down
Applies to : vehicles wi th auto matic transm issions
Kick -down enables maximum acceleration.
When you p ress the accelerator pedal down be ­
yond the res istance point (ca lled kick-down), the
automat ic transmission downshifts into a lower
gear, depending on vehicle speed and engi ne
R PM .
It shi fts up in to the next higher ge ar once
the maxim um specified eng ine RPM is reached .
A WARNING ,._
Please note that the whee ls could spin on
slick or slippe ry roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Launch control program
App lies to: vehicles with S t ronic transmiss ion an d Launch
Co ntro l P rogram
The Laun ch Control Program enabl es maximum
acceleration.
The Launch Contro l Program is not ava ilable for
all eng ine/transmission combinations .
..,.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering whee l must not be
turned.
.,. Deact ivate ll the Start/Stop system*
¢ page 83. The LED in the ~ button turns on.
.,. With the engine running, press the l.t, O FFj but­
ton briefly one time .
.,. Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi­
t ion briefly to select the S posit ion, or press it
toward the right into the tiptronic pos ition or
select the
D ynamic driving mode in drive se­
lect*
¢ page 143 .
.,. Press the b rake peda l firmly with you r left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
.,. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot unti l the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.,. Remove your left foot from the brake.
A WARNING
- Always adapt yo ur driv ing to the traffic flow .
- Only use Launch Control when road and traf-
fic cond itions allow it and other dr ivers will
not be endangered or impacted by your driv­
ing and the vehicle's acceleration .
- Please note that the drive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is s lippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
I ~ OFF j button briefly to tu rn the sport
mode off.
@ Tips
-The transmiss ion temperature may increase
s ignificantly after us ing the launch cont rol
program.
If that happens, the program may
not be available for a few m inutes. It w ill be
available again after a cool-down pe riod.
-When accelerating using the la unch control
program, all veh icle parts are subject to
heavy loads. Th is can lead to increased
wear .
8 1
> It is not pos sib le to deact iv a te t he system w it h all vers io n s N iii of th e tran sm is s ion.
D riv ing
Emergency mode
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
In the event of a system malfunction, there is an
emergency program .
If all of the selector lever positions are highlight­
ed with a light background in the instrument
cluster display, there is a system malfunct ion and
the transmission is running i n the emergency
program. The veh icle can sti ll be driven in emer­
gency mode, but only with red uced speed and
not in all gears . In some cases, the vehicle
can ­
not d riv e in revers e .
([) Note
If the transm ission runs in eme rgency mode,
drive to a n author ized A udi dealer or author­
i zed Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunction corrected .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
• Tran smission: malfunction! Please stop ve­
hicle and shift t o P
There is a ma lfunction in the transm ission. Park
the vehicle secure ly and do not continue driving.
See an author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance .
• Transmis sion overheat ing! Plea se stop the
ve hicle!
The tra nsmission is too hot and can become dam­
aged. Stop and le t the transmiss ion cool w ith the
engine r unning (at idle) in the P se lector lever po­
sition . Then the indicator light and the message
turn off, drive to an authorized A udi dealer or au­
thori zed Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected. If the indicator light
and the driver message do not turn off, do not
continue driving . See an authorized Aud i dealer
or authorized Audi Serv ice Facility for ass istance.
[!l Tran smiss ion malfunction : you can continu e
driving
.,,.
91

Driving
Drive to an a uth o rized Audi dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
rm Transmis sion malfunction : no reverse ge ar
( you can continue driving )
Drive to an a uthorized Aud i dea le r or aut horized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct io n corrected.
[O] Tran smis sion malfunction: You can continue
driving in D until engine off
Drive the vehicle away from moving traffic and
park. See an authorized Audi dealer or autho rized
Aud i Serv ice Facility for assistance .
rm Transmission : too hot. Pleas e adapt d riving
style
Continue driving mode rately. When the indicator
light turns off , you can continue driving normal­
ly .
rm Transmis sion : please p ress brake pedal and
select gear ag ain
If the transmission malfu nctions be ca u se the
temperature is too high, a message appears
when the transmission is cooled.
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 100 Selecto r leve r: remov ing the s hifter boot
92
Fig . 101 Se lector leve r: u si ng the eme rgency release to
mov e out of the Park pos iti on
To maneuver or tow the vehicle, the emergency
release must be used to
move the selector lever
from the P position.
The emergency release mechanism is located in
the right area unde r the selector lever shift gate .
Using the emergency release can be complicated .
We recommend contacting an authorized Audi
dealer or author ized Audi Service Fac ility for as­
s ista nce, if necessary .
The screwdr iver from the vehicle tool kit located
i n the luggage compartment is needed to for the
emergency re lease
r::;, page 353 . Use the flat side
of the reversible sc rewdriver blade .
Removing the shifter boot
.. Set the park ing brake <®> r::;, .&. to secure your
vehicle from ro lling. If th is is not possible, se­
cure your vehicle from rolling using another
method.
.,. Sw itch the ignit ion off .
.,. To loosen the shifter boot, carefully inse rt the
fla t side of the s crewd river si deways in to the
slit nea r the sh ifte r boot
r::;, fig. 100 .
.,. Care fully p ry t he sh ifter boot o ut w ith t he
screwdriver wh ile gripping the boot at the fold
and pulling it upward and out -arrow -unti l all
four corne rs are re leased .
.. Fold the shifter boot up around the sh ifter knob
¢fig. 101.
Selector lever emergency release
.. Press and hold the ye llow release b utton with
the screwdriver
¢ fig. 101 .
.. Press the release button in the selector lever @
and move the lever into the N position .
II>

e-tron
for the high-voltage battery can lead to seri­ous damage and/or a decrease of the capacity
void coverage under the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Starting/driving the vehicle
Applies to: ve hicles w ith plug -in hybrid drive
The vehicle is started and stopped with the
I START STOP I button. Please also read the in ­
formation under
c::> page 78, Starting the engine .
Establishing drive ready mode
See c::> A in Introduction on page 94.
Requirement: a charging cable must not be con­
nected to the vehicle
c::> page 117 and the selec­
tor lever must be in the P or N position.
- Press the brake pedal.
- Press the
I STAR T STOPI button .
When the vehicle enters drive ready mode, the
status message
e-tron READY appears briefly in
the instrument cluster display and the needle in
the power meter points to
READY c::> page 97.
Driving
The vehicle starts with the electric motor after
establishing the dr ive ready mode and if the con­
ditions for electric drive mode have been met
c::> page 100.
The conditions to drive are essentially the same
as for the automatic transmission
c::> page 85 .
You and your passengers should anticipate the
possibility of a sporty acce leration.
Ending drive ready mode
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Switch the ignition off with the
I STAR T STOPI
button.
Vehicle sound
The vehicle generates an electronic engine sound
so that your vehicle can be heard from the out­
side when in electr ic drive mode. The veh icle
sound automatically fades out at higher speeds
when the sounds from the tires and wind start in­
creasing.
96
Switching the ignition on/off
You can switch the ignition on without establish­
ing drive ready mode.
- Press the
I START STOP ! button to switch the
ign ition on and off. Do not press the brake ped­
al whi le doing this.
When the ignition is sw itched on, the needle
points at
OFF @c::>page 97, fig. 103 or OFF is
displayed @c::>page97, fig .103.
No indicator lights stay turned on when the igni ­
tion is switched off .
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the vehicle battery from draining, the
ignition will switch off automatically under the
follow ing cond it ions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The vehicle is stationary.
- The gasoline engine must not be runn ing .
- The driver's door must be open.
- The driver's safety belt must be unbuckled .
- The brake pedal must not be pressed.
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The message
Side marker
lights automatically shut off in
30 minutes. See
owner's manual
appears in the instrument clus­
ter display . The parking lights w ill switch off af­
ter approx imately 30 minutes or when you lock
the veh icle.
If the gasoline engine was not stopped, the mo­
tor continues runn ing and the ignit ion does not
automat ica lly switch off
c::> A .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the eng ine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
The vehicle cannot start when outs ide tem­
peratures are below-18 °F (-28 °C)
c::> page 98.
-