2017 AUDI A3 SEDAN brake light

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.

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-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

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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.
-

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
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, econo­
my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always che ck with the t rail ­
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
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 b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck tha t all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind
c> ,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
120
The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system.
Safety chains
A lways use s afety chains between you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your Aud i dea le r fo r cor rect wir ing,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us­
i ng t he regular outs ide mir rors, then yo u
must in­
stall extended mirro rs . It is impo rtant that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
&, WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tr ailer hi tch, do not s to re
i t i n yo ur vehicle. In case o f su d den braking,
the hitch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra iler f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t rai le r i s he ld se curely in
pla ce to p revent i t from shi fting forward, bac k­
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer c> &.
in Driving instructions on page 121.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure tha t
the coo ling system has enoug h flu id.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inf late the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full load" on the label
c> page 336. Inflate trailer

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tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working p roperly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect ­
ed from the tra iler to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
in g corners . When you install safety cha ins, ma ke
sure they w ill not drag on the road when yo u are
driving .
The chains shou ld cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separat ion
from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keep ing the tra iler as light as possib le under the
circumstances. Whenever possib le, t ransfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle whi le observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
conditions are unfavorable
-particu larly when
going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the s lightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Tra iler towing
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fa il.
Coolant temperature
T he coo lant tempe rature gauge ~ page 11 must
be observed carefully . The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed
immediately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
play turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer
to . ~page 28.
A WARNING ,-
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because of the addit ional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy will g reatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate yo ur rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practic ing until you have be­
come complete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a t railer genera lly requires steer ­
i ng action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You will need more
.,,.
121

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Assistance systems Electronic speed limiter
Applies to: vehicles with electronic speed lim iter
Your vehicle may be factory equipped with 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
failure and loss of control if the vehicle is operat­
ed at excessive speeds, your vehicle also has an
electronic speed lim iter . The electronic speed
limiter prevents your vehicle from going faster
than the tir e speed rating. For more information
¢page 335.
If the engine control unit receives faulty vehicle
road speed s ignals, the Malfunction Indicator
L amp (MIL)
II! will illuminate . If this occurs,
contact the nearest authorized Audi dealer for
assistance .
& WARNING
Always observe the posted speed limits and
adjust your speed to suit prevailing road, traf­
fic and weather conditions. Never drive your
vehicle faster than the max imum speed rat ing
of the tires installed.
Speed warning system
Applies to: vehicles with speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to stay be­
low a specified maximum speed that can be set,
changed or deleted in the Infotainment system .
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set.
A warning tone will sound as soon as your speed
exceeds the stored value slightly . The
101 (USA
models) /
[01 (Canada mode ls) indicator light
and the corresponding message appear in the in ­
strument cluster display at the same time. The
[OJ (USA models)/ (•j (Canada models) indicato r
light and the message turn
off when the vehicle
speed drops below the stored maximum speed.
Setting a threshold is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when you reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country with a gener-
Assistance systems
al speed limit or if there is a specified maximum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
• Select in the Infotainment system: I MENU ! but­
ton
> Vehicle > left control b utton > Driver as­
sistance
> Speed warning > Manual.
(0 Tips
Regardless of the speed warning system, you
shou ld always monitor your speed using the
speedometer and make sure you are following
the lega l speed limit.
Cruise control system
Switching on
Applies to: vehicles wit h cruise control system
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 15 mph (20kmlh) .
0
f
~
0
Fig. 127 Operat ing lever: cruise control system
i;:i N 0 > ... m
• To switch the system on, pull the lever into po-
sition
(D ¢fig . 127.
• Drive at the speed to be maintained.
.. To store the speed, press the button @.
T he
(ij;jl)~1i (USA mode ls)/ Bl (Canada models)
indicator light turns on in the instrument cluster.
T he speed is maintained by modifying engine
power or through an active brake intervention.
.i\, WARNING
-Always pay attention to the traffic around
-
you when the cruise control system is in op­
eration. You are always responsible for your
..,
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