2017 AUDI S3 SEDAN towing

Trailer towing
room to stop . To compensate fo r the trai ler, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When pass ing, remembe r that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you norma lly would because of
the added load. Make s ure yo u have eno ugh room
to pass . After passing, allow plenty of room for
your tra ile r before chang ing lanes again.
Avoid jer ky s tar ts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes .
{D) Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during t he b reak-in per i­
od of yo ur vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Aud i may require
more frequent m ain tenance d ue to the ex­
tra load
r:!) page 3 78.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only
a~er doing the following:
When parking:
.,. Apply the foot b rake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both t he ve­
hicle and the trai le r wheels .
.. With chocks i n place, slowly release the brakes
u nt il the whee l cho cks absorb the load .
.. T urn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake .
.. Select the P selector lever position.
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foo t bra ke .
.. Start the engi ne .
.. Se lect the D/S selector lever position .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the se lector lever of the a utomat­
ic transm ission to P before apply ing t he park­
ing brake and before block ing the wheels, you
may have to use more fo rce later to move the
lever ou t of the P position .
122

Assistance systems
warn you about detected vehicles that it has clas­
sified as critical.
@ Tips
You can adjust the brightness on of the dis­
play on the rearview mirror¢
page 141.
General information
App lies to: ve hicles w ith Audi side assist
@
Fig. 146 Driving s it u ations
Fig. 147 Rear of the veh icle: pos it ion of the sensors
Side assist functions at speeds above approxi­
mately 9 mph (15 km/h) .
@Approaching vehicles
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
critical for a lane change even i f it is still some ­
what far away. The faster a vehicle approaches,
140
the sooner the display in the exterior mirror will
turn on .
@Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling with you are indicated in the
exter ior mirror if they are classified as critical for
a lan e change . All vehicles detected by side assist
are indicated by the time they enter your "blind
spot", at the latest .
@ Vehicles you are passing
If you slow ly pass a vehi cle that side assist has
detected (the differe nce in speed between the
vehicle and your vehicle is less than approximate­
l y 9 mph (15 km/h)), the disp lay in the exterior
mirror turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your
blind spot.
The display wi ll not turn on if you quickly pass a
vehicle that side assist has detected (the differ­ ence in speed is greater than approximate ly 9
mph (15 km/h)) .
Functional limitations
The radar sensors are designed to detect the lef t
and right adjacent lanes when the road lanes are
the normal width . In some situations, the display
in the exterior m irror may turn on even though
there is no vehicle located in the area that is criti­
ca l for a lane change. For example:
- If the lanes are narrow or if your
are dr ivin g on
the edge of your lane. If this is the case, the
system may have detected a vehicle in another
lane that is
not adjacent to your cur rent lane.
- If you are driving through a curve. Side ass ist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane over
from the adjacent lane.
- If side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or displaced guard ra ils).
- In poor weather conditions. The side ass ist
functions are limited.
Do not cover the radar
sensors ¢ fig. 147 with
stickers, deposits, bicycle wheels or other ob ­
j ects, because they will impair the function. Do
not use s ide assist when towing a trai ler. For in-
format ion on cleaning,
see ¢ page 347. .,..

@ Tips
-You can cance l the automatic brake activa­
tion w ith increasing bra king fo rce if you ap­
ply the brakes y ourse lf or accelerate cons id­
erab ly.
- In some sit uations, rea r cross-traffic assist
may warn yo u even if there is no cross traffic
i n a cr itical a rea , for examp le w hen back ing
i nto a parki ng space or ma neuver ing.
- The rea r cross-traffic ass ist also switches off
whe n you switch off the ESC.
- The rea r cross traffic assist switches on and
off thro ugh the pa rking aid
qpage 146.
- The system is not available when towin g a
trailer.
Messages
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with Audi side assist
If t he side assist switches off automatically, a
message appea rs in the ins trumen t clus ter dis ­
pl ay.
@j Aud i side assist: System fault!
The system can not guarantee that it wi ll detect
ve hicles co rrectly and it has switched off. The
sensors have been moved o r are faulty. Have t he
system checked by an authorized Audi dea ler or
author ized Audi Service Facility soon .
@j Audi side assist: currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
@j Audi side assist: currently unavailable. Sen­
sor vision restricted due to surroundings . See
owner 's manual
The radar senso r vis io n i s im paire d. Do not cove r
the area i n front of t he senso rs with bike wheels,
stickers, dirt o r othe r objects. C lean the area in
fron t of t he senso rs, if necessary
q page 140,
fig. 147.
@j Audi side assist: currently unavailable
S ide assis t cann ot be swi tched o n at thi s time be­
c a use t here is a mal func tion (fo r ex amp le, the
~ ba ttery ch arge level may be too low) .
....
~ @j Audi side assist: unavailable in towing mode
....
~ @j Audi side assist: unavailable in towing mode
00
Assistance systems
Sid e ass ist swi tches off automatically a fter a
s h ort time when a factory -insta lled tra ile r h itch
i s connected to the e lectrica l connecto r on the
t railer . T here is no gua rantee the system will
switch off when using a retrofitted trailer h itch.
Do not use side assist when tow ing a trailer .
Ill Rear parking aid : obstacle detection restrict­
ed
T he rea r cross -tra ffic ass is t is not available. Ei­
t h er th e ESC is sw itched off, or the rada r senso rs
may be cove red by a bike rack, st icke rs, leaves,
snow o r other objects. Switch the ESC on, or
clean the area in front of the senso rs if necessa ry
q page 140, fig . 147. If t his message continues
to be displayed , dr ive immed ia tely to a n author­
iz ed Audi dea ler or author ized Audi S ervic e Facili­
ty to ha ve the m alfunc tion re paire d.
Audi drive select
Introduction
Applies to : vehicles wit h Audi drive se lec t
Audi dr ive select makes it poss ible to experience
diffe rent types of vehicle settings in one vehicle.
T he dr iver can select from three modes,
Comfort ,
Auto
and Dynamic , using t he r:;~, bu tton in the
c en te r c onsole o r by usin g the Info ta in m ent sys­
te m. T hi s a llow s yo u t o swi tch between a sporty
and a com fo rt ab le driv ing mode, fo r ex am ple. In
t h e
Individual* mode , the settin gs ca n be adjus t­
ed to yo ur persona l preferences . T his makes it
p oss ible to com bine settings such as a spo rty en­
gine setting with light steer ing.
Description
App lies to : vehicles wi th Audi drive se lect
The veh icle set up i n eac h mode depends on the
vehicle's features. However, the eng ine a nd
stee ring are always affec ted .
Engine and automatic transmission
Depend ing on the mode, the engine an d auto­
matic transm ission* respond more q uickly o r in a
more ba la nced manner to acce lerato r pedal
movements . In the sporty dynam ic mode, th e
t ransm iss io n shifts at higher spe ed ranges .
..,.
143

CX> CX> ... N .... N ... 0 N > a:,
including the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer
-
does not make the vehicle heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­
late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport
so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­ ed.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU­
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS" on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 336, fig. 280.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
"XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
Wheels
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 336, fig. 280.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the
"XXX" amount
equals
1400 lbs. and there will
be five
150 lbs . passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capacity is
650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) =
650 lbs.)
S. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex­
ceed the available cargo and
luggage load capacity calculat­
ed in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve­ hicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces
the available cargo and lug­
gage load capacity of your vehi­
cle.
.,.Check the tire sidewall
(¢page 328, fig . 278) to deter­
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
341

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
label, you should determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure for those tires).
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has been
eq uipped w ith a t ire pressu re monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire press ure te ll­
tale when one or more of your tires is significant­ l y under- inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure tellta le illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure . Driving on a s ignifi ­
cantly under- inflated tire causes the tire to ove r­
h eat and can lead to t ire failure. Unde r-inflation
a lso reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affec t the vehicle's handling and stop­
p ing ability .
P lease note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
p roper tire maintenance, and i t is the d rive r's re­
sponsib ility to ma inta in cor rec t tire p ressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the leve l
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres ­
sure tellta le .
Your veh icle has also been eq uipped w ith a TPM S
mal funct ion indicator to indicate when the sys ­
tem is not operating properly . The TPMS ma l­
function indicator is combined with the low tire
pressure tellta le. When the system detects a
malfunct ion, the telltale will flash for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain cont inuously
i l lum inated . This sequence will continue upon
subseq uent ve hicle start-ups as long as the ma l­
function ex ists .
When the malfunct ion indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be ab le to detect or signal
low t ire press ure as intended. TPM S malf unctions
may occur for a var iety of reasons, including the
i nstalla tion of replacement o r alte rnate t ires o r
wheels o n the vehicle that prevent the TPM S
from func tioning properly. Always chec k the
TPMS malfunction telltale afte r rep lacing one or
more tires or whee ls on your ve hicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to cont inue to function
properly.
Wh eel s
If the tire pressure indicator appears
App lies to : vehicles wi th Tire Pressure Monito rin g Syste m in­
dicator
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
U sing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
ing system compares the tire tread c ircumfer­
ence and vibration characterist ics of the ind ividu­
al tires. If the pressure changes in one or more
t ires, th is is indicated in the instrument cluster
display with an
[I] indicator light and a message .
If only one tire is affected, the location of that
t ir e will be indicated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the menu display again each t ime the p ressures change
(swi tching between partial and full load pres­
s ur e) o r after changing or replacing a ti re o n your
vehicle
Q page 346. T he tire p ressure mo nitor ­
ing system on ly monitors the t ire pressure you
have stored. Refer to the tire pressure label for
the recommended tire pressure for yo ur vehicle
c:> page 336, fig. 281.
T ire tread c ircumference and vibra tion characte r­
istics can change and ca use a tire press ure wa rn ­
ing if:
- t he t ire pressure in one or more ti res is too low.
- the t ire has str uctural damage.
- t he t ire was replaced or the t ire pressure was
changed and it was not stored
c:> page 346.
- one side of the vehicle is more heavi ly loaded
than the othe r.
- the wheels on one axle are more heavily loaded
than the othe rs (for example, when towing a
t ra ile r or when driving up and down hi lls).
- snow chains are installed .
- the spare tire* is installed.
- only one tire was replaced on eac h axle.
Indicator lights
[I] -Loss of pressu re in at least one tire c:> ,&. .
Check the tires and replace or re pair if necessary .
Check/correct the pressures of all fou r tires . Then
store the tire pressures in the menu
Q page 346 .
m (T ire Pressure Mon itor ing Sys tem) Tir e
pre ssure: System malfunction!.
If m appears 1JJ,,
345

Emergency assistance
A WARNING
-Read and follow the manufacturer's safety
precautions on the compressor and in the
instructions on the bottle of sealant .
- If a t ire pressure of 29 ps i (200 kPA) cannot
reached after inflating for 6 minutes, then
the tire is too severely damaged. Do not
continue driving.
- If the t ire cannot be repaired with the tire
sealant, see an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance.
@ Tips
Do not operate the compressor for more than
six m inutes continuously, or it can overheat.
Once the compressor has cooled, you can con­
tinue to use it.
Completing
App lies to: vehicles with tire mobility kit
.,. Affix the sticker that says "max. SO mph (max .
80 km/h)" that is provided with the tire mobili ­
ty kit within the driver's field of vision .
.,. Stop the vehicle after driving for about 10 mi­
nutes and check the tire pressure.
.,. If the tire pressure is lower than 19 ps i (130
kPA), then the tire is too severely damaged. Do
not cont inue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity for as­
s istance.
.,. If the tire pressure is at least 19 psi (130 kPA),
adjust the tire pressure to the spec ified value
<:!'v page 336, Tire pressure . Store the tire pres­
sures
¢ page 346, Storing tire pressures. Drive
to the nearest authorized Aud i dea le r or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the tire re­ placed.
A WARNING
If the tire pressure is less than 19 psi
(130 kPA) afte r 10 minutes of driving, then
the tire is too severely damaged. Do not con­
tinue driving. See an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility for assis­
tance.
356
A WARNING
-
Pay attention to the following after repairing
the tire:
- Do not drive faster than SO mph (80 km/h).
- Avoid hard acceleration, braking sharply,
and fast cornering.
- The vehicle may become more difficult to
control.
- If the tire is too severe ly damaged, see an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility for assistance.
@ For the sake of the environment
You can give the used tire sealant bottle to an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi
Service Facility for disposal.
(D Tips
Remember to obtain a new bott le of sealant
from an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility after repairing a tire .
Replacing wheels
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own
and your passenger's safety when changing a
wheel.
.,. After you experience a t ire failure, pull the car
well away from moving traffic and try to reach
level ground before you stop¢.&_ .
.,. All passengers should leave the car and move
to a safe location (for instance, behind the
guardrail)¢ .&_.
.,. Engage the parking brake to prevent your vehi­
cle from rolling
unintentiona lly¢ ,&.
.,. Move selector lever to position P ¢ ,& .
.,. If you are towing a trai ler, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
.,. Ta ke the jack ¢ page 353 and the spare tire
<:!'v page 362 out of the luggage compartment . ..,.

Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
Thi s chapter is intended for trained eme rgency
crews and working per sonnel who have the nec­
essary tool s and equipment to perform these
ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles wi th an au tomat ic tra nsmission can­
not be starte d by pushi ng or towi ng.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine con be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle .
Plug -In hybrid drive* : The con nection poin ts for
the jump start cables vary ¢
page 104.
If t he engine sho uld fa il to s tart because of a dis ­
c har ged o r we ak battery, the batt ery c an be con­
nected to the ba ttery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cable s to start the engine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of suffi cien tly large cross
se ction
to car ry the s tarter cur rent safely. Refer
t o the man ufact urer 's spe cifica tions.
Use o nly jumper cables with
insulated te rm inal
clamps whi ch a re distin ct ly ma rked :
positive (+ ) cable , in most cases colored red
negative(-) cable ,
in most cases colo red black.
A WARNING
Plug-in hybr id d rive*: you must not give a
jump start with your vehicle. This could cause sign ifica nt damage to the electrical system in
your vehicle
¢ pag e 104.
368
A WARNING ,_ -
Batteries conta in e lectr ic ity, acid, and gas.
A ny of these ca n cause very ser ious or fatal in ­
ju ry . Follow the ins truct io ns be low for safe
h andling of you r ve hicle's bat tery.
- Always sh ie ld your eyes and avo id leaning
over the battery w henever p ossible .
- A dead battery can freeze at temperatures
around 32 °F (0 °C) .
If the vehicle batte ry is
fro zen, yo u m ust t haw i t befo re connect ing
t he jump s tart cables. If y ou do no t, t his in ­
creases the r isk of an explos io n and chemi­
c a l bur ns. A fter jump st art in g the vehicle,
drive to an aut ho riz e d Au di dea ler o r auth o r­
ized Au di Service Faci lity immediately to
have the vehicle batte ry c hecked.
- Do not allow battery ac id to contact eyes or
skin. Fl ush any contacte d area with water
immed iate ly.
- Improper use of a booste r batte ry to sta rt a
veh icle may cause an exp losion.
- Veh icle batteries gene rate exp losive gases.
K eep s parks, flame an d lig hte d ciga rettes
away from batter ies .
- Do not t ry to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the batte ry .
- The vo ltage of the booster batte ry must a lso
have a 12-volt rat ing. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batter ies of diffe re nt voltage or substantial­
ly diffe rent
"A h" rating may cause an exp lo­
sion and perso na l inju ry .
- Never cha rge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an ex plosion .
- Never cha rge o r use a battery that has been
frozen . The battery case may have be w eak­
e ned.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or sub ­
s tan tially d if f eren t capacity (Ah) ra t ing may
cause an exp losion and injury. T he capac ity
(Ah) of the booste r ba ttery sho uld not be
l o wer th an that of the dis ch arged battery .
- B efore you c heck anyth ing in the eng ine
co mpart me nt, alw ays re ad and h eed all
W AR NING S
¢page 316.

Emerg enc y s it uati ons
9. In the ve hicle that is being jump started,
switch the heater fan and rear window de ­
froster on to reduce any voltage peaks that
may occur when disconnecting the jumper
cables. The headlights must be switched off.
10. With the engines running, remove the cables
i n
reverse order of the way they were instal­
l ed. Make sure the cables do not get caught
in mov ing engine components.
11. Sw itch the heater fan and rear w indow de-
froster off.
12. C lose the battery cover .
The battery is vented to the outside so that gases
do not enter the passenger compartment. Make
sure that the connected positive termina l clamps
on the jump start cab le have sufficient contact
with metal.
A WARNING
Follow the warnings and instructions from
the jump start cab le manufacturer to reduce
the risk of ser ious injuries and vehicle dam­
age. If you are unsure about anything, call
roads ide ass istance.
- The jump start cables must be long enough
so that the veh icles do not touch.
-
- Route the jump start cables so they cannot
get caught in the moving parts in the engine
compartment.
- Always read and follow the warnings before check ing anything in the engine compart­
ment
~page 316.
(D Note
Connecting jump start cables incorrectly can
damage the alternator .
- Always connect the positive terminal(+) to
the positive term inal(+) and the negative
term inal(-) to the negat ive terminal(-) on
the body ground po int, but not the negative
terminal on the battery.
- Make su re the screw plugs on the battery
cells are installed securely. If not, tighten
the plugs before connecting the clamps to
the negat ive termina l on the b attery.
- Please note t hat the connecting p rocess de­
scribed below for the jump sta rt cab les is
in-
370 tended for when your vehicle is being jump
started. If you are jump starting another ve­
hicle, do not connect the negat ive cab le to
the negative term inal (-) on the dra ined
battery, but rather connect it to a large
metal component that is bolted secure ly to
the engine block, or to the engine block it­
self.
If the battery in the vehicle being jump
sta rted is not vented to the outside, there is
a risk of explosion due to hyd rogen gas.
- Make sure that the connected pos itive ter­
minal clamps have suff icient contact with
metal.
- Do not use the battery negative terminal fo r
jump starting or a ma lfunction co uld occ ur
in the vehicle electrical system.
Towing with a tow truck
General tips
Your Audi requires special handling for towing.
The following information is to be used by com­ mercia l tow truck operators who know how to op ­
erate their equipment safely.
-Never tow your Audi. Towing will cau se dam­
age to the engine and t ran smi ssi on.
- Nev er wrap the safet y ch ains or winch cables
aroun d the br ake lines .
- To pr event unne ce ssa ry damag e, your Audi
must be tran sported with a flat be d tru ck .
- To load th e vehicle on to the flat bed , use th e
towing l oop found in the vehicl e tool s and at ­
t a ch to the front or rear an chorage
.=;,page 371 and ~page 371.
A WARNING
A veh icle being towed is not safe for passen­
gers. Never allow anyone to ride in a vehicle
being towed, fo r any reason.