2018 AUDI S3 SEDAN auto

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Im proper seating posi tions reduce the effective ­
ness of safety be lts and wi ll even increase the
risk of injury a nd death by mov ing the safety belt
to crit ica l areas of t he body. Improper seating
posi tions also increase the risk of serious injury
a nd death when an airbag deploys and str ikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seat ing pos i­
tion . A driver is respons ible for the safety of a ll
ve hicle occupants a nd espec ia lly for children.
Therefo re:
.,. Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
s itting position in the veh icle wh ile travel ing
¢ & .
.&_ WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
o f serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used .
- Always ma ke sure that a ll vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢ page 263.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
Reversible safety belt tensioners
The follow ing funct ions are ava ilable when safety
be lts with reve rsible safety belt tensioners are
fastened:
- In certai n driving situat ions, the safety belts
may tighten with a revers ible tens ion ing func­
t ion
r=;, page 130 .
-The safety belts may a lso tighten with this re -
versible tensioning function in minor coll is ions .
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
Seat belts w ith pyrotechn ic safety belt preten­
sioners are tens ioned automat ica lly in severe col­
lisions, depend ing o n the c ircumstances . Th is
h elps to reduce t he forward mot ion of the occu ­
pants .
Safet y be lts
.&_ WARNING
--
- It is poss ible for the pretensioners to dep loy
incor rectly .
- The pyrotechnic system can only provide
protection for one collision. If the py rotech­
n ic pretens ioners deploy, the pretensioning
system must be replaced.
(D Tips
- A fine dust is re leased when the pyrotechnic
safety belt pretensioners dep loy. This is no r­
mal and is not caused by a fi re in the veh i­
cle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the sys tem are scrapped . A q ual ified
dealership is familiar with these regulat ions
a nd w ill be pleased to pass on the informa­
t ion to you.
Service and disposal of safety belt preten­
sioner
The safety belt pretensione rs are parts of the
safety belts on your Aud i. Installing, removing,
servicing or repair ing of belt pretens ione rs can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from wo rking co rrectly in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effective ness of the
system will not be impa ired and that d iscarded
components do no t cause inju ry or pollute the
enviro nment .
.&_ WARNING -
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
d ur es can inc rease the risk of personal in jury
and death by p reventing a safety belt preten­
sione r from activating when needed or act i­
vating it unexpectedly:
- The belt pretensioner system can be activat­
ed only once. If belt pretens ioners have
been activated, the system must be re­
p laced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts o f
the safety belt system.
267

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action is entered in your Audi Warranty &
Maintenance booklet under
AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- Applies to plug-in hybrid* vehicles: In the
event of a collision where the airbags de­
ploy, the electrical connection to the high
voltage battery is automatically disconnect­
ed. This prevents a short c ircuit.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al - special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the suspension, including the springs , suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in-
.
Airbag system
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­ led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 240 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering
wheel¢ fig. 240, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
t ion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 2 79, More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
posit ion in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection .
..,.
285

Child sa fety
- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
t h e chi ld restraint is installed is in an up­
rig ht p osition and s ecurely latched into
plac e and can not f old forward . O therwise,
t he se atback with t he ch ild safe ty seat at­
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used
¢ page 294. Specia l preca utions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger
seat ¢ page 2 70, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking r etractor for child
re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the bel t is wound all the way back in to the re­
tractor .
~ Press the red button on the safety belt b uckle.
Th@ belt tongue w ill pop out of the buckl e.
~ Gu ide the safety belt a ll the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract complete ly into
its stowed position . The safety bel t can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con­
vert ible lock ing retractor for child restra ints .
If the convert ible lock ing retractor should be ac ­
tiva ted inadve rtently, the safe ty belt must be un­
fastened and gu ided completely back into its
stowed position to deact ivate this feature .
If the
convertib le lock ing retractor is not deact ivated,
the safety belt w ill gradually become tighte r and
uncomfo rtable to wea r.
A WARNING
-
Improperly installe d child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serio us pe rsonal injury and
death in a collision .
- Never unfasten the safe ty belt to deactiva te
the convert ible locking retractor for child re­
straints while the vehicle is moving . You
308
wou ld not be rest rained and could be seri­
ously in jured in an acc ident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
used¢ page 294. Special p recautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenge r seat
¢ page 2 70, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
LATCH system (lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To p rovide a simp ler and mo re practicab le way to
attach the ch ild restraint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require spec ia l lower ancho­
rages in vehicles and devices on new ch ild re­
straints to attach to the vehicle anchorages .
In the United States, the combination of the
tethe r ancho rages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called t he LATCH system for
" Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children" . In
Canada, the terms
" top tet her " wi th "lower u ni­
versa l anchorages " (o r "lowe r universa l anchor­
age bars") a re used to des cribe the system .
In other co untries the term
"ISOF IX" is used to
desc ribe the lower anchorages .
Fo rward-facing chi ld restraints manufactured af­
ter September
1, 1999, are required by U.S . fed­
era l regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance req uir ements . These
new performance requ irements make a tether
necessary on most new ch ild sea ts.
Installing a ch ild restraint that requires a top
tether wi thout one can se riously impair the per­
fo rmance of the c hild rest raint and its ab ility to
pro tect the ch ild in a co ll ision. I nstalling a ch ild
r es trai nt th at r equi res a top te ther wi tho ut the
top tether may be a vio lation o f st ate law.
Child restra int manufactu rers offe r LATCH lowe r
ancho rages on t heir child seats w ith hook-on or
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-If you are unable to determine whether or
not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
fications, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents can­
not be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems resulting from the use of fuels differ­
ent from those specified are not the respon­
sibility of Audi and are not covered under
the New Vehicle or the Emission Control
System Warranties .
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy or
driveability and performance problems due
to the use of one of these fuel blends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufactur­
ers is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manu ­
facturer to another, they have certain things in
common. All gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on vital engine
parts, such as fuel injectors and intake valves.
Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to
keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline. For more information on TOP TIER Deter­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website
(www.toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
en­
gine of peak performance.
(D Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel qual­
ity is not covered by the Audi New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking and Filling
Refueling
Fueling
Applies to: vehicles without plug-in hybrid drive
Fig. 260 right rear side of the ve hicle: open ing the fuel
filler door
Fig. 261 Fuel filler door with attached fuel cap
Plug-in hybrid drive*: refer to the information un­
der ¢pag e 103, Refueling .
The fuel filler door is unlocked or locked by the
central locking system.
.,. Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive:
note the information
on¢ page 103, Opening
the fuel filler door.
.,. Applies to : vehicles without plug-in hybrid
drive: to open, press on the left side of the fuel
filler
door¢ fig. 260 .
.. Unscrew the tank cap counterclockwise .
.,. Place the cap from above on the open fuel fille r
door ¢
fig. 261.
.,. Insert the fuel pump nozzle all the way into the
fuel filler neck.
.,. Begin fueling. Once the fuel pump nozzle turns
off the first time, the fuel tank is full. Do not
continue fueling, or else the expansion space in
the tank will be filled with fuel.
.,.
315

Checking and Filling
Opening/closing the hood
The hood is released from inside the vehicle .
Fig. 265 Sect ion from th e driver's side footwell: release
l ever
F ig. 266 Rocker switc h under the hood
Read and foll ow all WARNINGS before checking
anyth ing in the eng ine compartment
~ page 318, Working in the engine comport­
ment .
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the windshield . Otherwise the pa int could be
damaged .
Opening the hood
Applies to vehicles w ith plug-in hybrid dr ive:
switch the ignition off before re leasing the hood
320
so that the gasoline engine does not start auto­
matically .
.,. With the drive r's door open, p ull the lever be­
low the instrument pane l in the d irec tion of the
arrow ~ fig. 265 .
... Raise the hood slightly c:> .&, .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
<=:> fig. 266. This releases the catch .
... Open the hood .
Closing the hood
... Push the hood down unti l you override the
force of the strut.
... Let the hood fall lightly into the latch . Do not
press it in.
<=:> .&, .
A WARNING
-Never open the hood when there is steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment, because there is a risk that yo u could
be burned. Wait unt il no steam or coolant is
escaping.
- For safety reasons, the hood m ust always be
closed securely while driv ing. Because of
this, always c hec k t he hood after closing i t
to make sure it is latched correctly. The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you no tice that the hood is not latched
while you are driving, stop immediate ly and
close it, because driving when the hood is not latched increases the risk of an accident .
-If the hood is not latched comp letely, it
could f ly up wh ile you are driving and ob­
struct your vision.

Checking and Filling
Coolan t loss usu ally indicates there is a leak. Im ­
m ed iately drive your v ehicle to an authorized
Aud i dea ler or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility
and have the cooling system inspected. If the
coo ling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheating
and be ing pushed out of the cool ing system.
.&_ WARNING
- The coo ling system is under pressure . Do
not open the coolant expans ion tank cap
when the eng ine is ho t. This inc reases the
risk of burns .
- T he coo lant add itive and the coolant can be
d angerous to your healt h. For this reason,
keep the coolant in the origina l container
and away from children . There is a risk of
poisoning .
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the rad iator fan can switch
on even if the ign ition is switched off, which
increases the risk of in jury .
-
CD Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system and
damage the engine. If this is the case , do not
cont inue driving. See an authorized Audi deal­
er or author ized Audi Service Facility for assis­
tance .
Brake fluid
Fig. 271 Eng in e co mpar tment : cap on b rake flu id r eservo ir
O bserve the safety precautions ¢ page 318,
Working in the engine compartment .
326
Checking the brake fluid level
Read the b rake fluid level on the br ake fluid res­
ervoir ¢ page 321, fig . 267. The brake f lu id leve l
must be between the MIN and MAX markings
¢ ,& .
The brake f lu id leve l is monito red automa tically .
Changing the brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed regularly by an au ­
thorized Aud i dea ler or authorized Audi Service
Facility.
.&_ WARNING
- I f the b rake fl uid leve l is below the MIN
marking, i t can impair the bra king effec t
and driving safety, wh ich increase the r isk o f
an accident. Do not continue driving . See an
authorized A udi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance.
- If the brake fl uid is old, b ubbles may form
in the brake system dur ing heavy braking.
This would impair braking performance and
driving safety, which increases the risk of an
accident .
- To ensure the brake system functions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids that comp ly
w ith VW standard S0 l 14 or
FMVSS- 116 DOT 4 .
CD Note
-If the brake f luid level is above the MAX
marking, brake fluid may leak o ut over the
edge of the reservoi r and result in damage
to the vehicle .
- Do not ge t any brake fl uid on the vehicle
pai nt, b ecause it w ill co rrode the paint .
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of t he comp lex power supp ly, all work
on batter ies such as d isconnecting, replacing ,
etc., shou ld
only be pe rformed by an authori zed
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility
¢ _& . ~

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Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight ( in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission , power steer ­
ing, power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items a re available as factory- in­
stalled equipment (whether i n­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low s idewall for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
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 .
Wheel s
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle 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 additional weight of
optional eq uipm ent .
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at highe r in­
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be identified as "X L",
"xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
.,.
333

Care and cl eaning
Care and cleaning
General information
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive: for
additiona l cleaning and care information, see
¢ page 117.
Reg ula r, prope r ca re helps to maintai n your veh i­
cle's value. It can a lso be a requirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The ne cessary care prod ucts c an be ob tained
from an authorized Aud i dea ler o r authorized
Audi Service Facility. Read and follow the instruc ­
tions fo r use on the packaging.
A WARNING
- Us ing clean ing and ca re products incorrectly
can be dangero us to your hea lth.
- Always store clean ing and ca re products out
of reach of children to reduce the r is k of po i­
so ning.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Prefe rab ly purchase environmenta lly-friend ­
l y cleaning products.
- Do not dispose of leftove r cleaning and ca re
p roducts wit h house hold trash.
Car washes
The longer that deposits s uch as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road salt remain on the ve ­
h icle, the more the surface can be damaged. High
temperatures such as those caused by sunlight increase the damaging effect .
Before washing, rinse
off heavy deposits with
p lenty of water.
S tu bborn deposits s uch as bird d roppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water and a
microfiber cloth.
A lso, wash t he u nderside of yo ur vehicle once
road sa lt stops being used for the season .
354
Pressure washers
When was hing yo ur vehicle wi th a press ure was h­
er, always follow the operat ing instruct ions pro ­
vided with the pressure washer . This is especia lly
important in regard to the pressure and spraying
distance. Do not aim the spray direct ly at sea ls on
s ide windows, doors, the hood, the luggage com­
partment lid or the panorama g lass roof * or at
tires, rubbe r hoses, insula ting material, the pow­
e r top*, senso rs* o r camera lenses* . Keep a d is­
tance of at least 16 in (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice with a p ressure
washer.
Never use cone nozzles o r high press ure nozzles.
The wate r temperatu re must not be above 140 °F
(60 °C).
Automatic car washes
Sp ray off the ve hicle befo re wash ing.
Make su re t hat the wi ndows, the pa norama g lass
roof* and the power top* are closed and the
winds hield wipers a re
off. Fo llow instructions
from the ca r was h operator, espec ia lly if there
a re acc esso ries attached to your ve hicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes.
Applies to: RS models
Only use car washes where the veh icle remains
stationary and the washing equipment moves around the vehicle when wash ing and dry ing . Car
washes that move the veh icle t hrough the ca r
wash using a c ha in a re not re commended .
Washing by hand
Clean the ve hicle starting from t he top and work­
i ng down using a soft sponge or cleaning brus h.
U se solvent-free cleaning prod ucts .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint by
hand
To avo id damaging the paint when washing, fi rs t
r emove d ust and la rge pa rt icles from your vehi­
cl e. Insects, grease spots a nd fingerpr ints are
best re moved w ith a spe cial cleane r fo r m atte
finish pai nt.