2018 AUDI S3 SEDAN tow

Drivin g
~ To start driving and re lease the parking brake
automatica lly, press the acce lerator pedal as
usua l.
I n addition to re leasing the par king brake auto ­
matica lly, other convenience and sa fety functions
are available when you start driving
r=;, poge 83,
Starting from a stop.
Pre venting th e automatic parking bra ke
r el eas e
The vehicle could begin ro lling unintentiona lly,
dep ending on the hill or if towing a trailer .
~ To preve nt the parking b rake from releasing au­
tomatica lly, pull and hold the
®l switch and
press the acce lerator pedal. The parking brake
remains set and pr events the vehicle from ro ll­
ing backward.
~ You can re lease the(®) switch again once you
are sure that you are g iv ing enough dr iv ing
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator pedal.
Emergenc y bra king function
You can use the emergency brak ing funct ion in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled .
~ Pull and hold the(®) switch.
~ As soon as you release the (®) switch or acceler-
ate, the brak ing stops .
Pu lling and holding
the(®) switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking f unc ­
tion . The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­
ing effect is s imilar to heavy braking
r=;, .,&. .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warn ing tone (bu zzer)
sounds when the
®l swi tch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as the
®l switch is released
or the accelerato r pedal is pressed .
Parking
~ Press the brake peda l to stop the vehicle.
~ Pull the C® switch to set the parking brake.
~ Place the selector lever in the P pos ition.
~ T urn the eng ine off r=;, .,&. .
82
~ Turn the steering w hee l when parking on in­
clines so that the w heels wi ll roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving .
A WARNING
- Do not press the acce lerator pedal inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the eng ine is running . Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
d iate ly and this could resul t in an accident.
- Emerge ncy brak ing should only be used in
a n emergency, when the norma l bra ke pedal
has fa iled or the bra ke peda l is obstr ucted.
D ur ing eme rgency bra king, you r vehicle w ill
brake s imilar to he avy braking. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, AS R, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics.
Around curves and when road or weather
conditions a re bad, a full brake applicat ion
can cause the veh icle to skid or the rear end
to swerve, wh ich increases the risk of an ac­
cide nt.
- If the power supply fails, you cannot set the
parking brake if it is released. In this case,
pa rk the veh icle on leve l ground and secure
it by p lac ing the sele cto r leve r in the P pos i­
tion. See an au thor ized A udi dealer or au ­
thor ized A udi Se rvi ce Fa cility for assis tan ce.
- I f you leave the vehi cle, sw itch the ignition
off and take the veh icle key wi th yo u. Thi s
app lies pa rticular ly when children remain in
the vehicle. Otherwise, chi ld ren co uld start
the engine, release the parking brake or op ­
erate e lectr ica l equipment s uch as power
w indows, wh ich increases the r isk of an acci­
dent.
- No one, especially c hildren, should rema in
in the vehicle when it is locked. Locked
doors make it more difficu lt for emergency
workers to get into the vehicle, which puts
lives at ris k.
(D Tips
When stopp ing at a traff ic signa l or stopp ing
i n city traffic, you can set the park ing brake
manually . The veh icle does not have to be
h eld with the brake pedal. The par king b rake
e liminates t he tendency to creep when a

Driving
- If the vehicle sti ll does not move in the de ­
sired direction, there is a system malfunc­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thori zed Audi Service Facility for assistance
to have the system checked.
(D Tips
Plug -in hybrid drive* : the transmission
switches automatically to the normal mode
" D" if the
l.,,f' I button ¢ page 98 is pressed
while i n sport mode "S" .
Driving tips
Applies to: ve hicles with a utomat ic transmissions
F ig . 9 2 Sect io n of the cente r co nso le: se le cto r lever w it h
i nte rlock butto n
Starting the engine
• Select the "P" or "N" selector lever position . At
low temperatu res (be low 14 °F ( -10 °C)), the
engine can only be started when t he se lec to r
l ever is in the "P " posit io n.
Starting from a stop
• Press and hold the brake pedal.
• Press and hold the interlock button in these­
lector lever handle, se lect the des ired sele ctor
lever posit io n such as "D" ¢
page 84 and re­
lease the loc k bu tton.
• Wait a moment unti l the transmission shifts.
Yo u w ill not ice a slight movement when the
gear engages.
• Release the brake pedal and press the accelera­
tor
pedal ¢,&. .
Various convenience functions are avai lab le for
starting on hills ¢
page 83.
86
Stopping temporarily
• Keep the vehicle st ationary using the bra kin g
peda l, for examp le a t traffic ligh ts.
• Do not press the acce le rato r pedal when doing
this.
• To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you start driving, set the pa rking brake when stop­
ping on steep
hills ¢.&. and ¢(Q).
• The parking brake will release a utomat ica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once yo u press
the acce le rato r pedal. Requirement: the d riv­
er's doo r mus t be closed.
Stopping/parking
If the selector lever is not in the "P" pos ition
whe n you open the d river's door, the vehicle
could roll. In vehicles with a conven ience key *,
the message :
Shift to P, otherwise vehicle can
roll away. Door s do not lock if lever is not in P
appe ars . A wa rning tone wi ll also sound.
• Press and hold the brake peda l¢ ,&. .
• Set t he par king brake.
• Select the "P" se lector lever posi tion .
Un der certai n circumstances, (such as dr iving in
the mo unta ins or towi ng a trailer), it may be use­
ful to switch temporar ily to the m an ual shift pro­
gr am in or der to ad ju st t he gears to the driv ing
cond it ions by hand ¢
page 88.
When parking on a level surface, s imp ly place the
se le ct or lever i n the "P" pos ition. On inclines, a c­
tivate the par king b rake first and then move the
se lector lever to the "P " posit ion ¢
page 81. Thi s
prevents the locking mechanism from being
l oaded too heavily and will make it easier to
move the selector lever out of the "P" position.
A WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even whe n the engi ne is
sw itched off .
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serio us injuries.
- Never leave your veh icle with the engine
r u nning while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the eng ine is r unning, set
t he par king brake and move the se lecto r lev ­
er to the "P " posi tion .

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-Power is still transferred to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the brake when the en­
gine is running and the selector lever is in
the "D", "S" or "R" position or "tiptronic"
mode is selected.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
peda l when the vehicle is stopped if a gear is
engaged. Otherwise the risk of an accident
increases because the vehicle will start to
move immediately, even if the parking brake
is set.
- To reduce the risk of an accident, do not
press the acce lerator pedal when changing
the selector lever position while the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
- Never engage the "R" or "P" selector leve l
positions while driving. It could cause a
crash.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"ti ptron i c".
- 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 p lace with the foot brake or
park ing brake to prevent it from rolling
back.
- Never hold the veh icle on an incline with a
sl ip ping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. The
ml indicator light turns on
and a message appears
¢ page 89 when
the clutch is over loaded .
{LlJ) Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
ho ld the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
ce lerator pedal while a driving gear is se ­
l ected. This can cause the automatic trans ­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
Driving
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" position will damage the automatic
transmission, because it is not lubricated
under those circumstances
¢ page 3 78,
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
ml or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool¢
page 89.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake only re­
l eases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
App lies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmiss ions
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor lever is in the "D" or "S" posit ion and you
press the b rake pedal. The transmission auto ­
matically se lects a gear that is suitab le for the
hill. Hill descent contro l tries to ma inta in the
speed achieved at the time of braking, within
physical and technica l limitations. If may still be
necessary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Because hill descent control cannot shift down
farther than 3rd gear, it may be necessary to
shift into tiptronic mode in very steep areas . In
th is case, shift into 2nd or 1st gear in t iptronic
mode to use the engine's braking force to rel ieve
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*
¢ page 120, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set .
.,,.
87

u. co ... N l'­ N
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive .
Launch control program
App lies to: ve hicles with S tro nic tra nsm issio n an d La unch
Co ntrol P rogram
-
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop .
Requirement: the eng ine must be at operating
temperature and t he steer ing whee l must not be
turned.
.,. Deact ivate l) the S tart/Stop system*
~ page 81. The L ED in the ~ button turns on .
.,. Wi th the engine runn ing, p ress the I.!, O FF ! but­
ton briefly one time . The
11 indicator light
turns on and the message
Stabili zation control
( ESC ): s port. W arning! Rest ricted st a bilit y
ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display.
.,. Pull the selector lever back out of the "D/S" po­
s it ion br iefly to select the S pos it ion, or press it
toward the right into the t iptronic pos ition or
select the
Dynamic d riving mode in d rive se­
lect* ~ page 140.
.,. Press t he 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 a ll the
way down with your right foot unt il the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.,. Remove your left foot from the brake pedal
within five
seconds ~,&. .
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 you r driv­
ing and the vehicle 's accele ration.
- Please note tha t the drive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
8 l ) It is n ot poss ib le to deac tiv ate t he system wit h all ve rs io n s N &j of th e tran sm iss ion.
Driving
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the !.!> OFF I button briefly to turn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The transmission temperat ure may increase
significant ly after using the launch control
program. If that happens, the program may
not be ava ilable for a few minutes. It will be
availab le aga in after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch contro l
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads . This can lead to increased
wear .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to: vehicles wit h automatic transmissions
• Transmis sion : malfunction! Pl eas e s top ve ­
hicle and shift to P
There is a malfunction in the transmission . Park
the vehicle securely and do not cont inue driv ing .
See an author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Se rvice Facility for assistance .
• Transmission o verhe ating! Plea se stop th e
vehicle!
The transmission is too hot and can become dam­
aged. Stop and let the transmiss ion cool w ith the
engine running (at idle) i n the "P" selector lever
pos ition . T hen the ind icator light and the mes­
sage turn off, d rive to an authorized Aud i dealer
o r auth o rized Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to
have t he malfunct ion cor rected . If the indicato r
light and the driver message do not turn off, do
not continue driving . See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
s istance.
[O] Tran smission: malfunction! You can contin-
u e dri ving. See owne r's manual
.,.
89

Driving
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
[i1 Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving with limited function. No reverse
gear
There is a system malfunction in the transm is­
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certain gears or
will no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
You cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to an
authorized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
[i1 Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving in
D until engine is off
Drive the vehicle away from movi ng traffic and
park. See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility for assistance.
[i1 Transmission: too hot . Please adapt driving
style
The transmission tempe rature has increased s ig­
n ificant ly. Dr ive very cautiously or take a break
from driving unt il the temperature returns to the
normal range and the indicator light turns off.
[O] Transmis sion: please press brake pedal and
select gear again
If the transmission malfu nctions because the
temperature is too high, a message appears
when the transmission is cooled .
90
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmissions
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 95 Selector leve r: remov ing the shifter boot
Fig. 96 Selector lever: using the emergency release to
move out of the Pa rk posit ion
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 under the selector lever shift gate .
Using the emergency release can be complicated .
We recommend contacting an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Aud i Service Facility for as­
s is tance, if necessary.
The screwdr iver from the vehicle tool kit located
i n the luggage compartment is needed to for the
emergency re lease
c::> page 360 . Use the flat side
of the reversible screwdriver blade.
Removing the shifter boot
.,. Set the park ing brake(®) ¢.& to secure your
veh icle from rolling. If this is not possible, se­
cure your vehicle from rolling using another
method .
.,. Switch the ignit ion off.

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
condition. If necessary, get expert assistance
from a qualified electrical installation special­
ist.
A WARN ING
Incorrect handling of the connector contacts
can cause electric shock or fire.
- Do not touch the contacts for vehicle charg­
ing port and for the Audi e-tron charging
system .
- Do not insert any objects in the vehicle
charging port or in the Audi e-tron charging
system .
- Protect the sockets and connectors against
any moisture, water and other fluids .
A WARNING
Using a damaged or incorrect charging cable
or a damaged or incorrect socket, using the
Audi e-tron charg ing system incorrectly or
disregarding the safety precaut ions could
cause short circu iting, electric shock, explo ­
sions, fires and burns .
- Do not use the Audi e-tron charging system
if it is damaged and/or dirty . Check the ca­
ble and connector for damage and dirt be­
fore using.
- T he Audi e-tron charging system must only
be connected to sockets that are installed
correctly and that are not damaged as well
as to electrical installations that have no
faults.
- Do not use any extension cords, cable reels,
power strips or (travel) adapters.
- Disconnect the Audi e-tron charging system
from the power network during a thunder­ storm.
- Do not modify or repair any electrical com­
ponents.
- Never immerse the Audi e-tron charging
system and connectors in water.
- The Audi e-tron charging system must only
be cleaned when the control unit is com­
pletely disconnected from the power supply
and from the vehicle. Use a dry towel to
clean .
e-t ron
-If a 110 volt household socket is used for
charging, only connect one vehicle at a time
to the same circuit. Use a different circuit if
an additional vehicle needs to be charged at
the same time. Note the maximum permit­
ted current draw for the circuit . Contact a
qualified electrical technician if there is any
doubt .
A WARNING
The components in the Audi e -tron charg ing
system can trigger sparks which can cause
flammable or explosive fumes to ignite.
- To reduce the r isk of exp losions, espec ially
in garages, make sure the contro l unit is at
least 19 inches (SO cm) above the floor
when charging.
- Do not use the Audi e-tron charging system in areas at risk for exp losions .
- The Audi e-tron charging system is only suit­ ed for use on Audi vehicles and vehicles
within the Volkswagen Group . Using the de­
vice on vehicles made by another manufac­
turer is not authori zed.
@ Note
Make sure that you always use the suitable
power plug provided with the Audi e-tron
charging system for the corresponding mar­
ket. Contact an authori zed Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for more infor­ mation .
(D Tips
-Only use the factory-provided charging ca­
ble from Audi or the Volkswagen Group to
charge your vehicle .
- For an uninterrupted charging process, we
recommend only charging using sockets
that are connected to a separately protect­
ed circuit .
- Using either NEMA sockets with a current
rating of at least 30 A or industrial sockets
in accordance with IEC 60309 when charg­
ing is recommended.
1 05

e-tron
Charging dock
Applies to: vehicle s with plug-in hybrid drive and charging
dock
F ig . 111 Opening/clos ing t he charg ing dock
®
Fig. 11 2 Chargi ng dock : mount ing th e c harging sys te m
You can store the charg ing system in the charg ­
ing dock.
Opening /closing the charging dock
.. If necessary, you can u nlock/lock the charg ing
dock using the key provided by turning it to the
unlocked position @ or locked position @
¢fig. 111 .
.. Opening/closing the door on the charging dock.
Mounting the charging system in the
charging dock
.. Open the door on the charging dock.
.. First insert the control unit in the bottom tabs
on the charging dock and then into the upper
tabs.
.. Push the control un it toward the rear and let it
lock into place .
.. Guide the vehicle cable th rough the opening @
¢fig. 112.
.. Wrap the extra c ab le length around the adapt­
er @ .
.. Plu g the power cable into the socket in the
charging dock .
108
.. Close the door.
.. After charging, you can p lace the vehicle charg­
ing
connecto r@ ¢page 106, fig . 109 in the
holder on the charging dock
door¢ fig. 111.
Removing the charging system from the
charging dock
.. Open the door on the charging dock .
.. Remove the power cable connector from the
socket in the charging dock .
.. Unwrap the cable from t he adapter @ .
.. To loosen the control unit from the holder,
press the re lease tabs above the cont rol un it @
¢ fig. 112 .
(D Tips
-Always keep the door on the cha rg ing dock
closed .
- Do not place any objects on the doo r or the
charging dock.
Charging clip
Applies to: vehicles with plug-i n hybrid drive a nd charging clip
Fig . 113 Cha rg in g clip: c harg ing syste m connected
Connecting the charging system to the
charging clip
.. First insert the co ntro l unit in the bottom tabs
on the charging clip and then into the upper
tabs .
.. Push the con trol uni t towa rd the rear -ar row­
¢ fig . 113 and let i t lock into place .
.. Wrap the extra cable length aro und t he charg­
ing connector mount
(D.
.. Plug the power cable into the socket @ .
.. After charging, you can hook the vehicle charg­
ing
connector ©¢ page 106, fig. 109 to the
charging connector mo unt
(D ¢ fig . 113. .,.

air conditioning also switches o ff immedi ­
ate ly.
Setting the timer
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith plug- in hybrid drive
By setting the departure time, you determ ine
when your vehicle shou ld reach the desired tem­
perature. You ca n set the timer in the auxiliary air
conditioning menu in the Infota inment system .
Auxili ary climate c ontrol : sett ing the t imer
~ Se lect : IMENUI button> Vehicle > left control
button >
Au xiliar y A/C > right control b utton>
Program t imer .
~ Set the time and the date.
~ Press the I BACKI button .
~ Confirm the setting w ith the contro l knob to ac-
t ivate the t imer.
A./ appea rs i n the box .
When you reprogram a t imer, the next calendar
day is automat ically entered in the Infota inment
system. To act ivate the aux iliary climate control
fo r the next day, confirm t he sett ing(./ in the In­
fotainmen t system).
Error messages
ea -The high -voltage battery charge level is too
low to heat/air condition the veh icle using only
e lectr ic powe r.
If one of the follow ing symbols appears in the
d isplay, then you cannot switch on the aux iliary
climate cont rol:
,....c -There is a system ma lfunction.
Bu -The fue l level is too low.
(D Tips
- You can set the t imer a m axim um of seve n
days in advan ce.
- You can operate the clima te con trol in the
vehicle inte rior w hen the h igh -vo ltage bat­
tery is charging using the c harging timer
¢ page 110 . The climate cont rol output de ­
pends on the powe r socket capac ity.
::li -M ake s ure the time and date match in the .-<
~ Infotainment system settings so that the
N 8 timer can function properly¢ page 243.
N > 00
e-tron
- T he auxiliary climate contro l can contin ue to
ru n after the departure time is reached .
Cleaning/maintenance
information
App lies to : vehicles wi th plug-in hybrid drive
When was hing your vehicle with a pressure wash­
er, always follow the operat ing instruct ions pro­
v ided w ith the pressure washer. This is especially
i mportant in regard to the pressu re and spray ing
distance. Do not direct cleaning spray at the
c h arg ing unit in the rad iator g rille or at t he
c h arg ing dock*/charging cl ip*. Keep a d istance of
at least 16 in (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a p ressure
washe r.
Never use cone nozzles or high pressu re nozzles .
The water temperature must not be above 60
°C.
Remove contaminants on the Audi e -tron system
with a dry towel.
Remove contaminants on the charging dock*/
c h arg ing clip* wi th a wet towe l dampened w ith
alcohol-free clean ing solution .
& WARNING
=
-Never immerse the Audi e-tron charging
system and connectors in water.
-
- The A udi e -tron charging system must on ly
be cleaned when the control unit is com­
p letely disconnected from the power supp ly
and from the vehicle.
@ Note
To dec rease the risk of discolora tion, never
clean the charging doc k*/charging clip * with
harsh cleaning sol utions or so lutions that
contain alcoho l.
117