2020 AUDI A3 light

8V2012721BK
High-voltage system

> Unlock the vehicle if necessary > page 25.
> Make sure that the selector lever is in the “P”
position, the parking brake is set, and drive
ready mode is switched off > page 71.
> Turn the lock until it is vertical to open the cov-
er on the charging unit > fig. 102.
> Slide the cover carefully to the side if necessary.
> Remove the lock on the charging port
> fig. 103.
» Insert the plug @) or @) into the socket
=> page 101, fig. 96.
> Plug the vehicle charging connector ()
=> page 101, fig. 96 into the vehicle charging
port > fig. 103. The charging process starts au-
tomatically if no charging timer is set.
@) Tips
Remove ice and snow from the cover using a
hand brush and solvent-free deicing spray.
Audi e-tron compact
charging system
Charging overview
Applies to: vehicles with Audi e-tron compact charging sys-
tem

RAZ-0077,


unit



Fig. 105 Charging unit: vehicle charging connection and
button module
The charging unit is located behind the Audi rings
on the front of the vehicle.

@ ___|On/Off button ®, charging power lev-
el and LED

@ __ | Status LED:







a Power supply/household
connection
& | Vehicle
0 Control panel
® © [Reset
@ __ |Charging timer button
© __ |Status LED
© __ |Immediate charging button

The meaning of the different status displays for
the charging system and the vehicle can be found
under > page 107.
(i) Tips
— The device runs a self test after power has
been restored to the control unit. If a self
test is successful, all indicator lights will il-
luminate green for two seconds.
— The vehicle cannot be started if a charging
connector is connected.
Cee Testis)
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
You can switch between the immediate charging
© and charging timer @) options > page 105,
fig. 105 during the charging process if a charging
timer has been set. Press the desired button to
do this > page 105, fig. 105.
Immediate charging
To start the charging process immediately, press
the button © % page 105, fig. 105. The LED in
the button will turn on.
105
>

8V2012721BK
High-voltage system

Deactivating sleep mode
> Unlock the vehicle > page 25. Or
> Open the driver's door. Or
> Press the button © > page 105, fig. 105.
Unlocking the vehicle charging connector
when the vehicle is unlocked
> If necessary, deactivate sleep mode.
> Press the button with the illuminated LED @) or
© > page 105, fig. 105. Or
> Press the {@ button in the driver's door
= page 29, fig. 22 or the & button on the re-
mote control key.
> The connector will unlock for 30 seconds.
> Remove the connector.
> If the connector is not removed within 30 sec-
onds, it will lock again automatically.
Closing the charging unit
> Put the cap back on the charging port
=> page 104, fig. 103.
> Carefully slide the cover back in its original po-
sition.
> Turn the lock to the horizontal position
=> page 104, fig. 102.
@) Note
If you drive with an open charging unit, both
the cover and the electronics installed behind
it could be damaged.
G) Tips
The instrument cluster will indicate if the
charging unit is open while driving. Check be-
fore every drive after charging if the cover is
locked.
Semele
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
You can check the mode status using the LED on
the control unit @or @) > page 105, fig. 104,
Control panel: status and error displays
and the status LED on the vehicle G) > page 105,
fig. 105

Indicator lights Meaning Solution



© Green The charger is ready to charge, | Starting the charging process
O 0 Off but is not charging. => page 105.
O B&B off
O 0 of
9 Off
c) Flashing green __| The vehicle is being charged
O O off with the ground conductor
O Bor monitor activated.
O 0 Off
9 Off
Sy Flashing green _| The power cable has overheat- | After the cable cools down, the malfunc-
©) a Yellow ed. Possible cause of the mal- | tion will be automatically cleared. Until it
O B otf function: a multi-phase socket | cools down, charging performance will be
O 6 off is being used in single:phase reduced. If the malfunction continues,
mode. The charging perform- | have the power supply/household con-
© Off ance will be reduced. nection checked by a qualified electrician.

107

High-voltage system


Indicator lights Meaning Solution





Q Flashing green |The control unit has overheat- | After the control unit cools down, the
O 0 off ed. The charging performance | malfunction will be automatically
will be reduced. cleared. Never leave the control panel in
O B Of P
direct sunlight for long periods or time.
© 1 Yeltow Until it cools down, charging perform-
9 Off ance will be reduced. If the malfunction
continues, have the control unit checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or author-
ized Audi Service Facility.
O Red The power cable has overheat- | After the cable cools down, the malfunc-
© © Yellow ed. The charging process has __| tion will be automatically cleared and the
been interrupted. charging process will resume. If the mal-
O & off
O 6 of function continues, have the control unit
checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
© Off authorized Audi Service Facility, or have
the power supply/household connection
checked by a qualified electrician.
O Red The control unit has overheat- | After the control unit cools down, the
O QO Off ed. The charging process has__| malfunction will be automatically cleared
been interrupted. and the charging process will resume.
O & Off
@ 0 Yew Never leave the control panel in direct
evo sunlight for long periods or time. If the
© Off malfunction continues, have the control
unit checked by an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility.
© Red The charging infrastructure of | After the power supply/household con-
© @ Flashing yellow |the power supply/household | nection stabilizes, the malfunction will be
connection is restricted. Possi- | automatically cleared and the charging
O & off
O 6 of ble cause of the malfunction: | process will resume. If the malfunction
low voltage or poor power fre- | continues, have the power supply/house-
© Off quency. The charging process | hold connection checked by a qualified
has been interrupted. electrician.
O Red There is a malfunction inthe | After the vehicle charging system stabiliz-
O 0 Off vehicle charging system. The | es, the malfunction will be automatically
: charging process has beenin- | cleared and the charging process will re-
© & Flashing yellow ging ging
O 0 of terrupted. sume. If the malfunction continues, have
the vehicle checked by an authorized Audi
© Off dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
O Red The power cable or vehicle ca- | Have the power or vehicle cable replaced
O Q Off ble is faulty. Possible cause of | by an authorized Audi dealer or author-
the malfunction: the coding ized Audi Service Facility.
O B&B off
. resistance of the power or ve-
© 0 Flashing yellow hicle cable is not compatible.
9 Off

The charging process has been
interrupted.

108

8V2012721BK
High-voltage system


Indicator lights Meaning Solution




© Red There is a malfunction inthe | End the charging process at the vehicle
O O off vehicle charging system. The | and remove the vehicle cable from the ve-
@ B Red charging process has been in- | hicle charging port. Disconnect the charg-
O 6 of terrupted. er from the power supply and reconnect it
after 60 seconds. Restart the charging
9 Off process > page 105. If the malfunction
continues, have the vehicle checked by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
O Red There is an overvoltage inthe | Disconnect the charger from the power
© CQ Flashing red charging infrastructure of the | supply and reconnect it after 60 seconds.
power supply/household con- | If the malfunction continues, have the
O & off
O 6 off nection. The charging process | power supply/household connection
© has been interrupted. checked by a qualified electrician.
Off
© Red The control unit has atechni- | Disconnect the charger from the power
O 0 Off cal malfunction. The charging | supply and reconnect it after 60 seconds.
O Bot process has been interrupted. |If the malfunction continues, have the
@ 0 Red control unit checked by an authorized
© Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa-
9 Off cility.
© Red The control unit has atechni- | Disconnect the charger from the power
O 0 off cal malfunction (self-test supply and reconnect it after 60 seconds.
O Bot failed). The charging process _ | If the malfunction continues, have the
© 6 Flashi d has been interrupted. control unit checked by an authorized
asning re Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa-
© Off cility.
© Red The charging infrastructure of | Have the control unit checked by an au-
@ CO Red the power supply/household | thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
@ & Red connection is insufficient: the | Service Facility, and have the power sup-
O 6 of ground conductor is interrupt- | ply/household connection checked by a
ed or not present. The ground | qualified electrician. Do not use the pow-
9 Off conductor monitor has inter- | er supply/household connector until the
rupted the charging process. | malfunction is corrected.
© Red The indicator light in the reset | Have the control unit replaced by an au-
@ OC Red button on the control unit is | thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
@ B& Red faulty. The charging process _| Service Facility.
@ © Red has been interrupted.
e
9 Off
109

High-voltage system


Indicator lights Meaning Solution





O Red The control unit has detected | Press and hold the © button for at least
@ X Red residual current. The charging | two seconds. If the malfunction contin-
@ EB Red process has been interrupted. | ues, have the control unit checked by an
@ © Red authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
€ / Service Facility, and have the power sup-
9 Flashing red ply/household connection checked by a
qualified electrician.
© Red The charging infrastructure is | Disconnect the charger from the power
© Q Flashing red wired incorrectly. The charging | supply. Have the power supply/household
© & Flashing red process has been interrupted. | connection checked by a qualified electri-
© § Flashing red eas
9 Off
O Red The control unit has a techni- | Disconnect the charger from the power
@ CX Red cal malfunction. Possible supply and reconnect it after 60 seconds.
@ EB Red cause of the malfunction: If the malfunction continues, have the
@ 0 Red software error or the load re-_ | control unit checked by an authorized
. lay has been switched incor- _| Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa-
9 Red rectly. The charging process cility, and have the power supply/house-
has been interrupted. hold connection checked by a qualified
electrician.
O Flashing red The control unit has a serious | Have the control unit replaced by an au-
O 0 off malfunction. The charging thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
O Bot process has been interrupted. | Service Facility.
@ @ Red
9 Off
© Off The indicator light in the Have the control unit replaced by an au-
@ C Red On/Off button on the control | thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
@ B Red unit is faulty. The charging Service Facility.
@ 0 Red process has been interrupted.
e
© Red
Vehicle: charging unit
LED on vehicle G) Meaning Solution
. . Remove the charger, put the cap
On High voltage battery charging on and close the cover on the
process is completed. . .
charging unit.
The high-voltage battery is charg-
isan Flashing ing or the vehicle is being air con-
ditioned/heated.


Blinks for approxi-
mately one minute
after leaving the vehi-
cle
started yet.

Charging timer was programmed
but the charging process has not

110

8V2012721BK
High-voltage system







LED on vehicle © Meaning Solution
Have the power supply or power
supply system inspected. Check
No power supply was recognized | the status display on the control
On even though the charging cable is | unit > table on page 107. See an
Yellow plugged in. authorized Audi dealer or author-
ized Audi Service Facility for assis-
tance if necessary.
‘ The selector lever in notin the P | Move the selector lever into the P
Flashing vps ue
position. position.
Check if the charging connector is
inserted correctly. Remove the
The charging connector could not | charging connector and insert it in-
On be correctly locked in the vehicle | to the charging port again. See an
charging port. authorized Audi dealer or author-
ized Audi Service Facility for assis-
Red tance if necessary.
Fault in the charging system. The
ong penne meme See an authorized Audi dealer or
Flashing cargec. . . authorized Audi Service Facility for
Or: the outside temperature is too . .
: assistance if necessary.
low. The high-voltage battery
could not be fully charged.


@) Tips
The operation status indicated by the LED G)
on the vehicle is also displayed in the instru-
ment cluster/Infotainment system.
Indicator lights and
messages
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
If the Ey indicator light turns on, the high-volt-
age battery is charging or is already completely
charged.
If the EX indicator light stays on, there is a mal-
function in the charging system. Have the prob-
lem corrected immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
Charging connector still attached. Vehicle
cannot be driven
This message appears when the charging system
is still connected to the vehicle. Remove the con-
nector > page 106.
Incompatible charging system. Please check
charging system
This message appears when the charging system
is incompatible. Only charge using the charging
system that is designed for your vehicle.
Eg AC charging system: malfunction! Please
contact Service
This message appears if there is a malfunction in
the charging system. Have the problem corrected
immediately by an authorized Audi dealer or au-
thorized Audi Service Facility.
Warning! Charging unit cover is unlocked.
See owner's manual
This message appears if the charging unit cover is
open. Close the cover and lock it > page 107.
111

8V2012721BK
Trailer towing

Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your vehicle is primarily intended for transport-
ing people and luggage. However, if you drive
with a trailer, follow the technical requirements,
the operation and driving tips, and the legal reg-
ulations.
Driving with a trailer affects the vehicle's energy
usage, performance, and wear. It also requires
higher concentration from the driver.

Z\ WARNING
Do not transport any people in a trailer due to
the risk of fatal injury.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch

Only use a trailer hitch with a removable ball
hitch mount and ball hitch. The trailer hitch must
be permitted for the vehicle, the trailer and the
permitted total weight of the trailer being
pulled. Above all, it must be securely and safely
attached to the vehicle trailer.
Never mount a trailer hitch on the bumper. The
trailer hitch must be mounted in a way that does
not impair the function of the bumper. Do not
make any changes to the exhaust system and the
brake system.
Check regularly if the trailer hitch is securely
mounted. Always follow the instructions given by
the trailer hitch manufacturer.
Trailer brakes
If the trailer has its own brake system, then fol-
low the manufacturer specifications. However,
the brake system on the trailer must never be
connected to the vehicle brake system.
Engine cooling system
Driving with a trailer means a higher load on the
engine and the cooling system. The cooling sys-
tem must be designed for additional load and
contain enough coolant > @.
CG) Note
Longer inclines cannot be driven without a
suitable cooling system, especially if the out-
side temperatures are high. Otherwise, this
increases the risk of engine damage.
Operating instructions
Towing capacity
Your vehicle can only be operated with class 1 or
class 2 trailers.
Load distribution
Poor cargo load and distribution can negatively
impact vehicle handling. To have the lowest im-
pact as possible, load the trailer according to
these criteria:
— Store objects in the vehicle luggage compart-
ment, if possible. The vehicle should always
carry the heaviest possible load and the trailer
should have the lightest possible load.
— Distribute the load in the trailer so that the
heavy objects are as close to the axle as possi-
ble.
— Secure objects so that they do not slide.
— Utilize the maximum permitted tongue weight
if possible.
Tires
Set the tire pressure on your vehicle for a “full
load”; see the tire pressure sticker > page 330. If
necessary, also adjust the tire pressure on the
trailer according to the manufacturer's specifica-
tions.
The trailer and the vehicle should be equipped
with winter tires when driving in winter tempera-
tures.
Outside mirrors
If you cannot see the traffic behind the trailer
with the standard exterior mirrors, then you
must attach additional exterior mirrors. Adjust
them so you have a sufficient visibility behind
you.
113

Trailer towing

Exterior lighting
Follow the legal regulations regarding the light-
ing equipment on your trailer. Contact an author-
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili-
ty for more information.
Before you start driving, check all lighting equip-
ment on the trailer while it is hitched to the vehi-
cle.
The headlight range control automatically ad-
justs the light range of the headlights.
Safety chains
Make sure the safety chains are correctly applied
when pulling a trailer. The chains should hang
enough so that the trailer can drive around
curves. However, they must not touch the
ground.
G) Tips
— Block the wheels with chocks when parking
on inclines if the trailer is loaded.
— Having the vehicle inspected between the
inspection intervals is recommended if you
tow a trailer frequently.
— Avoid driving with a trailer during the vehi-
cle break-in period.
Driving with a trailer
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution.
Speed
Adhere to the legal speed limits. Follow the legal
regulations specific to the country.
As the speed increases, the driving stability of
the trailer decreases. Therefore you should not
exceed the maximum legal speed limit when
there are unfavorable road, weather, and/or wind
conditions. This especially applies when driving
downhill.
Hill
When you start driving uphill or downhill, trailers
may tilt or sway sooner than when driving ona
level surface. If small swaying movements have
already occurred, you can stabilize the trailer by
114
firmly braking immediately. Never attempt to
“straighten out” the trailer by accelerating.
Downshift before driving on hills to utilize the en-
gine braking effect > A\.
Brakes
When using a trailer with overrun brakes, first
brake gently then quickly. This reduces the risk of
jerking while braking if the trailer wheels lock up.
Engine coolant temperature
Pay attention specifically to the coolant tempera-
ture display when there are high outside temper-
atures, and when driving on long inclines
=> page 15. Shift to a higher gear in a timely man-
ner.

Z\ WARNING
Constant braking causes the brakes to over-
heat and can substantially reduce braking per-
formance, increase braking distance, or cause
complete failure of the brake system.