flat tire AUDI A3 2015 Owner's Manual

impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the t ire pressures regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, w inter condit ions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor ind i­
cator may be de layed.
- Ask your authorized dealer if run-flat
tires may be used on your vehicle. You ve­
hicle registrat ion becomes invalid if you
use these tires when not permitted .
Damage to your vehicle or accidents
c ou ld also resu lt.
(0 Tips
- The t ire pressure monitoring system can
also stop work ing when there is an ESC/
ABS malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system malfunction .
- The t ires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or
"RO"¢ page 236 have been matched
with you r A udi tire p ressu re monito ring
system. We recommend that you use
these tires.
- The t ire pressure monitoring system can
on ly mon itor the t ire pressure of the
driving tires . C he ck the tire pressure of
the spare wheel in the luggage compart ­
ment so that if necessary it is ready for
u se .
Storing tire pressures
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
A change in tire pressure or a change in tires
must be stored in the system.
The ti re p ress ure is s to red in the M MI.
~ Make sure befo re stor ing that the tire pres­
su res of all fou r tires meet the specified val­
ues and a re adapted to the load. Otherw ise
the system co uld mal function ~
page 229.
~ Switch the ignition on.
~ Select : Sys tem s control button or Car sy s­
tems > Servic e
& control > Tire pressure
Tire s an d wheel s 245
monitor > Store tire pre ssure > Ye s, store
now .
(D Tips
Do not s to re the tire pressures if snow
chains a re installed.
•
•
•

246 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Luggage compartment
lid emergency release
In case of an emergency , the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle .
Fig. 162 Re ar lid op ening : access to th e e merg en cy re­
l ease
To reach the emergency release mechanism,
the rear bench seat backrest must be folded down
~ page 61 .
,. Push the latch upward in the direction of the
arrow until the lock releases .
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark .
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
m an emergency .
@ Tips
The emergency release lever should never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
General information
,. Park the vehicle as far as possible from mov­
ing traffic in the event of a flat tire. In the
event of a flat tire, park the vehicle on a lev ­
el surface .
It you are on a steep incline, be
especially careful.
,. Set the parking brake.
,. Switch the emergency flashers on.
• Put on a reflective vest, if available.
• Setup the warning triang le, if available . •
Have the passengers exit the vehicle. They
should move to a safe place, for examp le
behind a guard rail.
A WARNING
-
Pay attention to the steps above. They are
for your protection and the for the safety of other drivers.
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries .
- Never use the screw driver hex head to tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­not attain the necessary tightening tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir­
cumstances should it be used to
lift
heavy vehicles or other loads; you risk in­
juring yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the veh icle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional extras.
- Before storing the jack*, make sure it is
wound back down as far as it wil l go.

248 What do I do now?
-Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h) . You risk having an acc ident.
- Avoid full-throttle acce le ration, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing. You risk hav­
ing an acc ident.
- Never drive us ing more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acci­
dent .
- Norma l summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare whee l
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use o f ti re
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare whee l must be mounted on the
front axle in the eve nt of a flat in a rear
t ir e. Th e newly ava ilable front w heel
must the n be installed in pla ce of the
re ar wheel wi th the flat ti re. Ins tal ling
the ti re chai n befo re mo unt ing the wheel
and tire is recommen ded .
- L oose items in the p assenge r comp art ­
ment can ca use serio us personal inj ury
dur ing hard braking or in an acc ident.
N ever sto re the inf latable spare tire or
jack and t ools in the passenger c ompart­
me nt.
- No rma l summer or wi nte r tires must not
be m ounted on the compact spare wheel
rim .
Removing the subwoofer
App lies to vehicles: with subwoofer
The subwoofer must be removed before the
spare wheel* can be removed.
F ig . 166 Spare w hee l well : subwoofe r
Removing the subwoofer
.,. Lift the c argo floor i=:> page 247, fig . 16 4.
.. Press the connector tabs (!) i=:> fig. 16 6 to-
gether .
.. Re move the connector @and set the re-
moved cab le aside .
.,. Remove the bo lt @ .
.. Carefully remove the subwoofe r.
Installing the subwoofer
.. Carefully place the subwoofer n the rim
we ll. The word "FRONT" on the subwoofer
m ust face forward.
.. Insert the con nector that was removed.
.. Secure t he subwoofer w ith the bolt .
.. Fold the cargo floo r cover back into place.
Changing a wheel
· Before changing a wheel
O bserve the following prec au tions f or your
own and your p assenger's safety when chang ­
ing a wheel .
.. Afte r you ex perie nce a ti re fail ure, p ull the
car we ll away from mov ing tr affic 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
veh icle from rolling unintentionally <=>,& .
.. Move selector lever to position Pi=:> ,& .
.. If you are towing a t railer, unhitch the trailer
from your ve hicl e.
.. Ta ke t he ja ck ¢
page 247 and the spare tire
¢ page 247 out of the luggage compart­
ment .
A WARNING
You o r you r passengers could be inj ured
while c hanging a w heel if you do not fo l­
l ow these safety precaut io ns:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off t he engine,
tur n the eme rgency flashers on and use
other warni ng devices to a le rt other mo­
torists.
-

-Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the whee l being changed. When one
front whee l is lifted off the gro und, plac­
ing the A utomat ic Transm iss ion in P
(Park) wi ll
not prevent t he vehi cle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be su re the
ground is leve l and fi rm.
If necessary,
use a st urdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool ki t, the jack
and the replaced ti re in the l uggage com­
partment¢
page 12 7 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Remove the d ec orative wheel cov er* . For
more deta ils see also
c:>page 249, Deco ­
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 2 50,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
2. Loosen the wheel bolt s c:> page 250.
3. Locate the proper mount ing point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
<=> page 251.
4. Raise the car w ith the jack c:> page 251.
5. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare ¢ page 252 .
6. Tighten all wheel bo lts light ly.
7 .
Low er the ve hicle with the jack.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrenc h and
firmly
tighten all whee l bolts c:> page 250.
9. Replace the decorative wheel cov er*.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information
c:> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page251
and ¢page 253.
What do I d o now ? 249
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 127.
.,. Check the tir e pr essure on the spare whee l
immed iate ly afte r mounting i t.
.,. As soon as poss ib le, have the
tight ening
torque s
on all wheel bolts checked w ith a
torque wrench . The correct tighten ing tor­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi­
ble.
@ Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bo lts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, they should be replaced
before you c heck the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the tightening torques checked.
- After changing a whee l, the ti re press ure
in all four tires must be checked/correct­
ed and the tire pressure monitoring indi­
cator must be stored in the M MI
c:>page245.
Decorative wheel covers
App lies to veh icles: w ith decorat ive w hee l cove rs
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fi g. 167 Chang ing a whee l: Removing th e w hee l cover
Removing
.,. Insert the hook (provided with the vehicle
t oo l kit) in the ho le in the whee l hub cover .
i,,.

(D Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the bra ke rotor and dam­
age the rotor . W ork carefully and have a
second person help you.
N ever use the hexa gonal s ocket in the ha n­
d le of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversib le blade from the screw­
drive r before yo u use the hexagonal
socket in t he handle to t urn the whee l
bo lts .
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make s ure the tread pat­
te rn is poi nte d the r ight way
c:> pag e253 .
- The w heel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn . Ch eck for dirt and corros ion on
the mat ing su rfaces of both the whee l
a nd th e hu b. Remove a ll dir t fro m these
s ur fa ces before remo unting the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern poin ted in
t he right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a sp are tire w ith a tr ead p atte rn
i ntended fo r u se in a specific direc tion, p lease
note t he following:
- T he di rection of rotation is ma rked by an a r­
r ow on the side o f the tire.
- If th e spare t i re has to be installed in the in­
c orrec t direction, use the spa re tire only
tem por ari ly si nce the t ire will no t be able to
ac hieve its op timum perfo rmance character­
ist ics with rega rd to aquaplani ng, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend that you pay particular at ­
tent io n to this fact du ring wet weat he r and
that you adjust your speed to matc h road
condit ions .
What do I do now? 253
-Replace the flat t ire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the han dling advantages
of a un idirectional tire.
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the i nfo rmation c:> page 236, New
tires and replacing tires and wh eels
if you a re
go ing to use a spare tire wh ich is different
from the ti res on you r vehicle.
After you cha nge a tire :
-Check the tire pressure on the spare imme­
diately after installation .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your authorized Audi dealer o r
a qualified service station.
- With steel and alloy wheel r ims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor­
roded and diff icult to turn while changing
a tire, they should be replaced before you
check the tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the whee l cover.
Until then , dr ive with e xtra care and at re­
duced speeds.
A WARNING
-
- I f you are going to e quip your ve hicle
wit h tires o r rims which differ from those
which were fac to ry inst alled, t hen be
s ure to read t he informa tion
c:> p age 2 36,
New tire s and repla cing tires a nd
wheels .
-Always make s ure th e d am age d wheel o r
eve n a fla t tire an d the jack an d too l ki t
are p rope rly secu red in the luggage com ­
pa rtment an d are not loose in the pas ­
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
co uld f ly forwa rd, inj uring a nyone in the
veh icle.
•
•
•

274 Index
Centra l locking .... ..... ... .. .. .... .. 31
Ce ntra l locking sw itch ... .. .. ... ... .. 35
Conven ience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Emergency locking ........ .. .. .... .. 37
Folding the exterior mirrors .. .. .... .. 36
Luggage compartment lid ...... .. .... 37
Panorama sunroof .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. 39
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Remote control key ..... .. .. .. .. .. .. 33
Safety cen tral lock ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
Setting . ... .. . .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 36
Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 1
Changing a wheel .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 248
C hanging e ng ine o il ...... .. .. .. .. .. . 216
Checking Tire pressure .............. ... .. ... 231
C hild restraints
Danger of using ch ild restraints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Where can I get addit ional information
about child restra ints and their use? .. 184
C hild restraint system anchors ....... . 180
C hil d safety ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 166
Conve rtible locking retrac to r .. .. .. .. . 177
I mpo rtan t safety ins tru ctions for using
chi ld safety seats . ..... ... .. .. .... . 170
Important things to know when driving
with chi ldren . ........... .. .. .... . 166
Tether anchors ........... .. .. .. .. . 183
Tether straps .............. .. .... . 183
Chil d safety lock
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
C hi ld safety loc k (mechanical)
Fr ont doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Ch ild safety sea ts . ...... ... .... .. .. . 172
Booster seats ............. ... .. ... 175
Conve rtible ch ild seats .. .. .. .. .. .. . 173
Conve rtible locking retracto r .. .. .. .. . 177
H ow do I proper ly in stall a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ...... .. .. .. .. .. . 170
I nfant seats . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 17 2
I nstalling . .. .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 17 7
Instal ling a child restraint using the
LATCH system .............. .. .... . 182
LATC H system ............ .. .. .... . 182
Lower anchorages ......... ... .. .. . 181
Mount ing and releasing the anchorage
hook .. .. .. ... .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 182 Safety instr
uctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Un used safety be lts on the rear seat . . 172
Cleaning ... .... .. ............. .... 201
Cleaning/removing ice from windows ... 203
Cleaning carbon parts . . . . . . . . . . 203, 204
Cleaning r ims . .. .. ..... ........... . 202
Cleaning seat covers . .. .. ..... ... .. .. 204
Cl imate control system (automa tic)
Adjus ting air ven ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 68
Air dis trib ution, air vents ..... ... .. .. . 67
Audi drive select . .... .. ..... .... . .. 102
AUTO (climate control system) . . . . . . . . 67
B lower ... .... .. .. ........... .... . 67
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Defrost ing the windshie ld .... .... ... . 67
Key recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Rea r window defogger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Rec ircu lation mode ............ .... . 67
Setting the tempe rature ........ .. .. . 67
synchronizing . ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 67
Cl imate control system (manual)
Adjusting air vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 68
Adjust ing the temperature . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Air distrib ution, air vents ........ .. .. . 65
B lower ... .... ................... . 65
Defrosting windows .... ..... ... .. .. . 65
Key recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Rear window defogger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Recirculation mode ............ .... . 66
Clock . ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 10
Closing Hood . .... .... .. ............. .... 211
Pano rama sunroof ............. .... . 40
Windows . .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 38
Clos ing/open ing
by remote control ... .. .. ... ..... .. . 33
with the centra l locking switch . .. .. .. . 35
with the conven ien ce key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
wi th the door lo ck ... .......... .. .. . 35
Cockpit (Overvi ew illustration) . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Co ld tire inflation pressure ..... ... .. .. 229
Coming home . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 44
Compartments .. .. ............. ..... 57
Compass in the m irror . ... .... ... .. .. . 50
Compliance ... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. 271
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 129, 268

Tether anchors ..................... 183
Tether strap . .................. .... 183
T extiles cleaning ........... .... .. .. . 204
The first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and after-
wards ..... .. .. .............. ... ... 193
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62, 128
Tips for the environment Saving fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
tiptronic (automatic transmission) .. .. . 110
Tire pressure ............... ... ... .. 231
Tire pressure monitoring system . ... .. . 243
Tires .. .... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 225
Service l ife . ............. .... .. .. . 235
Speed rating letter code ............ 23 7
Tire manufacturing date ............ 237
Tire pressure monitoring system . ... . 244
Tire specifications ........ .... .. .. . 23
7
Tread depth .. ........... .. .. .. .. . 235
Uniform tire quality grading .. .. .. .. . 239
Winter tires ................ .. .... 240
Tires and vehicle load limits ..... ... .. . 233
Tires and wheels Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 231
Cold tire inflation pressure .......... 229
Dimensions ................. ... .. . 236
General notes ..................... 225
Glossary of tire and loading terminolo-
gy .. .... .. ................. .. ... 226
Low aspect ratio tires ...... .. .. .. .. . 242
New tires and wheels ......... .... .. 236
Replacing .. .. ........ ... .. .. .. .. . 23 7
Snow chains ................ .. .... 241
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. . 233
Wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Winter tires ................ ... .. . 240
Tire service life ......... .... ... ... .. 235
Tool kit ..... .. .............. ..... . 247
Torn or frayed safety belts ... .. .. .. .. . 134
Towing Tow truck procedures ........... .... 261
Towing loop . ... .............. ... ... 262
TPMS (tire pressure monitor ing system) . 244
Trailer towing ............. .... .. .. . 198
Operating instructions ..... .. .. .. .. . 198
Technical requirements . . . . . . . . 198, 199
Trailer towing tips ........... .... .. 200
Index 283
Transmission malfunction (indicator
light) ....... ... .... ............... 111
T ransport Canada .. ................. 129
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) ....... .... 235
Trunk
refer to Luggage compartment ........ 60
Turn signals . .. .. .... .. ........ ...... 44
Ind icator light . .. ................. . 25
u
Unfastening safety belts 136
Unidirectional tires .............. .... 225
Uniform tire quality grading ...... .. .. 239
Unlocking/locking by remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
with the centra l locking switch ........ 35
with the conven ience key ........ .. .. . 34
with the door lock .... ............. . 35
V
Vanity mirror ...... .. ................ 46
Vehicle Dimensions .. .. .. .. ............... 266
out of service .. .. .. . .. .... ........ 195
Vehicle care ........................ 201
Vehicle identification label .......... .. 265
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) .. .. 265
Vehicle jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247,251
Vehicle key ....... .. ..... ........... 31
Vehicle literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Vehicle tool kit .. .. ................. 247
w
Warning/indicator lights
Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (M IL) .. .. . 23
Warning/Indicator lights Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152, 153
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ........... 153
Warning lights
refer to Indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Warranty coverages .. ........... .... 268
Washer fluid level (indicator light) . .. .. . 24
Washer reservoir .................. . 224
Washing matte finish paint ....... .... 201
Wear indicator .. .. ............. .. .. 235
•
•
•

284 Index
Weights .......... ......... ... .... . 265
What happens if you wear your safety belt
too loose? ........................ .
135
What happens to unbelted occupants? .. 132
What impairs driving safety? .......... 122
What should I do after changing a
wheel? .. .... .. .. ...... .... ... .. .. .
232
What should I do after replacing wheels? 232
Wheel bolts
Torque ..... ................ ..... .
242
Wheels ... .. ............ ... .. .. ... 225
A ll wheel drive ......... .... .. .. .. . 190
Checking tire pressure ..... .... .... . 231
cleaning ... ............. .... .. .. . 202
Cold tire inflation pressure .......... 229
General notes ................ .... . 225
Glossary of tire and loading terminolo-
gy .. .. .. ................. .. .. .. .
226
New tires and wheels ...... .... .... . 236
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .... .. . 233
Wheel wrench .............. ... .... . 247
When must a safety belt be rep laced? . .
134
When must the airbag system be inspect-
ed? ..... .. ....................... . 152
When shou ld I ad just the tire pressures?
232
When shou ld I check the tire pressures? . 232
Where are lower anchorages located? ... 181
Where can I find the tire pressu res for my
car? . .. ... .................. ..... .
231
Why safety belts? .......... .. .. .. .. . 132
Windows
cleaning/removing ice
203
W indshield
cleaning ... ................ ..... ..
46
defrosting (automatic climate contro l
system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
defrosting (manual climate control sys-
tem) .. .. ................. .. .... ..
65
also refer to Windshield . ........ .. .. 46
Windshield washer system ... ... .. .. .. 46
Reservoir capacity .............. .. . 266
Washer reservoir ......... .... .... . 224
Windshield w ipers
C leaning wiper blades ............. . . 47
Folding up ............... ... .... .. 47
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
Replacing windshield wiper b lades . ... . 47
Switching on and
off ............ ... . 46
Winter operation
Cooling system . .. ............. .. ..
216
Winter tires . .. .. .. .... .... ..... .. .. 240
All -wheel drive ... ..... ..... ... .. .. 240
Winter use
Car washes ................... ....
201
defrosting the windshield (automatic cli­
mate control system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Removing ice from windows . .. .. .. ..
203
Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
X
Xenon-lights .. .. .. ... .... ...... .... 258
Xenon headlights . ................. .. 42