maintenance AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 2015 User Guide

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Always check with your authorized Audi
deale r to make s ure you are using the
correct brake f luid. The correct type of
b rake fluid is a lso indicated on the
b rake fluid reservoir .
- The brake f luid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fl uid is left in t he system too
long. This ca n ser ious ly aff ect th e effi­
ciency of the bra kes a s well as yo ur
safety. This could resul t in an accid ent.
(D Note
Brake fl uid will damage the paint of your
ve hicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessa ry expert ise, we
recom mend tha t you have t he b rake fluid
changed by your aut hor ized Audi de aler.
Battery
General information
The batte ry in you r Audi does not need any
maintenance unde r
normal operating condi­
tions . Aud i recommends having the elect ro­
l y te level check by a n author ized Audi dealer
or author ized A udi Se rv ice F acili ty when there
a re
high outside tempe ra tur es or when dr iv ing
all day. The e lec trolyte level sho uld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 225.
Have the bat tery c hecked w hen you br ing yo ur
ve hicl e in for an inspec tion. I t is a good idea
to re place the battery if it is mo re than 5 years
old .
D uring certa in types of a irbag deploymen ts,
t he bat tery is disconnected from the vehi cle
e lectrical system fo r safety reasons ~ &.
in
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 162.
Checking and Fillin g 223
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehi cle fu nctions (such as power w in ­
dows) a re not ava ilable when the batte ry is
disco nnected . These fu nctions must be p ro­
grammed afte r the battery is reconnected . To
avo id hav ing to do this, only disconnect the
battery from the vehicle electrical system
whe n that is necessary to perform repairs .
To reprogram the functions, proceed as fo l­
lows:
Function Reprogramming
Power window one -¢ page 40, Correcting
touch up/down power window ma/-
function functions
Remo te control key If the vehicle does no t
or r
eact to the key, i t
convenience key must be synchronized
¢ page33
Dig ita l cl ock ¢pag e 10
ESC indicator light The indicator light
goes out after driv ing
a few meters
Not running the vehicle for long period s
of time
If you do not drive your vehicle fo r several
days or weeks, elect rical componen ts are
gradua lly reduc ed o r switched off. This re­
duces e nergy consumption and maintai ns the
vehicle 's ability to star t ove r a long per iod of
t ime ~
page 193. Some co nvenience func­
tions, s uch as in terior lighting or power sea ts*
may not work . These convenience functions
will be ava ilab le again once you switc h the ig­
nit ion on and sta rt the engine.
Winter operation
D uring the winte r mon ths, i t is common for
the battery capacity to dec rease as the tem ­
peratures become lower . This is because more
power is needed to start the vehicle and com ­
ponents such as the head lights and the rear
window defogger are used more frequently . .,..
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Driving style
Driving fast around curves,
heavy acceleration and hard
braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even
wear
For all four tires on your vehicle
to have the same service life,
we recommend that the front
and rear tires are rotated ac­
cording to the tire manufactur­
er's suggested tire rotation in­
tervals. Please remember the
following:
-Tire rotation intervals may dif­ fer from the vehicle service in­tervals outlined in your War­ranty
& Maintenance booklet .
-The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle ,
the more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recom­
mend that you follow the tire
manufacturer's suggested tire
rotation intervals.
-Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread
wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all-wheel drive (quat­
tro).
-Please rotate ti res as shown
¢ fig. 175.
Tires and wheels 24 7
-Extra care must be taken when rotating direction-specific
tires ¢
page 268.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are
balanced. However, various sit­
uations during everyday driving
can cause them to become un­ balanced, resulting in vibra­
tions you can usually feel
through the steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be re­
balanced to avoid excessive
wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced when a new tire is
installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, im­pairing the safety of the vehi­
cle. If tires show excessive
wear, have the wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must al­
ways have tires of the same size, construction and tread
type . For details see
¢ page 192 .
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258 Tires and wheels
It is important that the inflation pressu re is
regularly checked and maintained at recom­
mended levels .
Fo r more informat ion please ask your A udi
dealer for more details .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
I n o rder to minim ize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces­
sary.
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Audi dealer . Replace a damaged
t ir e as soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause t ire failure.
If you believe that a
t ir e may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r more quickly than oth­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, while these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance ti
res or iginally installed on your vehicle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should equ ip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction unde r
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow o r all-season tires specified
for your vehicle, or thei r equivalent.
Refer to~ page
255 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflat ion pressure recommended
by the vehicle man ufactur er on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure labe l. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in ­
flation pressure label, you should determine
the proper t ire inflation pressure for those
t i res).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
t ir es is signif icantly under-inflated. According­
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper p ressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un ­
der -inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel eff iciency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv­
er's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not

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Technical data
Vehicle identification
F ig. 203 Veh icle Identificat ion Numbe r (VlN) pla te: lo ·
cat ion on driver's side dash pane l
XXXXX XX · X -XXXX XXX
~ fAllftlli. -llllll · NR. ~ W!ru -llllll -NO.
xx
XXXX XXXX XX X XXXXXXXX
XXX XXX
IYP /TYPE
XX XXXXXXX XX X X XX
XXX
KW XXX
®i ~W.::·f :l~~ XXXX XXX XXX
©+ ::rw= xxxx I xxxx XXX I xx
M. · AUSSt I IJ'IIDIIS
EOA 7D5 4UB 6XM SSG SRW
2EH JOZ 1LB lAS
18A
3FC SMU 7Xl
FDA 9G3 OG7 OYH OJF
TL6 3KA 8EH
UlA X98 027
l XW 803 908 824 D2D
7T6 CV7 7KO 4X3 2K2
3L4 4KC 3YO 413 502
1SA 7GB QlA 4GO
XX . X XX X XX X XXXX
Fig. 2 04 Th e ve hicle identificat ion label- inside the
luggage compartment
Vehicle Identification Number (VlN)
The Ve hicle Iden tifica tion Number is loc ated
i n diffe rent p laces :
- under the w indshield on the driver's side
¢fig.
203.
- i n the MMI: Select: the I MENU I button> Car
> Syst ems * control button > Service & con­
trol > VIN number .
-on the vehicle identification label.
Techni cal data 2 79
Vehicle ident ification label
T he vehicle identification la bel is lo cate d in
the luggage compartment in the spare wheel
well.
T he label¢ fig.
204 shows the fol low ing vehi­
cle dat a:
(D Vehicle Ident ificat ion Number (VIN)
@ Vehicle type, engine o utp ut, transmission
® Engine and transm ission code
© Paint number a nd in te rior
® Optional equipment numbers
T he info rmation of the veh icle identific ation
l ab el can also be foun d in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet .
Safety compliance sticker
The safety compliance st icker is your assur­
ance th at yo ur new veh icle com plies with all
applicable Fede ral Motor Vehi cle Safety
Standards which we re in effect at the time the
vehicle was manufacture d. You can find this
sticker on the door jamb on the drive r's side.
It shows the month and year of production
and t he vehicle ident ificat ion number of your
vehicle (perforation) as well as the Gross Veh i­
cle Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross Ax le
Weight Rating (GAWR) .
High voltage warning label
The high voltage warning label is located in
the e ngine compartment next to the engine
hood re lease. The spark ign ition system com­
plies with the Ca nadian standard IC ES-002 .
Weights
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing (GVWR), and
the Gross Axle Weight Rati ng (GAWR) for
front and rear are listed on a sticker on the
door jamb on the driver's side.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing includes the
weight of the basic vehicle plus full fuel tank,
o il and coo lant, plus maximum load, which in ­
clu des passe nger we igh t (150 lbs/68 kg per
llJJ,

282 Consumer Information
Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
You r Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regu lations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A . and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that:
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lowe r octane
rating. Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement pa rts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessar ily work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside North America .
(D Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and Lit­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service manuals and lit­
erature are available to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
s afety, economy and rel iability. For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty &
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
i n very dusty regions , when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some service work
should be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
(® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus minimizing adverse
effects on the environment.
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticat­
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technical
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complexity of today's automobi les, have
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Also, s afe ty and en vironm ental con­
cerns p lace very strict limits on the nature of
repairs and adjustments to engine and trans ­
miss io n pa rts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usua lly
require special tools, testing devices and oth­
er equipment avai lab le to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure prope r
performance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and re ­
pa irs can impair the operation and reliability
of your vehicle and even vo id your vehicle war­
ranty. The refo re, p roof of servic ing in accord­
ance w ith the ma intenance sched ule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible war ranty
claim made within the warranty period .
Above all, operational safety can be adversely
affected, c rea ting unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
I f in doubt about any servicing, have it done
by your authori zed Audi dealer or any othe r
p roperly equipped and q ualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give your aut horized
Audi dealer the opportunity to perfo rm all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs .
Your dea ler has the facilities, or iginal parts
and trained spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing limit ed m aintenance you rself
The fo llowing pages describe a limited num­
ber of procedu res which can be performed on
your veh icle w ith ordinary too ls, should the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
b le. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cable text and carefully follow the instruc­
tions given. Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS provided .
Before you check anything in th e engine
compartment, alway s re ad and heed all
WARNINGS ~&. and
~ page 214 .
Con sumer In formation 283
_& WARNING
- Ser ious personal injury may occur as a re­
sult of improperly performed mainte­
nance, ad justments or repa irs .
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle . Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
era l common sense. Never r is k personal
inju ry.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed o n the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fully fam ilia r
with these or othe r procedures with re­
spect to the vehicle, or are uncertain how
to p roceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper
too ls and equipment. Have the necessary
wo rk done by your authorized A udi deal­
er or another proper ly equipped and
qualified workshop.
- The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Never reach into th e area around or
touch the rad iator fan. It is temperature
contro lled and can switch on suddenly -
even when the engine is off. The radiato r
fan switches on automat ically when the
coo lant reaches a certain tempera ture
and will cont inue to run until the coo lant
temperature drops .
- Always sw itch o ff the ignition before any­
one gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
s tands if it is necessary to work under­
neath the vehicle. The jack s upplied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pu r­
pose and cou ld collapse causing serio us
personal injury.
- If you m ust wor k underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the g round, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels are a lways securely
blocked and that the engine cannot be
started.
- Always make sure the transmission se­ lecto r lever (automatic transmission) is •
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Locking/unlock ing
by remote contro l
.............. .. .. 33
with the central locking switch .. .. .. .. 35
with the convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
wi th the door lock ........ .... .. .. .. 35
L ong -term memory .............. .. .. 27
L ow beam
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Low beams .. .... ............. .. .. .. 49
L ower universal anchorages (Canada) . .. 183
L uggage compartment .. .... .. .. .. .. .. 65
Cargo net .................. .... ... 68
I ncreasing the size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
L oading .. .. ................. .. .... 65
Reversible mat .............. ... .. .. 69
Socket ..... .. .............. ... .... 64
Storage hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Stowing luggage ......... .. .. .. .. . 132
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
L uggage compartment lid
Centra l locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Emergency release ................. 261
L umbar support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60, 61
M
Maintenance ............... ... ... .. 282
Maintenance intervals
with driver information system .. .. .. .. 13
Mirror Digital compass switching on and
off ... 57
dimming ... ................ ... .... 56
Vanity mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Mirror compass ............ .... .. .... 57
Mirrors Adjusting the exterior mirrors . .. ... ... 55
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 158
Motor stopping (driver messages with mechani-
cal ignition key) .............. .... .. 81
Multifunction steering wheel ..... . ... .. 27
On-board computer ........... ... ... 27
N
Natural leather care/cleaning .. .. .. .. . 207
Navigation system
CD-ROM player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Index 293
New tires and wheels
NHTSA 248
Contacting .. .. .. ................. 134
Number of seats . .. ................. 138
Number of vehicle keys ............... 31
0
Occupant protection .. .. ......... .. .. . 95
Occupant seating posi tions ....... .. .. 127
Octane rating ..... ................ . 210
Odometer ........ .. ................ 11
Oil Indicator light . .. ............. .... . 23
also refer to Engine oil . . . . . . . . 217, 218
Oil change interval
with driver information system . . . . . . . . 13
On-Boa rd-D iagnost ic System (OBD)
System indicator light (MIL) ..... .. .. . 29
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Operation (multifunction steer ing
wheel) .. .. .. .. .... ... .. ..... ..... . 27
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD)
Data Link Connector (DLC) ......... .. . 30
On Board Diagnostic System (OBD)
E lectronic speed limiter .............. 30
Open ing .... .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. . 31
Fuel filler door ... .. ........... .... 212
Hood ..... .. .. .. .... ............. 215
Luggage compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Windows ......................... 38
Open ing/closing
with the centra l locking sw itch ... .. .. . 35
with the conven ience key ........ .. .. . 34
with the door lock ................ .. 35
Operate your vehicle economically and
minimize pollution ..... ......... .. .. 198
Other equipment (efficiency program) .. . 29
Outside temperature disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Overview (cockpit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
p
Paint damage
206
Paint No ..... ..... .. .............. . 279
Parking aid Cleaning sensors/came ra lenses .... .. 205
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_______________________________ I~ n~ d:::: e~x 295
Recirculation mode
automatic control system . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
manual climate control system . . . . . . . . 72
Reducing fuel consumption
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Remote control
refer to Remote control key . . . . . . . . . . 31
Remote control key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 33
,
Replacing the battery ..... .. .. .. .. .. 33
Synchron izat ion ....... ...... .... ... 33
un locking/locking ........... .... ... 33
Repair manuals ............ .... .. .. . 282
Repairs Airb ag system ........ ......... .. . 162
Replacement key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Replacing Light bulbs . ............. .... .. .. . 272
Tires and wheels ......... .. .. .. .. . 249
Replacing windshield wiper blades .. .. .. 54
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . 134, 135
Reset button (tr ip odometer) . . . . . . . . . . 11
Resetting the trip odometer ... .. .. .. .. 11
Retract New brake pads 190
Retractor
' . .. .. .............. ... .. . 141
Reverse (automat ic transmission) . .. .. . 110
Reversible mat ............ .... .. .. .. 69
Right hand drive .............. ... .. .. 52
Rollba r
refer to Active rollover protection sys -
tem ... .. .. .. .. ........... .. .. ... 135
s
Safe driving hab its
Safety 126
Airbag-System ........... .... .. .. . 146
Belts .. .. .. .. ........ ... .. ... ... . 138
Safety belt position ................. 142
Safety belts worn by pregnant women . 143
Safety belt pretens ioner ..... .. .. .. .. . 144
Service and disposal ...... .. .. .. .. . 145
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138, 141
Cleaning ... .. ........ ... .. ... ... . 207
Danger to passengers who do not wear a
safety belt .............. .. .. .. .. . 139 Fastening .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Improperly worn ... ............... 144
Ind icator light ... .. ................ 20
Not worn . .. .. .. ................. 139
Safety belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Safety instructions ................. 141
Securing child safety seats ...... .. .. 180
Spec ial considerations for pregnant
women . .. .. .. .. .. . .............. 143
Unfastening . .. .. .... ........... .. 143
Warning/indicator light ............. 138
Worn properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Safety belt warning light ............. 138
Safety central locking ............ .. .. . 37
Safety compliance sticker ............ 279
Safety equ ipment ................... 126
Safety features for occupant restraint and
protection .. .. .. .. ................. 126
Safety instructions for using child safety seats .......... 173
for using safety belts .............. . 141
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag Sys -
tem .... .. .. .. .. .. ............... 161
Safety systems (indicator light) . . . . . . . . . 20
Scheduled maintenance interval
with dr iver information system . . . . . . . . 13
Screwdriver ....... .. ............... 261
Seat adjustment
Driver's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Front passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Head restraints .................. . 130
Seat heating ....... ................. 74
Seating position Driver .... .. .. .. ................. 127
Front passenger .. .. ... ....... ..... 128
How to adjust the front seats ....... . 128
Incorrect seat position ............. . 130
Occupants . .. .. .. ............... .. 127
Rear passengers ...... ........... .. 129
Seats adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60, 61
Easy seat entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Folding ..... .. .. .. .. ........... .. . 66
Seats (number) .. ...... ............. 138
Selective wheel torque control ........ 188
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