brakes AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 2015 Owner's Manual

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Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
a n d driving instr uctions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns .
Trailer towin g 201
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Alw ays use saf ety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra iler lights must meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check with your Audi dea ler fo r cor re ct
wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must i nsta ll ext ended mir rors . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis ion to the rear .
.8, WARNING
-
Afte r removing the trailer hit ch, do no t
s tore i t in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
b raking, the h itch cou ld fly forwar d an d in­
ju re you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a ty pical
cl ass 1 or class 2 tra ile r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the loa d in the tr aile r is held secure ly
i n place to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 20 2.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
perfo rmance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the coo ling syst em has enough
f lui d.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer , inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under .,..
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202 Trailer towing
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trai ler and t ire manufac ­
turers' specif ications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be espec ially car efu l when passing other
vehicles.
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loa ded trai ler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent poss ible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi- ble,
transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed . Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhi ll, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge~ page 12
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the d isplay turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ~
page 19 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
a trai ler because of the additional weight and ..,.

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different weight distribution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy wi ll greatly depend on how
carefu lly you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become comp letely familiar with the way
your vehicle- trailer combination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is d ifficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler generally requires
stee ring action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turn ing radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
celerate as fast as you normally would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, allow
p lenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 282 .
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If i t can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol ­
lowing:
When parking:
.. Apply the foot brake.
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels.
Trailer towing 203
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.. Apply the parking brake.
.. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When re starting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Select the
0/5 selector lever position.
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
matic transmission to
P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
lat er to move the lever out of the
P posi­
tion.
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Care and cleanin g 205
& WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operato r to reduce the risk
of accidents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the whee l housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter . The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat io ns.
{[) Note
- If you wash th e vehicle in an automatic
ca r wash, yo u m ust fold the exterior m ir­
ro rs in to reduce the r isk of damage to
the mirrors . Power foldi ng exterior m ir­
r o rs* must o nly be folded in and out us­
i ng the power folding function.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
th e veh icle in direc t sun ligh t. -
To reduce the r is k of damage, do no t
wash the powe r top with a pressure
washer.
- To reduce the r is k of damage to the sur­
face, do not use i nsect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surfac e, do not use polishi ng agents or
ha rd wax.
- Neve r use prot ective wax. It can de­
stroy the matte fin is h effect.
- Do not place any stickers o r magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w it h
ma tte fi nish pa in t. The pa int cou ld be
da maged whe n the stickers o r m ag nets
ar e removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash t he ve hicl e in facili ties spe cially
d es igned for th at p urpose . Th is will re duce
the r is k of d irty wate r contam ina ted with
oil from entering t he sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and caring for individua l vehi­
cle components, refe r to the fo llow ing tab les .
The informa tion contained there is s imp ly rec­
ommendations. Fo r quest ions or for compo -n
ents that are not listed , refer to an author­
i z ed Audi dea ler. Also follow the info rma tion
fo und in ~ &, .
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Wind shield wip-
Deposits ¢ page 54, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
er bl ade s
Headlights /
Deposits Soft sponge with a m ild soap solution3>
Tail lights
Sensors /
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth w ith a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ ice Hand brush/so
lve nt-free de -icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid
-free special cleaning so lu tion
E x haust tail Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for stainless steel, if
pipes necessary •
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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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230 Tires and wheels
-If you notice unusual vibra­
tion or if the vehicle pulls to
one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is
safe to do so and check the
wheels and tires for dam­
age.
0 Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de­
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea­
sons. Audi recommends us­
ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem­ peratures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability. If summer tires are used
in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread
bars, resulting in perma­
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and
unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi­
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi­
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma­
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac­
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent.
Numbers of 55 or lower indi­
cate a low sidewall for im­
proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.
...

232 Tires a nd whee ls
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire
at the maximum permissible in­
flation pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a tire
may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the
total seat ing capac ity of your
vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occu ­
pants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of
an inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the ex teriors of the side­
walls of an inflated tire, includ ­
ing elevations due to labeling,
decorations, or protect ive
bands or ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the comb ined we ight of
those installed regular produc­
tion op tions weighing over 5
lbs . (2. 3 kg) in excess of those
standard items which they re ­
place, no t prev iously consid­
ered in curb weight or accessory
weight , incl uding heavy duty
brakes, ride leve lers, roof rac k,
heavy duty bat tery, and spec ial
trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in
wh ich the p ly c ords that extend
t o the beads are laid at sub ­
stantially 90 degrees to the
centerline of the t read .

Tires and wheels 239
technically referred to as the not be able to stop the vehi-
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight cle within a safe distance.
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross -Tires on a vehicle that has
Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is been overloaded can fail
the maximum load that can be suddenly causing loss of
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applied at each of the vehicle's control and a crash.
two axles. The Gross Vehicle -Always make sure that the
Weight Rating and the Gross total load being transported
Axle Weight Rating are listed -including the weight of a
on the safety compliance stick- trailer hitch and the tongue
er label located on the driver's weight of a loaded trailer -
side B-pillar. The tire pressure does not make the vehicle
label on your Audi lists the heavier than the vehicles
maximum combined weight of Gross Vehicle Weight Rat-
all of the occupants and lug- 1ng.
gage or other cargo that the ve-
A WARNING hicle can carry. For the location
of the tire pressure label -Incorrect tire pressures
¢ fig
. 172. and/or underinflation can
lead to a serious or fatal ac-
A WARNING
-cident.
Overloading a vehicle can -Incorrect tire pressures
cause loss of vehicle control, and/or underinflation cause
a crash or other accident, se- increased tire wear and can
rious personal injury, and affect the handling of the
even death. vehicle.
-Carrying more weight than -Incorrect tire pressures
your vehicle was designed and/or underinflation can
to carry will prevent the ve- also lead to sudden tire fail-
hicle from handling properly ure, including a blowout
and increase the risk of a and sudden deflation, caus-
' • M loss of vehicle control.
ing loss of vehicle control. N
" >
-The brakes on a vehicle that co ...... \!)
has been overloaded may
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-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may
not be able to stop the vehi­
cle within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail
suddenly, including a blow­
out and sudden deflation,
causing loss of control and a
crash.
-Always make sure that the total load being transported
- including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicles
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be overloaded.
Tires and wheels 245
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 235,
fig. 172.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
r:::> page 235, fig. 172.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of car­go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150 lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo ""
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Tires and wheels 253
sure of their "previous histo-and sudden deflation and
ry." Old used tires may have loss of control.
been damaged even though -Temperature grades apply
the damage cannot be seen to tires that are properly in-
that can lead to sudden tire flated and not over or un-
' •
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failure and loss of vehicle derinflated.
control. -For technical reasons it is
-All four wheels must be fit- not always possible to use
ted with radial tires of the wheels from other vehicles -
same type , size (rolling cir-
in some cases not even
cumference) and the same wheels from the same vehi-
tread pattern. Driving with cle model.
different tires reduces vehi- -If you install wheel trim
cle handling and can lead to discs on the vehicle wheels,
a loss of control. make sure that the air flow
-If the spare tire is not the to the brakes is not blocked.
same as the tires that are Reduced airflow to the
mounted on the vehicle - for brakes can them to over-
example with winter tires - heat, increasing stopping
only use the spare tire for a distances and causing a col-
short period of time and lision.
drive with extra ca re. Refit -Run flat tires may only be
the normal road wheel as used on vehicles that were
soon as safely possible. equipped with them at the
-Never drive faster than the factory. The vehicle must
maximum speed for which have a chassis designed for
the tires on your vehicle are run flat tires. Incorrect use
rated because tires that are of run flat tires can lead to
driven faster than their rat- vehicle damage or acci-
ed speed can fail suddenly. dents. Check with an au-
-Overloading tires cause heat thorized Audi dealer or tire
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" build-up, sudden tire fail- specialist to see if your vehi-> co ......
ure, including a blowout cle can be equipped with ... \!) 1.1'1
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