engine AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 2015 Owner's Guide

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Switchin g th e ig nition on /off
If the> ,:r- u indicator l ight blinks and the mes­
sage
Ple ase move s teering wheel appea rs
when switching the ignition on, the steering is locked by th e steering lock. In this case, turn
the steering wheel slight ly to the left/ right.
.. To switch the ignition on or
off, press the
I S TAR T ENG INE S T OPI button. Do not press
the brake pedal whil e doing this .
Starting the engin e
Your vehicle is equipped with launch cont ro l.
The engine starts automa tically when you
press the
I S T AR T ENG INE S T OP I button brief­
l y.
.. Press the brake peda l and move the se lector
lever to the P or N pos ition .
.. Press the
I STAR T ENGINE STOP I button
briefly . The eng ine will star t.
Majo r electrical equ ipment switches
off tem ­
porarily when starting the eng ine .
I f the engine does not start immediately , stop
the starting procedu re by push ing the
I S TAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button again and re ­
peat after 30 seconds .
Automatic start m alfunction
If the Ila indicator l ight turns on (gasoline en­
g ine) when you start the engine, there is an
automatic sta rt malfunction .
To start the eng ine, press and hold the
!STAR T ENGIN E STOP ! button until the eng ine
runs.
Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or author­
i z ed Audi Service Fac ility immed iately to have
the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-Never allow the engine to ru n in confined
spaces -there is a r isk of asphyxiation.
- Always take the veh icle key with you
when leaving the vehicle, even for a
short per iod of t ime . This applies partic ­
ularly when chi ldren remain in the vehi­
cle . Otherwise the children could start
Dri vin g 79
the engine or operate electrical equip­
ment such as power w indows.
- Please note that the brake booster and
power steering only work when the en­
gine is running. When the engine
off, you
must use more force to steer or brake
the vehicle . Because the usual steer ing
and brak ing capability is not avai lable,
the risk of accidents or injur ies increases .
(D Note
-Avo id h igh engine speed, full throttle,
and heavy eng ine load as long as the en ­
gine has not reached operat ing tempera­
ture yet. You could damage the engine .
- The engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing .
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the eng ine run wh ile parked to
warm up . Begin dr iv ing immediately . Th is
reduces unnecessary emissions .
(D Tips
-After starting a cold engine, there may
be a brief period of increased no ise be ­
cause the oil press ure must f irst bu ild up
in the hydraulic va lve ad justers. This is
normal and not a cause for concern.
- If the . indicator light blinks in the in­
st rument cluste r before switching the ig­
nition
off, the ignit ion wi ll not switch on
again .
qpoge 192
- If you leave your vehi cle wit h the ignition
switched on, the ign it ion w ill switch
off
after a certain amount of time . Make
sure that electrical equipment such as
the exterior lights are switched
off .
T · th · ff using the
button
App lies to vehicles: wit h convenience key
.. Bring the veh icle to a full stop .
.. Move the se lector lever into the P posit ion .
.. Press the
I STA RT E NGINE ST OP ! button
q page 78, fig. 80. ..,.
•

80 Driving
Steering lock1
)
The steering locks when you turn the engine
off using the
I START ENGINE STOPI* button,
move the selector lever into the P position
and open the driver's door.
The locked steering helps prevent vehicle
theft.
Emergency off function
If it is absolutely necessary, the engine can al­
so be turned off while driving at speeds lower
than 6 mph (10 km/h).
If you press the
I START ENGINE STOPI* button while driving,
the message
Pressing start/stop button
again will switch off engine!
appears. To
switch the engine off, press the
I STAR T ENGINE STO PI* button twice in a row
briefly or press and hold for longer than two
seconds.
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine before the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop. The
full function of the brake booster and the power steering is not guaranteed. You
must use more force to turn or brake, if
necessary. Because you cannot steer and
brake as you usually would, this could
lead to accidents and serious injuries .
- Please note that the brake booster and
power steering only work when the en­
gine is running. When the engine off, you
must use more force to steer or brake
the vehicle. Because the usual steering and braking capability is not available,
the risk of accidents or injuries increases.
- Always take the vehicle key with you when leaving the vehicle, even for a
short period of time. This applies partic­ ularly when children remain in the vehi­
cle. Otherwise the children could start
the engine or operate electrical equip­
ment such as power windows.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehi­
cle with the selector lever in the P posi-
ll This function is not available in all cou ntr ies.
tion. Otherwise, there is the risk that the
vehicle could roll.
- After the engine has been switched off,
the radiator fan can continue to run for
up to 10 minutes - even with the ignition
switched off. It can also switch on again
after some time if the coolant tempera­
ture rises as a result of heat buildup or if
the engine compartment is heated by sunlight and the engine is hot.
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period of time, heat builds
up in the engine compartment after the
engine is switched off - there is a risk of
damaging the engine. For this reason, let
the engine run for at idle for approximate­
ly two minutes before shutting it off.
Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with convenience key
It may not be possible to start the engine un­
der certain circumstances, for example if the
battery in the vehicle key is drained, if inter­
ference is affected the key or if there is a sys­
tem malfunction.
Fig. 81 Steer ing colum n/remote control key : start ing
the e ngine
if t h ere is a malfu nction
As long as the message y>l) Key not recog­
nized. See owners manual
appears, you can
sta rt your vehicle using the emergency start
function . .,.

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~ Press the brake pedal¢ A in Starting the
engine with the
S TAR T ENGINE STOP but­
ton on page 79.
~ Press the l ~ s =T ~A~R=T~E~N-G~I~N~E~s=T~O~P~I button .
~ Hold the maste r key as shown in the illustra­
t ion in the location indicated
y>l) ¢ fig . 81 .
The eng ine will start .
~ If the engine does not automatically start,
press the
I STAR T E NGINE STOP! button
again.
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or author­
i zed Audi Service Fac ility immed iate ly to have
the ma lfunction co rrected .
(D Tips
You can disp lay the message that appears
during an eme rgency by p ressing the
!S TART EN GINE STOPI* button.
Driver messages
Turn off ig nition befor e leaving car . Batter y
is disc har ging
This message appears and a warn ing tone
sounds if yo u ope n the dr ive r's door when the
i gnit ion is switched on. Sw itch the ignition off
so that the batte ry wi ll not discharge.
Pr ess ing start/stop button again will sw it ch
off engin e!
This message appears when you press the
I STAR T ENGIN E STOP !* button while dr iv ing
¢ page 80, Emergency off function.
E ngine start s ystem malfunction. Please
contact Service
The engine automatic start system has a mal ­
function. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or
author iz ed Audi Serv ice Facility immediately
to have the ma lfunction corrected . To start
t he eng ine, press and hold the
I STAR T ENGIN E STOP ! button .
DJ Key not recognized . See owne r's manual
This message appea rs i f the re is no conven­
ience key inside the vehicle or if the system
does not recognize the key. The convenience key may not be recognized, for examp le, if it is
Dri vin g 81
cove red by an object that disrupts the s ignal
(such as a briefcase), or if the key battery is
weak. E lectronic devices such as ce ll phones
can a lso interfere with the signa l.
T o still be ab le to start or stop the engine, re ­
fer to "Correcting a malfunction"¢
page 80.
Ill Key not in vehi cle?
The Ill in dicator light turns on and th is mes­
sage appears if the co nvenience key was re­
moved from the vehicle when the engi ne was
run ning . If the convenience key is no longer in
the ve hicl e, you cannot switch the igni tion on
o r start the engine once yo u stop it . You also
cannot lock the vehicle from the outside .
Press brake pedal
Th is message appears if you do not p ress the
brake pedal when sta rting the eng ine .
Please eng age N or P
This message appears when starting or stop­
ping the engine if the se lector l ever is not in
the N or P position. The engine will not start/
stop.
Shift to P , othe rwi se vehicle can roll away.
Door s do not lock if le ver is not in P
T h is mess age appears for safety reasons
along wi th a warn ing tone.
It appea rs if the
selector lever for the automatic transm ission
is not in the P pos it ion when switching the ig­
nition off with the
I S TAR T ENGINE STOP !*
button. Shift the se lec tor lever to the P posi­
tion . Otherw ise, the vehicle could roll . You al­
so cannot lock the vehicle us ing the loc king
senso r o n the door hand le or using the con­
venience key.
•

82 Driving
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operating
The electromechanical parking brake replaces
the hand brake.
Fig. 82 Ce nter conso le: Park ing brake
~ Pull the switch@~ fig. 82 to set the park­
ing brake . The . (USA models)/ . (Cana­
da models) indicator lights in the button
and in the instrument cluster display turn
on .
~ To release the parking brake, press the brake
or acce le rator pedal while the ignit ion is
switched on and press the button @at the
same time. The. (USA models)
I. (Can­
ada models) indicator lights in the button
and in the display turn off .
Your veh icle is eq uipped with an electrome­
chanical parking brake. The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling unintentionally and replaces the hand brake.
I n addition to the normal functions of a tradi­
tional hand brake, the electromechanical parking brake provides various convenience
and safety functions.
When starting from a stop
- T he integral hill start assist helps you when
dr iving by automatically releasing the park­
ing brake ~
page 83, Starting from a
stop .
-When starting on inclines, the hill start as­
sist prevents the vehicle from unintentional­
l y rolling back. The braking force of the
parking brake is not released until sufficient driving force has been built up at the
wheels.
Emergency brake function
An emergency braking functions ensu res that
the vehicle can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes fail~ page 84, Emergency
braking function.
_.&. WARNING
- Do not press the accelerator pedal inad­
vertently when the vehicle is stationary
and the engine is running and a gear is
selected. Otherwise the vehicle will start
to move immediately and could result in
a crash .
- If the power supply fails, the released
parking brake can no longer engage . In
this case, park the vehicle on leve l
g round and secure it by placing these­
lecto r lever in the P position. See an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
(D Note
If the. or. (USA models) I. (Cana­
da models) indicator light in the instru­
ment cluster blinks, there is a malfunction
i n the brake system. Refer to the detai led
description of the indicator lights
~page 18.
- If the . (USA models) I. (Cana-
da models) or
Ill indicator light turns
on, there is a malfunction in the parking
brake
c> page 19.
(D Tips
- If the electromechanica l parking brake is
set while the ignition is switched off, the
¢@'A indicator light in the button and in
the instrument cluster dis-
play . (USA models) /. (Cana-
da models) will turn off after a certain
amount of time.
- If driver's door is opened while the igni­
tion is switched on, the park ing brake
sets automatically. This prevents unin­
tended rolling of the vehicle.

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-Occasiona l noises when the parking
brake is set and re leased are norma l and
are not a ca use for concern .
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a se lf-test cycle at
regular intervals. Any noises associated
with th is are normal.
- If there is a power failure, the parking
brake will not set if it is released, and it
will not release if it is set c::>
,&. See an
authorized Audi dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility for assistance .
Parking
"'Press the bra ke peda l to stop the vehicle.
"' Pull the switch@c::>
page 82, fig. 82 to set
t h e parking bra ke.
"' Place the selector lever in the P position .
"'T urn the eng ine
off c::> _& .
"'Turn the steering whee l when parking on in­
clines so that the whee ls will ro ll into the
curb if the vehicle starts moving.
A WARNING
-Always take the vehicle key with you when leaving the veh icle, even for a
short per iod of t ime. This applies partic­
u larly when ch ild ren remain in the vehi ­
cl e. Otherwise chi ld ren could sta rt the
engine, re lease the par king brake or op ­
erate electrical eq uipment such as powe r
w indows, which increases the risk of an
acc ident.
- No one sho uld remain in the vehicle
when it is locked, especia lly children.
Locked doors make it more diffic ult for
emergency workers to get into the vehi­
cle, which puts lives at risk.
Dri vin g 83
Starting from a stop
The start assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon starting .
Stopping and setting the parking brake
"' Pull the sw itch @c::> page 82 , fig. 82 to set
the parking brake.
Sta rting and automatically rel easi ng the
parking brake
Req uirement: The dr iver's door must be
locked and the driver's safety belt must be
fastened.
"' When you press the accelerator peda l, the
parking brake is automatically re leased and
your vehicle begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping in city traff ic, the parking brake can be ap­
plied . The vehicle does not have to be held
with the brake pedal. The parking brake elimi­ nates the tendency to creep when a selector
lever pos it io n is engaged. As soon as you
press the accelerato r peda l, the par king b rake
r eleases a utomat ica lly and the vehicle starts
to move.
Starting on slopes
When sta rting on incl ines, the hill start assist
prevents the vehicle from un intent ionally roll­
i ng ba ck. The bra kin g fo rce of the par kin g
brake is not re leased unt il su ff ic ient d riving
f o rce has been built up a t the wheels.
(D Tips
Fo r safety reaso ns, t he pa rking bra ke is re­
l eased automatic ally o nly when the d riv­
er's safety bel t is fa stened an d the driver's
d oor is locked.
•

84 Driving
Emergency braking function
This is used if the conventional brake system
fails or locks up.
... To brake your veh icle in an emergency, pu ll
the @switch ¢
page 82, fig. 82 and hold it
pulled .
... As soon as you releas e the @ switch or ac-
cele rate, the braking p rocess stops.
Pulling and holding the @switch while driv­
in g at a speed of about 2 mph (3 km/h) or
h igher in itiates the emergency b rak ing func­
tion . The vehi cle is braked at all fou r whee ls
by activat ing the brak ing hydrau lics. The brake
performance is s imilar to heavy bra ki ng. ¢.&.
To help prevent act ivat ing the emergency
b rak ing by mis take, an audib le wa rning tone
(b uzzer) sounds when the @switch is pulled.
E me rgency braking s tops as soo n as the @
switch is released or the accelerator peda l is
p ressed.
&_ WARNING
Emergency braking shou ld only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake
pedal has failed or the brake pedal is ob­
structed . Du ring emergency braking, your
vehicle will brake similar to heavy braking.
ESC and the assoc iated components (ABS,
ASR, EDL) cannot overcome the laws of
physics. In corners and w hen road or
weather conditions are bad, a full brake
application can cause the vehicle to skid or
the rear end to b reak away, which increas­
es the risk of an acc ident.
Hill hold
Applies to vehicles: with H ill Hold
Hill hold makes it easier to start on hills .
Requirement: The driver door must be closed
and the engine must be r unning .
The system is act iva ted when the brake pedal
i s pressed wh ile the veh icle is s ta tionary .
To prevent the vehicle from ro ll ing back when
start ing , the bra ke power is he ld for a br ief moment afte
r releasing the brake pedal. D ur­
ing t his time, you can easi ly begin to move
you r vehicle .
A WARNING
"---
-The intelligent technology of Hi ll Hold
cannot overcome the limitations im­ posed by natural physical laws . The in­
creased comfort offered by H ill Hold
should not cause you to take safety r is ks.
- Hill Hold cannot hold the vehicle in all
h ill sta rt situations (fo r example, if the
g round is slippery o r icy).
- If you do not beg in moving immediately
after releasing the brake pedal, the vehi­
cle could begi n to roll ba ckward unde r
certain ci rc u ms tances. Press the brake
pedal or set the pa rk ing brake immedi­
ately.
- If the eng ine "stalls", press the b ra ke
pedal or set the pa rking brake immedi ­
ately.
- Starting on inclines in stop-and-go t ra f­
fic: To help prevent the vehicle from ro ll­
in g back when starting, press and ho ld
the brake pedal fo r several seconds when
the vehicle is stationary.
(D Tips
You can find o ut if yo ur vehicle is equ ipped
with Hill Hold by checking at an a uthorized
A udi dealer or qualified repair facility.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified maximum speed .
The speed warning system war ns you if you
are exceeding the maximum speed that you
have set . You will hear a warning tone when
yo ur speed exceeds the stored value by ap­
proximate ly 3 mph (3 km/h). The . (U SA
models)/ . (Canada models) ind icator light
and the message
Speed limit e xceeded! ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display at the
same time. The./. indicator light turns ..,.

94 Audi adaptive cruise control
IIJ ACC: engine speed
This message appears if the driver has not
shifted up or down in time when the adaptive
cruise control is braking or accelerating, caus­
ing the vehicle to exceed or to not reach the
permitted engine speed. The adaptive cruise
control turns
off. A chime sounds as a remind­
er .
•••
Three white dots appear if a setting cannot be
selected with the operating lever. For exam­
ple, this happens if adaptive cruise control
cannot be activated when stopped because
the driver has not fastened the safety belt.
Door open
Adaptive cruise control cannot be switched on
when the vehicle is stationary and the driver's
door is open .

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Audi drive select Driving settings
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
Audi drive select makes it possible to experi­
ence diffe rent types of vehicle settings in one
vehicle. The driver can select from three
com­
fort , auto
and dynamic modes using the 1:1:.~
button in the center conso le or the MM I to
switch between a sporty and a comfortable
driving mode, for examp le. In the
individual *
mode, the settings can be adjusted to your
personal preferences. This makes it poss ible
to combine settings such as a sporty eng ine
tuning with light steering.
A WARNING
Using Audi drive select incorrectly can lead
to collisions, other accidents and serious injuries.
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the vehicle's features. However, the engine
and steering are always affected .
Engine and automatic transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and auto­
mat ic transmission* respond more quickly or
in a more balanced manner to acce lerator
pedal movements.
Adaptive dampers (Audi magnetic ride)*
The adaptive dampers use senso rs to record
information regarding steering movements,
brak ing and acce lerat ion operat ions by the
driver, road surface, driving speed, and load.
With Audi drive se lect you can adjust the
adaptive dampers sporty (dynamic), comfort­
ab le (comfort) or balanced (auto).
Steering
The stee ring adapts in terms of stee ring assis­
tance. There are different modes
¢page 108.
Indirect steering that moves easi ly as in com -
Audi drive select 107
fort mode is especially suited to long drives
on a highway. The dynamic mode provides
sporty, direct steer ing.
For vehicles wi th progressive steering* the
steering performance is mo re agile.
Cornering light*
The cornering light adjusts when driv ing on
curves at speeds between 6 mph (10 km/h)
and 68 mph (110 km/h). The pivoting action
and the lighting are also adapted to the
mode.
Adaptive cruise control*
T he behav ior when accelerating can be adjust­
ed from comfortable to sporty, depending on
the Aud i drive select mode. Adapt ive cru ise
control also responds to the driving behavior
of the vehicle ahead in a more conservative or
sporty manner.
(D Tips
In some mode ls, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the auto and
dynamic modes.
•

108 Audi drive select
Selecting the driving mode
App lies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
You can choose between comfort, auto, dy­
namic and individual* .
Fig. 103 Center console: drive select butto n
Fig. 104 MMI: drive select
.. To set the mode, press the ~;/:a button
<=> fig . 103 repeatedly until the desired mode
is d isplayed in the instrument cluster . Or
Adjusting the Individual mode
.. Select in the MMI: the !MENU I button> Car
> Systems* control button > Efficiency *,
Comfort , Auto , Dynamic
or Individual* .
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or while driving . If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the acce lerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
Comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on high­
ways.
Auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
nam ic driving feel and is suited for every day
use.
Dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a spo rty driv ing style.
Individual* -<=>page 108.
The last chosen mode is retained when the ve­
hicle is started agai n .
.&, WARNING
-Pay attention to traffic when operating the
dr ive select to prevent potential risk of an
accident.
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.. Se lect : I MENU I button >Car > Systems* con­
tro l button >
Set individual control button.
Once you select the menu, you will automat­
ically drive in the
Indiv idual* mode.
After you have closed the setti ngs, yo u are au­
tomatically driving in the
individual* driving
mode.
Systems comfort
Engine
and transmission comfortable
Steering comfortable
Cornering light* comfortable
Audi adaptive cruise control* comfortable T
he equ ipment in you r vehicle will determine
which settings you can adjust . The following
tab le gives an overview of the characteristics .
auto dynamic
balanced sporty
ba lanced sporty
ba lanced sporty
ba lanced sporty

110 Automatic transmission
Automatic
transmission S tronic-transmission
Introduction
Appl ies to vehicles: with S tro nic tr ansmiss ion
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronical­
ly-controlled DSG transmission called S tronic.
Two independent clutches transfer the power
between the engine and transmission. It al­
lows the vehicle to accelerate without a no­
ticeable interruption in traction .
The transmission upshifts or downshifts auto­
matically. The driving style continuously influ­
ences the selection of the driving program.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economica l
driving mode. The transmission upshifts at a
lower RPM and downshifts at a higher RPM to
improve fuel efficiency.
The transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac­
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera­
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) o page 115,
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode).
Selector lever positions
A pp lies to vehicles: with S tro nic tr ansmiss ion
Fig. 105 Instrument cluste r: selector leve r positions
The instrument cluster display shows the cur­
rent selector lever position and current gear .
P -Park
The wheels are mechanically locked in this po­
s iti on. You can only shift into Park when the
vehicle is
stationary o &..
To shift in and out of the P selector lever posi­
tion, press the interlock button in the selector
lever
while pressing the brake peda l.
R- Reverse
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed
o &. .
To select the R selector lever position, press
the interlock button
while pressing the brake
pedal. The back-up lights switch on in the R
pos ition if the ignition is switched on .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this position.
D/S - Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S selector lever position, the trans ­
mission can be operated either in the normal
D mode or in the S sport mode. To select the S
sport mode, pull the selector lever back brief­
ly. Pulling the lever back again will select the
normal D mode . The instrument cluster dis­
play shows the selected driving mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv­
ing style .
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes full use of the engine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeable when
acce lerat ing .
To move from selector lever position N to D,
you must press the brake pedal and the vehi­
cle must be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/
h) or be stationary
o &. .
,&. WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS.
- The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched
off. .__ _____________ __J~