maintenance AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 2015 Owners Manual

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2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet
Foreword
Thank you for choosing an Audi - we value your trust in us.
Your new Audi will allow you to experience the best in groundbreaking technolo­
gy and premium quality equipment a vehicle has to offer. We recommend that
you read your Owner's Manual thoroughly so that you quickly become acquaint­
ed with your Audi and make use of all of its features.
In addition to explaining how the different features work, we provide many use­
ful tips and information concerning your safety, how to care for your vehicle and
how to maintain your vehicle's value. We also give you useful tips and informa­
tion on how to drive your vehicle more efficiently and in an environmentally
friendly manner.
In the Owner's Manual packet, you will also find an Owner's Manual for your In­
fotainment system and the vehicle maintenance schedule.
We hope you enjoy driving your Audi and we wish you safe and pleasant motor­
ing.
AUDIAG

4 Table of contents
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
269
Elect rical fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Emergency situations ... .. .... 273
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Starting by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 273
Starting with jumper cab les . . . . . . . . 273
Usingjumpstartcables .. .. .. .. .. .. 274
Eme rgency towing with commercial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Lift ing vehicle. ........... .... .... 277
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Vehicle ident ifica tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
D imensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 282
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Operating your vehicle o utside the
U.S.A . or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Addit ional accessories, modifications
and pa rts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
D eclar ation o f Compliance,
T e lecommunication and Electronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Inde x ... .. ... ... .... ... .. .. .... 28 6

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In addition to this Owner's Man ual, your Audi
comes with the
- MM I Operating Ins truc tions
- Warranty
& Ma intenance book let.
If you are miss ing one of these publicat ions,
or if you believe that the information is not
complete, contact your authorized Audi dealer
for assistance.
MMI Operating In struction s
contain detailed description of the Audi Mu lti
Media Interface (MMI) including the naviga­
tion system, the sound system and the hand­
held pho ne.
The Warranty & M aintenance booklet
explains how yo u can keep your A udi in top
driving condition by having it serviced regular­
ly and conta ins detai led information about
the warranties covering your Aud i. Always
have the book let with you when you take your
ve hicle to an author ized Audi dealer for serv ­
i ce. Your Audi Servi ce Adviso r will record each
sched uled service and can answe r any q ues­
tions you may have regarding how to ma intain
your vehicle .
In Canada,
the vehicle lite ratu re is also avai lab le in
Fr ench. To obtain a co py, contact your dea le r
or write to:
Au Canada, on peut se p rocure r un exempla ire
e n frarn;ais de ce document aupres du conces­
sionn aire ou de:
Aud i Canada
Client Assistance
Assistance a la Clientele
7 77 Bayly S treet, West,
Ajax, Ontario LlS 7G7
If you sell y our Aud i
all lite rature should be left in the veh icle to
make the Warranty terms as we ll as a ll oper­
ating, safety and ma intenance information
av ail ab le to the next owner.
Vehicle literature 5
If you change your address or if you
bought thi s Audi u sed
be sure to send in a "Notice of Address
Change"/ "Notice of Used Car Purchase" post
card. This card can be found in the Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet or obtained from your
authorized Audi dea ler.
It i s in your own inte rest that we are able to
contact you should the need arise .
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Opening and closing
Central locking
Key set
Fig . 16 Your vehicle key set
The key set contains two remote contro l keys
or convenience keys*. To fold the key out or in,
press the release button
q fig. 16 -arrow-.
Remote control key or convenience key
The convenience key is a vehicle remote con ­
trol key with special functions
q page 34,
Locking and unlocking with the convenience
key and q page 78, Star ting and stopping
the engine (vehicles with a convenience key).
With the remote control key, you can lock and
un lock the vehicle centrally and start the en­
gine.
Number of keys
You can check the number of keys assigned to
your vehicle in the MMI. This allows you to
make sure you have received a ll of the keys
when you purchase a used vehicle. Select: the
I MENU I button > Car> Systems* control but­
ton
> Programmed keys.
Replacing a key
If a key is lost, see an authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified repair facility. Have this key deac­
tivated. It is important to bring all keys with
you.
If a key is lost, you should report it to
your insurance company .
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized use of
the vehicle . The vehicle may not start if anoth -
Opening and closing 31
er radio device such as a key for another veh i­
cle or a transponder is located on the key ring.
Data in the remote control key or
convenience key
While driving , service and maintenance -rele ­
vant data is continuously stored on your re­
mote control key or convenience key*. Your
Audi serv ice advisor can read out this data and
tell you about the work your vehicle needs.
_& WARNING
- 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.
- Do not remove the key from the ignition
lock until the vehicle has come to a com­
plete stop. Otherwise, the steering lock
could engage sudden ly and increase the
risk of an accident.
{i) Tips
The operation of the remote control key
can be temporarily disrupted by interfer­
ence from transmitters in the vicinity of
the veh icle working in the same frequency
range (for example, a cell phone or radio
equipment).
Central locking system description
You can lock and unlock the vehicle centrally .
There are different ways, depending on vehicle
equipment:
- Remote control key
q page 33,
- Lock cylinder on the driver's door
q page 35, or
- Sensors in the front door handles on
veh icles with a convenience key*
q page 34,
- Central locking sw itch inside q page 35.
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162 Airbag system
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­ lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop. -
Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once.
After an airbag has been deployed, it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially
for your Audi model version. Replace­
ment of complete airbag systems or air­
bag components must be performed by
qualified workshops only . Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE­
CORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­ nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified technicians who have the ex­ perience, information and special tools
necessary to perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see

198 Driving and the environment
can reach the cata lytic converter. This
could result in overheating of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have your veh icle ma intained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
the function of the emission control
system and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating properly, the exhaus t gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fue l being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Placing your vehicle
out of service
If you wou ld like to take your vehicle out of
service for a longer t ime, contact your author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility.
They will advise you of important measures,
such as corrosion protection, maintenance
and storage procedures. Also follow the infor ­
mat ion about the battery
¢ page 223.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and t ires largely
depend on three factors: -your
personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive econom ically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 1O-lS percent . This sec­
t ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
ce lerating. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, acce lerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle '
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.,. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fue l consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust emissions and en­
gine noise increase disproportionate ly at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption wi ll
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
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than the posted speed limit and weather con­
ditions permit. Reducing unnecessary idling
Even wh en your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
.,. Shu t the engine off when you a re not dr iv ing
the vehi cle.
... Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle.
It is effic ient to switch off the eng ine when
stopped at railroad crossings and long red
lights. Turning the engine
off for just 30-40
seconds saves more fu el than is burned by
starting the engine again.
It takes a long time fo r the engine to wa rm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However , wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is wa rming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the eng ine and
avoid running at h igh RPM while the engine is
still warm ing up.
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting. If warning lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
p roduces heat, which cou ld result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other prope rty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
.,. Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals.
H aving your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . T he condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects fuel
c onsum ption.
Dri ving and the en vironm ent 199
Chec k your oil e ach t ime you fill your tank.
T he amou nt of oi l used is re lated to engine
load a nd speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output .
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Ma in­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion cont ro l system and cou ld lead
t o damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as hea t shie lds, switches, ign ition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips.
... Try to avoid dr iving sho rt distances with a
cold engine .
T he eng ine and catalytic conve rter have to
reach their optimal operati ng t emperature to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis­
sions effectively.
Just after starting, a co ld eng ine in a mid-s ize
ca r only achieves a fuel economy of 6 -8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg ..,.
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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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Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interval display in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle w ill inform you when it
is t ime for an oil change. We recommend that
you have your o il changed by an author ized
Aud i Service Advisor .
If you have to top off the oil between oil
changes, use the Aud i oil quality standard
specified in the table .
Audi oil quality standard
G asoline
VW 502 00 or
e ngin e vw 504 00
Using the proper engine o il is important for
the functionality and service life of the en­
g ine . Your engine was factory-filled with a
hi gh-quality oil which can usua lly be used
throughout the enti re yea r.
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfun ctions due to
fa ilure to fo llow recommended ma in te­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let.
- U se only a high q uality eng ine oi l that ex ­
pressly comp lies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's en­
gine. Using any other oil can cause seri­
ous engine damage.
- Do not mix any l ubricants or other addi­
tives into the eng ine oi l. Doing so can
cause eng ine damage.
(D Tips
I f you need to add oi l and there is none
availab le that meets the Audi oil quality
standard your engine requires, you may
add a total of no more than 0.5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
t he follow ing specifica tions.
Checking and Fillin g 217
-Veh icles with gasoline engine : ACEA A3
or AP! SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE O W-30, SAE 5W -30 or SAE SW-40 .
- For more information about engine o il
that has been approved for yo ur vehicle,
please contact either your authorized
Audi dealer or Aud i Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site
at www .audiusa.com or
www.a udicanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in ­
te rnal combust io n engines consume a certa in
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion va rie s from
engine to engine and may change sign ifi can tly
ove r th e life of the engine. Typically, engines
wi th a spec ified break -in pe riod (see
¢ page 196) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they cons ume after oi l
consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate o f oi l con ­
s u mption depen ds on the q ual ity and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensa tion or fuel residue a nd the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wea r as m ileage builds up, the oil consump­
t ion may incre ase over time until replacement
of wo rn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es ­
tabl is h ed or spec ified. There is no alte rn ative
to regul ar and frequent che cking of the o il lev ­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning sy mbo l
Ill in the ins trument cl uste r lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 2 18 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 218 . ll-
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A WARNING ,~
- When adding oil, do not let oil drip onto
hot engine components. There could be
risk of a fire.
- You must secure the cap on the oil filler
opening correctly so that oil does not
leak out onto the hot engine and exhaust
system when the engine is running, be­
cause this is a fire hazard.
-Always clean skin thoroughly if it comes
into contact with engine oil.
(D Note
- The oil level must not be above the G)
range ~page 218, fig. 166, because this
can cause damage to the catalytic con­
verter or the engine. Contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility to have excess oil extracted if
necessary.
- Do not mix any additional lubricants into
the engine oil. Damage cause by such ad­
ditives is not covered by the warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Oil should never enter the sewer system
or come into contact with the ground.
- Pay attention to legal requirements
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
~ page 214.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis-
Checking and Filling 219
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe­ riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex­ pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself, please note the following important informa­
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch .
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off thoroughly
with soap and water.
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