open hood AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 2015 Owners Manual

12 Instrum ent s and indicator lamp s
Fuel level
The display @
c;, page 10, fig. 3 only works
when the ignition is sw itched on . When the
d isplay has reached the reserve mark, the bot­
tom LED wi ll turn red and the
tD indicator
light turns on¢
page 23 . The bottom LED
blinks red when the fue l level is very low .
The on -board computer shows the range
based on the fuel leve l
c;, page 2 7, On-board
computer display.
F or the tank capac ity in yo ur vehicle , refer to
the Tec hnical Data ¢
page 280.
CJ) Note
Never d rive until the tank is completely
empty. The irregular supp ly of fuel that re­
sults from that can cause the engine to
misfire. Uncombusted f uel will then enter
the exha ust system. This can cause over­
heating and damage to the catalytic con­
verter .
Coolant temperature indicator
The coolant temperature ind icator @
c::> page 10, fig . 3 only works when the ignition
is switched on . T o prevent engine damage, ob­
serve the fo llow ing notes about the tempe ra­
ture ranges.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the engine has not reached operat ing
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
fu ll acce le rat ing and heavy engine loads.
Norm al range
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving condi­
tions. The L EDs higher up may turn on if the
engine is under heavy load or the o uts ide tem­
perat ure is h igh. This is not a cause for con­
cern as long as the. indicator light in the
display does not t urn on. Hot range
If the L
EDs in the upper area of the d isp lay
and the. indicator light in the instrumen t
cluster disp lay t urn on, the coo lant tempe ra­
ture is too high
c::> poge 19.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
c;, page 214 before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the eng ine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coo lant
dripping from the engine compartment .
You could burn yourself. Let the engi ne
coo l off first until you can no longe r see
or hea r steam or coolant escaping.
([) Note
- Add itiona l headlights and other compo ­
ne nts in front of the a ir intake impairs
the cooling eff ect of the coolant. This in­
creases the risk of the engine over heat ­
ing dur ing high outs ide temper atures
and heavy eng ine load .
- The front spoiler also he lps to distr ibute
cooling air correct ly wh ile driving.
If the
spoiler is damaged, the coo ling effect
wi ll be impai red and the risk of the en­
gine overheating will increase. See an au­
thorized Audi dealer o r authorized Aud i
Service Facility for ass istance.

18 Instruments and indicator lamps
Active lane assist*
¢ page 100
Audi side assist*
¢page 105
Transmission
¢ page 116
USA model s:
Electromechanical parking brake
¢ page 19
Canada model s:
Electromechanical parking bra ke
¢page 19
BRAKE/((i)) Brake system
If this indicator light tu rns on, there is a mal­
function in the brake system.
• (USA models) , • (Canada models)
Please stop vehicle and check brake fluid lev­
el!
Stop the vehicle and check the brake fluid lev­
e l. See an a uthorized Audi dea le r or author ­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance if nec­
essary.
• (USA models) , • (Canada models)
Warning! Brake servo inoperative!
If the b rake assist (bra ke booste r) is not wo rk­
in g, you must use press the brake pedal hard­
e r to brake. See an authorized Aud i dealer or
authorized Audi Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance.
• (USA models) , • (Canada models )
Warning! Fault in brake sy stem . Please con­
tact Service
If the ABS indicator light (;I (USA models) /
KO) (Canada models), the ESC ind icator
light
Jil and the brake system indicator
light . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
turn on and this message appears, the ABS,
ESC and braking distrib ution are ma lf u nction­
ing ¢.&. .
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer o r au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the ma lfunction corrected ¢.&. .
• (USA models) , • (Canada models)
Parking brake system fault! See owner's
manual
- If the ind icator light and the message ap­
pear
when the vehicle is stationary or after
switching the ignition on ,
check if you can
re lease the parking brake. If you cannot re­
lease the parking brake, see your authorized
Aud i dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty . If you can release the parking brake and
the message still appears, see an author ized
Aud i dea ler or a uthorized Audi Service Facili­
ty immediately to have the ma lfunction cor­
rected.
- If the ind icator lig ht and message appear
while driving , the hill start assist or emer­
gency braking function may be malf uncti on­
ing . It may not be possib le to set the park­
ing brake or release it once it has been set.
Do not park your vehicle on hills and see an
author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Service Facility for assistance.
(USA mode ls) : I f the . and
liJ indicator
lights turn on together, take your vehicle to an
authorized Aud i dea ler or a uthorized Audi
Serv ice Facility immed iately to have the brake
pads inspected ¢
page 22.
There is also a warning tone when the lights
turn on.
A WARNING
-- Follow the warn ings on¢ page 214,
Working in the engine compartment
be­
fore opening the hood and check ing the
brake fluid level.
- If the brake system indicator light does
not turn off or it turns on while dr iving,
the brake fluid leve l in the reservo ir is
too low, and this increases the risk of an
accident. Stop the vehicle and do not
continue driving. See an authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized Aud i Service Facility
for assistance. ..,.

20 Instruments and indicator lamps
_& WARNING
-Never open the hood if you can see or
hear steam or coolant escaping from the
engine compartment . This increases the
risk of burns. Wait until you no longer
see or hear steam or coolant escaping.
-
-The engine compartment in any vehicle
can be a dangerous area. Stop the engine
and allow it to cool before working in the
engine compartment. Always follow the
information found in
<:;>pag e 214, Work­
ing in the engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not continue driving if the. indicator
light turns on - th is increases the risk of
engine damage.
• Switch
off engine! Oil pressure too low
Stop the engine and do not continue driving.
Check the engine oil level
<:;>page 218.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 217. Only continue driving once
the indicator light turns off.
- If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, turn the engine
off
and do not continue driving. See an author­
ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Serv ice
Fac ility for assistance.
@ Tips
The oil pressure warning is not an oil level
ind icator. For this reason, check the oil lev­
el regularly.
0 Alternator/battery
• Alternator f ault: battery is not being
charged
There is a malfunct ion in the alternator or the
vehicle electrical system.
Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immed iately. Be­
cause the vehicle battery is draining, turn off all unnecessary electrical equipment such as
the
MMI. See your authorized Audi dea ler or a
qualified repair facility if the battery charge
l evel is too low.
(•] low battery charge: Battery will be
charged while driving
The starting ability may be impaired.
If this message turns off afte r a little while,
the battery has charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have and au­
thorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility repair the malfunction.
tli1 !I: Safety systems
The II (USA models) Im (Canada models)
indicator light monitors the safety systems.
Safety system
If the II (USA models)/ m (Canada models)
indicator light turns on or blinks, there is a
malfu nction in a safety system.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
_& WARNING
-Have the safety systems inspected imme-
diately. Otherwise, there is a risk that the
systems may not activate during a colli­
s ion, wh ich increases the risk of serious in­
jury or death.
4f-Front safety belt
The. indicator light stays on until the driv­
er's and front passenger's safety belts are
buck led. There is also a warning tone above a
certain speed .
(D Tips
For additional information on safety belts,
refer to¢
page 138.

32 Opening and closing
Selective unlocking
The doors and rear lid lock when they close.
You can set in the MMI whether
only the driv­
er's door or the entire vehicle should unlock
when unlocking
¢ page 36.
Automatic locking (Auto Lock)
The Auto Lock funct ion locks all doors and the
l uggage compartment lid once the speed has
exceeded approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) .
The car is un locked again once the ignition key
is removed. In addition, the vehicle can be un­
l ocked if the opening function in the power
locking system switch is used or one of the
door handles is pulled. The Auto Lock function
can be turned on or off* in the MMI
c::>page36.
In the event of a crash with airbag dep loy ­
ment, the doors automatically unlock to allow
access to the vehicle.
Anti -theft alarm system*
If the anti-theft alarm system detects a vehi­
cle break-in, audio and visual warning signa ls
are triggered .
The anti-theft alarm system turns on auto­ mat ically when you lock the vehicle.
It deacti­
vates when un locking using the remote con­
trol key or by touching the sensor on the door
handle (convenience key) .
To switch the alarm off, press them button on
the remote control key or convenience key or
switch the ignition on . The alarm also stops
automatically after a certain amount of time.
Turn signals
The turn signals flash twice when you unlock
the vehicle and once when yo u lock the vehi­
cle.
If they do not flash, one of the doors, the lug­
gage compartment lid or the hood is not
lock ed or the ignition is still sw itched on (the
latter applies to vehicles with a convenience
key) .
Unintentionally locking yourself out
The following situations prevent you from
locking your remote control key in the vehicle:
- The vehicle does not lock w ith the cent ral
lock ing switc h if the driver's door is open
c::> page 3 5.
-On veh icles with a convenience key* , the lug­
gage compartment lid unlocks again after
clos ing if the most recent ly used key is in
the luggage compartment.
Do not lock your veh icle w ith the remote con­
trol key or convenience key* until all doors and
the luggage compartment lid are closed. This
helps to prevent from locking yourself out ac­
cidentally .
(D Tips
-Do not leave va luab les unattended in the
vehicle. A locked vehicle is not a safe!
- If the LED in the upper edge of the driv­
er's door turns on for about 30 seconds
after the vehicle is locked, there is a mal­
function in the power locking or the anti­
theft alarm system* . Have the problem
corrected by an authorized Audi dea ler or
authorized Audi Service Facility.

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Removing the wiper blade
• Fold the windshield wiper arm away from
the windshie ld .
• Press the locking knob@¢
fig. 50 on the
wiper blade. Hold the wiper blade firm ly.
• Remove the wiper blade in the direction of
the arrow.
In sta ll ing th e wiper blade
• Insert the new wiper blade into the mount
on the wiper arm @until you hear it latch
into place.
• Place the wiper arm back on the windshie ld.
• Turn the service pos ition
off.
A WARNING
For safety reasons, the windshield wiper
blades should be replaced once or twice
each year.
(D Note
- The windshield wiper blades must only
be folded away when in the serv ice posi­
tion. Otherw ise, you risk damaging the
paint on the hood or the wi ndshield wip­
er motor.
- You should not drive your veh icle or
press the w indshield w iper lever when
the w iper arms are folded away from the
windsh ield . The w indshield w ipers would
move back into their origina l position
and could damage the hood and wind­
shield.
- To prevent damage to the windshield
washer system, always loosen w iper
blades that have frozen to the wind­
s h ield before turning the wipers on.
- To prevent damage to the wiper blades,
do not apply gasoline, petroleum, thin­
ning agents or other solvents on the wip­
er blades or near them.
- To prevent damage to the wiper arms or
other components, do not try to move
the windshie ld w ipers by hand .
-
Lights and Visi on 55
@ Tips
-Commercial hot wax such as t he types
used by car washes make it more d ifficult
to clean t he windshie ld.
- Yo u can also use the service position, for
example, if yo u want to protect the
w indshield from icing by using a cover .
- Yo u cannot activate the serv ice position
when the hood is open.
Outside mirror
Adjusting the exterior mirrors
Fi g. 51 Dr iver's door : knob for the ex te ri or mi rrors (ex ­
a m ple)
T urn the knob to t he des ired pos it io n:
Q/P -In this position, you can adjust the
driver's and front passenge r's exte rior mirrors
by turning the knob i n the desired d irection .
C@ -The mirrors are heated* depend ing on the
outside temperature and driv ing speed .
8 - The exterior mirrors are folded in* .
Front passeng er's exterior mirror tilt
fun ction*
To he lp you see the curb when backing into a
parking space, the surface of the mirror can
be tilted s light ly. The knob must be in the
P pos ition for this to happen .
You can adjust the t ilted mirror surface by
turning the knob i n the desired d irection.
When you move out of reverse and into anoth­
er gear, the new m irror position is sto red and
ass igned to the key you are using .
II>

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-Never select R or P while driving, because
this increases the risk of an accident.
- Power is stil l transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions (except P) when
the engine is runn ing . Otherwise, th is in­
creases the risk of an accident.
- Do not inadvertently press the accele ra ­
tor pedal when the vehicle is stopped if a
gear is engaged . Otherwise the vehicle
will start to move immediately, even if
the parking brake is set. This could res ult
in a crash .
- Do not press the accelera tor pedal when
changing the selector leve r pos ition
whi le the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running whi le in gear . If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, set the parking brake and move these­
lector lever to the P posit ion.
- Before opening the hood and working on
a running engine, select the P position
with the se lector lever and set the park­
ing brake. Always read and follow the ap­
plicable warnings q page 214, Working
in the engine compartment.
(D Note
Never let the veh icle roll downhill with en­
gine off and the selector lever in the N po­
sition, beca use this could damage the a u­
tomatic transmission and cata lytic con­
ver ter .
@ Tips
-Audi drive select: Sporty shifting cha rac­
te ristics can be se lected using the
dy ­
namic driving mode.Swill appear in the
i nst rument cl uster display i nstead of D.
- If you accidentally sele ct N while driv ing,
take you r foot off the a cce le rator pedal
i mmedia tely and wai t fo r the engine to
slow down to idle be fore se lecting Do r S.
Au tom atic tr an sm iss ion 11 1
-If there is a power fai lure, the selector
lever will not move out of the P position .
The emergency re lease can be used if
this happens qpage 117.
Selector lever lock
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmiss ion
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­
lecting a gear accidentally, causing the vehi­
cle to roll.
Fig. 106 Se lector lever lock
To re lease the selector lever lock:
.. Switch the ignit ion on.
* 0 > a,
"'
.. Press the brake pedal while pressing the in-
terlock button .
Automatic sh ift lock (ASL)
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po­
sitions when the ign it ion is switched on. You
must press the brake pedal to select another
pos ition . You must also press the interlock
button if you are mov ing from the P position .
T he following message appears in the display
whe n the selector lever is in the P or N posi ­
t ion to remind the driver :
When stationar y app ly footbrake while se­
l e cting gear
The automatic sh ift lock only functions when
the vehicle is stationary or at speeds be low 1
mph (2 km/h) . At higher speeds, the lock is
automat ica lly deactivated in the N pos ition .
The selector lever is not locked when shifting
quick ly through N, for examp le from R to D .
T his makes it possible to free the vehicle when
it is stuck by "rocking" it. The selector lever
lock engages if the leve r stays in the N ..,_

114 Automatic tran smi ssion
the overload. The ml indicator light
turns on and a message appears
¢ page 116 when the clutch is overload­
ed .
- If the engine must run while you are
working in the eng ine compartment with
the hood open, make sure a gear is not
engaged. The selector lever must be
firmly in the
P pos it ion and locked in
place and the pa rking brake must be set
¢ page 214. Otherwise, the veh icle
cou ld beg in moving when the eng ine
speed is high, even with the parking
brake set.
@ Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator peda l while a driving gear
i s selected. This can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat and can dam­
age it. Set the park ing brake or press the
brake pedal to prevent t he veh icle from
r o lli ng .
- Allow ing the vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
i n the N pos ition will damage the auto­
matic transmission beca use it is not lu­
bricated unde r those circu mstances.
- The transm ission can ove rheat and be
damaged under certa in driving and traf­
fic conditions such as frequent starts,
creeping for a long time, or s top-and -go
traff ic. W hen the
ml or . indicator
li ght turns on, stop the vehicle at the
next oppo rtunity and let the transmis ­
s ion coo l
¢ page 116 .
- Allow ing the ve hicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped w ill damage the 5 tron ic
transmission because it is not lubricated
¢ page 2 75, Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake re­
leases automatically only when the driver's
door is closed and dr iver's safety be lt is
fastened.
Hill descent control
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tronic transm iss io n
Hill descent control assists the driver when
driving down hills .
Hill descent contro l is activated when these­
lector lever is in the Dor 5 position and you
press the brake pedal. The transm ission auto­
matically selects a gear that is su itab le for the
incl ine. Hill descent cont ro l tries to ma inta in
t h e speed ac hieved at the t ime of b raking,
within physica l and tec hni cal limitations. If
may sti ll be necessary to ad just the speed
with the brakes . Because hill descent control
cannot shift down farther than 3rd gea r, it
may be necessary to sh ift into t iptronic mode
i n very steep areas . In this case, shift into 1st
or 2nd gear in t iptron ic mode to use the en­
gine's brak ing force to relieve the brakes .
Hill descent contro l sw itches off once the h ill
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise contro l system*
¢ page 85, hill descent control is also activat ­
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING
--
H ill descent control cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be ab le
to maintain a constant speed unde r a ll
conditions. A lways be ready to apply the
b rakes.

214 Check ing and F illin g
•Pullon the cover carefu lly ¢ fig. 162. The
tab on the cover must point forward in the direction you are pulling when pu lling on
the cover.
• To open the fuel filler door, press on the left
side
¢ page 212, fig . 160 .
{Q) Note
Only pull on the cover unt il you feel resist­
ance. You will not hear it release . Other­
w ise you could damage the emergency re­
lease mechanism.
Hood
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the engine compartment
F o r w ork in th e eng in e c omp artm ent su ch as
c h ecking and fi llin g fluid s, t he re i s a risk of
inj ury, sca lding, accid ents, a nd b urn s. Fo r
thi s re aso n, follow all the follow in g listed
war ning s and ge neral safety p recaution s.
T he engine compartment is a d ang ero us
area. ¢,& .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injur ies, complete the
following steps before opening the hood:
- Turn the engine off.
- Switch the ignition off.
- Set the parking brake.
- Place the selector lever in the P position .
- Let the engine coo l down.
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam o r coolant drips from the engine
c ompartment- there is a danger of
burns! Wait until no steam or coolant
flows out.
- Keep chi ldren away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill flu ids on a hot eng ine. These
fluids (such as the freeze protection con­
tained in the coolant) can catch fire .
- Avo id short circuits in the electrical sys­
tem, especially the battery . -
When working in the engine compart­
ment, remember that the radiator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
sw itched off, which increases the risk of
personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant ex­
pans ion tank when the eng ine is warm.
The cooling system is unde r pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms
from hot steam or coolant, cover the cap
with a large cloth when opening .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns .
- If tests need to be performed with the engine runn ing, there is add itiona l dan­
ge r due to moving components (such as
the ribbed belt, generator and radiator
fan) and from the high voltage ignit ion
system.
- Never reach into the radiator fan. The
electric auxilia ry fan is controlled by
temperature and can switch on sudden ly .
- Pay attention to the fo llow ing warnings
listed when work on the fuel system or
on the e lectrica l equipment is required.
- Always disconnect the vehicle battery
from the vehicle e lectr ical system
- Do not smoke
- Never work near open flames
- Always have a working fire exting uisher
nearby
- To reduce the risk of electric s hock and
inj ury, never touch the fo llowing compo­
nents when the engine is running or is
be ing started :
- Ig nition cable
- Other compone nts in the electronic
high voltage ign it ion system
- If you must check or perform work on the eng ine while it is runn ing:
- Set the parking brake and place these­
lector lever in the P (park) position
first.
- Always proceed with extreme caution
so that clot hing, jewe lry or long hai r do
not become caught in the radiator fan, ..,.

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fan belt or other moving components or do not come into contact w ith hot
components. T ie back long hair before
beginning work and do not wear cloth­ ing that can hang down into the en­
g ine .
- Limit your exposure to exhaust and
chemicals to as short a time as poss ible
c::;, &. .
& WARNING
California P ropos ition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain veh icle components conta in
o r emit chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer and b irth de ­
fec ts and reproduct ive harm . In addition,
certain fluids conta ined in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­ pounds , chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer a nd reproduc ­
t ive harms . Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to m ix the
fluids up. Othe rwise severe malfunctions
and e ng ine damage will occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground un­
der your vehicle in orde r to detect leaks
quickly . If there are visible spots from oil
or other fluids, b ring your veh icle to an au­
thori zed Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility to be checked .
Checking and Fillin g 215
Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior .
Fig. 163 Se ct io n fro m t he dr iver 's footwell : release Lev ·
er
Fi g. 1 64 Rocke r sw it ch under t he hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint could be damaged .
... With the drive r's door open, pull the lever
be low the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
¢ fig. 163.
.,. Raise the hood slightly c::;, ,A .
.,. Press the lever under the hood upward
¢ fig . 164 . This releases the catch .
.,. Open the hood .
& WARNING
Never open the hood whe n you see that
steam or coo lant drips from the engine
compartment -there is a danger of b urns!
Wait unti l no steam or coolant flows o ut.
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coolant dr ips from the engine
compartment- there is a danger of burns! Wait until no steam or coo lant
flows out.
-

216 Checking and Filling
Closing the hood
,. Push the hood down until the force of the
strut is overcome.
,. Then lower the hood and let it fall into the
engine hood latch -you do
not have to press
on the hood after it is locked.~
A-
_& WARNING
If the hood is not latched completely, it
could fly up while you are driving and ob­
struct your vision .
Gasoline engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
-
-For safety reasons , the hood must a lways
be closed secure ly while driving. Because
of this, always check the hood after clos­
ing it to make sure it is latched correctly.
When latched correctly , the hood will be
f lush w ith the other body panels.
- If you notice that the hood is not latched
while you are dr iving, stop immediately
and close it, because this increases the
risk of an acciden t.
Fig. 165 Typica l locat ion of the reservoir, engine o il dipst ick, and engine o il filler open ing
@ Coolant expansion tank (- L) .. . 221 The engine oi l filler opening and the dipstick
@ Engine oil dipstick .......
... .
218 (items @ and @) c> fig. 165 may be located in
® Eng ine oil filler opening ('e::r.) 218 a different area depending on engine version.
© Brake fluid reservoir ((0) .. .. . 222 A WARNING
® Battery(+) under a cover .. .. . 224
® Body ground point(-) Read
and following the WARNINGS before
checking anything in the engine compart-
(J) Washer f luid reservoir (0) ... . 227 ment c> page 214.
® Fuse housing .......... .... . 269