belt AUDI S3 2016 Owners Manual

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0 > co ,...., Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Audi active lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Audi side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Audi drive select (drive settings) . . . . . . . . 148
Parking systems
General information ............ .... .
Rear parking system .......... .. .... .
Parking system plus ...... ... .. .. .. .. . 151
151
152
152
Rearview camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Adjusting the display and the warning
tones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Intelligent Technology . . . . . . . . . . 158
Notice about data recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and vehicle control
modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Electronic stabilization control (E5C) . . . . 159
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Electromechanical steering . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
All wheel drive (quattro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Energy management 164
Safety ... . .. .. ............. .. .. .. . 166
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Correct passenger seating positions . . . . . 167
Driver's and front passenger's footwell . . 171
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Storing cargo correctly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Why use safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System . 196
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Table of contents
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Securing child seats. ............... .. 219
LATCH system (Lower anchorages and
tethers for children) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Additional information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Gasoline fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Diesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Selective catalytic reduction (AdBlue) . . . 234
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Windshield washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Service interval display 252
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Wheels ... .. .. .. .. ... ... .... ..... .. 253
T ire pressure monitoring system 271
Care and cleaning ......... ... .. .. 274
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 4
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . . . . 275
Placing your vehicle out of service . . . . . . 279
Do It Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Emergency a ssistance . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Trunk escape latch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Tire mobility kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Replacing wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
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0 > co ,...., If the message does not turn off, have and a u­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi Se rvice
Faci lity repa ir t he malfunction.
ii !f Safety systems
The II (USA models)/ m (Canada mode ls) indi ­
cato r light monito rs the safety systems.
Safety system
If the fl (U SA mode ls)/ El (Canada models) i n­
d icator light tu rns on or blin ks, t he re is a ma l­
f u nction in a safety system.
Dr ive to an autho rize d Aud i dea le r o r a uth orized
Au di Service Facility immediately to have t he
malfunct ion corrected .
&_ WARNING
Have the safety systems ins pecte d imme di­
ately. Othe rw ise, there is a risk that the sys­
tems may not activat e duri ng a collision ,
w hich i ncreases the ris k of serious injury or
d eath.
-
4'-Front safety belt
The . indic a tor light stays o n until th e dr ive r's
a nd fr ont passenger 's safe ty be lt s are buckled.
Above a cert ain sp eed, t here w ill als o be a w ar n­
ing tone.
(1) Tips
For add itio na l i nfo rma tion o n safety be lts, re ­
f e r t o<>
pa ge 1 76.
~- Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
Th ere is a m alfunc tion in the elec tronic s tee ring
lock. You can not turn t he igni tion o n.
Do
not tow your vehicle b eca use it ca nnot be
st eered . Se e an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho r­
iz ed A udi Se rvi ce Fa cilit y for assis ta nc e.
1!\11 Steering lock: system fault! Please contact
Service
Instruments and ind icator lights
T he re is a ma lf u n ct ion in the e lectron ic s teeri ng
l ock .
Dr ive to an a uth oriz ed A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
A udi Se rvice Faci lity immed iately to h ave the
malfu nction corrected.
A WARNING
D o not tow you r vehicle when there is a mal­
f u nction in t he electron ic s teer ing lock - t his
i nc reases the risk of an acc ident.
=e Engine start system
• Engine start system malfunction. Please
contact Service
Do not switch the ignition off beca use you may
not be able to switch it on again.
Dr ive to an authorized A udi dealer or au tho rize d
Au di Service Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
l3 Engine start system malfunction. Please
contact Service
-
T he re i s a m alfu n cti on in the e ngine sta rting sys­
tem.
- Veh icles with ignition lock
c::> page 80, Auto ­
matic start malfunction
- Veh icles wit h co nvenience key c::> page 83, Au -
tomatic start malfunction
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected .
~ Engine
• Engine stopped : brake servo and power
steering not possible
The re is a ma lfunction in the engine or in the fuel
s u pply system .
More force is needed to steer and b rake the mov­
i ng vehicle when the engi ne is stopped. If the ve­
hicle is rolling, t ry to br ing it to a stop off to t he
s ide from mov ing traffic . See an author ized A udi
deal er or author ized A udi S ervice Fac ility for as-
s istance. .,..
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0 > co ,...., Seats and storage
General information
Important information
A WARNING
Refer to the chapter Driving Safely
r::!> page 166, Driving safety for important in­
formation, tips, suggestions and warnings
that you should read and follow for your own
safety and the safety of your passengers.
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system con only
provide maximum protection if the front seats ore correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that:
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the switches
and contro ls in the instrument pane l
- your body is properly supported thus reducing
physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offer
maximum protection
r::!> page 184.
I n the following sections, you will see exact ly
how you can best adjust your seats.
There are spec ial regulations and instructions for
in stalling a ch ild seat on the front passenger's
seat. Always fo llow the information rega rding
chi ld safety provided in
r::!> page 209, Child safe ­
ty.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and all
other passengers can result in serious person­
al injury.
- Always keep yo ur feet on the floor when the
vehicle is in motion -never put your feet on
top of the instrument pane l, out of the win­
dow or on top of the seat cushion. Th is ap­
plies especially to the passengers. If your
seating pos it ion is inco rrect, you increase
Seat s and sto rage
the risk of injury in the case of sudden bra k­
ing or an accident. If the airbag inflates and
the seating posit ion is incorrect, th is could
result in persona l injury or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and front
passenger to keep a distance of at least
10 inches (25 cm) between themselves and
the steering wheel and/or instrument pan­
el. If you're sitt ing any closer than this, the
ai rbag system cannot protect you properly.
I n addition, the front seats and head re­
str aints must be adjusted to you r body
height so that they can give you maximum
protection.
- Always try to keep as much dis tance as pos ­
sible between yourself and the steering
wheel or instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r front passeng­
er's seat while the vehicle is moving . Your
seat may move unexpectedly, causing sud­
den loss of vehicle contro l and personal in­
jury. If you ad just your seat while the veh icle
is moving, you are o ut of pos ition.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's seat
in the following manner:
.. Adj ust the seat in fore and aft direction so that
you can easi ly push the pedals to the f loor
while keeping yo ur knees slight ly bent
r::!> A in
Why is your seat adjustment so important? on
page
57.
.. Adjust the backrest so that when you sit w ith
your back against the backrest, yo u can st ill
grasp the top of the stee ring wheel.
.. For ad justab le head rest raints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
b le with the top o f your head . If tha t is not pos­
sible, t ry to adjust the head rest raint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
r::!> page 60. Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as poss ible.
Ill>
57

Seats and storage
_& WARNING
Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal area and interfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would not
be able to brake or accelerate.
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the
rearmost position.
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
p loy ing, do not sit any closer to the instrument
panel than necessary and always wear the three­
point safety belt provided adjusted correctly. We
recommend that you adjust the passenger's seat
in the following manner:
• Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
position.
Do not ride with the seat reclined .
• For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head . If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
q page 60. Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as possible.
• Place your feet on the floor in front of the pas­
senger's seat .
Front seats
Manual seat adjustment
Appl ies to v eh icles : w ith manu ally a djustabl e seats
Fig . 47 Front seat: manual seat ad jus tm ent
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@ -Moving the seat forward/back: pull the lever
and slide the seat.
58
@-Lengthening/shorteni ng the upper thigh
support*:
lift the handle.
@-Adjusting the angle of the seat surface*.
Pull/press the lever.
@-Adjusting the lumbar support*: press the
button in the desired direction.
®-Moving the seat up/down : pull/press the lev­
er.
® -Adjusting the backrest angle: turn the ad­
justing wheel.
_& WARNING
- Only adjust the front seat with when the ve­
hicle is stationary. Otherwise, this increases
the risk of an accident
- Exercise caution when adjusting the seat
height. Adjusting the seat carelessly or
w ithout check ing can p inch hands and fin­
gers.
- The front seat backrests must not be re­
clined too far back when driving, because
this impairs the effectiveness of the safety
belts and airbag system, which increases
th e risk of injury.
- To reduce the risk of injury during sudden
braking or in a collision, the driver and front
passenger should not have their backrests in
the reclined position while driving or riding.
The safety belts and airbag system can pro­
vide the greatest protection possible when
the backrests are in the upright position and
the safety belts are worn correctly. The more a backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of injury due to an incorrect seating po­
sition and safety belt position.

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Power seat adjustment
Applies to vehicles: with power adjustable seats
Fig. 48 Front se at: po wer se at adjust men t
@ -Adjusting the lumbar support: press the but­
ton in the applicable position .
@-moving the seat up/down : press the button
up/down. To adjust the front seat cushion, press
t he fron t button up/down. To adjust the rear seat
cushion, press the rear button up/down .
@-moving the seat forward/back: press the
but ton forward/back.
© -adjusting the backrest angle : press the but­
ton forward/back.
@ -lengthening/shortening the upper thigh sup­
port* : lift the grip handle.
A WARNING
- Only adjust the front seat with when the ve­
hicle is stationary. Otherwise, this increases
the risk of an accident
- The power adjustment for the front seats al­
so works with the ignition switched off or
with the ignition key removed. For this rea­
son, children should never be left unattend­
ed in the vehicle - they could be injured!
- Exercise caution when adjusting the seat
height. Unsupervised or careless seat ad­
justment can pinch fingers or hands causing
injuries .
- The front seat backrests must not be re­
clined too far back when driving, because
this impairs the effectiveness of the safety
belts and airbag system, which increases
the risk of injury.
Seats and storage
-To reduce the risk of injury during sudden
braking or in a collision, the driver and front
passenger should not have their backrests in
the reclined position while driving or riding .
The safety belts and airbag system can pro­
vide the greatest protection possible when
the backrests are in the upright position and
the safety belts are worn correctly. The
more a backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of injury due to an incorrect seating po­
sition and safety belt position.
Front center armrest
Applies to vehicles: with front center a rm rest
The center armrest can be adjusted to several
l e ve ls.
Fig. 49 Armre st between th e driv er's /fro nt pa ssenger 's
s eats.
.,. To adjust the angle, raise the armrest~ fig. 49
notch by notch.
.,. To bring the armrest back down, raise it out of
the top notch and fold it back down. Then
lift
the armrest to the desired position, if necessa­
ry.
Please note that the driver 's ability to move his or
arm may be restricted when the armrest is folded
down. Because of this, the armrest should not be
folded down during city driving .
The armrest can slide forward and back.
There is a storage compartment under the arm­
rest .
59

Seats and storage
Rear center armrest
Applies to vehicles: with rear center armrest
The storage compartment and cup holder are in­
tegrated in the armrest.
Fig. SO Rear a rmrest
Folding the armrest down
• Tilt the armrest all the way down.
Opening the storage compartment
• Lift the cover on the upper rim.
~I
gl
~
For more information on the use of the cup hold­
ers , see ¢
page 62 .
Head restraints
Front head restraints
Applies to veh icles: with adjustable head restraints
-
'
' F ig. 51 Front seat: adjust ing the head restra int
Applies to vehicles w ith super sport seats* (not
pictured): the head restraint is integ rated in the
backrest and is therefore not adjustable
Adjust the head restra ints so the upper edge is as
even as possible with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust as close to this posi­
tion as possible . Push the head restraint as close
as poss ible to the back of the head.
60
• To move the head restra int up or forward, slide
it unti l it locks into place.
• To move the head restra int down or back, press
the side button -arrow-¢
fig. 51 and slide the
head restraint until it locks into place.
Refer to ¢
page 170, Proper adjustment of head
restraints
for guidelines on how to adjust the
height of the front head restraints to suit the oc­
cupant's body size.
A WARNING
- Dr iving without head restra ints or head re­
stra ints that are not adjusted correctly dra­
matically increases the risk of serious or fa­
tal nec k injuries.
- Read and following the WARNINGS in
¢ page 170, Proper adjustment of head re­
straints.
@ Tips
Head restraints that are adjusted correctly
and safety belts are an extremely effective
combination of safety equipment.
Rear head restraints
ro -0
Fig. 52 Outer rea r head restra ints : re lease point
- 0 > :g
If there are passengers in the rear seat, fold the
head restraints up on the occ upied seats at least
to the next notch ¢
,& .
Adjusting the head restraints
• To move the head restra int up, hold it at the
sides with both hands and slide it upward until
you feel it click into place . .,.

Installing
• Slide the cover@ hor izontally into the desig­
nated ho lder @in the side bracket until the
cover is lined up.
• Hook the straps into the l uggage compartment
lid @ ¢
A.
A WARNING
-To prevent accidents, never install the lug­
gage compartment cove r unsec ured.
- The luggage compartment cover is not a
surface for storing objects. Objects placed
on the cover increase the r isk of injury to all
vehicle occupa nts dur ing sudden bra king
mane uvers o r when i nvo lved in an accident .
Increasing the size of the luggage
compartment
-
The rear seat backre sts can be folded forward ei ­
ther separately or together.
F ig. 61 Backrest: re lease lever (le ft s ide, examp le)
Folding the backr est forward
• Push the corresponding head restraint down­
ward
¢ page 60.
• Press the release lever @ in the direct ion of the
arrow .
• Fold the backrest forward .
Folding the backrest back into the upright
position
• Fold the backrest down until it latches secure ly
¢ ,& .When you can no longer see the red mark
;::: on the pin @, the seat is la tched .
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Seats and storag e
A WARNING
-~
-The backrest must be latched securely to
e nsu re that the safety belt is p rotecti ng the
center seating position .
- The bac krest must be securely latched so
objects cannot slide fo rward out of the lug­
gage compartment during sudde n braking .
- Always make su re the backrest is latched
completely by pull ing fo rwa rd on it .
- Make sure the safety belt is not caught in
the door hinges or the seat fittings and
damaged.
- To rn or frayed safety be lts can break, and
be lt anchors can b reak dur ing a col lision .
C heck the safety be lts regu la rly. Safety
be lts wi th noticeable damage to the we b­
b in g, b indings, bu ckles or ret ra cto rs m ust
be repla ced.
(D Note
- If you move the front seat back when the
rear seat backrest is fo lded fo rwa rd, yo u
c o ul d d am age the head restra in ts on t he
rear sea t. If necessary, remove the rear sea t
head restraint be fore mov ing the front seat
back
- Make sure the sa fe ty belt is not pinche d in
the back rest lock a nd damage d when the
rear seat backrest if folded back . Othe r ob­
jects should be removed from the rear
bench seat to protect the rear backrest from
damage .
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0 > co ,...., Starting from a stop
The start assist function ensures that the park­
ing brake is released automatically upon start­
ing.
Stopp ing and sett ing the p arking br ake
.. Pull the switch@¢ page 85, fig. 80 to set the
parking brake.
Starting and aut omatically rele asing the
par king b rake
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the driver's safety belt must be fastened.
.. When you press the accelerator pedal, the
parking brake is automatically released and
your vehicle begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping in
city traffic, the parking brake can be applied . The
vehicle does not have to be he ld with the brake
pedal. The parking brake eliminates the tendency
to creep when a selector lever pos ition is engag­
ed. As soon as you press the accelerator pedal,
the park ing brake re leases automatically and the
vehicle starts to move.
Starting on slope s
When starting on inclines, the hill start assist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally rolling
back . T he braking force of the parking brake is
not released until the wheels bu ild up enough
d riving force.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the dr iver's
safety belt is fastened and the dr iver's door is
loc ked.
Emergency braking function
In the event that the conventional brake system
fails or locks.
.. To brake your vehicle in an emergency, pull the
@ switch¢
page 85, fig. 80 and hold it pulled.
.,. As soon as you release the @switch or acce le r­
ate, the brak ing p rocess stops.
D riv ing
Pu lling and ho lding the @switch while driving at
a speed of about 2 mph (3 km/h) or higher ini­
t iates the emergency braking funct ion. The vehi­
cle brakes at all four wheels by activating the
braking hydraulics. The brake performance is
s imilar to heavy braking. ¢
&
To help prevent act ivat ing the emergency braking
by mistake, an aud ible warn ing tone (buzzer)
sounds when the @switch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as the @switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
A WARNING ,__ -Emergency braking should only be used in an
emergency, when the normal brake pedal has
failed or the brake pedal is obstructed. Du ring
emergency braking, your veh icle wi ll brake
similar to heavy braking. ESC and the associ­
ated components (ABS, ASR, ED L) cannot
overcome the laws of physics. In corners and
when road or weather conditions are bad, a
fu ll brake application can cause the vehicle to
skid or the rear end to break away, which in­
creases the r isk of an accident.
Hill hold
Applies to vehicles: wit h Hill Ho ld
Hill hold makes it easier to start on hills .
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the engine must be running.
The system is activated when the brake pedal is pressed while the vehicle is stationary.
T o prevent the vehicle from rolling back when
starting, the brake power is held for a brief mo­
ment after re leasing the brake pedal. During this
time, you can easily begin to move your vehicle .
A WARNING
--
-The intelligent technology of Hill Hold can­
not overcome the limitat ions imposed by
natural phys ical laws. The increased comfort
offe red by Hill Hold shou ld not cause you to
take safety risks.
~
87

Automatic transmissio n
Stopp ing /park ing
If the se lecto r lever is not in the P posit ion when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll .
In vehicles with a convenience key*, the message:
Shift to P , vehicle can roll away . Doors c an be
lo cked onl y in P
appears. You will a lso hear a
warn ing tone.
... Press and hold the brake pedal¢_&. .
... Set the parking brake.
.,. Se lect the P selector lever position.
Stopp ing on an inclin e
.,. Always press the brake peda l to hold the vehi ­
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢ _&. . Do
not try to prevent the vehicle from
"ro lling back" when a gear is engaged by in­
creasing the engine speed ¢(D.
Starting on an inclin e in vehicl es without Hill
H old *
... Set the parking brake.
.,. With the driving gear selected, press the acce l­
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake re­
leases automatically . Requirement : the driver's
door must be closed and the driver's safety belt must be fastened .
Starting on an incline in veh icles with Hill
Hold*
.,. With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal~
page 87, Hill hold.
Under certain c ircumstances, (such as driv ing in
the mountains or towing a trailer), it may be use­
fu l to sw itch temporarily to the manua l shift p ro­
g ram in o rde r to adjust the gea rs to the driving
conditions by hand
c:? page 94.
When parking on a level surface, simply place the
selecto r leve r in the P position. On inclines, act i­
vate the parking brake first and then move the
selector lever to the P posi tion
~ page 85. This
prevents the loc king mechanism from being
loaded too heav ily and wi ll make it easier to
move the selector lever out of the P position.
92
A WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even when the engine is
sw itched off.
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serious injuries.
- Never leave your veh icle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running, set
the park ing brake and move the selector lev­
er to the P posit ion.
- Power is still transferred to the wheels when the engine is running at idle . To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", yo u must
keep your foot on t he b rake when the en­
gine is ru nning and the selector lever is in
the D, Sor R position or "tip tronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not inadve rten tly p ress the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other ­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could result in a crash.
- Do not press the acce lerator pedal when
changing the selector lever posit ion while
the vehicle is stat ionary and the engine is
running.
- Never engage the R or P selector level pos i­
tions while dr iv ing. It could cause a crash.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce your speed and shift into a lower gear w ith
"t i ptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake pedal too often o r too long when dr iv ing
downhill. Constant braking causes the brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces bra king performance, increases b rak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the bra ke sys tem.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in place w ith the foot brake or
p ar king bra ke to p revent it from rolling
back.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clu tch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
over load . T he
l§1 indicator light turns on

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., and a message appears ¢ page 95 when
the clutch is over loaded.
- If the engine must run while you are work­
ing in the engine compartment with the
hood open, make sure a gear is not engag­
ed. The selector lever must be firmly in the
P position and locked in place and the park­
ing brake must be set¢
page 236. Other­
w ise, the vehicle could begin moving when
the engine speed is high, even w ith the
par king brake set.
(D Note
- When stopping on a n incline, do not t ry to
ho ld the vehicle in place by press ing the ac­
ce le ra to r pedal wh ile a driv ing gear is se­
l ected. This can ca u se the au toma tic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
the pa rking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from ro lling .
- Allow ing the vehicle to ro ll when the eng ine
is stopped and the se lector lever is in the N
pos ition w ill damage the automatic trans­
mission because it is not l ubricated under
those circumstances.
- The transmiss ion can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts , creeping for a
l ong time, or stop-and-go traffic. When t he
mJ o r. indicator light tu rns o n, s top the
vehicle at the next oppo rt u nity and let the
transm issio n coo l
¢page 95 .
-Allow ing the ve hicle to ro ll when the eng ine
i s s topped w ill damage the S tro nic trans­
mission because it is not lubric ated
¢ page 297, Towing with a tow truck .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking b rake releases
au tomatically on ly w hen the dr iver's door is
closed and driver's sa fe ty belt is fastened.
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
Hill descent control
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is act ivated when the se lec­
tor lever is in the D or S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is su itable for the incline . H ill
descent con trol tr ies to maintain the speed ach­
i eved a t the time of braking, w it hi n physi cal a nd
technical lim itations . If may s till be necessary to
adjus t the speed w ith the bra kes . Because hill de­
scent control cannot shift down farthe r than 3rd
gear, it may be necessary to shift into tiptronic
mode in very steep areas. In this case, shift into 1st or 2nd gear in tiptronic mode to use the en­
gine's braking force to relieve the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cru ise con trol system*
¢ page 130, hill descent control is a lso activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
-Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitat ions, so it may not be able to ma intain
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.
93