warning AUDI S3 SEDAN 2015 Owners Manual

Checking and Fill in g
negative cable on the battery must be dis·
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights .
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm .
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cable and then the
posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnect ing the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off . Re ­
connect the pos itive cable first and then the
negative cable . Never intercha nge the ca­
bles -th is could star t a fire!
- Never charge a froze n or a thawed-out bat­
te ry.
It co uld explode! If a batte ry has fro­
zen, then it m ust be repl aced. A d isc harged
b at tery can free ze over at 3 2 °F (0 °C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery .
- Never use batte ries which are damaged.
T he re is the danger of an explos ion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
_& WARNING
California P ropos ition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts , termina ls and re lated acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds ,
chemicals known to the Sta te of C alifornia
to cause ca nce r and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after hand ling.
(D Note
- Do not d isconnect t he ve hicle battery when
the ignition is o n or when the engine is run ­
ning, othe rwise , you w ill damage electronic
components in the electrical system .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without be ing driven, p rotect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re­
placed.
210
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­
tery .
Fig. 16 4 En g in e compa rtmen t: connecto rs fo r a c harg er
and jump start c ables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
c> .& and q .& in Working on the battery on
page 209 .
.,.. Switch off the ignition and all elec trical con­
sumers.
.,.. Make s ure the area is we ll ventilated when you
charge the battery .
.,.. Open the eng ine hood
q page 199 .
.,.. Open the red cover on the positive pole
q fig. 164 .
.,.. Clamp the charge r te rm inal clamps as inst ruct­
ed on the
battery terminal (+ ) and o nly on the
body ground point (· ).
.,.. On ly now plug the mains lead for the charging
equ ipmen t in to the wall outlet and turn it on
~ .& -
... Make sure the charging rate is not ov er
30 amps / 14 .8 Volt .
.,.. When the bat tery is fully cha rged : Tur n the
charg ing equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet.
.,.. Now remove the clamps fo r the charging equip -
ment .
.,.. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
.,.. Close the hood
c> page 200.
A d ischarged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 F
0 (0 °C) . Allow a frozen battery to
thaw complete ly before attempting to charge it
~ .&. . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery aga in because the battery casing ..,_

M N
0 > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
1.1'1
1.1'1
,....,
can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps / 14.8 Volt)
When charging at
low voltages (e.g . with a trickl e
charger ), the battery cab les do not have to be
d isconnected first. The battery caps shou ld
not
be opened when charg ing a battery .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not nec ­
essary to disconnect the cables .
Fast charging the battery (charg ing rate
a bo ve 14.8 Volt s)
F or technical reasons do not use a battery charg­
er that us es voltage greater than 14 .8 Volts to
charge your vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always fo llow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur­
er when charging y our battery.
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al­
low a frozen battery to thaw o ut first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were frozen .
The battery hous ing may have cracked and
weakened when the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area .
Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark . Do not smoke. Hyd rogen gas generat ­
ed by the battery is explos ive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never co nnect or disconnect cha rger cables while
the cha rger is operating .
- Fast charg ing a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
tec hnician with the p roper equipment .
- Battery acid that may spill during charg ing
should be washed off w ith a so lution of
wa rm water and baking so da t o n eutrali ze
t he a cid .
Checking and Fillin g
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This will ser iously damage sensi­
tive electronic components, s uch as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
charger .
Battery replacement
The new bat tery mus t hove the some specifica­
tions and dimensions as the original equipmen t
battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
responsible for distributing the electrical energy
t h roughout your vehicle
Q page 128 . The intelli ­
gent energy management system w ill keep the
engine batt ery charged better than vehicles with­
out this system. To ma ke s ure t he add it iona l elec­
t rical energy is av ailabl e once again afte r yo u
have changed the battery, we recommend tha t
yo u install batteries of the same type and man u­
facture on ly (the same as those insta lled at the
t ime yo ur vehicle was delivered). Specifications
are listed on the battery hous ing . Your author­
ized dealer must code the battery in the energy
manageme nt system to enab le you to use the en­
ergy ma nagement fu nctions cor rectly afte r re­
plac ing the battery .
The new battery mus t have the same capacity ,
vo ltage (12 -volts), amperage, construction and
plug seal ing.
When install ing the battery, make sure the ign i­
t ion and all electr ica l consumers are switched off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilat ion hose on the side of
the battery is connected, otherwise f umes or
battery acid can lea k out.
~ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the prob lem of proper disposal of
a battery, we recommend you r authorized
A udi dealer change the battery for you. Bat­
teries contain sulfur ic acid and lead and must
always be dispose d of properly in complia nce
with a ll envi ronm ental regulations. Disposing ..,.
211

Checking and Filling
of vehicle batteries improperly is very danger­
ous to the environment.
Windshield washer system
F ig . 165 Eng ine compartment: washer fluid reservoir cap
M
"' -')'
"" 00 a,
The washer fluid reservoir O contains the wind­
shield washer fluid¢ page 200, fig. 157. Reser­
voir capacity¢ page 260.
"' Read and follo w all
WARNINGS before working
in the engine compartment ¢page
198 .
... Open the cap .
... Add the washer f luid and close the cap .
To reduce the risk of lime scale depos its on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium. Always add a window cleaner to th
water. It should contain freeze protection in the
winter.
(D Note
- Never add radiator anti-freeze or other addi­
tives to the washer fluid.
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint solvents, there is a risk of damaging
the pa int.
212
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve­
hicle is due for service.
Fig. 166 Instrument cluster: Service interval display (ex·
amp le)
Fig. 167 Display in the MMI panel: service interval display
(example)
l6 M 0 ;:;. co m
The service interval display works in two stages:
-Inspection or oil change reminder: After a cer ­
tain distance driven, a message appears in the
instrument cluster display each time the igni­
tion is switched on or off¢ fig. 166. The re­
maining distance or time is disp layed briefly.
- Inspection or oil change due: If your vehicle
has reached an inspection or oi l change interval
or both intervals at the same time, the mes­
sage:
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due!
appears briefly af­
ter switching the ignition on/off.
Checking service intervals
You can check the rema ining distance or time un­
til the next oil change or next inspection in the
MMI
¢ fig. 167. Select the I MENU I button> Car>
Systems*
control button > Service & control >
Service intervals.

"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" , , ,
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim di ameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size de signation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Side wall
means that portion of a tire be ­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at which a t ire is
designed to be driven for extend ­
ed periods of time . The ratings
range from 93 mph ( 150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)¢
table
on page 215.
You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ .& in Winter tires on
page 229 .
Tire pressure mon itoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi ­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI )
means the projections w ithin the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢ page 223, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur­
ing tire wear .
219
...

Tires and wheels
different tire speeds. For this rea­
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular tires.
.&,. WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not
possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen
simply based on the nominal size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ greatly even if they are the
same size . If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged
and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso-
222
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when not permitted can lead to ve­
hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 169 Tire profil e: treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
..

Tires and wheels
negative effect on handling, on
the risk aquaplaning when driv­ ing through water, when driv­
ing through curves and when
braking, which increases the
risk of an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 170 Driver's side B-pillar: tire pres­
sure label
"' -
( fa (_,__,., TOl... I """" I ~- I)~-~ l ~ • .......-OIJI\ACl'..I TOTAL ltNAHt --.,-. . ~
-KPA. a PSl
Fig. 171 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la­ bel. The label is located on the B­
pillar
¢fig. 170, r=:>fig. 171.
When the vehicle is partially load­ed (up to 3 people), use the tire pressure specified for normal
224
loads c:> table on page 226. If
driving the vehicle when fully loaded, you must increase the tire
pressure to the maximum speci­
fied pressure ¢&, .
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
•Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive.
•Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm.
•Check the label ¢
fig. 171 for
the correct tire pressure based
on vehicle load.
•Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary .
•Vehicles with Tire Pressure Moni­
toring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain­
ment system ¢
page 234.
•Check the pressure in the emer ­
gency tire*/spare tire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper­
ature that is specified for the
tire.
A WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle load. .,.

.&_ WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire pressure ¢
page 224 and load
limits¢
page 227.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry . A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop .
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­ ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­ cle's
Gro ss Vehicle We ight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
Tires and wheels
plus maximum load . The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in ­
tended to carry ("seating capac i­
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs . (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle . If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­ ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Ax le Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two ax les.
T he fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi ­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehic le (inc luding
the weight of a trai ler hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard we ights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating .,..
227

M N
0 > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
1.1'1
1.1'1
,....,
be five 150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5
X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
ex­
ceed the available cargo and
luggage load capacity calculat­
ed in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your vehi­
cle. Consult this manual to de­
termine how this reduces the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
.,.Check the tire sidewall
(c> page 214, fig. 168) to deter­
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be clean and loosen/tighten
easily.
Rims
Rims with a bolted rim ring* or with bolted wheel
covers* consis t of mul tiple pieces. These compo­
nents were bolted together using special bolts
and a special procedure . You must not repair or
disassemble them
Q ,& .
Tires and wheels
A WARNING
Wheel bolts that are tightened or repaired in­
correctly can become loose and result in loss
of vehicle control, which increases the risk of
an accident . For the correct tightening specifi­
cation, refer to~
page 242, A~er changing a
wheel.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads
in the wheel hub clean and free of grease.
- Only use wheel bolts that fit the rim.
-Always have damaged rims repaired by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility. Never repair or disassemble
rims yourself, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
Winter tires
Winter tires significantly improve the vehicle's
handling when driving in winter conditions. Be­
cause of their construction (width, compound,
tread pattern), summer tires provide less traction on ice and snow.
.. Use winter tires on all four wheels.
.. Only use winter tires that are approved for your
vehicle .
.. Please note that the maximum permitted
speed may be lower with winter tires
Q _& . An
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility can inform you about the maximum
permitted speed for your tires.
.. Check the tire pressure after installing wheels
Qpage 224.
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great­
ly when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0.157 inch (4 mm). The characteristics of winter
tires also decrease greatly as the tire ages, re­
gardless of the remaining tread.
A WARNING
-Never drive faster than the maximum per­
mitted speed for your tires. This could cause
the tires to heat up too much. This increases
the risk of an accident because it can cause
the tire to burst.
229

Tires and wheel s
-Always adapt your driving to the road and
traff ic conditions. Dr ive carefully and red uce
yo ur speed on icy or slippery roads. Even
winter tires can lose tract io n on black ice .
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer tires at the appropriate
time, because they provide better handling
when roads are free of snow a nd ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consumptio n.
(D Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
w inte r tires. Please note that in some coun­
t ries w here winter tires are requ ired, on ly win­
t er tire s wi th the .& symbol may be pe rm it­
t ed.
Snow chains
Snow chains improve traction in the snow .
.,. Only install snow chains on the front wheels.
Th is applies also to veh icles with all wheel
drive* .
.,. Ch eck and correct the seating of th e snow
c h ains if necessa ry afte r dri ving a few feet. Fo l­
l ow the ins tructions from the manuf acturer.
.,. Note t he max imum permit ted speed w hen driv ­
ing with snow chains . Do not exceed 30 mph
(SO km/h).
Snow chains not only improve the
driving in win ­
ter road conditions, but a lso t he
braking .
Use of s now chai ns is o nly pe rm itted with certa in
r im/t ire comb ina tion s due to techn ica l reason s.
Chec k w ith an au thori zed A udi d ealer or au tho r­
ized A udi Service Facility to see if yo u may use
snow cha ins.
Use
fine -mesh snow chain s. They mus t not add
mo re th an 0 .5 3 inch ( 13.S mm) in height, in clu d­
ing the chain lock.
You must remove the chai ns when dr iv ing on
roads tha t are
free of snow. W hen r oads are free
of snow, snow chains can imp air handling an d
230
'
damage the tires, and the chains wi ll quick ly be
dest royed.
A WARNING
Using incorrect snow chains o r insta lling snow
cha ins incor rectly can res ult in loss of veh icle
c o ntrol, which increases the risk of an acc i­
dent.
(D Note
- Snow chains can damage the rims/wheel
cove rs* if the c hains come into direct c on­
tact with them. Remove the wheel covers*
first . Use coa ted snow cha ins.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is fac to ry-eq uipped w ith low aspect ra­
t io t ires. These t ires have been thoroug hly tes ted
a nd been sele cted specifi ca lly f or your mode l for
the ir su perb pe rformance, r oad fee l and h andlin g
u nder a var iety of dr iv ing con ditions. As k your au ­
t h orized Aud i dea le r fo r more details .
The low aspe ct ratio of these tires is ind icated by
a n umer al of
55 or less in the t ire's s ize design a­
tion . The nume ral represents the ratio of the
ti re's si dewall height in relatio n to its tread width
expressed i n pe rcentage. Conventional tires have
a height/width rat io o f 60 o r more .
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is par­
ticularly sensitive to imprope r inflation pres­
sure. It is therefore important that low aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressures should be checked at least once a month and always
b efor e a long trip
Q page 224 .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect rat io tires can be damaged mo re eas i­
l y by impact w ith potho les, c urbs , g ull ies o r
r idges on t he road, pa rti cularly if th e tire is un ­
der i nflated.

Tires and wheels
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un­
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.
109 . Grades Band A represent higher levels
of pe rformance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor­
nering, hydroplaning or peak traction charac­
teristics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab­
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excessive loading, either separate ly or
in combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
A WARNING
Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or underinflat ­
ed .
Tire pressure monitoring
system
CD General notes
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monitoring system
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat ­
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire inflation pressure label.
(If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la­
bel, you should determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure for those tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell­
tale when one or more of your tires is significant ­
ly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
232
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure . Driving on a signifi­
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over­
heat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop ­
ping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re­
sponsibility to maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres­
sure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal­
function indicator is combined with the low t ire
pressure tel ltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start -ups as long as the ma l­
function exists .
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more t ires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly .