ignition AUDI S3 SEDAN 2017 Owner's Guide

If the 'Tj indicator light blinks and the message
Please turn steering wheel appears when switch­
ing the ign ition on, the steer ing lock is locking
the steering wheel. In this case, turn the steering
wheel slight ly to the left/right.
Start /Stop system*
See the information in¢ page Bl, Start/Stop
system .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
@ Note
Avoid high engine speed, full throttle, and
heavy engine load if the engine has not
reached operating temperature yet. You could
damage the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the engine run while parked to
warm up. Begin driving immediately. This
re­
duces unnecessary emissions.
(D Tips
-Some noise after starting the engine is nor­
mal and is no cause for concern.
- If you leave your vehicle with the ignition
switched on, the ignition will switch off
af­
ter a certa in amount of t ime. Make sure that
electr ica l equ ipment such as the exter ior
lights are switched off.
Stopping the engine
Applies to: veh icles with conve nience key
-
Plug-in hybrid dr ive*: refer to the informat ion un­
der ¢ page 96.
.. Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
.. Move the selector lever into the P pos ition.
.. Press the I STAR T ENGINE ST OPI button
¢ page 78, fig. 90 .
CXl CXl .... N r--­N .... 0 N > l) This func tion is not avai lable in all countries. 00
D riving
Steering
lock1 )
T he steering locks when yo u turn the engine off
using the
I STA RT ENG INE S TOPI* button, move
the selector lever into the P position and open
the driver's door. The locked steering hel ps pre ­
vent vehicle theft.
Emergency off function
If it is absolutely necessary, the eng ine can also
be turned off whi le driving at speeds starting at
4 mph (7 km/h). To switch the engine off, press
the
I START ENGINE STOPI button twice in a row
briefly or press and ho ld for longer than two sec­
onds.
A WARNING
-- Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steer ing is not guaranteed. You must use
mo re force to turn or brake. Because you
cannot steer and brake as you usually
wou ld, this could lead to accidents and seri­
ous injuries.
-Always take the key with you whenever yo u
leave your vehicle. Otherwise, the engine
could be started or electrical equipment
such as the power windows could be operat­
ed. This can lead to ser ious injury.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
with the selector lever in the P pos ition.
Otherw ise, there is the risk that the vehicle
could roll unintentionally .
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
switched off and there is a r isk of damaging
the engine. For th is reason, let the engine run
for at id le for approximately two minutes
be-
fore shutting it off . ..,.
79

Driving
(D Tips
For up to 10 minutes after stopping the en ­
gine, the rad iator fan may tu rn on again auto­
matically or it may continue to run (even if
the is ignit ion sw itched off) due to the follow­
ing reasons :
- The coolant temperat ure is increasing due
to trapped heat.
- If the engine is warm and the engine com­ partment also heats up from strong sun ­
li ght .
Messages
Engine runn ing. Warn ing! Turn off ignition be ­
fore leaving vehicle
This message appea rs and a warn ing tone sounds
if you open the driver's door when the engine is
running.
Pressing start/ stop button again will switch off
engine.
T his message appe ars when you press t he
I START ENGI NE STOP I* button wh ile driving
~ page 79, Emergency off function .
Engine start system: malfun ction! Please con­
tact Servi ce
The engine automatic start system has a mal­
f un ction. D rive to a n author ized A udi dealer or
author ized Audi Se rvice Fa cility imme diate ly to
h a ve t he m alfu nction co rrected. To st art the en ­
g ine, turn the key to
pos it ion @ ¢ page 77 or
p ress and ho ld the
I S TAR T ENGINE ST OP I button
until the engine is runn ing .
II Key not recognized. See owner's manual
This message appea rs if the re is no co nvenience
key inside the vehicle or if the system does no t
re cog nize the key. The conve nien ce key may not
be recogn ized, for ex ample, if it is cove red by a n
objec t that
disrupts the s ignal (s uch as a b rief ­
case), o r if the key batte ry is weak . Elect ronic de­
vices s uch as cell phones can also interfere w it h
the s ignal.
T o sti ll be able to sta rt or s top the engi ne, refer
to
~ page 81 .
80
II Remote control key : hold back of key
against the designated area. See owner 's man­
ual
I f the indic ator li ght turns on and this message
a ppears, there is a ma lfunction ¢
page 81.
Ill Key not in vehicle?
Ill Remote control key: key not recognized . Is
the key still in the vehicle?
The Ill indicator lig ht t urns on and th is message
appears if the convenience key was removed from
the ve hicle when the e ngine was ru nning . If the
convenience key is no longe r in the veh icle, yo u
cannot sw itch the igni tion on or sta rt the eng ine
o nc e you stop it. You also canno t lo ck t he vehicle
from the o utside.
Please press brake pedal
This message appears if yo u do not step on the
bra ke peda l to start the engine on a ve hicle w ith
an a utomat ic t ra nsmission .
Please select N or P
This mess age appears w hen s tart ing o r stopping
t h e engine i f th e se lec to r l ever is not in the
N or P
pos ition . The engine will not sta rt/sto p.
Turn off ignition before leaving vehicle . Battery
is dis charging
This message appears and a warning tone sounds
i f you open the d rive r's doo r w hen the ig nition is
swi tched on . Sw itch t he igni tion off s o that the
vehicle battery will no t dis charge.
Shift to P, otherwise vehicle can roll away .
Doors do not lock if lever is not in P
This message appears for safety reasons if t he
selector lever for the automatic transmission is not in the
P posi tion afte r th e ignition is switched
off. Move the sele ctor leve r to t he
P posit ion.
Otherwise t he veh icle i s not protec ted fro m roll­
i ng and i t cannot be locke d.

a, a, ..... N
" N ..... 0 N > 00
Starting the engine
when there is a
malfunction
Appl ies to: vehicles with convenience key
It may not be possible to start the engine under
certain circumstances, for example if the battery
in the vehicl e key is drained, if interference is af­
fect ed the key or if there is a syst em malfunc­
tion.
Fig. 91 Steer ing colum n/remote co ntro l key: starting the
e ngi ne if there is
a malfunction
As long as the message II Key not recognized.
See owner's manual or
II Remote control key:
hold back of key against the designated area.
See owner's manual
appears, you can start the
vehicle w ith the emergency starting function .
.,. Press the brake pedal.
.,. Hold the master key in the location indicated in
the illustration
f>l) r:> fig. 91.
.,. Press the I STAR T ENGIN E ST OPI button r:> _&. in
Starting the engine on page
79. The engine will
start.
.,. Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction cor rected.
@ Tips
You can d isplay the message that appears
during an emergency engine start again by
pressing the
I START ENGINE STOPI button.
l l Market -s p ecific
D rivi ng
Start/Stop system
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
The Start/Stop system can help increase fuel
economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
In Start/Stop mode, the engine shuts off auto ­
matically when the vehicle is stopped, such as at
a traffic light. The ignition remains switched on
during this stop phase. The engine w ill restart
automat ically when needed.
The Start/Stop system is automat ically act ivated
as soon as the ignition is switched on.
Basic requirements for Start/Stop mode
-The driver's door must be closed .
- The driver's seat belt much be fastened.
- The hood must be closed.
- The vehicle must have driven faster than
2 mph
(3 km/h) since the last time it stopped.
(D Note
Always switch the Start/Stop system off when
driving through water
r:> page 83.
(D Tips
The engine stops shortly before the veh icle
comes to a stop
l). The full function of the
brake booster and the power steering is still
available.
Stopping /starting the engine
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Fig. 92 Instrument cluster: eng ine swi tched off (stop
phase)
81

Driving
"' Brake the vehicle to a stop . The engine stops
sho rtly before th e vehicle comes to a stop or if
the ve hicle is stationary
l). Keep your foot on
the brake pedal. The
D] ; D] ind icator light ap ­
pears in the display. The need le in the tachome­
ter also moves into the
READ Y position .
"'The eng ine starts aga in when you take you r
foot off the b rake pedal. The ind icator light
tu rns off.
Add itional information
The engine stops in the P , N and D selector lever
positions .
If you select the R se lector lever position during a
Stop phase, the eng ine will start again.
Shift to P quick ly to prevent t he engine from
starting unintent iona lly when s hifting t hrough R.
You can dete rm ine fo r you rself if the engine will
s top or not by reducing or increas ing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex ­
ample, if you only lig htly press on the brake ped ­
a l in stop -and-go traff ic or when turning, the en­
g ine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta­
tionary. As soon as you press the brake down harder , the eng ine will switch off.
(D Tips
- Press the brake pedal during a Stop phase
to keep the veh icle from rol ling.
- The ignition will turn off if you press the
I STAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button* d uring a
stop phase. The needle in the tac hometer
moves into the
OFF posit io n.
General information
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith Start/Stop system
Engine does not switch off
Before and d uring each stop phase, the system
checks if certa in cond itions have been met .
If the
fiJ indica to r li ght appears in the inst rument cl us­
ter disp lay, the engine w ill not be s topped, for
examp le in the fo llow ing s itu ations :
l) Market -spe cific
82
-The engine has not reached the minim um re ­
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode.
- The interior tempera ture selected by the cli -
mate cont rol system* has not been reached.
- The ou tside tempe ra tu re is extremely h igh/low.
- The windsh ield is being
defros ted® .
-The pa rking system * is switched on .
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is turned at a sharp angle o r
is moving.
- After engaging the reve rse gear.
- On sharp inclines .
- A t high altitu des .
Engine automatically restarts
The standard Start/Stop mode w ill be canceled
d urin g a s top p hase in the following si tuations.
The eng ine res tarts wi tho ut any ac tion by the
drive r.
- T he vehicle ro lls, fo r example whi le on a slope .
- T he interior temperature d iffers from the tem -
perat ure selected i n the A/C system .
- The windsh ie ld is being
defrosted® .
-The b rake peda l is p ressed several times in a
row.
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- Powe r consumption is hig h.
The eng ine ca n turn off ag ain when the cond i­
tions for Sta rt/S top mode a re met
1>.
Ignition is switched off automatically
To p reve nt the vehicle battery from dra ining, the
i gnition will switch off
automatically under the
fo llow ing cond it io ns:
- The Start/Stop system has stopped the engine.
- The veh icle is stationary.
- You exit ed the vehicle .
I n this case, the activ ated low be am is replaced
by the pa rking light . The parking lig hts will
switch off afte r approximately 30 minutes or
whe n you lock the ve hicle.
.,..

a, a, ..... N
" N ..... 0 N > 00
If the Start/Stop system has not turned off the
engine or if you have switched the Start/Stop sys­
tem off manually, the ignition will not be auto ­
mat ically switched off and the engine w ill contin­
ue to run
c:> ,& .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
{!) Tips
If you select the D or N se lector lever position
in a vehicle with an automat ic transmission
after sh ift ing into reverse, the vehicle m ust
be driven fas ter than 6 m ph (10 km/h) in or­
de r fo r the e ngine to switch off again.
Manually switching the Start/Stop system
on/off
Applies to: vehicles with Sta rt/Stop system
If you do not wish to use the system, you can
switch it off manually.
F ig . 93 Cen ter co nsole: Start/S top system button
-
"' To switch the Start/Stop system off/on man­
ually, press the
l (A) ~I button. The LED in the but­
ton turns on when the system is sw itched off .
@ Tips
If you switch the system off during a stop
phase, the engine will start again automati­
cally.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to: veh icles with Start/Stop system
ml Automatic start /stop deactivated : Please re­
s tart engine manually
D rivi ng
This message appears when spec ific conditions
are not met du ring a stop phase . The Start/Stop
system will
not be ab le to restart the engine. The
engi ne must be started manua lly .
ml Automati c start /stop system malfun ction!
Function unavailable
T he re is a m alfu nction in the S tart/Stop system.
Drive the vehicle to an a uth orized Aud i dea ler or
a uthori zed Serv ice Facility as soon as possible to
have the malfunction corrected.
Electromechanical
parking brake
F ig . 94 Cen ter console : park ing bra ke
ra 0 > co m
Yo ur vehicle is equipped with an electromechani ­
ca l parking brake
(D c:> fig. 94 . The parking brake
is des igned to prevent the veh icle from rol lin g
unintentionally and replaces the hand brake.
Setting /manually releasing the parking
brake
"' Pull the(®) switch to set the parking b rake. The
LED in the switch turns on. The
-(USA mod­
els)/ . (Canada models) ind icator light also
turns on in the instrument cluster disp lay .
"'To re lease the park ing brake man ually, press
th e bra ke or accelerator peda l wh ile the ign i­
tion is sw itched on and press the
(®) switc h at
t he same time. The LED i n the bu tton and the
in di cator light in the d isp lay turn off.
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requireme nt: the driver's door must be closed
and the parking brake must be s et.
83

Driving
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeab le interruption in traction .
Selector lever positions
Appl ies to: ve hicles w ith a uto mat ic t ra n sm issio ns
F ig. 95 Instrument cluster : selector lever posit ions
•
F ig. 96 Selector lever lock
OJ M N 0
:J OJ OJ
The se lected selector leve r pos ition is shown hear
the selector lever ¢
fig. 96 and in the instrument
cluster display ¢
fig. 95.
• Switch the ign ition on.
• In the P/N pos it ion, yo u m ust release the selec­
tor lever lock ¢
page 86 .
• Move the selector lever into the desired pos i­
tion. The engaged selector lever pos ition is
shown in the shift gate .
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
ing a gea r accidenta lly, causing t he vehicle to
ro ll.
The se lector lever is locked in the P and N pos i­
tions whe n the ignition is sw itched o n. You must
press the brake pedal to se lect another position .
You must a lso press the inte rloc k button if you
are moving from the P and N position .
86
The selector leve r lock on ly functions when the
vehicle is stationary or at speeds be low approxi­
mately 1 mph (2 km/ h). At higher speeds, the
l ock is automatically deactivated in the N posi­
tion.
The selector leve r is not locked when shifting
quick ly throug h N, fo r example from R to D. This
makes it possible to free the vehicle when it is
stuck by "rocking" it. The selector lever lock en­
gages if the leve r stays in the N pos ition longer
t h an approximately 2 seconds when the brake
pedal is not pressed .
Ignition key safety interlock*
App lies to: Vehicles w it h i gnit ion lock
You can only remove the key from the ignition af­
ter switching t he ignition
off if the selector lever
i s in the P position. The selector lever will be
locked in the P position as long as the key is not
i n the ig nition .
P -Park
This selector lever position prevents the vehicle
from ro lling. You ca n only shift into Park w hen
the ve hicle is
stationary ¢,&. .
To sh ift in and out of the P selecto r lever posi­
t ion, press the interlock button in the selector
l ever
while pressing the brake peda l.
The selector lever will be locked in the P pos ition
i f there is a power failure ¢
page 92, Selector
lever emergency release.
R- Reverse
Only s hift into reverse gear w hen the ve hicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed ¢,& .
To se lect t he R sele ctor leve r position, press the
interloc k but ton
while pressing the brake pedal.
N - Neutral
The tra nsmission is in idle in th is posi tion.
D /S -Normal position for driving forward
In the 0/5 se lector lever position, the transmis­
sion can be operated either in the normal D mode
or in the 5 sport mode. To select the 5 sport
mode, pull the selector lever back br ie fly. P ulling
..,.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
the lever back again will select the norma l D
mode. The instrument cluster display shows the
selected driv ing mode.
I n the
no rmal mode D, the transmission a uto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
The engine 's power reserves are used fully in the
Sport mode S . Shifting may become noticeab le
when accelerating .
To move from selector lever position N to D, yo u
must press the bra ke pedal and the veh icle mus t
be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be sta­
tionary ¢.&, .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.
-Never select R or P while driv ing, beca use
this increases the risk of an accident.
-Power is st ill transmitted to the wheels
when the eng ine is r unning at idle . To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P) when the engine is
running . Otherwise, th is increases the r isk
of an accident .
-Do not inadvertent ly press the acce lerator
peda l when the veh icle is stopped if a gear is
engaged . Otherwise the veh icle wi ll start to
move immediately, even i f the pa rking brake
is se t. T his cou ld res ult in a crash.
-Do not p ress the accelerator pedal when
changing the s elector leve r pos ition w hile
the vehicle is stationa ry and the engine is
running.
-Never leave yo ur vehicle with the engine
running wh ile in gear. If yo u m ust leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is runn ing, set
the parking brake and move the selecto r lev ­
er to the P position.
- T o decrease the risk of an accident, t hese­
lector lever must be in the P position and
the parking brake must be set before open­ ing the hood and wo rking on a running en-
D riv ing
gine . A lways read and follow the app licab le
warn ings
¢ page 316, Working in the en­
gine compartment.
-Read and fo llowing a ll WARNINGS c> .&. in
Driving tips on page 88 .
(D Tips
-Audi drive select: Sporty shifting character­
istics can be selected using the
Dynam ic
dr iving mode c> page 143 Sw ill appear in
the instrument cluster display instead of D.
-If you accidentally select N wh ile driving,
take your foot off the accelerator peda l im­
mediately and wait for the eng ine to slow
dow n to idle before selecting Dor S.
-If the selector leve r does not engage, there
is a malfunct ion. The engine is disabled to
prevent the veh icle from drivi ng off unin­
tentionally. To allow t he selecto r lever to
engage again, proceed as follows:
- >Briefly press the brake pedal.
-If the vehicle does not move forward or in
reverse even tho ugh a drive posit io n is se­
lected, proceed as follows:
->If the vehicle does not move in the desired
direction, the system may not have engaged
the drive position correctly. Press the bra ke
peda l and select the dr ive position again.
- >If the vehicle still does not move in the de­
sired d irection, there is a system malfunc­
tion. See an autho riz ed Aud i dealer o r au­
tho rized Audi Service Fac ility for assistan ce
t o have the system checked .
- If there is a powe r fail ure, the se lector lever
w ill not move ou t of the P posi tion. The
emergency re lease can be used if this hap ­
pens
¢ page 92.
(D Tips
P lug-i n hy brid drive *: the transm iss ion
swi tches automatically to the norma l mode D
if the
l""'I button¢ page 100 is p ressed wh ile
i n sport mode S.
87

e-tron
e-tron Plug-in hybrid drive
Introduction
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith plug -in hybrid drive
General information
The plug- in hybrid drive is a drive concept that al­
lows yo u to choose between driving w ith the elec­
tr ic moto r, with the gaso lin e engine o r using a
comb inat io n of both.
All work done on the high-voltage system must
only be performed by certified high-voltage tech­
n icians at autho rized Aud i dea le rs or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facilities in accordance with Audi
gu idelines.
The high-voltage system is composed of the fol­ low ing h igh-vo ltage components: the high-volt­
age battery, the powe r electron ics, the e lectr ic
motor, the high-voltage A/C compressor, the
high-vo ltage heater, the charging system and
charging port as well as the orange high-voltage
wiring.
The pedal referred to in this sect ion of the Own­
er's Manua l is the equivalent of the acce lerator
pedal (gas pedal) in a standard veh icle.
High-voltage battery
The high-voltage battery is located under the
rear bench seat in the veh icle and does not re­
qu ire any maintenance from the driver. Addition ­
a l information about the high-voltage battery can
be found under
Q page 108 .
A WARNING
The voltage in the high-vo ltage system is life­
threatening. Touching a damaged high-volt­
age component can result in a fatal e lectr ic
shock. The components in the high-voltage
system are ma rked with a warning label which
wa rns against the h igh-vo ltage.
- The voltage level in the high-voltage system
is still dangerous and potentially life-threat­
ening when the ignition is switched off.
- Never perform work on orange high-voltage
cables or on high-voltage components. Only
94
authorized repair facilities that are certified may perform work on the high-voltage sys­
tem.
- Never damage, alter or remove the orange
high-voltage cable or disconnect it from the
high-voltage system.
- Never perform any work using c utting, shap­
ing or sharp-edged too ls or heat sources
near the h igh-vo ltage system and high-volt­
age cables.
- Aud i regulat ions must be followed during
all work performed on the high-voltage sys­
tem and h igh-vo ltage components.
- When working on the h igh-vo ltage system
and h igh-voltage compone nts, make sure
the remote cont rol key is kept far enough
away from the vehicle so that there is no
ris k of the ignit ion be ing inadve rten tly
sw itched on.
- Gases that escape from the high-vol tage
b attery can be poisono us or flammable.
- Damage to the high-voltage battery could
cause the h igh-vo ltage battery to leak im­
media tely or in the fu ture, and poisonous or
flammab le gases cou ld escape . Do not in ­
ha le the gases!
- Do not expose yourse lf to any leaking fluids
and do not come into contact with them .
- The high-volt age battery e lectroly te fl uid is
caustic. I f electrolyte fluid comes into con ­
tact with the sk in, f lush the affected area
for at least 15 minutes with clean water.
Then wash the affected area with soap.
Have the affected area examined by a med i­
cal professional.
- In the event of a technical emergency, in­
form the responders that the vehicle is
equ ipped with a high-voltage battery.
A WARNING
Never leave the vehicle unattended when in
drive ready
mode ~ page 96 with a gear en­
gaged . The veh icle can start moving ("creep­
ing") even if the gaso line engine is switched
off, since the e lectr ic motor is still operating.
This may cause collis ions and severe or fatal
-

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
injuries. When the vehicle enters drive ready
mode, the status message
e-"'1 o I r.-.Al"'Y ap­
pears briefly in the instrument cluster d isplay
and the needle in the power meter points to
READY ¢ page 9 7.
-Make sure that the selector lever is in the P
posit ion and the ignition is switched off
when leav ing t he veh icle.
([) Note
- The high-voltage system can be damaged if
the veh icle underbody comes into contact
with the ground. Immed iately drive your ve­
hicle to a n author ized repair facility and
have it inspected.
- The electric drive motor can become very hot dur ing operation . Do not stop the veh i­
cle if there is o il, fuel residue or other flam­
mable s ubstances under or next to the vehi­
cl e.
Special considerations for the high-voltage
battery
Appl ies to: vehicl es with plug- in hybrid drive
Please first read and note the introductory infor­
mat ion and heed the
warn ings ¢ page 94.
All batteries age with use and over time. There
are things you should know about the care of the
h igh-vo ltage battery that will he lp it keep giving
you good service and reliab ility over t ime . Please
read and keep the following informat ion in m ind
while you enjoy the performance and economy of
your ve hicle .
- Be sure to charge the high-voltage battery be­
fore leaving the vehicle parked and unused for a l onger period of time . Ideally the high-vol tage
batte ry sho uld have a charge leve l between
40
% and 60 % when par ked for a long t ime.
- If the batte ry charge level is below 3
%, never
park the vehicle for more than 21 days without
charg ing the high-vo ltage battery. Sho uld you
have to par k the vehicle fo r a long time, m ake
s u re that the charge leve l is sufficien t to help
prevent the battery from aging premature ly.
- Freq uent and consecutive charging of the high­
vo ltage battery when the cha rge level is above
e-tron
98 % can also decrease the capacity o f the
highvo ltage battery . Make sure the charge leve l
is below 98
% when you start the charging
process.
- Should the vehicle be parked for longer than
2 days at temperatures below
-13 °F (-25 °C),
the high-voltage battery could free ze and not
be ab le to prov ide energy to the electric motor.
The battery will start working again, once it
warms up. The battery can be warmed up when
the outside temperature rises or when the vehi­
cle is garaged app ropr iate ly. Th e battery w ill al­
so warm up when bei ng used (sw itchi ng on the
air conditioner, the heater or by driving the ve ­
hicle) . Shou ld you have to park your vehicle at
very low temperatures for longer than 1 day, make sure that the h igh-vo ltage battery does
not freeze by parking the vehicle in a garage
that is heated or protected from the outside
temperature .
- The high-voltage battery can be damaged and
the capacity can be decreased when the vehicle
is parked for longer than 24 ho urs when the
ambient temperature is h igher than 118 °F
(48 °C). Always ma ke sure that the h igh-vo lt­
age battery is not exposed to temperat ures
above 118 °F (48 °C) for a long time .
- Never pa rk the veh icle in areas that a re l ikely to
be flooded, s uch as beaches or rive r banks, and
never drive the vehicle in WA TER, on flooded
roads or through water that is higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body . The high -voltage
battery, along with other vehicle components,
can be damaged severe ly if the high-voltage
battery is exposed to open water especially for
a longer t ime . However, you ca n drive through
wate r o n roads under certain condi tions
~ page 74.
Failure to heed any of these requ irements can
age the battery prematurely and lead to a perma­
nent decrease of the h igh-vo ltage battery's ca­
pacity.
(D Tips
Always make sure that the high-voltage bat­
tery is not exposed to extreme ly low and high
temperatu res as well as to water espec ia lly
fo r a longe r time. Fail ure to protec t and c are
IJ-
95

e-tron
for the high-voltage battery can lead to seri­ous damage and/or a decrease of the capacity
void coverage under the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Starting/driving the vehicle
Applies to: ve hicles w ith plug -in hybrid drive
The vehicle is started and stopped with the
I START STOP I button. Please also read the in ­
formation under
c::> page 78, Starting the engine .
Establishing drive ready mode
See c::> A in Introduction on page 94.
Requirement: a charging cable must not be con­
nected to the vehicle
c::> page 117 and the selec­
tor lever must be in the P or N position.
- Press the brake pedal.
- Press the
I STAR T STOPI button .
When the vehicle enters drive ready mode, the
status message
e-tron READY appears briefly in
the instrument cluster display and the needle in
the power meter points to
READY c::> page 97.
Driving
The vehicle starts with the electric motor after
establishing the dr ive ready mode and if the con­
ditions for electric drive mode have been met
c::> page 100.
The conditions to drive are essentially the same
as for the automatic transmission
c::> page 85 .
You and your passengers should anticipate the
possibility of a sporty acce leration.
Ending drive ready mode
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Switch the ignition off with the
I STAR T STOPI
button.
Vehicle sound
The vehicle generates an electronic engine sound
so that your vehicle can be heard from the out­
side when in electr ic drive mode. The veh icle
sound automatically fades out at higher speeds
when the sounds from the tires and wind start in­
creasing.
96
Switching the ignition on/off
You can switch the ignition on without establish­
ing drive ready mode.
- Press the
I START STOP ! button to switch the
ign ition on and off. Do not press the brake ped­
al whi le doing this.
When the ignition is sw itched on, the needle
points at
OFF @c::>page 97, fig. 103 or OFF is
displayed @c::>page97, fig .103.
No indicator lights stay turned on when the igni ­
tion is switched off .
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the vehicle battery from draining, the
ignition will switch off automatically under the
follow ing cond it ions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The vehicle is stationary.
- The gasoline engine must not be runn ing .
- The driver's door must be open.
- The driver's safety belt must be unbuckled .
- The brake pedal must not be pressed.
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The message
Side marker
lights automatically shut off in
30 minutes. See
owner's manual
appears in the instrument clus­
ter display . The parking lights w ill switch off af­
ter approx imately 30 minutes or when you lock
the veh icle.
If the gasoline engine was not stopped, the mo­
tor continues runn ing and the ignit ion does not
automat ica lly switch off
c::> A .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the eng ine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
The vehicle cannot start when outs ide tem­
peratures are below-18 °F (-28 °C)
c::> page 98.
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