2010 AUDI S3 sensor

The rain sensor wiper intervals depend on the sensitivity setting as
well as vehicle speed . During brief stops, wiper motion will adjust in
re lation to the amount of rain on the windshield.
Automatic wiper/washer : To eliminate water drop lets, the wind ­
sh ield wiper perfor ms one afterwipe operation a fter several
seconds while driving. You can switch this function off by moving
the lever to pos it ion © within 10 seconds of the afterw ipe opera­
tion. The afterwipe func tion is reactivated the next time the ignition
is sw itch.
When the ignition is turned on , the washer jets are heated *.
& WARNING
• Wiper bl ade s are cru cial for safe driving! Only when they are in
good condition are they able to clear the windows properly to
provide un comp romised visibility . Worn or damaged wipe r blade s
are a safety hazard::::;,
page 65, "Replacing front wiper blade s"!
• The light /ra in se ns or* is only de signed to a ssis t and suppo rt
the driver. It remain s entirely the driver' s re spon sibility to monitor
outsi de w eather conditions and to manually a cti vate the wiper s as
soon a s rain or drizzle reduces vi sibility through the windshield .
• The windshield mu st not be treated with water -repellent m ate ­
rial s. They can in crea se glare under poor v isib ility condition s such
as wetne ss , dar kne ss, or when the sun is lo w on the horizon . In
addition , they can cau se the windshield wipers to chatter .
0 Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
• Always check that the wiper blades are not frozen to the glass
bef ore you turn the wipe rs on . Loosen a wiper blade which is frozen
in p lace before operating the wipers to prevent damage to the wiper
b lade or the wiper moto r.
• Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted window . Using the
wipe rs as a convenient ice scrape r will destr oy t he wipe r blades .
Controls and equip ­
ment
Cl ea r vision
• Before you take your vehicle to an automatic car wash, make sure
you have the w indshield wiper system switched off (lever in p ositi on
OJ, otherwise the windshield wiper system could get damaged in the
car wash if it should suddenly come on .
[ i ] Tips
• The windshie ld wipers are switched off when the ignition is
turned off . Activate the windshield wipers after the ign ition is
switched back on by moving the windshield wiper lever to any posi­
tion.
• Wor n or dirty windshield wiper b lades cause smea ring, which
can affect the opera tion of the l ight/rain sensor*. Check the cond i­
tion of your windshield wiper blades regula rly.
• The rain sensor is part of the interva l wiping system . T urning off
the ignition will also deactivate the rain sensor . To reac tivate the
sensor, switch off the interval w iping funct ion, then sw itc h it back
on again .
• App lies to vehicles with light/ rain sensor : When the wipers are
swi tched on manually and in ra in conditions, the automatic head­
lights* turn on::::;,
page 53, "Switching the headlights on and off ·'A ·"
or off during the day when the wipers are no longer operating. The
automatic headl ights* function is ava ilable in this case only whe n
the light switch is in the "AUTO" position::::;,
page 53, fig. 46 .
• Make sure the washer fluid reservo ir in the engine compart ment
is topped off before going on a long trip . Look up::::;,
page 240 for
check ing and filling the washer conta iner.
• The wipers only o perate with the hood comp lete ly closed .•
I • •

& WARNING (continued)
• Never use the windshield wiper/washer system in freezing
weather until you have warmed the windshield first, using the heating and ventilation system . The washer solution may freeze
on the windshield and reduce visibility.
0 Note
• If you suspect that the air conditioner has been damaged, switch
off the air conditioner and contact an authorized Audi dealer to have
the system inspected.
• Repairs to the Audi air conditioner require special technical
knowledge and special tools. Contact an authorized Audi dealer for
assistance.
[ i] Tips
• Keep the air intake slots On front of the windshield) free from ice,
snow and debris in order to maintain the proper function of the
climate control system.
• Air escapes through vents under the rear window. When placing
items of clothing on the luggage compartment cover, ensure that
the openings are not covered.
• If the inside temperature is very high (for example, if the vehicle
has been parked in sun), open the windows and allow the hot air to
escape before turning on the air conditioner .
• A sensor in the grill provides the air-conditioning system contin­
uously with readings of current outside temperature . So that the air ­
conditioning can operate at maximum efficiency, the area below the
front license plate holder must not be covered .•
Controls and equip ­
ment
Warm and cold
I • •

Warm and cold
Controls
This overview will help y ou to familiarize yourself with the
air conditioning controls.
F ig. 10 3 Air cond it io ning co ntrols
The display shows the tempera ture selected and the blower setting.
You can set the temperature for the driver's side using the left rotary
switch © and the temperature for the passenger 's side with the
r ight switch
@ .
Functions are turned on and off by touching the buttons. The diode
in the butt ons il luminates when the function is active.
The grille between the buttons
8 / 8 and [AUTO I must remain
unobstructed; there are measurement sensors behind it.
• Do not seal off the grille .
• Do not clean the grille with a vacuum cleaner, otherwise the
sensors could be damaged.
But­
t o n(s ) Function
Page
-
Switching the cooling system on/o ff => page 98
[AUTO I A utomatic operation
GG Blower speed setting
(in the
center)
Automatic recirculation mode
Defrost
Air direc ted to the windows
Air from the outlets
Air directed to the footwell
Rear window de fogge r
=> page 99
=> page 101
=> page 100
=> page 100
=> page 99
=> page 101
=> page 101
=> page 101
=> page 103
The buttons for setting the ai r flow direction~'~ and~ can also
be pushed in combination .•
App lies to vehicle s: wi th automat ic air condi tioner
Switching the air conditioner on /off !AC)
Press the [AC] button to switch the air cond itioner on or
off.
When the air conditioner is switched on, the indicator light in the
b utton is lit.
When the air conditioner is switched off, the cooling system is
switched off -the heating and ventilation system is regulated auto ­
matically. Sw itch ing of f the coo ling sys tem (compressor) saves fuel. ._

• .___w __ a _r _m _ a _n_d_ c_ o _ ld __________________________________________________ _
The temperature is auto mat ica lly contro lled. Maximum airflow is
primarily blown in through out lets G),@ and
0 => page 102 .
Outlets@ can be opened and c losed wi th the controls behind
them . Outlets @ and
0 must be opened so the windows can be
defrosted as quickly as possible.
By pressing
( lliil] and air recircula tion are switched off .•
Manual air recirculation mode ~
T he recirculation mode prevents polluted outside air from
entering the vehicle interior.
Switching on air rec ir c ulation
- Press the button [~ I=> page 98, fig. 103 => &.
Swit ching off air r ecir culation
- Press the b utton [~ I again , or
Press the [AUTO
I button, or
- Press the
l@I button.
In air recirculation mode, air is drawn from the vehicle interior and
recirculated . We recommend that you use the manual a ir reci rcu la ­
tion mode under th e fol lowing cond itions :
When driving through a tunnel or i n a traffic jam so that exhaust
fumes canno t en ter the vehic le interior.
& WARNING
Do not use this s etting for extended per iod s of t ime . The wind ows
c ould fog up sin ce no fre sh air can enter the vehi cle . If the
window s fog up , pre ss th e air re cir culat ion button again immed i­
ately t o switch off th e air re circulation function or sel ect defro st. •
Automatic air recirculation[~ ]
If outside air is pollu te d, an air quality sens or in the
vehicle will automatically switch on the air recirculati on.
Switching on air recir culation
- Press [~ I=> page 98, fig. 103.
Switching off air re cir culation
Press@ again, or
press [AU TO
I, or
press
[ @ I.
The automatic air recirculation mode shou ld no rma lly be left
sw itched on at all times.
T he system is ready to operate approximately 30 seconds after you
t urn on the ignition or start the vehic le . Fresh air enters the vehic le
only during this ini tialization period.
The air qua lity sensor for detecting diese l and gasoline exhaust
fumes switches automatically to air recirculation mode if the outside air is h eavily po lluted . The supply of outside air is closed off.
As soon as the pollut ion leve l drops, fresh air is automatically
supplied to the vehic le interior again .
The air recirculation operates fo r a maximum of 12 minutes . If the
windows star t to fog up whi le the a ir rec irculation is on, press(@]
Under c ertain operating conditions ( for example , if
I@ ] or 1~ 1 are
pressed) the a ir rec ircu lation automatically switches o ff. If the air
cond itioner is switched off, or if the temperature is be low 18 °F ( -
8 °C), the air recircu lation wi ll opera te only for 12 sec onds. •

_______________________________________________ S_a _f _e _t -=-y _ b_ e_lt _s __ ftllll
• With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also
be used to adjust the position of the safety belts. •
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
ries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly positioned on the body. Improper seating posit ions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and w ill even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body . Improper seating positions also increase
the r isk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and strikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
-Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi -
tion in the vehicle while traveling~& .
The following lists only some examples of improperly worn safety
bel ts that will increase the risk of serious injury and death. Our hope
is that these examples will make you more aware of seating posi­
tions that are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
• never wear the shoulder belt under your arm
• never let the shoulder belt pass over your neck
• never wear the safety belt loosely
• never place the lap belt portion of the safety belt across your
abdomen ~& -
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Improperly worn
safety belts increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants are correctly
restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation
~ page 138. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners . The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rear -end collisions
of great severity . This tightens the belt and takes up belt slack~ &
in "Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner " on
page 144.
Taking up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant movement
during a collision.
0 Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat back that has been folded
forward.
[ i] Tips
The safety belt pretensioners can only be activated once.
• In minor frontal and side collisions, in rear -end collisions, in a
rollover and in accidents involving very little impact force , the safety
belt pretensioner are not activated . .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Airbag system ----------------
& WARNING
(continued)
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward -facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel .
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible, before installing the forward-facing child
restraint . The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on. •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func­
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec ­
tronic control unit when the ignition is on. The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected. The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail
below. Because the front passenger seat contains important parts
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it from being damaged.
Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following: • Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acceleration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
Airbag System about the severity of the crash.
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impacts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the informa tion received from the crash
sensors. The control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
steering wheel hub .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the instrument
panel for the front passenger.
• A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat.
The information registered is sent continuously to the electronic
control unit to regulate deployment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side.
• An airbag monitoring system and indicator light in the instru ­
ment cluster => page 156.
• Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
center of the instrument panel=> page 157, fig. 142 and tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to measure the tension on the safety belt . The tension on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the weight -sensing mat help the
control unit "decide" whether the front airbag for the front
passenger seat should be turned off or not=> page 147, "Child
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know". .,_

_________________________________________________ .:.A ..:. i :..:.r..::b :...:a:..:. g~ s::.. y .!....::. s..:t ..:e :..:.m.:....:...._ffllll
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver and for the front
seat passe nger that s enses whe ther that sa fety belt i s latch ed or n ot
and transmits this informatio n to the e lectronic cont rol unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly.
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag Sy stem from func ­
tioning properly .
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual ­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat .
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it.
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat . If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the
passenger seat . Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight-sensing mat and send the wrong information to the
airbag control unit .
• Never store items under the front passenger seat. Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued )
• Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padd ing will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from a ccurately registering the
child re straint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instru ctions requ ire the use
of a towel , foam cu shion or something else to properly position
the child restraint, make certa in that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat .
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , immediately install child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components
work together
The front Advanced Air bag System and the side airbags s upplement
the protection offered by th e front three -point safety belts with
pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head restraints
to help re duce the r is k of in jury in a w ide ra nge o f accide nt a nd
crash situations. Be su re to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNI NGS in t his c hap te r.
Dep loyment of the Advanced Airbag System and the activation of
t he sa fe ty be lt pretensione rs depe nd on the decele ration mea su red
by the crash sensors and registered by the electronic control unit .
C rash severity depends on s peed and deceleration a s well a s the
mass and st iffness o f the veh ic le or object involved in th e c ras h.
When the e lectronic control unit registers a low severity crash and
t he sa fe ty belt is being use d, the a irbag w ill not deploy . If the sa fe ty
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
• Never recline the front passenger' s seat to transport obje cts.
Item s can als o move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during br aki ng or in a sudden maneuver . Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury , particularly when
the seat is re clined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a histo ry of asthma or other breathing
c onditions.
• To reduce the ri sk of breathing p roblems , tho se with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the veh icle or opening windows or door s.
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy , wash your
hands and face w ith mild soap and water before eat ing.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
s crat ches .
• If the residue should get into your eyes , flush them with
water .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light t:Ji
Two sepa ra te indi cator s mon itor t he function of the
Ad vanc ed A irba g Sy stem: th e ai rbag moni to rin g in dicator
ligh t and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
The Advanced Airbag System (including the electronic control unit,
sensor c ircuits and system w irin g) is mon itored continuously to
make su re that it is functioning proper ly whenever the ignition is on. E
ach time you turn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring indicator
li ght
I wi ll c om e on fo r a few sec onds (sel f diag nos tics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go out a few seconds a fter you have switched on the
ignition, or
• comes on w hile driving.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light will
fir st star t fl ashin g to catc h the drive r's at tention an d then stay o n
continuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the system
ins pec te d imm edi ately.
I f a malfunction occurs t hat turns the front airbag on the passenger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al crash.
• If the a irbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System. It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to , or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho ­
rized Audi dealer. •