2011 AUDI A3 warning

Intelligent technologyL _______________________________________ _
• If the power steering system is not funct ioning properly, contact
your au thori zed A ud i dea le r i mmediately. •
Applies to ve hicl es: wit h A ll Whe el D rive
Driving with your quattro®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driven.
General information
With All Wheel Drive, power is distributed to all fo ur whee ls. This
happens automatically depending on you r driving s tyle a nd the road
conditions at the time. See also =>
page 189, "Electronic differential
lo ck (E DL)".
W inter tires
W hen d riving in the winter, your vehicle with A ll Whee l Drive has an
advantage, even with reg ular t ires . In winter road cond it ions it may
be advisab le to mou nt w inte r ti res (or all-se aso n t ires) for imp roved
dr iveability and braking: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheel s.
See also => page 261, "Win ter tires".
Snow chains
W he re snow c ha ins are mand atory on certain roads, this norm ally
also app lies to veh icles with all-wheel drive=>
page 262, "Snow
c hains".
Replacing wheels/tires
Veh icles with All Wheel Drive m ust always have t ires of the same s ize.
Also avoid tires with different tread depths. For details see page
=>
page 257, " N ew tires and replac ing ti res and wheels".
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as a n
off-road vehicle. It is therefore best to avoid rough tracks and uneven
te rrain as much as poss ib le. Also refe r to=>
page 199.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic conditions . Do not
let the extra safety afforded by the all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risk s.
• Although the quattro ®all -wheel drive is very effective, always
remember that braking capacity is limited by t ire traction. You
should therefore not drive at exce ssive speed s on icy or slippery
road surfaces .
• On wet road surfa ces, be careful not to drive too fast becau se
the front wheels could begin to slide on top of the water (hydro­
planing ). If this should occur, you will have no warning from a
sudden increase in engine speed as with a front -wheel drive
vehicle. Always dr ive at speed s which are adjusted to the road
conditions -risk of crash! •
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy managemen t controls the distribution of elec ­
trical energy and thus optimizes the availability of elec­
t r ical ene rgy for s tarting the en gin e.
If a vehicle w ith a convent ional energy sys tem is not d riven fo r a long
period of time, t he battery is discha rged by idling cur rent consumers
(e .g. immob ilizer). In ce rtain c ircumstances it can result i n there
being insufficient energy availab le to start the engine .
Inte lligent ene rgy m anageme nt in yo ur vehicle h andles the dis tribu­
tion of electrical energy. Starting ability is markedly improved and
t he life of the bat tery is ex tende d.
Bas ically, energy management consis ts of
battery d iagnosis, idling
current management
and dynamic energy management . ~

_________________________________________ I_ n_ t_ e_ ll_,igent technology ,__E~-
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines the state of the battery.
Sensors determine battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current state of charge and the
power of the battery .
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy consumption while the
vehicle is standing. With the ignition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical components. Data from
battery diagnosis is considered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge , individual consumers are
gradually turned off to prevent excessive discharge of the battery and
thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic energy management
distributes the energy generated according to the needs of the indi­
v idual components. It regulates consumption, so that more electrical
energy is not being used than is being generated and ensures an
optimal state of charge for the battery.
[ i] Tips
• But even energy management cannot negate the limits of physics.
Consider that the power and life of a battery are limited.
• If starting ability is threatened, you are informed by a warning
=> page 196, "Driver notification in the instrument cluster display". •
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining starting capa­
bility.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance driving, in city traffic
and during the cold time of year. Abundant electrical energy is
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
required, but only a little is generated. It is also critical if the engine
is
not running and electrical components are turned on. In this
instance energy is being consumed but none is being generated .
It is in precisely these situations that you will notice energy manage­
ment actively regulating the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of several days or weeks,
electrical components are gradually cut back or switched off. This
reduces energy consumption and maintains starting capability over a
longer period.
Take into consideration that when you unlock your vehicle, some
convenience functions, such as the remote key or power seat adjust ­
ment, may not be available. The convenience functions will be avail­
able again when you turn on the ignition and start the engine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the engine turned off, the
battery is being discharged.
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy consumption, a
message appears in the driver information display.
You have to start the engine to charge the battery.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when the vehicle is being
driven, the battery can become discharged. This happens mostly
when little energy is being generated and a great deal consumed and
the battery's state of charge is not optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equilibrium, consumers which
require especially large amounts of energy are temporarily cut back
or switched off. Heating systems in particular require a great deal of
energy . If you notice, for example , that the heated seats* or the
heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporarily cut
back or switched off. These systems will be available again as soon as
the energy balance has been restored. .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driving and environment
----------------------------------------------'
Driving and environment
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km)
and afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first 1,000 miles
(1,50 0 km) .
For the first 600 miles (1,000 kilometers):
- Do not use fu ll thrott le .
- Do not drive at engine speeds that are more than 2/3 of
the maximimum permitted RP M.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to 1 ,500
kilometers):
- Speeds can
gradually be increased to the maxim um
perm iss ible road or engine s peed .
During and after break-in period
- Do not r ev the eng ine up to high speeds when it is co ld.
T h is app lies w hether th e t ransmission is in N ( Neutral) o r
1 n gear .
After the break-in period - Do not exceed maximum engine speed under any circum ­
stances.
- U pshift i nto the nex t higher gear
before reach ing t he red
area at t he end of the tachometer scale==>
page 8.
During the first few hours of driving, the engine's interna l friction is
hig her than later w hen all the moving pa rts have been broken in. How
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation we
ll th is b reak-in p rocess is done depends to a cons iderab le extent on
the way the veh icle is d riven dur ing the f irst 1,000 miles (1,500 kilo­
meters).
0 Note
E x tremely high e ngine speeds are automatic ally reduced. However,
these RPM- limits we re prog rammed for an engine well ru n-in, not a
new e ng ine.
~ For the sake of the environment
Do not drive w it h un necess arily hig h eng ine speeds -up shift ing ea rly
saves f uel, reduces noise and protects the environme nt.•
New tires
If y our veh icle is run nin g on n ew tir es, dr ive parti cula rl y
carefu l for the fi rst 30 0 mil es (500 kil ometer s) af ter fit ting.
& WARNING
New tires tend to be slippery and must also be "broken -in ". Be
sure to remember this dur ing the first 300 miles (500 kilome ­
ter s) . Brake gently. Avoid following closely behind other vehicles
or other situations that might require sudden, hard braking.
u
New brake pads
Remember tha t new brak e pa ds d o no t hav e a fu ll braki ng
eff ect d uri ng the first 250 mi les (400 k ilomet ers) after they
are i nsta lled.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driving and environment
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" before they have optimal
grab ~& .
Dur ing the break-in period, you should avoid putting severe loads on
the bra kes. Severe loads incl ude, for example, sudden hard braking,
in part icu lar at very high speeds or, for examp le, on mountain passes .
& WARNING
Until they develop th e ma ximum "bite " for b est stopp ing pow er,
the surfaces on new brake pads require some "breaking-in" during
the in itial 100 to 150 mile s (150 to 200 kilometers ) of normal
city dr iving. You can compensate for this by p ress ing the brake
pedal more firml y. Thi s applies whenever n ew pads are in stalled .•
Driving through water on roads
---
N ote the following to avoid vehicle damage when driving through
water, fo r example on flooded roads:
• Th e wate r mus t not be any higher th an the bottom of the ve hicl e
body.
• Do not dr ive faster t han wal king speed.
& WARNING
After driving through water, mud , slush, etc ., th e brak es may be
slow to take effect because of wet brake rotors and pads . Dry the
brakes first by braking carefully to restore the full braking effect .
0 Note
Vehicle components such as the engine, transmission, suspension or
electrical system can be severely damaged by driving thro ugh water.
W Tips
• Check t he dept h of the wa ter before dr iv in g thro ugh it.
• Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or sw itch the engine off
when driving through wate r.
• Keep in m ind t hat on coming vehicles may cre ate w aves t hat raise
the water level and make it too deep for your vehicle to drive thro ugh
safe ly.
• Avoid dr iv in g through sa lt water because it can cause corros ion. •
Catalytic converter
It is very important that y our emiss ion con trol system
(ca talyti c converte r) is func tioning pr operly to ensure
that your vehicle is running i n an environm entally sou nd
manner.
- Always use lead-fre e gasoline => page 219, "Fu el supply".
- Never run the ta nk down a ll the way to empty .
- Never p ut too much mo tor o il in your engine=>
pag e 232,
"Adding engine oil~" -
- Neve r try to pu sh- or tow-start you r vehicle.
T he catalytic converter is an efficient "clean- up" device b uilt into the
exhaust system of the veh icle. The cata lytic converter b urns many of
t he poll uta nts in the e xhaust g as before they are released in to the
atmosphe re.
Th e ex clusive use o f unleaded fuel is c ritic ally impor tant for the life of
the cata lytic converte r and proper f unction ing of the engi ne. ..,

_____________________________________________ D _r_ i_v _i_,ng and environment
& WARNING
• Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas where the hot
exhaust sy stem may come in conta ct with dry gra ss, bru sh, fuel
s pill or oth er mater ial wh ich can caus e a fire .
• Do not apply additional under co ating or ru stproofing on or
near the exhaust manifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic converter or
heat shield s. During driving, the sub stance u sed for undercoating
c ould overheat and cause a fire .
0 Note
• Be aware that j ust one tank fi lling w it h le aded fuel w ill already
seriously degra de the performance of the catalyt ic converter .
• Do not exceed the correct engine o il leve l~
page 23 2.
• Do not dr ive until t he f uel tank be comes comp lete ly empty. The
eng ine could misfire . Unburned fue l cou ld also get into the exhaust
sys tem and t his co uld cause t he ca talyt ic conver ter to ove rhe at.
• Do not t urn off the ignition while the vehicle is moving .
• Do not continue to operate your vehicle under these conditions, as
otherwise fuel can reach the cata lytic converter. This cou ld resu lt in
over heat ing of the converter, req uir ing its rep lacemen t.
• T o ass ure efficient operation of the Emission Contro l System :
- Have your ve hicle maintai ned properly and in accordance with
t he se rvi ce recommenda tions in your Warran ty
& M ain tenance
book let .
- Lack o f prope r mai ntena nce as well as improper use of the
vehicle w ill impa ir the f unct io n of the emission control system and
co uld lead to damage .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is operating p roperly, the
exhaust gas ca n have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some
ope rating states. This depends on the s ulfur content o f the fue l being
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
used
. Using a differe nt brand of fuel may help, or filling the tank with
lead-free supe r grade g asoline .•
A pp lies to ve hicle s: with d ie se l pa rtic ul at e f ilte r
Diesel particu ate filter
The diese l particulate filte r filters nearly all of the soot part icles out
of the exhaust. The filte r cleans itself a utomat ically under normal
dr iv ing cond itions . If the fi lter cannot clea n itself (for example,
because you are only driving short distances), the filter becomes
clogged w it h soot and the symbol fo r the diese l particulate fi lter
ill uminates ~
page 34.
& WARNING
• Do not park your vehicle over flammable materials such as
grass or leaves because the high temperature of the diesel partic­
ulate filter could start a fire .
• Do not apply an underbody prot ectant in the exhaust system
area or a fire could start.
[I) Tips
• When the diesel partic ulate f ilter becomes sat urated, the engine
speed increases to approx ima tely 1 ,S00 rpm w hile the vehicle is in
motion to initiate t he cleanin g of the diesel particulate fi lter auto ­
matically w it h out the wa rning lamp ligh ting up. If the war ning lamp
st ill appears, you sho uld drive to a qualified workshop. •
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or ove r curbs, steep ramps, etc .,
m ake ce rta in t hat low-ly ing pa rt s such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driving and environment
------------------------------------------------'
you start the engine and avoid running at high RPMs while the engine
is still warming up.
0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after starting. If warning
lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, which could result in
overheat ing or other damage to the vehicle or other property.•
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
- Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an authorized Audi dealer
helps to ensure that it runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not on ly affects its safety and ability to hold its value,
it also affects
fuel consumption .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new engine to reach its
lowest value after a certain mi leage has been driven.
You must drive you r vehicle about 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers)
before you can properly assess oil consumption.
Thi s also applies to fuel consumption and engine output.
0 Note
• Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with the
service recommendations in your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Lack of proper maintenance as well as improper use of the vehicle will
impa ir the function of the emission control system and could lead to
damage.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
Do not alter or remove any component of the Emission Control
System unless approved by the manufacturer.
• Do not a lter or remove any device, such as heat shie lds, switches,
ignition w ires, va lves, which are designed to protect your vehicle 's
Emission Control System and other important vehicle components.
Fewer short tr ips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high on short
trips.
- Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold engine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach their optimal oper­
ating temperature
to reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis ­
sions effectively .
• Just after starting, a cold eng ine in a mid-size car burns the fuel at
a poor rate of 6-8 miles per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). Half a mile down
the road, the mileage improves to 12 MPG (20 l/100 km). It will take
the engine no less than
two and a half miles (4 km) of driving to
warm up to its proper operat ing temperature and operate at an
economic mileage . This explains why taking the car for sho rt trips is a
rather wasteful convenience .
• Th e
outside temperature is also critical in this regard . Your car
consumes more fuel in the winter than in the summer.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic beh ind you using the regular
outs ide mirrors, then you
must i nstall extended mirrors. It is impor­
tant that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
& WARNING
After removing the trailer hitch, do not store it in your vehicle. In
case of sudden braking, the hitch could fly forward and injure you
or your passengers. •
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is lim ited to a typ ical class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in place to guard aga inst
shifting, be it fo rwa rd, backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ~ & in "Driving instruc­
tions".
Tire pressure
When towing a tra iler, inflate the tires of yo ur veh icle to the co ld tire
pressure listed unde r "Full load" on the sticker on the right doorjamb.
Inflate trailer tires to trai ler and tire manufacturers' specifications.
Lights
T he headlight settings sho uld be checked with the trailer attached
before driving off . Adjust as necessary so that you can see the road
ahead but not blind oncoming traffic.
Check p roper working of vehicle and tra iler lights.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Safety
chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connected from the trailer
to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough s lack in the chains to permit
turning corners . When you install safety chains, make sure they will
not drag on the road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue to prevent it from
dropping in case of separation from the hit ch. •
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care and
consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle and trailer,
please note the following:
- Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself is not
loaded .
- Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
- Observe speed limits.
- Do not drive at the maximum permissible speed .
- Always apply brakes early.
- Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribut ion
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results in a highly unstable
distribution of we ight. If th is cannot be avoided drive at very low
speeds only to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and control. This means that the
tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permiss ible
whi le keeping the trai ler as light as possible under the circumstances .
Whenever possible, transfer some cargo to the luggage compart-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Trailer towingL _____________________________________________ _
ment of the tow vehicle while observing tongue load requirements
and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it becomes for the driver to
control the rig. Do not drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce your speed even more under unfavorable load, weather or
wind conditions -particularly when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer shows the slightest
sign of swaying .
Do not try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas speeds for vehicles towing
trailers are lower than for regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early . When driving downhill, shift into lower
gear to use the engine braking effect to slow down the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge~ page 9 must be observed care­
fully. If the needle moves close to the upper end of the scale, reduce
speed immediately and/or switch off the air conditioner .
If the coolant temperature warning light in the instrument cluster
starts flashing
-t-, pull off the road , stop and let the engine idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving vehicle is at a much
greater risk in an accident. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided by Audi. •
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
-------------
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a trailer because of the
additional weight and weight distribution. Safety, performance and
economy will greatly depend on how carefully you load your trailer
and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice turning, stopping and
backing up in an area away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have
completely become familiar with the way your vehicle-trailer combi­
nation behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice. Backing up with a trailer
generally requires steering action opposite of that when backing up
your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle and the one in front
of you. You will need more room to stop.
To compensate for the trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
When passing, remember that you cannot accelerate as fast as you normally would because of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your
trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
[I] Tips
• Do not tow a trailer during the break-in period of your vehicle .
• If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require more frequent mainte­
nance due to the extra load~
page 299. •