2011 AUDI A3 oil

Engine oil sensor defective,:., 1ioo
If the ~ symbol illuminates, contact your authorized Audi dealer
and have the oi l senso r inspected. •
Worn brake pads ,
Brake pads!
If the warn ing lig ht i llum inates, immediately contact your authorized
Audi dea ler or qu alified wor kshop to have all b rake pads insp ected.
On USA mode ls the warn ing light ,,, comes on together w it h the
warning light
BRAKE . Both sets of brake pads on an axle must a lways
be rep laced at the same time .
& WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can c ause a collision and serious personal
injury .
• If the warning light land the warning light
BRAKE1> with the
me ssage Brake pads! comes on in the in strument cluster di splay,
immediately contact your author ized Aud i dealer or qualified
workshop to have all brake pad s checked or replaced if
necessary. •
....
Speed warning 1 _, (USA
models)/ ...... (Canada models)
If the :J symbo l ill uminates, this means you are driving faster than
t he set vehicle speed. Slow down!~
page 28. •
ll BRAKE : USA mode ls on ly
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
Speed warning 2
) (USA models)/ (Canada models)
If the symbol i llum inates, this means you have d riven faster than
t he second set ve hicle speed . S low dow n!~
page 28. •
App lies to vehicles : wit h dyn am ic head ligh t ra ng e ad justmen t
Headlight range control defective r!>
If the > illuminates, the dynamic headlight range cont rol is no
longer work ing prope rly. Have the system checked and repaired at
your authorized Aud i dea ler. •
Windshield washer fluid level too low ~
If the -., symbo l ill uminates, add windshie ld washer fluid to the
was he r system ~
page 24 3. •
Battery voltage low
If the O symbol illum ina tes, contact yo ur authorized A udi dea ler and
have the fo llowing components inspected:
• drive be lt
• battery charge
Also see i f th e gener ator w arning/ind ic a tor ligh t illumina te s
~page 15 .•
Vehicle care Technical data

Clear vision
& WARNING (continued)
for example with insects, carefully clean the wiper blades with a
sponge or a soft brush.
• For your safety, you should replace the wiper blades once or
twice a year. See your authorized Audi dealer for replacement
blades.
0 Note
• The wiper blades may only be changed=> page 68 in the service
position! Otherwise, you risk damaging the paint on the hood or the
windshield wiper motor.
• You should not move your veh icle or press the windshield wiper
lever when the wiper arms are folded away from the windshield. The
windshield wipers wou ld move back into their original position and
could demage the hood and windshield.
• To help prevent damage to the wiper system, always loosen
blades which are frozen to the windshield before operating wipers.
• To help prevent damage to w iper blades, do not use gasoline,
kerosene, paint thinner, or other solvents on or near the wiper
blades.
• To help prevent damage to the wiper arms or other components,
do not attempt to move the wipers by hand .
(I) Tips
• Commercial hot waxes applied by automatic car washes affect the
cleanability of the glass surface.
• You can also use the service position, for example, if you want to
protect the windshield from icing by using a cover.
• You cannot act ivate the service position when the hood is open.
• Th e front wiper blades are different lengths; the blade on the
driver's side is longer.•
Changing the rear wiper blade
Removing the wiper blade
Fig. 66 Installing/re
moving wiper blade
- Fold the windshield wiper arm away from the glass.
- Pull the metal surround of the wiper blade out of the
retainer in the direction of the arrow =:> fig. 66. Hold the
wiper arm firmly by the upper end as you do this.
Attaching the wiper blade
-Adjust the position of the wiper blade in the retainer
~ fig. 66 (see close up).
- Press the wiper blade into the retainer. Hold the wiper arm
firmly by the upper end as you do this.
- Fold the wiper arm back onto the glass.
& WARNING
• To avoid streaks, you should clean the windshield wiper blades
regularly with window cleaner. For heavy soiling, for example,
insects, the wiper blades can also be cleaned with a sponge or a
cloth.
~

_________________________________________________ O_ n_ t_ h_ e_ r _o_ a_d _ __.fflll
Starting and stopping the engine
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with your original Audi
key.
N ... q
i
Vehicles with a gasoline engine:
Fig . 10 8 Ignition key
p osit ion s
- Move the selector lever to the neutra l position (automatic
transmission): selector lev er in P or N) =>
& .
- On vehicles with manual transmission, fully depress the
clutch pedal.
- Turn the ignition key to position@ =>
page 106, fig. 10 7
- do not depress the gas pedal when star ting t he engine!
- Let go of the key as soon as the engine starts .
Vehicles with a diesel engine:
- Set the park ing b rake .
- Move the selector lever to the neutral position (automatic
transmission): selector lever in P or N) =>
& .
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
- On vehicles with manual transmission , fu lly depress the
cl utch peda l.
- Turn the ignition key to posi tion
(D => fig . 108. The g low
plug warning light lights up whi le the glow plugs are
warming u p.
- When the warning light goes out, turn the ig nition key to
posi tion @to start the engine @ =>
page 106, fig. 107 .
Do not depress t he gas pedal when starting t he engine!
- Let go o f the key as soon as the engi ne starts.
A cold engine may sound loud after it has been started . Th is is due to
t he hydra ulic valves buil ding up oil p ress ure. This is normal and is not
a need for concern.
If the engine does not start immediately, stop try ing after 10 seconds
and then try to restart the engine about 30 seconds later .
Glow plug system*
Diesel engines are equipped with a glow p lug system whose
preheating t ime is con trolled by the coo la nt and outs ide tempera­
t u re . Start the engine
immediately af ter the glow p lug ind icator light
sw itches off .
Th e g low pl ug indica tor light w ill only ill uminate fo r approximately 1
second when the engine is warm or the outs ide temperature is higher
than 46 °F (8 °C). Tha t means yo u ca n sta rt the engi ne
immediately.
To start the diesel engine after the fuel tank has
been run dry
If the fue l tank was run complete ly dry, the start ing process after
refueling with diesel fuel can take longe r than usual -up to one
minute. This is because the fuel system first has to be vented of air
wh ile starting. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data

Intelligent technology
'-----------------------------------------------
& WA RNING (conti nu ed )
• Do not "ride the brakes " by re sting your foot on the pedal when
you do not intend to brake . Thi s may cause the brakes to overheat,
premature wear and increased stopping distance.
• Under certain climatic and operating condition s such as
pa ssing through water, dr iving in heavy rain or after washing the
vehicle, the effectiveness of the brake s can be reduced . In winter ,
ice can accumulate on the brake pads , linings , discs and drums .
Carefully apply brakes for a te st. Brakes will dry and ice coatings
will be cleaned off after a few careful brake applications.
• Driving for an extended period of time on salt-covered roads
without using your brakes can al so affect br aking efficiency. Clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake disc s and pads with a few
careful brake applic ations.
• If you damage the front spoiler , or if you in stall a different
spoile r, be sure the air flow to the front brakes is not obstructed.
Otherwi se th e brake system could overheat reducing the effective­
ness of the entire brake system.
• Failure of one brake circuit will impair the braking capability
resulting in an inc reased stopping distance. Avoid driving the
vehicle and have it towed to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or
qualified wo rkshop .
.J
Brake booster
T h e brake booste r adds ext ra braking p ower.
The brake booster works with vacuum pressure which is created on ly
w hen the eng ine is ru nnin g=>&.
& WARNING
• Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the engine shut off.
• If the brake boo ster i s not working , for example when towing
your veh icle , or because the brake booster has somehow been
& W ARNING (continued )
damaged , the brake pedal must be p ressed considerably harder to
make up for the la ck of booster assi stan ce. •
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
{ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from l ockin g up under br aking.
Th e ABS contr ibutes effectively to vehicle co ntrol s ince it prevents t he
w heels from
locking when the brakes are applied . This means that the
veh icle rema ins steerable and is less likely to skid .
With ABS you do not need to pump the brake. Just hold the brake
pedal down .
However, do no t expect that the ABS shortens bra king d istance under
all circumstances . When dr iv ing on grave l or on newly falle n snow on
top of icy s urfaces, braking d istance may be even longer, therefo re,
under these circumstances, it is especially important that yo u drive
slowly and with g re at c are.
How the ABS system works
An au tomatic c hec k is made when a speed of about 4 mp h (6 km/ h) is
reached. When t his happens, a pump ing noise can be heard.
If an ind ivi dual wheel begi ns to rot ate too s low ly in relat ion to ve hicle
speed and tends to loc k, t he ABS automatically reduces brake pres­
s ur e to p revent t hat wheel from lo cking.
T hi s au tomatic adjustment p rocess w ill cause a
s light vibration of
the bra ke pedal and some noises to a lert you that vehicle speed must
be adapted to ex isting road and traffic co nditions .
& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always remember that braking
capability is limited by tire traction. Always adjust your driving ...

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

____________________________________________ C_l_e _a_ n_ i n--= g=--- a_n_ d----' p,__ r_o _t_ e_ c_ t_ i _o_ n __ lffll'II
High temperatures, as from exposure to intense sunlight, intensify
the corrosive effect particularly when humidity is high as well.
Under certa in circumstances,
weekly washing may be necessary .
Under other conditions, a month ly washing and waxing may be
adequate.
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle should be thoroughly
washed, preferably in a profess ional car wash.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=> page 206.
0 Note
You should remove debris (such as insects) from the headlight lenses
on a regular basis, for example when refueling yo ur vehicle. Never
clean the headlights with a dry cloth or sponge. Use a wet cloth or
sponge. It is best to use soapy wate r.•
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any modern auto­
matic car wash.
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle can normally be
washed without problems in an automatic car wash. However, the
effect on the paint depends to a large extent o n the design of the
facility, the filtering of the wash water, the type of wash and care
material, e tc. If the paint has a dull appearance after going through
the car wash or is scratched, bring this to the attention of the oper­
ator immediately .
If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a car wash, be sure to take the usual precau­
tions such as closing the windows and panoramic sliding sunroof*.
Remove ante nna if applicable.
Safety first
If you have installed additional accessories on the vehicle - such as
spoilers, roof rack, etc. - it is best to ask the car wash operator if these
should be removed.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=>page 206. •
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehicle by hand.
-Before you start wash ing, ma ke sure you have read and
understood the WARNINGS ~
& in "General informa­
tion" on
page 206.
-First soak all dried dirt until it is soft, then rinse it off.
- As you clean your vehicle, start with the roof and work your
way down to the bottom, using a sponge, a sponge glove
or a clean brush.
- Rinse the sponge or the sponge glove often, flushing it
clean each time.
- Use special car shampoo only for very persistent dirt.
- Rinse the car thoroughly with water .
- Use a chamois leather to gently wipe the exter ior dry .
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the whee ls, door s ills and other
regions exposed to road dirt. In this way, you will not scratch the
paint with coarse particles imbedded in the sponge the next time you
wash the car . .,,
Vehicle care Technical data