2011 AUDI A3 roof

Seats and storage
& WARNING (continued)
• Make certain that the safety strap lies in the middle between
the bindings of the ski equipment (refer also to printed message
on the ski sack).
[ i J Tips
• Place skis with the tips pointing forward , snowboards and ski
poles with tip to the
rear in the ski sac k.
• If there are several pairs of skis in the ski sack, make certain that
the bindings are at the same level.
• Be sure not to fo ld up o r store the sack when it is still damp. •
Roof rack* installation
First things first
A roof rack can be used to carry additional luggage on the
roof There are two different roof rack systems.
Separate roof racks are needed for vehicles without roof rails.
Vehicles with standard roof rails* need additional cross bars
to carry cargo. Both types of additional equipment are avail­
able at your authorized Audi dealer.
- Always read and follow th e instructions provided by the
roof rack manufacturer when the roof rack system must
be installed.
If a roof rack or similar luggage carrying equipment is to be installed,
please note the following:
Vehicles without roof rails
• Your vehicle has aerodynamic rain gutters molded into the roof.
Th at is why only roof racks specially designed for the roof can be used. We recommend using roof racks from the Audi orig
inal accessories
program.
• These roof racks are the basis for a complete roof rack system. For
safety reasons, some additional attachments are necessary to trans­
port luggage, bicycles, surf boards, skis and small boats safely. All
these components are available at your author ized Audi dealer.
Vehicle with roof rails
• The vehicle is equ ipped with integrated roof railings, which can be
covered into roof rack by installing cross bars. Only install cross bars
specifically designed for this vehicle.
• These bars are the basis for a complete roof rack system. Addi­
tional attachments are necessary to safely transport luggage, bicy­
cles, surf boards, skis or small boats.
• All necessary hardware for these systems is available from your
authorized Audi dealer.
When should the roof rack be removed?
• Before going through an automatic car wash (it is best to ask the
car wash operator)
• When not in use (reduce fuel consumption, reduce wind noise and
guard against theft)
& WARNING
• Use of an unapproved roof rack or incorrect mounting of an
approved roof rack can cause the roof rack or the items carried on
it to fall off the roof onto the road .
• Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle can cause a crash and
personal injury.
• Only mount the system between the markings shown in
=> page 87, fig . 88 or=> page 88, fig . 89.
• The roof rack system must be installed exactly according to the
in structions provided . .,_

0 Note
• Any damage to the vehicle caused by using roof racks or other
types of cross bars that have not been approved by Audi for your
vehicle , or incorrect roof rack installation, is not covered by the
Warranty.
• Always check the roof rack mountings and hardware before each
trip and during a trip to make sure everything is securely tightened. If
necessary, retighten the mountings and check the entire system from
time to time.
• After mounting a roof rack system, or when you transport objects
on the roof of your vehicle, the height of the vehicle is naturally
increased. Be careful when driving under low bridges o r in park
garages for example . This could cause damage to the vehicle and even
the load. •
Applies to veh icles: without roof rails
Attachment points without roof rails
The roof rack must be attached only at the locations
marked.
F ig. 88 Attach men t
poin ts for roof rack
The attachment points~ fig. 88@ can only be seen with the
door open .
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Seats and storage
Introduction
- Clean the roof at the contact points for the roof rack in
order to avoid paint scratches.
- Observe the identifying marks on the roof rack for front
and rear, left and right.
Roof rack front
-Open the front doors ~& .
- Center the front of the roof rack in the two stamped marks
at the front of the roof~ fig. 88 @,
~ & .
- Hand tighten the mounting screws for the feet alternately
on the
left and right sides of the vehicle.
- Using the enclosed torque wrench, tighten the
front
mounting screws securely => & .
Roof rack rear
-Open the rear doors ~ & .
- Place the rear o f the roof rack in the two stamped marks
at the rear of the roof~ fig. 88@,
~ & .
- Hand tighten the mounting screws for the feet alternately
on the
left and right sides of the vehicle.
- Using the enclosed torque wrench, tighten the
rear
mounting screws s ecurely ~& .
& WARNING
• Alwa ys follow the inst ruct ion s prov ided by the ro of rac k m anu­
f ac turer.
• When in stall ing the roof rac k with th e ve h icle doors open,
w atch out f or ot her tr affic -ther e is the ri sk of a n ac cid ent .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Seats and storage
& WARNING (continued )
• Make certain that the feet of the roof rack are sitting exactly in
the four stamped marks -otherwise you risk an accident!
• After you have dri ven a few miles , and particularly during long
tr ips, inspect the attaching screws to make certain they a re tight .
• Do not make any modification to the roof rack -you increase
the risk of an accident. •
Applie s to v ehicl es : wi th roof r ails
Roof rack mounting locations
Roof rac ks must be install ed only at the locations mar ked
on th e roo f rails.
Mounting
Fig. 89 Ro of rai ls:
front and rear
mounting lo cat ions
The roof rack sy stem mu st be in stalled exa ctly according to the
instructions provided.
Mount t he front and rear cross bars between the punched mark ings
on the inside of the roof railin gs~ fig. 89 - arrows -.
0 Note
• T he conventional roof rac k de sign illustrated above will not fit o n
vehicles without roof rails . For safe mo unting, these req uire a
differen t desig n of roof ra ck.•
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute the loads evenly . M ake sure anything
on the r oof rack is tied do wn securely.
- Always dis tribute t he loads on the ro of rack e venly .
- Alwa ys se cu re i te ms to the roof rac k.
The maxim um permiss ible roof weight is 165 lb (75 kg ). The roof
we ight is made up o f the weig ht of the roof rack system and the
we igh t of the object be ing transported ~
page 295 .
When usi ng a roof rack system which has a lower load carrying
cap aci ty, you mus t not use the tota l maximum pe rmissible load
carrying capacity. If t his is the case , you may load the roof rack
system on ly to the maximum capacity speci fied by the man ufact urer
of the roof rack system .
L1}. WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure items to the
roof rack can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
ser ious personal injury.
• Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items
to the properly installed roof rack to help prevent items from
shifting or flying forward .
• Items on the roof rack must always be securely mounted .
• The use of a roof rack can negatively affect the way a vehicle
handles. Cargo that is large , heavy , bulky, long or flat will have a
greater negati ve influence on the veh icle's aerodynamics, center ..

& WARNING (co ntinued )
of gra vity and o verall handling . Alwa ys dri ve slowly, avoid sudden
braking and maneuvers when tran sporting cargo on the roof of
your veh icle .
• Never exceed the maximum permi ssible load carrying capacity
of the roof of your vehicle, the permissible a xle weight s and the
permissible total weight of your vehicle ~
page 295 , "Weight s".
• Alwa ys d riv e slowly , avoid sudden b raking and maneuvers
when transporting carg o on the roof of your vehicle .
W For the sake of the environment
Sometimes i t may be easier to leave a roof ra ck i nstalled even tho ugh
you are not using it. Due to the increased air resistance your veh icle
wi ll u nne cessa rily use more f ue l. Remove the roof rack if you are not
going to use it. •
Cup holders
Cup holders in the center console
Fig. 90 Cup h older s
an d stor age tr ay in th e
c e nt er con sole
Up to two beve rages can be p laced in the cente r co nsole .
Cont rols a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Seats and storage
& WARNING
Spilled hot liquid can cause an accident and personal injury .
• Never carry any beverage container s with hot liquids, such a s
hot coffee or hot tea, in the vehicle while it is mov ing . In case of
an accident, sudden braking or other vehicle movement, hot liquid
could spill, causing scalding burns. Spilled hot liquid can also
c ause an accident and personal injury.
• Use only soft cups in the cupholder. H ard cups and glasses can
cause injury in an accident .
• Never use the cup holder or adapter as an ashtray· risk of fire.
0 Note
Only drink conta iners with lids should be carr ied in the c upholder.
L iq ui d could spill ou t an d damage your vehicle's e lec tron ic equipment
or sta in the upholstery, etc .. •
Cupholder in the rear center armrest
Opening the cup holder
Fig . 9 1 Rea r cente r
armrest : cu phol der
exten ded
- Press both spots ma rked with ii @ => fig. 91 => & -The
holde r ext en ds. .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-L_!:D~ r!:_! i~v ~in ~ g~S~ a.!_fe ~ LyL __________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Never tran sport object s larger than those fitting completely
into the luggage are a because the rear lid cannot be fully clos ed.
• If you absolutely must dri ve with the rear lid open , observe the
following note s to reduce the risk of po isoning:
- Clo se all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation ,
- Set the fresh air fan to the h ighest speed.
& WARNING
Always make sure that the doors , all windows, the power roof*
and the read lid are securely closed and lo cked to redu ce the ri sk
of inju ry when the vehicle is not being used.
• After closing the r ear lid, always make sure that it is properly
closed and locked.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open. A child could crawl into the vehicle through the luggage
compartment and close the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment . Vehicl e
occupants must alway s be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle 's seating positions.
00 Tips
• The tire pressu re mus t cor respond to the load - see the tire pres­
sure st icker on th e fuel filler doo r. •
The tire pressure must correspo nd to the load . The tire p ressure is
shown on t he tire press ure label. O n USA ve hicl es, t he tire press ure
label is located on the d river's s ide B-pillar. On Canada vehicles, the
tire press ure label is located either on the driver 's side B -pillar or
inside the fuel fille r flap . The t ire pressure labe l lists the recom­
mended co ld ti re inflation pressures for t he ve hicle at its maximum
c apacity weight and the tires that were on yo ur vehicle at the ti me it
was manufactured. For recommended tire pressures for normal load
c ondi tions, p le ase see cha pte r=>
page 249. •
Tie-downs
The lugg ag e co mportment is equipped with four tie­
downs to secure lugga ge and other items.
Use the t ie-downs to sec ure your ca rgo prope rly=> page 131,
"Loading the luggage compartment" .
In a co lli sion, t he laws of phys ics mean tha t even sma ller i tems th at
are loose in the vehicle will become heavy m issi les t hat can cause
ser ious injury. Items in the vehicle pos sess energy whi ch v ary wi th
vehicle speed and t he weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor .
For exampl e, in a fron tal col lis io n at a speed of 30 mp h (4 8 k m/h),
the forces actin g on a 10 -lb (4.S kg) o bject are about 20 times t he
normal weight o f the item. This means that the weig ht of the item
wou ld suddenly be abo ut 200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the inju­
r ies tha t a 200 lbs. (90 kg) i tem flying freely thro ugh t he p assenge r
compartment could cause in a collision like this.
& WARNING
Weak , damaged or improper straps used to secure items to t ie­
downs can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
ser ious personal injury.

........ _A_ ir_ b_ a-=g :..- s.:o.y _s _t _e_ m _______________________________________________ _
defined in the elect ronic contro l unit~ page 157, "PASSE NGER AIR
BA G OFF l ight ".
Always r emembe r, a c hild safety seat o r infa nt ca rr ie r i nsta lled on th e
fro nt seat may be struc k and k noc ke d out of position by t he ra pidly
i nflat ing pass enge r's air ba g in a fr ontal c oll ision. Th e airba g could
g reat ly re duce the effectiveness o f th e ch ild restraint an d even seri­
ousl y injur e th e child d uring inf lation .
For this r easo n, and b eca use the back seat is th e sa fest plac e for chil­
dre n -whe n pro per ly restra ined acc ordin g to their age and size -we
s tr ong ly r ecommen d that childr en a lways sit in the back s eat
~ pa ge 167, "Child S afety".
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest, door or roof .
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
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.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause serious personal injury to the child.
& WARNING
If , in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
& WARNING (continued)
• 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.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child
restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition
is switched on .
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on, perform
the checks described
~ page 156 , "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System ".
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu­
facturers when installing child restraints.
& WARNING
If , in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger 's seat:

Airbag system -----------------=--=---
re stra ined in o ne of th e re a r-f acing or forward-fac ing inf ant
res traints (listed in F ed era l M oto r V ehicl e Sa fe ty Stand ard 2 08 wi th
w hich t he Adva nced Ai rbag System in your ve hicle was c ert ifi ed), th e
front a irbag on the passen ge r side may o r may not dep loy.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t com es on whe n the ele ctronic
cont rol u nit detects a tota l wei ght on t he front passenger seat that
re qui res th e fr ont a irbag to b e turned off.
If the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht does not come on, the fro nt airbag o n the passenger
s ide has not bee n turned off by th e c ontro l un it an d can d ep loy i f the
cont rol unit senses an impact that meets t he conditions stored in its
memory.
I f th e tota l w eight on th e fro nt passenger sea t is mor e t han that of a
ty pical
1 yea r-o ld, but less tha n th e weight of a sma ll adult, t he front
a ir bag o n the pa ssenge r si de m ay de ploy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht does not come on).
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child tha t is heav ier th an a typi cal 1 year-old child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whet he r the c hild is in o ne o f th e
c hild safe ty seats listed~
pag e 169),
• a child who has outgrown child rest raints is on the front passenger
seat .
If the front passe nger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
ligh t in the center of the i nstru me nt pan el will co m e on an d sta y
on .
Th e f ront a irba g on the passenger side may
not dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does no t illum inate and s tay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a pass enger w ho is no t si tting upri ght w it h t heir ba ck again st a
non-recline d backrest with their feet on t he vehicle floo r in front of
t he seat i s on the fro nt pa ssenge r seat .
If the fro nt passenger airbag deploys, the Federa l Standard req uires
t he a irbag to mee t the " low r is k" deployme nt crit er ia to hel p r educe
the risk of injury through interaction with t he a irbag. "Low r isk"
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
dep
loyme nt occ urs in those c rashes that ta ke place at lowe r decele r­
at ions as de fined in t he ele ct roni c cont rol uni t~
page 15 6.
Always remember: Even t hough your veh icle is equip ped with
Advanced Airbags, t he sa fest place for children is properly restraine d
on the ba ck sea t. Ple ase be sure to rea d the impor tant in forma tion i n
t he sections that follow and be su re to heed all of the WAR NINGS .
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts properly .
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of position in any way, your risk of injury is much higher .
• You will also receive serious injurie s and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag~
page 145.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward-facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat, nobody
can absolutely guarantee that deployment is impossible in all
conceivable situations that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest , door, or roof.
• Always install rearward-facing child restraints in the back seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on , _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g '--- s.:a.y _s _t_ e _ m ___ _
lower parts of the body . Front a irbags s upplement the t hree-poi nt
sa fety belts o nly in some fro ntal collis ions in which the vehicle decel­
eration is high enough to dep loy the a irbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• in s ide collisions ,
• in rea r-end collisions,
• in rollovers,
• when the crash decelerat io n me asured by the a irbag system is less
than the min imum threshold needed for a irbag deployment as reg is­
tered by the e lectron ic con trol un it.
The front passenger airbag also will not deploy:
• when the fron t passe nger seat i s not oc cupied,
• when the weight on the front passenger seat as sensed by the
Advanced Ai rbag System in dicates that the front airbag o n the
passenger side has to be turned off by the e lectronic control unit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght comes on and stays on).
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the ri sk of ser iou s injury
in crashes.
• To redu ce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate, the driver
and pas sengers mu st always sit in an upright position , mu st not
lean against or place any part of th eir body too close to the area
where the airbags are lo cated.
• Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriou sly injured by an airbag a s it unfolds with
great force in th e blink of an eye =>
page 147 .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child
safety se at installed on the front
pa sseng er seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflat es - ev en with an Ad van ced Airbag System .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will smash the child safety s eat and
c hild against the backre st, center armre st, d oor or roof .
• Always install rear -facing child safet y seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger se at because of e xceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear -facing child s afety seat in a rear
s eating po sition and h ave the airbag system inspe cted by your
authoriz ed Audi d ealer.
& WARNING
Object s between you and the airbag will increase th e risk of inju ry
in a cra sh by int erfering with the way the airb ag unfold s or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
• Never hold things in your hand s or on your lap when the vehicle
i s in use.
• Never tran sport items on o r in the are a of the fr ont pa ssenger
seat. Obje ct s c ould move into the area of the front ai rbag s during
braking or other sudden maneu ver s and become dang erous
projectiles that can c au se se rious per sonal injury if the ai rb ags
infl ate.
• Never pla ce o r atta ch acce ssorie s or other objects (such as cup
holder s, telephone brac ket s, large, hea vy or bulky objects ) on th e
doors , ov er or near the are a marked "AIRBAG" on the stee ring
wheel, in strum ent panel , se at ba ckre sts or between th ose ar ea s
and yourself . These objects could cause injur y in a crash , especially
when the airbags infl ate .
9"'
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data