2011 AUDI A3 warning

___________________________________________ C_ h _ e_c _k _ i_n -=g .._ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g '-- ....... fflll
=:> page 194. The intelligent energy management system will keep
the eng ine battery charged bette r then vehicles withou t this system .
To make sure the additional electrical energy is available o nce again
after you have changed the battery, we recommend t hat you install
batteries of the same type and manufacture only (the same as those
installed at the time your vehicle was delivered). Specif ications are
listed on the batte ry ho using. Your authorized dealer must code the
battery in the energy management system to enable you to use the
ene rgy management functions correct ly after replacing the battery.
If it is not poss ible to use a battery of this type, the new battery must
have the same capacity, voltage (12 volts), amperage, construct ion
and plug sealing.
We recommend that you use maintenance-free or
c y cle-re sis ­
tant /le ak -proof
batteries that conform to the standards TL 82S 06
(from December 1997) and
VW 7 50 73 (from August 2001).
When installing the battery, make sure the ignition and all electrical
consumers are turned off.
0 Note
• Make s ure that the gas venting hose is always connected to the
original opening on the battery side . Otherwise gasses or battery acid
co uld leak out.
• Battery mounts and clamps must a lways be secured correctly.
• Read and follow the warn ings under=:>
page 239, "Work ing on
the batte ry" before performing any work on the battery .
c£> For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of a battery, we recom­
mend your authorized Audi dealer change the battery for you.
Batteries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be d isposed
of prope rly in compliance with all env ironmenta l regulatio ns.
Disposing of vehicle batteries improperly is very dangerous to the
environment . M ake sure that the removed battery cannot overbal­
ance, otherw ise sulfur ic acid might escape! •
Vehicle OP-eration
Windshield washer container
Using plain water is not adequate for filling the wind­
shield washer system.
Fig . 1 70 En gine
co mpa rt ment : win d­
s hi eld w as her f luid
con taine r
The windshield wash er fluid container is loca ted on the right
side of the engine compartment:::::;, fig. 170 . The washer flui d
co nta iner is mar ked with the symbol~ is on its cap.
- Before you ch eck anythin g in t he e ngine compartment,
always
read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in "Working in
the e ng ine compartment" on
page 226.
- Lift t he fi ller cap tongue to add washer fluid. You can fill
th e container to the top.
- Press the cap back onto the filler neck after filling the
container.
You can find the reservoir capacity in the table in=> page 296.
Clean water should be used when fi lling up. If possible, use soft water
to prevent scaling on the washer jets . Always add a glass cleaner solu-
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
tJ,,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least appreciated and most abused pa rts of a motor
vehicle . Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle , pa rticul arly conside ring the comparat ive ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assures that all-important contact between
you, your veh icle and the road.
Maintai ning t he cor rect tire pressu re, mak ing su re that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight t han they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and regularly inspecting
tires for damage includ ing cuts, s lashes irregular wea r and ove rall
condi tion a re the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoid
sudden t ire failure including tread separation and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
If you have to d rive ove r a cur b or sim ilar obstacle, d rive very slowly
and as close as possible at a rig ht angle to the curb .
Always keep chemicals incl ud ing grease, oil, gaso line and brake f luid
o ff t he t ires .
Ins pect the ti res regularly for damage (cu ts, cracks o r blisters, e tc.) .
Remove any foreign bodies embe dded in the treads.
Storing tires
M ark tires w hen yo u remove t hem to indica te t he d ire ct io n of rota ­
tion . This ensures you to be ab le to mount them correctly when you
re insta ll them.
Whe n removed, t he wheels or tires should be sto red in a cool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace.
Safety first
Store tires in a v ertica l pos it io n if they a re not mount ed on rims, in a
hor izonta l posit ion if they are mounted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be broken in=> & .
Th e tre ad d epth of new ti res may v ary, accor ding t o th e type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often not readi ly visible. If yo u notice
unu sual vib ra ti on o r the ve hicle pulls to one side, t his may in dica te
that one of the t ires has been damaged. The tires must be checked
im media tely by an auth oriz ed A ud i d eale r or qual ifie d wor ks hop.
Unidirectional tires
A un id irectional tire can be identified by arrows o n th e sidewall , th at
point in the direct ion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must fo llow
t he s peci fied dire ction o f ro tat io n . This is neces sary so t hat t hese
tires can deve lop their optimum cha racte ristics regard ing g rip, road
noise, we ar an d hy dropl aning res ist an ce. F o r more informat ion
:::>page 279 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, dri ve with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. _..
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Tire s age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined we ight (in excess of those sta nda rd items which
may be rep lace d) of automatic transmission, power steering, power
bra kes, powe r w indows , power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent
that these items are avai lab le as factory- installed equipment
(w het he r i nsta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
me ans the ratio of t he he ight to t he w id th of the tir e in percent .
Numbe rs of 55 o r lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
respo nse an d be tter overa ll handling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part o f the tire that is made of stee l w ires , wrap ped o r
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bon d between components in the bead .
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the tire.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous hi story ." Old used tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unu sual vibration or if the vehicle pull s to one side
when driving, alway s stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the vehicle ma nufa cturer
for a tire of a des ignated size t hat has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree ho ur period
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed.
Curb weight
mea ns the weig ht of a motor vehicle wit h standard equ ipment
including the max imum cap aci ty of f ue l, oil, and coo lan t, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire designe d to operate at higher loads and at higher infla­
t ion p ressures than the co rrespo nd ing standard t ire. Ext ra load tires
my be identif ied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load -ca rry ing capacity of a s ingle ax le system, measured at
t he t ire-grou nd inte rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max imum total loaded we ight of the vehicle .

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for extended
periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to 186
mph (298 km/h) =>
page 259. You may not find this information on
all tires because it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applicable, is mo lded on the tire
sidewa ll and indicates the maximum permissible road speeds.=>
&
in "Winter tires" on page 261
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires are
underinflated and illuminates a low tire pressure warning te lltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the princ ipal grooves designed to give a
visual ind ication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See=>
page 256,
"Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)" for more information on measuring
tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire informat ion system developed by the United States National
H ighway Traff ic Safety Adm inistration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buye rs make relative comparisons among tires. The UTQG is not
a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles or perform in a certain way. It simply gives tire
buyers additional information to comb ine with other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendations. Under
UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three areas: treadwear
, traction and temperature resistance. The UTQG informa­
tion on the tires, molded into the sidewa lls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "ser ial number" It begins with the letters "DOT" and
ind icates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it was manufactu red, and
the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
For examp le,
DOT ... 2209 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2009. The
o ther numbers are marketing codes that may or may not be used by
the t ire manufacturer. Th is informat ion is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and l uggage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the vehicle 's total seating capacity as listed on the label located
either on the driver's side B-pillar or on the ins ide of the fu el filler
flap.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by distrib­
ut ing to each axle its share of the max imum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by distrib­
ut ing to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and
normal occupant weight (distributed in accordance with tab le below
=>
page 249) and dividing by two. ~

Tires and wheels Ill
----------------
Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
(displace- normal load normal load
ment in
liter ) condition (up full load condition (up full load
to 3 occu- condition to 3 occu- condition
pants) pants)
PSI kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA
4-cylinder 205/55 R1 6 91H All Season 36 250 39 270 30 210 36 250
2 .0 TDI
225 /45 Rl 7 94H XL All Season 38 260 41 280 32 220 38 260 (clean diesel )
225 /45 R1 7 94V XL High Performance
35 240
38 260
30 210
35 240
225
/40 R18 92V XL High Performance 35 240 38 260 30 210 38 260
Compa ct spare wheel T125 /70 R18 60 420 60 420 60 42 0 60 420
XL = reinforced or extra load tire . It may also appear as x i, EXTRA LOAD , or RF on the tire sidewall.
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a label
ei ther on the driver 's s ide B -pillar or inside the fuel fille r flap.
Because technical changes may be made to vehicle equipment dur ing
the model year, a lways compare the tire size des ignation on the tire
pressu re label on you r vehicle w ith the t ires on your veh icle . Make
sure that the tire si ze information on the vehicle labe l is the same as
the s ize of the t ires o n the vehicle . This is especially important if the
vehicle belongs to someone else or you bought the vehicle with
different r ims/ tires or you bo ugh t the vehicle as a previously owned
vehicle. pants and
luggage or other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location o f the tire p ressure label=>
page 249, fig. 17 1.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause lo ss of vehicle control , a cra sh or
othe r accident, serious personal injury , and even death .
• Carrying more we ight than your vehicle wa s designed to carry
will p revent the vehicle from handling prope rly and increa se the
risk of a lo ss of vehicle control.
• The brake s on a vehicle that has been o verloaded may not be
able to stop the v ehicle within a saf e distance .
• Tires on a vehicle that has been ove rloaded can fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash .
• Always make sure that the tot al load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -doe s not make the vehicle hea vier than the
I
I
Remember, your safety and tha t of your passengers also depends on
maki ng sure that load lim its are not exceeded . Vehicle load includes
everybody and everything in and on the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the ve hicle's G ross Vehicle Weig ht Rating
("GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat ing ("GAWR") is the max imum
load th at c an be applied at ea ch of the veh icle 's two ax les. The G ross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the Gross Ax le We ight Rating are listed on
t he safety comp liance st ic ke r label lo cated ei ther on the d river 's s ide
B-pillar or on the inside of the fuel filler f lap. The tire p ressure label
on yo ur Audi lists t he maximum com bined weight o f all of the occu -
vehicle 's Gross V ehicle We ight Rating. ~
Safety first Vehicle care Technical data

-Tires and wheels PJTI,.____ ______________ _
in. WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation can lead to a
s eriou s or fatal a ccident .
• Incor rect tire p ressu res and /or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle .
• Incorrect tire pressu res and /or underinflation can also lead to
s udden tire failur e, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
caus ing loss of vehicle cont rol. •
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires ori ginally installed
on your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure la bel located
either on driver's side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler fla p.
Th e recommended tire pressures a re on the tire press ure labe l and in
t he table~ page 249, "Cold tire infla tion pressure" . This means that
the pressure m ust be checked an d adju sted when the tire has not
bee n dr iven for more than a co uple of miles (kilometers) at low
speeds dur ing the previous three hours. Air in the tires expands w hen
the tire heats up as a resul t of inte rna l fr iction as it flexes in use. The
tire press ure is higher when the t ire has warmed up than when it is
"cold ."
It is the inflation press ure i n a "cold" t ire that counts . Therefore, you
should never let air out of a warm tire to match "Co ld tire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat ions~
page 249 . The t ires would t hen be
underinflated and co uld fail sudden ly .
T he tire p ress ure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire
inflation pressures for the new, or iginal equipment t ires that were on
your vehicle at t he time i t was man ufa cture d. For the location of t he
label~
page 249 , fig. 171.
Most tires lose a ir nat urally over time. They can a lso lose some a ir if
you d rive over a pot hole or hi t a curb while pa rking .
It is usua lly not possible to see whether the rad
ia l tires used today are underinflated
jus t by loo king at th em.
T herefore, be sure to check t ire pressures a t least once a month and
always before go ing on a long trip. Make sure to take the number of
peop le and the amoun t of lugg age i nto a ccount whe n ad justi ng tire
pressure for a trip -even one that you would not consider to be
" lo ng." See ~
page 253, "Ti res and vehicle lo ad lim its " fo r mo re
important informat ion.
Always use an accurate t ire pressure ga uge when check ing and
ad justing i nflat io n pressures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the s pare tire . If the press ure in any ti re is too hig h when the
t ire is "co ld," let ai r out of t he tire slowly with t he edge of the ti re
gauge and keep checki ng the press ure unt il yo u reach the press ure
that is co rrect for the load (p assenge rs a nd luggage) a nd kind of
driving yo u plan to do.
If the press ure in any t ire is too low , no te the difference between t he
pressure in the cold tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
t ha t you need to reac h the co rrect pressure fo r the vehi cle load
(passengers a nd luggage) fo r the tires o n yo ur vehicle as listed on the
on your vehicle and in this man ual and the k ind of driving yo u plan to
do .
Never exceed the ma ximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
s idewall for any reason .
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not the t ire manufacturer,
determines the cor rec t tire p ress ure for the tires on your ve hicle.
It is important to chec k the tire pressu re whe n the t ires a re co ld.
• Read the required t ire pressure from the t ire pressure labe l. On
U SA vehicles, the tire pressure la bel is loc ated on dr ive r's si de 8- pillar.
On Canada veh icles, t he tire pressu re label is located ei ther on the
dr iver's side 8-pillar o r i ns ide the f ue l f iller flap .
• Turn the va lve stem cap counter-clockw ise to remove it from the
t ire valve.
• Place the air press ure gauge on the valve . .,_

Tires and wheels -________________ l'fFI
• The tire p ress ure s s ho uld onl y be chec ked and adjus ted whe n the
ti res are col d. T he sli ghtly rais e d pre ssu res o f w arm t ires must not b e
r e d uced .
• Adju st the tire p re ssu re to t he lo ad you are ca rry ing .
• Reinstall the valve stem cap o n the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The corre ct tire press ure is especially importa nt at high speeds. The
pressu re s ho uld t heref ore be chec ked at least onc e a month an d
always be fore start ing a journey . Do not fo rget to check t he t ire p res­
s u re for the spar e w hee l~
pag e 2 71.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Ad jus t the tire pr ess ur e to th e load you ar e carry ing . Af ter chang ing a
w hee l
or replac ing w heels yo u have to adjust the t ire press ures on all
w heels. In addi tion, you must th en ini tia lize the ne w tire press ures in
the t ire pressure monito ring system *~
page 264 .
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead sudden tire
failure, loss of control, collision, serious personal injury or even death.
• When the warning symbol{__, appears in the instrument
cluster , stop and inspect the tires.
• Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinflation can cause
increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
• Incorrect tire pressure s and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehicle control.
• The driver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for all
tires on the vehicle. The applicable pressure values are located on
a sticker on the driver 's side 8-pillar or on the inside of the fuel
filler flap .
Safety first
& WARNING (cont inued )
• Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the correct pres­
sure, the tire pressure monitoring system* can work correctly.
• The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to accidents or
other damage . Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the
specified tire pressure values for the tires and the correct pres­
sures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system*.
• Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres­
sure before driving off .
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more, letting them get
too hot resulting in tread separation, sudden tire failure and loss
of control.
• Excessive speed and/overloading can cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure and loss of control.
• If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well.
• If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a wheel
immediately, drive at reduced speed to the nearest service station
to check the tire pressure and add air as required .
0 Note
Driving witho ut valve stem caps can cause damage to the tire valves.
T o preven t this, always ma ke sure that fa ctor y in sta lled val ve s te m
caps on all wheels a re secure ly mounted on the va lve.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Under infla ted ti res will also increase t he fue l cons umption .•
Tires and vehicle Load Limits
T he re are limits to the amo unt of load or weight that a ny vehicle and
any tire c an car ry. A veh icle t hat is ove rload ed w ill not handle well and ..,_
Vehicle care Technical data

_L_T.:...:..: i r~ e:.: s~ a:::. n:..:..:: d:.....: w..:...:. h::e:.: e::.:: ls::::._ ______________________________________________ _
is more difficult to stop. Overloading can not only lead to loss of
vehicle control, but can also damage important parts of the vehicle
and can lead to sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden
deflation that can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends o n making sure
that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These load limits are techn ically
referred to as the veh icle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR").
Th e "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory
installed accessories, a full tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids
plus maximum load. The maximum load includes the number of
passenge rs that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each passenger at a
designated seating posit ion and the total weight of any luggage in
the vehicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch and the
tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
T he Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load that
can be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax les.
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rat ing
are listed on the safety compliance sticker label located e ithe r on the
dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on the inside of the fuel filler flap. Your Audi
has 5 seating positions, 2 in the front and 3 in t he rear for total
seating capacity of 5. Each seating position has a safety belt
=> page 135, "Safety belts".
The fact that there is an upper limit to your veh icle's Gross Veh icle
Weight Rating means that the total weight of whatever is being
carried in the veh icle (in cluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the
tongue weight of the loaded trailer) is limited . The more passengers
in the vehicle or passengers who are heavier than the standard
we ights assumed mean that less we ight can be carr ied as luggage.
Th e tire pressure label on your A udi also lists the maximum combined
we ight of all of the occupants and luggage or other cargo that the
vehicle can carry. For the location of the labe l=>
page 249, fig. 171.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distance.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly,
including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of control
and a crash.
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating .•
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage
or other things that you plan to transport so
that you can make sure that your vehicle
will not be overloaded. ._