2011 AUDI A3 Owner´s Manual

_________________________________________ I_ n_ t_ e_ ll_,igent technology ,__E~-
cause the system to red uce eng ine power when t his is not desired .
See also =>
page 2 57 , "N ew tir es and rep lacing tires and whee ls". •
Braking
General Information
What af fect s braki ng effici ency ?
Operating condit ions and driv ing habits
Th e br akes on today's autom obil es are s till subjec t to we ar,
depend ing large ly on operating conditions and driving habits=>& .
O n veh icles t hat are ei ther driven mos tly in sto p-an d-go ci ty traff ic or
are driven ha rd, the bra ke pads s hould be checked by your author ized
Aud i dealer mo re o ften t han specif ied in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Failure to have your brake pads ins pected can resu lt
in re duced brake pe rformance.
O n steep slopes, you shou ld use the brak ing effect of th e engine . This
way, yo u prevent unnecessary wea r on the brake system. If yo u must
u se your b ra kes, do n ot ho ld the bra kes down conti nuou sly. P u m p the
brakes at intervals .
N oises may occur when brakin g dependin g on s peed, braki ng fo rce
and outs ide cond itions s uch as temperatu re and hum id ity.
Moisture or road salt
If you are driving fas ter than 50 mp h (8 0 km/h) and th e w indshield
w ipers are on , the b ra ke pads w ill briefly touch t he br ake discs in
reg ula r intervals so as to improve react io n ti me when brak ing on wet
s u rfaces. Yo u, the drive r, will not not ice anything .
Under cert ain con ditions , for ex am ple , w hen driving throug h w ater or
very heavy rain, or even after was hing your veh icle, the bra king effect
c an be redu ced due to moi sture (or in fr eezin g condi tion s ice) on the
brake pads . A few cautious brake app lications sho uld dry off the
bra ke p ads or remove any ice coa ting s.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
T
he effect iveness of the brakes can be reduced when the vehicle is
dr ive n o n a salt-c overe d road and t he brakes are not us ed. Likew ise,
you clea n off acc umulated salt coat ing from brake d iscs and pads
w ith a few cautio us app lications of the brake=>& .
Corrosion
There ma y be a te nd ency fo r dirt to b uild up o n the brak e pa ds and
co rrosion to form on the discs if the car is not dr iven regu la rly o r only
for short trip s wit h litt le u se of the bra kes.
If th e bra kes are not used freq uent ly, or if co rrosion has formed o n
th e discs, it is advisable to clean off the pads an d discs by brak ing
fi rmly a few times fro m a mode ra tely high speed =>& .
Faults in the brake system
If yo u should no tice a sudden increas e in brake pedal t ravel, then one
o f the two brake ci rcu its may have failed =>& .
Low brake fluid level
Malf u nctions can occu r in t he brake sys tem if the brake fluid level is
t oo low . T he bra ke fluid level is mo nitored e lectro nica lly .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by v isua l inspect ion of the condi­
t ion of the bra ke pa ds through the o penings in the wheel. If neces ­
sary , the whee l may be removed for th is inspect ion=>
page 27 2,
"Wheel c hange" .
& WARNING
• You should perform braking maneuvers for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system only if road conditions permit . Other
road users must not be put at risk -you may cause an accident!
• Before descending a steep grade, reduce speed and shift trans­
mission into a lower gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often. This could
cause the brakes to get hot and diminish braking efficiency.
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself 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 ...

Intelligent technologyz..__~~-____________________________ __.
& WA RNING (c on tinued )
speed acco rding to the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
e xtra safety afforded by th e ABS tempt you into taking extra risk s.
The ABS cannot overcome the laws of physics .
[ i J Tips
• If ABS is not funct ioning properly, a warning light will come on .
See ~
page 16 .
• If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also not functioning. This is
ind ic at ed by t he A BS w arni ng light. •
Brake assistant
The broke assistant is designed to achieve the optimum
br oking effect.
Th e b rake ass istant he lps to inc rease t he effective brak ing powe r and
thus to ac hieve a shorter stopping distance.
If the driver presses the
bra ke ped al ve ry qu ickly, the b rake assistant au toma tically bo osts the
brak ing force to the max imum level, up to the point where the anti­
lo ck brak e function (ABS) in tervenes to stop the whee ls from l ocking.
You should then keep the brake pedal pressed unti l the vehicle has
bra ke d to t he require d spee d. T he bra ke ass istan t swi tches itse lf off
as soon as you re lease the b rake pedal.
Th e brake assistant will not be operative if there is a ma lfu nctio n in
t he A BS .
& WARNING
Please remember that the accident risk always increases if you
drive too fast , especially in corners or on a slippery road , or if you
follow th e vehicle ahead of you too closely. An increased accident
risk cannot be compensated even by the brake assistant, so always
maintain a safe speed .•
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Electro-mechanical power assist
---
T
he elec tro-m echa nic al po wer as sist hel ps the dri ver
w he n steering .
The degree of power assist is electronically matched to vehicle speed.
Th e powe r steering system ass ists the dr iver so t hat he ca n stee r the
vehicle with reduced physical effort.
Power steering will not wor k if the engine is off. As a result, the
stee rin g wheel will b e ha rd to tu rn .
& WARNING
If the system deve lops a problem, you must seek qualified profes­
sional as sistance.
0 Note
If the re is an elect ronic mal func tion, servotronic will s till f unction
li ke a conven tional power steering system, p rovid ing a constant
steering support fo rce that is no longer proportionate to the ve hicle
spee d. This is most noticeab le whe n tur ning the s teer ing whe el at low
speeds ( for example when park ing), -more effort will be required
t h a n usual.
• Be aware o f the d ifferent than usual steering response and adjust
your st eering force a ccordi ng ly.
• Have the prob lem checked and set r ight by an autho rize d Aud i
dealer as soo n as possib le.
• If a steering ma lf u nction occ urs, t his is signaled w ith the or. ~
indicator l igh ts a nd a wa rning tone, see .
[I] Tips
• If the powe r stee ring system shou ld fa il, or if the engine is not
run ning (for example, while being towed), you w ill still be ab le to
stee r the veh icle. However, more effort wi ll be required to do so . .,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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

Intelligent technology
'-----------------------------------------------
Yo u will also notice that eng ine idle speed has been increased
sli gh tly . Thi s is normal and not a ca use for con cern. By increa sing
eng ine id le speed t he add it io nal energy required is generated a nd the
battery is charged. •
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If bat tery powe r drops in to the r an ge where i t can li mit the ability of
the engine to start, this is shown in t he instr ument cluster display
w ith the follow ing dr iver me ssage:
-Low battery charge : battery will be charged while driving
T his notification rem inds yo u that the startin g capab ility of t he
eng ine m ay be limi te d . As soo n as you st art driv in g ag ain, the batte ry
w ill be recharged and t he notification will go out .
Driver notification appears and goes out again
If this dr iver notification appears after the ignition is turned on or
w hile driving a nd it goes ou t ag ain afte r a whil e, the b attery has been
adeq uate ly recharged.
Driver notification appears and does not go out
again
If t his dr ive r not ifica tion appears after the ign ition is turned o n or
w hile driving and does not go out again, the battery 's state o f charge
is not in the o ptim al ra nge . Sta rt in g abili ty is rest ric ted . H ave the
battery checked as soon as poss ible by an authorized A udi dealer or
qu alifie d workshop. •

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. ..,