2011 AUDI A3 brakes

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
in. WARNING
• USA models: : If both, the BRAKE warning light and the
warning light come on at the same time, the rear wheels c ould
lo ck up fir st under hard braking . Lo ck-up of the rear wheel brakes
c a n cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle
repaired immedi ate ly by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake appli cation .
• Canada models : If both, the brake warning light ((j)) and the
ABS warning light
~ come on at the same time , the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard braking . Lock-up of the rear whee l
brakes can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your
vehicle repaired immediat ely by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified work shop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
application
• If the brake warn ing/indicator light does not go out after a few
se cond s and the parking brake rel eased, or light s up while you are
driving , the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it i s safe to do so, proceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop and
have the brake system in spe cted.
• Please be very careful and always keep
in mind that after
s everal brake application s, you will need greater pressure on the
brake pedal to stop your vehicle. Consequently, you must allow
for increased braking distances. Trying to brake a s quickly a s usual
could lead to an accident. •
Anti-lock brake system B-(USA)/
(Canada)
T his war ning/indicator light monitors th e ABS and the
electronic differential lock (E DL).
The ,... ~ light will come on for a few seconds when the ignition is
switched o n. Th e light w ill go out af ter an automat ic check sequ ence
is comp lete d.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
• Th e warning/indicator light does not ill uminate when you swit ch
on t he ignit ion.
• Th e warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds.
• The warn ing/ indicator lig ht ill uminates while driv ing.
The brake system will still re spond even without the a ssistance of
the ABS system. See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more information
regard ing the ABS=>
page 192.
The ABS warning light and the brake warning light come on
together. The ABS will not work and you will notice a change in
braking response and performance.
Malfunction in the brake system
USA models: If both, the BRAKE warning light and t he ABS warning
light come on =>
page 15 w hen the par king b rake is re lease d, there
may be a malfunction in the ABS, and there may a lso be a ma lfunction
in the b rake system itself=>&.
Canada models: If both , the brake warning light CCI» and the ABS
wa rni ng light come on=>
page 15 when the parking brake is
re leas ed, there may be a ma lf u nctio n in t he A BS, and there may also
be a malfunction in t he brake system itself=>& .
Malfunction in the electronic differential lock (EDL)
The two systems EDL and ABS work togethe r. T he I ,:- warning light
w ill come on if there is a malfunction in the EDL system=>
page 189.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as possib le .
in. WARNING
• If the 11\fl warning light doe s not go out , or if it come s on while
driving , the ABS system is not working properly . The vehicle can
then be stopped only with the brake s operating without ABS
support. You will not have the protection ABS provides. Contact
your Audi dealer as soon as possible. _,,

& WARNING (continued)
• USA model s: If both , the BRAKE warning light and the C
warning light come on at the sam e time, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard brak ing. Lo ck-up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause los s of vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake appli cation .
• Canada models : If both, the brake warning light and the
ABS warning light
J come on at the same time, the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard b raking. Loc k-up of the rear wheel
brake s can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident . Have your
veh icle repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
application •
Electro-mechanical power assist /@
If the ind icator light illuminates while you are d riving, there is a
m alfu nction in the ele ctro-mech anical steering . If the ind ic a tor ligh t
is showing , there may be a reduction in power steer ing ass ist . If
t he indi cato r light is sh owing @, there may be a tot al loss o f power
steeri ng assist . The stee ring must be inspected immediately by a
qualif ie d workshop =>
&-With the engi ne not running (e.g. when the
car is be ing towed), t he re is also no power ass ist available.
& WARNING
If there is a malfunction , the indicator light for the electro­
mechanical power a ssist illuminate s. Seek professional
assistance. •
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
Vehicle care Technical data

Driver information display
Brake system malfunction
BRAKE (USA models)/ {©) (Canada models)
The indicator light flashes if the brake fluid level is too
low , if there is a malfunction in the ABS system or when
the parking brake is engaged.
If the BRAKE /((D) symbol flas hes in the display wit h the
parking brake released, there is a malfunction in the brake
system. In addition to the symbol, o ne of two messages
appears in the display:
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid
ABS fault ! See owner's manual
- Pull off the road and sto p the ve hicle.
- Obtain professio nal assistance .
USA models: if there is a ma lfunct io n in the ABS system, the/.
w ar ning/ind ica tor ligh t illum inates along wi th the BRAKE system
ma lf u nction warning/indicator light~&.
Canada models: if there is a malfu nction in the ABS system, the
wa rning/ind icator ligh t illuminates togethe r with the ((i)) bra ke
system malfunction warn ing/indicator light~& .
Parking brake set
T he parking bra ke warning light Brake/((i)) (Canada mo dels) ill umi­
nates when the pa rking brake is set. In addit ion, a warning tone will
so und after yo u have driven for longer than 3 secon ds and faster than
3 mph (5 km/h).
& WARNING
• Always observe the warning s in ~ page 218 , "Engine compart­
ment" , before opening the engine hood and checking the brake
fluid.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Driving with low brake fluid i s a safety hazard! Stop the car and
get profe ssional assistance .
• If the brake sy stem warning/indicato r light illuminates
together with the ABS warning /indicator light, then th e ABS
system is malfunctioning. The rea r wheels could quickly lock up
when you apply the brakes . Th is could lead to lo ss of control and
your vehicle could slide! Dri ve carefully to the nea rest authorized
Audi dealer and hav e the malfunction corrected. •
Engine cooling system malfunction _L
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be
rep aired as s oon as possible .
When t he -L symbol in th e d isplay flashes , then either the
engine coolant
temperature is too h igh , or the coolant level
is too low. In add it ion to the symbol , the fo llow ing message
also appears i n the d isplay:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
- Pull off th e road and stop the v ehicle.
- Tur n off the engine .
- Chec k coo lant level~
page 235 .
-Add co olan t if ne cessary ~ page 236.
-Con tinue drivi ng o nly a fter the e ngin e coolant
wa rnin g/ind icato r lig ht go es out .
- Con tact you r au tho rized Audi dealer fo r assis tance if
necessary .
If the eng ine coolant leve l is correct, then the radiator fa n may be the
c ause of the m alfun ction.
~

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

- Plug in appliance to be used.
The outlet may be used for 12-volt app liances w ith maxim um
cons umption of up to 100 watts, such as a flash light, small vacuum
cl eaner, e tc.
Before you purchase any accessor ies, always read and fo llow the
info rm ation in::::,
page 301, "Add it io na l acc essories and p arts
re placemen t".
& WARNING
The outlet plus any appliances plugged into it remain functional
even if the ignition is switched off or the ignition key is removed. Never leave children inside the vehicle without supervision .
0 Note
To avoid damaging the socket, only use plugs that fit properly.
(I) Tips
When the engine is off and accessor ies are st ill plugged in and are on,
the ve hicle battery can sti ll be drained .•
Storage
General overview
There are numerous pl aces to st ore items in your vehi cle .
Storage in t he center armrest
Storage in the rear armrest
::::, page 79
Glove com partment (Ai r ven tila tion in t he ::::, page 92
glove compartment*, CD changer*)
Controls and equip ·
ment Safety first
Seats and storage
Center console ::::,
page 92
Compartments in the door tr ims ::::, page 93
Storage in the footwell ::::, page 93
Compartments in luggage compartment ::::, page 94
Coat hooks
Some of the storage locations are only fo und o n specific vehicle
mode ls o r are op tio nal equ ipme nt.
& WARNING
• Always remove objects from the instrument panel. Any items
not put away could slide around inside the vehicle while dri ving or
when accelerating or when applying the brakes or when dri ving
around a corner.
• When you are driv ing make sure that anything you may have
placed in the center console or other stor age locations cannot fall
out into the footwells. In c ase of sudden braking you would not be
able to b rake, depres s the clutch or accelerate .
• Any pieces of clothing that you have hung up must not inter­
fere with the driver's view. The co at hooks are designed onl y for
lightweight clothing . Never hang any clothing with hard, pointed
or hea vy objects in the pockets on the coat hooks. During sudden
braking or in an accident· especially if the airbag is deployed ·
the se objects could injure any passengers inside the vehicle. •
Vehicle care Technical data

_________________________________________________ O_ n_t_ h _ e_ ro_ a_d __ _
Releasing the parking brake
- Pull th e parking brak e leve r u p sligh tly and pr ess the
r ele ase b utt on at t he sam e tim e:::::;,
page 108, fig. 10 9
-a rrow-.
- Keep the release button pressed and lower the par kin g
brake:::::;, &,.
If you should drive off w ith the park ing brake still set, a warning tone
wi ll sou nd and t he following will appear in t he ins trumen t cluster to
remind you to release the parking brake:
Parking brake set
Th e p arking br ake wa rning comes on on ly af ter you have d riven for
longer than 3 seconds and faster than 5 mph (5 km/h).
T he pa rk in g bra ke wa rning ligh t Brake (U SA)/
(CD) (C DN) i lluminates
w hen the park ing b rake is set and you sw itch on the ign ition.
& WARNING
Always release the parking brake completely. A partially engaged
brake will overheat the rear brakes , reduce their effectiveness and
cause excessive wear. This could lead to brake failu re and an acci­
dent.
0 Note
O nly a fter the vehicle has co me to comp lete stop, sho uld you firmly
se t the par king brake and either move the gearshift lever into 1st .
gear (manual t ransm iss ion) or
move the se lector leve r into "P" (Auto­
matic transm ission). •
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Parking
To p
reven t a parked ve hic le fr om rolli ng away, th ere a re
a fe w thing s yo u s hould do.
Wh en you par k yo ur vehic le, do t he foll owing:
- Stop the veh ic le usi ng the brake pedal.
- Set t he parking bra ke firmly .
- Mov e th e s ele ctor lev er i nto the
P p osi tio n (automatic
transmission)
or mo ve the g ears hift leve r i nto 1st . gear
(manual transmission) :::::;, &,.
- Swit ch o ff t he eng ine and rem ove the igniti on key fr om
t he ign ition l ock .
What else you should do when parking your vehicle
on an incline or decline
T u rn t he st eer ing whee l so tha t if the vehicle s hould start to roll, it
will roll into t he curb.
If you are par king on a
decline (the front of your ve hicl e facing down ­
hill), turn the fron t w heels to t he rig ht so t hat they point
toward the
curb.
If you are pa rking o n an incline (t he fon t of yo ur vehi cle facing uphill),
turn the front wheels to the left so that they point
away from the
curb.
Move the se lector lev er into the P p os it ion (automatic transmission)
or move the gearsh ift lever i nto 1st . gear (manual transmis sion ).
& WARNING
This is how you can reduce the risk of injury when leaving your
vehicle.
• Never park the vehicle where it can come in contact with dry
grass, spilled fuel or any other flammable materials.
Vehicle care Technical data

________________________________________________ ..::O :::.:.,: n:...t~ h :...!.::: e:...!.. ro~ a:_::d!..,_ __
- Drive at the sp eed yo u wish to set.
- Press button © to set that speed .
The disp lay=> page 110, fig . 111 w ill show the set speed. T he d is p lay
may vary depending on the type of display in your veh icle. The ind i­
cator light
CRUISE (US mode l) I 0" (Canadian model) w ill also light up
in the instr ument cluster .
& WARNING
• Alway s pay attention to traffi c even wh en the cruise control i s
switch ed on. You are always responsible for your speed and the
distance between your vehicle and other vehicle s.
• For safety reasons , the cruise control should not be used in the
city, in stop-and-go traffi c, on twi sting road s and when road
conditions are poor (such as ice , fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
planing ) · risk of accident .
• Turn off the cruise control temporarily when entering turn
lanes, highway exit lane s or in con struction zone s.
• Please note that inadvertently "resting" your foot on the accel ·
erator pedal cau ses the crui se control not to brake . This i s becau se
the cruise control is ove rridden by the driver 's accele rat ion .
[ i ] Tips
• Vehicles with manual transmission : You can atta in the set speed
only if the curren tly engaged gear allows i t and the eng ine is no t
stressed . Shift ing to a higher or lowe r gear promptly w ill allow the
eng ine to run smooth ly .
• The cru ise contro l cannot ma inta in a constant speed when driving
downhil l. The vehi cle will accelerate under its own weigh t. Downshift
to a lower gear or use the brakes to slow down .•
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Changing speed
- Press lev
er i n t he 0 or O directio n=:::;, page 110, fig. 110
to inc rease or d ecr eas e yo ur sp eed.
- Release the lever to save t hat speed .
Change speed in increments o f 1 mph (1 km/h) by lightly pressing the
lever. If you keep the leve r presse d down, yo u will alte r your s peed in
S mph (10 km/h) increments .
You can also press t he accelerator pedal down to increase your s peed,
e .g . if you want to p ass someone. The speed you save d earlier wi ll
resume as soon as yo u re lease the accelerator pedal.
If, however, you exceed yo ur saved speed by 5 mph (1 0 km/h) fo r
longer than S m inutes, the cruise contro l will turn off temporarily .
Th e symbo l will go out b ut the save d speed will be retaine d.•
Presetting your speed
You can preset your d esir ed sp eed whil e the vehicle is not
moving.
- Turn on the ignition.
- Pull leve r into positio n
CD~ page 110, fig . 110.
- Press the lever in the
0 or O di rec tion to increase or
d ecr eas e y our sp eed.
- Release the lever to save t hat spe ed .
Thi s fu nction makes it possible, for example, to save the speed yo u
w ant befo re drivi ng on the highway . Once on t he highw ay, act ivate
the cruise contro l by pu lling the leve r toward
(D . •
Vehicle care Technical data

lffll.___T_ r_a _n_ s_m _ i_s _s _ i_o _n ___________________________________________________ _
Stopping on an incline
- Always
hold t he vehicle with the footbrake or parking
b rake in order to preve nt "ro llback "=> & . Do not try to
p reve nt t he v ehicle from ro lli ng back by re vving th e e ngine
whi le it is in gea r.
Starting on a hill
- Apply the hand bra ke fi rmly.
- With t he eng ine in gear , gra dually acce lerate a nd release
the hand bra ke.
T he eng ine c an only be started with the selector leve r in P or N
=>
page 107 . At low amb ient temperatures (14 °F /-10 °(), it i s only
possible to start the engine with the selector lever in P.
W hen pa rking on leve l grou nd , it is suff ic ient to p lace the se lector
lever in P. On a steeply sloping road, you shou ld f irst app ly the
par king brake firmly and then p lace t he selecto r leve r in P. T his way,
you do not overload the paw l mechanism and it is easier to move the
selector lever out of P.
& WARNING
• Never leave your vehicle with the engine running while in ge ar.
If you must lea ve your vehicle with the engine running, set the
parking brake and engage the park lo ck .
• When the eng ine i s running and the transmi ssio n is in gear (D ,
Sor R ) or in "tiptronic " mode, it is ess ential that you stop the
v ehicle with the footbrake. When idling , the transmiss ion of
power doe s not stop completely -the vehicle "creeps".
• Do not a ccelerate when you change the selector leve r position
with th e vehicle stationary and the engine runn ing -risk of an acci­
dent!
• Never place the selector lever in the R or N position wh ile the
v ehicle is moving -risk of a n accident!
& WARNING (continued )
• If you have to bring your vehicle to a stop while on an incline ,
keep the foot brake depressed all the way down so that the vehicle
does not start to roll backward. You should never hold the veh icle
using the clutch if you are going to b e stopped on an incline. If you
do , the clutch will start to slip when it o verheats c aused by the
c onstant overload . Thi s is danger ous be cau se if the vehicl e start s
to roll backward , you could cause an accident. If the clutch should
s tart to slip, you will fee l the vehicle "jerk " and the selector lever
d isplay w ill start blinking.
• Befor e driving down a st eep slope, reduc e your speed and shift
i nto a lower gear w ith "tipt ronic ".
• Do not ride the brakes or apply the brake pedal too often or too
long . Constant b raking causes the brakes to overheat and
s ub stantially reduces braking performan ce, in creases braking
d istance or causes complete failure of the b rake system . •
A pplie s to v eh icl es: wit h S tro nic transm iss ion and Hi ll De scen t A ss ist
Hill Descent Assist
Hill Descent Assist helps the driver when driving down
inclines.
H ill Descent Assist is activated by pressing the brake while
descending when the se lector lever is in
D /S . The S tronic transmis­
sion a utomat ically s hifts down to a gear s uitable fo r the in cl ine. H ill
Descent Assist attempts to mainta in the cu rrent vehicle speed when
t he br aking oc curs, as far as physical and technical l imi ts allow.
It
may be necessary to adjust the speed using the brakes .
Hi ll Descent Assist switches off w hen the incline levels out or when
the gas pedal is pressed.
On vehicles with cruise control*=>
page 110, Hill Descent Assist is
also activa ted when the speed is set.
~