2011 AUDI A3 service interval

Table of contents
Table of contents
Vehicle literature ..... .
About this Owner's Manual ............. ...... .
Controls and
equipment .............. .
Instruments and controls ... .
General illustration ........... .
Instruments and
warning/indicator Lights ..... .
Instruments ................ .
Warning/indicator ligh ts ...... .
Driver information display ... .
Introduction ............ ... . .
On-Board Diagno stic system
(OBD) ....................... .
T rip com puter .............. . .
Menu display ................ .
Eff iciency program ........ ... .
Service interval display ....... .
Speed warn ing system ........ .
Warning s and symbol s ... .... .
Opening and closing ......... .
Keys ........................ .
Power locking system ........ .
Doo rs, power locks ......... .. .
Power windows .............. .
Panoram ic sliding sunroof ..... .
Emergency mechanical closing for
th e panoramic sliding su nroof .. 4
s
6
7
7
8
8
11
18
18
20
21
22
2S
27
28
30
38
38
40
4 3
49
Sl
S3
Clear vision .................. .
Lights ...................... .
Interior lights ............... .
V is ion ...................... .
M irrors ... ............ ...... .
Wiper and washer sys tem .... .
D igita l compass ............. .
Seats and storage ........... .
General recommendat ions .... .
Adjust ing front seats manually .
Adjusting the power seat ..... .
Adjus ting the lumbar support ..
Head restrain ts .............. .
C ent er armrest ........... ... .
Rear seats ............. ..... .
Lug gage compartment ....... .
Roof rack• inst alla tion ....... . .
Cup holde rs ........... ...... .
Socket .................. ... .
Storage ............. ....... .
Warm and cold .............. .
Climate contro ls ...... ... .. .. .
E lectrica lly heated front seats ..
Engine preheater ............ .
On the road ............ ..... .
Steering .................... .
Ign ition lock and ign ition switch
Start in g and stopping the engine
Parking brake ............... .
Starting on hills .......... ... .
C ru ise con trol ............... .
Audi magnetic r ide ........... .
Transmission ................ .
Manual transm ission
S6
S6
60
63
63
65
71
73
73
74
75
77
77
79
80
81
86
89
90
91
95
95
103
1 03
lOS
105
106
10 7
108
110
110
112
114
114
S tronic transmission . . . . . . . . . . 115
Safety first ............... 124
Driving Safely ................. 124
Gen eral notes ................. 124
Prop er occupant seating
posit ions ...... ............ ...
126
Pedal area ............ ........ 130
Stowingluggage .............. 131
Reporting Safety Defects ..... .. 133
Safety belts .................. . 135
General notes .............. ... 135
Why safety belts? ............. 136
Safety belts ... ............... . 139
Safety belt pretensioners . . . . . . . 143
Airbag system .......... ...... 145
I mportant things to know . . . . . . 145
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Mon itoring the Advanced A irbag
System ......................
156
Side airbags .............. .... 161
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Child Safety ................... 167
Important things to know ...... 167
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Installing a chi ld safety seat . . . . 177
LA TCH Lower anchorages and
t ethers for child ren . . . . . . . . . . . .
180
Add itiona l Information . . . . . . . . . 186

Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when your next
service is due.
Fi g. 20 Sec tio n of
in strum ent clu ste r:
Se rvice inte rv a l displ ay
The schedu le for the next oil change or inspection is calcu lated auto­
matically and displayed accor dingly. The display works in two s tages:
Service rem inder
30 days befo re the nex t serv ice is d ue, a serv ice reminde r appears in
the display when you turn on the ignit ion .
After abo ut 5 seconds the d isp lay switches back to normal. The
distance and time rema ining are updated each t ime t he ig nitio n is
t u rne d on unti l the date due for service is reac hed.
Service due
When the due da te for service is rea ched, t he mess age Service due!
appea rs in the instrument cl uste r immed iate ly after you t urn on t he
ignition . Additionally, a warning tone sounds. Afte r abo ut 5 seconds
t he display sw itches back to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or when an o il change or inspec tion is due, can be s hown in the
ins trumen t cluste r by se lec ting the se rvice inte rval display . Select
Check > Service > Oil change or Service by using the [ RESET] button
and the rocke r switch =>
page 22, fig. 12 .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
Resetting the service interval display
You
r authori ze d Au di dea ler will reset the correspon ding se rvice
schedule after performing the a pprop ria te serv ice on you r vehicle.
Yo u also have t he possibility to reset t he oil c hange sche dule afte r
having performed an o il change according to Aud i specif ications .
• Switch the ign ition on .
• Pull the knob @=>
page 8, fig. 2 . T he m essag e. Service
due! appears.
• P ull the knob unti l the d is p lay
Oil change in----- mi (km) --- days
appea rs in the display. If the reset b utton is not pulled within 5
seco nds, the display reset mode closes.
0 Note
If you d isconn ect the batte ry termina ls, no ca lcula tions can b e mad e
for the service interva l display during this time and no serv ice
reminde r will appear. Remember that observing t he pr oper serv ice
interva ls is vitally important to extending the life of your veh icle,
p a rti cul arly the e ngine, and main taini ng it s v alue. Eve n if the mileage
dr ive n is low, the maximum per iod of one year from one serv ice to the
next must not be exceeded .
[ i ] Tips
• If a ma lf u nction is present ( red sym bo l), the d istance remaining
canno t be called up .
• D o not rese t the disp lay be tween servi ce int ervals . Doing so w ill
resu lt in a n incor rect d isp lay.
• If the b attery is di sconne cte d, the Se rvice Interval Di spl ay val ue s
are reta ined .
• On vehicles wit h the Dr ive r Info rm ation Syste m, you can a lso ca ll
up t he service interval disp lay =>
page 22.
• If se rv ic e was not perfo rmed at th e correc t time or the s erv ice
interval display was not reset after service was pe rformed, the addi- .,,_
Vehicle care Technical data

If the generator warning/indicator light shou ld also illuminate
=> page 15, t hen t he fan belt m ay be damaged .
& WARNING
• If your vehicle should break down for mechanical or other
reasons , pa rk at a safe distance from mo ving traffic, turn off the
engine and turn on the hazard warning lights=>
page 59, "Emer­
gency flasher
A. ".
• Never open the hood if you see or hear steam or coolant
escaping from the engine compartment -you risk being scalded.
Wait until you can no longer see or hear steam or coolant
escaping .
• The engin e compartment of any vehicle i s a dangerou s ar ea .
Before you p erform any work in the engine compartment , turn off
the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning sti ckers
=> page 218 , "Engine compartment ".
0 Note
Do not continue driving if the -¥- symbol illuminates . There is a
ma lf u nction in the engine coo ling sys tem -yo u could damage your
eng ine. •
Engine oil pressure malfunction ~
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol requires
immediate se rv ice o r repair.
If the 9=r. symbo l app ears in the d is pl ay a nd flash es, th e oil
p ressure is to o lo w . In add ition to the sym bol, the f ollow ing
messag e al so a pp ea rs in the dis play :
Switch off engine and check oil level
- P ull off the road a nd stop t he ve hicle.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
-
Shut the eng ine down .
- Check t he eng ine oi l level=>
page 231 .
-Contact your authorized Aud i dea le r for assis tance i f
necessary .
Engine o il level too low
If the eng ine oi l leve l is too low , top off oil to t he p roper level
=>page 232.
Engine oil level OK
If the 't'!::;r. symbol starts flashing again even thoug h the engine oil
level checks O K on t he d ipstick,
do not start driving again and do not
let the engine run at idle .
Instead, contact you r authorized Audi
dealer fo r assis tance.
[ i ] Tips
• The engine oil pressure symbol 'I=:?: is not an indic ato r for a low
engine oil level. Do not rely on it . Instead , check the oil level in your
engine at regular intervals , preferably each t ime you refuel, and
always before going on a long tr ip .
• The yellow oil level warning indication requires oil refill or
workshop service without de lay . Do not wait until the red oil pre s­
s ure warning symbol~ starts to flash before you respond to the
low oil level warning _, . By then, your engine may already have
s uffered serious damage. •
Applies to vehicles: with manual trans miss ion
-;y Clutch pedal
T he indica tor lig ht illuminates if you do no t press t he cl utch pedal
when starting the engine . For safety reasons, the engine will only
sta rt when the clut ch pedal is pressed. •
Vehicle care Technical data

Outside mirrors
The outside mirrors are electrically adjusted (power
mirrors)
Adjusting the outside mirrors
F ig . 61 Fo rward
s ecti on of dr iv er 's
a rmr est: powe r mirror
con trol s
Turn the adjusting k nob to~ fig. 61 (D (driver's side
outside mirror) to ® (front passenger's outside mirror) .
- Press the knob in the appropriate direction to move the
mirror surface so that you have a good view to the rear .
Heated mirrors*
- Turn the rotary knob to@).
Depend ing o n ou tside te mperature and veh icle speed, the mirror
surfaces are heated until the ign it ion is switched off -even if the
rotary knob is no longer in position @.
0 Note
• Curved mirror s urfaces (convex or spherical*) in crease your field of
view. Remember that vehicles or other objects will appear smaller and farther away than when seen in a flat mirror.
If you use this
mirror to est imate d istances of following vehicles when changing
lanes, you co uld estimate incorrect ly and ca use an accident.
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Clear vision
(I) Tips
If there should be a malfunction in the elect rical system, you can still
adjust the outside mirrors by pressing the edge of the m irror . •
Wiper and washer system
Windshield wiper~
The windshield wipe r lever controls both the windshield
wipers and the washer system.
F ig. 62 Wiper lev er:
win dsh ie ld wi per l ev er
p osit ion s
The windshield wiper Lever => fig . 62 has the follow ing posi­
t ions:
Intermittent wiping ~ i (activat ing rain
sensor)*
- Move the Lever up to position (D .
- Move the interval set switch@, to change the intervals.
Low wiper speed
- M ove the lever up to p osi tio n @ .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

_________________________________________ 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

Driving and environment
------------------------------------------------'
you start the engine and avoid running at high RPMs while the engine
is still warming up.
0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after starting. If warning
lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, which could result in
overheat ing or other damage to the vehicle or other property.•
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
- Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an authorized Audi dealer
helps to ensure that it runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not on ly affects its safety and ability to hold its value,
it also affects
fuel consumption .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new engine to reach its
lowest value after a certain mi leage has been driven.
You must drive you r vehicle about 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers)
before you can properly assess oil consumption.
Thi s also applies to fuel consumption and engine output.
0 Note
• Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with the
service recommendations in your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Lack of proper maintenance as well as improper use of the vehicle will
impa ir the function of the emission control system and could lead to
damage.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
Do not alter or remove any component of the Emission Control
System unless approved by the manufacturer.
• Do not a lter or remove any device, such as heat shie lds, switches,
ignition w ires, va lves, which are designed to protect your vehicle 's
Emission Control System and other important vehicle components.
Fewer short tr ips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high on short
trips.
- Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold engine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach their optimal oper­
ating temperature
to reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis ­
sions effectively .
• Just after starting, a cold eng ine in a mid-size car burns the fuel at
a poor rate of 6-8 miles per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). Half a mile down
the road, the mileage improves to 12 MPG (20 l/100 km). It will take
the engine no less than
two and a half miles (4 km) of driving to
warm up to its proper operat ing temperature and operate at an
economic mileage . This explains why taking the car for sho rt trips is a
rather wasteful convenience .
• Th e
outside temperature is also critical in this regard . Your car
consumes more fuel in the winter than in the summer.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___________________________________________ C_ h_e _c _k_ i_n ~g_ a_n_ d_ f_ i_ll _i_n _g __ _
prevent the formation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"sludge," that
over time can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of printing, engine o ils available in the U .S. and Canada
that meet the exacting specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
(vehicles with gasoline eng ine) and VW 507 00 (vehicles w ith diesel
engine) are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, however, that
every synthetic engine oil will meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00
(gasoline engines) and VW 507 00 (diesel engines). So always be sure
that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful deposits use only oil with
the following specifications printed on the oil container:
• Gasoline engines: Audi oil standard VW 502 00
• Diesel engines: Audi oil standard VW 507 00
Oil containe r labels may carry the specification singly or in comb ina­
tion with other des ignations and oi l quality standards.
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their viscosity. The proper
viscosity grade oil for your engine depends on climactic or seasonal
conditions where you drive. You can use oil with a v iscosity grade of
SAE SW-40 across all temperature ranges for norma l dr iv in g cond i­
tions.
However, if eng ine o il viscosity grade SAE SW-40 is not available, you
can also use viscosity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as it
meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00 (vehicles w ith gasoline
engine) or VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine) specifications.
Because engine o il that meets the Audi oil standard may not be avail­
able everywhere when you need it, we strongly recommend that you
always ca rry with you an extra quart (liter) of oil that express ly
conforms to the VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline eng ine) or VW
507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine) specification, in case you have to
top off the oil while on the road .
Applies to vehicles with gasoline engine only: Only if the leve l of the
oil is at or below the minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
Safety first
that expressly conforms to Aud i oil standard VW 502 00 specifica­
tions is available -may you top off with a high quali ty engine oil, pref­
erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3, ACEA AS, ACEA BS or
API SL specifications, but even then, only in viscosity grades SAE SW-
40, SAE SW-30, or SAE OW-40. However, during the ent ire time
between oil change interva ls, never top off with more than a total of
0.5 qt/liter engine oil that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00.
Applies to vehicles with diesel engine only : Only if the level of the
oil is at or below the minimum mark on the oil dipstick -and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard VW 507 00 specifica­
tions is ava ilable -may you top off with a high qua lity engine oil, that
meets ACEA C3 or API CF specifications, but even then, on ly in
viscos ity grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE OW-40 . However,
during the entire time between oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a tota l of 0.5 qt/liter engine oil that does not
conform to Audi o il specification VW 507 00.
For more information about engine oil that has been approved fo r
your vehicle, please contact either your author ized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www .aud icanada.ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufact urers, brand names etc.) that conform to
Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline eng ine) or VW
507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed accord ing to the mileage
(kilometers) and time interva ls specified in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed these intervals -harmful
deposits from o ld engine oil can reduce engine performance and can
lead to expens ive engine repairs.
Chang ing the oil at the recommended intervals is so very important
because the lubricating p roperties of oil decrease g radua lly during
normal veh icle use. If you are not sure when you have your o il
changed, ask your authorized A udi Service Adv isor. ..,.
Vehicle care Technical data

___ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
Under some circumstances the engine oil should even be changed
more frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly short
distances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or mostly under stop ­
and-go traff ic conditions, or when you use your vehicle where temper­
atures stay below freezing point for long periods .
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil look dark after the
engine has been run ning for a short time . This is normal and is not a
reason to change the oil more often than recommended .
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of maintenance
It is essentia l that you change your oi l at the recommended intervals
using only engine oil that complies with Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
(vehicles with gasoline engine) or VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel
engine). Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover damage
or malfunctions due to failure to follow recommended maintenance
and use requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's Manua l and
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. Your dealer will have to deny
warranty coverage unless you present to the dealer proof in the form
of Service or Repair Orders that all scheduled maintenance was
performed in a timely manner .•
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an adequate
amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and cooling of internal
engine components, all internal combustion engines consume a
certain amount of o il. Oil consumpt ion varies from engine to engine
and may change significant ly over the life of the eng ine. Typically,
engines with a specified break- in period (see~
page 197) consume
more oi l during the break-in period than they cons ume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil consumpt ion depends on the
quality and vis cosity of the oil, the RPM (revol utions pe r minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient temperature and road
conditions. Further factors are the amount of oi l dilution from water condensation or fuel residue and the ox
idation level of the o il. As any
eng ine is subject to wear as mileage builds up, the oil consumption
may increase over time until replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variab les coming into play, no standard rate of oil
consumption can be established or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil level , see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol in the instrument
cl uster .... lights up, you should check the oil level as soon as possible
with the oil dipstick~ page 231. Top off the o il at your earliest
convenience ~
page 232.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS~
& in "Work ing in the engine
compartment" on
page 226.
0 Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to cause severe damage
to the engine .
[ i ] Tips
• The oil pressure warning display 't::r. is not an indicator of the oil
level. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in your engine at
regular intervals, preferably each time you refuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip.
• If you have the impression your eng ine consumes excessive
amounts of oi l, we recommend that you consu lt your authorized Audi
dea ler to have the cause of your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in
mind that the accurate measurement of oil consumption requires
great care and may take some time . Your authorized Audi dea le r has
instructions about how to measure oil consumption accurately. •