2011 AUDI A3 steering

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

Instruments and controls
General illustration
CD
@
®
©
Power window switches
Door handle
Power lo cking sw itch ... .. .. ......... .... .. .. .. . .
Switches for:
- Adjuster for outside m irro rs ... .. .. .. .. .. ... . .. .
- Switching on heated exterior m ir rors
© Light switch ........... .. .... .. .... .. ...... ... .
© Air outle ts ... .. ... .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. ...... . .
0 T ur n s ignal and high be am .. ................... . .
@ Rad io cont rol buttons
® Steering wheel with:
- Integra ted control bu ttons
(multi-fun ction s teering
wheel only) for Audi Sound System
- Horn
- Drive r's airbag ............. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .
@ Instrument cluster .................. .... ... ... .
@ Rad io and telephone control bu ttons
@ Switches for
- Windshield wiper/washer ... ...... .. ..... .... . .
- Trip computer ....... ...... .. .... .. ...... ... .
@ Depending on options : Radio or Navigat ion system
(n avigat ion, r adio, CD changer)
@ Sw itches fo r Electro nic Stabilization P rogram ( ESP)
@ Emergency flasher .. . .......................... .
@ Storage tray or switch for ............ ...... .. .. . . 4
9
44
6 5
56
101 59
1 4 9
8
65
21
188 92
92
- Audi magnetic ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
@ Glove compa rtment (lockab le) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
@ Fron t passenge r's airb ag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and controls
@ loudspeaker (treble)
@ Climate controls .
.. ... ... .. ..... ........... ... .
@ Rear window defogger sw itch .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..... .
@ Sw itch for seat heat ing ... .. ................. .. .
@ Gear shift lever or se lector lever
- Manu al tra nsm iss io n ..... ................. .. .
- Automatic transm ission ................. .... . .
@ Cup holder ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... ... .... ... .
@) Electrica l socket . ....... .. . .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .
@ El ectri cal socket ................. .... .. .. ..... .
@ AUX- in connection
@ Parking brake lever .................. .... ...... .
@ Ignit ion lock ...... .. .... .. ................... .
@ Adjustable steering co lumn . ....... ... ... . .... .. .
@ Cruise control .... .. .. ... . ..... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .
@ In strume nt lighting .......... ... .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .
@ Data Link Connecto r for On Boa rd Diagnostic (OBD II)
@ Release lever for the engine hood ......... . ... ... .
@ Switches for :
- Fuel flap release .... ... . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .
- Rear hatch re lease
(I] Tips
9 7
102
103
1 14
115 89
90
90
108
106
105
1 10
5 8
20
2 25
222 4 5
A separate Owner's Manua l is in vehicles that have a factory-installed
radio, CD c hanger, navigatio n system, AUX -in connection or multi­
fu nction stee ring w heel. •
Vehicle care Technical data

& 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

instrument pane l illum in ation w ill autom at ically be com e dimm er
as the d ay light fade s away and eventu ally will g o out c ompletel y
wh en outside light i s very low . This is to r emind you, the drive r, to
s witch on the headlight s before it gets too dark .
• Canada model s: in strument pan el illum ination will stay bright
r e g ardle ss of the inten sity of ambient light . Alwa ys be awar e of
c hanges in o utside light conditions w hile you ar e dri ving. R espond
in time to fading da ylight by tu rning the light switch t o po sit ion
io
(or "AUTO" if your car is equipped with this feature) to turn on y our
headl ights .•
Emergency flasher ~
The emergency flasher makes other motorists aware that
you or your vehicle are in an emergency situation .
Fig. 53 Ce nter
conso le : eme rgenc y
fla sh e r sw it c h
- Press the switch~:::::> fig. 53, to switch the emergency
flasher on or off.
When the eme rgency flasher is o n, all four tu rn s ignal b link at the
same time . The turn signa l indicator lights¢¢ in the instrument
cluster , as well as the light in the emerg ency flasher switch~ blink
likewise.
T he emergency flasher will autom atically sw itch on if you are in an
acc ident where the airbag has deployed.
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Clear vision
(I) Tips
You should swi tch on the emergency flasher when :
• you a re the last ve hicle stand ing in a traffic jam so that any ot her
vehicles com ing can see you , or when
• your vehicle has b roken down or you are in an eme rgency s itua­
tion , or when
• your vehicle is being towed by a tow tr uck or if yo u are tow ing
another vehicle behind you. •
Turn signals -¢¢ and high beam [D lever
The lever on the le~ side of the steering column is used to
operate the turn signals and the high beam as well as the
headlight flasher.
-"' M
-w .., a,
Fig . 54 Tu rn sign al
a nd h igh b eam lever
The turn signal and high beam lever has the following func­
tions :
Turn signals ¢ ¢
- Lift the lever up all the way:::::> fig. 54 (D, to use the r ight
turn signals , or push the lever down all the way@ to use
the left turn signals. .,,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Clear vision
Auto -blink
- Move the lever (up or down) just to the point of resistance
to use the turn signals for as long as you need them, for
example when changing lanes.
- Briefly move the lever up or down just to the point of resis­
tance and then release it to flash the turn signa ls
three
times in succession.
This feature allows to indicate lane
changes clearly and with minimum effort when driving on highways .
High beam ~D
-Push the lever forward @to sw itch on the high beam .
Pull the lever back towards you to switch off the high
beam .
Headlight flasher ~D
-Pull the lever toward the steering wheel © to use the
headlight flasher.
Notes on these features
• The turn signals only work with the ign ition switched on . The indi­
cator lights ¢ or Q in the instrument cluster=>
page 11 also blink.
• After you have turned a corner, the turn signal switches off auto­
matically.
• Th e
high beam works only when the headlights are on. The indi­
cator light [D in the instrument cluster illuminates when the high
beams are on .
• The
headlight flasher works only as long as you hold the lever -
even if there are no lights switched on. The indicator light [Din the
instrument cluster illuminates when you use the headlight flasher.
0 Note
Do not use the high beam or head light flasher if you know that these
could be blinding oncoming traffic. •
Interior lights
Interior Lights and glove compartment
Light
The interior lights include the both reading lights for the
driver and the front passenger .
·······::--·· .. ·················· ············ ··
: illillllllllllll
1
\~l\lllllllilllllll :l;
,.. •eaa1 •u == -=---===
Fig. 55 Control panel
above windshield:
interior light switc hes
Light switch ~ fig. 55 has the following functions:
Door contact activation
-Move the switch to the center position . The forward dome
light is turned on/off by the contact switches on any of the
doors.
Forward dome light on
- Move the switch to position I. The forward dome light
goes on and stays on regardless of door pos ition.

Seats and storage
General recommendations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only provide
maximum protection if the front seats are correctly
adju sted.
Th ere are several dif ferent ways you can ad just the d river's sea t and
t he front passenger's seat so that it confo rms to your body size .
It is
especially important t hat the seat be adjusted properly so that:
• you can easily and quickly reach a ll the switc hes and contro ls in the
ins trumen t pa nel
• your body is properly supported thus reducing phys ica l stress and
fatigue
• the safety be lts and airbag system can offer maximum protection
=>
page 145
In the follow ing chapters, you will see exactly how you can best adjust
your sea ts .
Th ere are special regulations a nd instr uctions for install ing a child
safety seat on the front passenger 's seat. Always heed the informa ­
tion regarding child safety p rovided in=>
page 167, "Child Safety ".
& WARNING
Incorrect seating posit ion of the driver and all other passengers
can result in seriou s personal injury.
• Always keep your feet on the floor when the vehicle is in
motion -never put your feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the window or on top of the seat cushion! This applies especially
to the passengers. If your seating po sition is incorrect you
increase the ri sk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an acci-
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Seats and storage
& WARNING
(con tinu ed)
dent . If the airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect
this could result in per sonal injury or even death .
• It is important for both the dri ver and front passenger to keep
a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between themselves and
the steer ing whee l and /or instrument panel. If you're sitting any
closer than this , the airbag system cannot protect you properly. In
addition to thi s, the front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they can give you maximum
protection .
• Always try to keep as much distance as possible between your­
self and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Do not adjust the driver's or front passenger 's seat while the
vehicle is moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly, causing
sudden loss of vehicle control and personal injury . If you adjust
your seat while the vehicle is moving, you are out of position. •
Driver's seat
The correc t sea t posi tion is import an t f or sa fe and
rel axed dri ving.
We recomm end that you a djust th e d rive r's sea t in the
fo llowing man ner:
- Ad just the sea t in f ore and a ft dire ct io n so that y ou can
e asily pus h the pe dals to the floor while keep in g you r
kne es slightly bent=>
& in "W hy is yo ur seat a djust m en t
so imp ort an t?".
- Adj ust the sea tbac k so tha t when yo u sit wi th y our back
agai nst the se atba ck, you can sti ll gra sp th e to p of t he
s te er ing w hee l. _..
Vehicle care Technical data

___________________________________________________ O_ n_ t_h _e_ r_o _a_ d __ _
On the road
Steering
Adjustable steering wheel
The height and reach of the steering wheel con be
adjusted .
First, adjust t he dr iver's seat correct ly.
Fi g. 106 Leve r und er
the s tee ring column
-Pu sh t he lever~ fig. 106 down as far as it wi ll go~ &.
- Move th e st eeri ng wheel to t he desire d position.
- Push t he lever back up as fa r as it wi ll go.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your chest and the
c en ter of the steer ing w hee l. If you cannot si t more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if adaptive equ ipment is avai l­
able to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance from the
steeri ng wheel.
For detai led info rmation on how to adjust the dr iver's seat, see
=> page 76, "Power se at adj ustment".
The steer ing whee l can be adjusted even when the ignition is turned
off .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment and improper seating
position can cause serious personal
injury .
• Adjust the steer ing whe el column only when the vehicle is not
moving to prevent loss of vehicle control.
• Always make sure that the adjustment lever is securely pushed
up so that the position of the steering wheel cannot be changed
unintentionally when the vehicle is moving .
• Adjust the dr iver 's seat or steering wheel so that there is a
m inimum of 10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone and the
steering wheel=>
page 126, fig. 122. If you cannot maintain this
minimum distance, the airbag system cannot protect you prop­
erly.
• If physical limitations prevent you from sitting 10 inches (25
c m) or more from the steering wheel, check with your authorized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is available .
• Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decrea ses the
ability of the supplemental driver's a irbag to prote ct you in an
accident. Always make sure that the steer ing wheel is pointed
towards your che st .
• Always hold the steering wheel on the outside of the steering
wheel rim with your hands at the 9 o'clo ck and 3 o'clock position s
to help reduce the risk of personal injury if the driver's airbag
inflates .
• Never hold the steer ing wheel at the 12 o 'clock position or with
your hands at other positions inside the steering wheel rim or on
the steering wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injurie s to the hand s, arms and head if th e
driver 's airbag inflates. •
Vehicle care Technical data

ffl..__O_ n_ t_h _e_ r_o _ a_ d _________________________________________________ _
Ignition Lock and ignition switch
Ignition lock
The engine can be started or turned off with the ignition
key.
Ignition off@
Fig. 107 Ignition l ock
p ositions
In position => fig. 107 @ both the ignition and engine are off, and
the stee ring is locked .
To
lock the stee ring after you have removed the ig nit io n key, turn the
steeri ng wheel in either direction until yo u hear it lock into place . You
should always lock the steering whenever you leave your vehicle . This
makes a vehicle theft even more difficult=> & .
Ignition on (D
If it is d ifficul t to turn the key af ter yo u have inse rted it in to the igni­
tion lock, tur n the steering wheel back and forth . T hi s w ill take the
load off the steering lock mechanism and you wi ll be able to t urn the
key freely and start the engine . On vehicles with a d iese l engine *, t he
system ca n preheat in this position .
Starting the engine@
In this pos it ion the engi ne s tarts. While the e ngine is s ta rting, the
power supply to the headlights and other electrical consume rs is temporarily interrupted to conserve ba
ttery power . Afte r th e eng ine
h as st arted, relea se the key and it w ill retur n to posit io n (D .
Before the starter can be operated again the key must be t urned back
to positio n (D . T he
non-repeat lock prevents you from damaging the
s ta rt er when t he e ng ine is running .
& WARNING
• Never remove the key from the ignition lock while the vehicle
i s moving . The steering wheel will lock causing loss of control.
• If you have to leave your v ehicle -even for ju st a minute -
always remove the ignition key and take it with you. This is espe·
cially important if you are going to leave children behind in the
vehicle. The children could start the engine or use other vehicle
control s. Unsupervised use of vehicle controls (for example, power
windows ) can cause serious personal injuries .
(I) Tips
If the vehicle battery has been disconnected and then reconnected,
t hen yo u m ust leave the key in posi tion (Dfor abou t
5 seco nds befo re
you can start the eng ine. •
App lies to vehicles: with automat ic transmission
Ignition key safety lock
Th e ignition k ey can only b e removed when the selector
lever is in the "P" (Park) position.
Pla ce the selector lever i n the "P " pos it ion before swit ching off the
eng ine .
Afte r sw itching of f the igni tion , th e ignition key can o nly be re moved
from the ignition lock when t he selector lever is in the "P" (Park) posi­
t ion. After yo u have remove d the key, t he selector lever is locked a nd
cannot be moved .•