2011 AUDI A3 warning light

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 warning /indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of informa ­
tion.
Fi g. 2 O ver view of the in strum ent cluster
© Tachometer with t ime and date d is play ........... .
@ Indic ator light s (turn s igna ls) ....... ... . .. .. ... . .
® Coolant temperature gauge . .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. ... .
© Fue l gauge . ... ... .. ... ..... ... ... .... ... . .. .. .
© Speedomete r with odometer ...... .... .. .. .. . ... .
© Set/Check bu tton ....................... ...... .
(j) Warning/ind icator lights . .... .. .. .. . ... ... .. ... .
@ Reset button fo r
8,9
11
9
10
10
9, 3 1
11
- Trip odometer
- Service in terval disp lay
(D Note 10
27
T
he instrument cluster and center conso le illum ination (gauges and
need les) comes o n when you sw itch on the ign ition and the
vehicle
headlights are off .
Be aware of the following d ifference between
mode ls built to US o r Canadian specifications :
• USA models : illumination of the instrument cluster (gauges and
needles), da sh and c enter console around the g earshift lever is
controlled by a light sensor located in the instrument panel. The
instrum ent panel illumination will automat ically become dimmer
as the d aylight fades awa y and eventually will go out completely
when out side light i s very low . Th is is to remind you, the driver , to
switch on the headlights before it gets too dark .
• Canada models: instrument panel illumin ation will stay bright
r egardless of the intensity of ambient light. Always be awa re of
change s in out side light condition s while you are driving. Re spond
i n time to f ading daylight by turning the light sw itch to position
j D
(or "AUTO " if your car is eq uipped w ith this fea ture) to turn on your
headlights. •
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indica tes the engine RP M (revolutions
per minutes) .
The tachomete r© ::::, fig . 2 is the left one of the two large clo ck-type
displays .
The engine turns at a speed 1 000
times the single digit in the
display, e .g . if the need le points at the "2", the engine tu rns at
2 000 RPM .

If the engine RPMs drop below 1 500, you should downshift to the
next lower gear. The red area at the end of the scale indicates
maximum permissible engine RPMs after the break-in period. Before
reach ing this area, you should either shift into the next higher gear or
ease your foot off the accelerator pedal.
0 Note
The tachometer needle=> page 8, fig. 2 © should not move into the
red range. If it does, then only for a very short period of time. You
could damage your engine by driv ing at high RPM!
<£> For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuels and reduces engine noise. •
Digital clock with date display
Your vehicle is equipped with a quartz controlled digital
clock.
To set the hour
Fig. 3 Instrume nt
cl uste r with: the
digital clock and date
- Pull the knob (hour display flashes) and turn it to the left
or right.
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
To set the minutes
- Pull the button until the minute display flashes.
- Turn the knob to the left or right until the desired setting
appears.
To set the time format (12 or 24-hour
display)
- Pull the knob until the time format display flashes.
- Turn the knob to the left or right.
To set the date
- Pull the knob until the day, month or year display flashes .
- Turn the knob to the left or right .
To show or hide the date display
-Pull the knob until the date display flashes.
- Turn the knob to the left or right.
When the date display stops flashing, this means the time and date
have been successfu lly stored .
With the ignition off, pressing the button=> fig . 3 - depending on the
instrument cl uster configuration - can turn on the display fie ld
lighting for a few seconds. •
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge@=> page 8, fig. 2 only works when the
ignition is on. To prevent damage to your eng ine , please note the
following important points: .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Engine cold
As long as the need le remains at the lef t en d of the gauge, the engine
s till has not reac hed its operati ng te mperature . Avoid hig h eng ine
speeds, heavy engine loads a nd heavy throttle.
Normal temperature
W hen the eng ine has reached its operating temperature, the need le
w ill move into the middle of the gauge and rema in there . If the
engine is working ha rd at high outsi de temperatures, the needle may
tur n further to the rig ht. Thi s is no cause fo r concern as long as the _F_
wa rning light in the i nstr ument cluster does not ill uminate.
Wh en the _;_ w ar ning light sta rts to fla sh, thi s can mea n one of two
things : either the coolant
temperature is too h igh, or t he coolant
level is too low => page 32.
& WARNING
• Always observe the warning in=> page 218, "Engine com part·
ment " before opening the engine hood and checking the engine
c oolant level.
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
see engine coolant dripping from the engine compartment. You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot
hear or see any steam or engine coolant.
0 Note
• Moun ting addition al lights or accessorie s in fron t of the a ir inlets
red uces the cooling effect of the radiator. At high o utside tempera ­
tu res o r high eng ine lo ad, t he e ngine cou ld over heat .
• The front spoi ler has been designed to prope rly d istribute the
c oo ling a ir w hen the vehicle is moving. If the spoiler is d amaged, this
co uld reduce the coo ling effect and the eng ine could t hen overheat.
Ask your au thor ized A udi d ealer for assist ance .•
Fuel gauge
T he f uel gauge wo rks only whe n the ignition is on.
W hen the nee dle rea ches the red area, t he war ning ligh t in t he ins tru­
ment cl uster will illum inate=>
page 34 . This mea ns you have
app roximate ly 1.8 gallons (7 liters) of f uel left in t he tank.
Time to
refuel!
The tota l tan k capacity of your vehicle is listed in => page 296 , "Data".
0 Note
Never run the ta nk completely d ry ! An irregular s upply of f uel can
c a us e eng ine mi sfir ing and f uel could ente r into t he e xhaus t system.
T he catalyt ic converter could the n overheat a nd be damaged. •
Speedometer with odometer
The spee do meter sh o ws you the ve h icle s pee d, an d th e
o do met er sho ws yo u ho w many mile s (k il om eters) you
have d riv en .
Fig. 4 Spee dometer
close-up : odometer
di splay
The o dometer and tri p odometer are located inside the speedomete r.
• USA mo dels - Mile s
• Canad ian models -Kilometers

Lower odometer
The lowe r odometer shows the total number of mi les (k ilometers)
driven .
Upper odometer (trip odometer)
The upper odometer shows the total number of m iles (kilometers)
driven since you last reset the odometer back to zero . Yo u can use th is
odometer when you want to keep track of how many m iles (k ilome­
ters) you have dr iven for a sing le trip or er rand. The last dig it indicates
1 /10 of a mi le ( 100 metres) . You can set the trip odome ter back to
zero by pressing the reset button=>
page 10, fig. 4.
Malfunction message
If there is a ma lfunction somewhe re in the instr ument cl uster, dEF
will appear in the trip odometer and will stay on. Contact you r autho ­
r ized A udi dea ler to have the problem corrected .
Immobilizer
When the ignition is switched on, the da ta on the igni tion key are
scanned automatically.
If an una uthorized key was used,
SAFE is disp layed continuous ly in
t he o dome ter di sp la y field. The vehicle ca nnot be operated
=> page 40.
[ i J Tips
• The d ig ita l clock and the odometer are turned on for about 30
seconds when the driver's do or is ope ned.
• When the ignition is turned off, t he odomete r reading and the
dig it al cl ock wi th date di sp la y can be sw itche d on for abou t
30 seconds by press ing the knob::::;,
page 8, fig. 2 @ . •
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Warning/indicator lights
Overview
The w arni ng/in dicator lights ind icate differ ent fun ctions
o r a po ssible m alfunc tio n.
Fig. 5 In strument clu ster w ith warn ing /ind ica tor light s
Your vehicle is equipped with several important warning and indi­
c ato r lights to help yo u m onito r th e con tinued re liable operat io n o f
your vehicle ::::;,& .
Aud i ma gnetic ride
Tire pressure too low Electronic power control (gasoline
engine o nly)
=> page 12
=:> page 13
=> page 13
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Glow plug system (diesel engine only) ~page 13
(alternative to )
Electronic stab ilizat ion program (ESP) ~ page 14
USA models : ~page 14
Malfunction Indicator lamp (MIL)
Canada models: ~page 14
Malfun ction Indictor Lamp (MI L)
-o H igh beam ~page 14
¢ Left turn signal ~page 14
--
~
Right turn signal ~page 14
Ele ct ronic St abili zation Program ( ESP) ~page 14
CRUISE
USA models :
Cruise control activated ~page 14
0
Canada models:
Cruise contro l a ct ivate d
~page 14
.o.
,::::..fJ Airbag system ~page 15
0 Genera tor ~page 15
~
Safety belt ~page 15
BRAKE
USA models:
Bra ke system, parking brake set ~page 15
CCD> Canada models:
Brake system, parking bra ke set
-
-
-
~ page 16 USA models:
Anti-loc k bra ke system (ABS)
Canada models : ~page 16
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
/ @ Electr o-m ech anical power assist ~ page 17
& WARNING
• Failure to heed warning light s and other important vehicle
information may result
in serious personal injury or vehicle
damage.
• Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe
d istance off the road, stop the engine, and turn on the emergency
fla sher ~
page 59.
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle i s a potentially
hazardous area. Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment , stop the engine and let it cool down. Always exercise
extreme caution when working under the engine hood
~ page 218, " Engine compartment"
[ i ] Tips
• When a yellow war ning symbol appears, one warn ing tone
so unds. C hec k the fun ction d isp laye d a s soo n as poss ible.
• When a red symbol appears,
three warning tones sound in succes ­
sion . The symbol continu es to flash until the fa ult has been
corrected. •
App lies to vehicles : w ith Au di magnetic r ide
Audi magnetic ride
The indicator ligh t monitors vehicle damping.
Th e indica tor lig ht illum ina tes w hen the ig nit io n is switched on as a
function check. _,,,

[I) Tips
If the ind icator lamp i lluminates wh ile you a re dr iv ing , there is a
ma lfunction in the vehicle damping. Th e chassis shou ld b e insp ected
immediately by an author ized Audi dealer. •
Applies to veh icles : with t ir e p re ssure m onito rin g s yste m
Tire pressure monitoring system - telltale
indicator Lamp ...
The warning/indicator light appears in the event of a
significant loss of air pressure .
The ..Jwarning/indicator light illuminates for a few seconds after the
ignition is turned on as function check and then goes out .
If the symbol appears, pressure is too low in at least one tire.
When the system detects a ma lfunction, the warning/ind icator light
will flash for approximately one minute and then remain continu­ ously i lluminated. This sequence will continue upon subsequent
vehicle starts up as long as the malfunction exists . Contact your
authorized Audi dea ler and have the ma lfunction corrected .
For more informat ion=>
page 264. •
Electronic power control Dr.
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
power control.
The warn ing/ indicator light ( Electronic Power Control) illumi-
nates when you switch on the ignition as a function check.
[ i J Tip s
If this warning/indicator light illuminates while you are driving, then
there is a ma lfunct ion in the engine e lectronics . Have the ma lfunct ion
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
In
strum ents and warning /indicator lights
corrected as soon as possible by your authorized Audi dealer or qual­
ified wo rkshop. •
Applies to ve hicles : w it h d ie se l e ng in e
Glow plug system/ Engine malfunction C
The indicator lamp lights up to show that the glow plugs
are preheating. It flashes if there is an engine malfunc­ tion .
Warn ing light stays lit up
If the -indicator light illuminates, the glow plug system is act ive.
You should start the engine immediately afte r the indicator light
switches off. The ind icator light only illumina tes for approximately 1
second if the engine is warm o r if the outside tempe rature is above 46
QF (8 QC).
There is a fault in the glow plug system if the warning light does
not light up when the engine is
cold . Contact an authori zed Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop .
Warning light fl ashe s
If a malfunct ion develops in the engine management system while
you are driving, the glow plug light will flash
ilf . The engine should
be checked by an autho rized Aud i dealer or a qualified workshop as
soon as possible.
& WARNING
If yo u do not pa y attenti on t o the w arning light s tha t h ave com e
on, thi s co uld lead t o pe rso nal injury o r dama ge to y our veh icle .•
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP}
r /
The warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
stabili zation program.
The warning/ind icator light ,., has the following functions:
• it flashes wh ile you are drivi ng, when the ESP or the ASR (Ant i-Slip
Regulation) is working .
• it ill um ina tes when yo u sw itc h on the ignition for app rox imately 2
seconds as a funct ion check .
• it illum inates w hen there is a malfunction in the ESP .
• it illum inates after the battery has been disconnected.
• it illum inates continuously when the ESP is switched off.
• it illumi nates if the re is a malfunct ion in t he ABS, s ince the ESP is
part of the ABS system.
If the ESP warning/ind icator light ill umina tes and stays on after you
have started the engine, this may mean that the co ntro l system has
tempo rari ly switched off the ESP. If this is case , you can reactivate
the ES P by sw itch ing t he ig nit ion off and the n on agai n. The
warning/indicator light should go out to show that the system is fu lly
fu nctional again .
The ESP warn ing/ind icator light will illuminate when the ignition is
switched on if th e ve hicle bat tery has been disconnected and the n
reconnected aga in . The light should go ou t after dr iv ing a short
dis tance if the steer ing whee l is turned s lig htly.
For mo re information abo ut the ESP=>
page 188 . •
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL}
(USA models}/ (Canada models}
The Malfunct io n Indicator Lamp ( MIL) is part of the On -Board D iag ­
nos tic (O BD II) system. The symbol ligh ts up w hen the ign ition is
turned on and w ill tu rn off after the eng ine has star ted and has sett
led at constant idle speed . This i nd icates that the MIL is work ing
properly .
T he warn ing light ill uminates when there is a malfunction in the
engine e lectronic system. Contact yo ur a uthorized Audi dealer and
have the malfu nction co rrec ted .
For more information=>
page 20. •
High beam !§"0
T he ~D warning/indicator light illuminates when the high beams are
on or whe n yo u us e the headl ight flasher. Fo r more informat io n abou t
using the high beams, see=>
page 59. •
Turn signals ¢¢
The indicator li ght flashes when you use either tur n
signal .
Whenever yo u use the left¢ or the right¢ tu rn signa l, the indicator
light flas hes. W hen you use t he emerge ncy f lashe r, both ind icator
lights flash.
If one of the turn sign al ligh t bul bs bur n ou t, the turn signal will flash
twice as fast as normal. •
Cruise control
CRUISE (USA models}/ 0.z (Canada models}
The CRU ISE warning/indicator light illuminates when the cruise control
is activa ted. •