2012 AUDI A3 Hood

How is the anti-theft alarm switched off
when triggered?
The alarm system is switched off when you
un lock the vehicle using the remote-control
key or when the ignition is switched on. The
alarm will also switch itself off when it comes
to the end of its cycle .
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher will blink briefly when
the doors, engine hood and rear lid are prop­
erly closed .
If the emergency flashers do not blink, check
the doors, engine hood and rear lid to make
sure they are properly closed. If you close a
door, the hood or the rear lid with the anti­
theft alarm switched on, the emergency flash­
ers will blink only after you have closed the
door or lid .
(D Tips
For the anti-theft alarm system to func­
tion properly, make sure all vehicle doors
and windows are closed before leaving the
veh icle.
Power windows
Controls
Fig. 40 Dr iver 's door: powe r w ind ow sw itches
The switches are located in the driver's door.
The front passenger's door has a own power
window switch of its own.
To open/close If the respective switch is push­
ed or pulled, the window will, respectively.
Opening and closing 43
Switches for front door windows
@ operates the window in the driver's door.
® operates the window in the front passeng -
er 's door.
Switches for rear windows
© operates the left rear window.
@ operates the right rear window.
Safety switch
® Safety switch for rear window operation .
A WARNING
-Do not leave chi ldren unattended in the
veh icle, especially with access to vehicle
keys. Unsupervised use of the keys can
result in starting of the engine and use
of vehicle systems such as power win­
dows, etc. wh ich could result in serious
mJury.
- Remember -you can still open or close
the power windows for about ten mi­ nutes after the ign ition is switched off.
On ly when either of the front doors are
opened are the power windows switched
off .
- Be careful when clos ing the windows .
Check to see that no one is in the way, or
serious injury could result!
-Always remove the ignition key whenever
you leave your vehicle .
- If you lock your vehicle from the outside,
no one, especially children, should re­
main in the vehicle.
- Do not stick anything on the windows or
the windshield that may interfere with
the driver's field of vision.
Switches in the driver's door
The driver can operate all windows .
In addition to the switches in the driver's
door, there is a separate switch in each door
for the power window in that door~
page 43,
fig. 40.
If the respective switch is pushed or
pulled, the window will open or close. The
Ill>

56 Clear vis ion
as rain or drizz le re duces visibi lity
through th e windshield.
- The windshie ld must not be treated with
water-repe llent materials. They can in­
crease glare under poor visibility condi­
t ions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon . In addi­
t ion, they can cause th e windshield wip­
ers to chatter.
(D Note
- In the case of frost, check whether the
windsh ield wiper b lades are frozen to
the windshield. Switching on the wind­
shield wipers can damage the wiper
blades!
- Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted
window . U si ng the w ipers as a conven­
i en t ice s craper will destroy the wiper
blades .
- Prior to using a car wash, the windshield
wiper system m ust be switched off (lever
i n position 0) . This helps to prevent unin­
tentiona l switching on and damage to
the windshie ld wiper system.
(D Tips
- The w indshield wipers are swi tched off
when the ignition is turned off. Activate
the windshie ld wipers after the ignition
i s sw itched back on by mov ing the w ind ­
shield wiper lever to any pos it ion.
- Worn or dirty windshie ld wiper blades
cause smearing, which can affect the op­
eration of the light/rain sensor*. Check
the condition of your windshie ld w iper
blades regularly.
- The rai n sensor is part of the interval
wiping system. Tur ning off the ignition
will a lso deact ivate the rain sensor. To re­
activate t he senso r, switch off the inter­
val w iping function, then sw itch it ba ck
on aga in.
- Applies to vehicles with lig ht/ rain sen­
sor: When the wipers are swi tched on
manu ally and in rain condi tions, the au­
tomatic head lights* turn on¢
page 47,
·'t!.-Switching the headlights on and off
or off during the day when the wipers are
no longer operating. The automatic
head lights* funct ion is available in th is
case on ly when the light switch is in the
"A UTO" position¢
page 47, fig. 43.
-Make s ure the washer fluid reservoir in
the engine compartment is topped off
before going on a long trip. Look up
¢
page 211 for check ing and filling the
washer co nta iner .
- The wipers only operate with the hood
completely closed .
is;J Rear window wiper
The wiper lever is also used to operate the
rear window wiper and the automatic wiper/ washer function .
Fig. 5 8 W iper lever: activat ing the rear w indow w iper
and washer
The rear window wiper and the automatic wip­
er/washer functions are activated as follows :
Intermittent wiping
.,. Push the wiper leve r forward towards the
dashboard and to the
first position @
¢
fig. 58. The rear w indow wiper will wipe
the window approx. every four seconds .
Automatic wiper /washer function
.,. Push the wiper lever forward to the second
stop,
position (j) , and hold it there for as
long as you want the rear w iper/washer to
operate.
.,. Release the lever again. The wiper will keep
running for approx. four seconds . .,,_

Switching intermittent wiper acti on off
• Pull the lever all the way back to the or igi­
nal position.
A WARNING
Wiper blades are crucial for safe driving!
On ly in good condition are they able to
clear the windows properly to provide un­
restricted visibility. Worn or frayed wiper
blades are a safety hazard!
r::;, page 5 7,
Replacing front wiper blades
Q) Note
In freezing or near freez ing cond itions:
- Always check t hat the wiper blades are
not frozen to the glass before yo u turn
the wiper on. loosen a wiper blade which i s frozen in p lace before operating the
wipe r to preve nt damage to the wiper
blade o r the w ip er motor .
-
-Do not use the wiper to clear a frosted
window . Using the wipers as a conven ­
i ent ice sc raper will destroy the w iper
blades .
(D Tips
For better rea rward vision whe n pa rking,
the r ear w indow w ip e r is automat ica lly ac­
t iva ted one time when the windshield wip­
ers are sw itche d on and reve rse gear is en­
gaged.
Service position
Replacing the windshield wiper blades is only
possib le when you move the wiper arms into
the service position. In order to use the wind­
shie ld w ipers, the hood must be complete ly
closed . When there is a risk of frost, make
sure that the w iper blades are not frozen to
the windshield .
• Switc h the ignition on .
• Switch the ignition off aga in and move the
wipe r lever
r::;, page 55, fig . 57 from position
0 to 1 within 10 seconds . The w iper arms
now move in to the fie ld of v iew in t he wind­
shield .
Clear vision 5 7
The service pos ition can a lso be selected in
the d river information system*
r::;, page 27 .
(D Note
Neve r dr ive y our veh icle w hen the w ind­
shield wiper a rms are in the se rvice posi ­
tion and pulled away from the winds hield.
W hen yo u drive faster than 4 mph (6 km/
h), the wiper arms automatically return
back to the park position and could ca use
paint damage to the eng ine hood!
(D Tips
- Yo u can also turn on t he service posit ion,
for example, if yo u want to p rotect the
w indshield from icing by using a cover.
- The service posit io n moves to
off auto­
matically whe n yo u operate the w ind­
shield wiper lever, or speed exceeds
4 mph (6 km/h).
Replacing front wiper blades
Wiper blades in good condition help keep the
windshi eld clear .
Fig. 5 9 Unlatching w ipe r blades
®"
Fig. 60 Remov ing w iper blades

58 Clear vis ion
Removing the wiper blade
.. Move the wipers to the service position
c::>page 57.
.. Fo ld the windshield wiper arm away from
the g lass.
.. On the upper end of the wiper arm at the
corrugation, squeeze the plast ic retainer to­
gether on both sides in the direction of the
arrow
c::> fig. 59 .
.. Rotate the w iper blade in the direct ion of
the arrow @c::>
fig. 60 away from the w iper
arm.
.. Lift the w iper blade
off in the direc tion of
the arrow @.
Attaching the wiper blade
.. Place the rounded end of the wiper onto the
end of the w iper arm in the
oppo site direc­
t ion to the ar row @
c::> fig. 60.
.. Swing the wipe r in the oppo site direct io n to
the arrow @onto the wiper arm.
.. Sq ueeze the corrugation on the w iper until
yo u hear it click in the wiper arm.
.. Fold the wiper arm back onto the wind­
shield .
.. Switch the ignition on and move the w iper
lever down briefly . The wiper will move back
to the park pos it ion .
The front wiper b lades measure left s ide
23 .20 in . (S90 mm) and rig ht side 18 .SO in.
(470 mm) i n length,
C lean your wiper blades regu larly with a wind­
shie ld washer solution to prevent streaking . If
the blades are very d irty, for example with in­
sects, carefu lly clean the blades w ith a sponge
or a soft b rush.
If the wiper b lades beg in to streak the wind­
shield, this could be caused by res idue left on
the w indshield by automat ic car washes .
F ill the windsh ield washer container with a
specia l so lution available at your author ized
Aud i deale r to remove the residue .
Be s ure to inspect the condition of your w iper
b lades regularly. For safety reasons, replace
your w iper blades once or twice a year if nee- essa
ry . See yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler for re ­
placement blades .
A WARNING
-- Clean your w iper blades reg ularly with a
w indshie ld washer so lution to prevent
streaking. If the w iper blades are very
d irty, fo r example with insects , ca refully
clean the wiper blades wi th a sponge or a
soft brus h .
- For your safety , you should replace the
wiper blades onc e or twice a year . Se e
your aut hor ized Audi dealer for replace­
men t blad es.
0 Note
-The wiper b lades may only be c hanged
c::> page 57 in the service posit ion! Ot he r­
w ise, you risk damag ing the pa int on t he
hood or the w indshie ld wi per mo to r.
- Yo u should not move your veh icle o r
press t he winds hield wiper leve r when
t he wipe r arms are folded away from the
w indshield. The windsh ield wipers wo uld
move back into their or iginal position
and co uld damage the hoo d and wind­
shield.
- To help prevent dama ge to the w iper sys­
tem, always loosen blades which are fro­
zen to the windshield before operating
w ipers.
- To help prevent damage to wiper b lades,
do not use gaso line, kerosene, paint
thinner, or other solvents on o r near the
w iper blades .
- To help prevent damage to the w iper
arms or other components, do not at­
tempt to move the wipe rs by hand .
(D Tips
-Commercial hot waxes applied by auto­
matic ca r washes affect the cleanability
of the g lass s urface .
- Yo u can also use the service position, for
examp le, if yo u want to p rotect the
w indshield from icing by using a cover. ..,_

-You cannot activate the service position
when the hood is open.
- The front wiper blades a re different
l engths; the blade on the driver's side is
l onger.
Changing the rear wiper blade
F ig . 6 1 Insta lling/re moving wiper blade
Removing the wiper b lade
.. Fo ld the windshield wipe r arm away from
the g lass .
.. Pull the met al surround of the w iper blade
out o f the retaine r in the d irection o f the ar­
row
r=> fig. 61. Hold the wiper arm firmly by
the upper end as you do this.
Attaching the wiper blade
.. Adjus t the posi tion of the wipe r blade in the
retainer
r=> fig. 61 (see close up).
.. Press the w iper blade into the retainer. Hold
t h e wiper arm firmly by the upper end as
you do this .
.. Fo ld the wiper arm back onto the glass.
A WARNING
- To avoid streaks, you should clean the
windshield wiper blades regular ly w ith
w indow cleaner. Fo r heavy soiling, for ex­
ample, insects, the wipe r blades can also
be cleaned with a sponge or a cloth.
- For safety reasons, the windsh ield wiper
blades sho uld be replaced once or twice
a year .
Clear vision 59
Digital compass
Activating or deactivating the compass
App lies to vehicles: wi th digi tal co mpass
The direction is displayed on the interior rear
view mirror .
Fig. 62 Inside rear v iew mirror : d ig ita l compass act i­
vated
.. To activate or deactivate, hold the@ but­
ton down unt il the red display appears or
disappears .
The dig ital compass only works w ith the igni­
tion turned on. The directions are displayed as
initials :
N (North), NE (Northeast), E (East),
SE (So utheast), S (South), SW (Southwest),
W (West), NW (Northwest) .
(0 Tips
To avoid inaccurate d irect io ns, do not al­
l ow any remote contro ls, electr ica l sys­
tems, o r metal parts close to the mir ror.

The park lock must only be engaged with the
vehicle
stationary c::> &.
To engage P and to remove the lever from th is
position, you must depress the release b utton
(button in the selector lever handle)
and si­
multaneously you must step on the brake
pedal.
R · re vers e
I n th is position, reverse is engaged.
Reverse gear must only be engaged with the
veh icle
stationary and the eng ine runn ing at
id le speed
c::> ,&. .
To engage R, you have to depress the release
button
and s imultaneously step on the brake
pedal. In the R position, the back-up lights il­
lum inate with the ign ition on.
N • N eutra l
The transmission is in neutral in this position .
D -Norm al po sition f or d riving forwa rd
In this position, the forward gears are auto­ matica lly shifted up and down, depending on
engine load and vehicle speed.
To engage S from N, the brake pedal must be
depressed at speeds be low S km/h or when
the vehicle is stationary
c::> & .
In certain circumstances (driving in the moun­
tains for examp le) it can be beneficial to
switch temporarily to the manua l shift pro­
gram
c::> page 100 in order to adjust the gear
ratios to driving cond itions
manually.
S -Sport setting
The S se tt ing shou ld be selected for sporting
d riving . The power reserves of the engine can
be fu lly exp loited through later upshifts.
To engage S from N, the brake pedal must be depressed at speeds be low S km/h or when
the vehicle is stationary
c::> & .
Tra n sm iss io n 9 7
A WARNING
- Never p lace the selector lever in the R or
P posit ion while the veh icle is moving -
risk of an accident!
- With the engine running, it is necessary
to hold the vehicle with the foot brake in all se lector lever positions (except P and
N), because even at idle speed the trans­
fe r of power is never completely inter­
rupted -the vehicle "creeps". If the vehi­
cle is stationary and the transm ission is
engaged, the engine should never be
speeded up unintentionally (e .g. manual­
ly from under the hood). Otherwise the
veh icle w ill immediately start to move -
sometimes even if the park ing brake is
firmly applied -risk of an accident!
- Before you or other persons open the
hood and work on a running engine, the
selecto r lever must be moved to P and
the park ing brake applied f irmly - risk of
an accident! Follow the warning sticke rs
c::> page 187, Engine compartment.
(D Tips
If you have inadvertently shift ing into N
while the vehicle is moving, you shou ld re­
move you r foot from the accelerator and
wait unt il the engine speed has dropped to
idle before shifting back to Dor S .
Selector lever lock
Applies to vehicl es: with S tronic®
The selector lever lock prevents a gear from
being engaged accidentally and unintention­
ally setting the vehicle in motion.
F ig. 110 Selector lever locks

¢ page 123, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag
~ page 122.
More important things to know about
front airbags
F ig. 133 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfold properly and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in a fronta l co l­
lision .
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protection for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenger when :
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag,
- and the head restraints have been proper ly
adjusted .
Because airbags i nflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, things you have on your lap or have placed on the seat could become dan­
gerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if
the airbag inflates.
A irba g sy stem 131
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
This is norma l and is not caused by a fire in
the vehicle . This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy. It could irritate skin .
It is important to remember that whi le the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for example swelling, bruising and
minor abras ions, can also happen when air­
bags i nflate. A irbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body . Front a irbags
supplement the th ree -po in t safety belts only
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
deceleration is high enough to deploy the air­
bags .
Front airbags will not deploy :
-if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
o ccu rs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash dece leration measured by
the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
reg istered by the electron ic contro l unit .
The f ront pa ssen ger airbag als o will no t
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu­
pied,
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem ind icates that the front a irbag on the
passenger side has to be tu rned off by the
electronic contro l un it (the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light comes on and stays o n).
.&, WARNING
Sitting in t he wrong pos ition can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- T o reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passenge rs
m ust always s it in an upright position,
m ust not lean against or place any part

138 Airbag sys te m
The side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's, front and rear* passeng­
er's upper torso and head on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision. The
a irbag dep loys only in side impacts and only
when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the contro l unit is high enough. If th is rate is
below the refe rence value p rogrammed into
the contro l unit, the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It is not
possible to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover every possible angle of impact,
since the c ircumstances will vary considerab ly
between one collision and another. Important
factors include, fo r example, the nature (hard
or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of
impact, veh icle speed, etc.
q page 139, Im­
portant safety instructions on the side airbag
system.
As ide from the ir normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
coll is ion so that the side a irbags can provide
p rotection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc­
cupant res traint system in your ve hicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
qu ires you to do so
<=')page 113, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental s ide a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other i njuries, for example, swell ing, bruising,
and minor abras ions can also be associated
with deployed side a irbags. Remember too,
side a irbags wi ll deploy on ly once and on ly in
cer tain k inds of ac cidents -yo ur sa fety belts
are a lways there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage a re not necessar ily an ind i- cation o
f over -sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion . In
some collisions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remember too, that air ­
bags will deploy only once and only in certain
k inds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acc i­
dents in which a irbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollove rs.
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
t rigge red togethe r.
&, WARNING
- Safety belts and the air bag system will
only provide pro tection when occupants
are in the proper seating posi tion
¢page 139.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by you r
author ized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the vehicle ac­
celeration in a side coll is ion is high
enough to activate the a irbag.
-