2012 AUDI A3 Wiper

Clear vision Lights
· r/.· Switching the headlights on and off
F ig. 4 3 In str ume nt pa ne l: light switch
F ig. 44 Instrumen t pane l: Light sw itch with dayt ime
running lights (DRL)
The ligh t sw itch must not be ove rtu rn ed past
the s tops in
either d ire ct io n.
Switching on automatic headlight
control*
.,. Turn the light swi tch to AUTO* ¢ fig. 43.
Switching on the side ma rker lights
.,. Turn the light switch to ooo=.
Switching on the headlights and high
beam
.,. Turn the light switch to tD .
.,. Pus h the high beam lever forward towards
the instrument pane l
Q page 50.
Switching off the lights
.,. Turn the light swi tc h to 0 .
The headlig hts on ly wo rk whe n the igni tion is
sw itche d on . W hile s tartin g the e ng ine or
when swit ching
off the ign ition , th e head-
Clear vision 4 7
lig hts w ill go off and only the side ma rke r
li ghts wi ll be on.
Daytime running lights (DRL) (USA
models)
The d aytime r unning lights can be tur ned on
o r
off using t his fu nction . If the function is ac ­
tive, the dayt ime ru nning lights a re turned on
a utomat ica lly when the ign ition is switched
o n.
T he daytime r unning lights are activate d
only
when the light switc h is at the AUTO* or DRL *
pos ition.
Daytime running lights (Canada models
only)
The daytime r unning lights are activated only
whe n the light switc h ¢ fig. 43 is either at the
0 or the coo: pos ition.
T he daytime r unning lights funct io n can not be
turned
off .
Automatic headlight control*
In the swi tch positi on AUTO the automatic
headlight control
i s tur ned on. The l ow
beams are turne d on au tomatically through a
li ght se nsor as soo n as amb ient brightness
(e .g. when dr iv ing into a t unnel) fa lls below a
val ue p reset at t he factory. Whe n ambient
bri ghtness i ncreases aga in, the low beams are
turned
off aga in a utomat ica lly c:> & .
In the AUTO position the low beams are
switc hed
off automatically when the ignition
is tur ned
off.
Light Sensor Malfunction*
In the event of a light se nsor malfunction, the
drive r is notifie d in the instrument cluste r dis ­
play:
ral Automatic headlights/automatic wipers
defective
Fo r sa fety reaso ns the low beam s are turned
on perm anen tly wi th the switch in
AUTO* .
However, you can co nti nu e to turn the lights
o n and
off u sing the lig ht switch. Have t he ..,.

-Automat ic dimming for the m irror only
operates p roperly if the lig ht striking the
i ns ide mirror is not hindered in any way.
Wiper and washer
system
{sf) Windshield wiper
The windshield wiper lever controls both the
windshield wipers and the washer system.
F ig . 57 Wiper lever: w inds hie ld w iper lever positions
The windshield wiper lever c> fig. 57 has the
following positions:
Ql Intermittent wiping (activating rain
senso r)*
.. Move the lever up to position@.
.. Move the interval set sw itch @, to change
t h e interva ls.
Low wiper speed
.. Move the lever up to position@.
High wiper speed
.,. Move the lever up to position @.
One-touch wiping
.. Move the lever to position @, when you
want to w ipe the w indshield
briefly .
Automatic wiper /w asher
.. Pu ll the lever to posit ion ® (toward the
steering wheel) and ho ld.
.. Re lease the lever . The washer stops and the
wipers keep going for about four seconds.
Turning off th e wiper s
.. Move the lever back to position @ .
Clear vi sion 55
The w indshield wipers and washe r only work
whe n the ignition is turned on . If you switch
off the ignition with the w indshie ld w iper lev ­
er st ill in the interva l wipe position and then
come back a whi le later and drive off, the rai n
senso r will reactivate itsel f after the vehicle
speed has exceeded 4 mph (6 km/h) .
The rain sensor* is only activated with the
wiper lever set to position @. When it starts
to rain, the rain sensor will automat ically acti ­
vate the intermittent w iping mode.
To reduce the sensitivity of the sensor, move
switch ® down. To increase the sensitivity,
move t he switch up. The h igher you adjust the
sens it ivity, the faster the senso r will react
when it senses mo isture on the windsh ield .
The rain sensor w iper intervals depend on the
sensit ivity sett ing as well as vehicle speed.
D uring brief s tops, wipe r mot io n will adjust in
r elat ion to the amou nt of rain on the w ind­
shield .
Automat ic w iper/was her : To eliminate water
drople ts, t he windsh ield wiper pe rforms o ne
afterw ipe ope ra tion after severa l seconds
whi le dr iv ing . You ca n sw itch this f unct ion off
by moving the leve r to posit io n ® within
10 seconds of the afterw ipe operat io n. The af­
terwipe function is reactivated the next time
the ignitio n is switch.
When the igni tio n i s tur ned on, the washe r
jets are heated*.
& WARNING ~
- Wiper blades are crucial for safe drivi ng!
On ly when they are in good condit io n are
they able to clear the windows properly
to prov ide uncompromised visib ility.
Worn o r damaged wiper blades are a
safety haza rd
c> page 57, Replacing
front wip er blades!
- The light/rain senso r* is only des igned to
assis t and suppo rt the driver.
It rema ins
e ntire ly th e drive r's respo nsib il ity to
m onitor outside weathe r cond itions and
t o manu ally a ctiv ate the wipe rs as soo n

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.

80 Warm and cold
-Never use the windshield wiper/washer
system in freezing weather until you
have warmed the windshield first, using
the heating and ventilation system. The
washer solution may freeze on the wind­
shield and reduce visibility .
(D Note
-If you suspect that the air conditioner
has been damaged, switch off the air
conditioner and contact an authorized
Audi dealer to have the system inspect­
ed .
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re­
quire special technical knowledge and
special tools. Contact an authorized Audi
dealer for assistance.
@ Tips
-Keep the air intake slots (in front of the
windshield) free from ice, snow and de-
Controls
bris in order to maintain the proper func­
tion of the climate control system.
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing on the luggage compartment cover, en­
sure that the openings are not covered.
- If the inside temperature is very high
(for example, if the vehicle has been
parked in sun), open the windows and al­
low the hot air to escape before turning
on the air conditioner .
- A sensor in the grill provides the air-con­
ditioning system continuously with read­
ings of current outside temperature . So
that the air-conditioning can operate at maximum efficiency, the area below the
front license plate holder must not be
covered .
This overview will help you to familiarize yourself with the air conditioning controls.
Fig. 96 Air condi tion ing con tro ls
The display shows the temperature selected
and the blower setting.
You can set the temperature for the driver's
side using the left rotary switch @and the
temperature for the passenger's side with the
right switch @. Functions are
turned on and off by touching
the buttons. The diode in the buttons illumi­
nates when the function is active.
The grille between the buttons[:]/
G and
IAUTOI must remain unobstructed; there are
measurement sensors behind it.
- Do not seal off the grille.

As soon as the test is completed, the system
is in normal operating mode.
Switching off
E SP should normally be activated at all times
because this ensures optimum vehicle stabil i­
ty. In certa in situations, it might make sense
to a llow some slip . For example:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow cha ins
Press the
[!I button . The ESP indicator light I)
turns on and S tabil isat ion prog ram off ap­
pears in the d isp lay. ASR deact ivates com­
pletely and the stab ilizat ion effects from the
ESP system are lim ited.
S wi tc hing on
Press the [!I button again. The message S tab i·
li sa tion p rogram on
appears briefly in the dis­
play.
A WARNING
You should only sw itch the ESP off if your
driving ability and the traffic s ituation per­
m it. Please note that when ESP/ASR is de­
act ivated, the drive whee ls can sp in on icy
and slippe ry roads and the vehi cle can
break away - danger of skidding!
(j) Tips
If A udi magnetic ride* is malfunctioning,
the ESP may not switch off or it may
sw itch off automatically.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating condit ions and d riving habit s
The brakes on today's automobi les are st ill
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing cond itions and dr iving habits
q .&. . On ve ­
hicles that are either driven mostly in stop­
and -go city traffic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author-
Int ellig ent technolog y 163
ized Audi dea ler more often than specified in
the
W arra nty & M aintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you sho uld use the b raking
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuously. Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Noises may occur when braking depending on
speed, braking force and outs ide cond it ions
such as temperature and humidity.
Mo isture o r road sal t
If you are driving faster than SO mph (80 km/
h) and the windshield wipers are on, the brake
pads will briefly touch the brake discs in regu­
lar intervals so as to improve react ion time
when brak ing on wet surfaces. You, the driver,
will not not ice anything.
Under certain conditions, for example, when
driv ing through water or very heavy ra in, or
even after washing your veh icle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
few cautious brake applications should dry off
the b ra ke pads or remove any ice coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes ca n be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-cove red
road and the brakes are not used. l ikewise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads w ith a few cautio us ap­
plications o f the b ra ke
¢ .&, .
Corrosion
T here may be a tendency for di rt to b uild up
o n the brake pads and corros ion to fo rm on
the d iscs if the car is not d riven regu larly or
o nly for short tr ips w ith litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes a re not used frequently, o r if cor­
ros ion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean off t he pads and d iscs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed ~.&. . .,.
•
•