2012 AUDI A3 break

176 Trailer towing
Always app ly bra kes early . When driving
downhill, shift into lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow down the vehicle.
Use of the brakes alone can cause them to
overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immed iate ly and/or switch
off the
a ir cond itioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instrument cluster starts flashing
J_, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing veh icle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not prope rly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle handles different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the addit io nal weight and
weight distribution . Safety, performance and
economy w ill greatly depend on how carefu lly
you load your trai ler and ope rate your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have comp letely become fam iliar w ith the way
your ve hicle-trai ler comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is d iff icu lt and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra ile r genera lly requ ires
steer ing act ion opposite of tha t when backing
up your veh icle without a trailer .
Ma intain a g reater distance between your ve­
h icle and the one in fro nt of you. You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, yo
u will need a
larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
ce le rate as fas t as you no rma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure yo u have
enough room to pass . After passing, a llow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang ­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts , sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break -in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, yo ur Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 2 59.
Parking on a slope
Do not park with a trailer on a slope . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace cho cks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unti l wheel b locks absorb th e load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the cu rb.
.. App ly the parking brake.
.. Place an automat ic transm ission in
P, re­
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear .
When restarting after p ark ing:
.. Start the engine.
.. Shift transm ission into gear .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel blocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
b locks .
Ill-

(D Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
flu id, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commercia l cleaning spe­
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, stiff sponges or sim­
ilarly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia­
bly when needed.
.. Keep belts clean .
.. For cleaning, use a mi ld soap and water sol­
ution . Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight.
.,. Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
.,. Check the condition of your safety belts
reg­
ularly .
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly .
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anything that might damage your safety
belts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers wou ld not be adequately pro­
tected in an acc ident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach o r dyes. They have corros ive prop­
erties whi ch weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage.
If you discover dam­
age, see your a uthorized Audi dea ler.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information
Q page 178.
l ) Use o nly the correct cleaning sol utions. Neve r use gas­
oline or d iese l fuel.
Cleaning and protec tion
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
A lw ays switch o ff the ign it ion before cle an ­
i ng the eng ine
c> ,& .
Plenum pan el
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engine hood. This
prevents the water drain holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from enter ing
the vehicle interior through the heating and
vent ilat ion ducts.
Co rro sio n protect ion
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the factory.
Good anti -corrosion treatment is very impor­
tant, partic ularly in the winter.
If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and p lenum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage.
At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
shou ld be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease remov ing solutions
1> , or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­
s ion treatment is almost always removed as
well.
It i s therefo re essentia l to have a long­
lasti ng cor rosion pro tect ion reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before work ing in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
c>page 194.
- Before reaching into the front plenum
panel, a lways remove the ignit ion key.
187
•
•

names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hang ing th e engin e oil
The engine oil and oi l filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (kilomete rs) and
time inte rva ls specified in yo ur vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive eng ine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inter ­
va ls is so very important because the lubricat ­
ing properties of oi l decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author­
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oi l
should even be changed more frequently.
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when you use your veh icle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
l ong periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing for a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often than
r ecommended.
D amage or ma lf u nction s du e to lac k of
ma int enance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasolin e engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diese l engi ne). Yo ur
L im ited New Vehicle Warra nty does not cover
damage or ma lfunctions due to failure to fol­
l ow recommended maintenance and use re­
quirements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance book let.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover­ age un less you present to the dea ler proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that a ll
Checking and fillin g 199
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
· Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade ­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to prov ide effective lubrication and
cooling o f inte rna l engine components, all in ­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change sign ificantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
Q page 169) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they consume after o il
consump tion has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oi l con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature a nd road conditions. Further fac ­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from wa ter
condensation or fue l residue and the oxida ­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mi leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or spec ified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the oil lev­
el, see
Not e.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
Ill! lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
with the oil dipstick q page 200 . Top off the
o il at your earliest conven ience
Q page 200.
&_ WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed al l
WARNI NGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 194 .
•
•

244 Fuses and bulbs
Fuse Location, Instrument Panel left
Fuses which can be replaced.
Fig. 191 Cockp it driver 's s ide: fuse pane l layout
Note that the following table is accurate at
the time of going to pr ess and i s subject to
change . In the event of d iscrepancies, the la­
bel on the in side of the cover always take s
pr eceden ce .
The power seats are protected by circuit
break ers,
which automatically reset after a
few seconds after the ove rload has been rem­
ed ied .
Equipment
Manua l head light beam ad­
justment, a utomat ic head­
light beam adjustment, AFS
1 co ntrol m odule, engine
components, light switch
(switch lighting/illumina­
ti on), diagnosis socke t
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
Automatic transmission,
control module for CAN data
transfer (gateway), electro­
mechanical steering, shift
gate automatic transmis­
sion, fuel tank control unit,
engine control unit, brakes
control (A BS), Electronic
Stabili zation Program (ESP) ,
Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR)
Air bag
Air-conditioning (pressure
sensor, air quality sensor), button for Electronic Stabili ­
zation Program (ESP), Anti ­
Slip Regulat ion
(ASR), tire
pressure monitor display, oil
level senso r, back-up ligh t
s w itch, front se at he ati ng ,
p ark ing aid, sea t-occupancy
recognition (on USA vehi ­
cles), garage door opener,
automa tic mirror dimming,
headlight assistant, heated
windshield washer nozzles, air conditioning (control
module)
AFS headlights ( left si de)
AFS headlights (right side) Instr ument cluster
Navigation system, radio
system
1 0 digital
radio, cell phone, TV
equipment
11 Automatic mirror dimming,
headlight assistant
12 Central lock ing (front doors)
Central locking ( rear doors)
Amps
10
10
5
5
5
5
5
15
7 ,5
10
10
10

No. Equ ipment
Electronic Stabilization Pro-
14
gram (ESP) (control mod-
u le), shift gate automatic
transmission
15 Interior lights, reading
lights
Diagnostic connector, rain
sensor, air conditioning
16 (control module), t
ire pres-
sure monitor d isplay (con-
trol module)
I 17
Anti-theft alarm warning
system
18 D iagnose Starter
19 All Wheel D rive
20 Audi magnetic ride
Blower fan
23
Driver's
side power window,
front
24 Power outlet front
2S Rear window defogger
26 Power outlet in luggage
compartment
27 Fuel tank control module,
fuel pump
28 Power window, rear
33 Slidi ng/pop-up roof
36 Lumbar support
37 Heated sea ts, front
1 38
Passenger side power win-
dow, front
39 Specia l func tion interface
40 Starter
41 Rear window wiper
43 Body control module
47
Ce ll phone package (V OA in-
terface)
Automatic circuit breakers:
10
10
10
5
5
10
40
30
20
30
20
15
30
20 10
20
30
5
40
15
20 5
The electri c power w in dows and the e lectr ic
seat adjusters are pro tected with circu it
breake rs which reset automatically after the
circuit overload has been corrected.
Fu se s and bulb s 245
@ Tips
-Whenever rep lacing a fuse, always con­
sult the sticker on the inside of the f use
pane l cover. It contains the most up-to­
date information regarding the fuse ar­
rangement. If in doubt, ask your author­
ized Aud i Service adviso r.
- Some of the equipment items listed are
opt ional or only available on certa in
mode l configurations.
Fuse location, left side of engine
compartment
Fig . 192 En gine compar tment : fuse assig nment
,._
-d. a, a>
Check the fuse layout with the f use panel cov­
er removed
¢ page 243, Fuse cover in engine
comportment.
Some of the equipmen t items listed are op­
tiona l or only ava ilab le on certain model con ­
figurations.
Please note tha t the preced ing tab le was ac­
c u rate at the time of pr int ing and is subject to
c h ange.
No. Equipment
F2 Engine compone nts
F3 Battery voltage ESP valves, Anti-lock brake
F4 system (ABS) valves
Transmission control mod­
F5 ule
F6 Steering wheel e lectronics
Amps
20
5
20
15
s

246 Fuses and bulbs
I
I
I
No. Equipment
FlO Engine control module,
main relay
Control module for CAN da­
F12 ta transfer (gateway)
F13 Engine control module (die­
sel engine/gasoline engine)
Fl 4 Engine components (diesel
engine), ignition coils
FlS
F16
F17
F18 Preheating control module/
engine component, tank di­
agnosis, oxygen sensor
Body control module (right)
Horn
Audio amplifier
Flg Front windshield wiper sys­
tem
F 2 0
Water pump/volume regula­
tor valve
F22
F23
F24
F25
F26 Oxygen sensor (diesel en­
gine/gasoline engine)/vac­
uum pump
C
lutch pedal switch, brake
light switch
Engine relay, water pump/
engine components/volume regulator valve
Eng ine components, water
pump
Pump (ESP/ABS), ABS valve
Body control module (left)
-Amps
5/10
5
15,20,
25/30
20
5/10 30 15
--30
30
10/15, 20
10/15 /20
5
5/10
/15
10
40
-·-- --·-
30
40
F27 Secondary
air pump, pre-
heating control module
__ , ..
F29 Fuse assignment in the left­
side instrument pane l (spe-
cia l equipment)
Power supply relay terminal
15 so
so
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace burned
out bulbs for you.
It is becoming increasingly more and more
difficult to replace vehicle light bulbs since in
many cases, other parts of the car must first
be removed before you are able to get to the
bulb. This applies especially to the light bulbs
in the front of your ca r which you can only
reach through the engine compartment.
Sheet metal and bulb holders can have sharp
edges that can cause serious cuts, and parts
must be cor rectly taken apart and then prop­
erly put back together to help prevent break­
age of parts and long term damage from wa ­
ter that can enter housings that have not been
properly re sea led.
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dea ler replace any bulbs
for you, since your dealer has the proper tools,
the correct bulbs and the expertise.
Gas discharge lamp s (Xenon lights)*:
Due to the high e lectr ica l voltage, have the
bulbs replaced by a qualified techn ic ian.
Head lights with Xenon light can be identified
by the high voltage sticker.
_& WARNING ~
Contact with high-vo ltage components of
the electrical system and improper re­
placement of gas discharge (Xenon) head­
light bulbs can cause serious personal in­
jury and death.
- Xenon bulbs are pressur ized and can ex­
plode when being changed.
- Changing Xenon lamps requires the spe­
cial tra ining, instructions and equip­
ment.
- On ly an authorized Audi dealer or other
qualified workshop should change the bulbs in gas discharge lamps .

Index 265 ____________________________ ...:.:..:.=.:::.::.:
AUTO
Climate controls .. ..... ... .. .. .. .... 81
Sw itching on .... ........ ... .. .. .. .. 81
When should I use AUTO? ............ 81
Automatic air recircu lation ............ 82
Automatic belt retractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Automatic car wash
refer to Washing .................. 179
Automatic t ransmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
D riving Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Emergency program ... ... .. .. .. .. . 10 1
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Ignition key safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Kick-down .. ... .......... .. .. .. ... 101
Launch Contro l Program ..... .. .. .. . 101
Selector lever lock .................. 97
Selector lever pos it ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Tiptroni c con trols on the steering
wheel . .. .. .... ............. .. .. . 100
Automatic Transmission
Automatic T ransm ission ....... .. .. .. 99
Auto Safety Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Average fue l m ileage ................. 26
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Avoid damaging the vehicle . ... .. .. .. . 17 1
B
Battery . .. .. ................. .. .. . 20 7
charging ... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 209
Disconnecting and connecting . ... .. . 207
Important warn ings when working on
the battery . ............. .... .. ... 208
Low . .... .. .. .. ........... ....... 167
Replacing the batte ry ...... ... .. .. . 210
State of charge .................... 167
W inte r operation .......... ...... .. 207
Wo rking on t he battery ............. 208
Battery voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
B efore driving . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 103
B lended gasoline . .......... ...... .. 189
Body cavity sealing .................. 183
B ooste r seats .. ........... .. .. .. ... 1 51
Brake assistant ............. ...... .. 165
Brake booster .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 164 Brake fluid
Changing the bra ke fluid ..... ... .. .. 206
Check ing the brake fluid level . ... .. .. 206
Reservoir . .. .. .. ................. 206
What is the correct brake fluid level? .. 206
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? .. .. .. ..... ... .. 206
Brake pads . ... .. .. .. .. .. ...... ... .. 169
B rake system ....................... 206
An ti-l ock b rake syste m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
B rake fluid .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 206
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re-
placement .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 206
Brake light defective ................ 21
General information ............... 163
How does moistu re or road salt affect the
brakes? .......... ................ 163
Malfunction ..... .. ................ 15
Wa rning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 15
Wor n bra ke pads s ymbol ............ . 19
Break-in per iod .. .. .... ....... ...... 169
B rake pads ....................... 169
T ires 169
Bul bs ............................. 246
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ... .. 195
Battery specific . ... .. ...... ... .. .. 209
Capaci ties ......................... 257
Car care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Plastic and vinyl .. .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 181
Care of exterior .. ...... ............. 178
Cargo a rea
refer to L oading the l uggage compa rt-
ment ... .. .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 109
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Cata lytic converter .............. .... 170
Center armres t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Cent igrade
Switching between Centig rade and Fah-
renhe it . ..... ...... ....... ........ 83
Central locking
panoramic sliding sunroof closing .. .. . 46
Certif ication .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 262
Chang ing a flat t ire ... . .. .. ..... ... .. 236
•
•

268 Index
Eme rgency towing ......... .. .. .... . 251
E ne rgy management ........... .. ... 167
Ba ttery power ........... .... .. .. . 168
Dr iver notific ation ...... .. .. .. .. .. . 16 8
Eng ine
4-cylinder diesel (140 hp) ....... .... 197
4-cyl ind er g asoline (200 hp) .. .. .. ... 196
Coolant .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 203
H ood .. ...... ........... .. .. .... . 194
Pr ehea ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Start ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 90
Starting with j umper cab les . ..... .. . 248
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
E ng ine compartmen t ................ 196
Safety instruc tions .......... .. .... . 194
Working in the engine compar tment .. 194
Eng ine coolant system ........... .... 203
Adding coo lant ............ ... .. .. . 204
Chec king coolan t leve l ..... .. .. .... . 204
Che cking the eng ine coolant leve l ..... 204
M alfunct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Radiator fan . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 205
E ng ine coolant temperature
Gauge ... .. ................ ... .. .. 11
Eng ine data .. ............... ...... . 257
Engine fault Warning light .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 20
E ng ine hood
C lo sing .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 194
Release lever . ........... .... .... . 194
Releasing and open ing . ... .. ... ... . 194
Eng ine malfunction (diesel engine)
War ning light ............ .. .. .... .. 20
Eng ine oil . ............... .. .. .... . 197
Adding .. .. ............... .... .. . 200
Addit ives . .. ................ ... ... 200
C hanging .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. . 20 1
Chec king the eng ine o il level .. .. .. .. . 200
Di ese l eng ine ............ .. .. .... . 20 2
I ndications and con ditions req uiring ex-
tra check ing . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 200
Oil consumption .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 199
Oi l grades . .... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 197
Recommended oil check intervals ..... 200
Specification and viscos ity .... .. .... . 197
Specifications Diesel engine .. .... ... 202
Specifications gasoline engine .. .. ... 197
Tempe ratu re d isplay ...... .. .. .. .. . . 31 E
ngine oi l leve l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
E ngine o il pressu re (malfunction) ....... 16
Engine oil sensor defective ............ 20
En gine preheate r .................... 86
C onnect ing . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 86
E ngine speed limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Environment Break-in per iod . .. ............. .... 169
Catalytic converter ............. .... 170
Diesel particulate f ilter ............ . 171
D ispos ing of your veh icle battery ... .. 210
D riv ing at high speeds .............. 172
D riving to minimize pollution and noise 171
F uel ............................. 192
F uel economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Leaks under your vehicle ..... ... .. .. 194
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up . 172
Proper d isposal of drained bra ke fluid . 206
Proper disposal of drained eng ine cool-
ant ............................. 204
Proper d isposal of drained eng ine
o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200, 201
Recycling used engine oil ............ 200
U nleaded fuel . ... ................ . 189
Wha t shou ld I do w ith an o ld b att ery? . 210
EPC
refer to E lect ron ic power co ntrol ... .. . 19
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ........ .... 161
E xh aus t tai l pipes
Cleaning .. .... .. ............. .... 183
Expansion tank .. .. ................ . 204
Exterior mirrors Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Dimming .......................... 54
Heating ........................... 53
F
Fahrenheit
Switching between Fa hrenhe it and Centi-
grade ....... .... .... ........... .. 83
F an
Adjusting the fan speed ...... .... . .. . 83
Climate controls ............... .. .. . 83
Radiator ......................... 205