2012 AUDI A3 check engine

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You will not have the protection ABS provides .
Contact your Audi dealer as soon as pos­
sible.
- USA models: If the - warning light,
the
G! warning light and the m warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels co uld lock up first unde r hard
braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle contro l and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your autho rized Audi dea ler or a quali­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models:
If the brake warn ing
light •• the
DJ warning light and the
ABS warning light
II] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have you r vehicle repaired immed i­
a tely by your authori zed A udi dealer or a
qualified workshop . Dr ive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
{0) Worn brake pads
Ei] Che ck b rake pads!
If t h e war ning light illum inates, immediately
con tact your au thori zed A udi dealer o r quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed . On USA models the warning light
Ei]
comes on together with the warning light
- · Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury .
- If the warning light
Ei] and the warning
light -
1l with the message Brake
pads!
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au-
1 ) - : USA mod els only
thorized A udi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
(D Tire pressure monitoring system -
telltale indicator lamp
The warning/indicator light appears in the
event of a significant loss of air pressure.
The tl]warning/indicator light illuminates for
a few seconds after the ignition is turned on
as function check and then goes out .
If the
ti] symbol appears, pressure is too low
in at least one tire.
When the system detects a mal function, the
warning/indicator light will f las h for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain continu­
o us ly ill uminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle starts up as long as
the malfunction exists . Contact your author­
ized Audi dealer and have the ma lfunct ion
corrected .
For more information
q page 230.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warning/indicator light (E lectronic
Power Contro l) illuminates when you switch
on the ignition as a function check.
(D Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while yo u are driving, then there is a mal­
funct ion in the engine e lectronics. Have
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos­
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop .
~ Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
Ill>

20 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
The symbol lll lights up when the ignition is
turned on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has sett led at constant idle
speed. This indicates that the MIL is working
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine e lectronic system .
Contact your authori zed Audi dealer and have
the malfunction corrected .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
¢page 192.
F or more information ¢ page 24.
W Glow plug system I Engine
malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with diesel eng ine
The indicator lamp lights up to show that the
glow plugs ore preheating. It flashes if there is an engine malfunction.
Warning light II stays lit up
If the II indicator light illuminates, the g low
p lug system is active. You shou ld start the en ­
gine immediately after the indicator light
switches off. The indicator light on ly illumi­
nates for approximately 1 second if the en­
gine is warm or if the outside temperature is
above 46 QF (8 QC) .
There is a fau lt in the glow plug system if the
warning light
II does not light up when the
engine is
cold . Contact an author ized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop .
II Warning light flashes
If a malfunction develops in the engine man­
agement system while you are driving, the
glow plug light will flash
II . The eng ine
should be checked by an authorized Audi deal­
er or a qualif ied workshop as soon as possible .
A WARNING
If you do not pay attention to the warning
lights that have come on, this could lead
to personal injury or damage to your vehi­
cle.
! 7} Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: with engine speed limitat ion
Ill Do not exceed max. engine speed of XXXX
rpm
The Ill symbol illuminates when there is an
engine control malfunct ion. The ind icator
light~ in the instrument cluster also illumi­
nates. The engine speed is limited to the
speed displayed in the driver information sys­
tem. Keep in mind that the engine speed wi ll
not exceed the val ue displayed in the driver in­
formation system, for example when down­
shifting.
Please go to an authorized Audi dealer or oth­
er qualified workshop to have the malfunction
repaired.
~ .. Checking the engine oil level
When the II symbol illum inates, check the
engine oil level as soon as possible
¢ page 200 . Top off the oil at your earliest
opportunity ¢page 200.
II Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If the II symbol comes on, add 1 quart (1 li­
ter) of oil at the next opportunity
¢ page 200.
• ~m Engine oil sensor defective
If the Ill symbol illuminates, contact your
authorized Aud i dealer and have the oil sensor
inspected .
0 Battery voltage low
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability.
If this message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving .

22 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
When this symbo l ml illuminates, it means
that Adaptive Light is defective. Go to a quali­
fied workshop to have the headlights or the
control unit for the Adaptive L ight repaired.
@, o Light/rain sensor defective
App lies to vehicles: with automat ic headlights
The indicator light indicates a defect in the
automatic headlights/automatic wiper sys ­
tem .
If the symbo l illuminates, the light sensor has
failed. For safety reasons , the low beams are
turned on permanently with the switch in
AU­
TO . However, you can continue to turn the
lights on and off using the light switch . In the
case of a defect in the rain sensor , the w ind­
sh ield wiper lever functions are st ill available .
H ave the light/ra in sensor checked as soon as
possible at an authorized Audi dealer.
; Audi magnetic ride
Appl ies to vehicles: with Audi magnetic ride
The indicator light monitors vehicle damping.
The indicator light E illuminates when the ig­
nition is switched on as a function check.
@ Tips
If the indicator lamp illuminates while you
are driving, there is a malfunct ion in the
veh icle damping. The chass is should be in­
spected immediately by an authorized Au­
di dealer.
~ Diesel particulate filter clogged
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine and diesel particu­
late fi lter
1/1 Particulate filter ! See owner's manual
If the indicator light II in the instrument
cluster comes on, the diesel particulate filter has become blocked with soot as the result of
constant short-distance driving. When the
II symbol illuminates, you can alter your
driving style to assist the filter self-clean ing
p rocess. Drive for approximately 15 minutes
in 4th or 5th gear (automatic transmission with the se
lector lever in the S position) at a
minimum speed of 37 mph (60 km/h) and an
engine speed of approx imately 2,000 RPM .
The temperature increase that will result from
this can burn off the soot in the filter. The
symbol will switch off when the cleaning is
successful. After a successful cleaning, there
is no need to bring the car to an authorized
dealer or qualified workshop because this is
part of normal vehicle operation .
If the symbol
DI does not switch off, see
your autho rized dea ler or other qualified
workshop to have the problem corrected .
As long as the indicator light
11!1 remains on
(diesel part iculate filte r plugged), you ca n ex­
pect increased fuel consumption and possibly
also a loss of engine performance.
For more information on the diesel particu­
late filter, refer to~
page 171 .
A WARNING ,__
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic conditions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order
to follow driving recommendations .
¢ ¢Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left B or the right fl
turn s ignal, the indicato r light blinks . When
you use the emergency f lasher, both indicator
lights flash.
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­
mal.
Additional information on the turn s ignals
Q page SO.
CRUISE/ vf Cruise control
T he
(ijjll j~i~ (USA models)/. (Canada models)
warning/indicator light illuminates when the
cruise control is activated .

Driver information
display
Introduction
Introduction
The Driver information display inside the in­
strument cluster provides you, the driver,
with important information.
Fig. 6 Instr ument cluster: ce nte r dis play
Fig. 7 Wiper lever: controls fo r the menu d ispl ay
Center display
With the ignition on, the display in the Dr iver
Information System shows the fo llowing in­
formation:
- CD* inserted or Radio* station set
- Outs ide temperature*: At temperatures be-
low 41 °F (+5 °C), a snowflake symbol ap­
pears in front of the temperature display
¢_&. .
-Warning: front lid, door or eng ine compart­
ment lid open: The disp lay appears if the
door, the engine compartment lid or front
lid is not closed.
- Warning: close fue l tank cap: The Driver in­
formation disp lay indicates when the filler
cap is not secured or missing c>
page 192.
Driver information display 23
Additional functions
You can open the following functions in the
Driver Information System display by pressing
the
I RESETI button ¢ fig. 7 one or more times:
Trip computer Digital speedometer *
Menu display
¢page25
¢page27
The speed warning system is also displayed in
the Driver Information System. You can read
how to set it inc>
page 31.
Efficiency program
The efficiency program can help you to use
les s fuel
c> page 29.
Auto Check Control
Some f unctions and veh icle components are
scanned for their operating status when you
switch the ignition on and while you are driv ­
ing. Malfunctions or required service proce­
dures are s ignaled audibly and indicated by
red and yellow illuminated symbols and re­
minders in the display
¢page 13.
A WARNING
- Never rely exclusively on the outside
temperature display to determine if a
road surface is icy or not . Keep in mind
that road surfaces, especially bridges
and overpasses, could be ice covered and
slippery even at an outside temperature
above 41 °F (+S °C).
- Always remember, even if the "snow­
f lake" symbo l (ice warning) does not ap­
pear in the display, black ice could be on
the road.
- Always reduce your speed and drive with
special care in cold weather conditions
when the chance of encountering icy
road surfaces increases.
(D Tips
-If the vehicle is stationary, or if you are
driving at a very low speed, the tempera­
ture shown in the display might be
slightly h igher than the actual outside .,,.

24 Driver information d isplay
temperature. This is caused by the heat
being radiated from the engine .
- On vehicles with S tronic, the reminders
do not appear in the display until you se­
l ect a gear .
- On vehicles with Audi Navigation sys­
tem*, the displays may differ from their
norma l appearance during navigation.
Gearshift recommendation
App lies to vehicles: with gearshift ind icator and manual
transmiss ion
This indicator can help conserve fuel.
Fig. 8 Gears hi ft recommenda tion
In order to become familiar with the gearshift
indicator, begin driving as usual.
If the current
gear is not the best one for conserving fuel,
the indicator will display the recommended
gear . The display shows the current gear and
the recommended gear
c:> fig . 8 .
- Upshift ing: The display is to the right of the
current gear if a
higher gear is recommend­
ed .
-Downshift ing: The display is to the left of
the current gear if a
lower gear is recom­
mended .
Sometimes the ind icator w ill recommend
skipping a gear (3..,. 5).
(D Note
This indicator should help you conserve
fue l. It is not designed to recommend the
correct gear in all driving situations. Only
the dr iver can dec ide which gear is correct
in certa in driving situations such as when
accelerating or dr iving on h ills.
(D Tips
- The display switches off when the clutch
peda l is pressed.
- Gear shift recommendation can be deac­
tivated in the driver information system
c:>page 27.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 9 Locat ion of Data Link Connector (DLC)
On-Boa rd Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your em iss ion control system. Each
controlled component in your engine system
has been assigned a code . In case of a mal ­
function, the component wi ll be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memory.
The MIL lamp may a lso illuminate if there is a
leak in the on-board fuel vapor recovery sys­
tem. If the light illuminates after a refuelling,
pull off the road and stop the vehicle, then
check that the fuel filler cap is properly closed
c:> page 192.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can only be displayed using spe ­
cial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for 080) .
In order to connect the special diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (DLC). The DLC is located to the
right of the engine hood release lever
c:> fig. 9.
Your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service station can interpret the code and per ­
form the necessary repair.

-All stored va lues wi ll be lost if the veh i­
cle battery is disconnected.
Menu display
Introduction
F ig . 12 Wiper lever: Controls for the men u display
Fig . 13 Display: Sta rt me nu
Some functions in your vehicle can be set, ac­
tivated, and controlled by
Men us). With these
menus you can also select the information
shown in the driver information system, which
operates only with the ignition switched on .
Operation is contro lled by the
I Reset I button
and the rocker switch on the wiper lever
¢fig. 12.
The
S tart m enu shows you the different dis ­
play types:
Se t
Ch eck
M enu off
Each display type in the Start menu contains a
submenu with additiona l opt ions .
Set
-Check
Menu off
Dri ver inform ation di spl ay 2 7
Clock
¢ page28
Computer
¢page28
Speed a larm (speed warning)
¢ page32
Language (7 languages)
¢page28
Units (distance, fuel consump­
tion, temperature)
¢page28
Displays (gearshift recommen­
dation)
¢page24
Lighting* (exterior lights, turn
signals)
¢ page48
¢page 50
Wiper (service position)
¢page57 Doors (unlocking and locking
mode, for example Auto Lock)
¢ page 36,
¢ page37
Service
¢page30
Chass is number*
¢ page255
-Engine oil temperatu re*
¢page 31
-Registered keys
¢ page34
All of the messages shown in
vehicles without menu display
appear on the display screen.
.
I

34 Openin g and clo sing
Opening and closing
Keys
Key set
Fig . 25 Key set
The key set for your vehicle includes:
@ two master keys (press the re­
l ease button
~ page 35,
fig. 26 to fold and unfold the
master key)
@ one valet key
@ M as ter ke y wit h remo te control
You can centrally lock and unlock your vehicle
and start the engine with the master key with
remote control. The rear lid can be unlocked
with the remote control unlock button
c:::::5 on
the master key.
@Valet ke y
The valet key fits only the driver's door and
the ignition lock. If you have to leave the key
with somebody else, you are well-advised to turn over the valet key only .
Be aware that the rear lid can be opened from
inside the vehicle with the remote rear lid re­
lease
c:::::5 located in the dr iver's door .
Key replac em ent
If you lose a key , contact your authorized A udi
dealer immediately to have the
lost key disa­
b led. Be sure to bring all your keys with you.
Re gister ed keys
You can check to find out how many remote
keys have been registered to your vehicle.
Therefore, when buying a used vehicle, make sure to get all of the remote keys that belong
to it .
Calling up the reg istered remote keys
~page 27.
An example of a poss ible d isplay: 3/2 . The
first digit indicates how many keys have been
coded for your vehicle. The second digi t indi­
cates the current number of remote keys that
are registered . For our example, this wou ld
mean that
2 keys have been enabled for your
vehicle, and that, for example, one key has been lost .
If one key has been lost, contact an a uthor ­
ized Audi dealership to have the function
locked for
this key. A lso inform your insurance
company that this key is lost.
A WARNING
-
-Do not leave your vehicle unattended
wit h the key in the ignition lock . Entry by
unauthorized persons could endanger
you or result in theft or damage the vehi­ cle. A lways loc k all doors and take the
key .
- Do not leave ch ildren unattended in the
veh icle, especially with access to vehicle
keys. Unguarded access to the keys pro­
vides children the opportunity to start
the engine and/or activate vehicle sys­
tems such as the power windows. Unsu­perv ised operation of any vehicle system
by children can result in serious injury.
(D Tips
- If you open the driver's door with the key
left in the ignition lock, a chime wi ll
sound. Th is is your rem inder to remove
the key and lock the door.
- For security reasons, rep lacement keys
are only ava ilable from authorized Audi
dealers.

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>