2012 AUDI A3 spare tire

234 What do I do now ?
What do I do now?
Jack, tools and spare
wheel
Jack and tools
The tools and jack are stored underneath the
floor panel in the luggage compartment.
Fig . 178 Floor panel hung on the bottom of the lug­
gage compartment cover
Fig. 179 Vehicle tool kit and jack
~ Raise the floor panel w ith the loop.
~ Hang the loop on the underside of the lug-
gage compartment cover
Q fig. 178.
~ Remove the too l kit or the jac k.
The onboard tool kit incl udes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdriver w ith reve rsible blade
- T owing eye
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
After u se , th e jack and tool s mu st be put
b ac k in pl ace under nea th t he floo r pan el in
t he luggag e comp artmen t.
Note: some of the on -board items listed
above are provided on certain mode ls only or
are optiona l extras.
A WARNING
-Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries.
- Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle
will damage the bumper system. The
jack may slip, caus ing injury.
- Never support your vehicle on c inder
b locks, br icks or other objects. These
may not be able to support the load and
could cause injury when they fail.
- Never start or run the eng ine while the
veh icle is supported by the jack.
- If you must work under the veh icle, al­
ways use safety stands specifically de­ signed fo r th is purpose.
- Never try and use the hexagonal socket
in the handle of the screwdriver to loos­
en or tighten the whee l bolts.
- Always make sure the spare tire and even
a flat tire are secured in place and not
loose, otherwise they cou ld fly forward,
causing pe rsonal i njury to passengers in
the vehicle in an accident or sudden ma­
neuver.
- Neve r use the ja ck supplied with your Au­
d i on another vehicle, particularly on a
heav ier one. The jack is only s uitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
Compact spare wheel
Applies to veh icles: w ith compact spare whee l
The compact spare wheel is only intended to
be used for a short time.
Fig . 180 Compact spare wheel in the wheel well

You will find the compact spare wheel under
the floor in the luggage compartment . It is
secured w ith a large nut.
Using the compact spare wheel
The compact spa re wheel is only intended for
emergenc ies until you can reach a repair shop .
Replace i t as quickly as possible with a normal
wheel.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare wheel~ &. . The compact spare
wheel has been developed especially for your
type of vehicle . It must not be exchanged for
the compact spare whee l from another type of
vehicle.
Normal summer or winter tires must not be
installed on the compact spare whee l rim.
Snow chains
For technica l reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare wheel is
n ot permitted .
If you do have to dr ive w ith snow cha ins and
have a t ire failure on a
front wheel, insta ll the
spa re wheel in place of a rear wheel. Install
the snow chains on the rear wheel and use it
to replace the defective front whee l.
Using the spare wheel
The spare wheel is only intended for emergen­
cies until you can reach a repair shop. Replace
it as qu ickly as possib le with a no rmal wheel.
There are some restrict ions on the use of a
spare wheel
Q &. . The spare wheel has been
developed especially for your type of vehicle.
It m ust not be exchanged for the spare whee l
from anot her type of vehicle.
Normal summer or winter tires must not be
i nstalled on the spare wheel rim.
Snow t ires
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the spare whee l is
not p erm itte d.
If you do have to drive with snow chains and
have a t ire failure on a
front wheel, insta ll the
spare wheel in place of a rear wheel. Install
What do I do now? 235
the snow chains on the rear whee l and use it
to replace the defective front wheel.
A WARNING -
A lways store jacking equipment, spare
wheel in the luggage compartment. Tight­
en screw for the spare wheel secure ly. Un­
der no circumstances should you store the
spa re wheel o r jack and tools unsecured in
the passenger compartment . This could
cause ser ious persona l inju ry to passen­
gers in the veh icle in case of a collision .
- The compact spare tire is for temporary
use only and is so marked on the side­
walls .
- Do not dr ive at speeds exceeding SO mph
(80 km/h) wi th the compact spare whee l
mounted . A lso rapid acce lerat ion, ha rd
braking and hard cornering must be
avoided to he lp prevent loss of vehicle
contro l.
- Any continuous road use of the compact
spare tire may result in tire failure, loss
of vehicle control and injury to vehicle
occupants.
- Do not put a snow chain on your compact
spare tire. Due to the smaller t ire size,
the chain will not fit properly and can
thus damage your vehicle. You cou ld also
lose the chain, as well as contro l of the
veh icle .
- If you have a flat front t ire in road condi­
tions which require snow chains, first re­
move the undamaged rea r whee l and
mount the compact spare wheel in its
place. Then remove the damaged front
wheel, take the snow cha ins off it and at­
tach them to the whee l taken from the
rear. This wheel can now be mounted on
the front with its snow chains. Check and
adjust t ire pressure promptly .
- Never use two or more compact spare
tires at the same time.
(D Note
When using the compact spare wheel, note the fo llowing: •
•

236 What do I do now?
-After installing the compact spare wheel,
the tire inflation pressure should be
checked and, if necessary, increased to
60 psi (4.2 bar).
- The load carrying capacity is marked on
the tire sidewalls and must not be ex ­
ceeded.
- After installing the compact spare wheel,
make sure that you remount the flat tire
in its storage area properly.
- The compact spare tire should be proper­
ly remounted in its storage area as soon
as the standard road tire can be re­ placed .
- Because the compact spare tire was spe­
cifically designed for your vehicle, it must not be used on any other vehicle .
Likewise, compact spare wheels from
other vehicles must not be used on your
vehicle.
- The compact spare tire must not be
mounted on any other wheels, nor must
standard tires, snow tires, wheel covers
or trim rings be used with the compact
spare wheel. If such use is attempted,
damage to these items or other vehicle
components may occur .
(D Tips
Check the inflation pressure of the com­
pact spare tire (60 psi/4.2 bar) periodically
to keep the tire ready for use.
Wheel change
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
.. After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop c:> ,&. .
.. All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)
c:> _&. .
.. Apply the parking brake firmly c:> _&. .
.. Move selector lever to position Pon an au­
tomatic transmission ; put manual transmis­
sion in
first gear c:> _&..
.. If you are towing a trailer : unhitch the trail­
e r from your vehicle.
.. Take the
tool and the spare tire c:> page 234
out of the luggage compartment .
.&, WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flasher on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe place away from the vehicle and well
away from the roadway and traffic .
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac ­
ing the automatic transmission in "P"
(Park) , or engaging a gear in a manual
transmission will
not prevent the vehicle
from moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the spare wheel, make
sure that you remount the flat tire/wheel
in its storage area properly and tighten
the knurled retaining screw securely.
Changing a wheel
-
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and ex­
actly in that order .
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For
more details see also
c:> page 23 7, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or c:> page 238,
Wheels with cap-covered wheel bolts.

2. Loosen the w hee l bol ts ¢ page 238.
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢ page 239.
4. Lift the car with the jack¢ page 239.
5. Take the flat wheel off and then put the
spare on
¢ page 240 .
6. Tighten all wheel bo lts light ly .
7 .
Low er the veh icle w ith the jack.
8 . Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firml y
tighten all whee l bolts ¢ page 238.
9. Put the decorative wh eel cov er* back on.
A WARNING -
Always read and head all WARNINGS and
information
¢ A in Raising the vehicle on
page 240
and ¢ page 241.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
following actions .
.. Store and secu re the replaced wheel in the
spare wheel we ll.
.. Put the tool case and the jack back in place
in the luggage compartment .
.. Check the
tir e pres su re on the spare wheel
immediately after mounting it .
.. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torqu es
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
.. Have the flat tire
repl aced as soon as possi ­
ble.
@ Tips
- If yo u n otice wh ile chang ing a tire tha t
the wheel bo lts a re cor roded and diffi ­
cult to turn, then they should be re­ placed before you check the tightening
torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked .
What do I do now ? 237
Full wheel covers
App lies to vehicles : with ful l wheel cove rs
T he wheel covers must be removed to access
the wheel bolts.
Remo val
.. Pull the full whe el cover off manua lly.
Installation
.. First press the full w hee l cover on to the rim
a t the cut-o ut prov ided for the va lve . Then
engage the outer edge of the
full wheel cov ­
er
in the steel rim.
Decorative wheel covers
App lies to vehicles: with decorat ive w hee l covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 181 Whee l cha nge : removing the whee l cover
Remo ving
.. Insert the hook provided with the on board
tool kit into the hole on the center hub
piece.
.. Pull off the
decorati ve wh eel cover
¢ fig . 181 .

A WARNING ,~ -
When removing or install ing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam­
age the rotor. Work ca refully and have a
second p erson help yo u.
@ Tips
Never try and use the hexagonal socket in
the hand le of the screwdrive r to loosen or
tighten the whee l bolts .
- Pull the reversib le blade from the screw­
drive r bef ore yo u use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to t urn t he whee l
bo lts.
- When mounting tires with
unidirectional
tread design
make su re the tread pat­
te rn is pointed the rig ht way
¢ page 241.
-The wheel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn. Che ck for dirt and corro sio n on
t he mat ing surf aces of both the whee l
and the h ub. Remove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before remo unt ing the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidire ctional tread de sign must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in
the right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a spare tire wit h a tread pa tte rn
intended for use in a specific direction , pl ease
note the following:
- The direc tion o f rota tion is marked by an a r­
r ow on the side o f the tire.
- If the spare tire has to be i nst alled in the in ­
correct di rection in the even t of a flat tire,
use the spare tire on ly tempo rari ly since the
tire will not be ab le to ac hieve its opt imum
per formance characterist ics w ith regard to
aquapla ning, no ise and wear.
- We recommend that particular attent ion be
paid to this fact dur ing wet weather and
t h at you adjust your speed to matc h road
co ndit io ns.
What do I do now? 241
- Replace the flat ti re with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the hand ling advantages
of a properly pointed direction-dependent
tire .
Notes on wheel change
Please read the informat ion ¢ page 223, New
tires and r eplacing tires and wheels
if yo u a re
go ing to use a spa re tire w hich is different
from the ti res on yo ur vehicle.
After you change a tire :
-Check the tire pressu re on the spare imme­
diately after mounting.
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualifi ed service station.
- On steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are cor rectly tightened with a torque
of 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
- If you notice while changing a tire that the
wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to
turn, then they should be replaced befor e
you check the tightening torque .
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your veh icle as soon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then, dr ive with e xtra care and at re­
duced speeds .
A WARNING
-If you are go ing to e quip your vehicle
wit h tires o r rims whi ch differ from those
whi ch were fac tory inst alled, then be
sure to re ad the inform ation ¢
page 223,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always ma ke sure the damage d wheel o r
even a fla t tire an d the jack and tool ki t
are prope rly secu red in the luggage com­
partment and are not loose in the pas­
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
could fly forwa rd, injuring anyone in the
veh icle.
•
•

-If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the whee ls on the ground, always
make sure the vehicle is on level ground,
that the wheels are always secu rely
blocked and tha t the eng ine cannot be
started.
- Always make sure the transm ission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Pa rk position) (a utomat ic trans­
mission) or Neutral (manual transmis­
sion) and the hand brake is fi rm ly ap­
plied.
@, For the sake of the environment
- Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad­
versely affect em ission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fue l cons umption.
- Always obse rve env ironmental regula­
tions when d ispos ing of old engine oil,
used b rake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn out tires .
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
rate Mate rial -special handling may ap­
ply, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardous­
waste/perchlorate. When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing
airbag modules safety belts with preten­
s ioners are scrapped, all appl icable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
autho rized Audi dea le r i s familiar w ith
these req uirements and we recommend
that yo u have your dea le r perform this
service for you.
Additional accessories, modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories .
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety de­
sign features ensuring a high standard of ac­
tive and passive safety .
Consumer In formation 26 1
This safety could be compromised by non-ap ­
proved changes to the vehicle . For this reason,
if parts have to be replaced, please observe
the following points when installing add ition­
al accessories:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are available from authorized Audi deal­
ers.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the parts and accessories properly .
_& WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts non-approved
accessories can cause damage to the vehi­
cle and serious personal injury.
- Use on ly accessories expressly approved
by Audi and genu ine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve­
hicle.
- Never install accessor ies such as tele­
phone cradles or beverage ho lders on air­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones. Do ing so will increase the
ris k of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
<:!)page 187.
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used o r if repair wo rk is not
performed accord ing to specified meth­
ods, this can resu lt in severe damage to
your vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adve rsely affect yo ur vehi­
cle 's warranty.
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealership as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occ urs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
•

274 Index
Occupants . ...... ..... ... .. .. .... . 104
Rear passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Seats Number of seats ....... .. .. .. .. .. . 113
Selector lever pos it ions
Automatic transm ission . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Service and disposal Safety belt pretensioner ... .. .. .... . 120
Service interval d isp lay .... .. .. .. .. .. . . 30
Service pos ition for w indshie ld w ipers ... 57
Set menu ..... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 28
Sett ing
D ate display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Di gita l clock ........... .. .. .. .. .. .. 11
Side airbags Descr ipt ion . ..... ......... ... .. .. . 137
H ow they work ........... .. .. .... . 139
Side curta in a irbags ........ .. .. .... . 140
Descr ipt ion .............. .. .. .. .. . 140
H ow they work ............ ... .. ... 141
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Side marker lights ........... .. .... .. 47
Ski sack . .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. .. 70
Snow chains ........... .... ... .. .. . 228
Sockets ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 75
Sound system Rep lacing .... ........... .. .. .. .. . 262
Sound system display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Sources of in format ion about child re -
straints and their use .. ... .. .. .. .... . 160
Spare tire .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 234
Spare wheel
refer to Spare t ire .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 234
Speedometer . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 12
Speed rat ing letter code . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 224
Speed warn ing system ...... .. .. .. .. . . 31
S tart ing assistance ......... .. .. .... . 249
Starting on hills Hill hold assist ............ ... .. .. .. 92
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 90
What should I do if the eng ine does not
start? . .. ... ... .... ..... .. .. .. .. .. 90
Steel wheels .. .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 182 Stee
ring . ... .... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. . 88
Locking the steering . .. ..... ... .. .. . 89
also refer to Electro-mechan ica l power
ass ist .... .... .. ............. 17,165
Stee ring wheel col umn
Adjusting ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 88
Steps for determin ing correct load limit. 221
Stopping the eng ine ............. .... . 91
Storage .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. .. . 7S
Compartments in the door trims ... .. . 77
C up ho lder rear center armrest ... .. .. . 74
G love compartment .... ..... ... .. .. . 76
Small objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Storage comp artment
Increas ing s ize ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 67
S tronic ...... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 96
Driving Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
E mergen cy prog ram ........... .... 101
Ki ck-down . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 101
Launch Control Program ..... ... .. .. 101
Se lector lever lock . .... ..... ... .. .. . 97
Se lector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Tiptronic .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. 100
Tiptronic controls on the steering
wheel .... .... ................... 100
Su n blind ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 53
Sun roof
refer to pano ram ic sliding s unroof .. .. . 45
Sun visors .. .... .. ............. .... . 53
Switches Emergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Switching the a ir condit ioner (automatic)
on/off .. .. .... .. ............. .... . 81
Symbols Red symbo ls in the center display ..... . 13
Yellow symbols in the ce nter display 14
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
T ailgate
refer to Rear lid . .... .. ..... ... .. .. . 40
T echnical modifications .......... .... 262
Temperature Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Setting for the dr iver's and front pas-
senger's s ide . ... ... .. .. ... ..... .. . 82