2012 AUDI A3 stop start

92 On the road
On ly afte r th e ve hic le has come to com­
plete stop, shou ld you f irm ly set t he park­
ing b rake and either move the gea rshift
lever into 1st. gear (manual transm iss ion)
or move the selector lever into "P" (Auto­
mat ic transm ission).
Parking
To prevent a parked vehicle from rolling
away, there are a few things you should do.
When you park your ve hicle, do the following:
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Set the parking brake firmly.
• Move the selector lever into the
P position
( automatic transmi ssion ) or move the gear­
shift lever into 1st. gear
( manual t ransmi s­
s ion )<=:> .&,. .
• Switch off the eng ine and remove the igni-
t ion key from the ignit ion lock.
What else you shou ld do when p ark ing
your vehicl e on an incline or decline
Turn the stee ring wheel so that if the vehicle
should start to ro ll, it will roll into the curb.
If you are parking on a
decl ine (the front of
your ve hicle facing downhill), turn the front
wheels to the right so that they point
toward
the curb .
If you are parking on an incline (the font of
your ve hicle facing up hill), turn the front
wheels to the left so that they po int
away
from the curb.
Move the selector lever into the P pos ition
( automatic transmiss ion ) or move the gear­
sh ift lever into 1st . gear
(manua l tran smis­
sion) .
A WARNING
This is how yo u can red uce the risk of i n­
jury whe n leaving your veh icle.
- N ever park the v ehicle whe re it can come
in co ntac t wi th dry grass, sp illed f uel or
any ot her flammable m ater ials.
-
- Never a llow anyone -espec ially sma ll
children -to remain in the veh icle when
it is locked. Locked doors make it more
difficult for rescue rs to access t he pas­
senger compartment in t he event of an
emergency . Danger to life!
- Never leave children unsuperv ised in the
veh icle. Children could release t he pa rk­
i n g b rake or move the gearsh ift leve r out
of gear. The vehicle cou ld start to ro ll
a way an d ca use an acc ident.
- No matte r what the season is, the tem ­
pe rat ure in a par ked veh icle can reach
d angerous leve ls .
Starting on hills
App lies to vehicles : wi th hill ho ld assist
Hill hold assist makes it easier to start on
hills .
Requirement: The dr iver's door m ust be
cl osed, the seat bel t m ust be buckled and the
engine m ust be running.
The system is activated w hen the brake peda l
is dep ressed
for a few se cond s.
After releasing the brake pedal, the brake
power is held for a
brief moment to p revent
the ve hicl e from rolling back when starting. At
t hi s time, you ca n easi ly beg in to move your
vehicle.
A WARNING
= -
- If you di d no t begin moving immed iate ly
after releasing the brake pedal , under
certain ci rcumstances, the vehicle would
begin to ro ll backward. Depress the
brake peda l immediately or engage the
hand brake.
- Sh ould the engine sta ll, depress the
brake peda l immediately or engage the
hand brake .
- In order to prevent the vehicle from roll­
i n g back unintentionally when starting in
stop-and-go traffic, keep the brake pedal
depressed fo r a few seconds before driv-
ing off.
Ii),

@ Tips
You can find out if your vehicle is equipped
w ith "H ill ho ld assis t" at an authorized Au­
di dea le rship.
Acoustic parking
system
Rear acoustic park assist
Applies to vehicles: with 4-cha nnel acoustic park assist
Acoustic park assist gives a warning about
obstacles behind the vehicle.
Desc ription
The rear acoust ic park assist (4-channe l
acoust ic pa rk assist) dete rm ines the d istance
of the vehicle from an obstacle us ing u ltra­
sonic sensors . The sensors are in the rear
bumper . The vol ume and the pitch of the
chimes can be adjusted through the menu dis­ p lay
c::> page 27.
The range at which the sensors start to meas­
ure is
about :
To the side
Center rear
Activation
2 feet (0.60 m)
S feet (1.60 m)
The parking assist is ac tivated when re ver se
gear
i s engaged. A brief tone confirms tha t
the system is activated.
Backing up
Distance warning when backing up starts
when an obstacle is detected in the range of
the park assist sys tem. As t he d istance de­
creases, t he time interva l be tween the audib le
tones becomes sho rter.
When the d istance is less than 1 foot (0 .30
m), the tone becomes cont inuous . At t his
po int yo u should stop b acking up.
P lease note that low objects already signalled
by a wa rning can disappear from the system 's
detection range and w ill not continue to be
signa lled.
On th e ro ad 93
Potent ial malfunct ions
If a warning bu zzer so unds fo r a few seconds
when the ignition is switched o n, there is a
system malfunction with the acoustic park as ­
sist. If the ma lfunction persists unti l the igni­
tion is switched off, there will be no aco ustic
warning at the next attempt to act ivate the
system. Have the prob lem corrected.
There is no conf irmation tone when reve rse
gear is engaged if there is a system malfunc­
tion.
For t he parking assist to ope rate, the sensors
must be kept clean and free of ice.
A WARNING
- Sensors have blind spots in wh ich objects
cannot be detected. Pay spec ia l attent ion
to small children and a nimals . They can­
not a lways be detected by the sensors -
danger of an accident!
- The parking assist ca nnot replace the
driver's atte ntion. The driver alone is re­
sponsib le for pa rking and simi lar d riving
maneuve rs. Always wat ch whe re you are
d riving.
(D Note
L ow obstacles already signa lled by a warn­
i ng can d isapp ear from the system's detec­
tion range as they a re approached and w il l
not cont inue to be s ignalled. Objects such
as barrier chains, trailer d raw bars, th in
painted vertica l poles, o r fences may not
be detected by the system -risk of dam­
age.
(D Tips
Fo r the parking assist to operate, the sen­
sors m ust be kept clean and free of snow
and ice.

94 On the road
Cruise control
Switching the system on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30 km/h) .
Fig. 105 Control lever wi th set button
Fi g. 106 Disp lay: Se lected speed
• Pull t he lever to posi tion (D ¢ fig . 105 to
switch the sys tem on.
• Drive at the speed you wish to set .
• Press b utton @ to set that speed .
The display
¢fig. 106 will show the set s peed .
The display may v ary depending on t he type o f
display in yo ur vehicle. The indicator
light
[ifj11 )~1~ (US mode l) I. (Canadian mode l)
will also light up in the instrument cluster.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on . You are
always responsible for your speed and
the distance between yo ur vehicle and
othe r vehicles .
- For safety reasons, the c ruise control
sho uld not be used in the city, in stop­
and -go traff ic, on twist ing roads an d
when ro ad conditions are poo r (such as ice,
fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
plan ing) -risk of accident.
- Turn off the cruise contro l temporarily
when enter ing turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise co ntrol not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is over ridden
by the dr ive r's acceleration.
(D Tips
- Veh icles with man ual transmiss ion: You
can attai n the set speed only if the cur­
rently engaged gear allows it and the en­
gine is not stressed . Sh ifting to a highe r
o r low er gea r promptly will a llow the en­
gine to r un smooth ly.
- The cr uise control can not mainta in a
constant speed when driv ing downhi ll.
T he vehi cle w il l accele rate under i ts own
we ight. Dow nshift to a lower ge ar or use
the brakes to slow down .
Changing speed
• Press lever in the 0 or 0 direct io n
¢ page 94, fig. 105 to increase or decrease
your speed.
• Release the lever to save that speed .
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/
h) by lightly pressing the lever. I f you keep the
lever pressed down, you will alter your speed
in S mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can also press t he accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g. if you want to
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you release the acceler­
ator pedal.
If, however , you exceed yo ur saved speed by
5 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes,
the cru ise control will turn off temporari ly.
T he symbo l will go out but the saved speed
will be reta ined .

96 Transmis sion
Transmission
Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmission
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the
way before you can start the engine .
The manual transmission in your Audi is
equipped with an
interlock-feature.
• Depress the clutch pedal all the way.
• Start the engine with the gearshift lever in
Neutral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears. Do not hold the vehicle on
a hill with the clutch pedal partially de­
pressed. This may cause premature clutch
wear or damage .
@ Tips
-Resting your hand on the gearshift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmission.
- The back-up lights go on when you shift
i nto Reverse with the ignition on.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with 6-speed manual transmission
Fig. 108 Gearshift pattern: 6 -speed manual t ransmis­
sion
Drive in 6th gear for optimum fuel economy
when cruising . However, if more acceleration
is required (when passing, for example), shift
down.
Engaging reverse gear (R)
• Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down, then push it forward.
Especially after driving forward, stop the vehi­
cle completely, shift into
Neutral and rest the
shift lever briefly in Neutral before shift ing in­
to
Reverse.
S tronic transmission
· Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic®
Your vehicle is equipped with a S tronic trans­
mission, also called a double-clutch system/
transmission .
Power is transferred between the engine and
the transmission by means of two independ­ ent clutches. They replace the torque convert­
er of conventiona l automatic transmissions
and allow the vehicle to accelerate without a
not iceable break in the power flow.
With the aid of
tiptronic, the gears can op­
t ionally be shifted
manually ~ page 100.
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic®
All the selector lever positions are explained
in this section.
~-. -·~•-~ _ .. _....,-l
•+55 °F '
i} 340 mi
D
Fig. 109 Disp lay: Se lector lever posi tions
The instrument cluster display shows these­
lector lever position.
P -Park lock
In this position the gears are mechanically
locked.

98 Transmission
The selector lever lock is released as fo llows:
,. Switch the ign ition on.
,. Step on the brake peda l
and simult aneously
ho ld down the re le ase but ton .
(~ Automatic selector lev er lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po­
sitions when the ignition is on . To move the
l eve r from these positions the d river must de­
p ress the brake pedal. As a reminde r to the
d river, the fo llow ing warning appea rs in t he
instr ument cluster d isp lay when the selecto r
is in P and N :
APPLY BRAKE WHEN ENGAGING GEAR WITH
VEHICLE STATIONARY
I n addition, the symbo l
< se lecto r lever lock illuminates in t he sh ift
gate.
The selector lever lock is effective only whe n
the vehicl e is stationary and at speeds be low
S km/ h. At higher speeds, the lock i n the N
position is automatic ally swi tched off .
The selector lever is no t locked when rapid
shifts a re made thro ugh the N pos ition (e .g .
from R to D). Thi s allows yo u to "rock " the ve­
h icle if i t becomes s tuc k.
If the lever is in the
N pos it ion for mo re tha n 1 second w ith the
b rake peda l not depressed, the se lector lock
e ngages automatica lly.
Release button
The release button in the se lector lever ha n­
d le preven ts accident al sh ifts in to cer tain se­
lector lever posit ions. When you press the re­
lease butto n, the selector lever lock is cancel­
led . In the illustration, the pos itions in which
the release button has to be pressed are high ­
lighted in
color c:>fig.110.
Ignition key removal lock
The ignition key can on ly be remove after the
ignitio n is switched off if the selector lever is
in P. As long as the ignit ion key is removed,
the selecto r lever is locked in P.
(D Tips
If the se lector lever does not engage,
the re is a ma lfunction . The engine is disa-
b led to prevent the vehicle from driving off
u nintentionally. To allow t he se lector lever
to engage aga in, p roceed as follows: P ress
and release the b rake pedal.
Driving Notes
Applies to vehicles: wit h S tronic®
The forward gears are shifted up or down au­
tomatically .
Fig. 11 1 Sect io n from center co nso le: Se lecto r lever
w it h re lease butto n
Starting from stop
.. Step on and hold the brake peda l.
,. Hold the release button (button in selector
lever) down, move the selector lever to the
desired position , for example D
c:> page 96,
and release the button .
,. Release the brake p eda l and accelera te
c:> &_ .
Stopping temporarily
.,. Bring the veh icle to a full stop with the
brake, e .g. at traff ic signals .
,. Do not acce le rate.
Parking
,. Step on and hold the brake peda l c:> &_.
,. App ly the par king brake firmly .
,. Hold the release button down , move these-
lector leve r to P and release the button . .,.

Stopp ing on an incline
"' Always hold the vehicle with the footbrake
or parking b rake in order to p revent "roll ­
back"
¢ A . Do not try to prevent the vehi­
cle from rolling back by revving the engine
while it is in gear.
St artin g on a h ill
"' Apply the hand brake fi rm ly.
"' With the engine in gear, gradua lly acce ler-
ate and release the hand brake.
The engine can only be
s tar te d with the selec ­
tor lever in P o r N
c::> page 90 . At low ambient
temperatures
(14 °F /-10 °C), it is only possi­
b le to start the engine with the selector lever
in
P.
When parking on level ground , it is sufficient
to p lace the se lector lever in
P. On a steeply
sloping road, you should first apply the park­
ing brake firmly and then place the selector
lever in
P. This way, you do not overload the
pawl mechanism and it is eas ier to move the
selector lever out of P .
A WARNING
-Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running wh ile in gear. If you must leave
yo ur vehicle wi th the engine running, set
the parking bra ke and engage the pa rk
lock.
- When the engine is running and the
transmission is in gear (D, Sor
R) or in
"tiptronic" mode, it is essentia l that you
stop the vehicle with the footbrake .
When idling, the transmission of power
does not stop completely -the vehicle
"creeps".
- Do not accelerate when you change the selector lever position with the vehicle
stationary and the engine running - risk
of an accident!
- Never place the selector lever in the R or
N position while the vehicle is moving -
risk of an accident!
- If you have to bring your vehicle to a stop
wh ile on an incl ine, keep the foot brake
Tran sm iss ion 99
depressed all the way down so that the
veh icle does not sta rt to roll backward.
You should never ho ld the vehicle us ing
the clutch if you are going to be stopped
on an incl ine.
If you do, the clutch w ill
start to slip when it ove rheats caused by
the constan t overload. This is dangerous
bec ause if the vehicle starts to roll bac k­
ward, yo u co uld cause an acc iden t.
If the
clutch should start to slip, you wi ll feel
the vehicle "jerk" and the se lector lever
disp lay w ill start blink ing.
- Before driving down a steep slope , re­
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ri de the brakes or apply the brake
pedal too often or too long. Constant
brak ing causes the brakes to overheat
and substantially reduces braking per­
formance, increases braking d istance or
causes complete fa ilu re of the brake sys­
t e m .
, Hill Descent Assist
App lies to vehicles : wi th S tronic t ra nsmi ssio n and H ill
D escent Ass ist
Hill Descent Assist helps the driver when driv ­
ing down inclines.
Hill Descent Assist is activated by pressing the
brake while descending when the se lector lev­
er is in
0 /5 . The S tronic transmission auto­
matically shifts down to a gear suitable for
the incline. H ill Descent Assist attempts to
maintai n the current veh icle speed w hen the
braking occu rs, as far as physical and techn i­
ca l lim its allow .
It may be necessa ry to adjust
the speed using the bra kes.
Hill Descent Assist sw itches off when the in­
cli ne leve ls out o r when the gas peda l is p ress ­
ed.
On vehicles with cruise control*
c::> page 94,
Hill Descent Assist is also activated when the
speed is set .
I),

170 Driving and en vironm ent
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when dr iv ing t hrough water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than walking speed.
A WARNING
After d riving through wate r, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake ro tors and pads. Dry
the brakes f irst by bra king carefully to re ­
store the full braking effect .
({D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
t ransmiss ion, suspens ion or elect rical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
(D Tips
-Che ck the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do no t stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine off when d riving
th rough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the wate r
l evel and make it too deep for yo ur vehi­
cle to drive th rough safely .
- Avoid driving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
-
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
"' Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 189,
Fuel supply.
"' Never run the tank down a ll the way to
empty .
"' Never put too much motor oil in your en­
gine ¢
page 200, ~ Adding engine oil .
"' Never try to push -or tow-start you r vehicle .
T he ca talytic converter is an efficient "clean­
u p" dev ice bui lt into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the ex ha u st gas be ­
fore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded f uel is c rit ically
important for the life o f the catalyt ic convert ­
er and prope r function ing of the engine .
A WARNING
-Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
rustp roofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r under coating could
overhe at and cause a fire.
((0 Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel w ill alr eady ser iously de­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converte r.
- Do not exceed t he cor rect engine oil level
¢page 200.
-Do not dr ive until t he fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The engine cou ld mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get in to
the exhaust system and th is co uld cause
t he catalytic converter to overheat .
- Do not tu rn off the igni tion while the ve­
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle
under these conditions, as ot herwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
cou ld resu lt in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assu re efficient operation of the Emis -
sion Control System : ..,.

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-