2012 AUDI A3 ECO mode

60 Clear vis ion
Setting the magnetic deflection zone
A ppl ies to vehicles: with digital compass
The correct magnetic deflection zone must be
set in order to display the directions correctly.
©
Fig. 63 North America: magnet ic def lect ion zone
boundaries
• Hold the@~ page 59, fig. 62 button down
u ntil the number of the set magnetic deflec­
tion zone appears on the interior rear view
mirror .
• Adjust the magnetic deflection zone by re­
peatedly pressing on the @button. The set
mode automatically deactivates after a few
seconds .
Calibrating the compass
Applies to vehicles: with digital compass
The compass has to be recalibrated if the dis­
play is wrong or inaccurate.
• Hold the@ button down until the letter C
is displayed on the interior rear view m irror .
• Drive in a circle at a speed of about 5 mph
(10 km/h) until a d irection is shown on the
i nterior rear view m irror.
A WARNING
-
The digital compass is to be used as a di-
rectional aid only. Even though you may
want to look at it while you are driving, you
must still pay attent ion to traffic, road and
weather conditions as well as othe r possi­
b le ha zards.

62 Seats and storage
case of sudden braking or an accident, you
would not be ab le to brake or acce lerate!
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position.
To avo id contact with the airbag wh ile i t is de ­
p loying, do not sit a ny closer to the inst ru ­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three-point safety be lt provided adjusted
correctly. We recommend that you adjust the passenger's seat in the following manner:
... Move the front passenger seat into the rear ­
most position of the fore and aft adjustment
range
¢ .&.. in Why is your seat adjustment
so important? on page
61.
... Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
pos it ion .
Do not ride w ith the seat reclined.
... Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
i s as
even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possib le, try to adjust
the head rest raint so that it is as close to
t h is position as possible
¢ page 65.
... Place your feet on the f loor in front of the
passenger's seat.
Adjusting front seats manually
Adjustment controls
Applies to vehicles: with manual seat adjustme nt
Various controls on the manual seats provide
a wide range for individual adjus tments.
==""" -®
Fig . 6 4 Ad just ment contro ls: locat ions on drive r"s seat
CD Moving the seat forward or backward
@ Adjusting the seat height
@ Adjusting the seatback ang le
@ Adjusting head restraint height
Some of the co ntrols are fitted on certain
models on ly or they are optiona l equipment.
Adjusting the manual seats
Applies to vehicles: with manual seat adjust ment
Position, angle and shape of the manual
seats can be adjusted to provide safe and
comfortable seating.
Rea d and heed all WARNINGS ¢.&.. befo re
you adjust yo ur seat .
Moving the front seats forward or
backward
"' Lift the leve r¢ page 62, fig. 64 CD and slide
the seat to the desired position .
... Release the lever and then move the seat
further until you feel and hear it engage .
Ad justing the seat height
... Pull the lever @up and pump it to raise the
seat.
... Push the lever down and pump it to lower
the seat.
Adjusting the seatback angle
... Lean forward to take your weight off the
seatback .
... Tur n the hand wheel@ in the di rection yo u
want the seatback to tilt.
A WARNING
- Never adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
If you do th is while the veh icle is moving,
you will be out of position . Always adjust
the dr iver's or front pass enge r's seat
when the vehi cle is not mov ing.
- Be careful when adj usting the seat
he ight. Check to see that no one is in t he
way, or ser io us inju ry co ul d result!
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden b raking o r acciden t, front pas­
senge rs mus t never r ide in a mov ing
ve­
h icle with the seatback reclined . Sa fety

Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
The air conditioner is fully automatic and is
designed to maintain a comfortable and uni­
form climate inside the vehicle .
We recommend the following settings:
... Se lect and set a temperature between 64 °F
(+ 22 °C) and 84 °F (+28 °C).
... Press the
!AU TO ! button.
With this setting, you attain maximum com­
fort in the least amount of time. Change this
setting, as desired, to meet your personal
needs.
The climate controls are a combination of
heating, ventilation and cooling systems,
which automatically reduce humidity and cool the air inside your vehicle.
The air temperature, air flow and air distribu­
tion are automatica lly regulated to achieve
and maintain the desired passenger compart­
ment temperature as quickly as possib le.
The system automatically compensates for
changes in the outside temperature and for
the intensity of the sunlight entering the vehi­
cle. We recommend you use the
Automatic
mode c> page 81 for year-round comfort.
Please note the following:
Turn on the air conditioner to reduce humidity
in the vehicle. This also p revent the windows
from fogging up .
When the outside temperature is high and the
air is very hum id,
condensation from the
evaporator may drip under the vehicle . This is
normal and does not indicate a leak.
If the outside temperature is low, the fan nor­
mally only switches to a h igher speed once
the engine coolant has warmed up sufficient ­
ly.
Warm and cold 79
T he air conditioner temporari ly switches off
when you drive off from a standstill using full
throttle to save engine power.
T he compressor also switches off if the cool­
ant temperature is too high so that the engine
can be adequately cooled under extreme
l oads.
Air pollutants filter
T he air pollutants filter (a combined particle
filter and activated charcoa l filter) reduces or
eliminates outside air pollution (dust, or pol­
l en) from entering the vehicle .
T he air pollutants filter must be changed at
the interva ls specified in yo ur Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet, so that the air condi ­
tioner can properly work.
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high
air pollution, the filter may need to be
changed more frequently than specified in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. If
in doubt, ask your authorized Audi Service Ad­
visor for advice.
Energy management
To prevent the battery from being discharged
and to restore the ba lance of energy, compo­
nents which require large amounts of energy
are temporarily cut back or switched off c> page 167. Heating systems in particular re­
quire a great deal of energy. If you notice, for
example, that the rear window heater is not
heating, then it has been temporarily cut back
o r switched off by
energy management.
These systems are available again as soon as
the energy balance has been restored.
_& WARNING
.-----
Reduced visibility is dangerous and can
cause accidents .
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con-
densation.
- Fully familiarize yourself with the proper
use and function of the heating and ven­
tilation system and especia lly how to de­
fog and defrost the windows.

-Do not clean the gri lle with a vacuum clean­
er, otherwise the sensors cou ld be damaged .
Function
!ACI Switching the cooling system on/off
q page 81
!AUTO I Automatic operation
qpage 81
[:] B Blower speed setting
( in the
q page 83
center)
l=I Manual recirculation mode
qpage82
~ Automat ic recircu lation mode
q page 82
~ Defrost
qpage82
@J Air directed to the windows
¢page83
[1;] Air from the outlets
qpage83
~ Air directed to the footwe ll
~page83
-= -·--~ Rear window defogger
¢page85
The buttons for sett ing the air flow d irection
~. ~and~ can also be pushed in combina­
tion .
~ Switching the air conditioner on/off
Applies to vehicles: with a utomat ic a ir conditioner
... Press the !AC I button to switch the air cond i­
tioner on or off .
When the a ir cond it ione r is sw itched on, t he
i ndicator light in the b utton is lit.
When the a ir cond it ioner is sw itched off, the
cooling system is switched off -th e heat ing
an d vent ilation system is reg ulated automati­
cally. Sw itch ing off the cooling system ( com ­
pressor) saves fuel.
Pl ease keep in mind that with the air cond i­
tioner switched off , the inter io r temperature
cannot be lower than the outside tempe ra­
ture. There is no coo ling and the air is not de -
Warm and cold 81
humid ified (danger o f the windows becom ing
fogged). Cooling mode switches off a utomati­
ca lly when the outs ide temperature is below
zero.
(D Tips
If there is a defect in the a ir conditioner,
the air conditioner cannot be switched on. In this case, the d iode in the button does
not light after being switched on. In the
event of a system fault, please contact an
A udi or specia list garage.
~ Automatic mode
The automatic mode is the standard setting
for all seasons .
Switching on AUTO
... Select tempe rat ure between 64 ° F (+ 18 °()
and 84 °F (+28 °C).
... Press
IAUTOI q page 80, fig. 96 .
AUTO on ly works when you set the inside tem ­
perature between 64 °f (18 °C) and 84 °f
(28 °C). If you select a temperature be low
64 °F (18 °(),
LO will appear in the display . If
you select a temperat ure above 84 °F (28 °C),
HI w ill appea r in t he d isp lay.
The system automatically compensates for changes in outside temperature and for the
i ntensity of the su nlight.
(D Tips
By keeping the IAUTOI button on the dr iv­
er's side pressed for several seconds, the
temperature of the passenger's s ide ca n
be set to the temperature o f th e d river's
side or vice v ersa. The new temperature
setting w ill be shown in the d isplay.

82 Warm and cold
i Setting the temperature
Separate temperatures can be selected for the driver's and front passenger 's side .
.,. Turn the rotary switch @ on the driver 's
s ide and the rotary switch @ on the pas­
senger 's side left(-) or right( +) to control
the temperature
¢ page 80, fig. 96.
There is a time delay before the selected tem­ perature is reached.
(D Tips
The temperature setting for the driver's
side can be transferred to the passenger's
side
¢ page 81.
~ Defrosting/defogging the windshield
The windshield and side windows are quickly
defrosted or defogged
... Press ~¢ page 80, fig. 96.
... Press ~ again or press !AU TO ! to switch off
the defro ster.
The temperature is automatica lly controlled .
Maximum airflow is primarily blown in
through outlets
(D , @ and ®¢ page 84.
Outlets @ can be opened and closed with the
controls behind them. Outlets @and ® must
be opened so the windows can be defrosted as
quickly as possible.
By pressing ~ and air recirculation are switch­
ed off .
~ Manual air recirculation mode
The recirculation mode prevents polluted out­
side air from entering the vehicle interior.
Switching on air recirculation
.,. Press the button I"" !¢ page 80, fig. 96
¢,&. .
Switching off air recirculation
.,. Press the button 1...,1 again, or
... Press the !AU TO
I button, or
... Press the~ button . In air recirculation
mode, air is drawn from
the ve hicle interior and recirculated. We rec­
ommend that yo u use the manua l air recircu­
lation mode under the follow ing cond itions:
When driving thro ugh a tunnel or in a traffic
jam so that exhaust fumes cannot enter the
vehicle interior.
A WARNING
-
Do not use this setting for extended peri­
ods of time. The windows cou ld fog up
since no fresh air can enter the vehicle.
If
the windows fog up, press the air r ecircula­
tion button again immediately to switch
off the air re cir cula tion function or select
defrost.
~ Automatic air recirculation
If outside air is polluted, an air quality sensor
in the vehicle will automatically switch on the
air recirculation .
Switching on air recirculation
.,. Press ~¢ page 80 , fig . 96 .
Switching off air recirculation
... Press ~ again, or
.,. press !AUTO !, or
.,. press ~.
The automatic air recirculation mode should
normally be left switched on at all times.
T he system is ready to operate approximately
30 seconds after you turn on the ignition or
start the vehicle. Fresh air enters the vehicle
only during this initialization period .
T he air quality sensor for detecting diesel and
gasoline exhaust fumes switches automatica l­
l y to air recirculation mode if the outside air is
heavily polluted. The supply of outside air is
closed off.
As soon as the pollution level drops, fresh air
is automatically supplied to the vehicle interi­
or again .

The air recirculation opera tes for a maximum
of 12 minutes. If the windows start to fog up
while the air rec irculat ion is on, press~
Unde r certain operating condi tions (fo r exam­
p le, if~ or
1-1 are pressed) the air recircu la ­
tion automatica lly switches off.
If the air con­
d itioner is sw itched off, or if the temperature
is below 18 °F (-8 °C), the air recircu lation wi ll
operate only for 12 seconds.
Switching between Fahrenheit and
Centigrade
You can change the temperature display from
°F (Fahrenheit) to °C (Centigrade) and vice
versa.
.,. Hold the l.,s,! button down c:> page 80,
fig.
96.
.,. Turn the rotary switch (d river 's s ide) @ for
3 seconds +.
G;J Air recirculation
The air recirculation prevents exhaust fumes
or oth er pollution from entering the vehicle .
Switching air recirculation on
.,. Press ~ c:> page 80, fig. 96 c:> A
Switching air recirculat ion off
.,. Press~ again, or
.,. press
IAUTOI, or
.,. press~-
I n the ai r recircula tion mode, the air in the
passenger compa rtment is recirculated to
p revent exhaust fumes and ot her pollution
from entering the vehicle. We recommend
that you use the manual air recircu lation un­
der the following conditions:
- when d riving through t unnels
- in a traffic jam.
,8. WARNING
Do not use this setting for extended pe ri­
ods of time . The windows could fog up
since no fresh a ir can ente r the vehicle . If
Warm and c old 83
the windows fog u p, press the ai r rec ircula­
tion button aga in immed iately to sw itch
off the air rec irculation function or select
defrost.
G IB Adjusting the fan speed
The automatically selected fan speed can be
increased or decreased.
.,. Press the[:] or El buttons in the center of
the control panel
c:> page 80, fig. 96 to ad ­
just the fan speed to your comfort.
T he air conditioning system automatically
r egulates the fa n speed i n respo nse to the in ­
terior tempe rat ure. However, you can a lso ad­
j ust the fan speed ma nually. A line of small
bars in the center display above the fan con­
trol buttons w ill re treat or extend to reflect
you r adjustments to the fan speed .
Air distribution
The automatically controlled air distribution
can be changed manually.
You can use the @J , [fil or~ buttons separate­
ly or together in combination. To switch back
to the automatic air d istr ibu tion sett ing, ei­
the r switch off the b uttons you prev iously se­
lected , or press
IAUTOI.
Each of the three buttons has its own spec ific
funct io n (t he reference numbers refer to the
a ir out lets)
c:> page 84, fig. 97.
~ Air directed to the windows
A ll the air is directed to outlets Contrary to when~ is pressed, the amount of
a ir remains the same .
~ Air directed to the driver /front
passenger
All the a ir is directed to outlets@,@ and ©
in the instrument panel. Air also is directed
th ro ugh the center console in the rear.
~ Air d irected to the footwells
A ll the air is directed to outlets ® and to the
outlets under the front seats.

84 Warm and cold
Air outlets
Fi g. 97 Instr ument pane l: a ir ou tlet locat io ns an d airflow d irec tions
The air out lets (D and @on top of the instru ­
ment panel are
fixed. Outlets @ and @can
be adjusted.
Adjusting a ir outl ets ® and @
.. Turn the vertica l thumbwhee l beside the
outlet to increase, reduce or s hut down the
airflow from that out let.
.. Move the small tab in the center of the out­
let louver sideways and up or down to ad just
the leve l and direction of airflow.
T he supply of air to the out lets is controlled
e ither automat ica lly or manually depending
on the operation mode se lected . The airflow
from all outlets can be heated, unheated or
cooled.
The heater out lets for the rear footwells are
located under the front seats . When you se­
lect outlets @, a ir is a lso directed to t he rear
footwells .
@ Tips
-When defrosting/defogging the win­
dows, air flows from outlets
(D , @ and
@ . To defrost or defog the windows as
r apidly as possib le, air outlets @ should
be ope ned
fully wi th the ad juster wheels.
- When the a ir condit ioner is working,
cooled air w ill flow pr imar ily from out­
l e ts @ ,@ and @. To assure adeq uate cooling, outlets
@ and @) should never
be completely closed.
Using the climate controls economically
Using the climate controls prudently can help
save fuel .
When you use the air conditioner, eng ine pow ­
er is reduced and fuel consumption increases .
T o save fuel, yo u should use the air condition­
er only when necessary . Also please note the
follow ing points:
.. If you wa nt to save fuel, switch off the ai r
conditioner .
.. If you are going to drive with the windows
open, switch off the air conditioner .
@ For the sake of the environment
By reducing the amount of fuel you use,
you also reduce the amount of po llutants
emitted into the air.
· Key coded settings
When the ignition is switched on, the air con­
di tioner settings are automatically assigned
to the key being used .
The air conditioner settings selected are auto­
matically stored and assigned to the key be ing
u sed . When the vehicle is started, the air ..,.

@ For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary engine wear and to reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up. Be ready to
drive off immediately after start ing your
veh icle. Mainta in moderate speed until the
engine is completely warm . Remember,
the engine performs best at operating
temperature .
Stopping the engine
.. Turn the ignition key to position@
¢page 89, fig. 102.
_& WARNING
-Never turn off the engine unti l the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotronic on ly
work when the engine is running . With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply
more force when steering or braking.
Since you cannot steer and stop normal­ ly, this can lead to accidents and serious
injuries.
- The rad iator fan can continue to run for
up to 10 minutes even after you have
tu rned off the eng ine and removed the
ignition key. The radiator fan can also
turn on again if the engine coolant heats
up because of intense sunlight or heat
build-up in the engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not stop the engine immediate ly after
hard or extended dr iving. Keep the engine
running for approximately two minutes to
prevent excessive heat build-up .
On the road 91
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally .
Fig. 104 Cente r co nso le: Park ing b rake set
Setting the parking brake
.. Pull the park ing brake lever all the way up.
Releasing the parking brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever up slightly and
press the release button at the same time
¢fig. 104-arrow-.
.,. Keep the release button pressed and lower
the parking brake¢&_ .
If you should drive off with the parking brake
still set, a warning tone will sound and the
follow ing will appear in the instrument clus­
ter to remind you to release the parking
brake:
Parking brake set
The parking brake warning comes on only af­
ter you have driven for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than 5 mph (5 km/h) .
The parking brake warning light_
(USA)/ . (CON) illuminates when the park­
ing brake is set and you switch on the ignition .
A WARNING
Always release the parking brake com -
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce their ef­
fectiveness and cause excessive wear. This
could lead to brake failure and an accident. .,.