2012 AUDI A3 Wiper

182 Cleaning and protection
• Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of
cloth or kitchen paper towel.
The best way to remove snow from w indows
and mir rors is to use a brush. Use a non -abra­
sive
pla stic ice scraper -better still, a spray
deicer -to remove
ic e from windows and mir­
rors.
The windows must not be cleaned with insect remover or wax since these can interfere with
the function of the windshield wiper blades (chatter).
O il, grease or silicone residue can be removed
with
glass cle aner or silicone remo ver. How­
ever, wax residue req uires the use of a specia l­
ly form ulated solvent. P lease contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer for adv ice on safe prod­
ucts for wax removal.
Windows sho uld a lso be cleaned on the inside
at regular interva ls.
Never dry windows with the same chamois
that you use to dry painted s urfaces. Wax resi­
due on the chamois can impair vision thro ugh
the windows.
A WARNING
- The windshie ld m ust not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can i n­
c rease glare under poor visib ility condi­
t ions such as wetness, darkness, o r whe n
the sun is low on the hori zon. In addi­
t io n, they ca n cause the wi ndshield wip ­
ers to chatter .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
othe r inform ation
Qpage 178.
0 Note
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
s now and ice from windows a nd mirrors.
This cou ld cause the g lass to c ra ck .
- To prevent damage to the wi res of the
r ear defogger, do not place any adhesive
sticke rs o n the inside of t he rear w indow
ove r the wires.
- To he lp prevent d irt from s cratch ing the
window, always scrape i n a forwar d di- rec
tion -pushing the sc raper away from
you -never bac k and fort h.
Steel wheels
Applies to vehicles: with steel wheels (e .g. if refitted with
winter tires)
The wheels also have to be cleaned.
• Always include the hub caps and wheel rims
when wash ing your vehicle to remove road
dirt, sa lt sprays and brake dust .
If necessary, use a commercial whee l cleaner
to remove accumulated brake dust.
The wheel rims are easier to keep clean i f they
are regularly coated with liq uid wax.
Paint scra tches shou ld be touched up as soon
as possib le to prevent corrosion
¢ page 181,
Touch-up paint.
A WARNING .....__
- Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
brak ing eff ic iency-
q page 163, General
information . Test the brakes ca refully af­
ter each vehicle wash .
- Always read a nd heed a ll WARNINGS and
the information
q page 178.
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Applies to vehicles : with Cast alloy wheels
-
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
• Wash the w heels with a sponge or hose
brush every other week .
• For deep cleaning afterwards, use on ly a
ded icated acid-free cast alloy wheel cleaner.
• Rub a coat of
liquid wa x onto the rims every
three month. Be sure to reach and treat all
parts of the rim .
To preserve the decorative appearance of the cast alloy w heels, some special care is neces ­
sary. In addition to road dirt and salt, brake dust is also co rrosive . If left on fo r too long,
brake d ust can cause pitting.
U se only spec ial
acid -free cleaners formulated
fo r alloy r ims . Safe products are ava ilab le at ..,_

188 Cleaning and protection
Otherwise, the windshield wiper system
could unintentionally be switched on,
possibly causing personal injury from the
moving wiper linkage.
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan
is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly- even when the ignition is
off.
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine with the engine running . Moving or hot parts
could injure you .
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts without protecting your
hands and arms. You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
~ page 178.

194 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 155 Driver' s side footwe ll: e ngin e hood release
lever
.. Open the driver's door.
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
c> fig . 155 in direction of
the a rrow .
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pres­
sure.
Opening the engine hood
Fig . 156 Engine hood releas e le ve r
Before opening the eng ine hood, make sure
that the windshie ld wipers are folded flat
against the windshield . Otherwise, they could
damage the paint on the hood.
.. Pull the release lever
r=;,fig . 156 in the direc­
tion indicated by the arrow . This release the
hook under the hood .
.. Open the hood all the way.
A WARNING
-Hot engine coolant can burn you!
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo lant escaping from the eng ine
compartment . Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the strut is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c> .&, .
A WARNING
--
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
i ng.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­ly engaged . The hood shou ld be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv ing that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment!
Whene ve r you must pe rform any wo rk in the
eng ine compartment, for e xample chec king
and filling differ ent fluid s, the re i s a risk of
injury , burns and accident s. T o pr event p er­
s onal injury alwa ys observe the foll owing
WARNING S. Th e engin e c ompartm ent of an y
v e hicl e is a hazardou s area!
r=;, .&.
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, before yo u check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine .
- Remove the ignition key.

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 .

----------------------------~I~n ~d ~e ~x 273
Remote control ..... .... ... .. .. .. .... 35
Resetting r emote control . ... .. .. .. .. 38
Un lock ing and locking .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 37
Remote master key Battery replacement ................ 35
Check light ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 35
Repa ir manuals ..................... 259
Repairs Airbag system .................... 135
Replacing Wheel rims
... ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 223
Replacing a sound system ........... . 262
Replacing light bulbs ............... . 246
Replacing tires and whee ls ... .. .. .. .. . 224
Replacing w indshield wiper blades ...... 57
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1
Reset b utton . ............. .. .. .. .. .. 12
Resett ing remote control .............. 38
Retractor
' . .. .... ...... ... .. .. .. .. . 1 16
Reverse Automatic t ransmission .. .. .. .. .. 97
R ims
Cast alloy .. ............. .... .. .. . 182
Replacing ........................ 223
Steel rims ................ ...... .. 182
Roof rack Attac hment points with separate roof
rack system ............. .... .. .... 72
Loading ........................... 73
M ou nti ng loca tions ......... .. .. .. .. 73
Safe mounting .......... .... ... .. .. 7 1
Roof weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
s
SAFE · .. · . .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .... 12
Safe d riving hab its .................. 103
Safety belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Safety belt he ight adjustment .. .. .. . 119
Safety belts worn by p regnant women . 118
Safety belt pretens ioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Service and disposal ............... 120
Safety belts .. .... ......... .... .. .. . 116
cleaning ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 187
Danger to passengers who do not wear a
safety belt ... .. .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 114
Fastening .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 116 height adjustment .
.. .. ..... ... .. .. 119
Improper ly worn ... . ... .... ... .. .. 119
Not worn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Safety belt pos ition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Safety instructions .... ............. 116
Securing child safety seats .......... 152
Spec ial considerations for pregnant
women .......................... 118
Un fastening . .. .. .. . .............. 118
W arning/ind icator light ............. 113
Why YOU MUSTwearthem ... .. 113,11 4
Wor n properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Safety be lt warning light . . . . . . . . . 16, 113
Safety compliance sticker ........ .. .. 255
S afety equipme nt .. ................. 103
Safety features for occupant restraint and
protection .. ... .... ................ 103
Safety gu idelines
Seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Safe ty instr uctions
Engine compartment . ... .... ... .. .. 194
for side c urtain airbags . ..... ... .. .. 142
for using child safety seats .......... 146
for using safety belts ............... 116
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem ............................. 135
Safety lock Ign it ion key, automatic transmission 89
Seat adjus tment
Drive r's sea t ... .. .... ............. . 61
F ront passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Front seats . ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 61
Head restraints
.. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. 107
Head restraints, front seat ........... 65
Lumbar support .. .. ........... .... . 64
Manua l controls .. .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 62
Manual seats ...................... 62
Power s eat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Seat be lts
WhyYOU MUSTwearthem ..... 113,114
also refer to Safety be lts .. ..... ... .. 113
Seating capacity ...... .. ..... ... .. .. 113
Seating position Drive r ........................... 104
F ron t passenger .. ............. .... 105
How to ad just the front seats . ... .. .. 105
Incorrect seat position ... .... ... .. .. 107
•
•

276 Index
w
Warn ing/indicator lights
Airbag system ........ ... .. .. .... .. 16
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) ... .. ... . 18
Brake system ...................... 15
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Electronic power control ....... .. .. .. 19
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) .. 18
Eng ine malfunction (diesel engine) .... 20
Generato r ......................... 16
Glow plug system .................. 20
Malfunct io n I ndicator Lamp (MIL) ..... 19
Parking brake .... ....... ... .. .... .. 15
Safety belt ........... ... ... ..... .. 16
Safety systems .............. ..... .. 16
Tire pressure monitoring system .. .... 19
Turn signals ....................... 22
Warn ing lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 13
Red symbols in the center disp lay .... .. 13
Yellow symbols in the center disp lay ... 14
War ranty coverages ................. 259
Washer reservoir ............ .. .... . 211
Washing .. .. ... . ...... ... ... ..... . 178
Automatic car wash .. ... .. .. .. .... . 179
by hand ................. .... ..... 179
General informat ion 178
with a power washer ............... 180
Waxing ...... .... ..... ... .. .. .... . 180
Wear indicator .. .... ...... ... ... .. . 222
Weights . .. .. ... .......... ...... ... 255
What happens if you wear yo ur sa fety belt
too loose? ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 11 7
What happens to unbelted occupants? .. 114
What impairs driving safety? . . . . . . . . . . 104
What should I do after chang ing a
wheel? .. .. .. ..... ........ .. .. .. .. . 219
What should I do after replacing wheels? 219
Wheel bolts Anti-theft wheel bolts .............. 238
Torque . .. ............... .. .. .. .. . 229
Wheel change . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 236
Wheels .... ................. ... ... 212
Checking tire pressure .......... .... 218
Cold ti re inflat ion pressu re . . . . . . . . . . 216
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 G
lossary of tire and loading terminolo-
gy .. ... .. .... .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. 213
New t ires and whee ls ... ..... ... .. .. 223
Tires and veh icle load limits ..... .... 220
Whee ls/Tires
Cast alloy ..... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. 182
Stee l wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
When must a safety be lt be replaced? .. 116
When must the airbag system be inspect-
ed? ............................... 133
When should I adjust the tire pressures? 219
When should I check the tire pressures?. 219
Where are lower anchorages located? . .. 156
Where can I find the t ire press ures for my
ca r? ...... ..... .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. 218
Why safety belts? ................... 113
Windows Cleaning .. ....................... 181
Convenience close/open feature . . . . . . . 44
Defogging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Defrost ing .. .. .................. .. 82
Rapid defrosting/defogging .......... 84
Windsh ield washer container ......... 211
Windsh ie ld washer fluid . ..... ... .. .. . 21
Windsh ield w ipers
Chang ing the rear wiper blade ........ 59
Installing new wiper b lades ..... .... . 57
Se rv ice position ................. ... 5 7
Winter operation Battery .......................... 207
Coolant system ................... 203
T ires ..... .. .. .. .. ... ............ 166
Windows . .. .. .. ............. .... 181
Winter tires . .. ... . ........ ..... .... 227
All -wheel drive . .. ................ . 227
Wiper and washer system ...... .. .. .. . 55
Intermittent wiping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
One-tap wip ing ................ ..... 55
Rea r window wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Wiper b lades
Installing new wiper b lades ... ... . .. . 57
also refer to Windsh ie ld wipers .. .. .. . 59
X
Xenon-Lights . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 246