2012 AUDI A3 flat tire

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.
•
•

Fastening
Booster seats .... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 151
Convertible ch ild safety seats ... .. .. . 149
Infant seat s ............. .... .. ... 148
F astening eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Flat t ire
Changing .. ................ ... ... 236
F loor mats . .. ............. .... .. ... 108
F og lights, fro nt ........... .... .. .. .. 49
Folding master key w ith remote contro l . . 34
F oot pedals . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 108
F or the sake of the environment
Gasoline fumes and the envi ronment . . 19 2
L e tting you r engine w arm up . .. .. .. .. 90
Reducing engine noise by upsh ifting ear -
ly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0, 11
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Saving fue l by upshift ing early . . . . 10, 11
Using the rear w indow defogger . .. .. .. 85
Fr ont airbags
Descr ipt ion .... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 126
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Fr onta l co llisions and t he laws of physics 1 14
Front seats .. ............. .... .. .... 61
Adjusting .. ................ ... ... 105
Adjust ing the manual seats . .. .. .. .. .. 62
C hi ld restra ints in the front seat . .. .. . 123
H eated seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Fue l
Current fuel mileage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
F uel gauge .... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. 12
Fue l supp ly too low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1
Fue l economy messages (eff iciency pro-
gram) . .... .. .. ............. .. .. .... 29
F ue l filler f lap
Un lock ing the fue l filler f lap by hand .. 193
F ue l gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Fue l range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
F ue l supp ly
A dditives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Blended gasoline . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 189
F ue l filler neck ........... .... .. .. . 191
Fue l gauge . ............. .... .. .... 12
Fue l tank capac ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 191
Gasoline . ............ ...... .... .. 189
Gasoline additives . ....... .. .. .. .. . 190
Octane rating ............ .... .. .. . 189
Inde x 269
Recommendation ... . .. ..... ... .. .. 189
Ref uell ing ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 192
U nlocking the fuel f iller flap by hand 193
Fuel tank Capaci ty .. .. .. .. ................. 191
Capacity (gallons/liters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Fuse a rra ngeme nt ................. . 244
Fuses Rep lacing . .. .. .. .. ............... 243
G
Gas discharge lamps . .. ... .... ... .. .. 246
Ga uges
E ngine cool ant tempe ratu re . . . . . . . . . . 11
F uel ga uge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Tr ip odometer . .. ................. . 12
Gear recommend ation .. ......... .. .. . 24
Gearshift indicator ................. .. 24
Gearshift leve r .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 96
General illustration
Instr uments and controls ....... .. .. .. 8
Generator Warning/ind icator lights ........... .. 16
G lossary of tire and loading terminology 213
G love compa rtme nt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
CD-ch anger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Li ght ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 51
G low plug system
Ind icator light .... ............... .. 20
Warning light .. .. ... ............ .. . 20
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) . .. 255
H
Head lights . .. .. .. ................. . 47
defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Front fog lights .. .. ........... .... . 49
Switch ing off .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. . 47
Switching on ..... .. ..... ........... 47
Xenon headlights . .. . .. ....... ... .. . 4 7
Head restrai nts .. .. ................. 107
Adjusting ... .. ...... ............. 107
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
•
•

_______________________________ I~ n~ d:::: e~x 275
Temperature disp lay
Engine oi l .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 31
Tet he r anchors ............ .... .. ... 158
Tether strap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
The first 1,000 m iles (1,500 km) and after-
wards ..... .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. ... 169
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68, 110
Tips for the environment
Saving fuel .............. .... .. .... 74
Tire pressure ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 218
T ire pressure monitor ing system ....... 230
L oss of air pressure ............ 19,231
M alf unct io n .. ........... .. .. .. ... 23 1
Rese tting ti re press ures . . . . . . . . 232, 233
Tires ...... ...................... .. 212
Replacing ...................... .. 223
Service life . ............. .... .. ... 222
speed rat ing letter code ... .. .. .. .. .
T ire man ufacturing da te ... .. .. .. .. .
r ·f · · rre speer 1ca t1ons ..... ... .. .. .. .. .
Tread depth . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 224
224
224
222
Uniform tire quality grading . ... .. .. . 226
W inter t ires ............. .... .. ... 227
T ires/Wheels
L ow aspect ratio t ires ... ... .. .. .. .. . 229
Tire pressure monitoring system . 19,230
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. .. . 220
Tires and wheels
Checking tire pressure .............. 218
Cold tire i nflat ion pressure .......... 216
o· . 1mens1ons .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . 223
Gene ral notes ..................... 212
Glossary of t ire and load ing te rm inolo-
gy · · · · · · · · ................. .. ... 213
New tires and wheels ... ... .. .. .. .. . 223
Replacing .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 224
Snow chains . ..... .... ... .. .. .. ... 228
T ires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. . 220
Wheel bolts ............. .... .. ... 229
w· t · rn er tr res ............. .... .. ... 227
Tire service life 222
Torn or frayed safety belts ............ 116
Touch-up paint
Tow ing
Fr ont eyelet
Rear eyelet 181
2 51
252
Tow truck procedures ... ... .. .. .. .. . 25 1 T
PMS
Tire pressure monitoring system
T ra ile r tow ing 231
17 4
Operating instr uctions .......... .. .. 175
T echnical requirements . . . . . . . . 174, 175
T rai le r tow ing tips . .. ... .... ... .. .. 176
Transmission 6-speed . .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 96
Manua l tran sm ission ................ 96
S tronic transmission ........... .... . 96
T ransport Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
T read Wear Indicator (TWI) .... ... .. .. 222
T rip compute r ... .. .. . .............. . 25
Tr ip odometer ... .. ................. . 12
What does it mean when dEF appears in
the tr ip odomete r display? ........ .. . 12
Turn signals ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . SO
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 22
u
Undercoating ....... . .. .. ..... ... .. 183
Un fastening safety belts ............. 118
Uni directional tires .................. 212
Uniform tire quality grading
Un locking 226
Power locking sw itch .............. .. 39
Rea r lid ... .. .. .. .... ............. . 40
Remote contro l .. ................. . 37
U sing the fold-o ut key .. ..... ... .. .. . 38
V
V ·t . ani y mir ro r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Vehicle-care products ............ .... 178
Vehicle battery Stationary ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 207
Vehicle electri ca l sys tem .............. 16
Vehicle identification ................ 255
Vehicle identification label ..... ... .. .. 255
Vehicle Ident ificat ion Number (VIN) .... 255
Vehicle jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234,239
Vehicle literatu re .. .... ......... .... .. S
•
•

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