2012 AUDI A3 warning lights

180 Cleaning and protection
@ For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the environment, the ve­
hicle should on ly be washed in special
wash bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules .
~ Before using the power washer, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN­
INGS
c::> A in General information on
page 178 .
~ Always fo llow the operating instructions for
the power washer.
~ Make sure tha t the jet o n the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray".
~ Do not ho ld the spray nozzle too close to
soft materia ls.
When clean ing the veh icle wit h a power wash­
er
always fo llow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the
oper ating
pressu re
and the sp ray ing distance . Maintain
a sufficient distance to soft materials such as
rubber hoses and sound/vibrat io n deadening
materials (part icularly on the underside of the
engine hood). Do not use a jet wh ich sprays
water in a
dire ct stream or one that has a ro ­
ta ting
jet.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F
(60 °().
A WARNING
Never wash tires w it h a je t that sprays wa­
t er in a direc t stream. This cou ld cause in­
visib le damage to the tires and weake n
t hem, even if the spray is from a re latively
long distance and for a short time . Dam­
aged and weakened t ires can fa il and cause
accidents and persona l injury.
([) Note
To avo id damag ing your vehicle, always
make sure t hat there is sufficient distance between the spray head and soft materia
ls
li ke rubber hoses, plastic parts and sound­
deaden ing mater ials. Never aim the spray
head at the same point for a long time.
This also applies to cleaning headlights
and painted bumpers. Remember: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
mater ia l, the greater the stress on the ma­
te rial.
Waxing and Polishing
Waxing
A good wax coating protects the vehicle pain t
to a la rge ex ten t agains t the envi ronmental
f actors lis ted under
c::> page 178, Washing and
even against sli ght scratches .
You can use a liquid car wax to prote ct yo ur
paint as soon as one wee k afte r you r vehicle
has been delivered .
E ven if you regu larly use a
wa xing p rocess in
a ut oma tic car washes, we recommend tha t
yo u manually apply a coat o f wax to g ive the
paint extra protection, part icu larly if water no
l onger beads on t he clean paint.
Protect plast ic body parts with car wax in the
same w ay as the veh icle body.
D ur ing warm weather dead insects tend to
collect on the front bumper and on the fo r­
wa rd area of the hood. They are much easier
to remove from p aint th at is waxed
often.
Polishing
Polish your vehicle only if the paint has lost its
sh ine and the gloss cannot be broug ht back
with wax.
If the polish used does not contain preserva­
t ive compou nds, the paint must be waxed af ­
te rwards .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNI NGS and
other info rmation
c::> page 178 .
(D Note
Do not use car wax on

names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hang ing th e engin e oil
The engine oil and oi l filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (kilomete rs) and
time inte rva ls specified in yo ur vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive eng ine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inter ­
va ls is so very important because the lubricat ­
ing properties of oi l decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author­
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oi l
should even be changed more frequently.
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when you use your veh icle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
l ong periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing for a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often than
r ecommended.
D amage or ma lf u nction s du e to lac k of
ma int enance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasolin e engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diese l engi ne). Yo ur
L im ited New Vehicle Warra nty does not cover
damage or ma lfunctions due to failure to fol­
l ow recommended maintenance and use re­
quirements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance book let.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover­ age un less you present to the dea ler proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that a ll
Checking and fillin g 199
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
· Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade ­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to prov ide effective lubrication and
cooling o f inte rna l engine components, all in ­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change sign ificantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
Q page 169) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they consume after o il
consump tion has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oi l con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature a nd road conditions. Further fac ­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from wa ter
condensation or fue l residue and the oxida ­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mi leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or spec ified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the oil lev­
el, see
Not e.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
Ill! lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
with the oil dipstick q page 200 . Top off the
o il at your earliest conven ience
Q page 200.
&_ WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed al l
WARNI NGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 194 .
•
•

-When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­
ble.
- Before performing any work on the elec­
trical system, switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at
32 °F
(0 oc).
-Mak e sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery.
_& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­ cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems. Wash hands after han­ dling.
Checking and filling 209
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- When working on the engine, protect the
battery housing from ultraviolet (UV)
rays by not parking the vehicle in direct
sunlight .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced
~ page 209.
Charging of battery
All work on the battery requires technical knowledge!
Fig. 165 E ngine compart ment: conne ctors for a charg­
er and jump start cables
A charged battery ensures good starting per­
formance . A discharged battery can
freeze at
temperatures of only
O 0C. A frozen or thawed
battery must be replaced, as the battery
housing may be cracked due to freezing and
could therefore leak acid.
.,. Always read and heed all WARNINGS be­
low~ .&, and ~.&, in
Working on the bat­
tery on page 208.
... Switch off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers .
.,. Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery.
.,. Connect charger cables.
Charger cables
must always be connected POSITIVE
G to ..,.

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 .

250 Emergency sit uat ions
2. Otherwise apply the hand brake and shift
into idle gear if your vehicle has manua l
transmission, and put the selector lever
into P position if your vehicle has auto­
matic transmission.
3 . For both vehicles switch off all consumers
and the ig nition .
Connectin g/disco nn ecting th e jumper
cable
4 . Connect one end of the red jumper cable
to the positive term inal
(D ¢ fig . 193 of
the discharged battery @ ¢0
in General
information of starting assistance on
page 249 .
5. Connect the other end of the red jumper
cab le to the positive termina l@ of the
booster battery @.
6 . Connect one end of the black jumper ca­
b le, preferably at the ground point. Other­
wise, connect it to the negative terminal
@ of the booster battery @.
7 . Connect the other end of the black jumper
cab le to the
ground po int (bolt head )©
in your v ehi cle @ .
8. Route the jumper cables so that they can­
not catch in any rotating parts in the en­
gine compartment.
Starting the engine
9 . Start the engine of the vehicle provid ing
assistance and allow it to run at idle .
10. Now start the eng ine o f the vehicle w ith
the discharged battery, wa it for two to
three minutes unti l the engine "runs"
smoothly .
11. If the engine does not start: Stop trying
after
10 seconds and then try again after
about
30 seconds.
12 . In the veh icle that has received start as­
sistance, turn on the heater blower and
the rea r window heat ing to eliminate any
voltage peaks when disconnecting. Driv­
ing lights must be swi tched off!
13. Disconnect the cable whi le the engine is
running exact ly in
reverse order to that
described in¢
page 250, Connecting/dis­
connecting the jumper cable.
When do ing so, make sure that the cable cannot con­
tact rotating engine parts.
14. Turn the heater b lower and the rear w in-
dow heating off again .
The battery is vented to the outside to prevent gases from entering the vehicle interior .
Make sure that the jumper clamps are we ll
connected with thei r
metal ports in full con­
tact
with the battery terminals .
A WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury and dam­
age to the vehicle, heed all warnings and
instructions of the jumper cable manufac­
turer. If in doubt, call for road service.
- Jumper cables must be long enough so
that the veh icles do not touch.
- When connecting jumper cables, make sure that they cannot get caught in any
mov ing parts in the engine compart­
ment.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢page 187, Engine com­
partment.
{CT) Note
Improperly connected jumper cab les can
damage or destroy the generator .
- Do not use the battery negative terminal
for jump start ing or a malfunct ion could
occur in the vehicle electrical system.
- Always connect POSITIVE(+) to POSI-
TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE(-) to NEGATIVE
( - ) term inal.
- Check that all screw p lugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firm ly . If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive batte ry term inal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
necting a jumper cable as described
above applies specifically to t he case of
your vehicle being jump st arted. When
yo u are g iving a jump sta rt to another ve­
hicle, do
not connect the minus( -) cable
to the minus (-) terminal on the dis­
charged battery@¢fig.193 . Instead,

264 Index .:..:..:..::....::..
...:..._ ___________________________ _
A
ABS
refer to Anti-lock brake system . ... .. . 164
Accessories .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 26 1
Acoust ic park assist ........ .. .. .... .. 93
AC (a ir cond itioner) ......... .. .. .. .. .. 81
Adapter for anti-theft wheel bolts . .. .. . 238
Adaptive light
defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Adding Engine coolant .......... .... ..... . 204
Engine oil . ...... ....... ... .. .... . 200
Windshield washer fluid ............ 211
Addit ional accessories .......... .... . 261
Additional heater Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Additives Engine oil . ............... ... .. .. . 200
Adj ustab le steering wheel column .... .. 88
Adjusting Steer ing wheel column ........ .. .... 88
Adjusting front seats ........ ... .... .. 61
Advanced Airbag System
Components ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 129
Fr ont airbags ................ .... . 127
How the components work together .. 130
Monitoring ................. ..... . 133
PASS ENG ER A IR BAG OFF light .. .... . 133
A irbag
Warning/indicator lights ............. 16
A irbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122, 139
Advanced Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Care . .. .. ............... .. .. .... . 135
Ch ildren . .... ........... .. .. .. .. . 144
Ch ild r estra ints ........... .. .. .. .. . 145
Components (front airbags) . ... .... . 129
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Disposal . ................. .. .... . 135
Front airbags . ........... .. .. .... . 126
How do the front airbags work? . . . . . . 131
H ow many airbags does my vehicle
have? ..... .......... ...... ... .. . 129
I mportant things to know .... .. .... . 122
I ndicator light ........... .. .. .. .. . 133
Monitoring ................. ..... . 133 Repairs ...
.... .. ............. .... 135
Side airbags ..... ................ . 137
S ide curtain airbags ................ 140
When must the system be inspected? 133
Airbag System
Weight-sensing mat .............. . 144
Air conditioner .. .. ................ .. 81
also refer to Climate controls .. .. .. .. . 79
Air conditioning Switching on and off ........... .. .. . 81
Air distribution Climate controls . ................. .. 83
Air outlets Adjusting the outlets for rapid defrost -
ing/defogging ... ................ .. 84
Climate controls . .............. ..... 84
Air quality sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Air recirculation . .. ... .......... .... . 83
Climate controls .. ............. .... . 82
When should I use the air recirculation? 82
Air recirculation mode Climate controls . ................. .. 82
All-wheel drive Winter tires ... .. ... .......... .... 227
Alloy wheels ...... ................ . 182
All Wheel Drive .... ............. .... 166
Alternator
refer to Generator ............. .. .. . 16
Aluminum alloy wheels .... ...... .... 182
Ambient lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Anti-lock brake system How the ABS system works ........ .. 164
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 18
Anti -theft systems
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Anti-theft wheel bolts ........... .... 238
Armrest Center armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Rear armrest .... ................ .. 67
Asterisk What does it mean when something is
marked with an aster isk? ........ .... .. 6
Audi magnetic ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 9S
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Indicator light ... ....... ...... .. .. . 22
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Litera-
ture 259

Index 265 ____________________________ ...:.:..:.=.:::.::.:
AUTO
Climate controls .. ..... ... .. .. .. .... 81
Sw itching on .... ........ ... .. .. .. .. 81
When should I use AUTO? ............ 81
Automatic air recircu lation ............ 82
Automatic belt retractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Automatic car wash
refer to Washing .................. 179
Automatic t ransmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
D riving Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Emergency program ... ... .. .. .. .. . 10 1
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Ignition key safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Kick-down .. ... .......... .. .. .. ... 101
Launch Contro l Program ..... .. .. .. . 101
Selector lever lock .................. 97
Selector lever pos it ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Tiptroni c con trols on the steering
wheel . .. .. .... ............. .. .. . 100
Automatic Transmission
Automatic T ransm ission ....... .. .. .. 99
Auto Safety Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Average fue l m ileage ................. 26
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Avoid damaging the vehicle . ... .. .. .. . 17 1
B
Battery . .. .. ................. .. .. . 20 7
charging ... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 209
Disconnecting and connecting . ... .. . 207
Important warn ings when working on
the battery . ............. .... .. ... 208
Low . .... .. .. .. ........... ....... 167
Replacing the batte ry ...... ... .. .. . 210
State of charge .................... 167
W inte r operation .......... ...... .. 207
Wo rking on t he battery ............. 208
Battery voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
B efore driving . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 103
B lended gasoline . .......... ...... .. 189
Body cavity sealing .................. 183
B ooste r seats .. ........... .. .. .. ... 1 51
Brake assistant ............. ...... .. 165
Brake booster .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 164 Brake fluid
Changing the bra ke fluid ..... ... .. .. 206
Check ing the brake fluid level . ... .. .. 206
Reservoir . .. .. .. ................. 206
What is the correct brake fluid level? .. 206
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? .. .. .. ..... ... .. 206
Brake pads . ... .. .. .. .. .. ...... ... .. 169
B rake system ....................... 206
An ti-l ock b rake syste m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
B rake fluid .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 206
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re-
placement .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 206
Brake light defective ................ 21
General information ............... 163
How does moistu re or road salt affect the
brakes? .......... ................ 163
Malfunction ..... .. ................ 15
Wa rning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 15
Wor n bra ke pads s ymbol ............ . 19
Break-in per iod .. .. .... ....... ...... 169
B rake pads ....................... 169
T ires 169
Bul bs ............................. 246
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ... .. 195
Battery specific . ... .. ...... ... .. .. 209
Capaci ties ......................... 257
Car care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Plastic and vinyl .. .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 181
Care of exterior .. ...... ............. 178
Cargo a rea
refer to L oading the l uggage compa rt-
ment ... .. .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 109
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Cata lytic converter .............. .... 170
Center armres t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Cent igrade
Switching between Centig rade and Fah-
renhe it . ..... ...... ....... ........ 83
Central locking
panoramic sliding sunroof closing .. .. . 46
Certif ication .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 262
Chang ing a flat t ire ... . .. .. ..... ... .. 236
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