2012 AUDI A3 window

How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 136 Inflated s ide airbags on left side of veh icle,
rear side airbag optional equipmen t
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force. The sup­
plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side a irbag expands. This app lies
especially to children
~ page 143, Child Safe­
ty .
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
l ision
~fig. 136.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cush ion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
pa rt of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Airbag system 139
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.

140 Airbag system
-Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders, tel ­
ephone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag dep loyment and can cause personal
injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat ­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer .
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
q page 143, Child Safety .
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rectly measure increasing air pressure in­
side the doors when air escapes through larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additiona l speakers
or other equipment is installed in the inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
workshop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of curtain airbags
The curtain airbags can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 137 Cur tain airbag , drive r's sid e: s ide cu rtain a ir­
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows
c;, fig. 137 . T hey are identified
by the word "AIRBAG " on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
liJI,

in a side collision. The side curtain ai rbag in ­
f lates in side impacts and on ly when the vehi­
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
is high enough. If th is rate is be low the refer ­
ence value programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­ sult of the collision . It is not possible to de­
f ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impac t, since the ci r­
cumstances wi ll vary conside rably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the nat ure ( hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
veh icle speed, etc.
c:> page 141.
Aside from the ir normal safety function , safe ­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a co lli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubstitute for yo ur
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it prope rly. Thi s
i s another reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety bel ts, not just beca use the law re­
q uir es you to do so
<=:>page 113, General
notes.
It
is important to rememb er that while the
side curta in a irbag sys tem is designed to he lp
r educe the like lihood of se rious injur ies, other
in ju ries, for example, swell ing, bruising, and
minor abrasions can a lso be associated with
these airbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these a irbags w ill dep loy on ly once and
only in certain kinds of accide nts - your safety
be lts are a lways there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag sy stem ba sically
consi sts of:
- The electronic control mod ule and external
s ide impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags ab ove the front and
rear side w indows
A irba g sy stem 141
- The a irbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
T he airbag system is mon itored e lec troni cally
to make ce rtain i t is func tioning prope rly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is turned off ,
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration
meas ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rea r-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection w hen occupants
a re in the proper seating posi tion
c:> page 61, General re commendation s.
- If th e air bag ind icator lig ht comes on
when the vehicle is being used, h ave the
sys tem inspected immedi ately by your
author ized A udi dealer. The s ide cur tain
airbag may not wo rk proper ly even w hen
the vehicle acce lerat ion in a side collision
is high enoug h to activate the airbag.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags ca n work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fi g. 13 8 Illust rat io n o f pri nc iple: I nflated s ide c urtai n
a irbags o n the le ft sid e
The side c urtai n airbags inflate betwee n the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the ..,.

142 Airbag sys te m
vehicle that is struck in a side co llision
~ fig . 138.
When the system is triggered , the side c urtain
a irbag is filled wi th propellant gas and b reaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows ide ntified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and w ith
great force. The side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seat ing pos ition is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the suppleme nta l side cu rtain airbag
i nflates . This applies espe cial ly to childre n
~page 143.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they ca n he lp to redu ce the r isk of in­
ju ry to the head and the upper part of the
body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ p loys. This is q uite norma l and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
a irbags do the ir job to provide s upplementa l
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
prope r seat ing positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used .
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of
their bodies in the a rea from wh ich the
side cu rtain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curta in
airbags can inflate w ithout interference .
Unsuitable accessor ies fitted inside the expansion range of a curtain airbag can
dangerously interfere with its funct
ion. A
deploying head airbag develops enough
force to catapult any p iece of add-on
component out of its path of infla tion
and into the passenger compa rtment. An
o ccu pant hit by such a projectile can suf­
fe r serious injury or death~
page 262,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swive l the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them
(for examp le pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects .
- Use the bui lt -in coat hooks only for light ­
weight clothing . Never leave any heavy o r
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with a irbag dep loyment
and can cause personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang cloth ing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
veh icle leaves the factory, on ly Audi roll­
up sunscreens may be used
~ page 261,
Additional accessories and parts re­
placement.
- Always sit in proper seat ing pos ition and
wear safety belts wh ile traveling so that
the side curtain airbag s can help p rov ide
p rotec tion.
- T he a irbag system can only be triggered
once .
If the airbag has been triggered,
t he system mus t be rep lace d by an au­
thor ized A udi dealer or qualified work ­
shop .
- Always have work involving the side c ur­
tain airbag system, removal and insta lla­
tion of the airbag components, or ot her
repairs performed by a qua lified work­
shop. Otherwise the airbag system may
not work correct ly.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .

168 Intelligent technology
If starting capability is jeopa rdized due to en­
ergy consumption, a message appears in the
driver information disp lay.
You have to start the eng ine to charge the
battery.
With the engine running
A lthough electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is be ing driven, the battery can be­
come discha rged. This happens mos tly when
little e nergy is be ing generated and a great
dea l consumed and the battery's state o f
charge is not optima l.
To br ing the energy balance back into equili ­
brium, cons umers which require especia lly
l arge amo unts of energy are temporari ly c ut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par­
ticular requ ire a great dea l of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has bee n restored.
You will a lso notice that engine idle speed has
been increased s lightly . This is norma l and not
a cause fo r co ncern . By increas ing engine idle
speed the add itiona l ene rgy required is gene r­
ated and the ba tte ry is charged.
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If batte ry power drops into the range w here it
can limit the ab ility of the engine to start, th is
is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) Low batter y charge : batte ry will be
charged while dr iving
This notif ication reminds you tha t the s tarti ng
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start d riving again, the battery
will be recharged and the notification wi ll go
out.
Driver notification appears and goes out
again
If this driver notif ication appears after the ig­
nition is t urned on or whi le driving and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately recharged.
Driver notification appea rs and doe s not
go out again
If this driver notif ication appears after the ig­
nition is turned on or whi le driving and does
not go out again, the battery 's state of charge
is not in the optima l range. Starting ab ility is
rest ricted . H ave t he battery chec ked as soon
as possib le by an autho rized Aud i dea le r o r
qualified wo rks hop.

CD Note
You should remove debris (such as insects)
from the headlight lenses on a regular ba­sis, for example when refueling your vehi­
cle. Never clean the headlights with a dry
cloth or sponge . Use a wet cloth or
sponge.
It is best to use soapy water .
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almos t any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash . However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de­
sign of the facility, the filtering of the wash
water , the type of wash and care material , etc .
If the paint has a dull appearance after going
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi­
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a car wash, be sure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows and panoramic sliding sunroof*. Re­ move antenna if applicable.
If you have installed additional accessories on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, roof rack, etc. -
it is best to ask the car wash operator if these
should be removed.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
¢ page 178.
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi­
cle by hand.
11-Before you start washing, make sure you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
¢ A in General information on page 178.
11-First soak all dried dirt until it is soft, then
rinse it off .
11-As you clean your vehicle, s tart with the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
Cleaning and protection 179
using a sponge, a sponge glove or a clean
brush.
"" Rinse the sponge or the sponge glove often,
flushing it clean each time.
11-Use special car shampoo only for very per­
sistent dirt .
11-Rinse the car thoroughly with water .
11-Use a chamois leather to gently wipe the ex-
terior dry.
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the
wheels, door sills and other regions exposed
to road dirt. In this way, you will not scratch
the paint with coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car.
A WARNING
= -
-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.
CD Note
- Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the vehicle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, since this
could scratch your vehicle's paint or win­
dows.
- Never wash your car in bright sunlight.
Drops of water act as magnifying lenses
and may damage your paint .
- When you wash your car in the winter: if
you rinse your vehicle with a hose, be
careful not to aim the stream of water
directly at locks, or at door or hatch
openings -they can freeze shut.
- Never use sponges designed to remove
insects, or any kitchen scouring sponges
or similar products. They can damage
your paint finish.
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights. Only use wet cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water. •
•

-matte or anodized metal trim
- rubber o r rubber-like tr im.
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special care.
For environmental reasons, Aud i fabricates
the br ight tr im strips and trim pieces from
pure ch romium-free a lum inum.
Dirt and marks on the trim str ips should be
removed with a pH-bal anced cleaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner). Authorized Au­
d i dea lers carry clean ing products wh ich have
been tested for use o n your veh icle and are
not harmful to the env ironment.
To avo id corros ion on the exterior trim str ips,
on ly a pH-balanced solution should be used
for the w indshield washer.
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 178.
Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care.
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt. For other soil, use
a lukewarm a ll-purpose clean ing solution or a
mild saddle soap for viny l trim. Remove water
spo ts and traces o f soap w ith a clean, damp
cloth or sponge . Use a clean, soft clot h to rub
dry .
Grease, tar or o il stains can be removed with a
clean cloth or sponge soaked w ith all-p urpose
cleane r or wi th a solven t designed especially
to clean viny l.
Occasionally apply a colo rless vi nyl or leather
preservat ive to reta in the mate rial's l uste r
and pliability .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 178.
Cleaning and protec tion 18 1
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral- pH products to remove spo ts
and deposi ts from aluminum surfaces.
Chrome care products and a lkaline cleaners
will attack a luminum surfaces and can dam­
age them over time.
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 178.
Touch-up paint
Minor paint damages should be touched up
immediately.
.. Use e ithe r a touch-up pain t stick or spray
paint to cover minor scratches and nicks .
You r authorized Audi de aler has to uch-up
paint for minor scra tches and stone chips.
Scratches sho uld be touched up soon after
they occur to prevent corrosion .
If a spot sta rts to rust, however, a s imple
touch-up job will not be eno ugh. The affected
su rface m ust be sanded smooth and coated
with an anti -rust prime r before the painted
finish can be restored .
T he number for the orig ina l veh icle pa int can
be fo und on the vehicle identification label
¢ page 255.
A WARNING
-Always read and heed all WAR NINGS and
other information
¢ page 178.
Windows
Clear vision to all sides.
Clean a ll w indows regularly to remove road
f ilm and carwash wax b uildup.
.. Remove snow from w indows us ing a b rush .
.,. Use a p lastic ice s craper to remove ice from
w indows and m irrors .
.,. Remove othe r residue on the w indows with
a spray -on g lass cleaner.
IJI>
•
•

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 ..,_