2012 AUDI A3 lock

176 Trailer towing
Always app ly bra kes early . When driving
downhill, shift into lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow down the vehicle.
Use of the brakes alone can cause them to
overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immed iate ly and/or switch
off the
a ir cond itioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instrument cluster starts flashing
J_, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing veh icle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not prope rly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle handles different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the addit io nal weight and
weight distribution . Safety, performance and
economy w ill greatly depend on how carefu lly
you load your trai ler and ope rate your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have comp letely become fam iliar w ith the way
your ve hicle-trai ler comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is d iff icu lt and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra ile r genera lly requ ires
steer ing act ion opposite of tha t when backing
up your veh icle without a trailer .
Ma intain a g reater distance between your ve­
h icle and the one in fro nt of you. You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, yo
u will need a
larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
ce le rate as fas t as you no rma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure yo u have
enough room to pass . After passing, a llow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang ­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts , sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break -in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, yo ur Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 2 59.
Parking on a slope
Do not park with a trailer on a slope . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace cho cks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unti l wheel b locks absorb th e load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the cu rb.
.. App ly the parking brake.
.. Place an automat ic transm ission in
P, re­
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear .
When restarting after p ark ing:
.. Start the engine.
.. Shift transm ission into gear .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel blocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
b locks .
Ill-

@ Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
mat ic transm ission to
P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force later to move the lever out of the
P pos i­
tion .
Trailer towin g 177
•
•

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. •
•

184 Cleaning and protection
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fab rics and fabr ic coveri ngs (e.g. seats, door
tr im panels, etc.) should be cleaned at reg ular
inte rva ls with a vacuum cleaner. This removes
sur face dirt particles which could become em­
bedded in the fabric through use. Steam
cleaners shou ld not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it there.
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
or a lint-free microfiber cloth to the clean fab ­
ric. Brushes should on ly be used for carpets
and floor mats, s ince other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
Normal surface stains can be cleaned using a
commercially available foam cleaner. Spread
the foam on the surface of the fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu­
rate the fabric. Then pat the foam d ry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e.g . microfiber cloth)
and vacuum it afte r it has dried comp lete ly.
Cleaning stain s
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
ju ice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter­
gent solut ion. App ly the detergent so lution
with a sponge. In the case of stubbor n stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the sta in and wor ked into the fabric. Afte r­
wards, use copio us amo unts o f cle an water to
remove t he remaining dete rgent. Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric d ry w ith an absorbent, dry cloth.
S tains from chocola te or make up s hou ld have
detergent paste (e .g. ox -gall soap) r ubbed in ­
to them. Afterwards, remove the soap with
water (damp sponge).
A lcohol can be used to t rea t stains from
g rease, oi l, lips tick or a ballpo in t pen . Me lted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab ­
sorbent materia l. It may be necessary to re­
treat the areas with dete rgent paste and wa­
ter. In the case of gene
ra l soiling o f the uphols ­
tery and cover material, we recommend hiring
a spec ia list that has the equipment to clean
the seat covers and other fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
A WARNING '"--
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
~ page 178.
(D Tips
Open Ve lcro fasteners on yo ur clothing can
damage the seat cover. Please make sure
that Velcro fasteners are closed.
Plastic parts and instrument panel
~ Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
wate r.
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For pe rsisten t dirt
use an Aud i approved
solvent -free p lastic
cl eaner/p rotec tant.
A WARNING
S olven ts ca n ch ange the prope rties of
some p lastics and make it harde r fo r the
a ir ba g to de ploy .
-
- N ever cle an the in st rument p anel or the
sur face of Ai rbag modu les with cleaning
prod ucts t hat conta in solvents .
- P roduc ts containing solven ts will make
the surface of this part poro us.
- Ser ious inju ries c an resu lt if p lastic parts
come loose when t he ai rbag is deployed.
- Always re ad and heed a ll WAR NIN GS and
t he information¢
page 178 .
(J) Note
Cleaning agents conta ining so lvents w ill
a ttack t he mate rial and can ch ange the
w ay it behaves.

Natural leather
Appl ies to vehicles: with nat ura l leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties , natural look and feel of interior
leather .
General
We offer many different types of leather on
our veh icles. Most are different types of nappa
leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in var ious colors .
The intensity of the color determines the v isu­
al characteristics and appearance. If the sur­
face of the leather has a typical natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has been left in a relatively nat ural condition . This
l eather offers pa rticularly good comfo rt and
breathes well. Fine ve ins, closed g rains, i nsect
b ites, skin folds, and subtle variations in color
remain visib le. These characteristics demon­
strate that the materia l is natural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col­
or finish .
It is therefore more sensitive to soil­
ing and wear, which is something you need to
consider if chi ldren, animals or other factors
might prove to be particularly hard on the
leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a co lored finish layer are more durable. This
has a positive effect on the leather's resist­
ance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the
other hand, the typical characterist ics of natu­
ral leather a re barely or not apparent . Howev ­
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
i s of infer ior quality.
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and the ir unique prop­
erties (such as sensitivity to o ils, grease, so il­
in g, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care­
fu l w ith these leathers, and a certain type of
care is required. For examp le, da rk cloth ing
materials can d iscolor leather seats (especial­
l y i f such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and dirt particles in pores,
fo lds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
Cleaning and protec tion 185
and can damage the leather surface as we ll as
weaken seams.
T he lea ther should be cleaned regularly as
needed. After hav ing been used for a relat ive ly
long time, your leather seats will acq uir e a
rich aged finish . This is a characteristic of nat­
ural leather and a sign of true quality.
In order to maintain the val ue of this natural
product over the li fe of your vehicle, you
sho uld follow the recommendations below:
(D Note
- T o keep your lea ther from b leach ing out,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time . If you
have to leave the ve hicle parked outside
for long per iods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to sun­
light.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip­
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
(D Tips
-After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather preser­
vative creme that contains UV-blockers and that works into the leathe r. T his
c reme w ill nour is h and mo istu rize the
lea ther, helping it to breathe and stay
supple.
It also helps to build up a protec ­
tive coating on the surface.
- C lean the leather every 2 - 3 mon ths,
and clean any areas that get soi led .
- Remove fresh m arks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as possible .
- Preserve the color o f the leather as need ­
ed by using a specia l co lored leathe r care
creme to touch up areas of uneven color . •
•

(D Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
flu id, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commercia l cleaning spe­
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, stiff sponges or sim­
ilarly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia­
bly when needed.
.. Keep belts clean .
.. For cleaning, use a mi ld soap and water sol­
ution . Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight.
.,. Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
.,. Check the condition of your safety belts
reg­
ularly .
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly .
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anything that might damage your safety
belts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers wou ld not be adequately pro­
tected in an acc ident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach o r dyes. They have corros ive prop­
erties whi ch weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage.
If you discover dam­
age, see your a uthorized Audi dea ler.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information
Q page 178.
l ) Use o nly the correct cleaning sol utions. Neve r use gas­
oline or d iese l fuel.
Cleaning and protec tion
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
A lw ays switch o ff the ign it ion before cle an ­
i ng the eng ine
c> ,& .
Plenum pan el
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engine hood. This
prevents the water drain holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from enter ing
the vehicle interior through the heating and
vent ilat ion ducts.
Co rro sio n protect ion
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the factory.
Good anti -corrosion treatment is very impor­
tant, partic ularly in the winter.
If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and p lenum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage.
At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
shou ld be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease remov ing solutions
1> , or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­
s ion treatment is almost always removed as
well.
It i s therefo re essentia l to have a long­
lasti ng cor rosion pro tect ion reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before work ing in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
c>page 194.
- Before reaching into the front plenum
panel, a lways remove the ignit ion key.
187
•
•

Winter operation
At temperatures below 20° F (-7° C), Diesel
fuel No.
2 loses its fluidity due to wax separa­
tion, which may clog the fuel filter or tank fil­
ter and keep the engine from running .
To help the filter from being clogged by wax,
the fuel filter in your vehicle is automatically
preheated. Preheating the fuel filter makes
operation of your vehicle possible with Diesel
fuel No . 2 down to -10° F (-24° C).
If you expect temperatures below
5° F
(-15° C)
ask your fuel dealer whether their
Diese l fuel No.
2 is sufficiently winterized for
the prevailing and expected temperatures.
If not winterized or insufficiently winterized
d iesel fue l has already thickened to the extent
that the engine will not start, warm the vehi­
cle up by leaving it in a heated garage.
It is normal that the engine noise leve l (die­
seling) is louder during the warm-up period in
winter.
It is also norma l when whitish-blue
smoke comes out of the tailpipe after start ing
and during warm-up . The amount of smoke
depends on the outs ide temperature.
Do not let your diesel engine idle unnecessari­
ly after a cold start. Driving off slowly will
shorten the warm-up period .
A WARNING
-Never use "starting assist fluids." They
may be potent ially explosive or cause a
"run-away" engine condition. This could
result in serious engine damage and per­
sonal injury.
- Never use fuel line anti-freeze offered for
gasoline engines .
0 Note
- Your diesel engine has been specifically
designed to operate only on Ultra Low
Sulfur Diesel fuel. Therefore, never use
home heating oil or regular gasol ine. Th e
properties of these fuels may cause seri­
ous damage to the fuel injection system
and to the engine. Using these fuels can
-
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 191
cause expensive engine repai rs and will
also adversely affect your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
- If diesel fuel should get on any rubber
hose, it must be wiped off immediately.
Then wash the contaminated hose por­
tion with soap and warm water. Do not
allow diesel fuel to remain on connecting
hoses. They may develop leaks and cause
ser ious damage.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for detailed
instructions see
¢ page 193.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢page 257 .
The labe l on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
¢ page 189.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refuel­
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refue l your vehicle. In order to fi ll the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
A WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry addit ional fuel conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow b lower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe loca l and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the
~
•
•

192 Fuel suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank
container meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive yo ur vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely dry . The irregular s upply of
fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline cou ld
enter into the exhaust system and damage
the catalytic converter.
Refuelling
The fuel filler flap is unlocked from a button
in the driver 's door .
Fig. 152 Driver 's door: Un lock ing fuel filler flap
Fig. 153 F u el cap hooked on the opened fuel filler flap
When adding fuel, the ignition and any cellu ­
lar phones in the vehicle must be sw itched
off.
Tak ing th e fuel cap off
.. To open the fuel filler flap, pull the button
¢fig . 152 .
.. Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filler flap¢
fig. 153 .
.. Check the label on the inside of the fuel fi ll­
er flap to determine if the vehicle must be
fueled with gasoline or diesel fuel.
Refuell ing proc edur e
.. Insert the f uel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel fi ller neck as far as it wi ll
go .
.. Select a medium refuelling rate
so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting th e fu el cap ba ck on
.. After fi lling your tank, twist the fuel filler
cap clockwise until you hear a definite click.
.. Close the fue l filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap properly
and completely. An improperly closed fuel fill­
er cap may also cause a message in the driver
information system or cause the MIL lamp
¢page 24 to come on.
A WARNING
-Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fue l is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
ful ly into the fuel filler neck could cause
fue l to spray out of filler neck or to ove r­
f low. Fue l spray and overflowing fue l can
cause a fire .
- Never use a ce ll ular telephone while re­
fue ling. The electromagnet ic rad iation
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back in to yo ur vehicle whi le re­
fue ling. If in exceptional circ umstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
ref ueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again . Static e lectr icity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
re leased du ring ref uel ing .
- Never smoke or have an open flame any­
where in or near your veh icle when refu-
eling or fi lling a portab le fue l conta iner . ..,_