2012 AUDI A3 lock

-For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container
'
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle (for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk) . Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire.
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling .
-Always keep the filler nozzle complete­ ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers.
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
- If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it should be removed immediately to pre­
vent damage to the paint.
- If the fuel tank runs completely empty in
a vehicle with a
diesel engine, the igni­
tion must remain switched on for at least 30 seconds after refueling before
starting the engine.
It may take longer
than usual for the engine to start, even
up to a minute. This is because the air
must first bleed out of the fuel system
when starting the engine.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 193
@) For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
(0 Tips
-Running your engine while refuelling
may cause vapors to escape or even fuel
to spill out of the tank. This would then
shut off the fuel nozzle before the tank
is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not indicate the correct fuel
level after refuelling.
Unlocking the fuel filler flap by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
Fig. 154 Inside the luggage compartment : Openi ng
the fuel fi lier flap
by hand
.,. Open the rear lid.
.,. Remove the screwdriver from the vehicle
tool kit
¢ page 234.
.,. Use the screwdriver (vehicle tool kit) to pry
the cover off at the recess
¢ fig. 154 (D .
.,. Pull the actuator in the direction of arrow
@ to release the fuel filler flap¢
fig. 154.
.,. Open the fuel filler flap .

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.

204 Checking and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 162 Engine compartme nt: coo lant expansio n tank
Before you check anything i n the eng ine com­
partment,
a lw ays rea d and h eed all WARN­
ING S ¢&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 194.
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.. Turn
off the ignit ion .
.. Read the eng ine coolant leve l from the
coolant expansion tank<=>
fig. 162 . With a
cold eng ine, the coo lant level should be be­
tween the "min" and "max" markings . When
the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
i:> page 196.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in yo ur vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto -Check System
c> page 17 w ill
blink until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to norma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
time to time.
Coolant lo ss
Coolant loss may indicate a le ak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dea
ler .
It is not
enough merely to add coolant .
In a
se aled system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
(D Note
Do not ad d any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant . Add­
i ng radiator repair fl uid may adverse ly af ­
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Veh icle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the eng ine com ­
partment,
a lw ays re a d and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 194 .
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
c::> page 204, fig . 162 and ca refull y
twist the cap counter-clockwise c::> A.
.. Add coo lant .
.. Twist the cap on aga in
tightly .
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
c::> page 203, Coolant.
Even in an emergency, if coolant addi-
t ive G12++ . G 12+ or G12 is not ava ilable, do
n ot use a d iffe rent addit ive. Use plain water
instead unt il you can get the correct add itive
and can restore the correct ratio. This shou ld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerab le amou nt of
c oolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifree ze
and co ld wate r on ly when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling .
Do not f ill coolant above the
"MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en -
gine becomes hot .
Iii>

& WARNING
-The cooling system is under p ress ure and
can get very hot . Reduce the risk of
sca ld ing from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Tur n off the engine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escap ing flu id and steam by cover ing
the cap wi th a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a cou nte r-clockw ise d irect ion w hile
ap ply ing ligh t, downw ard press ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an­
tifreeze o r coolan t on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
gine coolant can catc h fir e.
- An tifreeze is poisonous . Always store an ­
tifreeze in its or iginal co ntainer and we ll
o ut o f the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess coo l­
ant wi ll be forced out throug h the pres ­
su re re lief va lve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the cor rect ratio between water
and antifreeze
c:> page 203 must be re­
stored as soon as possib le.
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant shou ld n ot be re used. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while obse rv­
ing all environmental regulations.
Checkin g and fillin g 205
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The electric radiator fan is controlled by ther­
moswitches t hat sw itch on a nd off depending
o n coo lant and eng ine compartment tempera ­
tures .
An a uxiliary electric radiator fan* sw itches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle operat io n conditions.
After switching off the eng ine, the auxiliary
fan -even with the ignition off -can continue
runn ing for up to 10 minutes. It ca n even
switch on aga in later by itself
c:> A , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engi ne compartment , or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlig ht.
& WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal in ju ry nev­
er touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
contro lled a nd can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning.
- The a uxiliary radiator fa n sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certa in te mpera tu re and w ill
con tinue to ru n until t he coo lant temper­
a ture drop s.
•
•

206 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance .
Fig. 163 Engine compartme nt: brake flu id reservo ir
Before you check anything i n the engine com ­
partment,
a lwa ys rea d and h eed a ll WA RN·
ING S c:> & in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page
194.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the bra ke
fluid reservoir. The brake fluid Level must be
between the "MIN" and "MAX" markings
9fig. 163 .
The brake f lu id rese rvoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the
L eft side
¢page 196.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the b rake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
I f the b rake fluid Level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/ind i­
cator Light (U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian
models:
llllt will come on c:> page 15 . Do not
continue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake system sho uld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected. If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
indicator Light w ill illuminate . Contact an au­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also decrease conside rably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
eve ry two y ears. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the b rake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer . Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and the know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake flu id. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SA E
specifica tion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 1 16.
Always check with yo ur authorized Aud i
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake f lu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong. This can seriously affect the effi­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This cou ld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
All work on the battery requires technical
knowledge!
F ig . 1 64 Eng ine co mpa rtment: Batte ry w it h cover*
The battery is located in the engine compart­
ment
c::> fig. 164 and is near ly m ain te nance­
fre e.
The condition of the battery is checked in the
framework of the inspection.
Disconnecting the battery
The batte ry should not be disconnected. Some
ve hicl e functions such as power windows are
unavailable if the battery termina ls are dis­
connected. These funct ions have to be re­
l earned after the battery term inals are con­
nected aga in. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system if absolutely necessary .
Function
Power window
one-touch up/
down function
Master key with
remote control
Reprogramming
c::, page 45, Reactivating
the system after battery
disconnection
Synchronization
~page 38
Checkin g and fillin g 207
Reprogramming
Digita l clock c::, page 11
ESP indicator light The indicator ligh t goes
out after driving a few
meters
Vehicl es not driven for long periods and
sho rt -d is tance op eration
If you do no t drive your vehicle for several
days or weeks, electrical consumers are grad ­
u ally scaled back or switched off . This reduces
energy use and ensures the vehicle will be
able to start after long periods of time
c::, page 167. Some convenience functions
such as opening w it h the remote control key
may not be available. These conve nience func­
tions wi ll be available again once you switch
the ignit io n on and sta rt the engine. Even
whe n consume rs a re switched off, the battery
will become deeply discharged by stand -by
power consumers if the vehicle is not driven
for several months . Deep discharging results
in a chemical reaction that destroys the inside
of the battery. The battery must be charged
every month to prevent th is
c::, page 209. Do
not disconnect the battery or the anti-t heft
alarm system* will not work .
Winter operation
Cold weather places higher demands on the
battery. This results in reduced starting abili­
ty. Have the battery checked and recharged if
necessary befo re the cold weather begins.
Avoid unnecessary power consumpt ion, par­
ticularly in city traffic or when traveling only
short distances . Let your authorized Audi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat­
tery before winter sets in
c::, page 209 . A well
c harged bat tery will not o nly prevent s tarti ng
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
(D Note
-All wo rk on the batte ry requ ires techn i­
cal know le d ge. P lease con ta ct an Audi
dealership or another authorized fa cility
lill>

used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at l eas t once a mon th and always before going
on a long trip. Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See ¢
page 220, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
A lways use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when check ing and adjusting inflation pres­
sures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare t ire . If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the t ire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the p ress ure th at is cor rect for the
l oad (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
I f the p ressu re in any tire is too low , note the
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your veh icle and in this manual and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do.
Never e xceed the m aximum inflation pre s­
su re li sted on th e tir e side wall for any rea ­
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the co rrect
tire p ressure for the tires on your vehicle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires are cold .
- Read the requ ired ti re p ressu re from the tire
pressure label. On USA veh icles, the t ire
pressure label is located on driver's side 8-
pillar . On Canada vehicles, the tire pressure
label is located either on the driver's side 8-
pillar or inside the fuel fi ller flap.
- Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure ga uge on the valve.
Tire s an d wheel s 219
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adj usted when the tires are co ld . The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinstall the valve stem cap on the va lve.
When should I check the tir e pressu re?
T he co rrect tire pressu re is especially impor ­
tant a t high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a jo urney . Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
whee l
¢page 234.
When should I adjust the tire pres sur es?
Adjus t the t ire press ure to the load you a re
carrying . After changing a whee l
or rep lacing
whee ls you have to adjust the tire pressu res
on all whee ls. In addition, yo u m ust then initi­
ali ze the new t ire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*¢
page 230.
A WARNING
...---
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla-
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serio us personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
ti] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Inco rrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wea r and
can affect the hand ling of the vehicle and
s topping abi lity.
- I nco rrect tire pressures and/or unde rin­
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
flation, ca using loss of vehicle contro l.
- The driver is responsib le for the correc t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values are locat­
ed on a sticker on the dr iver's side 8-pil­
lar or on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap. •
•

226 Tires and wheels
and drive with extra care. Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels , make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping distances and caus­
ing
a collision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on vehi­ cles that were equipped with them at the
factory. The vehicle must have a chassis designed for run flat tires and a factory­
installed tire pressure monitoring sys­
tem* that indicates a loss of tire pres­
sure . Incorrect use of run flat tires can
lead to vehicle damage or accidents .
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist to see if your vehicle can be
equipped with run flat tires . If run flat
tires are used, they must be installed on
all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not
permitted .
(D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare ti re is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a short period of time only and
drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible.
- If you put different wheels and tires on
your vehicle (e .g. winter wheels and
tires), you must be certain that the
wheels and tires are compatible with the
tire pressure monitoring system* . Other ­
wise the system will register a malfunc­
tion and a fault message will be dis­
played. For more information, contact
your authorized Audi dealer.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
¢ page 223,
fig. 171 .
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
ll-