2012 AUDI A3 changing light

50 Clear vis ion
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle are in an emer­
gency situation .
Fig. 47 Center console: emergency flasher switch
.. Press the switch ~ c:> fig. 47, to switch the
emergency flasher on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, a ll four
turn signal b link a t the same time. The t urn
signal indicator lights
liliN in the instrument
cluster, as we ll as the light in the emergency
f lasher switch ~ blink likewise .
The emergency f lasher w ill automa tica lly
switch on if you are in an accident where the
ai rbag has deployed.
(D} Tips
You shou ld switch on the emergency flash­
er when:
- you are the last vehicle st anding in a tr af­
fic jam so that any other veh icles coming
can see you, or when
- you r vehicle has broken down or yo u are
i n an emergency situation, or when
- you r vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if yo u are towing a nothe r vehicle
behind you.
¢ Q Turn signals - and ~D high beam
lever
The lever on the left side of the steering col­
umn is used to operate the turn signal s and
the high beam as well as the headlight flash­
er .
t
'
F ig. 48 Tu rn signal and high beam lever
The turn signal and high beam lever has the
following functions:
¢ Q Turn signals
.. Lift the lever up a ll the way c:> fig. 48 (D , to
use the right turn signals, or push the leve r
down all the way @to use the left turn sig­
nals.
Auto -blin k
.. Move the lever (up or down) just to the
point of resistance to use the turn signals
for as long as you need them, for example
when changing lanes.
.. Briefly move the lever up or down just to
the point of resistance and then release it to
flash the turn s ignals
three times in succes­
sion .
This featu re allows to ind icate lane
changes clearly and w ith minimum effo rt
when driv ing on highways.
~D High beam
.. Push the lever forward @ to switch on the
h igh beam .
" Pull the lever back towards you to switch off
the high beam.
~D Headlight flasher
" Pull the lever toward the steering wheel@
to use the headlight flasher. ..,_

54 Clear vis ion
Depending on outside temperature and vehi­
cle speed, the mirror surfaces are heated until
the ignition is switched off -even if the rotary
knob is no longer in position@.
You are well-advised to fold the exterior mir­
rors in when maneuvering in tight spaces or
when leaving the car parked close to other ve­
hicles.
(D Note
- Cu rved mirror surfaces (convex or spheri­
ca l*) increaseyourf ield of view. Remem­
ber that vehicles or other objects wi ll ap­
pear smaller and farther away than when
seen in a flat mirror. If yo u use this mir­
r or to est imate distances of following ve­
hicles when changing lanes, you could
estima te incorrect ly and cause an acci­
dent.
(D Tips
I f the re should be a malfunction in the
e lec trical system, you can still adjust the
exterior m irrors by pres sing the edge of
the mirror.
Dimming the mirrors
F ig. 56 Automatic dimm ing rearview mirror•
Manual anti-glare adjustment
• Move the small lever (located on the bot­
tom edge of the mirror) to the rear.
Automatically dimm ing mirror s*
• To dim the rearview mirror and both exteri­
or mirrors, press the® button. The diode
@ turns on. The rearview and exterior m ir­
rors dim automatically when light sh ines on them, for
example from headlights on ave­
hicle to the rear.
A WARNING
Electro lyte fluid can leak from automatic
dimming mirrors if the glass is broken.
Electro lyte fluid can irr itate skin, eyes and
respiratory system.
- Repeated or prolonged exposure to elec­
trolyte can cause irr itation to the respira­
tory system, especially among people
with asthma or other resp iratory condi­
tions. Get fresh air immediately by leav­ i n g the vehicle o r, if that is not possib le,
open windows and doors all the way.
- I f electrolyte gets into the eyes, flus h
them thoroughly with large amounts of clean water fo r at least 1 5 minutes;
medical attention is recommended.
- I f electrolyte contac ts skin, fl ush affect­
ed area with clean water for at least 15
minutes and the n wash affected area
with soap and water; medical attention
is recommended. Thoroughly wash af­
fected clothing and shoes before reuse.
- If swallowed and person is conscious,
rinse mouth with water for at least 15
minutes. Do not induce vomiting unless
instructed to do so by medical professio­
nal. Get medical attention immediately.
(D Note
Liqu id electrolyte leaking from broken m ir­
r or glass w ill damage any plastic surfaces
i t comes in contact with. Clean up spilled
electrolyte imme diately with clean water
and a sponge.
(D Tips
- Switching off the dimming function of
the ins ide rear view mir ro r also deacti­
vates the automatic dimming function of
the exter io r mir ro rs.
- The automatic dimming m irrors do not
dim when the inte rior lighting i s tur ned
on or the reverse ge ar is sele cted. .,.

94 On the road
Cruise control
Switching the system on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30 km/h) .
Fig. 105 Control lever wi th set button
Fi g. 106 Disp lay: Se lected speed
• Pull t he lever to posi tion (D ¢ fig . 105 to
switch the sys tem on.
• Drive at the speed you wish to set .
• Press b utton @ to set that speed .
The display
¢fig. 106 will show the set s peed .
The display may v ary depending on t he type o f
display in yo ur vehicle. The indicator
light
[ifj11 )~1~ (US mode l) I. (Canadian mode l)
will also light up in the instrument cluster.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on . You are
always responsible for your speed and
the distance between yo ur vehicle and
othe r vehicles .
- For safety reasons, the c ruise control
sho uld not be used in the city, in stop­
and -go traff ic, on twist ing roads an d
when ro ad conditions are poo r (such as ice,
fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
plan ing) -risk of accident.
- Turn off the cruise contro l temporarily
when enter ing turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise co ntrol not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is over ridden
by the dr ive r's acceleration.
(D Tips
- Veh icles with man ual transmiss ion: You
can attai n the set speed only if the cur­
rently engaged gear allows it and the en­
gine is not stressed . Sh ifting to a highe r
o r low er gea r promptly will a llow the en­
gine to r un smooth ly.
- The cr uise control can not mainta in a
constant speed when driv ing downhi ll.
T he vehi cle w il l accele rate under i ts own
we ight. Dow nshift to a lower ge ar or use
the brakes to slow down .
Changing speed
• Press lever in the 0 or 0 direct io n
¢ page 94, fig. 105 to increase or decrease
your speed.
• Release the lever to save that speed .
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/
h) by lightly pressing the lever. I f you keep the
lever pressed down, you will alter your speed
in S mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can also press t he accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g. if you want to
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you release the acceler­
ator pedal.
If, however , you exceed yo ur saved speed by
5 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes,
the cru ise control will turn off temporari ly.
T he symbo l will go out but the saved speed
will be reta ined .

96 Transmis sion
Transmission
Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmission
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the
way before you can start the engine .
The manual transmission in your Audi is
equipped with an
interlock-feature.
• Depress the clutch pedal all the way.
• Start the engine with the gearshift lever in
Neutral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears. Do not hold the vehicle on
a hill with the clutch pedal partially de­
pressed. This may cause premature clutch
wear or damage .
@ Tips
-Resting your hand on the gearshift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmission.
- The back-up lights go on when you shift
i nto Reverse with the ignition on.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with 6-speed manual transmission
Fig. 108 Gearshift pattern: 6 -speed manual t ransmis­
sion
Drive in 6th gear for optimum fuel economy
when cruising . However, if more acceleration
is required (when passing, for example), shift
down.
Engaging reverse gear (R)
• Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down, then push it forward.
Especially after driving forward, stop the vehi­
cle completely, shift into
Neutral and rest the
shift lever briefly in Neutral before shift ing in­
to
Reverse.
S tronic transmission
· Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic®
Your vehicle is equipped with a S tronic trans­
mission, also called a double-clutch system/
transmission .
Power is transferred between the engine and
the transmission by means of two independ­ ent clutches. They replace the torque convert­
er of conventiona l automatic transmissions
and allow the vehicle to accelerate without a
not iceable break in the power flow.
With the aid of
tiptronic, the gears can op­
t ionally be shifted
manually ~ page 100.
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic®
All the selector lever positions are explained
in this section.
~-. -·~•-~ _ .. _....,-l
•+55 °F '
i} 340 mi
D
Fig. 109 Disp lay: Se lector lever posi tions
The instrument cluster display shows these­
lector lever position.
P -Park lock
In this position the gears are mechanically
locked.

Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, us ing
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­ sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
se nsors and sent to the electron ic control
u ni t. Some suspens ion changes c an, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in w hic h it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made. Other k inds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it shou ld .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
l atched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
e r rate of vehicl e deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular co llision, it is poss ible th at an a irbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety be lt is bei ng used but will inflate at the
position whe re the safety belt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so t hat the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electron ic cont rol unit.
A WARNING
Cha nging the vehicle's s uspension inclu d­
ing use of u napproved t ire-rim comb ina­
ti ons can change Advan ced A irb ag pe r­
formance and incre ase the risk of ser io us
personal in jury in a crash.
- Never ins tall suspe nsion compone nts
t h at d o not h ave the same per forman ce
characteristics as the components origi ­
nally installed on you r vehicle .
- Never use t ire-r im combinat ions that
have not bee n approved by A udi.
A irba g sy stem 13 7
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety be lt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the b uckle to send the
wrong informa tion to the e lectronic con­
trol module a nd prevent t he A dvan ced Air­
bag System from wo rking properly.
- Always ma ke sure t ha t nothing can inter­
fe re wi th the safety belt buckles and that
t hey are not obs truc te d .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 135 Side a irbag location in t he drive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 135 and the rear
back rest* facing the doors . Th ey are id entified
by the wo rd "AIRBAG".
The side airbag sy stem basically consi st s of :
-the electron ic control modu le and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the s ides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags (as an ordered
option)
- t he airbag warn ing light in the ins trument
cl uste r.
T he airbag system is mo nitored e lec tronically
t o m ake ce rtain tha t it is fu nction ing p ro perl y
at all times . Each time you turn on the ig ni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) . ..,.

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 .
•
•

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 .

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. •
•