2012 AUDI A3 display

10 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Ove rv iew of t he inst ru m ent cluster
CD Tac home ter w ith t ime and date
d is play .. .......... ....... .
@ Indicator lights ( tur n signa ls) .
®
©
®
®
0
®
Coolant temperature gauge .. .
Fu el gauge ............ .. .. .
Speedometer with odometer ..
Set/Check bu tton , ...... ... .
Warn ing/indic ator li gh ts
Reset button for
- T rip odom eter ...... ..... . .
- Se rv ice interval display
(D Note
1 0,11
1 3
11
12
12
11 , 13
1 3
12
30
The instrument cl uster and center console
illumi nat io n (gauges and need les) c omes
on when you switch on the ignition and the
vehicle headlights are off . Be aware o f the
f ollowing diffe re nc e betwee n mode ls built
t o US or C ana di an specific ati ons :
-USA models: illumination of the instru­
ment clu ster (gauges and needles),
dash and center console around the
gearshift lever is controlled by a light
sensor located in the instrument panel.
The instrument panel illumination will automatically become dimmer as the daylight fades away and eventually will
go out completely when outside light is
very low . This is to remind you, the driv­
er , to switch on the headlight s before it
gets too dark.
- Canada model s: instrum ent pan el illu­
mination will stay bright regardless of
the intensity of ambient light. Always be aware of changes in out side light
conditions while you are driving. Re­
spond in time to fading daylight by
turn ing the light switch to position
iD
(or ,;AUTO" if your car is equipped w it h
this feat ure)
to turn on your headlights .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
The tachometer CD c> page 10, fig. 3 is the left
one of the two large clock-type d isplays.
T he eng ine turns at a speed
1 000 times the
s ingle digit in the display, e.g . if the needle
po ints at the "2", the engine t urns at
2000RPM. ~

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
If the engine RPMs drop below 1 500, you
should downshift to the next lowe r gear . The
red area at the end of the scale indicates max­
imum permissible engine RPMs after the
break-in per iod. Before reaching this area, you
should either shift i nto the next h igher gea r or
ease your foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle¢ page 10, fig. 3
@shou ld not move into the red range. If
it does, then o nly for a very sho rt period of
t ime. You cou ld damage yo ur eng ine by
driving at high RPM !
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshift ing early saves fuels and red uces
eng in e no ise.
Digital clock with date display
Your vehicle is equipped with a quartz con ­
trolled digital clock .
Fig. 4 In strume nt cl uste r w it h : th e d ig ita l clock and
da te
To set the hour
.. Pu ll the knob (hour d isplay flashes) and
turn it to the left or rig ht.
To set the minutes
.. Pull the button until the min ute disp lay
flashes .
.. Turn the knob to the left or r ight unt il the
desired sett ing appears.
To set the time format (12 or 24-hour
di splay )
.. Pull the knob unti l the time format disp lay
flashes .
.. Turn the knob to the left or right .
To set the date
.. Pull the knob unt il t he day, mon th or yea r
disp lay flashes .
.. Turn t he knob to the left or rig ht.
To show or hide the date display
.. Pull the knob until t he da te display flashes .
.. Tur n the knob to the left o r right.
When the date d isp lay stops f lash ing , th is
means the t ime and da te have been s uccess ­
f ully s to red.
Wi th the ig nition off, pressi ng the button
¢
fig . 4 -depending on the instr um ent cluster
c onfiguration -can tu rn on the di sp lay field
li gh ting for a few seconds.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
T he eng ine coolan t ga uge @ ¢ page 10, fig . 3
o nl y works when the ignition is on. To p revent
damage to your engine, please note the fol­
l owing important points:
Engine cold
As long as the nee dle remains a t the left end
of the gauge, the engi ne s till has not reac hed
its operatin g tem perat ure. Avoid hig h eng ine
speeds, heavy engine loads and heavy throt ­
tle .
Normal temperature
When the engine has reache d its ope ra ting
temperature, the need le w ill move into the
midd le of t he gauge and rema in there . If t he
engine is working hard at high outside tem­
peratures, the need le may tur n further to the
right. This is no cause for concer n as long as
the . warn ing light i n the instrument cluster
does not illuminate .
When the. war ning light starts to flash,
th is can mean one of two things: either the

12 Instrum ents a nd warning /indic ato r li ghts
coolant temperature is too high, or the cool­
ant
level is too low ¢ page 17.
.&_ WARNING
- Always observe the warning in
¢ page 187, Engine compartment be­
fore opening the engine hood and check­
ing the engine coo lant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the eng ine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant .
0 Note
-Mounting additional l ights or accesso ries
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator. At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to
properly distrib ute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving.
If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld reduce the cooling
effect and the engine could then over­
heat. Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge works only when the ignition is
on.
When the needle reaches the red area, the
warning light in the instrument cluster will il­
lum inate <=>
page 21 lil This means you
have approximately
1.8 gallons (7 liters) of
fuel left in the tank .
Time to re fu el!
The total tank capacity of your vehicle is listed
in¢
page 257, Data.
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry! An ir­
regular supply of fuel can cause eng ine
m isfiring and fuel could enter into the ex­
haust system. The catalyt ic converte r
could then overheat and be damaged.
Speedometer with odometer
The speedometer shows you the vehicle
speed, and the odometer shows you how
many miles (kilometers) you have driven.
F ig . S Speedometer close- up: odom eter display
The odometer and trip odometer are located
inside the speedometer .
- USA models -Miles
- Canadian models -Kilometers
Lower odometer
The lower odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) driven.
Uppe r odometer (trip odome ter)
The upper odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) driven since you last re­
set the odometer back to zero. You can use
th is odometer when you want to keep track of
how many miles (kilometers) you have driven
for a single tr ip or errand. The last digit ind i­
cates 1/10 of a mile (100 metres) . You can set
the tr ip odomete r back to zero by pressing the
rese t button
c:> fig. 5.
Malfunct ion me ssage
If there is a malfunct ion somewhere in the in­
strument cluster,
dEF w ill appear in the trip
odometer and w ill stay on . Contact your au­
thorized Audi dea ler to have the problem cor­
rected.
Immobilizer
When the ignition is sw itched on, the data on
the ignit ion key are scanned automat ically .
If an unauthorized key was used,
SAFE is dis­
played continuously in the odometer d isplay
II>

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
field. The vehicle cannot be operated
¢page 36.
@ Tips
-The dig ital clock and the odometer a re
turned on for abo ut 30 seconds when
the driver's door is opened .
- When the ignition is turned off, the od­
ometer reading and the d igita l clock with
date display can be switched on for
abo ut 30 seconds by pressing the knob
¢ page 10, fig. 3@ .
Warning/indicator
lights
Description
T he indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or
malfunct ions ¢.&, .
Messages may appear with some indicator
lights. The messages turn off after a short
time. To d isp lay a message aga in, pres s the
Set/Check button¢
page 10, fig. 3@ . If
there is more than one malfunction , the ind i­
cator lights will turn on one after the other for
approximate ly two seconds each .
Some ind icators lights in the display can turn
on in several colors .
A WARNING
-Failure to heed warning lights and other
important vehi cle i nfo rmation may result
in serious persona l injury o r vehicle dam­
age.
- Whe never sta lled or stopped for repa ir,
move the vehicle a safe dis tance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher¢
page 50.
- The engine compartment of any motor
vehicle is a poten tially ha zardous a rea.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t io n when working under the hood
¢ page 187, Engine compartment
(D Tips
Malfunctions or fau lts will be identified ei­
the r with a red symbol (priority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a yellow symbol (priority 2 -
Warning) .
Overview
The warning/indicator lights indicate differ­
ent functions or a possible malfunction .
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignit ion on. These systems are marked
with an./ in the following tables. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on , there
i s a malfunction in that system.
R ed ind icator lights
Red symbo ls indicate a prior ity ma lfunction -
Danger!
- Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle .
= Tu rnoff the engi ne.
- Check the malfunctioning system . Contact
your author ized Audi dealer or a qualified
wo rkshop fo r ass istance .
- USA models: Malfunction in the
brake system
<=> page 15
---· Canada models: Malfunction in the
b rake sys tem
<=>page 15
USA models: A irbag system ./
<=>page 16
Canada models: Airbag system./
<=>page 16
Safety be lt
¢page 16
Generator ./
<=>page 16
Engine o il pressure too low
¢ page 16

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­ plication.
- Canada models: If both, the brake warn­
ing light . and the ABS warning light
Ii] come on at the same time, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Lock-up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause loss of vehicle control and an
acc ident. Have your vehicle repaired im­
med iately by your authorized Audi dealer
or a qualified workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake application
- If the brake warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake re leased, or lights up while
you are driving, the fluid level in the brake flu id reservo ir is too low. If you be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im­
med iately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop and have the bra ke system inspect­
ed.
- Always keep in m ind that afte r several
brake applicat ions, you will need g reater
pressure on the b rake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on strained brakes to
respond with maxim um stopping power
in critical situations . You must allow for
increased brak ing distances. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
~ / ! .!r Safety systems
The I (USA models)/ . (Canada mode ls) in­
d icator light monitors the safety systems e.g.
a irbags, pretensioners a nd illum inates for a
few seconds each time you switc h the ign ition
on.
If the
I (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates w hile you are driv ing, or if it sta rts to
b lin k, then there is a ma lf u nction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not illuminate
when you switch on the ignition, this also
means there is a ma lfunction.
A WARNING
If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dea ler
i mmediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
~ Safety belt warning light
App lies to veh icles : w ith safe ty belt warni ng lig h t
The warning light is a reminder to fasten
safety belts .
The warning lig ht . comes on for a few sec­
onds after the ignition is sw itched on as a re ­
minder to fasten your safety belt .
Additional information on safety belts
r::> page 113.
D Generator '
This warning/indicator light detects a mal ­
function in the generator or in the vehicle 's
electrical system.
The . warning/indicator light i llum inates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the eng ine has started.
If the . warning/indicator light illuminates
whi le you are driving, you sho uld contact your
authorized Aud i dea ler. Since the vehicle bat­
tery is discharging, you shou ld sw itch
off any
unnecessary electr ica l consumers (for exam ­
ple, the air conditioner) .
~ Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair .
If the . symbo l appears in the d isplay and
flashes, the o il pressure is too low . In add ition
to the symbol, the following message a lso ap­
pears in the display:
Switch off engine! Oil pre ssure is too low
.. Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
.. Shut the engine down.
.. Check the engine oil leve l¢
page 200.

18 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
A WARNING
-
If there is a malfunction, the indicator
light for the electro-mechan ical power as­
sist illum inates. Seek profess ional assis­
tance .
f;.!C; Electronic stabilization program
(ESP )
If the J$.] indicato r lamp blinks while dr iving,
the ESP or ASR (Anti-S lip Regulation) is active ­
ly regulating .
I f the
J$.] indicato r lamp ill uminates , the sys­
tem has switched the ESP
off. In this case, you
can switch the ignition
off and then on to
switch the ESP on again. The system is func­
tioning comp letely when the indicator lamp
switches
off.
If the I indicator lamp illuminates, the ESP
was switched
off with the I!] button.
St abili sation pr ogra m and ABS : fa u lt! Se e
o w ner's manu al
If the DJ indicator lamp and the [I] ABS indi­
cator lamp illumi nate and the dr iver message
appears, the ABS or e lectronic differential lock
is ma lfunctioning . This also interrupts the
ESP. The brakes sti ll function with their nor­
mal power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to yo ur authorized Aud i dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the mal function cor rected .
F or more informat ion about the ESP
¢ page 161.
ABS/ <0 Anti-lock brake system
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL).
The warning/indicator light m (USA mod­
e ls)
;ti] (Canada models) will come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is switched on .
The light will go out afte r an automat ic check
seq uen ce is completed.
Ther e is a malfunct ion in the ABS when:
- The warning/indicator l igh t does no t illum i­
nate when you switch the ignition on.
- The warning/indicator ligh t does not go out
after a few se conds .
- The warning/ indicato r light illum inates
while driving.
The ESP ind icator light also illum inates if
there is a ma lfunction in the ABS. The mes­
sage
St ab il isation program and AB S: fa ult!
Se e owner' s m anual
also appears in the in ­
strument cluster display and a wa rning tone
sounds.
Th e brak e sys tem will still respond even
withou t the a ssistanc e of the ABS system .
S ee y our autho rized Audi dealer as soon a s
po ssible to re stor e full braking perfo rmance.
For more information regard ing the ABS
¢ page 161.
Malfunct ion in the brake system
If t he brake war ning ligh t¢ page 15 and the
ABS wa rning illum inate
together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS , and there may also
be a malfunction in the brake system itself
c:> ,& . The ABS will not work and you w ill no ­
tice a change in brak ing re sponse and per ­
forman ce.
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
s y ste m
the warning/indicator light _
(USA models)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes¢
page 15 .
Malfunction in th e electronic diff erential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together w it h the ABS. T he
ABS warning light will come on if there is a malfunction in the EDL system ¢
page 161.
See your author ized Audi dealer as soo n as
poss ible.
A WARNING
- If the m (USA models)/ &] (Canad a
models) wa rning light does not go ou t,
or if it comes on whi le driving, the ABS
-

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You will not have the protection ABS provides .
Contact your Audi dealer as soon as pos­
sible.
- USA models: If the - warning light,
the
G! warning light and the m warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels co uld lock up first unde r hard
braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle contro l and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your autho rized Audi dea ler or a quali­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models:
If the brake warn ing
light •• the
DJ warning light and the
ABS warning light
II] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have you r vehicle repaired immed i­
a tely by your authori zed A udi dealer or a
qualified workshop . Dr ive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
{0) Worn brake pads
Ei] Che ck b rake pads!
If t h e war ning light illum inates, immediately
con tact your au thori zed A udi dealer o r quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed . On USA models the warning light
Ei]
comes on together with the warning light
- · Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury .
- If the warning light
Ei] and the warning
light -
1l with the message Brake
pads!
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au-
1 ) - : USA mod els only
thorized A udi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
(D Tire pressure monitoring system -
telltale indicator lamp
The warning/indicator light appears in the
event of a significant loss of air pressure.
The tl]warning/indicator light illuminates for
a few seconds after the ignition is turned on
as function check and then goes out .
If the
ti] symbol appears, pressure is too low
in at least one tire.
When the system detects a mal function, the
warning/indicator light will f las h for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain continu­
o us ly ill uminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle starts up as long as
the malfunction exists . Contact your author­
ized Audi dealer and have the ma lfunct ion
corrected .
For more information
q page 230.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warning/indicator light (E lectronic
Power Contro l) illuminates when you switch
on the ignition as a function check.
(D Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while yo u are driving, then there is a mal­
funct ion in the engine e lectronics. Have
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos­
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop .
~ Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
Ill>

20 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
The symbol lll lights up when the ignition is
turned on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has sett led at constant idle
speed. This indicates that the MIL is working
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine e lectronic system .
Contact your authori zed Audi dealer and have
the malfunction corrected .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
¢page 192.
F or more information ¢ page 24.
W Glow plug system I Engine
malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with diesel eng ine
The indicator lamp lights up to show that the
glow plugs ore preheating. It flashes if there is an engine malfunction.
Warning light II stays lit up
If the II indicator light illuminates, the g low
p lug system is active. You shou ld start the en ­
gine immediately after the indicator light
switches off. The indicator light on ly illumi­
nates for approximately 1 second if the en­
gine is warm or if the outside temperature is
above 46 QF (8 QC) .
There is a fau lt in the glow plug system if the
warning light
II does not light up when the
engine is
cold . Contact an author ized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop .
II Warning light flashes
If a malfunction develops in the engine man­
agement system while you are driving, the
glow plug light will flash
II . The eng ine
should be checked by an authorized Audi deal­
er or a qualif ied workshop as soon as possible .
A WARNING
If you do not pay attention to the warning
lights that have come on, this could lead
to personal injury or damage to your vehi­
cle.
! 7} Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: with engine speed limitat ion
Ill Do not exceed max. engine speed of XXXX
rpm
The Ill symbol illuminates when there is an
engine control malfunct ion. The ind icator
light~ in the instrument cluster also illumi­
nates. The engine speed is limited to the
speed displayed in the driver information sys­
tem. Keep in mind that the engine speed wi ll
not exceed the val ue displayed in the driver in­
formation system, for example when down­
shifting.
Please go to an authorized Audi dealer or oth­
er qualified workshop to have the malfunction
repaired.
~ .. Checking the engine oil level
When the II symbol illum inates, check the
engine oil level as soon as possible
¢ page 200 . Top off the oil at your earliest
opportunity ¢page 200.
II Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If the II symbol comes on, add 1 quart (1 li­
ter) of oil at the next opportunity
¢ page 200.
• ~m Engine oil sensor defective
If the Ill symbol illuminates, contact your
authorized Aud i dealer and have the oil sensor
inspected .
0 Battery voltage low
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability.
If this message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving .