2012 AUDI A3 headlights

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. ~

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Engine coolant level too low
ii
Engine oil sensor malfunction
engine coolant temperature too
¢page20
high ¢page 17
•
Battery voltage too h igh or too low
Electro-mechanical power assist
¢page20
¢page 17
II
Low fuel level
Clutch is overheating
¢page 21
¢page 101
•
Windshield washe r fl uid level low
Y ellow indicator lights ¢page 21
D
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 ma lf u nc-
~:~
Defective light bulb
tion -Warning!
¢page 21
Ji]
Electronic Stab ilizat ion Program
•
U SA mod els : Defective brake light
(ESP)
./¢page 18
¢page 21
I
Electronic Stabilization Program
•
Canada model s: Defective brake
(ESP)./
<=:>page 18 light ¢ page 21
~ USA mod els : anti-lock brake system
II
Dynamic headlight range cont ro l*
(ABS) ./ defective
<=:> page 18 defective ¢ page 21
Canada models: anti-lock brake sys--
[I]
•
Adaptive Light * defective
tern ./ (ABS) defective
¢page 18
¢page 21
•
Worn brake pads
m
Light/rain sensor defective (automat-
¢ page 19 ic headlights) * defective ¢ page 22
g
Tire pressure too low
B
Audi magnetic ride
¢page 19
¢page22
ll@I@ Tire pressure monitoring system
~
USA models: Speed warning 1
¢page 231
¢page 31
[m
Electronic power control./
¢page 19
•
Canada models : Speed warning 1
¢page 31
•
USA models: Malfunction Indicator
Lamp (MIL)
¢page 19
•
USA models: Speed warn ing 2
¢page31
Canada models: Malfunction Indica-
tor Lamp (MIL)
¢page 19
•
Canada models: Speed warning 2
¢page 31
II
Glow plug system ./ (diesel engine
Electro-mechanical power assist
only) (alternative to~ )
M ¢page 17
¢page20
.,
Engine speed limitation *
Diesel particulate filter
¢page20
¢page22
Ill
Check engine oil level
¢page20

22 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
When this symbo l ml illuminates, it means
that Adaptive Light is defective. Go to a quali­
fied workshop to have the headlights or the
control unit for the Adaptive L ight repaired.
@, o Light/rain sensor defective
App lies to vehicles: with automat ic headlights
The indicator light indicates a defect in the
automatic headlights/automatic wiper sys ­
tem .
If the symbo l illuminates, the light sensor has
failed. For safety reasons , the low beams are
turned on permanently with the switch in
AU­
TO . However, you can continue to turn the
lights on and off using the light switch . In the
case of a defect in the rain sensor , the w ind­
sh ield wiper lever functions are st ill available .
H ave the light/ra in sensor checked as soon as
possible at an authorized Audi dealer.
; Audi magnetic ride
Appl ies to vehicles: with Audi magnetic ride
The indicator light monitors vehicle damping.
The indicator light E illuminates when the ig­
nition is switched on as a function check.
@ Tips
If the indicator lamp illuminates while you
are driving, there is a malfunct ion in the
veh icle damping. The chass is should be in­
spected immediately by an authorized Au­
di dealer.
~ Diesel particulate filter clogged
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine and diesel particu­
late fi lter
1/1 Particulate filter ! See owner's manual
If the indicator light II in the instrument
cluster comes on, the diesel particulate filter has become blocked with soot as the result of
constant short-distance driving. When the
II symbol illuminates, you can alter your
driving style to assist the filter self-clean ing
p rocess. Drive for approximately 15 minutes
in 4th or 5th gear (automatic transmission with the se
lector lever in the S position) at a
minimum speed of 37 mph (60 km/h) and an
engine speed of approx imately 2,000 RPM .
The temperature increase that will result from
this can burn off the soot in the filter. The
symbol will switch off when the cleaning is
successful. After a successful cleaning, there
is no need to bring the car to an authorized
dealer or qualified workshop because this is
part of normal vehicle operation .
If the symbol
DI does not switch off, see
your autho rized dea ler or other qualified
workshop to have the problem corrected .
As long as the indicator light
11!1 remains on
(diesel part iculate filte r plugged), you ca n ex­
pect increased fuel consumption and possibly
also a loss of engine performance.
For more information on the diesel particu­
late filter, refer to~
page 171 .
A WARNING ,__
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic conditions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order
to follow driving recommendations .
¢ ¢Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left B or the right fl
turn s ignal, the indicato r light blinks . When
you use the emergency f lasher, both indicator
lights flash.
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­
mal.
Additional information on the turn s ignals
Q page SO.
CRUISE/ vf Cruise control
T he
(ijjll j~i~ (USA models)/. (Canada models)
warning/indicator light illuminates when the
cruise control is activated .

Clear vision Lights
· r/.· Switching the headlights on and off
F ig. 4 3 In str ume nt pa ne l: light switch
F ig. 44 Instrumen t pane l: Light sw itch with dayt ime
running lights (DRL)
The ligh t sw itch must not be ove rtu rn ed past
the s tops in
either d ire ct io n.
Switching on automatic headlight
control*
.,. Turn the light swi tch to AUTO* ¢ fig. 43.
Switching on the side ma rker lights
.,. Turn the light switch to ooo=.
Switching on the headlights and high
beam
.,. Turn the light switch to tD .
.,. Pus h the high beam lever forward towards
the instrument pane l
Q page 50.
Switching off the lights
.,. Turn the light swi tc h to 0 .
The headlig hts on ly wo rk whe n the igni tion is
sw itche d on . W hile s tartin g the e ng ine or
when swit ching
off the ign ition , th e head-
Clear vision 4 7
lig hts w ill go off and only the side ma rke r
li ghts wi ll be on.
Daytime running lights (DRL) (USA
models)
The d aytime r unning lights can be tur ned on
o r
off using t his fu nction . If the function is ac ­
tive, the dayt ime ru nning lights a re turned on
a utomat ica lly when the ign ition is switched
o n.
T he daytime r unning lights are activate d
only
when the light switc h is at the AUTO* or DRL *
pos ition.
Daytime running lights (Canada models
only)
The daytime r unning lights are activated only
whe n the light switc h ¢ fig. 43 is either at the
0 or the coo: pos ition.
T he daytime r unning lights funct io n can not be
turned
off .
Automatic headlight control*
In the swi tch positi on AUTO the automatic
headlight control
i s tur ned on. The l ow
beams are turne d on au tomatically through a
li ght se nsor as soo n as amb ient brightness
(e .g. when dr iv ing into a t unnel) fa lls below a
val ue p reset at t he factory. Whe n ambient
bri ghtness i ncreases aga in, the low beams are
turned
off aga in a utomat ica lly c:> & .
In the AUTO position the low beams are
switc hed
off automatically when the ignition
is tur ned
off.
Light Sensor Malfunction*
In the event of a light se nsor malfunction, the
drive r is notifie d in the instrument cluste r dis ­
play:
ral Automatic headlights/automatic wipers
defective
Fo r sa fety reaso ns the low beam s are turned
on perm anen tly wi th the switch in
AUTO* .
However, you can co nti nu e to turn the lights
o n and
off u sing the lig ht switch. Have t he ..,.

48 Clear vis ion
light sensor checked as soon as possible at a
dea lership.
Com ing home /leaving home function *
The function is switched on when the switch is
i n the AU TO* position and the function is
shown as active in the driver info rmation sys­
tem .
The
co ming h om e function illuminates the
a rea around the veh icle when the ign it ion is
switched off and the driver 's door is opened.
The length of time the lights remain on can be set in the menu display
( Illumination > Exte­
r io r light s> coming hom e).
The leav ing home function illuminates the
area around the vehicle when unlock ing it.
A WARNING
- Never use dayt ime running lights to see
where you are going. They are not bright
enough and w ill not let you see far
enough ahead for safety, especially at
dusk or when it is dark. Always switch on
the low beams at dusk or when it is dark.
- Automatic headlights are only intended
to assist the dr iver . They do not relieve
the driver of his responsibility to check
the headlights and to tu rn them on man­
ually according to the current light and
visibili ty cond itions. Fo r example, fog
and rain cannot be detected by the light
sensors . So a lways switch on the head­
lights under these weather cond itions
and when driving in the dark
io.
- Crashes can happen when yo u cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be seen by other motorists .
- Always turn on the headlights so that
you can see ahead and so tha t others
can see yo ur car from the bac k.
- With the switch in
AUTO front fog lights
ca nnot be t urned on in addition .
- The light sensor fo r headlight contro l is
l ocated in the rear view m irror mount .
Do no t apply any stickers to the w ind- shield in this area to prevent malfunc
­
tions or fa ilures.
- Some exter io r light ing funct ions can be
adjusted in the driver informat ion sys­
tem
~ page 2 7.
- If you remove the ignition from the igni ­
tion lock while the headlights are still
on, a buzzer will so und as long as the
dr iver's door is open to rem ind you to
turn off the lights.
- Always observe the specif ic loca l regula­
tions for your area as to when to use your
lights.
- With automatic headlights, the high­
beam funct ion is also available, but wit h
one restrict ion: If you have not switched
the high beams back to low beams dur­
ing automatic headlight operation (fo r
example, after d riving through a tunnel) ,
only the low beams come on the nex t
t ime au tomati c headlights are swi tc h ed
on. To use the high beams, you first have
to pull the high beam lever back and
then push the lever fo rward again.
- In cool or damp weather , the inside of
the headlights, turn signals and tail lights can fog over due to the tempera­
ture difference between the inside and
outside. They w ill clear shortly after
switching them on. This does not affect
the se rv ice life of the lighting .
- Frequent use of the coming home/leav ­
ing home function for app roach ing and
depa rting a vehicle parked in the da rk
w ill strain the battery . Thi s ap plies pa r­
tic ular ly if only short distances a re d riven
between stops . Occasionally drive longer
dis tances to make sure the battery is re ­
charged sufficiently.

:l:D Front fog lights
Use the light switch to turn on the front fog
lights.
Fig. 45 Fog light act ivat ion: light sw itc h pos it ion o n ve ­
h icles WITHO UT sensor light
}D Switching on the front fog lights
.. Do not turn the light switch -"t;.. -<=> fig. 45 to-
ward the fog light symbol
.. Turn the light switch to
coo: or to @:D.
.. Pull the light switch to the first stop (D.
When the front fog lights are on, the sym­
bol
:iO next to the light switch will illuminate.
C:t:t Instrument panel illumination
The illumination of the instruments, displays
and the center console can be adjusted .
Fig. 46 In st rum ent pa nel illum inat ion
0
"' d. .. m
You regulate the brightness of the instru­
ments with the left thumbwhee l
Co/<=> fig. 46 .
@ Ignition ON, light switch.
With the ignition switched ON, the glow of in­
strument needles
can be adjusted to appear
brighter or d immer.
Clear vision 49
:oo: or io Ignition ON, light switch.
With the lights swit ched on, the brightness of
instrument cluste r (i.e. needles, gauges and
displays) and center console illumination can
be adjusted.
(D Note
The instrument cluster and center console
ill umination (gauges and need les) comes
on when you switch on the ignition and the
vehicle headlights are off . Be aware of the
follow ing difference between models built
to US or Canadian specifications:
-USA models: illumination of the instru­
ment cluster (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 headlights before it
gets too dark.
- Canada models: instrument panel illu·
mination will stay bright regardless of
the intensity of ambient light. Always be aware of changes in outside light
conditions while you are driving. Re­
spond in time to fading daylight by
turning the light switch to position
gD
(or "AUTO " if your car is equipp ed with
th is feature)
to turn on your headlights.

52 Clear vis ion
Light switch @c:::> page 51, fig . 49 has the fo l­
lowing functions:
Door cont act activ ation
.. Move t he sw itch to the center posit ion. The
f orward dome light is turned on/off by the
contact switches on any of the doors.
Forw ard dom e light on
.. Move the sw itch to position I. The forward
dome light goes on and stays on regard less
of door position.
Forw ard dome light off
.. Move th e sw itch to position 0 . The light will
not go on regardless of door position.
~ F o rward re a ding light s
.. Press the left or right switch @ to switch
the left or right forward reading light on or
off.
Glove compartment light
.. Open the glove compartment -the light in
the g love compartment automatically illu­
mi nates as long as the side marker lights or
headlights are on. When you close the g love
compartment, the light goes off.
With the interior lig ht switch at the door con­
tact (center) position, the forward dome light illum inates whenever you unlock the vehicle
or open a door. The dome light goes out after
approximately 30 seconds after you have
closed the door. L ikewise, when you lock your
vehicle or switch on the ign ition, the dome
l ight goes out.
If you leave a door open, the dome light will
go out after ten minutes to conserve battery
cha rge.
A dimmer automatically controls the bright­
ness of the lights when they are sw itched on .
Ambient lighting
Applies to vehicles: with light package
The ambient lighting illuminate important
controls for you .
0 0
Fig . 51 Contro l panel above w inds hield: positio n of
amb ient light bulbs
0 ,..
cL
m a,
When you switc h on the ignition, the lights in
t h e door handles illum inate .
When the side marker lights or headlig hts are
switched on, the center conso le is i lluminated
from the ambient light located above the
windshield .
You cannot manua lly turn off these lights.
Rear reading light
Fig. 52 Rear reading light
Rear reading light
Press the sw itch ~ to turn on and off the
readi ng lig ht.
N
0 ,..
-cL m a,

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. .,.