2012 AUDI A3 heater

Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
The air conditioner is fully automatic and is
designed to maintain a comfortable and uni­
form climate inside the vehicle .
We recommend the following settings:
... Se lect and set a temperature between 64 °F
(+ 22 °C) and 84 °F (+28 °C).
... Press the
!AU TO ! button.
With this setting, you attain maximum com­
fort in the least amount of time. Change this
setting, as desired, to meet your personal
needs.
The climate controls are a combination of
heating, ventilation and cooling systems,
which automatically reduce humidity and cool the air inside your vehicle.
The air temperature, air flow and air distribu­
tion are automatica lly regulated to achieve
and maintain the desired passenger compart­
ment temperature as quickly as possib le.
The system automatically compensates for
changes in the outside temperature and for
the intensity of the sunlight entering the vehi­
cle. We recommend you use the
Automatic
mode c> page 81 for year-round comfort.
Please note the following:
Turn on the air conditioner to reduce humidity
in the vehicle. This also p revent the windows
from fogging up .
When the outside temperature is high and the
air is very hum id,
condensation from the
evaporator may drip under the vehicle . This is
normal and does not indicate a leak.
If the outside temperature is low, the fan nor­
mally only switches to a h igher speed once
the engine coolant has warmed up sufficient ­
ly.
Warm and cold 79
T he air conditioner temporari ly switches off
when you drive off from a standstill using full
throttle to save engine power.
T he compressor also switches off if the cool­
ant temperature is too high so that the engine
can be adequately cooled under extreme
l oads.
Air pollutants filter
T he air pollutants filter (a combined particle
filter and activated charcoa l filter) reduces or
eliminates outside air pollution (dust, or pol­
l en) from entering the vehicle .
T he air pollutants filter must be changed at
the interva ls specified in yo ur Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet, so that the air condi ­
tioner can properly work.
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high
air pollution, the filter may need to be
changed more frequently than specified in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. If
in doubt, ask your authorized Audi Service Ad­
visor for advice.
Energy management
To prevent the battery from being discharged
and to restore the ba lance of energy, compo­
nents which require large amounts of energy
are temporarily cut back or switched off c> page 167. Heating systems in particular re­
quire a great deal of energy. If you notice, for
example, that the rear window heater is not
heating, then it has been temporarily cut back
o r switched off by
energy management.
These systems are available again as soon as
the energy balance has been restored.
_& WARNING
.-----
Reduced visibility is dangerous and can
cause accidents .
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con-
densation.
- Fully familiarize yourself with the proper
use and function of the heating and ven­
tilation system and especia lly how to de­
fog and defrost the windows.

84 Warm and cold
Air outlets
Fi g. 97 Instr ument pane l: a ir ou tlet locat io ns an d airflow d irec tions
The air out lets (D and @on top of the instru ­
ment panel are
fixed. Outlets @ and @can
be adjusted.
Adjusting a ir outl ets ® and @
.. Turn the vertica l thumbwhee l beside the
outlet to increase, reduce or s hut down the
airflow from that out let.
.. Move the small tab in the center of the out­
let louver sideways and up or down to ad just
the leve l and direction of airflow.
T he supply of air to the out lets is controlled
e ither automat ica lly or manually depending
on the operation mode se lected . The airflow
from all outlets can be heated, unheated or
cooled.
The heater out lets for the rear footwells are
located under the front seats . When you se­
lect outlets @, a ir is a lso directed to t he rear
footwells .
@ Tips
-When defrosting/defogging the win­
dows, air flows from outlets
(D , @ and
@ . To defrost or defog the windows as
r apidly as possib le, air outlets @ should
be ope ned
fully wi th the ad juster wheels.
- When the a ir condit ioner is working,
cooled air w ill flow pr imar ily from out­
l e ts @ ,@ and @. To assure adeq uate cooling, outlets
@ and @) should never
be completely closed.
Using the climate controls economically
Using the climate controls prudently can help
save fuel .
When you use the air conditioner, eng ine pow ­
er is reduced and fuel consumption increases .
T o save fuel, yo u should use the air condition­
er only when necessary . Also please note the
follow ing points:
.. If you wa nt to save fuel, switch off the ai r
conditioner .
.. If you are going to drive with the windows
open, switch off the air conditioner .
@ For the sake of the environment
By reducing the amount of fuel you use,
you also reduce the amount of po llutants
emitted into the air.
· Key coded settings
When the ignition is switched on, the air con­
di tioner settings are automatically assigned
to the key being used .
The air conditioner settings selected are auto­
matically stored and assigned to the key be ing
u sed . When the vehicle is started, the air ..,.

conditioner automatically se lects the settings
assigned to that key. This way every driver will maintain his/her own persona l settings and
does not have to reset them manually.
(D Tips
If a d ifferent driver uses your key and
changes the air conditioner settings, the
latest adjustments w ill erase and rep lace
the settings you have stored.
mP Rear window defogger
T he rear window defogger clears the rear win ­
dow of conden sation .
Fig. 98 Swi tch for rea r wi ndow defogger w ith a ir -con ·
d it io nin g
.. Press the QiP switc h to switch the rear win-
dow defogger on and off.
The defogger works on ly with the engine run ­
n ing. When the defogger is switched on, an
indicator light in the switc h comes on.
The rear w indow defogger switches
off au to­
matica lly afte r abo ut 20 m inutes.
@ For the sake of the environment
T ur n the defogger off when the rea r win­
dow is clear. When you save elec tricity, you
save fuel.
Additional heater
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
.. Switc h the Additional heate r to AUTO .
Vehicles w it h diese l eng ine s are equipped
with an add it ional heate r to warm the interior
of the vehicle mo re q uick ly. The additional
W arm and cold 85
heater switches itse lf on and off automatically
when the o utside temperature is below 50 °F
(10 °C) and the engine is running, depending
o n the coolant temperature , interior tempera ­
ture and the selected temperature.
Electrically heated
front seats
Applies to vehicles: with electrically heated front seats
With the ignition on , the seat cushion and
backrest of the front seats can be heated.
F ig . 99 Ce nter co nsole: t hu m bwhee ls for front seat
h eat ing
Use the t humbwheels in the center conso le
c;:> fig . 99 to turn on and adjust front seat
heating. An infin ite range of positions are pos ­
sible .
.. Ro ll t he thumbw heel
(D (dr iver's seat) or@
(front passenger's seat) from pos ition
( 0 )
upward in order to activa te the heati ng e le ­
ments .
.. Select the desired temperat ure setting from
positions 1 t hrough 6.
When the hea ting element is activated, the
numbers on the thumbwheel will illuminate .
& WARNING
Individuals wit h reduced sensitiv ity to pai n
or temperature cou ld deve lop burns when
using the seat heating funct ion. To reduce
the r isk of injury, these ind ividuals should
not use seat heating .

86 Warm and cold
(D Note
To prevent possible damage to the heating
elements, do not kneel on the seats or ap­
ply a heavy load to relatively small areas of
the seat.
Engine preheater
Applies to vehicles: with engine p reheate r
Use of the engine pre heater is recommended
when the ambient temperature is below
-5 °F
(-20 °C) .
Fig. 100 In t he l eft fron t bump er: en gine preheater
co nn ect ion socket
The engine preheater slowly w arms the en­
gine coolant using a heating element when
the vehicle is parked. The included cable
1>
must be connected to a 120 Volt Ground Fault
Circuit (GFI) protected outlet that is protected
from water (in your garage, for instance).
When the coolant is preheated, the engine
reaches its operating temperature more quick­
ly and will use less fuel and produce fewer
polluting emissions during the warm-up
phase.
Preheating the engine can take up to 3 hours
depending on the temperature outside.
Connecting the engine preheater
- Only use the cable provided.
-All cables and connectors that are used
must not be damaged
¢ .&.­
-Open the cover Q fig. 100 @.
l) Th e cabl e is de live red w it h veh icles i n Canada a s
s tandard e quipmen t. The cable c an be o btain ed fro m
an a uth orize d Au di d ea le r fo r veh icl es in the USA.
- Plug the connecting cable into the socket @
Q.ii_.
-Connect the connecting cable to the power
cord.
- Attach the extensions cord to the connector
cable. Always use a 12 gauge or heavier
heavy -duty extension cord that can be prop ­
erly grounded to a three-prong Ground Fault
Circuit (GFI) wall outlet and is not longer
than 100
ft (30 meters).
- Always plug the preheate r into an 120 Volt
Ground Fault Circuit (GFI) wall outlet that is
properly protected against rain and other
moisture. Never plug the preheater into a
normal outlet regardless of whether it is
grounded or not .
- Always disconnect the connecting cable and
close the cover
Q fig . 100 @ before starting
the engine.
_&. WARNING
-
Using incorrect or damaged outlet and
power cords, using electrical accessories
incorrectly or ignoring safety precautions
can lead to short circuits, accidents, inju­ ries and life-threatening electric shocks.
- Always plug the preheater into a
120 Volt Ground Fault Circuit (GFI) wall
outlet that is properly protected against
rain and other moisture.
- Always check the fuse protection of the
120 Volt power source before using the
connecting cable .
- Always use a 12 gauge or heavier heavy­
duty extension cord that can be properly
grounded to a three-prong GFI outlet .
The extension cord must not be longer
than 100
ft (30 meters).
- Always connect the cable to a 120 Volt
outlet that is grounded and protected
from water .
- Check the cable for damage before every
use . Never use a damaged cable.
It must ~

-Set the parking brake fully.
- Move selector lever of automatic trans-
mission to "P" (Park); put manual trans­
mission in Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down . Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­ ant could spray out!
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
-Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of automatic trans-
Checking and filling 195
mission to "P" (Park); put manual
transmission in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­
ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine .
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~&. .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
Q) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer. •
•

-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automa tic tra nsmission, power steering,
power br akes, power w indows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed equip ­
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
d icate a low sidewall fo r improved s teer ing re ­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire t hat is made o f
s teel wires, wrapped o r rein force d by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold tire infl ation pressure
means t he tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 213
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle w it h
standard equipment in cl ud ing t he maximum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i­
tion ing a nd addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at highe r inflat ion p ressu res tha n
th e co rresponding standard tire. Extra load
tir es my be i dent ified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
L O AD", or "R F" on t he sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
mea ns the load-carry ing capac ity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in­
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rated
to carry for a given inflation press ure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be­
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the load r ating for a tire at the maxi­
mum pe rm issi ble inf lat ion pressure for that
ti re . •
•
...

250 Emergency sit uat ions
2. Otherwise apply the hand brake and shift
into idle gear if your vehicle has manua l
transmission, and put the selector lever
into P position if your vehicle has auto­
matic transmission.
3 . For both vehicles switch off all consumers
and the ig nition .
Connectin g/disco nn ecting th e jumper
cable
4 . Connect one end of the red jumper cable
to the positive term inal
(D ¢ fig . 193 of
the discharged battery @ ¢0
in General
information of starting assistance on
page 249 .
5. Connect the other end of the red jumper
cab le to the positive termina l@ of the
booster battery @.
6 . Connect one end of the black jumper ca­
b le, preferably at the ground point. Other­
wise, connect it to the negative terminal
@ of the booster battery @.
7 . Connect the other end of the black jumper
cab le to the
ground po int (bolt head )©
in your v ehi cle @ .
8. Route the jumper cables so that they can­
not catch in any rotating parts in the en­
gine compartment.
Starting the engine
9 . Start the engine of the vehicle provid ing
assistance and allow it to run at idle .
10. Now start the eng ine o f the vehicle w ith
the discharged battery, wa it for two to
three minutes unti l the engine "runs"
smoothly .
11. If the engine does not start: Stop trying
after
10 seconds and then try again after
about
30 seconds.
12 . In the veh icle that has received start as­
sistance, turn on the heater blower and
the rea r window heat ing to eliminate any
voltage peaks when disconnecting. Driv­
ing lights must be swi tched off!
13. Disconnect the cable whi le the engine is
running exact ly in
reverse order to that
described in¢
page 250, Connecting/dis­
connecting the jumper cable.
When do ing so, make sure that the cable cannot con­
tact rotating engine parts.
14. Turn the heater b lower and the rear w in-
dow heating off again .
The battery is vented to the outside to prevent gases from entering the vehicle interior .
Make sure that the jumper clamps are we ll
connected with thei r
metal ports in full con­
tact
with the battery terminals .
A WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury and dam­
age to the vehicle, heed all warnings and
instructions of the jumper cable manufac­
turer. If in doubt, call for road service.
- Jumper cables must be long enough so
that the veh icles do not touch.
- When connecting jumper cables, make sure that they cannot get caught in any
mov ing parts in the engine compart­
ment.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢page 187, Engine com­
partment.
{CT) Note
Improperly connected jumper cab les can
damage or destroy the generator .
- Do not use the battery negative terminal
for jump start ing or a malfunct ion could
occur in the vehicle electrical system.
- Always connect POSITIVE(+) to POSI-
TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE(-) to NEGATIVE
( - ) term inal.
- Check that all screw p lugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firm ly . If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive batte ry term inal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
necting a jumper cable as described
above applies specifically to t he case of
your vehicle being jump st arted. When
yo u are g iving a jump sta rt to another ve­
hicle, do
not connect the minus( -) cable
to the minus (-) terminal on the dis­
charged battery@¢fig.193 . Instead,

264 Index .:..:..:..::....::..
...:..._ ___________________________ _
A
ABS
refer to Anti-lock brake system . ... .. . 164
Accessories .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 26 1
Acoust ic park assist ........ .. .. .... .. 93
AC (a ir cond itioner) ......... .. .. .. .. .. 81
Adapter for anti-theft wheel bolts . .. .. . 238
Adaptive light
defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Adding Engine coolant .......... .... ..... . 204
Engine oil . ...... ....... ... .. .... . 200
Windshield washer fluid ............ 211
Addit ional accessories .......... .... . 261
Additional heater Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Additives Engine oil . ............... ... .. .. . 200
Adj ustab le steering wheel column .... .. 88
Adjusting Steer ing wheel column ........ .. .... 88
Adjusting front seats ........ ... .... .. 61
Advanced Airbag System
Components ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 129
Fr ont airbags ................ .... . 127
How the components work together .. 130
Monitoring ................. ..... . 133
PASS ENG ER A IR BAG OFF light .. .... . 133
A irbag
Warning/indicator lights ............. 16
A irbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122, 139
Advanced Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Care . .. .. ............... .. .. .... . 135
Ch ildren . .... ........... .. .. .. .. . 144
Ch ild r estra ints ........... .. .. .. .. . 145
Components (front airbags) . ... .... . 129
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Disposal . ................. .. .... . 135
Front airbags . ........... .. .. .... . 126
How do the front airbags work? . . . . . . 131
H ow many airbags does my vehicle
have? ..... .......... ...... ... .. . 129
I mportant things to know .... .. .... . 122
I ndicator light ........... .. .. .. .. . 133
Monitoring ................. ..... . 133 Repairs ...
.... .. ............. .... 135
Side airbags ..... ................ . 137
S ide curtain airbags ................ 140
When must the system be inspected? 133
Airbag System
Weight-sensing mat .............. . 144
Air conditioner .. .. ................ .. 81
also refer to Climate controls .. .. .. .. . 79
Air conditioning Switching on and off ........... .. .. . 81
Air distribution Climate controls . ................. .. 83
Air outlets Adjusting the outlets for rapid defrost -
ing/defogging ... ................ .. 84
Climate controls . .............. ..... 84
Air quality sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Air recirculation . .. ... .......... .... . 83
Climate controls .. ............. .... . 82
When should I use the air recirculation? 82
Air recirculation mode Climate controls . ................. .. 82
All-wheel drive Winter tires ... .. ... .......... .... 227
Alloy wheels ...... ................ . 182
All Wheel Drive .... ............. .... 166
Alternator
refer to Generator ............. .. .. . 16
Aluminum alloy wheels .... ...... .... 182
Ambient lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Anti-lock brake system How the ABS system works ........ .. 164
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 18
Anti -theft systems
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Anti-theft wheel bolts ........... .... 238
Armrest Center armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Rear armrest .... ................ .. 67
Asterisk What does it mean when something is
marked with an aster isk? ........ .... .. 6
Audi magnetic ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 9S
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Indicator light ... ....... ...... .. .. . 22
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Litera-
ture 259