2012 AUDI A3 hood release

(!) Power window switches
@
®
©
Door handle
Power locking switch
Switches for:
- Adjuster for outs ide mirrors
- Switching on heated exter ior
mirrors
® L ight switch ............... .
® Air outlets ............ .... .
(J) Turn signal and high beam
@ Radio control buttons
® Steer ing wheel w ith:
- Integ rated control buttons
(multi -function steering wheel
only)
for Audi Sound System
- Horn
- Drive r's airbag ........... .
@ Instrument cluster .. ... .. .. .
@ Radio and telephone control
buttons
@ Sw itches for
- Windsh ield wiper/washer
- Trip computer ..... ... .. .. .
@ Ign ition lock .............. .
(8) Adjustable s teer ing column .. .
@) Cruise control ............. .
@) Inst rument lighting ........ .
@ Release lever for the engine
hood .... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .
@ Data Link Connector for On
Board Diagnostic (OBD II)
@ Sw itches for:
- Fuel flap release
43
39
53
47
84
so
126
10
55
25
89
88
94
49
194
24
192
- Rear hatch re lease . . . . . . . . . 40
@ Depending on opt ions: Rad io or
N avigation system (nav igat ion,
r adio)
@ Glove compartment ( lockable)
with CD changer * . . . . . . . . . . . 76
@ Front passenger's a irbag
@ L oudspeaker (treble)
~ Storage tray or sw itch for
126
76
- Audi magnet ic r ide . . . . . . . . . 22
@) Emergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . 76
Instrument s and control s 9
@ Climate controls .. .. .. ..... .
@ Switch for seat heating ...... .
@ Rear window defogger switc h
@ Cup ho lder ....... .. .. ..... .
@ Electr ica l socket .. .. .... ... .
@ AUX -in connect ion
@ E lectr ica l socket ........... .
@) Pa rking brake lever .... .. .. . .
@ Gear shift lever or selector lever
- Manual transmission ...... .
- Automatic transmission .... .
80
85
85
74
75
75
91
96
96
@ Switches for Electronic Stabili­
z ation P rog ram (ESP)
161
@ Tips
- Some of the equ ipment o r features
shown in the genera l ill ustrat ion may be
standard equ ipment on your vehi cle or
m ay be opt ional eq uipment depending
on your model. A lways ask your author­
ized Aud i dea le r i f you have a quest ion
about your vehicle .
-A separate Owner's Manual is in vehicles
that have a factory-installed radio, CD
change r, nav igat ion system, AUX-in con­
nection or multifunction steering wheel.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
Other indicator lights
•
II
CRUISE
•
•
Turn signals
¢page22
USA models: Cruise control acti ­
vated
¢ page 22
Canada models: Cruise cont rol ac­
tivated
q page 22
High beam
¢page 50
BRAKE/ This warning/indicator light illuminates when
the brake fluid level is too low or when there
is a malfunction in the ABS, or when the park ­
ing brake is set.
If the - (USA models)/ . (Canada
models) symbol flashes in the disp lay with the
parking brake released, there is a ma lfuncti on
in the brake system . In addition to the sym­
bol, one of two messages appears in the dis­
play:
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
Stabilisation program and ABS fault! See
Owner's manual
.. Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
.. Obtain professional ass istance.
USA models: if there is a malfunction in the
ABS system, the
r.1il warning/indicator light
illuminates along with the - system
malfunct ion warn ing/ indicator light
q ,&..
Canada models: if there is a malf unction in
the ABS system, the
ll] warning/ind icator
light illuminates together with the. brake
system malfunction warning/indicator light
c::>,&. .
The light - (USA)/ . (Canada) illumi­
nates when the ign ition is turned on . It goes
out after the engine has been started and the
parking brake is fu lly released . This indicates that the brake
warning light is functioning
properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking or the parking
brake is applied, there may be a malfunction
in the electrical system. In this case, contact
your Audi deale r.
If the ABS fails, the ABS warn ing/ indicator
light
r.1il (USA models) /ll] (Canada models)
flashes together with the brake system warn­ ing/ indicator light
i:::> .&..
(USA mode ls): If the warn ing light - and
the warning light
EiJ illuminate together, im­
mediate ly contact your authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified workshop to have all brake pads
inspected
i:::> page 19.
When the light comes on, an audible warning
signal is also given.
Parking brake set
The parking brake war ning ligh t-·
(Canada models) illuminates when the park­
ing brake is set. In addition, a warning tone
will sound after you have driven for longer
than 3 seconds and faster than 3 mp h (S km/
h).
Parking brake set
The - warning/ indicator light illuminates
when the parking brake is set
i:::> .&. .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
¢page 187, Engine comportment, be­
fore opening the engine hood and check­
ing the brake fluid.
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard! Stop the car and get profess ional
assistance.
- USA models:: If both, the 1111 warning
light and
the m warning light 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 cont rol and an acci­
dent. Have your vehicle repaired

24 Driver information d isplay
temperature. This is caused by the heat
being radiated from the engine .
- On vehicles with S tronic, the reminders
do not appear in the display until you se­
l ect a gear .
- On vehicles with Audi Navigation sys­
tem*, the displays may differ from their
norma l appearance during navigation.
Gearshift recommendation
App lies to vehicles: with gearshift ind icator and manual
transmiss ion
This indicator can help conserve fuel.
Fig. 8 Gears hi ft recommenda tion
In order to become familiar with the gearshift
indicator, begin driving as usual.
If the current
gear is not the best one for conserving fuel,
the indicator will display the recommended
gear . The display shows the current gear and
the recommended gear
c:> fig . 8 .
- Upshift ing: The display is to the right of the
current gear if a
higher gear is recommend­
ed .
-Downshift ing: The display is to the left of
the current gear if a
lower gear is recom­
mended .
Sometimes the ind icator w ill recommend
skipping a gear (3..,. 5).
(D Note
This indicator should help you conserve
fue l. It is not designed to recommend the
correct gear in all driving situations. Only
the dr iver can dec ide which gear is correct
in certa in driving situations such as when
accelerating or dr iving on h ills.
(D Tips
- The display switches off when the clutch
peda l is pressed.
- Gear shift recommendation can be deac­
tivated in the driver information system
c:>page 27.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 9 Locat ion of Data Link Connector (DLC)
On-Boa rd Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your em iss ion control system. Each
controlled component in your engine system
has been assigned a code . In case of a mal ­
function, the component wi ll be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memory.
The MIL lamp may a lso illuminate if there is a
leak in the on-board fuel vapor recovery sys­
tem. If the light illuminates after a refuelling,
pull off the road and stop the vehicle, then
check that the fuel filler cap is properly closed
c:> page 192.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can only be displayed using spe ­
cial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for 080) .
In order to connect the special diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (DLC). The DLC is located to the
right of the engine hood release lever
c:> fig. 9.
Your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service station can interpret the code and per ­
form the necessary repair.

56 Clear vis ion
as rain or drizz le re duces visibi lity
through th e windshield.
- The windshie ld must not be treated with
water-repe llent materials. They can in­
crease glare under poor visibility condi­
t ions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon . In addi­
t ion, they can cause th e windshield wip­
ers to chatter.
(D Note
- In the case of frost, check whether the
windsh ield wiper b lades are frozen to
the windshield. Switching on the wind­
shield wipers can damage the wiper
blades!
- Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted
window . U si ng the w ipers as a conven­
i en t ice s craper will destroy the wiper
blades .
- Prior to using a car wash, the windshield
wiper system m ust be switched off (lever
i n position 0) . This helps to prevent unin­
tentiona l switching on and damage to
the windshie ld wiper system.
(D Tips
- The w indshield wipers are swi tched off
when the ignition is turned off. Activate
the windshie ld wipers after the ignition
i s sw itched back on by mov ing the w ind ­
shield wiper lever to any pos it ion.
- Worn or dirty windshie ld wiper blades
cause smearing, which can affect the op­
eration of the light/rain sensor*. Check
the condition of your windshie ld w iper
blades regularly.
- The rai n sensor is part of the interval
wiping system. Tur ning off the ignition
will a lso deact ivate the rain sensor. To re­
activate t he senso r, switch off the inter­
val w iping function, then sw itch it ba ck
on aga in.
- Applies to vehicles with lig ht/ rain sen­
sor: When the wipers are swi tched on
manu ally and in rain condi tions, the au­
tomatic head lights* turn on¢
page 47,
·'t!.-Switching the headlights on and off
or off during the day when the wipers are
no longer operating. The automatic
head lights* funct ion is available in th is
case on ly when the light switch is in the
"A UTO" position¢
page 47, fig. 43.
-Make s ure the washer fluid reservoir in
the engine compartment is topped off
before going on a long trip. Look up
¢
page 211 for check ing and filling the
washer co nta iner .
- The wipers only operate with the hood
completely closed .
is;J Rear window wiper
The wiper lever is also used to operate the
rear window wiper and the automatic wiper/ washer function .
Fig. 5 8 W iper lever: activat ing the rear w indow w iper
and washer
The rear window wiper and the automatic wip­
er/washer functions are activated as follows :
Intermittent wiping
.,. Push the wiper leve r forward towards the
dashboard and to the
first position @
¢
fig. 58. The rear w indow wiper will wipe
the window approx. every four seconds .
Automatic wiper /washer function
.,. Push the wiper lever forward to the second
stop,
position (j) , and hold it there for as
long as you want the rear w iper/washer to
operate.
.,. Release the lever again. The wiper will keep
running for approx. four seconds . .,,_

The park lock must only be engaged with the
vehicle
stationary c::> &.
To engage P and to remove the lever from th is
position, you must depress the release b utton
(button in the selector lever handle)
and si­
multaneously you must step on the brake
pedal.
R · re vers e
I n th is position, reverse is engaged.
Reverse gear must only be engaged with the
veh icle
stationary and the eng ine runn ing at
id le speed
c::> ,&. .
To engage R, you have to depress the release
button
and s imultaneously step on the brake
pedal. In the R position, the back-up lights il­
lum inate with the ign ition on.
N • N eutra l
The transmission is in neutral in this position .
D -Norm al po sition f or d riving forwa rd
In this position, the forward gears are auto­ matica lly shifted up and down, depending on
engine load and vehicle speed.
To engage S from N, the brake pedal must be
depressed at speeds be low S km/h or when
the vehicle is stationary
c::> & .
In certain circumstances (driving in the moun­
tains for examp le) it can be beneficial to
switch temporarily to the manua l shift pro­
gram
c::> page 100 in order to adjust the gear
ratios to driving cond itions
manually.
S -Sport setting
The S se tt ing shou ld be selected for sporting
d riving . The power reserves of the engine can
be fu lly exp loited through later upshifts.
To engage S from N, the brake pedal must be depressed at speeds be low S km/h or when
the vehicle is stationary
c::> & .
Tra n sm iss io n 9 7
A WARNING
- Never p lace the selector lever in the R or
P posit ion while the veh icle is moving -
risk of an accident!
- With the engine running, it is necessary
to hold the vehicle with the foot brake in all se lector lever positions (except P and
N), because even at idle speed the trans­
fe r of power is never completely inter­
rupted -the vehicle "creeps". If the vehi­
cle is stationary and the transm ission is
engaged, the engine should never be
speeded up unintentionally (e .g. manual­
ly from under the hood). Otherwise the
veh icle w ill immediately start to move -
sometimes even if the park ing brake is
firmly applied -risk of an accident!
- Before you or other persons open the
hood and work on a running engine, the
selecto r lever must be moved to P and
the park ing brake applied f irmly - risk of
an accident! Follow the warning sticke rs
c::> page 187, Engine compartment.
(D Tips
If you have inadvertently shift ing into N
while the vehicle is moving, you shou ld re­
move you r foot from the accelerator and
wait unt il the engine speed has dropped to
idle before shifting back to Dor S .
Selector lever lock
Applies to vehicl es: with S tronic®
The selector lever lock prevents a gear from
being engaged accidentally and unintention­
ally setting the vehicle in motion.
F ig. 110 Selector lever locks

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.

268 Index
Eme rgency towing ......... .. .. .... . 251
E ne rgy management ........... .. ... 167
Ba ttery power ........... .... .. .. . 168
Dr iver notific ation ...... .. .. .. .. .. . 16 8
Eng ine
4-cylinder diesel (140 hp) ....... .... 197
4-cyl ind er g asoline (200 hp) .. .. .. ... 196
Coolant .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 203
H ood .. ...... ........... .. .. .... . 194
Pr ehea ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Start ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 90
Starting with j umper cab les . ..... .. . 248
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
E ng ine compartmen t ................ 196
Safety instruc tions .......... .. .... . 194
Working in the engine compar tment .. 194
Eng ine coolant system ........... .... 203
Adding coo lant ............ ... .. .. . 204
Chec king coolan t leve l ..... .. .. .... . 204
Che cking the eng ine coolant leve l ..... 204
M alfunct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Radiator fan . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 205
E ng ine coolant temperature
Gauge ... .. ................ ... .. .. 11
Eng ine data .. ............... ...... . 257
Engine fault Warning light .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 20
E ng ine hood
C lo sing .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 194
Release lever . ........... .... .... . 194
Releasing and open ing . ... .. ... ... . 194
Eng ine malfunction (diesel engine)
War ning light ............ .. .. .... .. 20
Eng ine oil . ............... .. .. .... . 197
Adding .. .. ............... .... .. . 200
Addit ives . .. ................ ... ... 200
C hanging .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. . 20 1
Chec king the eng ine o il level .. .. .. .. . 200
Di ese l eng ine ............ .. .. .... . 20 2
I ndications and con ditions req uiring ex-
tra check ing . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 200
Oil consumption .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 199
Oi l grades . .... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 197
Recommended oil check intervals ..... 200
Specification and viscos ity .... .. .... . 197
Specifications Diesel engine .. .... ... 202
Specifications gasoline engine .. .. ... 197
Tempe ratu re d isplay ...... .. .. .. .. . . 31 E
ngine oi l leve l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
E ngine o il pressu re (malfunction) ....... 16
Engine oil sensor defective ............ 20
En gine preheate r .................... 86
C onnect ing . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 86
E ngine speed limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Environment Break-in per iod . .. ............. .... 169
Catalytic converter ............. .... 170
Diesel particulate f ilter ............ . 171
D ispos ing of your veh icle battery ... .. 210
D riv ing at high speeds .............. 172
D riving to minimize pollution and noise 171
F uel ............................. 192
F uel economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Leaks under your vehicle ..... ... .. .. 194
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up . 172
Proper d isposal of drained bra ke fluid . 206
Proper disposal of drained eng ine cool-
ant ............................. 204
Proper d isposal of drained eng ine
o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200, 201
Recycling used engine oil ............ 200
U nleaded fuel . ... ................ . 189
Wha t shou ld I do w ith an o ld b att ery? . 210
EPC
refer to E lect ron ic power co ntrol ... .. . 19
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ........ .... 161
E xh aus t tai l pipes
Cleaning .. .... .. ............. .... 183
Expansion tank .. .. ................ . 204
Exterior mirrors Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Dimming .......................... 54
Heating ........................... 53
F
Fahrenheit
Switching between Fa hrenhe it and Centi-
grade ....... .... .... ........... .. 83
F an
Adjusting the fan speed ...... .... . .. . 83
Climate controls ............... .. .. . 83
Radiator ......................... 205

272 Index
p
Paint
Touch-up ... .. ........ ... .. .. .... . 181
Paint no . .... ..... ..... ...... ... .. . 255
panoramic sliding sunroof ..... .. .. .. .. 45
Comfort closing .................... 46
to close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
to open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Park assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Park ing . .. .. .. . .......... .. .. .. .. .. 92
Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Park ingbrake .............. ... .. .... 91
Setting and releasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Park ing brake warning ................ 15
Park ing on a decline (downhill) ... .. .... 92
Park ing on an incline (uphill) ...... ..... 92
Particle filter
refer to Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . 22
Parts rep lacement .................. 261
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light . .. .... . 133
Passive safety system ...... ... .. .... .
Pedals .. .. .. ................ ... .. .
Physical principles of a frontal collision . 103
108
114
Polishing
.. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 180
Power locking switch ........... .. .... 39
Rearcenterconso~ ......... .. .. .. .. 40
Power locking system ................. 36
Conven ience close/open feature ... .. .. 44
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
ins ide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Opening and closing the w indows .. .. . . 44
Operating locks from w ith key . . . . . . . . . 38
Rear lid .. .... ............. .. .... .. 40
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 37
Unlocking and locking vehicle ..... .. .. 3 7
Power outlets .............. .... ... .. 75
Power seat
Adjusting the seatback .............. 64
Adjustment ............. .. .. .. .. .. 63
Power steering
refer to Electro -mechanica l power as-
sist . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 165
Power sunroof
refer to panoramic slid ing sunroof . .. .. 45 Power window switches
....... ... .. .. . 43
In the driver's door .. ....... ... .. .. . 43
Reactivating the system .......... .. . 45
Pregnant women Spec ial considerations when wear ing a
safety belt . ..... ... ....... ... .. .. 118
Proper occupant seating positions ..... 104
Proper safety belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Proper seating position Front passenger .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. 105
Occupants ..... .. .. .... .... ... .. .. 104
Rear passengers . ... ............ ... 106
Q
Quartz clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
quatt ro ®
refer to All Wheel Dr ive .... ..... .. .. 166
Question Wha t happens to unbelted occupants? 114
Why safety belts? ................. 113
R
Radiator fan 205
Radio
Replacing ..... .. .. ............ ... 262
Rain sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Reading light Rear . ........ .. ............. .... . 52
Reading lights Front ... .. .... .. ... .. .. ... ... .. .. . 51
Rear ... .. .... .. .. ... .. ... ... .. .. . 51
Rea r a rmrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Rear lid Emergency release .................. 41
Locking/unlock ing ................ .. 40
Rear light defective ............. .... . 21
Rear power lock ing swi tch ........ .... . 40
Rear seat bottom .................. .. 67
Rear view mirror ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 54
Rear window defogger with air-cond it ion ing ........... .. .. . 85
Refuell ing .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. 192
Re lease lever for engine hood . . . . . . . . . 194