2012 AUDI A3 load capacity

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>

_& WARNING
-Always follow the instructions prov ided
by the roof rack manufacturer.
- When installing the roof rack with the
vehicle doors open, watch out for other
traffic - there is the risk of an accident .
- Make certain that the feet of the roof
rack are sitting exactly in the four stamp­
ed marks - otherw ise you risk an acci­
dent!
- After you have driven a few miles, and part icularly during long trips, inspect the
attach ing screws to make certain they
are tight.
- Do not make any modification to the roof
rack - you increase the risk of an acci­
dent.
Roof rack mounting locations
App lies to vehicles: with roof rails
Roof racks must be installed only at the Loca­
tions marked on the roof rails .
Fig . 8 4 Roof ra ils: front and rear mou nting locations
Mounting
The roo f rack syste m mu st be in sta ll ed exact­
l y accord ing to th e instru cti ons prov ided.
Mount the front and rear cross bars between
the punched markings on the ins ide of the
roof railings
r::;,fig. 84-arrows- .
(D Note
- The conventional roof rack des ign illus­
trated above w il l not f it on vehicles w ith­
out roof ra ils. For s afe mounting, these
require a different design of roof rack.
S ea ts a nd s to rage 73
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute the Loads evenly . Make sure
anything on the roof rack is tied down secure­
ly.
.. Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
evenly.
.. Always secure items to the roof rack.
The maximum permissible roof weight is
16 5 lb (75 k g). The roof weight is made up of
the weight of the roof rack system and the
weight of the object being transported
.;, page 255.
When using a roof rack system which has a
lower load carrying capacity, you must not use
the total maximum permissible load carry ing
capacity. If th is is the case, you may load the
roof rack system on ly to the maximum capaci­
ty specified by the manufacturer of the roof
rack system.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fail
during hard braking or in a coll is ion and
cause ser ious persona l injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the properly in­
stalled roof rack to help prevent items
from sh ifting or flying forward .
- Items on the roof rack must always be
securely mounted.
- The use of a roof rack can negat ively af­
fect the way a veh icle hand les . Cargo
that is large, heavy, bulky, long or flat
will have a greater negat ive influence on
the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
grav ity and overa ll handling. Always
drive s lowly, avoid sudden braki ng and
maneuvers when transporting cargo on
the roof of your vehicle.
- Never exceed the maxim um permissible
load carrying capacity of the roof of your
vehicle, the permissible axle weights and
the permissible total weight of your vehi- cle
r::;, page 255, Weights. ~

110 Driving Safely
&_ WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­dows, the power roof* and the read lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load -see the tire pressure sticker on the
fuel filler door.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. On USA vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side B-pillar. On Canada vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located either on
the driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel
filler flap. The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its maximum
capacity weight and the tires that were
on your vehicle at the time it was manu­
factured. For recommended tire pres­
sures for normal load conditions, please
see chapter ¢
page 216.
-
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
¢ page 109, Loading the luggage com ­
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
&_ WARNING ~
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­ ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas­
senger compartment .
- Never attach a child safety seat tether
strap to a tie-down.

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESP detects
Intelligent technology 161
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G] in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESP has limitations. It is important to remem­
ber that ESP cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESP may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESP cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESP will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESP cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations as at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic; and weather conditions. ESP can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESP improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .
•
•

214 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressu re
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation p ressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter means the overa ll diameter of an inf lated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing over 5
lbs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, r ide leve lers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tir e in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread . Recommended inflation pressure
see
~
page 213, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflation pressures than
the corresponding standard tire . Re inforced
t ir es my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EX TRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di­
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
t read and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 224 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­
ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the max imum pe rmissibl e road speeds
~ A in Winter tires on page 228.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell­
tale.

Tires and wheels 215
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the principal
grooves designed to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
c:> page 222, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
more informat ion on measuring tir e wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires. The UTQG is not a safety rating and not a
guaran tee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles or per form in a certain way.
I t simply gives tire buyers additional informa ­
tion to combine with other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and dea ler recom­
mendations. Under UTQG, tires are graded by
the tire manufacturers in three areas: tread­
wear, traction and temperature resistance.
The UTQG information on the tires, molded in­
to the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the t ire's "serial number" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the ti
re meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of man ufacture.
For example,
DOT . .. 2211 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2011. The other numbers are market­
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
tire manufacturer . This information is used to
contact consumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the vehicle's to­
ta l seating capacity as listed on the label lo­
cated either on the driver's side B-pillar or on
the inside of the fuel filler flap.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to each ax le its
share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tir e that is
determ ined by distributing to each axle its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (distributed in
accordance with tab le below
c:> page 215)
and dividing by two.
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity,
number of occupants
5
Vehicle normal load, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
of occupants _____ mally loaded vehicle
3 2 in front, 1 in back seat
•
•

216 Tires and wheels
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig. 167 Tire press ure labe l: loca ted ei the r on dr iver 's
side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopascals (kPa), the interna­
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part on the vehicle's design and load limit­
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi­
cle can carry safely and the tire size. The prop­
er tire pressure is frequently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal friction when it flexes in
use . The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
inflation pressure in a "cold " tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire inflat ion pres­
sure" recommendations. The tires would then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the
most important things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a major cause of sudden tire failure. Keep­
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tire pres­
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load -carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle.
,;
•(=~: I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - ­u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA. a PSI
Fig. 168 Tir e pressure label
SU OWNER'S MANUAl FOR AD0"10NAL l10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR Pl.US DE
REHSEKi.\'IEME NTS
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your veh icle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you will be transporting .
On USA vehicles, the t ire pressure label is lo­
cated on driver's side B-pillar . On Canada vehi­
cles, the tire pressure label is located e ither
on the dr iver 's side B-pillar or inside the fuel
filler flap . The tire pressure label lists the rec­
ommended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity we ight
and tires that were on your vehicle at the time
it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 3 occu­
pants), you can adjust tire pressures to those
specified for normal vehicle load. Before op­
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load¢.&..
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itoring
system * can on ly monitor the tire pressures
yo u have stored. The system does not recog­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
T he effectiveness of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system * wi ll be impaired if you store nor­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load
¢ .&..
See the illustration ¢ fig. 167 for the location
of the label either on driver's side B-pillar or
i nside the fuel fi ller flap (color of the actual
IJI>

Tires an d wheel s 21 7
labe l and exact location on the vehicle will
vary slightly).
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate at
t he t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label (on USA vehicles, the tire pres ­
sure label is located on driver's side B -pillar;
on Canada vehicles, the tire pressure label is
located e ither on the driver's side B-pillar or inside the f
uel filler flap.) always takes prece­
dence.
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflat ion p ressu res for the Audi mode l
cove red by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the tir e sizes instal­
l ed on the respect ive models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine
(dis­
place­
ment in liter ) Tire designation
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
4- cylin ­
d er
2.0 TFSI (ga so­
line )
4-cylin -
der
2 .0
TOI
(clean
die sel) 205
/55 Rl6 91H All Sea-
son
2 25 /45 Rl7 91W High
Performance
22S /45 Rl7 94H XL All
Season
225 /45 Rl7 94Y XL High
Performance
225 /40 Rl8 92V XL H igh
Perfo rmance
Compact spare wheel
Tl25 /70 Rl8
205 /S5 Rl6 91H All Sea-
s on
225 /45 Rl 7 94H XL All
Season
225 /4S Rl 7 94V XL High
P erformance
225 /40 Rl8 92V XL High
Performance
C ompa ct spare whe el
Tl25 /70 Rl8 no
rmal load
condition
( upto 3 oc-
cupant s)
PSI kPA
36 250
•
JI
35 2 40
38 260
35 240
38 260
60 420
36 250
38 260
35 240
35 240
60 420
normal load
full load condition full load
condition (up to 3 oc- condition
cupant s)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
39 270 30 210 38 260
..
38 260 30 210 36 250
"
39 270 32 220 38 260
36 250 30 210 35 240
41 280 35 240 41 280
60 420
60 420 60 420
39 270 30 210 36 250
41 280 32 220
38 260
38 260 30 210 35 240
38 260 30 210 38 260
60 420 60 420 60 420
X L = reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EX TRA LOAD , or RF on the tire side­
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
located on a label e ither on the driver's side B­
p illar or i nside the fuel filler flap . ways
compare the tire size designatio n on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle with the
tires on yo ur vehicle . Make sure that the t ire
s ize informat ion on the vehicle labe l is the
I
J
•
I
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equipment during the model year, al- same as the size of the tires on the veh
icle. .,.
•
•