2012 AUDI A3 seat adjustment

Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are several different ways you can ad­
just the driver's seat and the front passenger's seat so that it conforms to your body size.
It is
especia lly important that the seat be adjusted
properly so that:
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offer
maximum protection ¢
page 122
In the following chapte rs, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats.
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always heed the informa­
tion regard ing child safety provided in
¢ page 143, Child Safety .
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never put your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion! This applies espec ially to the passen­
gers.
If your seating position is incorrect
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident. If the
airbag infla tes and the seating posi tion
is incorrect this could result in personal
injury or even death.
S eat s an d sto rage 61
-It is important for both the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of at
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel.
If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the airbag system can­
not protect you prope rly. In addition to
this, the front seats and head restra ints
m ust be adjusted to yo ur body height so
that they can give you maximum protec ­
tion.
'
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the steer­
ing wheel or instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving .
Your seat may move unexpected ly, caus­
ing sudden loss of veh icle control and
personal injury. If you adjust your seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit ion .
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving .
We recommend that you adjust the driver 's
seat in the fo llow ing manner :
.. Adjust the seat in fo re and aft direction so
that you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees slight ly bent
¢ .& in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 61.
.. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
st ill grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.. Adjust t he head restra int so the upper edge
is as even as possible wi th the top of your
head . If that is not poss ible , try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possib le
<=:> page 65.
A WARNING
-Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot-
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal funct ion. In

62 Seats and storage
case of sudden braking or an accident, you
would not be ab le to brake or acce lerate!
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position.
To avo id contact with the airbag wh ile i t is de ­
p loying, do not sit a ny closer to the inst ru ­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three-point safety be lt provided adjusted
correctly. We recommend that you adjust the passenger's seat in the following manner:
... Move the front passenger seat into the rear ­
most position of the fore and aft adjustment
range
¢ .&.. in Why is your seat adjustment
so important? on page
61.
... Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
pos it ion .
Do not ride w ith the seat reclined.
... Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
i s as
even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possib le, try to adjust
the head rest raint so that it is as close to
t h is position as possible
¢ page 65.
... Place your feet on the f loor in front of the
passenger's seat.
Adjusting front seats manually
Adjustment controls
Applies to vehicles: with manual seat adjustme nt
Various controls on the manual seats provide
a wide range for individual adjus tments.
==""" -®
Fig . 6 4 Ad just ment contro ls: locat ions on drive r"s seat
CD Moving the seat forward or backward
@ Adjusting the seat height
@ Adjusting the seatback ang le
@ Adjusting head restraint height
Some of the co ntrols are fitted on certain
models on ly or they are optiona l equipment.
Adjusting the manual seats
Applies to vehicles: with manual seat adjust ment
Position, angle and shape of the manual
seats can be adjusted to provide safe and
comfortable seating.
Rea d and heed all WARNINGS ¢.&.. befo re
you adjust yo ur seat .
Moving the front seats forward or
backward
"' Lift the leve r¢ page 62, fig. 64 CD and slide
the seat to the desired position .
... Release the lever and then move the seat
further until you feel and hear it engage .
Ad justing the seat height
... Pull the lever @up and pump it to raise the
seat.
... Push the lever down and pump it to lower
the seat.
Adjusting the seatback angle
... Lean forward to take your weight off the
seatback .
... Tur n the hand wheel@ in the di rection yo u
want the seatback to tilt.
A WARNING
- Never adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
If you do th is while the veh icle is moving,
you will be out of position . Always adjust
the dr iver's or front pass enge r's seat
when the vehi cle is not mov ing.
- Be careful when adj usting the seat
he ight. Check to see that no one is in t he
way, or ser io us inju ry co ul d result!
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden b raking o r acciden t, front pas­
senge rs mus t never r ide in a mov ing
ve­
h icle with the seatback reclined . Sa fety

belts and the airbag system only offer
maximum protection when the seatback
is upright and the safety belts are prop­
erly positioned on the body . The more
the seatback is reclined, the greater the
risk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating pos it ion and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts!
Adjusting the power
seat
Adjustment switches
Ap plies to vehicles: with power driver seat
For an in tuitive operation, the swi tches @
and @ are distinctly shaped and positioned
to reflect their adjustment functions .
Fig. 65 Adjust men t sw it c h es : locat ions on driver 's seat
Push or pull e ither switch in exactly the same
direction you like the corresponding part of
the seat to mov e.
@ Moving the seat forward or backward
@ Adjusting the angle of the seatback and
he ad restraints
© Adjust ing the lumbar support
Seats and storage 63
Power seat adjustment
Applies to vehicles: with power driver seat
The switches can be moved in various direc­
tions to allow precise adjustment.
Fig. 66 Sea t cush io n adju stme nt: sw it c h m otions
Push or pull the switch in the same direction
you like the seat cushion to move.
Moving the entire seatback or forward
.,. Push the switch back at the tip or forward
at the rear@c::>
,&..
Adjusting the seat height
.,. To raise the sea t, pull t he switch at both
ends, @
and@ c::> ,&. .
.,. To lower the seat, push the switch down
evenly,
@ and @<=:>,&. .
Tilting the seat cushion back or forward
.,. To tilt ba ck the seat cushion, pull the switch
a t the fron t only, @ c::> ,&. .
.,. Alternatively, push the switch at the rear
only,
@ <=:> ,&. .
.,. To tilt forward the seat cushion, push the
sw itch
at the front only@ Q ,&..
.,. Alternatively, pull the switch at the rear on­
ly @
Q ,&. .
A WARNING
-Never adjust the driver's seat while the
vehicle is moving. If you do this whi le the
veh icle is moving, you will be out of posi­
tion . Always adjust the driver 's seat
when the vehicle is not mov ing.
- Be careful when adjusting the seat
height. Check to see that no one is in the
way, or serious injury could result!

64 Seats and storage
-Beca use the driver seat can be electrical­
ly ad justed with the ign ition key re­
moved, never leave children unattended
in the vehicle . Unsupervised use of the
electric seat adjustments may cause seri­ o us in jury.
Adjusting the seatback
App lies to vehicles: with power driver seat
u-
Fig . 67 Drive r's seat: switc h for seatback adjustment
• Push or pull the top of the switch in the
same direction you like the seatback to tilt
¢fig. 67.
A WARNING
- Never adjust the seatback whi le the vehi­
cle is moving. If you adjust your seatback
w hil e the vehicle is mov ing, you wi ll be
o ut of pos ition. Always adjust the seat­
back when the vehicle is no t mov ing.
- T o redu ce the r is k of injury in the case of
sudden bra king or accident, front pas­
sengers must never ride in a moving ve ­
hicle with the seatback reclined. Safety
belts and the airbag system only offe r
maximum protection when the seatback
is upright and the safety belts are prop­
er ly posit ioned on the body . The more
the seatback is reclined, the greate r the
risk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating posit ion and improperly posi­
tioned safety be lts!
Adjusting the lumbar
support
Applies to vehicles: with lumba r support
The lumbar support can be adjusted to fit the
natural curvature of the occupant's spine.
F ig . 68 Driver seat: switc h for lumbar ad justment
Ad justing the curv atur e
.,. Push the front of t he sw itch plate c:> fig . 68
in order to in cr ease the curva ture.
• Push the rear o f the switch plate in order to
decrease the curvature.
A dj usting the height
• Push on the top of the switch p late in order
t o move the s upport higher .
• Push on the bottom of the switch p late in
order to move t he support lower.
A WARNING
-
Never adjust the lumbar support while the
vehicle is moving. If you adjust your seat
while the vehicle is moving, you will be out
of position. Always adjust the lumbar sup­
port when the vehicle is not mov ing .

Head restraints
Front head restraints
The head restraints must be properly adjust­
ed to the occupants's height to provide opti ­
mal restraint in combination with the seat re­
straints.
Fi g. 69 Driver's s eat head restra int: ad just ing the
heigh t
Raising /lowering the head restraint
s
-d. a, a,
The head restraints on the front seats ca n be
adjusted to prov ide safe suppo rt to head and
neck at the opt imum he ight. When optimally
adj usted, the top of the restra int should be
L eve l w ith the top of the head. If that is not
possible, try to ad just the head restrain t so
that it is as close to th is pos it ion as poss ible
r:=> page 107, Proper adjustment of head re­
straints .
.,. To move the head restrai nt up, hold it a t the
s ides with bot h hands a nd slide it upward
un til you feel it click into p lace .
.,. To move the head restraint dow n, press the
button @ and slide the head restraint
downward until you feel it click into p lace
r:=> fig . 69.
Removing the head re straint
.,. Pu ll the head restraint a ll the way up.
.,. Press the re lease butto n@
r:=> fig. 69 and
pull the restraint stra ight up and out of the
seat.
Install ing the head rest raint
.,. Inse rt the rods into the guides and push the
rest raint back in until you hear it click.
Seats and storage 65
Refer to r=> page 10 7 , Proper adjustment of
head restraints
for guidelines on how to ad­
j ust the height of the front head restraints to
fit the occupant's body size.
A WARNING
- Driving without head restraints or wit h
head restra ints that a re not proper ly ad­
justed increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
tal nec k inju ry dramat ica lly.
- Read and heed all WARNI NGS
r:=>page 107 .
(D Tips
Correct ly adjusted head restrai nts and
safety be lts a re an e xtreme ly effect ive
combination of safety features.
Rear head restraints
Fi g. 7 0 Rea r seat: head restra ints
Fig. 7 1 Rear head res tra ints: release
If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing pos ition, slide the center head restraint
u pward at least to the next notch.
Adjusting the head restraints .,. To move t he head restra int up, ho ld it at the
sides with both hands and s lide it upwa rd
until you fee l it click into place .

The air recirculation opera tes for a maximum
of 12 minutes. If the windows start to fog up
while the air rec irculat ion is on, press~
Unde r certain operating condi tions (fo r exam­
p le, if~ or
1-1 are pressed) the air recircu la ­
tion automatica lly switches off.
If the air con­
d itioner is sw itched off, or if the temperature
is below 18 °F (-8 °C), the air recircu lation wi ll
operate only for 12 seconds.
Switching between Fahrenheit and
Centigrade
You can change the temperature display from
°F (Fahrenheit) to °C (Centigrade) and vice
versa.
.,. Hold the l.,s,! button down c:> page 80,
fig.
96.
.,. Turn the rotary switch (d river 's s ide) @ for
3 seconds +.
G;J Air recirculation
The air recirculation prevents exhaust fumes
or oth er pollution from entering the vehicle .
Switching air recirculation on
.,. Press ~ c:> page 80, fig. 96 c:> A
Switching air recirculat ion off
.,. Press~ again, or
.,. press
IAUTOI, or
.,. press~-
I n the ai r recircula tion mode, the air in the
passenger compa rtment is recirculated to
p revent exhaust fumes and ot her pollution
from entering the vehicle. We recommend
that you use the manual air recircu lation un­
der the following conditions:
- when d riving through t unnels
- in a traffic jam.
,8. WARNING
Do not use this setting for extended pe ri­
ods of time . The windows could fog up
since no fresh a ir can ente r the vehicle . If
Warm and c old 83
the windows fog u p, press the ai r rec ircula­
tion button aga in immed iately to sw itch
off the air rec irculation function or select
defrost.
G IB Adjusting the fan speed
The automatically selected fan speed can be
increased or decreased.
.,. Press the[:] or El buttons in the center of
the control panel
c:> page 80, fig. 96 to ad ­
just the fan speed to your comfort.
T he air conditioning system automatically
r egulates the fa n speed i n respo nse to the in ­
terior tempe rat ure. However, you can a lso ad­
j ust the fan speed ma nually. A line of small
bars in the center display above the fan con­
trol buttons w ill re treat or extend to reflect
you r adjustments to the fan speed .
Air distribution
The automatically controlled air distribution
can be changed manually.
You can use the @J , [fil or~ buttons separate­
ly or together in combination. To switch back
to the automatic air d istr ibu tion sett ing, ei­
the r switch off the b uttons you prev iously se­
lected , or press
IAUTOI.
Each of the three buttons has its own spec ific
funct io n (t he reference numbers refer to the
a ir out lets)
c:> page 84, fig. 97.
~ Air directed to the windows
A ll the air is directed to outlets Contrary to when~ is pressed, the amount of
a ir remains the same .
~ Air directed to the driver /front
passenger
All the a ir is directed to outlets@,@ and ©
in the instrument panel. Air also is directed
th ro ugh the center console in the rear.
~ Air d irected to the footwells
A ll the air is directed to outlets ® and to the
outlets under the front seats.

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 .

Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. You r safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe t he information
a nd warn ings in th is se ct ion - for yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction applies to all
model ve rsion s of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures descr ibed in th is sec tions may be
standa rd equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
st ruct ions and heed the WARNINGS i n
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owne r's Liter­
at ure in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tion s.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint syst em and work togeth er to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations .
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
t echnology have made a var iety o f fea tures
avai lable to he lp red uce the risk of i njury in an
Dr iving Safel y 103
accident . The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in yo ur Audi :
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r driver and a ll
passenger sea ting posit ions,
- s afety bel t prete nsio ners ,
- safety belt force lim ite rs fo r the front sea ts,
- safety belt he ight adjustment systems for
the front seats ,
- automatic safety be lt height adjustment for
the rear seats,
- head restra ints for each seating posit ion,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rea r
seats *,
- side c urtai n airbags ,
- specia l LATCH an cho rages for child re-
s tr ain ts,
- he ad restra ints for each sea ting posit ion,
- adj ustab le steering colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features , can work to­
gether as a system to he lp protect you and
you r passengers in a w ide range of accide nts.
T hese fe;;itures c;;innot work ;;is ;;i system if
t h ey a re not always cor re ct ly adjus ted and co r­
re ct ly used .
Safety is everybody' s responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu ­
pant safety always depends on the informed
and careful driver .
For you r safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make s ure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Make su re that all windows are clean and
afford good v isib ility to the o utside.
.,. Sec ure a ll luggage a nd other items carefu lly
~ page 75.
.,. Mak e s ure th at nothing can interfe re wi th
t he peda ls .
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir ­
rors co rrectly for your height.
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