2012 AUDI A3 snow chains

@ Tips
You can find out if your vehicle is equipped
w ith "H ill ho ld assis t" at an authorized Au­
di dea le rship.
Acoustic parking
system
Rear acoustic park assist
Applies to vehicles: with 4-cha nnel acoustic park assist
Acoustic park assist gives a warning about
obstacles behind the vehicle.
Desc ription
The rear acoust ic park assist (4-channe l
acoust ic pa rk assist) dete rm ines the d istance
of the vehicle from an obstacle us ing u ltra­
sonic sensors . The sensors are in the rear
bumper . The vol ume and the pitch of the
chimes can be adjusted through the menu dis­ p lay
c::> page 27.
The range at which the sensors start to meas­
ure is
about :
To the side
Center rear
Activation
2 feet (0.60 m)
S feet (1.60 m)
The parking assist is ac tivated when re ver se
gear
i s engaged. A brief tone confirms tha t
the system is activated.
Backing up
Distance warning when backing up starts
when an obstacle is detected in the range of
the park assist sys tem. As t he d istance de­
creases, t he time interva l be tween the audib le
tones becomes sho rter.
When the d istance is less than 1 foot (0 .30
m), the tone becomes cont inuous . At t his
po int yo u should stop b acking up.
P lease note that low objects already signalled
by a wa rning can disappear from the system 's
detection range and w ill not continue to be
signa lled.
On th e ro ad 93
Potent ial malfunct ions
If a warning bu zzer so unds fo r a few seconds
when the ignition is switched o n, there is a
system malfunction with the acoustic park as ­
sist. If the ma lfunction persists unti l the igni­
tion is switched off, there will be no aco ustic
warning at the next attempt to act ivate the
system. Have the prob lem corrected.
There is no conf irmation tone when reve rse
gear is engaged if there is a system malfunc­
tion.
For t he parking assist to ope rate, the sensors
must be kept clean and free of ice.
A WARNING
- Sensors have blind spots in wh ich objects
cannot be detected. Pay spec ia l attent ion
to small children and a nimals . They can­
not a lways be detected by the sensors -
danger of an accident!
- The parking assist ca nnot replace the
driver's atte ntion. The driver alone is re­
sponsib le for pa rking and simi lar d riving
maneuve rs. Always wat ch whe re you are
d riving.
(D Note
L ow obstacles already signa lled by a warn­
i ng can d isapp ear from the system's detec­
tion range as they a re approached and w il l
not cont inue to be s ignalled. Objects such
as barrier chains, trailer d raw bars, th in
painted vertica l poles, o r fences may not
be detected by the system -risk of dam­
age.
(D Tips
Fo r the parking assist to operate, the sen­
sors m ust be kept clean and free of snow
and ice.

166 Intelligent technolog y
This is most noticeab le when turning the
steering whee l at low speeds (for examp le
when parking), -more effort will be re­
quired than usual.
- Be aware of the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer­
i ng force accord ingly.
- Have the problem checked and set right
by an author ized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- If a steering malfunct ion occurs, this is
s ignaled with the
ts ~ or .• indicator
li ghts and a warning tone, see.
(D Tips
- If the power steering system shou ld fail,
or if the eng ine is not running (for exam­
ple, while being towed), you will st ill be
able to steer the veh icle. However, more
effort will be req uired to do so.
- If the power steering system is not func­
tioning properly, co ntact your authorized
A udi dealer immediate ly.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Appl ies to vehicles: with All Whee l Drive
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driv ­
en.
General information
W ith All Whee l Dr ive, power is d istributed to
a ll fo ur wheels . This happens automa tic a lly
depending on your driv ing sty le and the road
conditions at the time . See also
¢ page 161.
Winter tires
When dr iv ing in the w inte r, your ve hicle w it h
A ll Whee l Drive has an advantage, even wi th
reg ular t ires. In win ter road condi tions it may
be adv isable to mo unt winter tires (o r all-sea ­
son tires) for improved driveability and b rak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on all four
wheels. See also ¢ page 22 7, Winter tires.
Snow chains
Where snow chains are manda to ry on ce rtain
roads, this norma lly also app lies to ve hicles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 228, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with A ll Wheel D rive must a lways
have t ires o f the same s ize. A lso avoi d tires
with different t read depths . For deta ils see
page
¢ page 223, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does no t have enough g round clea r­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle .
It is
therefore bes t to avoid rough tracks a nd un ­
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 171.
A WARNING
-
Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and traf-
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by the all-wheel dr ive tempt you
i nto ta king extra risks.
- Although the quattro ®all-wheel dr ive is
very effect ive, a lways remember that
b rak ing capac ity is limited by tire trac­
tion . You should therefore not d rive at
excessive speeds on icy or slippe ry road
sur faces.
- On wet road surfa ces, be careful not to
d rive too fast because the front whee ls
could begin to slide on top of the water
(hydroplaning). If this sho uld occ ur, you
will have no warning from a s udden in ­
crease in eng ine speed as w it h a front­
wheel d rive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are adjusted to the road
conditions - risk of c rash!

228 Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code( ¢ page 224) is
on the side wall of the tire
¢ page 223.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING I>=
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Al­
ways remember :
- When braking , an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13 .5 mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
¢ (!) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
=
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi-
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily .
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so. ..,.

@ Tips
-Where snow chains are mandatory on
certain roads, this normally also applies
to vehicles with All Wheel Drive .
- If snow chains are insta lled, the tire
pressures shou ld not be stored in the tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
Otherwise the system could malfunction
¢page 232.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts wit h the right
length and correctly s haped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the bra ke system f unctions
cor rectly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wh eel bolts from a differ ent vehicle -even if it
i s the same mode l.
.&, WARNING
Improperly tig hte ned o r maint ained wheel
bol ts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and ser ious persona l in ­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts an d the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
whee l bolts can tu rn easily and be pro p­
er ly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the w heel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bolts t hat belong to the
r im being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintai n the co rrect tighten ing
torq ue for the wheel bo lts t o reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor-
Tire s an d wheel s 229
que of t he whee l bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tig htening torq ue is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torq ue whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the tor que
must be checked as so on as possible with a
torq ue w rench -prefe rably by an au thor ­
iz ed A udi de aler or qu alified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory -eq uipped w ith low aspect
r atio tires . These tires have been tho ro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and handli ng u nder a var iety of driving condi­
tions . Ask your au thorized Aud i dealer for
more d etails.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numera l represen ts the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
t read width exp ressed in perce ntage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 o r
more.
The performance of low-a spect-ratio tires i s
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure.
It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pres sure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
sures should be checked at least once a month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 218, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, gul lies ..,.
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232 Tires and wheels
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label ¢
page 216. Driving on a
significantly under-inf lated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- T he driver is responsible for maintain ing
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
- Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle .
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your veh icle or acc idents
could also result .
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESP/ABS malfunction .
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO"
have been specially matched with your
Audi. We recommend using only these
tires because they meet the highest
standards regarding safety and driving
characteristics when used correctly. Your
a uthorized Audi dea ler will g ladly pro­
v ide you w ith more information.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
(Stepl)
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels ore ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset in
the menu display.
----- ®
Fig. 174 Wipe r lever: Contro ls fo r the menu d isplay
Fig. 175 Disp lay: S ta rt m enu
I Rese t I button @ and rocker switch @
¢ fig. 17 4 functions:
To open the menu
" Press the I Reset ! button @ unt il the menu
disp lay¢
fig. 175 appears
Selections and settings
" Press the rocker switch @ to reach a menu
d isp lay. The switch is operated the same as
the display (up/down) .
Entering and confirming
" Press the I Reset I button @.
Returning to the Start menu
" Press the I Rese t I button longer than 2 sec­
onds to return from any menu level to the
Start menu.

You will find the compact spare wheel under
the floor in the luggage compartment . It is
secured w ith a large nut.
Using the compact spare wheel
The compact spa re wheel is only intended for
emergenc ies until you can reach a repair shop .
Replace i t as quickly as possible with a normal
wheel.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare wheel~ &. . The compact spare
wheel has been developed especially for your
type of vehicle . It must not be exchanged for
the compact spare whee l from another type of
vehicle.
Normal summer or winter tires must not be
installed on the compact spare whee l rim.
Snow chains
For technica l reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare wheel is
n ot permitted .
If you do have to dr ive w ith snow cha ins and
have a t ire failure on a
front wheel, insta ll the
spa re wheel in place of a rear wheel. Install
the snow chains on the rear wheel and use it
to replace the defective front whee l.
Using the spare wheel
The spare wheel is only intended for emergen­
cies until you can reach a repair shop. Replace
it as qu ickly as possib le with a no rmal wheel.
There are some restrict ions on the use of a
spare wheel
Q &. . The spare wheel has been
developed especially for your type of vehicle.
It m ust not be exchanged for the spare whee l
from anot her type of vehicle.
Normal summer or winter tires must not be
i nstalled on the spare wheel rim.
Snow t ires
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the spare whee l is
not p erm itte d.
If you do have to drive with snow chains and
have a t ire failure on a
front wheel, insta ll the
spare wheel in place of a rear wheel. Install
What do I do now? 235
the snow chains on the rear whee l and use it
to replace the defective front wheel.
A WARNING -
A lways store jacking equipment, spare
wheel in the luggage compartment. Tight­
en screw for the spare wheel secure ly. Un­
der no circumstances should you store the
spa re wheel o r jack and tools unsecured in
the passenger compartment . This could
cause ser ious persona l inju ry to passen­
gers in the veh icle in case of a collision .
- The compact spare tire is for temporary
use only and is so marked on the side­
walls .
- Do not dr ive at speeds exceeding SO mph
(80 km/h) wi th the compact spare whee l
mounted . A lso rapid acce lerat ion, ha rd
braking and hard cornering must be
avoided to he lp prevent loss of vehicle
contro l.
- Any continuous road use of the compact
spare tire may result in tire failure, loss
of vehicle control and injury to vehicle
occupants.
- Do not put a snow chain on your compact
spare tire. Due to the smaller t ire size,
the chain will not fit properly and can
thus damage your vehicle. You cou ld also
lose the chain, as well as contro l of the
veh icle .
- If you have a flat front t ire in road condi­
tions which require snow chains, first re­
move the undamaged rea r whee l and
mount the compact spare wheel in its
place. Then remove the damaged front
wheel, take the snow cha ins off it and at­
tach them to the whee l taken from the
rear. This wheel can now be mounted on
the front with its snow chains. Check and
adjust t ire pressure promptly .
- Never use two or more compact spare
tires at the same time.
(D Note
When using the compact spare wheel, note the fo llowing: •
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274 Index
Occupants . ...... ..... ... .. .. .... . 104
Rear passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Seats Number of seats ....... .. .. .. .. .. . 113
Selector lever pos it ions
Automatic transm ission . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Service and disposal Safety belt pretensioner ... .. .. .... . 120
Service interval d isp lay .... .. .. .. .. .. . . 30
Service pos ition for w indshie ld w ipers ... 57
Set menu ..... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 28
Sett ing
D ate display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Di gita l clock ........... .. .. .. .. .. .. 11
Side airbags Descr ipt ion . ..... ......... ... .. .. . 137
H ow they work ........... .. .. .... . 139
Side curta in a irbags ........ .. .. .... . 140
Descr ipt ion .............. .. .. .. .. . 140
H ow they work ............ ... .. ... 141
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Side marker lights ........... .. .... .. 47
Ski sack . .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. .. 70
Snow chains ........... .... ... .. .. . 228
Sockets ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 75
Sound system Rep lacing .... ........... .. .. .. .. . 262
Sound system display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Sources of in format ion about child re -
straints and their use .. ... .. .. .. .... . 160
Spare tire .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 234
Spare wheel
refer to Spare t ire .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 234
Speedometer . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 12
Speed rat ing letter code . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 224
Speed warn ing system ...... .. .. .. .. . . 31
S tart ing assistance ......... .. .. .... . 249
Starting on hills Hill hold assist ............ ... .. .. .. 92
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 90
What should I do if the eng ine does not
start? . .. ... ... .... ..... .. .. .. .. .. 90
Steel wheels .. .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 182 Stee
ring . ... .... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. . 88
Locking the steering . .. ..... ... .. .. . 89
also refer to Electro-mechan ica l power
ass ist .... .... .. ............. 17,165
Stee ring wheel col umn
Adjusting ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 88
Steps for determin ing correct load limit. 221
Stopping the eng ine ............. .... . 91
Storage .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. .. . 7S
Compartments in the door trims ... .. . 77
C up ho lder rear center armrest ... .. .. . 74
G love compartment .... ..... ... .. .. . 76
Small objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Storage comp artment
Increas ing s ize ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 67
S tronic ...... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 96
Driving Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
E mergen cy prog ram ........... .... 101
Ki ck-down . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 101
Launch Control Program ..... ... .. .. 101
Se lector lever lock . .... ..... ... .. .. . 97
Se lector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Tiptronic .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. 100
Tiptronic controls on the steering
wheel .... .... ................... 100
Su n blind ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 53
Sun roof
refer to pano ram ic sliding s unroof .. .. . 45
Sun visors .. .... .. ............. .... . 53
Switches Emergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Switching the a ir condit ioner (automatic)
on/off .. .. .... .. ............. .... . 81
Symbols Red symbo ls in the center display ..... . 13
Yellow symbols in the ce nter display 14
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
T ailgate
refer to Rear lid . .... .. ..... ... .. .. . 40
T echnical modifications .......... .... 262
Temperature Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Setting for the dr iver's and front pas-
senger's s ide . ... ... .. .. ... ..... .. . 82

_______________________________ I~ n~ d:::: e~x 275
Temperature disp lay
Engine oi l .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 31
Tet he r anchors ............ .... .. ... 158
Tether strap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
The first 1,000 m iles (1,500 km) and after-
wards ..... .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. ... 169
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68, 110
Tips for the environment
Saving fuel .............. .... .. .... 74
Tire pressure ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 218
T ire pressure monitor ing system ....... 230
L oss of air pressure ............ 19,231
M alf unct io n .. ........... .. .. .. ... 23 1
Rese tting ti re press ures . . . . . . . . 232, 233
Tires ...... ...................... .. 212
Replacing ...................... .. 223
Service life . ............. .... .. ... 222
speed rat ing letter code ... .. .. .. .. .
T ire man ufacturing da te ... .. .. .. .. .
r ·f · · rre speer 1ca t1ons ..... ... .. .. .. .. .
Tread depth . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 224
224
224
222
Uniform tire quality grading . ... .. .. . 226
W inter t ires ............. .... .. ... 227
T ires/Wheels
L ow aspect ratio t ires ... ... .. .. .. .. . 229
Tire pressure monitoring system . 19,230
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. .. . 220
Tires and wheels
Checking tire pressure .............. 218
Cold tire i nflat ion pressure .......... 216
o· . 1mens1ons .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . 223
Gene ral notes ..................... 212
Glossary of t ire and load ing te rm inolo-
gy · · · · · · · · ................. .. ... 213
New tires and wheels ... ... .. .. .. .. . 223
Replacing .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 224
Snow chains . ..... .... ... .. .. .. ... 228
T ires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. . 220
Wheel bolts ............. .... .. ... 229
w· t · rn er tr res ............. .... .. ... 227
Tire service life 222
Torn or frayed safety belts ............ 116
Touch-up paint
Tow ing
Fr ont eyelet
Rear eyelet 181
2 51
252
Tow truck procedures ... ... .. .. .. .. . 25 1 T
PMS
Tire pressure monitoring system
T ra ile r tow ing 231
17 4
Operating instr uctions .......... .. .. 175
T echnical requirements . . . . . . . . 174, 175
T rai le r tow ing tips . .. ... .... ... .. .. 176
Transmission 6-speed . .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 96
Manua l tran sm ission ................ 96
S tronic transmission ........... .... . 96
T ransport Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
T read Wear Indicator (TWI) .... ... .. .. 222
T rip compute r ... .. .. . .............. . 25
Tr ip odometer ... .. ................. . 12
What does it mean when dEF appears in
the tr ip odomete r display? ........ .. . 12
Turn signals ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . SO
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 22
u
Undercoating ....... . .. .. ..... ... .. 183
Un fastening safety belts ............. 118
Uni directional tires .................. 212
Uniform tire quality grading
Un locking 226
Power locking sw itch .............. .. 39
Rea r lid ... .. .. .. .... ............. . 40
Remote contro l .. ................. . 37
U sing the fold-o ut key .. ..... ... .. .. . 38
V
V ·t . ani y mir ro r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Vehicle-care products ............ .... 178
Vehicle battery Stationary ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 207
Vehicle electri ca l sys tem .............. 16
Vehicle identification ................ 255
Vehicle identification label ..... ... .. .. 255
Vehicle Ident ificat ion Number (VIN) .... 255
Vehicle jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234,239
Vehicle literatu re .. .... ......... .... .. S
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