2012 AUDI S3 Owners Manual

be replaced. Please see your authorized
Audi dealer.
- Only use the cable provided*.
- Always remove the connecting cab le be-
fore starting the engine .
- Never attempt to alter or repair electri­
cal components.
Warm and c old 87

88 On the road
On the road
Steering
Adjustable steering wheel
The height and reach of the steering wheel
can be adjusted .
Fig. 101 Lever under the steering column
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly.
• Push the lever
c:> fig . 101 down as far as it
will go
c:> & .
• Move the steer ing whee l to the desired po-
s it ion.
• Push the lever back up as far as it will go.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­ tween your chest and the center of the steer­
i ng wheel. If you cannot si t more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steering whee l.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c:> page 63, Power seat ad­
justment.
The stee ring wheel can be adjusted even when
the ignition is turned off.
8_ WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury .
- Adjust the steering whee l co lumn on ly
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
- Always make sure that the ad justment
lever is securely pushed up so that the
-
position of the steering wheel cannot be
changed unintentionally when the vehi­
cle is mov ing.
- Adj ust the driver's seat or steering whee l
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your breastbone and
the steering wheel
c:> page 104,
fig. 117.
If you cannot maintain this
minim um distance, the airbag system
cannot protect you properly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from sitt ing 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check wit h your au­
thorized A udi dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is available .
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the s upple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in
an accident. Always make sure that the
steer ing whee l is po inted towards your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock
positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's a irbag inflates .
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steer ing wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Ho ld­
ing the steering whee l the wrong way
can cause se rious inj uries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in ­
f lates .

Ignition lock and ignition switch
Ignition lock
The engine can be started or turned off with
the ignition key.
Fig. 102 I gni tion lock positio ns
Ignition off@
In position ¢ fig. 102@both the ignition and
engine are off, and the steering is locked.
To
lock the steering after you have removed
the ignition key, turn the steering wheel in ei­
ther direction until you hear it lock into place.
You shou ld always lock the steering whenever
you leave your vehicle. This makes a vehicle
theft even more difficul t
q ,&.
Ignition on CD
If it is difficult to turn the key after you have
inserted it into the ignition lock, turn the
steering wheel back and forth. This will take
the load off the steering lock mechan ism and
you will be able to turn the key freely and
start the engine. On vehicles with a diesel en­
g ine*, the system can preheat in this pos ition .
Starting the engine @
In this position the engine starts. While the
engine is starting, the power supply to the
headlights and other electrical consumers is
temporarily interrupted to conserve battery power. After the engine has started, release
the key and it will return to position @.
Before the starter can be operated again the
key must be turned back to position @. The
non-repeat lock prevents you from damag ing
the starter when the engine is running.
On the road 89
A WARNING
-Never remove the key from the ignition
lock wh ile the vehicle is moving. The
steering wheel will lock caus ing loss of
control.
- If you have to leave your vehicle - even
for just a minute -always remove the ig­
nition key and take it with you. This is es­
pecia lly important if you are going to
leave children behind in the vehicle. The
children could start the engine or use
other vehicle controls. Unsupervised use
of vehicle controls (for example, power
windows) can cause serious personal in­
juries.
(D Tips
If the vehicle battery has been disconnect­
ed and then reconnected, then you must leave the key in position @for about 5
seconds before you can start the engine.
Ignition key safety lock
Applies to vehicles: wit h automatic transmission
The ignition key can only be removed when
the selector lever is in the "P" (Park) position.
Place the selector lever in the "P" position be­
fore switching off the engine .
After switching off the ign ition, the ignition
key can on ly be removed from the ignition
lock when the selector lever is in the "P"
(Park) position. After you have removed the
key, the se lector lever is locked and cannot be
moved.

90 On the road
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with your orig­
inal Audi key.
Fig. 10 3 Igni tio n key pos itio ns
Vehicles with a gasoline eng ine:
.. Move the selector lever to the neut ral posi ­
t ion (a utomatic transmission): se lector lever
in Por
N) c> .&_ .
.. On vehicles with manual transmission, fully
depress t he clu tch pedal.
.,. Turn the ig nition key to position @
¢ page 89, fig. 102 -do not d epress th e gas
peda l when start ing the e ngine!
.. Let go of the key as soon as the eng ine
s tar ts.
Vehicles with a diesel engine:
.. Set the parking bra ke .
.. Move t he sele cto r lever to the neut ral posi­
t ion (a utomat ic tr ansm iss ion): se lecto r lever
i n
P or N) c> .&_ .
.. On vehicles wi th m anu al transm is s ion, fully
depress the clutch pedal.
.. Turn the ignition key to position
(D
¢ fig . 103 . The glow plug warning light II
lights up while the glow plugs are warming
up .
.. When the warning light goes out, tur n the
i gnition key to posi tion @to s tart the en­
gine
c> page 89, fig . 102 . Do no t depress t he
gas pedal when s tart ing the engine!
.. Let go of the key as soon as t he eng ine
sta rts . A cold engine may sound lo
ud after it has
been started . This is due to the hydraulic
valves b uilding up o il pressure. This is normal
and is not a need for co ncern .
If the engine does not start immediate ly, stop
t rying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
t h e engine about
30 seconds later.
Glow plug system*
Diesel engines are e quipped w ith a glow pl ug
system whose prehe ating time is co ntrolled
by the coo la nt an d ou tside temperature . Sta rt
the engine
immediately after the g low plug
i ndicator light
II switches off.
T he glow plug indica to r ligh t will only illumi­
nate fo r approximate ly 1 second w hen t he en ­
gine is warm or the outside temperature is
higher than
46 °F (8 °(). That means yo u can
start the eng ine
immedia tely .
To start the diesel eng ine after the fuel
tank has been run dry
If the fuel tank was r un comp lete ly dry, the
starting process after refue ling with diesel
fuel can take longer than usua l - up to one mi­
nute . This is because the fue l system first has
to be vented of a ir wh ile s tarting .
A WARNING
-Neve r sta rt or l et the eng in e r un in a con-
fi ned o r encl ose d area. Exhaus t fumes
fr om the e ngine co ntain ca rbo n m onoxide ,
a colorless and odorless g as. Ca rbon mo n­
oxi de can be fatal if inhaled .
- N ever le ave the engi ne id ling una tten d­
ed . An unat tende d veh icle w ith a run ning
e ng ine poses a dan ger of personal injury
or theft .
(D Note
-Av oid high engine spee ds, fast a cceler a­
t ion or heavy engine loa ds w hile the en ­
gine is st ill co ld. This could damage the
eng ine .
- The e ngine cannot be starte d by pushing
or towing t he vehicle . .,.

@ For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary engine wear and to reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up. Be ready to
drive off immediately after start ing your
veh icle. Mainta in moderate speed until the
engine is completely warm . Remember,
the engine performs best at operating
temperature .
Stopping the engine
.. Turn the ignition key to position@
¢page 89, fig. 102.
_& WARNING
-Never turn off the engine unti l the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotronic on ly
work when the engine is running . With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply
more force when steering or braking.
Since you cannot steer and stop normal­ ly, this can lead to accidents and serious
injuries.
- The rad iator fan can continue to run for
up to 10 minutes even after you have
tu rned off the eng ine and removed the
ignition key. The radiator fan can also
turn on again if the engine coolant heats
up because of intense sunlight or heat
build-up in the engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not stop the engine immediate ly after
hard or extended dr iving. Keep the engine
running for approximately two minutes to
prevent excessive heat build-up .
On the road 91
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally .
Fig. 104 Cente r co nso le: Park ing b rake set
Setting the parking brake
.. Pull the park ing brake lever all the way up.
Releasing the parking brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever up slightly and
press the release button at the same time
¢fig. 104-arrow-.
.,. Keep the release button pressed and lower
the parking brake¢&_ .
If you should drive off with the parking brake
still set, a warning tone will sound and the
follow ing will appear in the instrument clus­
ter to remind you to release the parking
brake:
Parking brake set
The parking brake warning comes on only af­
ter you have driven for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than 5 mph (5 km/h) .
The parking brake warning light_
(USA)/ . (CON) illuminates when the park­
ing brake is set and you switch on the ignition .
A WARNING
Always release the parking brake com -
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce their ef­
fectiveness and cause excessive wear. This
could lead to brake failure and an accident. .,.

92 On the road
On ly afte r th e ve hic le has come to com­
plete stop, shou ld you f irm ly set t he park­
ing b rake and either move the gea rshift
lever into 1st. gear (manual transm iss ion)
or move the selector lever into "P" (Auto­
mat ic transm ission).
Parking
To prevent a parked vehicle from rolling
away, there are a few things you should do.
When you park your ve hicle, do the following:
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Set the parking brake firmly.
• Move the selector lever into the
P position
( automatic transmi ssion ) or move the gear­
shift lever into 1st. gear
( manual t ransmi s­
s ion )<=:> .&,. .
• Switch off the eng ine and remove the igni-
t ion key from the ignit ion lock.
What else you shou ld do when p ark ing
your vehicl e on an incline or decline
Turn the stee ring wheel so that if the vehicle
should start to ro ll, it will roll into the curb.
If you are parking on a
decl ine (the front of
your ve hicle facing downhill), turn the front
wheels to the right so that they point
toward
the curb .
If you are parking on an incline (the font of
your ve hicle facing up hill), turn the front
wheels to the left so that they po int
away
from the curb.
Move the selector lever into the P pos ition
( automatic transmiss ion ) or move the gear­
sh ift lever into 1st . gear
(manua l tran smis­
sion) .
A WARNING
This is how yo u can red uce the risk of i n­
jury whe n leaving your veh icle.
- N ever park the v ehicle whe re it can come
in co ntac t wi th dry grass, sp illed f uel or
any ot her flammable m ater ials.
-
- Never a llow anyone -espec ially sma ll
children -to remain in the veh icle when
it is locked. Locked doors make it more
difficult for rescue rs to access t he pas­
senger compartment in t he event of an
emergency . Danger to life!
- Never leave children unsuperv ised in the
veh icle. Children could release t he pa rk­
i n g b rake or move the gearsh ift leve r out
of gear. The vehicle cou ld start to ro ll
a way an d ca use an acc ident.
- No matte r what the season is, the tem ­
pe rat ure in a par ked veh icle can reach
d angerous leve ls .
Starting on hills
App lies to vehicles : wi th hill ho ld assist
Hill hold assist makes it easier to start on
hills .
Requirement: The dr iver's door m ust be
cl osed, the seat bel t m ust be buckled and the
engine m ust be running.
The system is activated w hen the brake peda l
is dep ressed
for a few se cond s.
After releasing the brake pedal, the brake
power is held for a
brief moment to p revent
the ve hicl e from rolling back when starting. At
t hi s time, you ca n easi ly beg in to move your
vehicle.
A WARNING
= -
- If you di d no t begin moving immed iate ly
after releasing the brake pedal , under
certain ci rcumstances, the vehicle would
begin to ro ll backward. Depress the
brake peda l immediately or engage the
hand brake.
- Sh ould the engine sta ll, depress the
brake peda l immediately or engage the
hand brake .
- In order to prevent the vehicle from roll­
i n g back unintentionally when starting in
stop-and-go traffic, keep the brake pedal
depressed fo r a few seconds before driv-
ing off.
Ii),

@ 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.

94 On the road
Cruise control
Switching the system on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30 km/h) .
Fig. 105 Control lever wi th set button
Fi g. 106 Disp lay: Se lected speed
• Pull t he lever to posi tion (D ¢ fig . 105 to
switch the sys tem on.
• Drive at the speed you wish to set .
• Press b utton @ to set that speed .
The display
¢fig. 106 will show the set s peed .
The display may v ary depending on t he type o f
display in yo ur vehicle. The indicator
light
[ifj11 )~1~ (US mode l) I. (Canadian mode l)
will also light up in the instrument cluster.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on . You are
always responsible for your speed and
the distance between yo ur vehicle and
othe r vehicles .
- For safety reasons, the c ruise control
sho uld not be used in the city, in stop­
and -go traff ic, on twist ing roads an d
when ro ad conditions are poo r (such as ice,
fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
plan ing) -risk of accident.
- Turn off the cruise contro l temporarily
when enter ing turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise co ntrol not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is over ridden
by the dr ive r's acceleration.
(D Tips
- Veh icles with man ual transmiss ion: You
can attai n the set speed only if the cur­
rently engaged gear allows it and the en­
gine is not stressed . Sh ifting to a highe r
o r low er gea r promptly will a llow the en­
gine to r un smooth ly.
- The cr uise control can not mainta in a
constant speed when driv ing downhi ll.
T he vehi cle w il l accele rate under i ts own
we ight. Dow nshift to a lower ge ar or use
the brakes to slow down .
Changing speed
• Press lever in the 0 or 0 direct io n
¢ page 94, fig. 105 to increase or decrease
your speed.
• Release the lever to save that speed .
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/
h) by lightly pressing the lever. I f you keep the
lever pressed down, you will alter your speed
in S mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can also press t he accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g. if you want to
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you release the acceler­
ator pedal.
If, however , you exceed yo ur saved speed by
5 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes,
the cru ise control will turn off temporari ly.
T he symbo l will go out but the saved speed
will be reta ined .