2012 AUDI S3 warning

@ 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 ..,.
•
•

remain continuously illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunction
tellta le after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Appl ies to vehicles: with tire pressur e monitoring sys te m
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 172 Display : underinflation warning
Fig. 173 Display: System malfunction
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni ­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster with a warning symbol
ti] and a
Tires and wheels 231
message r=!) fig. 172. The driver message in the
display goes out after 5 seconds. The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
ICHECKI button @¢ page 10, fig . 3 . If on­
ly one tire is affected, the display will indicate
its position .
The tire pressure monitoring must be reset in
the menu display each time the pressures are
adjusted (e .g. when switching between parti­
al and full load pressure) or after changing or
replacing a tire on your vehicle¢
page 232.
You can find the recommended tire pressures
for your vehicle on the label on the driver's
door pillar¢
page 216.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat- ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢page 232.
Warning symbols
ti] Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢&.
Check the tire or tires and replace or repair if
necessary. The indicator light
ti] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
¢page 13.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS in the menu display .
11@1&1 (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction . Ifll@IS, ap­
pears after switching the ignition on or while
driving ¢
fig. 173 and the indicator light ti] in
the instrument cluster blinks for approx i­
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malfunction. See your autho rized
Audi dealer as soon as possible.
A WARNING
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your tires is significantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking ..,.

234 What do I do now ?
What do I do now?
Jack, tools and spare
wheel
Jack and tools
The tools and jack are stored underneath the
floor panel in the luggage compartment.
Fig . 178 Floor panel hung on the bottom of the lug­
gage compartment cover
Fig. 179 Vehicle tool kit and jack
~ Raise the floor panel w ith the loop.
~ Hang the loop on the underside of the lug-
gage compartment cover
Q fig. 178.
~ Remove the too l kit or the jac k.
The onboard tool kit incl udes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdriver w ith reve rsible blade
- T owing eye
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
After u se , th e jack and tool s mu st be put
b ac k in pl ace under nea th t he floo r pan el in
t he luggag e comp artmen t.
Note: some of the on -board items listed
above are provided on certain mode ls only or
are optiona l extras.
A WARNING
-Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries.
- Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle
will damage the bumper system. The
jack may slip, caus ing injury.
- Never support your vehicle on c inder
b locks, br icks or other objects. These
may not be able to support the load and
could cause injury when they fail.
- Never start or run the eng ine while the
veh icle is supported by the jack.
- If you must work under the veh icle, al­
ways use safety stands specifically de­ signed fo r th is purpose.
- Never try and use the hexagonal socket
in the handle of the screwdriver to loos­
en or tighten the whee l bolts.
- Always make sure the spare tire and even
a flat tire are secured in place and not
loose, otherwise they cou ld fly forward,
causing pe rsonal i njury to passengers in
the vehicle in an accident or sudden ma­
neuver.
- Neve r use the ja ck supplied with your Au­
d i on another vehicle, particularly on a
heav ier one. The jack is only s uitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
Compact spare wheel
Applies to veh icles: w ith compact spare whee l
The compact spare wheel is only intended to
be used for a short time.
Fig . 180 Compact spare wheel in the wheel well

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: •
•

236 What do I do now?
-After installing the compact spare wheel,
the tire inflation pressure should be
checked and, if necessary, increased to
60 psi (4.2 bar).
- The load carrying capacity is marked on
the tire sidewalls and must not be ex ­
ceeded.
- After installing the compact spare wheel,
make sure that you remount the flat tire
in its storage area properly.
- The compact spare tire should be proper­
ly remounted in its storage area as soon
as the standard road tire can be re­ placed .
- Because the compact spare tire was spe­
cifically designed for your vehicle, it must not be used on any other vehicle .
Likewise, compact spare wheels from
other vehicles must not be used on your
vehicle.
- The compact spare tire must not be
mounted on any other wheels, nor must
standard tires, snow tires, wheel covers
or trim rings be used with the compact
spare wheel. If such use is attempted,
damage to these items or other vehicle
components may occur .
(D Tips
Check the inflation pressure of the com­
pact spare tire (60 psi/4.2 bar) periodically
to keep the tire ready for use.
Wheel change
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
.. After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop c:> ,&. .
.. All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)
c:> _&. .
.. Apply the parking brake firmly c:> _&. .
.. Move selector lever to position Pon an au­
tomatic transmission ; put manual transmis­
sion in
first gear c:> _&..
.. If you are towing a trailer : unhitch the trail­
e r from your vehicle.
.. Take the
tool and the spare tire c:> page 234
out of the luggage compartment .
.&, WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flasher on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe place away from the vehicle and well
away from the roadway and traffic .
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac ­
ing the automatic transmission in "P"
(Park) , or engaging a gear in a manual
transmission will
not prevent the vehicle
from moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the spare wheel, make
sure that you remount the flat tire/wheel
in its storage area properly and tighten
the knurled retaining screw securely.
Changing a wheel
-
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and ex­
actly in that order .
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For
more details see also
c:> page 23 7, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or c:> page 238,
Wheels with cap-covered wheel bolts.

2. Loosen the w hee l bol ts ¢ page 238.
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢ page 239.
4. Lift the car with the jack¢ page 239.
5. Take the flat wheel off and then put the
spare on
¢ page 240 .
6. Tighten all wheel bo lts light ly .
7 .
Low er the veh icle w ith the jack.
8 . Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firml y
tighten all whee l bolts ¢ page 238.
9. Put the decorative wh eel cov er* back on.
A WARNING -
Always read and head all WARNINGS and
information
¢ A in Raising the vehicle on
page 240
and ¢ page 241.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
following actions .
.. Store and secu re the replaced wheel in the
spare wheel we ll.
.. Put the tool case and the jack back in place
in the luggage compartment .
.. Check the
tir e pres su re on the spare wheel
immediately after mounting it .
.. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torqu es
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
.. Have the flat tire
repl aced as soon as possi ­
ble.
@ Tips
- If yo u n otice wh ile chang ing a tire tha t
the wheel bo lts a re cor roded and diffi ­
cult to turn, then they should be re­ placed before you check the tightening
torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked .
What do I do now ? 237
Full wheel covers
App lies to vehicles : with ful l wheel cove rs
T he wheel covers must be removed to access
the wheel bolts.
Remo val
.. Pull the full whe el cover off manua lly.
Installation
.. First press the full w hee l cover on to the rim
a t the cut-o ut prov ided for the va lve . Then
engage the outer edge of the
full wheel cov ­
er
in the steel rim.
Decorative wheel covers
App lies to vehicles: with decorat ive w hee l covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 181 Whee l cha nge : removing the whee l cover
Remo ving
.. Insert the hook provided with the on board
tool kit into the hole on the center hub
piece.
.. Pull off the
decorati ve wh eel cover
¢ fig . 181 .

Tightening
• Fit the wh eel b olt wren ch over t he wheel
bolt and push it down as far as it will go .
• Close your gr ip aro und the
end of the
wrench handle for maximum torque and
turn each whee l bolt
cl ock wise until it sits
tight.
A WARNING
- Us ing force without control to speed the
wheel change up can cause the veh icle to
slip off the jack and cause serious pe r­
sonal inj uries.
- Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you ra ise the veh icle with
the jack. -Risk of inj ury!
@ Tips
- Never t ry and use the hexagonal socket
i n the handle of the screwdriver to loos­
en o r tighten the wheel bolts .
- If a wheel bolt sits very t ight, you may
find it easie r to loosen by carefully push­
i ng down on the end of the whee l bolt
wre nch w ith
one foot only. As you do,
ho ld on to the ca r to keep yourse lf stable
and ta ke care not to slip .
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be li~ed with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
Fig. 185 W heel c hange: mo untin g po ints for the lift ing
j ac k
What do I d o now ? 239
Fig. 1 86 Close -up: p roper pos ition ing o f lift in g jack
• Act ivate the parking brak e so the vehicle
w il l not roll u nintentionally .
• Shift into
1st gear on vehicles with manual
transm iss ion, or move the
se lecto r l ev e r to
the P p ositio n
on vehicles with automatic
transm ission .
• Pos it ion the jack be low the door sill under
the
mounting point that is closest to the
wheel to be changed
r=> fig. 185.
• Turn the jack handle clockwise unt il the jack
arm just fits underneath the rib running
along the underbody
c::> & ..
• Align the jack so that the jack arm claw
c:;, fig. 186 @fits snugly around the unde r­
body rib and the movab le base plate ® sits
flat on the ground. The base @ must be
ver­
tical
under the lifting point @.
• Wind the jack up further until the flat wheel
comes off the ground
c::> . & ..
Recesses at the front and rear of the under­
body rib mark the proper mo unting locations
for the jack
c:;, fig. 185 . There is only one des­
ignated jack mounting po int for each wheel.
Do not apply the jack anywhere else c::> .&. .
The jack shou ld be positioned approximate ly
6 in. (15 cm) behind the front wheel or 10 in.
(25 cm) in front of the rear wheel.
An
unstable surfa ce under the jack can cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack . Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground . If nec­
essary place a sturdy board or sim ilar support
under the jack. On
hard , slipper y su rf a ces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipp ing
c::> .&. . .,.

240 What do I do now?
& WARNING
-You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol ­
low safety precautions:
- Mounting the jack under the vehicle at
any other place than indicated above
may damage the vehicle or may result
in personal injuries .
- A soft or unstable surface under the
jack may cause the vehicle to slip off
the jack. Always provide a firm base for
the jack on the ground . If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping .
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you a re
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve­
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe place away from the vehicle and
well away from the roadway and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct , ad­
just as necessary and then continue to
raise the jack.
Taking the wheel off/putting the spare
on
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel
Fig. 187 Wheel c han ge: using the sc rewdrive r handle
(w ith the blade removed) to turn the bolts
... ,._
"' i
"'
Fig. 188 W hee l change : alignmen t pin inside the top
hol e
M ,._
"' d. 00
"'
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
jacked the vehicle off the ground, perform the
following steps to remove and replace the
wheel:
Removing the wheel
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriv·
er handle
to completely turn out the top­
most wheel bolt and set it aside on a
clean
surface c;, fig. 187 .
.,. Screw the threaded end of the alignment
pin from the tool kit hand-tight into the
now vacant bolt hole <=>
fig. 188 .
.,. Then completely unscrew the other wheel
bolts as described above.
.,. Take off the wheel leaving the alignment
pin in the bolt hole
c;, &,.
Putting on the spare
.,. Lift the spare wheel up and carefully slide it
over the alignment pin to guide it in place .
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bolts
slightly .
.,. Unscrew the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
like the rest.
.,. Turn the handle on the jack counter-clock­
wise to lower the vehicle until the jack is
fully released .
.,. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bolts firmly
r:::;, page 238 . Tighten
them
crosswise , from one bolt to the (ap­
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.