2012 AUDI S3 Owners Manual

your authorized Audi dealer. Never leave the cleaner on the rims longer than specified on
the label. If not rinsed
off promptly, the acid
contained in some cleaners can attack the
threads on the wheel bolts.
Never use abrasive or meta l polishing clean­
ing agents.
If the protective coat ing has been
chipped, e.g. by kicked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as possible.
A WARNING
-Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency~
page 163, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 178.
Body cavity sealing
-
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked.
All body cavities which could be affected by
corrosion have been thoroughly protected at
the factory.
This sea ling does not require any inspection or
addit ional treatment. If any wax should seep
out of the cavity when the ambient tempera­
ture is high, it can be removed with a plast ic
scrape r and a suitab le solvent .
A WARNING
Solvents can be dangerous.
- Benzine is flammable and toxic. If you
use benzine for removing the wax, keep
spar ks, flame and lighted cigarettes
aw ay. Never dump benzine on the
ground, in to open streams or down sew ­
age drains.
- B e sure to observe all safety and env iro n­
menta l regulations . Follow all instruc ­
tions on t he container .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other informa tion¢
page 178 .
Cleaning and protec tion 183
Chassis
Hove the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Aud i is also thor­
oughly protected against corrosio n.
Any damage to the undercoating ca used by
road hazards should be repaired prompt ly.
A WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong p la­
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. While driving, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overhea t and cause a fire.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other info rmation
¢ page 178.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and o ther co rrosive materials w ill
damage the material in the exhaus t tail pipes
i f they are not cleaned regular ly . Do not clean
the tail pipes with whee l cleaner, pa int polish,
c h rome polish or other abrasive clea ners .
Clean the tail pipes with car care products
that are suitable for stainless steel.
Your authorized Audi dea ler can provide clean­
ing products that have been tested and ap­
proved for your vehicle.
Care of interior
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from a luminum sur faces.
Chrome care products and a lkaline cleaners
will attack a luminum surfaces and can dam­
age them over time.
A WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 178.
•
•

184 Cleaning and protection
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fab rics and fabr ic coveri ngs (e.g. seats, door
tr im panels, etc.) should be cleaned at reg ular
inte rva ls with a vacuum cleaner. This removes
sur face dirt particles which could become em­
bedded in the fabric through use. Steam
cleaners shou ld not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it there.
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
or a lint-free microfiber cloth to the clean fab ­
ric. Brushes should on ly be used for carpets
and floor mats, s ince other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
Normal surface stains can be cleaned using a
commercially available foam cleaner. Spread
the foam on the surface of the fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu­
rate the fabric. Then pat the foam d ry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e.g . microfiber cloth)
and vacuum it afte r it has dried comp lete ly.
Cleaning stain s
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
ju ice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter­
gent solut ion. App ly the detergent so lution
with a sponge. In the case of stubbor n stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the sta in and wor ked into the fabric. Afte r­
wards, use copio us amo unts o f cle an water to
remove t he remaining dete rgent. Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric d ry w ith an absorbent, dry cloth.
S tains from chocola te or make up s hou ld have
detergent paste (e .g. ox -gall soap) r ubbed in ­
to them. Afterwards, remove the soap with
water (damp sponge).
A lcohol can be used to t rea t stains from
g rease, oi l, lips tick or a ballpo in t pen . Me lted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab ­
sorbent materia l. It may be necessary to re­
treat the areas with dete rgent paste and wa­
ter. In the case of gene
ra l soiling o f the uphols ­
tery and cover material, we recommend hiring
a spec ia list that has the equipment to clean
the seat covers and other fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
A WARNING '"--
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
~ page 178.
(D Tips
Open Ve lcro fasteners on yo ur clothing can
damage the seat cover. Please make sure
that Velcro fasteners are closed.
Plastic parts and instrument panel
~ Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
wate r.
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For pe rsisten t dirt
use an Aud i approved
solvent -free p lastic
cl eaner/p rotec tant.
A WARNING
S olven ts ca n ch ange the prope rties of
some p lastics and make it harde r fo r the
a ir ba g to de ploy .
-
- N ever cle an the in st rument p anel or the
sur face of Ai rbag modu les with cleaning
prod ucts t hat conta in solvents .
- P roduc ts containing solven ts will make
the surface of this part poro us.
- Ser ious inju ries c an resu lt if p lastic parts
come loose when t he ai rbag is deployed.
- Always re ad and heed a ll WAR NIN GS and
t he information¢
page 178 .
(J) Note
Cleaning agents conta ining so lvents w ill
a ttack t he mate rial and can ch ange the
w ay it behaves.

Natural leather
Appl ies to vehicles: with nat ura l leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties , natural look and feel of interior
leather .
General
We offer many different types of leather on
our veh icles. Most are different types of nappa
leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in var ious colors .
The intensity of the color determines the v isu­
al characteristics and appearance. If the sur­
face of the leather has a typical natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has been left in a relatively nat ural condition . This
l eather offers pa rticularly good comfo rt and
breathes well. Fine ve ins, closed g rains, i nsect
b ites, skin folds, and subtle variations in color
remain visib le. These characteristics demon­
strate that the materia l is natural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col­
or finish .
It is therefore more sensitive to soil­
ing and wear, which is something you need to
consider if chi ldren, animals or other factors
might prove to be particularly hard on the
leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a co lored finish layer are more durable. This
has a positive effect on the leather's resist­
ance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the
other hand, the typical characterist ics of natu­
ral leather a re barely or not apparent . Howev ­
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
i s of infer ior quality.
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and the ir unique prop­
erties (such as sensitivity to o ils, grease, so il­
in g, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care­
fu l w ith these leathers, and a certain type of
care is required. For examp le, da rk cloth ing
materials can d iscolor leather seats (especial­
l y i f such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and dirt particles in pores,
fo lds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
Cleaning and protec tion 185
and can damage the leather surface as we ll as
weaken seams.
T he lea ther should be cleaned regularly as
needed. After hav ing been used for a relat ive ly
long time, your leather seats will acq uir e a
rich aged finish . This is a characteristic of nat­
ural leather and a sign of true quality.
In order to maintain the val ue of this natural
product over the li fe of your vehicle, you
sho uld follow the recommendations below:
(D Note
- T o keep your lea ther from b leach ing out,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time . If you
have to leave the ve hicle parked outside
for long per iods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to sun­
light.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip­
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
(D Tips
-After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather preser­
vative creme that contains UV-blockers and that works into the leathe r. T his
c reme w ill nour is h and mo istu rize the
lea ther, helping it to breathe and stay
supple.
It also helps to build up a protec ­
tive coating on the surface.
- C lean the leather every 2 - 3 mon ths,
and clean any areas that get soi led .
- Remove fresh m arks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as possible .
- Preserve the color o f the leather as need ­
ed by using a specia l co lored leathe r care
creme to touch up areas of uneven color . •
•

186 Cleaning and protection
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at­
tention.
Normal cleaning
"' Clean soiled are as with a slightly moi stened
cotton or woolen cloth.
More stubborn dirt
"' More stubborn dirt can be removed us ing a
cloth saturated with a mild soap solution (2
tablespoons mild liquid soap).
"' Never allow the soap solution to saturate
the leather , and make certain that no water
soaks into the seams .
• Wipe off the soap solution with a soft, dry
cloth .
Cleaning spots
"' Remove fresh water-based spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
"' Remove fresh
grease or oil-based spots
(such as butter, mayonnaise , chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or paper towel, or use
the cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of the leather.
"' Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil/
grease spots have dried on.
• Remove specific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, felt marker, fingernail polish, water­
based paint, shoe polish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather .
Leather care
"' Every half year use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized Au­
di dealer) to care for the leather .
• Apply the product
very sparingly.
• Wipe it off with a damp cloth.
If you have any questions about cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle , it is best
to contact your authorized Audi dealer, who
will be glad to help you and tell you about our
full range of leather care products, such as: -
Leather cleaning and care kit
- Creams to care for colored leather
- Spot
removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcoming products .
_&. WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ~
page 178.
(D Note
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or similar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi .
I
-To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commercial cleaning spe­
cialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
Applies to vehicles: with Alcantara upholstery
Removing dust and dirt
• Moisten a cloth , squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces.
Removing stains
"' Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water or
with diluted
ethyl (rubbing) alcohol.
"' Dab at the stain . Start at the outside and
work inwards .
"' Once the stain is no longer visible, use a
soft dry cloth or tissue to soak up the mois­
ture.
Do not use leather cleaning products on Al­
cantara.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing dust and dirt.
Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface. If the car is left standing in the sun for long periods, the
Alcantara should be protected against direct
sunlight to prevent it from fading. Slight color
variations will develop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration.
ll-

(D Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
flu id, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commercia l cleaning spe­
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, stiff sponges or sim­
ilarly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia­
bly when needed.
.. Keep belts clean .
.. For cleaning, use a mi ld soap and water sol­
ution . Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight.
.,. Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
.,. Check the condition of your safety belts
reg­
ularly .
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly .
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anything that might damage your safety
belts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers wou ld not be adequately pro­
tected in an acc ident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach o r dyes. They have corros ive prop­
erties whi ch weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage.
If you discover dam­
age, see your a uthorized Audi dea ler.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information
Q page 178.
l ) Use o nly the correct cleaning sol utions. Neve r use gas­
oline or d iese l fuel.
Cleaning and protec tion
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
A lw ays switch o ff the ign it ion before cle an ­
i ng the eng ine
c> ,& .
Plenum pan el
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engine hood. This
prevents the water drain holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from enter ing
the vehicle interior through the heating and
vent ilat ion ducts.
Co rro sio n protect ion
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the factory.
Good anti -corrosion treatment is very impor­
tant, partic ularly in the winter.
If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and p lenum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage.
At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
shou ld be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease remov ing solutions
1> , or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­
s ion treatment is almost always removed as
well.
It i s therefo re essentia l to have a long­
lasti ng cor rosion pro tect ion reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before work ing in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
c>page 194.
- Before reaching into the front plenum
panel, a lways remove the ignit ion key.
187
•
•

188 Cleaning and protection
Otherwise, the windshield wiper system
could unintentionally be switched on,
possibly causing personal injury from the
moving wiper linkage.
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan
is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly- even when the ignition is
off.
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine with the engine running . Moving or hot parts
could injure you .
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts without protecting your
hands and arms. You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
~ page 178.

Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for you r vehicle is un­
leaded premium
g rade gasolin e. See also
¢ page 257, Data . Audi recommends usi ng
TO P TI ER Deterge nt Gaso line wi th a minim um
oc ta ne ra ti ng of 9 1 AK I (9 5 RON). For more
in fo rmation on TO P TI ER De tergent Gaso line,
p lease go to the official website (www.toptier ­
gas.com).
The re commended g asoline octane r ating for
your engine can a lso be fo und o n a label loca t­
e d on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This rat ­
ing may be specif ied as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle m ay also be oper ated using un­
l e aded regular gasoline with a minimum oc ­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON . However, using
87 AKI/9 1 RO N octa ne f ue l w ill sli ghtly re­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso ­
line is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
a nd in most E uropean cou ntries . We recom ­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or count ries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see
¢ page 191.
Octane rating
Octane r ati ng in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
r es ist engine damaging "knock" ca used by
p remature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
i mportant to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most common ly used in the Unite d
States and Canada has the followin g octane
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 189
ra tings that can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
p ump :
- Premium Gr ade: 9 1 -9 6 AKI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock In d ex = (R+M )/2 = (RO N
+M ON)/2
RON= Resear ch O ctane Num ber
MO N= Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use a ny fue l w it h octane rat ings
lower than 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
e xpensive engi ne damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne! The use of
leaded gasolin e w ill severely damage
yo ur vehicl e's cata lytic co nve rter and its
ability to control exh aust em iss ions.
Blended gasoline
U se of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d with
a lcohol o r MTBE (commonly re fer red to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets the
fo llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no mor e than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must co ntain more than 2% co-sol-
vents .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in mo re tha n 10%
ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 AKI or higher . ll>-
•
•

190 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
- Blend must contain not more than 1S%
MTBE.
Sea sonally adju sted ga soline
Many gaso line g rades are blended to perform
espec ia lly we ll for winte r or summe r d riv ing .
Du ring seasonal change-ove r, we suggest that
you fill u p at busy gas s tat ions where the sea­
sona l adjus tment is more likely to be made in
time .
(CT) Note
-Methanol fuels which do no t mee t these
r equirements may cause co rrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo ­
nents i n the fuel system .
- Do no t use fue ls that fai l to meet the
spec ified criteria in this chapter.
- If yo u are unable to de term ine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
i ts fuel s upplier.
- Do not use fue l for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel sys tem damage and performance
problems resulting from t he use of fuels
different from those specified a re not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recomme nd that yo u sw itch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A majo r concern among ma ny auto manufac ­
turers is carbon deposit build -up caused by
the type of gasoline you use .
A lthough gasoline grades differ from one
manuf acturer to anothe r, they h ave certa in
things in common. All gaso line g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to co llect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands incl ude additives to keep engine and fuel systems clean, they a
re not equally effec­
tive .
A udi re commends using TOP TI ER De tergent
Gasoline. For mo re info rmat ion on TO P TI ER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
f uels, bui lt-up carbon deposi ts can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
(D Note
Dam age or ma lf u nction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Au di New Ve­
hi cle Limited Warran ty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) sul­
fur content 15 ppm or less.
T he ULSD ( Ultra Low Sulfur Diese l) meets the
ASTM-D-97S (grade 2).
Die sel fu el with a higher c oncentration than
ULSD -Die sel No. 2 ASTM 0 975 and Bio-die­
sel with a higher c oncentration than S
% like
B11 , B20 or B100 are strictl y prohib ited.
Se rv ice stat io n fue l pumps a re labe led with
the cor rect fuel information fo r easy recogn i­
t ion by the use r. If the d iesel fue l pump is no t
l abeled ask the station operator what fue l is
being dispensed before filling up you r vehicle .
Serv ice stat ions offering d iesel fue l are gene r­
ally located on truck routes or major high­
ways . Directories of diesel fuel stations a re
u su a lly availab le at d iese l fue l stat ions .
Some sta tes in the USA req uire permi ts to
purchase diese l fue l. Check wi th your Sta te
Motor Vehicle Department.
Diesel fue l may no t be ava ilable outside t he
USA and Canada. Be s ure to che ck befo re trav -
eling to othe r countries . .,..