2012 AUDI S3 trailer

Install ing a chi ld safety seat . ... .. . .
L A T CH Lower anchorages and tethers
for chi ldren ..... ........ ... .. .. . .
Addit ional Information
Vehi cle operat ion ..... .. .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. .. . .
Not ice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Elect ronic Stabilization P rogram (ESP)
Braking ...... .............. ... . .
E lect ro-mechanical power assist . .. . .
D riving w ith your quattro ® ... .. .. . .
E ne rgy management ...... .. .. .. . .
Driving and environment ... ..
The first 1,000 m iles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwards ..... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Cata lytic converter ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Diese l particu late fi lter . ... .. .. .. . .
Avoid damaging the vehicle . .. .. .. . .
Operate your vehicle econom ically and
minim ize po llution . ....... .. .. .. . .
Trailer towing ............. .. . .
Driving w ith a trailer ...... .. .. .. . .
Trailer towing tips
Vehi cle care ........... .... .. . .
Cleaning and protection .. . .. .
Ge ne ral i nformation .......... ... .
Care of exte rior . .......... ... ... .
Ca re of inter io r ........... .. .. .. . .
Fuel supply and filling your
152
155
160
16 1
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163
165
166
16 7
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169
170 171
171
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174
174
176
178
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178
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183
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
D iese l fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Fu el tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 194
E ng ine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Engine oi l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Eng ine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Brake fl uid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Table of contents 3
Battery ... .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .
Windshie ld washer container
Tires and wheels .... .... ... .. .
Tires ... .. .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .
Tire pressure monitoring system 207
211
212
212
230
Do-it-yourself service
. . . . . . . . . 234
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Jack, tools and spare wheel . . . . . . . . . 234
Compact spare wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Wheel change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
E lectr ica l fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Bu lbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 248
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . 248
Starting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 248
Genera l information of starti ng
ass istance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
U se of j umpe r cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Emergency towing wit h commercia l
tow tr uck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Lifting the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
General information . . . . . . . . . . 255
Explanation of technica l data . . . . . . . 255
Vehicle iden tification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
D.
. 1mens 1ons .. .. .. .. . .. ... ... .. .. . 256
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
200 hp, 2 .0 liter 4 -cyl. turbo gaso line
engi ne ....... ... .. .............. 257
140 hp, 2.0 TOI lite r 4-cyl. turbo cl ean
diesel engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 259
Wa rranty cove rages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Operating your ve hicle outs ide the
U .S .A . or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Audi Se rvice Repair Manuals and
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
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•

@ 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.

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESP detects
Intelligent technology 161
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G] in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESP has limitations. It is important to remem­
ber that ESP cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESP may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESP cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESP will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESP cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations as at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic; and weather conditions. ESP can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESP improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .
•
•

174 Trailer towing
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durability,
economy and performance.
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reasons, always follow the operating
and drivi ng in str uctions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
h itch with removable ba ll mount. Always
check with the tr ailer hitch manufac turer to
make sure tha t you are using t he cor rect
hitch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper syst em. No modifications should
be made to the vehi cle exhaust and brake sys ­
tems. From time to time, check th at a ll hitch
mo unt ing bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount. This prevents the
h itch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from behind
¢ A .
Tire pressure
When tow ing a traile r, inflate the t ires of your
ve hicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load"on the stick er on the rig ht doo r- jamb. Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire
manufacturers' specifications.
Lights
T he headlight set tings sho uld be checked with
t h e trai le r attached before d riving o ff. Have
the headlights adjusted as necessary so tha t
yo u can see t he road ahead b ut not blind on­
coming traffic.
Check to make sure bo th ve hicle and tr ailer
lights are wo rk ing properly .
Engine cooling system
T owing a t railer makes the engine work hard­
er.
It i s impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance stands up to the additional
stra in. Make sure tha t the cooling sys tem has
enough fluid.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing sys­
tem, c heck to be sure t hat it conforms to all
regula tions.
The trailer hyd raulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety ch ains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the cha ins to per­
mit turning co rne rs. When yo u in stall safety
c h ains, ma ke sure they will not drag on the
r oad when you a re driving.
The chains should cross under the t railer
tong ue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the h itch.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct w ir in g, sw itches and re lays .
Mir rors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
us ing the regular outside mirrors, then you

must install extended mirrors. I t is important
that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
A WARNING -
After removing the tra ile r hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of s udden
braking , the hitch could fly forward and in­
jure you or your passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your ve hicle is limited to a typica l
class 1 o r class 2 trailer.
Trailer l oad di stribut ion
Be s ure the load in the trai ler is he ld sec urely
in place to guard aga inst shift ing, be it for­
ward, backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
~ &. in Driving instructions on page 176 .
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra ile r, i nflate the ti res of yo ur
ve hicl e to the co ld tire pressure listed u nder
"Full load" on the sticker on the r igh t door ­
jamb . Inflate trai ler ti res to trai ler and tire
manufacturers' specifications.
Lights
The he adlig ht setti ngs should be che cked w ith
the trailer a ttached be fore dr iv ing off . Adjus t
as necessary so that you can see the road
a h ead but not blind o ncoming traff ic .
C hec k prope r wo rking of vehicle a nd t ra ile r
lights.
Safety chains
B e s ure tra ile r safe ty cha ins are p roperly con­
nected from the t railer to the hitch on the ve­
hicl e. Leave e no ugh s lack in the chains to pe r­
mi t turning corners . Whe n you ins tall safe ty
ch ains, m ake s ure they w ill not drag on the
road when yo u are driving .
The c ha ins shou ld cross un der th e tra ile r
t ongue to prevent it from droppi ng in case of
separat ion from the h itch.
Trailer towin g 175
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best possible handli ng of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llow ing:
... Do not tow a loaded t railer w hen you r ca r it­
self is not loaded .
... Be especially caref ul when pass ing other ve­
hicles .
... Obse rve speed lim its .
... Do not dr ive at the maximum permissib le
speed.
... Always app ly brakes e arly .
... Mon itor the tempe rature g auge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded t railer w ith an em pty car re­
su lts in a highly unstab le distrib ution of
weig ht. If th is cannot be avoided d rive at very
l ow speed s on ly t o a void t he ri sk of losi ng
stee ring cont rol.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to operate and con­
tr ol. Th is means t hat the tow vehicle should
b e lo ade d to t he e xten t possible and per miss i­
ble while keep ing t he tr ailer a s light as possi ­
ble under the c ircu mstances . Wheneve r poss i­
ble, transfe r some ca rgo to the lugga ge com­
partment of the tow vehicle w hile obse rv in g
tong ue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
consideratio ns.
Speed
The higher the speed, the mo re di fficu lt it be ­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissib le speed. Re ­
duce your speed even more under unfavo rable
load, weather or wind conditions - partic ularly
whe n going downhill .
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows t he slig htest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas speeds
f or vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
r egular veh icles .
•
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176 Trailer towing
Always app ly bra kes early . When driving
downhill, shift into lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow down the vehicle.
Use of the brakes alone can cause them to
overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immed iate ly and/or switch
off the
a ir cond itioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instrument cluster starts flashing
J_, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing veh icle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not prope rly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle handles different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the addit io nal weight and
weight distribution . Safety, performance and
economy w ill greatly depend on how carefu lly
you load your trai ler and ope rate your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have comp letely become fam iliar w ith the way
your ve hicle-trai ler comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is d iff icu lt and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra ile r genera lly requ ires
steer ing act ion opposite of tha t when backing
up your veh icle without a trailer .
Ma intain a g reater distance between your ve­
h icle and the one in fro nt of you. You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, yo
u will need a
larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
ce le rate as fas t as you no rma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure yo u have
enough room to pass . After passing, a llow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang ­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts , sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break -in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, yo ur Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 2 59.
Parking on a slope
Do not park with a trailer on a slope . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace cho cks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unti l wheel b locks absorb th e load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the cu rb.
.. App ly the parking brake.
.. Place an automat ic transm ission in
P, re­
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear .
When restarting after p ark ing:
.. Start the engine.
.. Shift transm ission into gear .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel blocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
b locks .
Ill-

@ Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
mat ic transm ission to
P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force later to move the lever out of the
P pos i­
tion .
Trailer towin g 177
•
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218 Tires and wheels
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (' 'GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker label located either
on the driver's side B-pillar or on the inside of
the fuel filler flap. The tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure label
o fig. 167.
_& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located either on driver's side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the table
o page 216, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal friction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is highe r when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
o page 216. The
tires would then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly.
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended cold tire inflation pressures for
the new, original equipment tires that were
on your vehicle at the time it was manufac­
tured. For the location of the label
opage 216, fig. 167.
Most tires lose air naturally over time . They
can also lose some air if you drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while parking. It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires ..,.