2015 AUDI A3 Owners Manual

Equipment
Vehicle tool kit
Applies to vehicles: with vehicle tool kit
Fig . 163 Luggage compartment: cargo floor cover
folded upward
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the ca rgo floo r cover
¢ fig. 163.
Cargo floor cover
.. Hang the plast ic hook on the luggage com­
partment weather str ip -arrow-
c:> fig. 163.
Spare tire
General information
Applies to vehicles: with space-sav ing spa re tire (compact
spare t ire)
F ig. 164 Luggage compartment: cargo floor cove r
fo lded upward
F ig. 165 Compact spare tire
What do I d o now ? 24 7
The spare tire c=;,fig. 165 is intended for short ­
term use only. Have the damaged tire checked
and replaced if necessary by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified repair facility as soon
as possible.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spare tire
has been designed specifically for your type of
vehicle. Do not replace it with the spare tire
from another type of vehicle .
Removing the spar e tir e
.. Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle.
.. Hang the plastic hook on the luggage com­
partment weather strip@¢
fig. 164 .
.. Remove the subwoofer*, if necessary
c=;, page248 .
.. Tu rn the large screw counter-clockwise .
.. Remove the spare tir e.
Snow chains
For technical reasons, the use of snow cha ins
on the compact spare tire is not permitted.
If you have to drive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel in place
of a rear tire. Install the snow chains on the
rear tire that you removed, and install that in
place of the front tire that fa iled .
A WARNING
-After insta lling a spare tir e, the tire pres­
sure must be chec ked as soo n as possi­
b le. The t ire p re ssu re is availab le on
¢page 229, fig.157
- If the spa re tire is more t han 6 years old,
use it only in an emergen cy and wi th ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- T he spare ti re is in tended only fo r tem­
pora ry and short-te rm use .
It should be
rep laced as soon as possible wi th the
normal whee l and tire.
- After mo unting t he com pact spare t ire,
the t ire pressure mus t be checked as
soon as possible. T he tire pressure of the
compact spare tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erw ise, you risk having an acc ident.

248 What do I do now?
-Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h) . You risk having an acc ident.
- Avoid full-throttle acce le ration, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing. You risk hav­
ing an acc ident.
- Never drive us ing more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acci­
dent .
- Norma l summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare whee l
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use o f ti re
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare whee l must be mounted on the
front axle in the eve nt of a flat in a rear
t ir e. Th e newly ava ilable front w heel
must the n be installed in pla ce of the
re ar wheel wi th the flat ti re. Ins tal ling
the ti re chai n befo re mo unt ing the wheel
and tire is recommen ded .
- L oose items in the p assenge r comp art ­
ment can ca use serio us personal inj ury
dur ing hard braking or in an acc ident.
N ever sto re the inf latable spare tire or
jack and t ools in the passenger c ompart­
me nt.
- No rma l summer or wi nte r tires must not
be m ounted on the compact spare wheel
rim .
Removing the subwoofer
App lies to vehicles: with subwoofer
The subwoofer must be removed before the
spare wheel* can be removed.
F ig . 166 Spare w hee l well : subwoofe r
Removing the subwoofer
.,. Lift the c argo floor i=:> page 247, fig . 16 4.
.. Press the connector tabs (!) i=:> fig. 16 6 to-
gether .
.. Re move the connector @and set the re-
moved cab le aside .
.,. Remove the bo lt @ .
.. Carefully remove the subwoofe r.
Installing the subwoofer
.. Carefully place the subwoofer n the rim
we ll. The word "FRONT" on the subwoofer
m ust face forward.
.. Insert the con nector that was removed.
.. Secure t he subwoofer w ith the bolt .
.. Fold the cargo floo r cover back into place.
Changing a wheel
· Before changing a wheel
O bserve the following prec au tions f or your
own and your p assenger's safety when chang ­
ing a wheel .
.. Afte r you ex perie nce a ti re fail ure, p ull the
car we ll away from mov ing tr affic and try to
reach level ground before you stop
¢ ,&.
.. All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location ( for instance, behind
the guardrail)¢ ,&.
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally <=>,& .
.. Move selector lever to position Pi=:> ,& .
.. If you are towing a t railer, unhitch the trailer
from your ve hicl e.
.. Ta ke t he ja ck ¢
page 247 and the spare tire
¢ page 247 out of the luggage compart­
ment .
A WARNING
You o r you r passengers could be inj ured
while c hanging a w heel if you do not fo l­
l ow these safety precaut io ns:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off t he engine,
tur n the eme rgency flashers on and use
other warni ng devices to a le rt other mo­
torists.
-

-Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road 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 whee l being changed. When one
front whee l is lifted off the gro und, plac­
ing the A utomat ic Transm iss ion in P
(Park) wi ll
not prevent t he vehi cle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be su re the
ground is leve l and fi rm.
If necessary,
use a st urdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool ki t, the jack
and the replaced ti re in the l uggage com­
partment¢
page 12 7 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Remove the d ec orative wheel cov er* . For
more deta ils see also
c:>page 249, Deco ­
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 2 50,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
2. Loosen the wheel bolt s c:> page 250.
3. Locate the proper mount ing point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
<=> page 251.
4. Raise the car w ith the jack c:> page 251.
5. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare ¢ page 252 .
6. Tighten all wheel bo lts light ly.
7 .
Low er the ve hicle with the jack.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrenc h and
firmly
tighten all whee l bolts c:> page 250.
9. Replace the decorative wheel cov er*.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information
c:> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page251
and ¢page 253.
What do I d o now ? 249
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 127.
.,. Check the tir e pr essure on the spare whee l
immed iate ly afte r mounting i t.
.,. As soon as poss ib le, have the
tight ening
torque s
on all wheel bolts checked w ith a
torque wrench . The correct tighten ing tor­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi­
ble.
@ Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bo lts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, they should be replaced
before you c heck the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the tightening torques checked.
- After changing a whee l, the ti re press ure
in all four tires must be checked/correct­
ed and the tire pressure monitoring indi­
cator must be stored in the M MI
c:>page245.
Decorative wheel covers
App lies to veh icles: w ith decorat ive w hee l cove rs
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fi g. 167 Chang ing a whee l: Removing th e w hee l cover
Removing
.,. Insert the hook (provided with the vehicle
t oo l kit) in the ho le in the whee l hub cover .
i,,.

250 What do I do now?
• Pull off the decorative wheel cover
Q fig. 167.
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with whee l bo lts wit h caps
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts con be un­
screwed .
Fig. 168 Chang ing a w hee l: rem ov ing the w heel bo lt
caps
Removing
• Push the plastic clip (provided with the vehi­
cle too l kit) over the whee l bolt cap until the
inner retainers on the clip align with the
edge of the cover .
• Remove the cap with the
plastic clip (vehicle
tool kit)
Q fig . 168.
Refitting
• Place the caps over the wheel bo lts and
push them back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel bolts clean.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais­
ing the vehicle .
Fig. 1 69 Changing a whe el: loosening the w hee l bol ts
Loosening
• Slide the wheel wrench onto the wheel bolt
as far as it will go.
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bolts
counter­
clockwise
about one single turn in the direc­
tion of arrow
Q fig . 169.
Tightening
• Slide t he wheel wrench onto the wheel bo lt
as far as it w ill go.
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockw ise
until it is seated .
A WARNING
--Do not use force or hurry when changing
a wheel -you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious personal
in ju ries.
-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the vehicle with
the jack . - Yo u risk an inju ry.
© Tips
-Never use the hexagonal socket in the
hand le of the screwdr iver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find
it eas ier to loosen by carefully pushing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
w rench with
one foot only. As you do so, ..,.

hold on to the ca r to keep your ba lance
and take care not to slip.
Raising the vehicle
Th e ve hicl e must be li~ed with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed.
F ig. 170 Sill p anels : m arkin gs
Fig. 171 Sill: posi tioning th e vehicle jack
.. Place the vehicle jack (vehicle tool kit) on a
firm surface . Use a flat, stable support if
necessary . On a slippery surface such as tile,
you should use a non -slip pad (such as a rub ­
ber mat) ¢_& .
.. Engage the
p arking brak e to prevent your
vehicle from rol ling u ninten tionally.
.. Move the
se lector leve r to pos ition P.
.. Find the marki ng (imprint) on the si ll that is
nearest the wheel that wi ll be changed
¢ fig . 170 . Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the si ll for the vehicle jack.
.. Vehicles with a sill : Note the position of the
s ill when pos ition ing the vehicle jack
¢ fig . 171.
.. Turn the
ve hicle jack located under the lift­
ing poin t on the s ill to raise the jac k until its
arm @
Q fig. 171 is located under the des­
ignated plastic mount c:::>
A, ¢(D .
.. Align the jack so that its arm @c:::> fig. 171
engages in the designated lifting point in
What do I d o now ? 251
the door si ll and the movable base ® lies
flat on the ground. The base @ must be ver­
tical under the lifting point @ .
.. Wind the jack up further until the flat t ire
comes off the ground
c:::> _& .
Position the vehicle jack
onl y under the desig­
nated lifting points on the si ll
c:::> fig. 170.
There is exactly one locat ion for each wheel.
The jack must not be positioned at any other location ¢ 8 ¢(1).
An
uns table surface 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, slippery surfaces
(such as tiles) use a rubbe r mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
Q & .
_&. WARNING
-You or your passengers co uld be in ju red
while changing a wheel if you do no t fo l­
low these safety preca utions:
- Position the vehicle jack on ly at the
designated lifting points and align the
j ac k. Otherw ise, the vehicle jac k co uld
slip and cause an injury if it doe s not
h ave sufficient hold on the vehicle .
- A soft or unstable su rface unde r the
ja ck may cause the ve hicle to slip off
the jack . A lw ays p rov ide a firm b ase for
the j ack on the ground . If necessary,
u se a st urdy board under the jack .
- On hard, slippery surface (such as t iles)
u se a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping .
- Only raise your vehicle with the vehicle
j ack provided by the factory . If you use
a veh icle jack for another vehicle, you r
vehicle can slide and cause injury .
- Changes in tempe rature or load can af­
fect the height of the veh icle .
- Never sta rt the engine when the vehi­
cle is raised , which cou ld cause an acci-
dent.
~

252 What do I do n ow ?
-Support the vehicle securely with ap ­
propriate stands if work is to be per ­
formed underneath the vehicle;
otherw ise, there is a potential risk for
in Jury .
- To help preven t injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle u nti l you a re
sure the jack is sec urely e ngaged .
- Passengers mus t not rema in in the ve­
h icle when it is jacked up .
- Ma ke sure that passengers wait in a
safe p lace away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack posi tion is co rrect, ad­
just as necess ary and then contin ue to
raise the jack .
- Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle .
0 Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the s ill. Pos ition
the vehicle ja ck only at the designated lift­
ing poi nts on the sill. Othe rwise, your vehi­
cle will be damaged .
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow these instructions s tep-by-step for
c hanging the wheel.
Fig . 172 Chang ing a w hee l: u sing th e screw driver ha n­
dl e (w it h th e bla de re mov ed) to t urn the bolts
Fig. 173 Ch ang ing a wheel : alignment p in in sid e th e
t op hole
After you have loos ened all wheel bo lts and
raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows :
Removing the wheel
.,. Use the hexagon al so cket in th e screwdri v­
er handle
to completely remove the top­
most whee l bolt and set it aside on a
clean
surfac e Q fig. 172 .
.,. Screw the threaded end of the al ignme nt
p in
from the tool k it hand-t ight into t he
empty bol t hole
Q fig . 173.
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as de ­
scr ibed above .
.,. Take off the whee l leaving the a lignment pin
in the bo lt ho le
Q (J) .
Putting on the comp act sp are wheel
.,. Lift the spare whee l and carefully slide it
over the alignment p in to guide it in place
Q (J) .
.,. Use the hexagonal socket i n the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten a ll whee l
bolts
slightly .
.,. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the rema ining whee l bolt slightly
like the rest .
.,. Turn the jack handle counter -clockwise to
lower the vehicle until the jack is fully re­
leased .
.,. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bo lts fi rmly
Q page 250 . Tighten
them
crosswise , from one bolt to the (ap­
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel cente red.

(D Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the bra ke rotor and dam­
age the rotor . W ork carefully and have a
second person help you.
N ever use the hexa gonal s ocket in the ha n­
d le of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversib le blade from the screw­
drive r before yo u use the hexagonal
socket in t he handle to t urn the whee l
bo lts .
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make s ure the tread pat­
te rn is poi nte d the r ight way
c:> pag e253 .
- The w heel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn . Ch eck for dirt and corros ion on
the mat ing su rfaces of both the whee l
a nd th e hu b. Remove a ll dir t fro m these
s ur fa ces before remo unting the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern poin ted in
t he right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a sp are tire w ith a tr ead p atte rn
i ntended fo r u se in a specific direc tion, p lease
note t he following:
- T he di rection of rotation is ma rked by an a r­
r ow on the side o f the tire.
- If th e spare t i re has to be installed in the in­
c orrec t direction, use the spa re tire only
tem por ari ly si nce the t ire will no t be able to
ac hieve its op timum perfo rmance character­
ist ics with rega rd to aquaplani ng, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend that you pay particular at ­
tent io n to this fact du ring wet weat he r and
that you adjust your speed to matc h road
condit ions .
What do I do now? 253
-Replace the flat t ire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the han dling advantages
of a un idirectional tire.
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the i nfo rmation c:> page 236, New
tires and replacing tires and wh eels
if you a re
go ing to use a spare tire wh ich is different
from the ti res on you r vehicle.
After you cha nge a tire :
-Check the tire pressure on the spare imme­
diately after installation .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your authorized Audi dealer o r
a qualified service station.
- With steel and alloy wheel r ims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor­
roded and diff icult to turn while changing
a tire, they should be replaced before you
check the tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the whee l cover.
Until then , dr ive with e xtra care and at re­
duced speeds.
A WARNING
-
- I f you are going to e quip your ve hicle
wit h tires o r rims which differ from those
which were fac to ry inst alled, t hen be
s ure to read t he informa tion
c:> p age 2 36,
New tire s and repla cing tires a nd
wheels .
-Always make s ure th e d am age d wheel o r
eve n a fla t tire an d the jack an d too l ki t
are p rope rly secu red in the luggage com ­
pa rtment an d are not loose in the pas ­
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
co uld f ly forwa rd, inj uring a nyone in the
veh icle.
•
•
•

254 What do I do now?
-Always store damaged wheel, jac k and
tools secure ly in the luggage compart­
ment. Otherw ise, in an acc ident or sud­
den maneuver they cou ld fly forward,
causing injury to passenge rs in the vehi­
cle .